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#1: Game of Thrones (George RR Martin)

This brilliant fantasy series begins with Game of Thrones. What can I say about this series besides reading it! It is well regarded as one of the best fantasy series. This is a novel that leaves most other fantasy books in the dust. It is the best of the best, the creme de le creme. It’s gritty, brutal, not for the faint of heart and so damn addictive.

Martin has created something special with this book. The vast scope of his plots spans continents and, like an onion, each plot hides beneath the other. The author does new things with the fantasy genre: no character is safe from the author’s noose; at any time the main characters can die. This ostensibly ties various plotlines into twisted entanglements, but Martin is the master of deception and purposefully weaves the story arcs into something even stronger. It is almost impossible to predict the plot lines. What’s also interesting is that the author takes cowardly characters and slowly remakes them, over the course of the series, into incredibly interesting, even likable personalities.

If you’re new to the genre and looking for the best of the best, check out Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series (beginning with Game of Thrones) for an enchanting journey into the fantastical world of fantasy. This is a novel that shows how good fantasy books can be!

#2: The Malazan Book of the Fallen (Steven Erikson)

Fantasy these days has been pretty stagnant, at least in the epic fantasy genre, since Tolkien. Fortunately, Erickson remakes the genre into something radically different, something unique and compelling. Erickson’s work is wide in scope, tying together dozens of plots into a cohesive whole. No other author can write battle scenes like this man. When he writes battle, you see it. If you want a bit of fantasy where the action is so crisp you can feel the skin cut by the blade, the battles so loud you can hear the clash of spear against shield, then pick up this amazing series. This book redefines the genre and is one of the best fantasy books you can read.

#3: The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss)

A stunning debut, The Name of the Wind has one of the most compelling stories you’ll ever read. To all I have recommended this book to delirious. And I’m willing to bet you will too. Rothfuss takes some standard fantasy conventions and recasts them into a superbly addictive mix. Great writing, a very compelling plot, fantastic characterization, and a well-drawn world make this book one of my top fantasy book recommendations. This is a fantasy book for women, men, and children alike. All I can say is: read this fantasy novel!

#4: Tigana (Guy Gaveriel Kay)

Kay is the best character writer in the fantasy genre. She writes fantasy books that are not so much about the “fantasy” aspect as about the character. And what character does she have in fact. You won’t find cookie cutters in her world. This man is a master of words. His prose is beautiful and his plot is always tight. Tigana is perhaps the most emotional fantasy book I’ve ever read. If you want to experience the full range of human emotions, read this hauntingly beautiful novel. As a bonus, this is a standalone novel, proving that standalones can clash with the epic fantasies of the greats, too. This is a fantasy book that will make you cry. I guarantee it.

#5: The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien)

There is a saying that is quite close to reality: “The world is divided into two groups: those who have read The Lord of the Rings and those who have not.” If you consider yourself a fan of fantasy, you owe it to yourself to have read The Lord of the Rings. He is the father of all fantasy, a genre-spawning book and an English-language masterpiece.

Tolkien has always been concerned with the world his characters live in, never with the characters who live in his world. He created a world full of myths and legends, starkly real and full of mystery. There is always some strange power deep within a mountain, or some magical glade in the heart of a forest. There are worlds deep in the world and worlds high in the heavens. It is a land full of wonders, a world too big to explore; It is a land that still has mysteries and unknown lands.

#6: The Sword Itself (The First Law: Book One) (Joe Abercrombie)

A moving entry into the fantasy genre. It’s action-packed, clever, twisted, funny, and so addictive it should be illegal. This is “Lord of the Rings”. The Blade Itself is a new kind of fantasy. It takes standard fantasy conventions and weaves them into something entirely new. Those jaded by the trivial and cliché that the fantasy genre has become will feel a hurricane of fresh air with this book. It is probably one of the most remarkable books to come out in a long time that has rejuvenated the fantasy genre. One of the best fantasy books, without a doubt.

#7: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)

I can honestly say that Jordan is the king of fantasy, if not in complexity, then in page count. This freakishly large series spans over 13 massive books (each at least 700 pages). Including “A Wheel of Time” on this list invariably irritates certain people. In recent years, a new kind of fantasy has come to the fore in the genre: no more hopeful, optimistic town boys wielding magical swords on a quest to defeat the impossible; in its place, a stark fantasy has arisen; a rigid genre where the very conventions of what it means to be a hero are challenged: worlds are made of grey, not black and white; heroes can be both villains and saviors; love is powerful, but ultimately ephemeral; heroes die and villains live. They are complex things that often get mixed up.

The Wheel of Time is a cornerstone in the fantasy genre. It’s virtually impossible to browse the fantasy section of any bookstore without coming across Jordan’s half dozen books, all taking up a prodigious amount of shelf space. Jordon’s monstrosity, and yes it is an monstrosity, weighs 12 books so far, enough to break the back of more than one.

While the quality of the second half of his series dropped dramatically when Jordan got lost in his own world, the final book is due for release next year. Jordan passed away this year, but Brandon Sanderson is completing the novel.

As a whole, The Wheel of Time is a fast-paced adventure that will grip you. It’s massive in scope, but the world is meticulously drawn, the characters (mostly) well drawn, and a highly addictive plot that spans over a dozen very large books. With the impact these books have had on the fantasy genre, you should read at least the first book. It’s a great fantasy book and so much fun!

#8: The Clairvoyant Trilogy (Robin Hobb)

Hobb is one of the best characterization writers in the fantasy genre. His characters are vividly real, leaping from the pages into our minds as living characters. She has no qualifications to allow her leading lady to suffer. If her protagonist falls into a well, no Dues Ex Machina breaks the fall; the protagonist will break both legs, and probably his arms as well. His Farseer books are full of fantastic characters and an interesting and mysterious world to explore. He adds a gripping plot, and these books are fantastic reads.

Hobb is perhaps the best character writer in the fantasy genre. If you’re looking for meticulously drawn characters and a world full of wonder and mystery, read these books. Hobb never lowers himself to using Dues Ex Machina in his novels; The characters of him suffer, and suffer a lot, which makes them all the more convincing. Those looking for a hero who can survive all situations without a scratch bringing out a new superpower, look elsewhere. There is something deeply compelling about the world that he creates in this series. Maybe it’s the mysteries that his world promises, the faraway places that promise secrets, or maybe it’s the vivid characters that jump from the same sheets of paper into our minds and real, living characters. Whatever it is, this novel has it.

I highly recommend every fantasy reader to read this trilogy. It is a masterpiece of fantasy and one of the most emotional fantasy books in the entire genre.

#9: The Darkness That Comes Before (R. Scott Bakker)

Fantasy books with real philosophy: who would have thought? Those of you looking for more of the “village boy defeats the dark wizard’s conceit”, look elsewhere. Those who want a brutal, gritty, twisted story that is as cerebral as it is action packed, read this book/series. This is a fantasy series that does new things with the genre and I highly recommend it as one of the best fantasy books in the genre.

#10: Mitogo Wood (Robert Holdstock)

Myth and reality coexist in this impressive and beautiful novel by Robert Holdstock. With a slightly similar theme to Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, Mythago Woods is a treat you’ll enjoy. If you are bored with all that epic fantasy that invades the shelves these days, pick up this wonderful complete and different fantasy novel.

Go to the Best Fantasy Books website to see a more detailed and expanded version of this list.

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