The Greatest Fantasy Books Since 2000
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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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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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251. Silver Elite by Dani Francis
Wren Darlington, a powerful psychic Mod hiding from those who would kill her kind, is captured and forced into Silver Block, an elite enemy training program. Forced to conceal her abilities while plotting from within, she must navigate deadly training, shifting loyalties, and a fraught relationship with her commanding officer, Cross Redden. As tensions escalate, Wren has to decide how far she’ll go to survive and what she’s willing to sacrifice to protect others.
The 12827th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
252. Bat Eater And Other Names For Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
Cora Zeng cleans crime scenes in Chinatown while trying to cope with the trauma of seeing her sister pushed in front of a train and the killer’s whispered words, “bat eater.” As the murderer remains at large, Cora grows increasingly numb and haunted: bat carcasses start appearing at clean-up sites and the recent victims are all East Asian women. Between grief, cultural rituals like the Hungry Ghost Festival, and signs of something sinister, Cora must confront the dread she has been avoiding.
The 12828th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
253. Harriet Tubman by Bob the Drag Queen
In an imaginative re-telling, Harriet Tubman returns in an age of miracles and asks a former hip‑hop producer, Darnell Williams, to help her create a musical about her life. Over the course of one week they work to craft a show that confronts their pasts and explores themes of freedom, love, and music.
The 12829th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
254. Of Monsters And Mainframes by Barbara Truelove
Demeter is an interstellar transport ship whose human passengers start dying under strange, supernatural circumstances. To survive and protect those onboard, the ship and its crew—an unlikely mix including a werewolf, an engineer reanimated from the dead, an ancient pharaoh, a vampire, and a swarm of spider drones—must confront a centuries-old vampire while the story examines identity, loyalty, and what it means to be labeled a monster.
The 12830th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
255. Pan by Michael Clune
Fifteen-year-old Nicholas begins having sudden panic attacks and unsettling moments of dissociation that lead him to wonder whether something like the Greek god Pan could be inside him. Alongside his friends Ty and Sarah, he searches for meaning in books, music, and the reckless rituals at a local party house, forcing him to confront anxiety, identity, and the strange workings of consciousness.
The 12889th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org or Amazon -
256. The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie
A Quintet of Stories
Set across Chennai, Bombay, and an English college, the novel follows two quarrelsome elderly men confronting private losses amid wider national upheaval, a magical musician in an unhappy marriage to a multibillionaire, and an undead academic bent on settling old scores. Through linked, often fantastical episodes, it examines aging, memory, and the difficulty of saying goodbye to the places and people that shape a life.
The 12933rd Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
257. Lessons In Magic And Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders
In a world where magic and technology coexist, a group of unlikely friends must navigate the complexities of their intertwined destinies. As they grapple with their burgeoning powers and the looming threat of a catastrophic event, they learn that the true essence of magic lies not in spells or incantations, but in the bonds they forge and the courage they muster. Amidst the chaos, they discover that sometimes the greatest lessons come from the disasters they face together, revealing the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of friendship.
The 12976th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
258. All That We See Or Seem by Ken Liu
Julia Z, once known as the “orphan hacker,” is drawn out of a quiet life when a lawyer asks for help after his wife Elli — a performer who creates shared virtual dream experiences — is kidnapped. Using her cybersecurity and hacking skills, Julia navigates virtual realities and criminal networks to unravel a complex, high-stakes mystery. The story explores the blurred boundaries between technology, identity, privacy, and the nature of shared dreams without revealing key plot twists.
The 12990th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
259. Engines Of War by R.S. Ford
Set in an empire consumed by all-out war, Engines of War follows rival guilds and a cast of characters as magic-powered machines and political intrigue reshape the battlefield. Tense and fast-paced, it explores shifting loyalties, conspiracies, and the personal costs of conflict as the trilogy reaches its conclusion.
The 13053rd Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
260. Female Fantasy by Iman Hariri-Kia
Joonie, a devoted romance-reader, is obsessed with Ryke, the merman hero from her favorite series. When she discovers he’s modeled on a real person, she sets off on a road trip to find him—bringing her brother’s irritating but attractive best friend along—and discovers that turning fantasy into reality comes with unexpected complications. A playful, steamy romantic comedy that also explores fandom and the tropes of the genre.
The 13056th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
261. The Blackfire Blade by James Logan
When Lukan Gardova arrives in the spired city of Korslakov to claim his father’s legacy in the Blackfire Bank, his vault key is stolen by a mysterious thief called the Rook. Chasing the thief with his companions draws them into a tangle of murder and deception, and into an uneasy alliance with Lady Marni Volkova, who has her own secrets and an agenda that will lead them into Korslakov’s dangerous past and a long‑lost alchemical formula that could change the city forever.
The 13062nd Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
262. Aunt Tigress by Emily Yu-Xuan Qin
Tam, who has spent years suppressing her dangerous supernatural side, is pulled back into a violent magical world when her estranged Aunt Tigress is murdered. Inheriting an undead fox and a host of old enemies, she must face creatures drawn from Chinese and Siksiká Nation–inspired folklore while navigating guilt, a budding sapphic romance, and the question of whether monsters can have happy endings.
The 13065th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
263. The Isle In The Silver Sea by Tasha Suri
In a Britain shaped by living stories, witch Simran and knight Vina are bound to repeat the tragic tale of the Knight and the Witch across centuries. As the two women fall in love, they must decide whether to follow their desires when doing so seems to doom them both. When a mysterious assassin begins targeting tales like theirs, they seek a way to break the cycle by creating a story strong enough to change their fate.
The 13074th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
264. Blob by Maggie Su
Vi Liu, a twenty-three-year-old of Taiwanese and white heritage, is drifting through life in a Midwestern college town when she rescues a mysterious sentient blob outside a bar. As the creature becomes part of her life, Vi tries to shape it into her ideal partner and is compelled to confront loneliness, past relationships, and the role of race and identity in her search for belonging. The story blends humor and tenderness as Vi navigates love, control, and self-discovery.
The 13189th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
265. These Memories Do Not Belong To Us by Yiming Ma
Decades in the future under the authoritarian state of Qin, citizens use implanted Mindbanks to record and transfer memories, creating a new market and new ways to control perception. When a man inherits his late mother’s Mindbank—containing memories from before, during, and after the war that made Qin dominant—he suspects the Party may have altered them and decides to risk everything to reveal what they contain. The novel examines memory, history, and the ways power shapes collective truth.
The 13190th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
266. Awakened by A.E. Osworth
When 30-something queer Brooklynite Wilder suddenly gains the ability to understand every language, they are taken in by a small coven of trans witches — Quibble, a portal traveler; Artemis, the seer and caretaker; and Mary Margaret, a teen with telekinetic powers. As Wilder learns to live with magic and find belonging, the group must face a hostile artificial intelligence that upends their sense of safety and forces them to reckon with questions of consciousness, identity, and embodiment. A character-driven, spoiler-free story about community, transformation, and what it means to belong.
The 13201st Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
267. The Conjuring Of America by Lindsey Stewart
Lindsey Stewart traces the history of conjure women—healers, midwives, and spiritual practitioners—whose herbal remedies, rituals, and crafts shaped African American life from slavery through Jim Crow. Working in secrecy, they preserved ancestral knowledge and created practical responses to oppression, influencing everyday health remedies, music, textiles, and foodways. The book explores how these hidden practices helped communities survive and resist and how their legacy is woven into American culture.
The 13111th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
268. Dracula & Daughters by Emma Carroll
In gothic Temstown, three cousins—Mina, Buffy and Bella—discover they are descendants of Dracula. Guided by an ancient book and a talking raven, they start a vampire healing company that treats rather than hunts vampires, using newfound powers to investigate strange happenings in the town.
The 13168th Greatest Book of All Time -
269. Deep Dark by Zohra Nabi
Cassia Thorne leads a double life in 19th‑century London—selling ballads by day and spending nights in Fleet Prison. When children begin vanishing from the streets, Cassia teams up with a young pickpocket, Teo, and their friend Felix to investigate, uncovering a sinister conspiracy, strange men in blue coats, and rumors of a beast in the city's deep tunnels. A tense, atmospheric, supernatural mystery set in the underbelly of Victorian London.
The 13169th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
270. Torchfire by Moira Buffini
Purchase from Bookshop.org -
271. The Witch's Egg by Donya Todd
Urfi, a cat-witch, conjures an angel to bear her children but flees his violence, carrying the embryonic egg of their unborn offspring into a faery forest. She raises her daughters—Isobel, Batzel, and Mazel—only to have the dangers tied to the angels resurface. The three must rely on secret magic, sisterhood, and friendship to protect one another in this dark, lyrical fairytale about motherhood, survival, and love.
The 13185th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
272. Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
In a world inspired by pre-Columbian Americas, a solar eclipse heralds an uncertain future as prophecy and political intrigue converge. A rogue ship captain, a conflicted priest, and a clan-outsider with a mysterious power find their fates intertwined on a perilous journey to the holy city of Tova. As they navigate a complex tapestry of clashing cultures and hidden agendas, they must confront their own demons and unravel the truth behind an impending celestial event that could spell the end of their civilization. This epic fantasy weaves together the threads of power, identity, and redemption, set against a richly imagined landscape teeming with gods and monsters.
The 13236th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Amazon -
273. Harrow The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
In this darkly imaginative and complex sequel, the protagonist, a necromancer with unmatched powers, confronts the aftermath of an epic space battle and the loss of her mentor. Now, she must navigate the treacherous politics of an immortal empire as its empress's right hand. While grappling with unreliable memories and a mind that seems to be unraveling, she faces internal and external threats, including potential madness and a lingering, enigmatic enemy. As she trains in the arcane arts of the dead, she must solve the mysteries of her past and the riddles of her present to protect the future of her world.
The 13236th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Amazon -
274. The Burning God by R. F. Kuang
In this gripping finale to a fantasy trilogy inspired by historical events in 20th-century China, a young shaman and war orphan confronts the devastating cost of her quest for power and revenge. As she returns to her homeland, she finds it ravaged by war and famine, and must reckon with the alliances she has formed and the monstrous deity that grants her strength. With the fate of her people hanging in the balance, she engages in brutal battles against both foreign invaders and the treacherous forces within her own ranks, ultimately facing a final, harrowing choice that will determine the future of her world.
The 13236th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Amazon -
275. Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
In a world where political intrigue and divine destinies intertwine, a young woman born with a scarlet mote in her eye is marked by the gods for a unique destiny. Trained in the arts of love and espionage, she navigates the complex web of courtly life in a realm where sensuality and pain are intertwined. As a pawn and a player in the game of thrones, she uses her unique gifts to uncover secrets and protect her homeland, all while serving a mysterious patron whose motives are as enigmatic as the unfolding divine plan. Her journey is one of self-discovery, loyalty, and betrayal, set against a backdrop of opulence, ritual, and power struggles, where love can be both a weakness and a formidable weapon.
The 13302nd Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Amazon
Reading Statistics
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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.
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