The Greatest Fantasy Books Since 1950

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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
3928 The Poppy War R. F. Kuang 2018 Chinese English
3950 The Phoenix And The Mirror Avram Davidson 1969 American English
4065 A Feast Unknown Philip José Farmer 1969 American English
4078 Children Of Blood And Bone Tomi Adeyemi 2018 Nigerian English
4103 Selected Poems Of Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith 1971 American English
4189 An Ember In The Ashes Sabaa Tahir 2015 American English
4221 The Shadow of the Torturer Gene Wolfe 1980 American English
4257 Jack Of Shadows Roger Zelazny 1971 American English
4305 A Court Of Thorns And Roses Sarah J. Maas 2015 American English
4400 Ariosto Chelsa quinn yarbro 1972 American Unknown
4450 The Eye Of The World Robert Jordan 1990 American English
4459 The Graveyard Book Neil Gaiman 2008 British English
4472 Nifft The Lean Michael Shea 1982 American English
4517 The Black Cauldron Lloyd Alexander 1965 American English
4548 Restoree Anne McCaffrey 1967 American English
4576 Alanna Tamora Pierce 1983 American English
4605 Swords And Deviltry Fritz Leiber 1970 American English
4639 The Vintner's Luck Elizabeth Knox 1998 New Zealand English
4655 Coraline Neil Gaiman 2002 British English
4708 Six Of Crows Leigh Bardugo 2015 American English
4710 Grimus Salman Rushdie 1975 British English
4720 The Sword of the Lictor Gene Wolfe 1982 American English
4819 The Malacia Tapestry Brian Aldiss 1976 British English
4933 Who Fears Death Nnedi Okorafor 2010 Nigerian English
4942 The Buried Giant Kazuo Ishiguro 2015 British English
4994 Tigana Guy Gavriel Kay 1990 Canadian English
5013 Slave To Sensation Nalini Singh 2006 New Zealand English
5038 Storm Front Jim Butcher 2000 American English
5097 A Hunger Like No Other Kresley Cole 2006 American English
5161 The Blue Star Fletcher Pratt 1952 American English
5239 Sorcerer's Son Phyllis Eisenstein 1979 American English
5241 The Life And Adventures Of Trobadora Beatrice Irmtraud Morgner 1974 German German
5251 The War Hound And The World's Pain Michael Moorcock 1981 British English
5263 The Golden Key George MacDonald 1980 British English
5275 The Stone Sky N. K. Jemisin 2017 American English
5292 The Poisoned Kiss And Other Stories From The Portuguese Joyce Carol Oates 1975 American English
5326 A Storm Of Wings M. John Harrison 1980 British English
5377 Bridge of Birds Barry Hughart 1984 American English
5378 A Midsummer Tempest Poul Anderson 1974 American English
5385 The Tritonian Ring L. Sprague de Camp 1953 American English
5425 Glorious Exploits Ferdia Lennon 2024 Irish English
5446 The Way of Kings Brandon Sanderson 2010 American English
5500 Over Sea, Under Stone Susan Cooper 1965 British English
5501 The Trip To Panama Janosch 1978 German German
5571 The Golden Stranger Henry Treece 1956 British English
5581 This Is How You Lose The Time War Amal El Mohtar, Max Gladstone 2019 Multiple English
5603 Tree And Leaf J. R. R. Tolkien 1964 British English
5649 The Last Enchantment Mary Stewart 1979 British English
5654 The Mezentian Gate E. R. Eddison 1958 British English
5655 Tea With The Black Dragon R. A. MacAvoy 1983 American English
5686 The Saint Of Bright Doors Vajra Chandrasekera 2023 Unknown English
5700 Ancillary Justice Ann Leckie 2013 American English
5713 Hotel Transylvania Chelsa quinn yarbro 1978 American English
5760 The Scar China Miéville 2002 British English
5775 The Serpent Jane Gaskell 1963 British English
5775 The Stealer Of Souls Michael Moorcock 1963 British English
5925 Sylvester And The Magic Pebble William Steig 1969 American English
5933 A Promise Of Fire Amanda Bouchet 2016 American English
5947 The Wandering Fire Guy Gavriel Kay 1986 Canadian English
5962 Swords In The Mist Fritz Leiber 1968 American English
5962 Swords Against Wizardry Fritz Leiber 1968 American English
6072 Earthfasts William Mayne 1966 British English
6076 The Darkest Road Guy Gavriel Kay 1986 Canadian English
6075 A Knight In Shining Armor Jude Deveraux 1989 American English
6085 The Maker Of Universes Philip José Farmer 1965 American English
6089 All the Birds in the Sky Charlie Jane Anders 2016 American English
6103 A Storm Of Swords George R. R. Martin 2000 American English
6121 The Lives Of Christopher Chant Diana Wynne Jones 1988 British English
6165 Atlan Jane Gaskell 1965 British English
6165 Peregrine Avram Davidson 1965 American English
6170 Swords Against Death Fritz Leiber 1970 American English
6195 One Piece Eiichiro Oda 1997 Japanese Japanese
6205 The High King Lloyd Alexander 1968 American English
6205 The Moon In The Cloud Rosemary Harris 1968 British English
6219 The City Jane Gaskell 1967 British English
6243 A Discovery Of Witches Deborah Harkness 2011 American English
6284 New Worlds Of Fantasy Terry Carr 1967 American English
6295 Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children Ransom Riggs 2011 American English
6316 Greenwitch Susan Cooper 1974 British English
6328 The Wandering Unicorn Manuel Mujica Lainez 1965 Argentinian Spanish
6374 The Priory Of The Orange Tree Samantha Shannon 2019 British English
6403 Dark Prince Christine Feehan 1999 American English
6412 All Systems Red Martha Wells 2017 American English
6417 The Pastel City M. John Harrison 1971 British English
6514 The Year's Best Fantasy And Horror Ellen Datlow 1988 American English
6526 The Power That Preserves Stephen R. Donaldson 1977 American English
6532 A Stranger In Olondria Sofia Samatar 2013 American English
6565 Songs And Sonnets Atlantean Donald Sidney-Fryer 1971 American English
6570 The Illearth War Stephen R. Donaldson 1977 American English
6570 Silver On The Tree Susan Cooper 1977 British English
6572 Zothique Clark Ashton Smith 1970 American English
6583 Mrs. Caliban Rachel Ingalls 1982 American English
6670 The Balcony Jean Genet 1957 French French
6692 Swords And Ice Magic Fritz Leiber 1977 American English
6703 Seventh Son Orson Scott Card, Patrick Couton 1987 American English
6760 Bold As Love Gwyneth Jones 2001 British English
6759 The Light Fantastic Terry Pratchett 1986 British English
6798 The Blue Hawk Peter Dickinson 1976 British English
6808 The Queen Of The Damned Anne Rice 1988 American English
6868 The Cruel Prince Holly Black 2018 American English
6877 The Green Knight Vera Chapman 1975 British English
6880 A String In The Harp Nancy Bond 1976 American English
6885 The Ice Is Coming Patricia Wrightson 1977 Australian English
6890 Artemis Fowl Eoin Colfer 2001 Irish English
6907 The Years of Rice and Salt Kim Stanley Robinson 2002 American English
6910 The Wounded Land Stephen R. Donaldson 1980 American English
6917 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Grace Lin, Janet Song 2009 Chinese English
6948 King Arthur's Daughter Vera Chapman 1976 British English
6948 The King's Damosel Vera Chapman 1976 British English
6954 We All Love Glenda So Much And Other Tales Julio Cortazar 1980 Argentinian Spanish
6956 Some Summer Lands Jane Gaskell 1977 British English
6960 The Year's Best Fantasy Stories Lin Carter 1975 American English
6962 The Stress of Her Regard Tim Powers 1989 American English
7042 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Simon Armitage 2007 British Middle english
7079 A Court Of Mist And Fury Sarah J. Maas 2016 American English
7093 Small Gods Terry Pratchett 1992 British English
7111 The Fantastic Imagination Robert H. Boyer 1977 Unknown English
7131 Tales Of Neveryon Samuel R. Delany 1979 American English
7131 Fantastic Worlds Eric S. Rabkin 1979 American English
7141 Jade City Fonda Lee 2017 Chinese English