Of course, all of them are divided into many subgenres: from love and domestic to dark and about hitmen. But still there are immortal classics, which are immediately recalled when it comes to fantasy books
There’s a reason fantasy novels have surged ahead in popularity by a wide margin over the past 50 years. Supernatural plots in the real world, but with references to fairy tales, legends, myths, and fables quickly caught on with readers just because they add magic to our boring everyday life. Not all of them are so boring, of course, but many of them are far from the adventures of Harry Potter.
Worthy series of fantasy books is a huge number, but undeniable attention deserves the already formed popular classics. If you don’t know where to start or what to switch to next, get to know the base below and write your favorite works of this genre in the comments
The Chronicles of Narnia by Clive Staples Lewis
British author Clive Staples Lewis had a huge impact on shaping the “skeleton” of the fantasy genre with his popular 7-part Chronicles of Narnia series. The books were published from 1950 to 1956, and reached a new peak of fame around the world in the early noughties, leading to a series of movies (the first installment came out just in 2005).
The plot is about four teenagers (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy) who accidentally enter the magical land of Narnia by climbing into a closet. In this world, everything around is connected by magic and fate, which brought the saviors from our reality for a reason, but to confront the White Witch and fulfill a prophecy. The story is based on legends from around the world and the Bible.
George R. R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones.”
Perhaps someone has not yet heard of “Game of Thrones”, which became a real cultural phenomenon thanks to the successful screen adaptation from HBO. It was based on the saga of American writer and screenwriter George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice. R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” saga. The series began in 1996, and so far five books out of seven have been released. Martin hasn’t been able to finish the sequel since 2011, and the series ended at the discretion of the writers.
The story itself is about the battle of the great houses for the Iron Throne in a fictional world where summer and winter last for years. The cold weather is long and hard to prepare for, but the greatest danger to humans is considered to be those who live beyond the icy Wall. The mystical creatures already seem to many only a legend, but only the Night Watch guarding the border knows what will happen if they return with the war.
Christopher Paolini’s The Legacy
American author Christopher Paolini contributed to the development of fantasy by writing the “Legacy” tetralogy and completing it in 2011. The books are considered suitable for those who want to familiarize themselves with the base of the genre, where there is an amazing magical world, dragons, a random protagonist who is destined to save the country and become great. The first book was also adapted: the movie “Eragon” was released in 2008, but did not get much success and a chance for a sequel.
In the story, the boy Eragon accidentally finds a rounded stone and takes it home from a hunt, not yet realizing that it is actually the dragon egg that many are looking for. The power of a mystical creature can turn the tide of palace intrigue, but the dragon and Eragon have a long road of friendship, battles, and battles for the freedom of an entire empire ahead of them.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings
British writers heavily influenced the formation of fantasy, and one of the most notable fathers of the genre was John Ronald R. R. Tolkien, who produced the Lord of the Rings series and all its attendant offshoots. Originally, the publication was considered a single edition, but its sheer volume forced the publishers to split it into a trilogy – The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Fortresses, and The Return of the King. Of course, many got acquainted immediately with the books, but there are also those who started with Peter Jackson’s movie adaptation.
The novel tells the story of Frodo, who becomes the owner of the Ring of All Power. The owner of a rare artifact is always in danger and can lose his mind, and there is an ominous example of this from history – the fate of the wizard Sauron. Now he wants to use the found creation again and regain his power, so Frodo and his friends go to the volcano to get rid of the ring.
Joanne Rowling’s Harry Potter
There are great doubts that it is necessary to tell anything about “Harry Potter”, but in any case to remember the base is not superfluous. British writer Joanne Rowling released a series of 7 books about the boy who survived, in the period from 1997 to 2007. The story was loved by many and in the format of a printed story, but gained the greatest fame and cult status after the release of the successful film adaptation of the same name.
Young Harry Potter lives in the family of his aunt after the death of his parents, but there he is not particularly loved. The boy grows quieter than water and lower than grass, until one day a huge forester Hagrid comes for him and invites him to Hogwarts School of Magic, because Harry is not just a wizard, but the one who faced the biggest evil and managed to survive. Now it’s time for him to get on the true path and fulfill the prophecy.
Cassandra Clare’s The Instruments of Death
American writer Cassandra Clare became famous for the series of books “Instruments of Death” from 6 parts and a prequel to it called “Infernal Mechanisms”. Incidentally, before her personal career, she wrote fanfics on “Harry Potter”, especially about Draco Malfoy. The dark aesthetic and mountains of different myths inspired her work, which has become a favorite of readers around the world. The story has also received two film adaptations – the not-so-successful 2013 film “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” and Freeform’s “Shadowhunters” series.
The main character Clary lives happily with her mother until one day she goes missing. At the same time, the girl begins to notice things around her that she has not seen before, and meets Jace, a mysterious hunter in tattoos. Gradually it turns out that her mother has been hiding a big secret from her and a whole supernatural world full of mages, vampires, werewolves and faeries. Now she must figure it all out and learn the scary truth about who her parents and cute new boyfriend Jace really are.
Terry Goodkind’s “The Sword of Truth.”
Another major fantasy series is considered to be “The Sword of Truth”, written by American writer Terry Goodkind. The saga is divided into 24 parts and was released from 1994 to 2020. Many fans of the genre might not have heard of “The Sword of Truth” that often, and for nothing! But it was able to attract new readers to the film adaptation, ABC’s Legend of the Seeker series based on the story.
What is the plot about? In a fictional world, people live knowing about the existence of two opposing sides – the good Creator and the evil Keeper of the underworld. To keep the balance between them help many magical communities, but in the center of all events is a young seeker Richard Cypher. Only he can wield the Sword of Truth and defeat any evil, if only his soul and intentions are pure. In his difficult journey he will be helped by Kahlan Amnell – mother confessor, who with one touch can learn the truth.
Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher
The Polish writer literally conquered the world with his dynamic fantasy called “The Witcher”. Eight books were published in the period from 1988 to 1998 and became the inspiration for a lot of related content. First of all, of course, we are talking about the popular game of the same name. In the second, already about the screen adaptations: most often still remember the most recent one from Netflix, launched in 2019.
The story centers on the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, one of the last witches who fights monsters and demons. Once upon a time, witches were a huge force against evil, but now Geralt has gone into mercenary mode and fights creatures only for money. That is, of course, until he meets Ciri, princess of the fallen kingdom of Cintra, and his beloved witch Jennyfair.
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