Best Fantasy Books

Robert Jordan's final completed novel before his death in 2007: the storylines that had stalled across the previous two volumes suddenly and decisively accelerate, resolving long-running threads and propelling every major character toward the Last Battle.

A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home and remembers an extraordinary summer when he was seven, a magical neighbor girl, and a darkness that threatened to consume the world.

In the sprawling city of New Crobuzon, scientist Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin is hired to restore a garuda's flight — and inadvertently unleashes nightmare creatures on the city. A landmark of New Weird fiction.

A convicted murderer has escaped Azkaban prison and is believed to be hunting Harry Potter, forcing Harry to confront the true story of his parents' betrayal and death. The mystery that unravels is more complicated, more painful, and more morally instructive than any straightforward threat.

Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, unadventurous hobbit, is swept away by the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves on a quest to reclaim a mountain kingdom from the dragon Smaug. The predecessor to The Lord of the Rings — shorter, lighter in tone, and the perfect entry point to Middle-earth.

In the kingdom of Westeros, the death of King Robert Baratheon sets off a brutal power struggle among the great houses. Ned Stark, appointed the King's Hand, finds himself in a web of treachery that threatens not only his family but the entire realm — while beyond the Wall, an ancient threat stirs.

The War of the Five Kings reaches its shattering climax as the Red Wedding, Joffrey's poisoning, and Jon Snow's transformation at the Wall change everything in Westeros.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione abandon Hogwarts to hunt Voldemort's Horcruxes, confronting betrayal, sacrifice, and the revelation that Harry himself is the final Horcrux. The series concludes with the Battle of Hogwarts and a resurrection that draws on the oldest mythological traditions.

Harry is mysteriously entered into the dangerous Triwizard Tournament while Voldemort's followers grow bolder, culminating in the Dark Lord's terrifying return to full power. The death of a fellow student in the graveyard permanently changes what the Harry Potter series is.

As Voldemort's war spreads beyond Hogwarts, Dumbledore guides Harry through Tom Riddle's past to find the key to destroying him, while a mysterious annotated textbook raises questions about the identity of the Half-Blood Prince. The year ends with Dumbledore's death and the series' darkest turning point yet.

An orphaned boy discovers on his eleventh birthday that he is a wizard, and begins his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

A criminal mastermind assembles a crew of six dangerous outcasts to pull off an impossible heist from the world's most secure prison.

The fifth and culminating volume of the first arc of the Stormlight Archive, bringing Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar to their final confrontation with Odium's champion in a battle for the fate of Roshar.

Following the events Under the Mountain, Feyre adjusts to life as a High Fae and discovers that the Spring Court is not the safe haven she believed.

Kaz Brekker and the Dregs execute an increasingly complex series of heists and cons across Ketterdam to reclaim what was stolen from them and destroy those who betrayed them.

In a world where ash falls from the sky and the Dark Lord won a thousand years ago, a young thief with extraordinary magical ability joins a crew planning the most audacious heist in history.

A death row corrections officer in 1930s Louisiana encounters a gentle giant with miraculous healing powers awaiting execution for a crime he may not have committed.

Five kings war over the Iron Throne as supernatural threats gather beyond the Wall, and Tyrion Lannister arrives in King's Landing to impose order on a kingdom descending into chaos.

The daughter of Helios discovers within herself the power of witchcraft and spends millennia on her island exile developing her craft and encountering the heroes and monsters of Greek myth.

Clary and Jace travel to Idris, the Shadowhunters' hidden homeland, where Valentine seeks the power to destroy all Downworlders — and a revelation about Clary's true identity changes everything she thought she knew.

As the King's Champion, Celaena Sardothien is supposed to eliminate his enemies — but she has been secretly protecting her targets while uncovering shocking truths about her own identity and the darkness at the heart of Adarlan's power.

Harry Potter's second year at Hogwarts is shadowed by a mysterious voice in the walls and a series of petrifications tied to the legend of a Chamber of Secrets. When the Heir of Slytherin opens the Chamber again, Harry must confront a darkness rooted in the wizarding world's oldest prejudices.

Celaena travels to the fae kingdom of Wendlyn to master her powers, while a new threat — the Valg, demonic beings from another world — descends on Adarlan with the King's devastating backing.

The third installment of The Empyrean series follows Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson as they venture beyond the Aretia wards to discover what truly threatens their world.