The 10 Best Fantasy Series Everyone Should Read At Least Once!
“Fantasy is hardly and escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it”
Top 10 Best fantasy series everyone should read at least once! See the full list below.
Have you ever wondered why humankind's oldest surviving stories, the ones that truly stood the test of time, were those involving the supernatural? We have always sought answers to that, which we could not explain by logic alone - a way to break the constrictive cage of our mundane reality.
Today, we can easily find answers to any of our questions on Google. But it wasn't always so. When faced with something they could not explain, our ancestors' minds filled the gaps in their understanding by conjuring images of lightning hurling gods, rock tossing titans, grotesque monsters and beautiful dryads.
Is it any wonder then that the fantasy genre is one of the dominating literary markets worldwide with billions of dollars in revenue each year? And with next-day deliveries and e-books the norm of today, never has there been a better moment to tackle that one fantasy series you're always putting off. Not sure where to start? Don't worry - we've got you covered!
Here are our picks for The 10 best fantasy series everyone should read at least once:
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
The Mistborn Trilogy
The Wheel of Time
The Faithfull and the Fallen
The Dwarves
The Broken Empire series
The Stormlight Archive
Song of Fire and Ice
The Licanius Trilogy
The Witcher series
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The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the best fantasy series out there.
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.”
Often hailed as the progenitors of the modern fantasy genre, The Hobbit follow the story of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire, who is unwittingly thrust in the middle of an unexpected adventure, Facing orcs, goblins and a dragon that could've easily made it on an episode of "America's greatest hoarders", Bilbo embarks on an epic quest, filled with heroic deeds, legendary heroes and not a small bit of mischief.
The Lord of the Rings picks up about 50 years after the events of the Hobbit, and where the latter has a more cheerful undertone, the former embarks on a journey of much darker, and much more perilous nature.
A chance encounter in the Hobbit leaves Bilbo Baggins with a magic ring that helps him disappear at will, and for 50 long years he has used it in the quiet corner of the Shire to escape unwanted conversations and perform good-natured mischiefs. Yet the ring is not as harmless at it's made out to be - in fact, it the destiny of Middle Earth rests upon it's fate. Now, Bilbo's nephew Frodo Baggins and a band comprised from representatives of all free peoples of Middle Earth must embark on a journey with little to no chance of success, in the hopes of defeating a stirring evil once and for all.
The works of Tolkien are so massive in their impact on the genre that they have created an entire industry of merchandise, conventions and games around them. Not to mention three of the most highly nominated and rated movies to ever grace the big screen.
If you've somehow avoided reading them until this point, don't hesitate to pick up a copy now and dive right in this world of beauty, magic and undying hope.
Buy The Hobbit here
Buy The Lord of the Rings here
Best Fantasy Series - The Mistborn Trilogy, by Brandon Sanderson. Photo credit: His and Hers Book Club
2. The Mistborn Trilogy
“There’s always another secret”
If there was ever a sentence to perfectly describe Brandon Sanderson's epic masterpiece, it would be: "What if the Dark Lord won?"
The Mistborn Trilogy introduces readers to a fantasy world where the prophesized hero of destiny decided to keep the power for himself after vanquishing a great evil. For a thousand years he has held dominion over the world, yet the world itself has suffered for it - the world is beset by fierce and frequent ashfalls, brown vegetation and scarce supplies for the descendants of those that opposed the Great Lord.
In this world of pain and oppression, both rich and poor live in constant fear for their lives, as the whims of the Lord Ruler may change in an instant. The nobility, through the generations, have been granted use of allomancy - the ability to draw superhuman attributes from various metals. Yet somehow, an unlikely lowborn heroine is able to use the ability to its full potential. A new hope dawns and with it, a new question arises - will she break the Final Empire, or take it?
Buy The Mistborn Trilogy here
Best Fantasy Series - The Wheel of Time saga, by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson. Photo credit: His and Hers Book Club
3. The Wheel of Time
“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.”
The Wheel of Time is another work of art that holds a special place in my heart. I remember the first time I finally decided to finish it. I couldn't find a proper boxed set (or at least an affordable one), so I purchased all 15 books on my Kindle (as you can see in the photo above). My excitement was almost crushed when I looked at the page number at the bottom left corner of my screen. Yet those numbers melted quickly when I became engrossed in a world of truly epic proportions and a story where the main characters began to feel like close friends - ones that grew with me, felt with me and stayed with me long after the final chapter had been closed.
The series, probably one of the largest high fantasy works ever put to paper, takes various elements from European and Asian mythologies, most notably the cyclical nature of time typically found in many Buddhism and Hinduism teachings and the Abrahamic concept of a Light One and Dark One. The premise of the universe is that in the beginning of time, the Creator (Light) forged the world and the Wheel of Time and The Pattern of Ages - cosmic concepts that control the flow of time and reality by using the lives of men and women as threads. The Wheel itself has seven spokes, each representing an Age, and is slowly rotated by the One Power - a magical force with dual nature: saidin (male halve) and saidar (female halve). The two halves work in unison to drive the Wheel ever forward.
Soon after the creation of the Pattern and the Wheel, the Creator imprisoned his antithesis, the Dark One (or Shai'tan) in a prison outside of the Pattern and away from the Wheel. Ever since that moment, the Dark One has sought to free himself from his eternal prison and remake the universe in his image. In an Age long past, he nearly succeeded but was repelled by the combined force of the strongest 100 male channelers, led by their leader Lews Therin Thelamon, also known as the Dragon. The hundred companions barely succeeded in sealing the Dark One away again, yet his touch managed to corrupt the male halve of the One Power, turning them all mad and unleashing devastation on the world. Lews Therin, after killing his entire family in a mad rage, commits suicide during a moment of clarity. Yet lives are not so easily erased from the Pattern...
Over the next three thousand years, the human race has managed to destroy all male channelers and has reverted back to a level of technology roughly reminiscent of the Late Middle Ages, living in feat of the day the Dragon would be reborn, as he will either save the world or destroy it.
This is where the story takes off, following Rand al'Thor, a sheepherder from the nearly forgotten village of Two Rivers, whose biggest worry is tripping over his own feet when dancing with girls at the Bel Tine festival. His life, and that of his whole village, is quickly turned around with the arrival of two mysterious strangers, who set in motion events that would shake the very foundations of the world.
Buy The Wheel of Time book set 1-3 here
Buy The Wheel of Time book set 4-6 here
Buy The Wheel of Time book set 7-9 here
Buy The Wheel of Time book set 10-12 here
Buy The Wheel of Time book set 13-15 here
Best Fantasy Series - The Faithful and the Fallen, by John Gwynne. Photo credit: His and Hers Book Club
4. The Faithfull and The Fallen Series
“To my thinking, though, it’s what happens before death that’s important. All of us die. How many really live?”
The Faithfull and the Fallen series is John Gwynne's glorious debut to the fantasy stage and it should definitely not be underestimated. Gwynne builds an epic world, which is incredibly character-centered. Unlike The Wheel of Time, for example, where every detail is explored in (sometimes) excruciating detail, the reader gets a sense of the world from the viewpoints of just a handful of characters. Even so, Gwynne's prose is so elegant and enchanting in its execution that the series has quickly become an all-time favorite for many fans of the genre, myself included.
The setting is a realm, quite appropriately called the Banished Lands - a land roughly reminiscing a late iron age/early medieval times. The first book follows the viewpoint of several characters: Corban (the main protagonist), a boy just coming of age who is facing an intense rivalry with the older village bully; Cywen, Corban's sister and confidant; Evnis, a high ranking court official and lord, who has his own desires for the throne; Veradis, a lord's son who is assigned to serve the high king's son and develops a strong friendship with him; Kastell - another warrior of noble birth, who is locked in a bitter rivalry with his jealous cousin; and finally Camiln - a woodsman and former bandit, whose conscience seems to always stand it the way of his banditry.
The series starts off quite light, yet immediately descends into much darker motives, as all characters realize that they are part of a battle being fought on a grander scale than they could have ever imagined.
Buy The Faithfull and The Fallen Series here
Best Fantasy Series - The Dwarves, by Markus Heitz. Photo Credit: His and Hers Book Club
5. The Dwarves
“Appearances are there to be ignored, for the biggest hearts may reside in the smallest and unlikeliest of creatures. Those who fail to look beyond the surface will never encounter true virtue - not in others and certainly not in themselves.”
Ever since they were popularized in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, dwarves have become a staple of the fantasy genre. Who doesn't love these feisty, stout, beer-drinking, axe-wielding warriors, with bodies as hard as the mountain and souls as fiery as its core? Yet in most popular works of fiction, dwarves have always played the role of supporting characters, never truly getting their time in the spotlight. This all changes with Markus Heitz's epic four-book series - The Dwarves.
The story takes place in the realm of Girdelgard, which the stout dwarves have defended for countless millennia, by guarding the only stone gateways allowing access to it. Any time an invading force was marshalled to conquer the lands, the defenders marshalled their numbers and pushed it back. No man, beast or foul creature ever succeeded in getting past them … Until now.
We discover the world through the eyes of Tungdil, a blacksmith, orphaned as a babe and abandoned in a human kingdom. Although never lacking for friends, Tungdil is very much aware of how alone he is in the world, yet is resigned to his fate. That all changes when he is sent out into the world to deliver an urgent message and reacquaint with his people. He soon finds himself thrust in battle and must soon rediscover what it means to be a true dwarf, for the fate of every man, woman and child will depend on his ability to embrace his heritage and finding his courage.
Buy The Dwarves here
Best Fantasy Series - The Broken Empire trilogy, by Mark Lawrence. Photo Credit: His and Hers Book Club
6. The Broken Empire Series
“As a child, there’s a horror in discovering the limitations of the ones you love. The time you find that your mother cannot keep you safe, your tutor makes a mistake, that the wrong path must be taken because the grown-ups lack the strength to take the right one... Each of those moments is the theft of your childhood, each of them a blow that kills some part of the child you were, leaving another part of the man exposed, a new creature, tougher but tempered with bitterness and disappointment.”
Psychopaths lie, cheat, abuse and kill. We're terrified of one day finding ourselves the object of their attentions, yet indulge in true crime documentaries and even create serial killer memes to get a good laugh or two on social media. The truth is, we're equally terrified and intrigued by psychopaths.
Mark Lawrence takes advantage of that strange attraction and offers a fantasy reading experience unlike any other on the list. We get a rare glimpse in the mind of a true sociopath, as the whole series is presented through his personal and distorted point of view. The series is so chilling with it's brutal rational and realism at time, that I often found myself questioning Mark Lawrence's state of sanity after completing the trilogy. If you can't stand the description of blood spattering and guts flying around in disturbing detail, it might be best to leave these books alone. But if you find yourself unexpectedly drawn towards the macabre, towards understanding the darker, more sadistic side of humanity, then you are in for thrilling ride.
We are introduced to the series through the eyes of Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath and his view-point, written in the I-form, is the only one we see throughout all books. When he was nine, Jorg watched his mother and brother get brutally murdered and he, himself mutilated by a bush of thorns, quickly sobering the young prince to the brutal and gory reality of life. By the time he is 13, Jorg leads a band of bloodthirsty criminals and cutthroats. By the time he is fifteen, he intends to be king...
Buy The Broken Empire Series here
Best Fantasy Series - The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson. Photo Credit: His and Hers Book Club
7. The Stormlight Archive
“To lack feeling is to be dead, but to act on every feeling is to be a child.”
With his third entry on this list, following his completion of the Wheel of Time series are Robert Jordan's passing, and the Mistborn Trilogy, is it a wonder that Brandon Sanderson has been hailed as one of the greatest world-builders and storytellers of our time?
In all honesty, I could have probably just created one entry for the Mistborn Trilogy and The Stormlight Archive, as they both fall under Sanderson's massive Cosmere universe. Yet despite the fact that we have a few secondary characters jumping back and forth between worlds, I felt that both series deserve a separate entry, as they explore vastly different themes.
The Last Desolation is long behind us. The Heralds and their Knights Radiant have abandoned us, and now only remnants of their long-lost powers remain. Magic and honor are all but gone from the hearts of men...
Sanderson introduces us to Roshar, a world of stone and storms. Civilizations, flora and fauna are all shaped around violent tempests, called highstorms, which continuously sweep through the land. It has been centuries since the mystical orders, known as the Knights Radiant, have fallen, but remnants of their time - Shardblades and Shardplates - remain. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars are fought, and won, over them.
One such war rages on the Shattered Plains. A medical student trades his herb pouch for a spear, a brightlord seeks the truth of his brother's murder, and across the ocean, an untried young scholar seeks an uncanny mentor. As their destinies collide, they will all unravel the true cause of the war and re-discover the ancient oaths: Life before Death. Strength before Weakness. Journey before the Destination.
It is important to note that unlike other series on this list, the Stormlight Archive is not yet finished. Thus far, 4 published novels and 2 novellas have been released, with a total of 10 books planned to round of this enticing adventure.
Buy The Stormlight Archive Books here
Best Fantasy Series - Song of Fire and Ice, by George R. R. Martin. Photo Credit: His and Hers Book Club
8. Song of Fire and Ice
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will never not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”
Often hailed as one of the best (if not the best) fantasy epic of modern times, Martin's series has been so successful that it spawned the widely popular TV show of the same name (not counting the last season, obviously - we all pretend that it does not exist and we're still waiting for it, much like we're still waiting on Martin to finally finish the last book in the series).
Where Tolkien presents a world that is distinctively black and white, Martin finds strength in all the shades of grey in between. He dares us to explore a world of vibrant, fascinating and complex characters who are disturbingly relatable and real in their motivations and actions. The plot follows three major storylines: the civil war for control of the Seven Kingdoms, the defense of the Wall of ice in the far north against a threat the world has not faced in thousand of years, and the rise of a dethroned house, exiled across the ocean, who will soon remind the world of why it feared them.
Buy Song of Fire and Ice book set here
Best Fantasy Series - The Licanius Trilogy, by James Islington. Photo Credit: His and Hers Book Club.
9. The Licanius Trilogy
“The lesser of two evils, or the greater good. Get a good man to utter either of those phrases, and there is no one more eager to begin perpetrating evil.”
Isington's trilogy is one of the more recent additions to the compendium of great fantasy works. The author manages to beautifully combine world that feels inspired by Tolkien with prose and pacing closer to his modern peers, while still having a very distinctive voice and story essence. A truly rare storytelling assurance for a debut series.
As a fan of Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, I had been interested in the Licanius trilogy from the moment that The Shadow of What Was Lost came out in 2014. The story takes place 20 years after the god-like beings, known as Augurs, were overthrown and eradicated from the world. Now those who once served them - the Gifted - are spared only because they have voluntarily accepted a vast limitation to their own powers.
We follow a young member of the Gifted, named Davian, who has been oppressed his entire life by the consequences of those events 20 years back. Early on, he discovers that somehow he possesses the forbidden power of the Augurs and involuntarily sets in motion a chain of events that will change everything.
To the west, a man wakes in a forest with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. In the far north, an ancient enemy long thought defeated begins to stir. Will Davian rise to meet his destiny or follow the fate of those whose power he now wields?
Buy The Licanius Trilogy here
Best Fantasy Series - The Witcher Series, by Andrzej Sapkowski.
10. The Witcher Series
“People like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves. When they get blind-drunk, cheat, steal beat their wives, starve an old woman, when they kill a trapped fox with an axe or riddle the last existing unicorn with arrows, they like to think that the Bane entering cottages at daybreak is more monstrous then they are. They feel better then. They find it easier to live.”
I must admit, my first introduction to the famed Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, came not from Sapkowski's stories, but from the video game series of the same name. To CD Projekt Red's benefit, they have created an absolute masterpiece of visual storytelling, which made me fall in love with the lands of Temeria, Redenia and Skellige. Yet the video game company's savviest move was to only draw inspiration from the novels and not try recreating them - hence, the story conveniently introduced Geralt with amnesia and no recollection of his past. The recent Netflix series focuses on the period covered by the books, and while Henry Cavill does a wonderful job of portraying the yellow-eyed witcher, the show does not yet come close to the beautiful complexity and vibrant world-building that Sapkowski put to paper.
Meet Geralt of Rivia, a witcher - one of the last remaining genetically mutated monster slayers, travelling the lands and keeping humanity safe against things that crawl in the dark. A brilliant fighter and occasional assassin, Geralt is no ordinary killer and is driven by his own strict moral code, which guides him to better understand what (and who) monsters are. Because not everything monstrous looks evil and not everything good is fair... And in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.
Buy The Witcher Series here
What do you think of our list of the 10 best fantasy series everyone should read at least once? Did we miss any of your favorites? Make sure to tell us in the comments below!
