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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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
8410 The First Book Of Lankhmar Fritz Leiber 1970 American English
8410 Dragons Of Autumn Twilight Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman 1984 American English
8410 Dragons Of Winter Night Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman 1985 American English
8410 Dragons Of Spring Dawning Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman 1985 American English
8410 волкодав Maria Semyonova 1995 Russian Russian
8410 The Wizard Of The Emerald City Alexander Wolkow 1939 Russian Russian
8410 The Chronicles Of The Deryni Katherine Kurtz 1970 American English
8410 Temnaya Zvezda Hroniki Artsii Vera Kamsha 2009 Russian Russian
8410 The Dreaming City Michael Moorcock 1961 British English
8410 Memory And Dream Charles de Lint 1994 Canadian English
8410 The Iron Dragon's Daughter Michael Swanwick 1993 American English
8410 The Golden Apple Robert Shea, Robert Anton Wilson 1975 American English
8410 Night Watch Sergei Lukyanenko 1998 Russian Russian
8451 Bridge of Birds Barry Hughart 1984 American English
8451 Thomas the Rhymer Ellen Kushner 1990 American English
8451 Ombria in Shadow Patricia A. McKillip 2002 American English
8451 The Bear And The Nightingale Katherine Arden 2017 American English
8451 On A Sunbeam Tillie Walden 2018 American English
8451 The Empress Of Salt And Fortune Nghi Vo 2020 American English
8451 The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four, And Five Doris May Lessing 1980 British English
8451 Otherland Tad Williams 1996 American English
8611 Paladin of Souls Lois McMaster Bujold 2003 American English
8611 The Obelisk Gate N. K. Jemisin 2016 American English
8611 Anansi Boys Neil Gaiman, Lenny Henry, Mónica Faerna 2005 British English
8611 A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking T. Kingfisher 2020 American English
8651 Wolf Brother Michelle Paver 2004 British English
8676 The Magician King Lev Grossman 2011 American English
8676 Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore Robin Sloan 2012 American English
8676 Year Of The Unicorn Andre Norton 1965 American English
8676 Daybreak On A Different Mountain Colin Greenland 1984 British English
8676 The Worm Ouroboros E. R. Eddison 1922 British English
8676 Ship Of Magic Robin Hobb 1998 American English
8676 War For The Oaks Emma Bull 1987 American English
8676 Taltos Steven Brust 1988 American English
8676 The Hills Have Spies Mercedes Lackey 2018 American English
8676 Dawnthief James Barclay 1999 British English
8676 The Coming Of Conan The Cimmerian Robert E. Howard 2003 American English
8676 A Walk Out Of The World Ruth Nichols 1969 Canadian English
8676 The Serpent Mage Greg Bear 1986 American English
8676 Phantastes George McDonald 1858 British English
8676 Swords And Deviltry Fritz Leiber 1970 American English
8676 Dun Lady's Jess Doranna Durgin 1994 American English
8676 Rise Of The Dragons Morgan Rice 2014 American English
8676 A Discovery Of Witches Deborah Harkness 2011 American English
8676 The White Tower Michael Wisehart 2017 American English
8736 Lord of Misrule Rachel Caine 2008 American English
8736 ...And Call Me Conrad Roger Zelazny 1965 American English
8736 The Sword in the Stone T. H. White 1938 British English
8736 The Years of Rice and Salt Kim Stanley Robinson 2002 American English
8736 The Song of Rhiannon Evangeline Walton 1972 British English
8736 The Hollow Hills Mary Stewart 1973 British English
8736 A Midsummer Tempest Poul Anderson 1974 American English
8736 Unfinished Tales Christopher John Reuel Tolkien, J. R. R. Tolkien 1980 British English
8736 The Firelings Carol Kendall 1981 American English
8736 When Voiha Wakes Joy Chant 1983 British English
8736 Cards of Grief Jane Yolen 1984 American English
8736 The Folk of the Air Peter S. Beagle 1986 American English
8736 Seventh Son Orson Scott Card, Patrick Couton 1987 American English
8736 Unicorn Mountain Michael Bishop 1988 American English
8736 The Stress of Her Regard Tim Powers 1989 American English
8736 A Woman of the Iron People Eleanor Arnason 1991 American English
8736 Briar Rose Jane Yolen 1992 American English
8736 The Porcelain Dove Delia Sherman 1993 American English
8736 Something Rich and Strange Patricia A. McKillip 1984 American English
8736 Waking the Moon Elizabeth Hand, Elisabeth Hand 1994 American English
8736 The Wood Wife Terri Windling 1996 American English
8736 The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye A. S. Byatt 1994 British English
8736 Tamsin Peter S. Beagle 1999 American English
8736 The Innamorati Midori Snyder 1998 American English
8736 The Curse of Chalion Lois McMaster Bujold 2001 Japanese English
8736 Solstice Wood Patricia A. McKillip 2006 American English
8736 In the Night Garden Catherynne M. Valente 2006 American English
8736 In the Cities of Coin and Spice Catherynne M. Valente 2007 American English
8736 Flesh and Spirit Carol Berg 2007 American English
8736 Lifelode Jo Walton 2009 British English
8736 Redemption in Indigo Karen Lord 2010 Barbadian English
8736 The Uncertain Places Lisa Goldstein 2011 American English
8736 Digger, Vols.1-6 Ursula Vernon 2005 American English
8736 Tales from Rugosa Coven Sarah Avery 2013 American English
8736 Kingfisher Patricia A. McKillip 2016 American English
8736 Ka John Crowley 2017 American English
8736 Snow White Learns Witchcraft Theodora Goss 2019 American English
8736 Or What You Will Jo Walton 2020 British English
8736 Knight's Wyrd Debra Doyle 1992 American English
8736 The Kingdom of Kevin Malone Suzy McKee Charnas 1977 American English
8736 Owl in Love Patrice Kindl 1993 American English
8736 The Crown of Dalemark Diana Wynne Jones 1993 British English
8736 Passager Jane Yolen 1996 American English
8736 Hobby Jane Yolen 1996 American Unknown
8736 Merlin Jane Yolen 2004 American English
8736 Dark Lord of Derkholm Diana Wynne Jones, Magali Mangin 1998 British English
8736 The Folk Keeper Franny Billingsley 1999 American English
8736 Aria of the Sea Dia Calhoun 2000 American English
8736 The Ropemaker Peter Dickinson 2001 British English
8736 Summerland Michael Chabon 2002 American English
8736 The Hollow Kingdom Clare B. Dunkle 2003 American English
8736 A Hat Full of Sky Terry Pratchett 2004 British English
8736 The Golem's Eye Jonathan Stroud 2004 British English
8736 Ptolemy's Gate Jonathan Stroud 2005 British English
8736 Corbenic Catherine Fisher 2002 British English
8736 The Thief Megan Whalen Turner 1996 American English
8736 The Queen of Attolia Megan Whalen Turner 2000 American English
8736 The King of Attolia Megan Whalen Turner 2006 American English
8736 A Conspiracy of Kings Megan Whalen Turner 2010 American English
8736 The Freedom Maze Delia Sherman 2011 American English
8736 Vessel Sarah Beth Durst 2012 American English
8736 Doll Bones Holly Black 2013 American English
8736 A Snicker of Magic Natalie Lloyd 2014 American English
8736 Castle Hangnail Ursula Vernon 2015 American English
8736 The Inquisitor's Tale Adam Gidwitz 2016 American English
8736 Frogkisser Garth Nix 2017 Australian English
8736 Bob Rebecca Stead, Wendy Mass 2018 American English
8736 Dragon Pearl Yoon Ha Lee 2019 American English
8736 Pahua and the Soul Stealer Lori Lee 2021 American English
8736 Root Magic Eden Royce 2021 American English
8736 Bold As Love Gwyneth Jones 2001 British English
8736 Iron Council China Miéville 2004 British English
8736 Doctor Rat William Kotzwinkle 1976 American English
8736 Watchtower Elizabeth A. Lynn 1979 American English
8736 The Dragon Waiting John M. Ford 1983 American English