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Recommended Fantasy Books
A few caveats. First, I don't read much horror, which is a major subset of fantasy and in many ways a separate genre in its own right, so you won't find any horror books listed here. Second, another large chunk of recent fantasy is in the sub-genre typically called "urban fantasy". Though I've read some of these works and can appreciate their quality, with a few exceptions I didn't particularly like them, so they also aren't well represented on this list. Of course, after cutting out some of the most active trends in modern fantasy there's not a lot of truly excellent fantasy left, and much of the best is written for kids, another important sub-genre I've neglected. Mainstream adult fantasy is unfortunately dominated by an endless stream of multi-volume epics which, no matter how well conceived and written, are basically the same stories and ideas repeatedly warmed over. Thus, even though I love fantasy and was a fantasy fan long before I became a science fiction fan, my list of "must-read" fantasy books is necessarily short.
- Scott Martin, Enigma Librarian Emeritus
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein (includes The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King)
Let's be blunt, The Lord of the Rings is simply far and away the best epic fantasy work of all time and still the unrivalled paragon of fantasy world-building. As mentioned above, at least half of the decent fantasy on the market (and even more of the bad stuff) is essentially re-working the same themes, styles, and elements of Tolkien's tale of hobbits, wizards, elves, magic rings, and the battle between good and evil. Read it.
Way too many sites to choose from! So start with... Yahoo: J.R.R. Tolkien: Lord of the Rings
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
In many ways the opposite of The Lord of the Rings, The Last Unicorn is a small and very personal tale of the last unicorn's search for her missing kin. Set in a nowhere fantasy-land in which apprentice wizards eat tacos by the roadside, Unicorn combines both comedy, romance, myth, drama, and adventure with a deft touch.
Unofficially Peter S. Beagle
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson (includes Lord Foul's Bane, The Illearth War, and The Power That Preserves)
Imagine a world of breath-taking beauty and awe-inspiring magic. A world in which the vibrancy and health of the soil, plants, and animals is literally visible to the naked eye. A world threatened by an overwhelming force of corruption and destruction, determined to destroy all that is beautiful about it. A world where the inhabitants, though human and flawed, aspire to support and protect the beauty and peace of their land, approach their task with courage and wisdom, and sacrifice everything they have to defend it. Now add in one man, a leper from our own 20th century USA, who has the power to save it all but doesn't believe the place exists. Be warned! The protagonist of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is an anti-hero, and I know many people who were unable to get past the first few chapters, in which he rapes a 16-year-old girl. Donaldson explores some rather extreme emotional and ethical fronts, and I've found few books as cathartic as this.
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories by Fritz Leiber (includes various short stories, novellas, and novels)
The classic sword and sorcery stories, Leiber's works chronicle the careers of fantasy's most famous pair of swordsmen, the tall barbarian Fafhrd and the small thief known as the Gray Mouser. Their adventures in and about the decadent city of Lankhmar, complete with evil sorcerors, seductive women, weird monsters, and the infamous Thieves' Guild of Lankhmar, are the epitome of the swords and sorcery sub-genre, mixing a wonderful blend of action, humor, and drama. In addition, these stories served (along with Tolkien) as one of the primary inspirations for that phenomenon known as Dungeons and Dragons.
The Fritz Leiber Home Page
The First Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny (includes Nine Princes in Amber, The Guns of Avalon, Sign of the Unicorn, The Hand of Oberon, and The Courts of Chaos)
Our earth is but one of many, each a Shadow of the one true Earth, and all cities are but shadows of the one true city, Amber, the site of the Great Pattern. There, at the center of all things, the princes and princesses of Amber scheme and intrigue for power, with entire worlds as their pawns. Zelazny reveals this amazing setting to us through a first-person narrative told by Corwin, a prince of Amber who lost his memory while on our earth and must regain his birthright. Zelazny's prose style is a unique minimalist approach which mixes down-to-earth details and occassional humor to convey the fantastic in a very immediate and visceral fashion, in which little is said but much suggested. The Amber milieu lends itself wonderfully to role-playing games and has inspired numerous rpg campaigns, including a few in Enigma.
Roger Zelazny Page
Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart (includes The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, and The Last Enchantment)
Not only the best Arthurian adaptation out there (sorry, T.H. White fans), but also a great piece of historical fantasy. The trilogy covers the early parts of the Arthurian myth entirely from Merlin's point of view, conceived in this story as the bastard son of Ambrosius, Uther's elder brother (and thus Arthur's cousin). The novels are firmly set in the well-researched Romano-Celtic society of post-Roman Britain, revealing Stewart's training as a historical romance writer. Though Merlin's story ends in the third book, there is a fourth book in the "trilogy", The Wicked Day, but it takes the point of view of Mordred and is often considered a sort of unnecessary epilogue.
Riddle of Stars Trilogy by Patricia McKillip (includes The Riddlemaster of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire, and Harpist in the Wind)
In all of her works McKillip manages to do something very few fantasy authors can: vividly portray magic as a natural part of the world and still make it feel like magic. Though Riddle of Stars is one of her early works (and as far as I know her only trilogy), it's still my favorite. The characters are both fascinating and fresh, and the six lands of the High One's realm are described with such haunting imagery that by the end of the series they are true characters, as complete and as important to the story as the humans who inhabit them. Add in an engrossing plot with twists and turns that never fail to surprise, and you've got a great book. McKillip is still putting out consistently good fantasy novels, and I'm always puzzled why she isn't at the top of the fantasy bestseller lists. My guess is she's the best fantasy author you're not reading.
Patricia McKillip Home Page
The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
In many ways Powers is the exact opposite of McKillip. Powers somehow manages to take magic and turn it into science, albeit a bizarre and quirky science mostly hidden from the public's view. Half the fun of a Powers books is seeing how he takes disparate elements like Egyptian mythology, time travel, an apeman, and the life of Lord Byron and somehow show that they're all parts of a single, logical whole. (If he weren't a fantasy author, Powers would make an excellent conspiracy theorist.) The Anubis Gates is one of the best examples of this process and also one of the most tightly-knit fantasy time travel stories written -- it's worth a second read just to marvel at how well each surprising story twist is preceded by unnoticed clues, subconsciously providing that "Of course! How did I not see it coming?" feeling which I find so compelling. The only down side is that, if you're like me, you'll adore the first Powers book you encounter but become increasingly less enthralled with each new one you read -- he does what he does well, but it's just not as exciting the tenth time around.
The Works of Tim Powers
Sandman by Neil Gaiman and various artists (includes numerous individual issues later collected into ten graphic novels)
The Sandman comic book series is really hard to describe. The individual stories (which may cover one to several issues) are each gems of craftsmanship, but have no set topic, theme, or set of characters, though many people and places recur. The regular introduction of new artists adds to this anthology sense. Yet together the stories create a beautiful, nebulous, non-linear plot, full of secrets, mysteries, bizarre side excursions, and obscure references. All very appropriate for a series whose primary character is Morpheus himself, the anthropomorphic personification of Dreams. Drawing heavily on mythology and legend, and mixing equal parts whimsy and grotesquerie, Gaiman has created a new and amazingly rich mythology for us to explore and marvel at.
The Wake: Information about Neil Gaiman's Sandman
The Discworld Novels by Terry Pratchett (includes too many books to list)
Welcome to the Discworld, a giant flat planet that rests upon the back of four elephants, themselves standing atop the shell of Great A'Tuin, an enormous spacefaring turtle. It's the only place in the universe where an elephant occasionally has to cock its leg to let the sun go by, and the setting for some of the funniest fantasy books ever written. There are now well over 20 Discworld books and more still coming. Pratchett's humor relies more on plot and character than the non-stop silliness of his more famous countryman, Douglas Adams of Hitchhiker's Guide fame, and his books are often just plain good stories, in addition to being good comedy. The individual Discworld novels vary in quality, from the mediocre to the brilliant. My favorites include Mort, Wyrd Sisters, Pyramids, Small Gods, and Maskerade. Though each is a stand-alone story, there are a lot of continuing characters and I highly recommend starting at the beginning (or as far back as you can get hold of them) and reading from there.
The L-Space Web
The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson (includes The Eye in the Pyramid, The Golden Apple, and Leviathan)
This trilogy made it onto the list for a unique reason. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, The Illuminatus Trilogy is definitely not a masterpiece and never received much acclaim. It is, however, the source of a good chunk of the in-jokes in fandom. So what is it? It's the ultimate conspiracy novel. The authors mix historical fact, wild speculation, and outright lies to tie together the JFK assassination, communism, the Federal Reserve, the military-industrial complex, organized crime, public education, Timothy Leary, UFOs, Atlantis, Buckminster Fuller, a giant yellow submarine, 60's counter-culture, Great Cthulhu, Nazi zombies, the American Medical Association (the rock group, not the doctors), and the death of Marilyn Monroe into one vast, confusing, and hilarious conspiracy. Often chaotic and bordering on incomprehensible, this book spawned a whole sub-genre of surrealistic, anarchistic, and just plain weird stuff, much of it on the web. Fnord.
Robert Anton Wilson Home Page
Discordian Links
Main Recommendations Page
Science Fiction Books
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