The Greatest Fantasy Books of All Time

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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Genres

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of literature that typically involves imaginative and supernatural elements, often set in a fictional world or alternate reality. These stories often feature mythical creatures, magic, and epic battles between good and evil. Fantasy books can range from high fantasy, which includes complex world-building and intricate plotlines, to urban fantasy, which blends fantastical elements with contemporary settings. The genre allows readers to escape into a world of wonder and adventure, where anything is possible.

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  1. 1626. The Square Of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

    Cornwall, 1730. Red learns the Cornish Square of Sevens from her father, who before his death places her with a gentleman scholar and leaves a document with the method's secret. Raised in Bath, she uses fortune telling to delight high society while she pursues who her mother was and the enemies her father feared. Her search takes her to London, Devon, the Bartholomew Fair, and the grand houses of two powerful families, bringing the possibility of reward and the risk of grave danger.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  2. 1627. Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde

    Chromatacia was rebuilt after an unspecified catastrophe and is ordered by citizens' limited color perception. Professions, marriages, and leisure are dictated by visual ability, and the National Color enforces the rules. On the fringes of Red Sector West, Eddie Russett is pressured into an arranged marriage while facing trial for a murder he denies and risking execution by soporific color exposure. He is in an illegal relationship with his co-defendant Jane Grey, and they search for a hidden truth that might save them.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  3. 1628. To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars by Christopher Paolini

    A xenobiologist surveying an uncolonized world discovers an ancient alien relic that bonds with her, transforming her body and mind and thrusting her into a galaxy-spanning conflict; as she struggles to control a sentient, invasive technology that grants terrifying powers and links her to other intelligences, she becomes both a target and a fulcrum in escalating wars, political intrigue, and desperate attempts to understand and survive forces far older and stranger than humanity, blending big-picture space opera battles with intimate character-driven reckonings about identity and otherness.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  4. 1629. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

    Set in a dark, pulsing Mexico City, this gritty urban fantasy follows a young vampire who flees the provinces into the metropolis and becomes entangled with a small-time thief and violent blood-dealing factions; as rival clans and corrupt humans clash over supply, power and survival, the story unfolds as a noir-tinged exploration of hunger, migration, class and the brutal compromises required to live in the city’s shadowy margins.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  5. 1630. Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw

    A wry, compassionate physician who specializes in treating vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural patients in modern London is jolted into a dangerous investigation when one of her patients is violently killed; using medical skill, stubborn curiosity, and a ragged band of supernatural and human allies, she navigates occult politics, long-buried secrets, and rising prejudice to uncover the truth, balancing day-to-day care, personal loyalties, and the darker forces that threaten her community.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  6. 1631. The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

    A cunning, penniless thief is drawn into a perilous journey after a botched job leaves him trapped by debt and danger; forced into uneasy alliances, he must navigate a savage, monster-haunted world full of ruthless cultists, strange magics, and ancient, hungry powers. Relying on quick wits, petty schemes, and reluctant loyalties, he fights to survive long enough to seize a chance at freedom, in a darkly comic, brutal fantasy that balances bawdy humor with violent stakes and unexpected tenderness.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  7. 1632. Hooked by McIntire, Emily

    A Dark, Contemporary Romance

    James wants to destroy his enemy, Peter Michaels. When Peter's daughter Wendy appears in his bar, he plans to seduce her for revenge. As his organization starts to crumble and a traitor emerges, his plan clouds and he begins to see Wendy as more than a pawn. Wendy, raised by a cold wealthy father, falls into an intense, addictive affair and must decide whether she loves James or the monster known as Hook.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  8. 1633. The Memory Painter by Womack, Gwendolyn

    An emotionally taut psychological thriller about an artist who begins producing paintings tied to memories she cannot explain; as the images surface details of a long-buried disappearance and tangled family secrets, she must unravel who she once was, who she can trust, and whether revealing the truth will bring healing or put her—and those she loves—at risk.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  9. 1634. The Ogress And The Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

    A tender, fable-like tale about a gentle ogress who lives on the edge of a fearful village and quietly cares for a group of orphaned children; when rumors and a mysterious disappearance turn the town against her, the orphans and a few brave residents work to uncover the truth, exposing how gossip, scapegoating, and fear corrode community. The story explores the power of stories, the courage of kindness, and how empathy and honesty can heal and rebuild trust.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  10. 1635. Island Of Whispers by Frances Hardinge

    On the island of Merlank the Dead must not be allowed to linger. The very sight of their ghosts can kill. When Milo is thrust into the role of Ferryman after his father's sudden death he must carry away the Dead. Pursued by a vengeful lord and two malignant magicians, Milo must navigate strange and perilous seas where untold threats whisper in the mist while he struggles to find the courage and imagination to complete his urgent mission.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  11. 1636. From A Buick 8 by Stephen King

    A Pennsylvania state trooper recounts his squad's decades-long guardianship of a battered vintage Buick that behaves as if it's a portal to another world—sporadically producing strange materials and creatures and defying all attempts to study or power it. The men's mixture of curiosity, duty, and private grief turns the car into a focal point for questions about friendship, mortality, and the limits of human understanding when confronted with the truly inexplicable.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  12. 1637. What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson

    After a sudden death a man awakens in a vividly imagined afterlife where reunion with loved ones, memory and the landscapes of a painter’s imagination shape heaven; when his grieving wife chooses to end her life and becomes trapped in a personalized hell of guilt and despair, he refuses to accept permanent separation and embarks on a perilous journey through layered realms, aided by spiritual guides, to bring her back—exploring themes of love, loss, redemption, and the way consciousness shapes the hereafter.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  13. 1638. The Heart Of A Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov

    Set in 1920s Moscow, a brilliant surgeon transplants human organs into a stray dog, producing Sharikov — an abrasive, officious creation whose crude behavior and embrace of the new Soviet mores clash violently with the professor’s cultured circle. The novella satirically exposes the perils of social engineering, unchecked scientific hubris, and the collision between pre-revolutionary intelligentsia and the revolutionary lower classes, mixing dark comedy and moral unease as the experiment's consequences spiral beyond the lab. Through sharp irony and grotesque transformation, the story probes what makes a human — nature, nurture, or social order — and questions whether progress can be forced without losing humanity.

    The 16879th Greatest Book of All Time
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  14. 1639. Remembrance Of Earth's Past by Liu Cixin

    The Three-Body Trilogy

    Across decades, humanity's first contact with an advanced alien civilization—triggered by a disillusioned scientist and a clandestine message sent into space—sparks political turmoil, scientific breakthroughs, and the unraveling of long-hidden cosmic dangers. An alien species from an unstable three-sun system intervenes, using subatomic surveillance and the threat of invasion to destabilize Earth's societies, prompting competing human factions to pursue collaboration, betrayal, and radical strategies for survival. The story develops a chilling cosmic-sociology idea known as the Dark Forest, explores the construction of interstellar deterrence and mutual-assured destruction on a galactic scale, and follows the moral, technological, and existential costs of confronting truly alien minds. It is an expansive, mind-bending examination of civilization, survival, and the terrible choices provoked by contact with a hostile cosmos.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  15. 1640. The Dalemark Quartet by Diana Wynne Jones

    A quartet of linked fantasy tales set in a divided kingdom, following different young protagonists whose ordinary lives are swept into political intrigue, ancient magic and quests that reveal hidden histories; through music, storytelling and craft—especially rune-like weaving and song—they awaken unexpected powers, confront oppression and tyrants, forge alliances across generations, and work to heal a fractured land while coming of age.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
  16. 1641. A Cabeça Do Santo by Socorro Acioli

    Set in a small town in northeastern Brazil, the novel follows the repercussions of the theft of a saint’s head from the local church: the missing relic unsettles family ties, awakens old loves and rivalries, and forces neighbors to reckon with the uneasy mix of Catholic devotion and Afro-Brazilian beliefs that shapes their lives. Told with sly humor and touches of magical realism, the story weaves together grief, desire and superstition as secrets surface and characters seek unexpected forms of redemption.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  17. 1642. Mistborn Trilogy Tpb Boxed Set by Brandon Sanderson

    In a grim, ash-shadowed world ruled by an apparently immortal tyrant, a streetwise orphan with latent metal-based powers is drawn into a daring plot by a charismatic rebel to ignite a revolution; as she trains in Allomancy and navigates shifting loyalties, the crew’s heist and political gambits grow into a battle that upends faith, uncovers ancient forces shaping the planet, and demands profound sacrifices as individuals confront leadership, identity, and the cost of remaking society.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  18. 1643. Doctor Who by George Mann

    Engines of War

    The Great Time War has raged for centuries, leaving colony planets overrun by Dalek occupation forces. A weary Doctor leads a flotilla of Battle TARDISes but his TARDIS crashes on the planet Moldox, where Dalek patrols roam the wreckage and round up the remaining civilians. Searching for answers he meets Cinder, a young Dalek hunter, and their struggles take them from Moldox to the halls of Gallifrey, setting events in motion that will change everything. It features the War Doctor as played by John Hurt.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  19. 1644. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

    On Christmas Eve a skeptical young boy is swept aboard a mysterious train bound for the North Pole, where he and other children embark on a magical journey guided by a genial conductor; they experience snow-filled landscapes, a visit to a bustling Santa’s village, and the wonder of a single sleigh bell—heard only by those who truly believe—which ultimately rekindles the boy’s faith in the spirit of Christmas.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  20. 1645. Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies

    Born with a strange star-marking and an uncanny gift for inspiring others, a young stag endures exile, danger, and mystical revelations as he learns the ancient truths of his kind; gathering allies among deer and other creatures, he challenges a ruthless, power-hungry leader and the forces that threaten the herd’s freedom, undergoing trials of loyalty and sacrifice that reshape his identity and determine the future of his world.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  21. 1646. Shadow Slave by Guiltythree

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  22. 1647. The Outlaw Of Torn by Edgar Rice Burroughs

    A rollicking medieval adventure that follows a man raised among brigands who rises to become a feared outlaw leader, then becomes entangled in high-stakes political intrigue, shifting loyalties, romance, and revenge as feudal conflicts and struggles for power in 13th-century England threaten to destroy him and those he loves.

    The 16907th Greatest Book of All Time
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  23. 1648. Children Of Eden by Joey Graceffa

    Rowan is a second child in a society where population controls make her illegal and marked for death. Outside Eden, Earth is poisoned and most life is gone, so Aaron Al-Baz created the EcoPanopticon to seize technology and preserve a pocket of humanity until the world heals. Hidden for sixteen years, Rowan escapes for one night, finds a friend, then faces tragedy and becomes a renegade on the run.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  24. 1649. Journey To The River Sea by Eva Ibbotson

    A plucky orphan raised in an English boarding school is sent to live with distant relatives in Manaus and, on the steamer journey and in the lush Amazon, discovers the extraordinary beauty and danger of the rainforest; she makes warm friendships with locals and fellow travellers, uncovers the selfish schemes of her supposed guardians, and ultimately finds courage, belonging, and a new kind of family far from England.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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  25. 1650. Outlaw by Angus Donald

    A grittily realistic retelling of the Robin Hood legend narrated by the wandering minstrel Alan-a-Dale, following a skilled archer’s journey from village life to the brutality of the Crusades and back to England as the head of a band of outlaws. The story blends bloody combat, political intrigue and rough camaraderie as the group challenges Norman corruption and the scheming of Prince John, grounding familiar mythic figures in harsh social and historical detail. Themes of loyalty, justice and the making of a folk hero run throughout as personal survival and moral choice collide on the medieval road.

    The 17162nd Greatest Book of All Time
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Reading Statistics

Click the button below to see how many of these books you've read!

Download

If you're interested in downloading this list as a CSV file for use in a spreadsheet application, you can easily do so by clicking the button below. Please note that to ensure a manageable file size and faster download, the CSV will include details for only the first 500 books.

Download

To download this list as a CSV file, please log in to your account. Once logged in, you'll be able to download the data for use in spreadsheet applications.

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