If you feel like getting into epic fantasy is a bit of a chore these days due to the sheer number of well-recommended book series out there, we’re here to tell you that there are a ton of brilliant novels, often standalone, that can serve as a starting point for beginners.
Fantasy enthusiasts have an inclination to throw huge book series at readers who may simply want to dip their toes into the genre. Many have come to believe all High Fantasy or Epic Fantasy has to offer are enormous 1000-page novels that seem closer to a scholarly endeavor than escapism.
For this article, we have put together a list of 10 highly acclaimed books that can serve as an entry point to your Epic Fantasy journey. We’ve decided to leave out certain names you almost certainly already know, like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, or even well-known series like The Chronicles of Narnia and His Dark Materials.
That’s not to say the following titles are obscure. But they are all exactly what you need to wrap your head around the genre, its history and legacy, its tropes and themes, and what it has to offer in storytelling and literary terms. Here are some of the best fantasy books for beginners.
10. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Beyond count is the number of fantasy books dealing with the faerie world, but few have become an instant classic in this lately inundated genre.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman is the perfect blend of the magical and the lyrical, pushing readers down a literary rabbit hole full of analogies, archetypes, and symbolism. You follow Tristan Thorn, who enters a fairy tale world in search of a fallen star for his beloved Victoria, little knowing that the journey will fundamentally change his self-perception and identity.
9. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
You’ve probably seen Studio Ghibli’s Howl’s Moving Castle, an anime adaptation of the 1986 novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones. The acclaimed Hayao Miyazaki flick now finds itself among the top 10 lists everywhere, but reading the book can also prove to be an unforgettable experience. Diana’s witty prose and exceptional storytelling and characterization chops have turned Howl’s Moving Castle into a timeless classic.
8. Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock
If J.R.R. Tolkien is the father of High Fantasy, then Michel Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné is akin to the father of modern characterization for fantasy protagonists. Elric may be severely underrated today, but his legend as Moorcock’s so-called “Eternal Champion” hearkens back to mythologies as old as human civilization.
Following the tale of its titular protagonist — who is the last emperor of the decaying island kingdom of powerful sorcerers, Melniboné — the Elric Saga is chock-full of amazing character moments, compelling plotlines, and dark narrative themes, with Moorcock often being referred to as one of the original grimdark fantasy spinners who subverted Tolkien. Dozens of other prominent grimdark fantasy authors like George R.R. Martin, Stephen R. Donaldson, Glen Cook, Steven Erikson, and Andrzej Sapkowski have since taken inspiration from Elric of Melniboné.
7. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Whimsical, unexpected, and beautiful. These words perfectly capture what it feels like to read The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. Now a classic of the genre, this 1968 fantasy novel explores themes like love, mortality and nature, wrapped inside a perfect story with lyrical prose, following the adventures of a unicorn who is led to believe that she’s the last of her kind.
The Last Unicorn is not only an epitome of everything the fantasy genre has to offer but has also been a huge wellspring of inspiration for many other popular fantasy authors today, namely Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Patrick Rothfuss.
6. Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
What High Fantasy often distinctly lacks is a sense of humor. I’m not talking about lighthearted character moments or a bit of witty banter between protagonists, but a properly rib-tickling and humorous novel set in a fantasy world. Besides Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, only a handful of authors have attempted to write such a story, and fewer still have managed to make it work.
Nicholas Eames is one of those people, and his book Kings of the Wyld is a great retreat for readers who want a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Kings of the Wyld follows the adventures of a retired band of mercenaries (heavily inspired by old-school rock and roll bands) who break off their retirement to save the daughter of one of their members. But time and age make milksops of us all, even if you used to be a fearsome warrior of legend, and no band reunion in history, be it music or something else entirely, has ever managed to recapture that old flash of glory.
5. The Once and Future King by T. H. White
Most fantasy stories, even Tolkien’s own Middle-earth, trace their roots to the Arthurian legend. But the problem with old and strewn mythologies is not knowing where to start. The Once and Future King by T. H. White takes care of that little dealbreaker by delivering a unique and modern spin on the Matter of Britain.
The Once and Future King unites all the different stories and accounts from works like Historia Regum Britanniae and Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur into a cohesive take on King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. The tale begins with Arthur’s tutelage under the wizard Merlin and continues to explore the founding of Camelot’s ideals and other legendary tales like the quest for the Holy Grail.
4. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Guy Gavriel Kay is probably the most underrated High Fantasy author alive. Best known for his rich world-building and intricate prose, Gavriel Kay first made a name for himself when he assisted Christopher Tolkien in editing The Silmarillion in the late ‘80s. Kay then went on to write books of his own, first The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy and then the highly acclaimed Tigana.
In this book, Kay weaves mythology and fantasy together to make a deeply complex story about the history of a civilization. It features a masterful narrative structure, many thought-provoking themes and brilliant character studies, and is now finally garnering some love for its massive influence on the genre.
3. The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
The Last Wish is a collection of short stories that first introduced the world to Geralt of Rivia. The Witcher series of books and the consequently following video games are now a huge part of pop culture, but The Last Wish still stands on its own as a great gateway into modern fantasy literature.
Andrzej Sapkowski writes in tandem with history and often brings in elements of folklore, especially East European folklore, to inform and develop his world. The Last Wish has excellent prose and remains, in my opinion, the best Witcher novel from the saga to this day. If you want a grimdark, character-focused fantasy story, then waste no time picking up The Last Wish.
2. The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is mostly known these days for his Stormlight Archive series, but the Mistborn trilogy, beginning with The Final Empire in 2006, is also very beloved in the fantasy community.
The Final Empire tells the tale of a band of rebels who want to overthrow the seemingly invincible, verifiably immortal, and utterly tyrannical god emperor of their world. But there’s a catch: The tyrannical emperor, called The Lord Ruler, is actually the prophesied Hero of Ages and the man who saved the world from an enigmatic calamity known as the Deepness a thousand years ago. There’s also the fact that he’s very much invincible and untouchable, and the business of overthrowing him, justified though it may be, will not prove to be so simple.
1. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
This standalone book from 2018 tells the tale of three women who fight against fate and get thrust into a conflict with evil forces in an imaginary medieval European kingdom called Lithvas.
Spinning Silver is about identity, self-perception, and the consequences of human greed. Naomi Novik’s prose is poetic, her worldbuilding is top-notch, and the magic and wonder of Spinning Silver is reminiscent of some of the best stories in the history of the fantasy genre.
