The 50 Best Fantasy Books of All Time

This is one of the 759 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

Esquire Magazine, 50 Books

This curated list of the 50 greatest fantasy books of all time showcases the most innovative and influential works in the genre. Spanning classic epics to modern masterpieces, these books transport readers to richly imagined worlds filled with magic, mythical creatures, and unforgettable characters. Each selection has shaped the fantasy landscape, offering groundbreaking storytelling, immersive world-building, and timeless themes of heroism, adventure, and transformation. Whether you're a lifelong fantasy fan or new to the genre, this collection highlights essential reads that continue to inspire and captivate readers around the world.

This list was originally published in 2022 and was added to this site over 1 year ago.

View: List Grid Table
Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
1117 The Fifth Season N. K. Jemisin 2015 American English
17 The Lord Of The Rings J. R. R. Tolkien 1959 English English
278 A Wizard Of Earthsea Ursula K. Le Guin 1968 American English
9256 The Grace Of Kings Ken Liu 2015 American English
4934 Who Fears Death Nnedi Okorafor 2010 Nigerian English
1805 A Hero Born Jin Yong 1957 Chinese Chinese
1585 Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell Susanna Clarke 2004 British English
6533 A Stranger In Olondria Sofia Samatar 2013 American English
2652 Circe Madeline Miller 2018 American English
17158 Myst Rand Miller, Robyn Miller, David Wingrove 1996 American English
4078 Children Of Blood And Bone Tomi Adeyemi 2018 Nigerian English
513 Kindred Octavia E. Butler 1979 American English
2104 The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories Angela Carter 1979 British English
17158 Latro In The Mist Gene Wolfe 2003 American English
859 The Palm-Wine Drinkard Amos Tutola 1952 Nigerian English
1833 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader C. S. Lewis 1952 British English
17158 Once And Forever Kenji Miyazawa 1994 Japanese Japanese
4817 Ozma Of Oz L. Frank Baum 1907 American English
14985 The Shadow Rising Robert Jordan 1992 American English
5447 The Way of Kings Brandon Sanderson 2010 American English
7050 The Changeling Victor LaValle 2017 American English
12727 The Bird King G. Willow Wilson 2019 American English
7923 Uprooted Naomi Novik 2015 American English
17158 The Drowned Life Jeffrey Ford 2008 American English
14985 Moon Witch, Spider King Marlon James 2022 Jamaican English
14232 Foundryside Robert Jackson Bennett 2018 American English
14985 Redemption in Indigo Karen Lord 2010 Barbadian English
7103 Get In Trouble Kelly Link 2015 American English
6917 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Grace Lin, Janet Song 2009 Chinese English
14985 The Blue Fox Sjón 2003 Icelandic Icelandic
8957 Stardust Neil Gaiman 1999 British English
17158 Kalpa Imperial Angélica Gorodischer 1983 Argentinian Spanish
8939 Queen Of The Conquered Kacen Callender 2019 American English
3825 The Subtle Knife Philip Pullman 1997 British English
1289 A Game of Thrones George R. R. Martin 1996 American English
9700 The Black Tides Of Heaven Neon Yang 2017 Singaporean English
4996 Tigana Guy Gavriel Kay 1990 Canadian English
14985 The Vorrh Brian Catling 2012 British English
10767 A Darker Shade Of Magic V. E. Schwab 2015 American English
17158 What Should Be Wild Julia Fine 2018 American English
17158 Tales Of Falling And Flying Ben Loory 2017 American English
8577 Witchmark C. L. Polk 2018 Canadian English
17158 The Unfinished World Amber Sparks 2016 American English
17158 The Sorcerer Of The Wildeeps Kai Ashante Wilson 2015 American English
17158 The Other City Michal Ajvaz 1993 Czech Czech
17158 Ring Shout P. Djèlí Clark 2020 American English
14985 The Library At Mount Char Scott Hawkins 2015 American English
4943 The Buried Giant Kazuo Ishiguro 2015 British English
3191 The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern 2011 American English
10958 The City Of Brass S. A. Chakraborty 2017 Egyptian English