Good fantasy novels

How to find a good fantasy novel?


There are a lot of fantasy novels available, so how do you choose a good one? Depending on your tastes, some fantasy stories will appeal to you more than others. Perhaps you are looking for something action-packed, something character-driven or something literary. Perhaps you want lots of fantasy creatures, elves, dwarves or fairies. Or maybe you are looking for something very different to the typical fantasy, but still firmly in the fantastical.

In 1996, I had not yet found my ideal fantasy novel. Although many blurbs covered themes, storylines and characters I was looking for, none of the books actually did so as completely or enticingly as I wanted. That is part of the original reason I started writing The Psion Saga.

What I really wanted, and what I would have considered an excellent epic fantasy novel, was the following:

  • Animals and fantasy creatures, especially big cats and dragon-like flying creatures
  • A setting in which women can be involved in typically male roles like leadership, the military, building, etc.
  • Relationships that make sense while also demonstrating respect, inclusivity, forgiveness and many different forms of love
  • Authenticity and believability eg. in the setting, action, characters and plot
  • An intricate plot that resolves over time in a satisfying way without being predictable
  • Writing that doesn’t take the easy way out (such as having the main character knocked out cold at the end of each chapter or turning point so as to move the story forward rapidly – Christopher Paolini, I am looking at you)

It is my intention to achieve all of the above in my high fantasy series, The Psion Saga.

There are a great many well-known clichés in epic fantasy. While I understand the frustration with these repetitive themes, and the desire for something more edgy, I enjoy a good high fantasy series. 

While it is probably true that there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to storytelling, you can still find some diamonds in the rough that are well-written, uniquely told and feature the kinds of themes you would enjoy and consider ‘good’.

Obviously I can only truly recommend books that I have already read, and there are hundreds of books I have not yet found time to read, but here’s my take on some good fantasy novels based on what themes you’re in the mood for:

Action-packed fantasy novels

  • The Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne
  • The Shadowleague series by Maggie Furey (uniquely set across only a few days)
  • The Greenrider books by Kristen Britain
  • The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist
  • The Rigante by David Gemmel
  • Shadow Moon, Shadow Dawn and Shadow Star stories by George Lucas (written by various authors, sequels to the movie Willow)
  • The Timura Trilogy by Allan Cole
  • The Shannara Series by Terry Brooks

Character-driven fantasy novels

  • The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss
  • The Rainwild Chronicles by Robin Hobb
  • Age of the Five Trilogy by Trudi Canavan
  • The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Crowthistle Chronicles by Cecilia Dart-Thornton
  • The Tide Lords Series by Jennifer Fallon
  • The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer

There are also some great fantasy novels with female lead characters. These tend to be character-driven possibly because the author is so conscious of the unique role being played by their character. Eg.

  • The Deed of Paksennarion books by Elizabeth Moon
  • Age of the Five Trilogy by Trudi Canavan
  • Shadow Moon, Shadow Dawn and Shadow Star stories by George Lucas

Fantasy novels with politics

  • The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
  • Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
  • The Dragon Prince Series by Melanie Rawn
  • The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb
  • The Second Sons Trilogy by Jennifer Fallon
  • The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist
  • Kings of the North by Elizabeth Moon

Literary fantasy authors

  • Ursula Le Guin
  • Marlon James
  • Gabriel Garcia Marquez

What I mean by ‘literary’ is that is more about the complexities of human experience than good vs evil. You can take different positions and study the writing. Literary fiction explores important human issues and often comments on one or more modes of literary thought, such as capitalism, marxism, feminism, humanism, socialism, modernism, post-modernism, fundamentalism etc.

By thinking about the variety of cultures in the world and their social, political, ethical and spiritual views, you can probably think of many more modes of literary criticism. A literary fantasy novel is therefore one that not only entertains, but criticises the modes and views ingrained in a particular culture.

Fantasy novels with animals and/or fantasy creatures

Most fantasy novels feature animals or creatures of some description, but some focus more heavily on them than others. Eg.

  • The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
  • The Ki and Vandien Quartet by Megan Lindholm (Robin Hobb)
  • The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
  • The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
  • Path of the Stray by Kim Falconer

The adult adaptation of talking animals from children’s storybooks are bond-mates who have a telepathic and/or empathic relationship usually with one special human. I enjoy novels with telepathic animals or creatures, including:

  • The Chronicles of the Cheysuli by Jennifer Roberson
  • The Shadowleague and The Artefacts of Power by Maggie Furey
  • The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson (spren not animals)
  • The Ghatti’s Tale books by Gayle Greeno
  • Animist by Eve Forward

There are also some fantasy novels where the animals or creatures are the main characters and there may be few or no humans. Eg.

  • Wings of Fire (children’s) series by Tui Sutherland
  • Tail Chaser’s Song by Tad Williams (about cats)
  • Dragoncharm and Dragonstorm by Graham Edwards (about dragons)
  • A Wolf Story by James Byron Huggins (about wolves)

I have to also mention the prolific Warriors series (about cats), here but I couldn’t get into them and found them boring. I much preferred an older book about stray cats, In the Long Dark by Brian Carter.

Fantasy novels about elves and other immortals

The only one I’ve ever read where the main character was an elf is the self-published novel by my front cover illustrator Adele Sessler, The Wars of Avenan. I read book one and found it to be a fresh take on the fantasy genre, with Falen, the main character (an elf) somewhat of an antihero, despite his best intentions.

Jennifer Fallon’s Tide Lords Series feature a number of immortal main characters. They do not age and are also invulnerable to injury. With some of these characters millenia in age and completely impervious to harm, you might be wondering where the tension comes from. It is a testament to Fallon’s talents as a writer that she is able to pull this off.

The immortals may be invulnerable, but they are susceptible to mental damage and megalomania. Most of them are power-hungry warlords who seek to rule the common people for their own benefit. The drama comes from the conflict between the immortals as they jostle for power and from the mortal characters who are trying to find a way to resist them. There are also a few immortals who care about the fate of ordinary people. Each immortal has their own unique agenda, which makes The Tide Lords a fascinating read.

  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • The Wars of Avenan byAdele Sessler
  • The Tide Lords by Jennifer Fallon

Fantasy novels with romance and love

Some fantasy novels with romantic elements include:

  • The Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros
  • The Chronicles of the Cheysuli, The Sword Dancer Series and the Novels of Tiger and Del by Jennifer Roberson
  • The Artefacts of Power by Maggie Furey
  • The Crowthistle Chronicles by Cecilia Dart-Thornton
  • The Tide Lords Series by Jennifer Fallon
  • The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer

Fantasy novels focused on a rich setting

Detailed world-building is a feature of many fantasy novels, but some are more focused on setting than others, such that the setting could even be described as a character in itself. Cecilia Dart-Thornton’s Crowthistle Chronicles does this with the magic-imbued marsh and mountain settings and the vibrantly detailed environment and ecology.

Almost as a counterpoint to Dart-Thornton’s marshes are Robin Hobb’s deserts in The Soldier Son Trilogy. Different again, is the mind-blowing and stunning scale of the settings of Heaven and Hell in Wendy Alec’s The Fall of Lucifer.

K.J. Parker also has a strong focus on setting in The Fencer Trilogy, which is staggering and disturbing in its authenticity. There is nothing fluffy or fun about this series of novels about a professional killer (lawyer/fencer Bardas Loredan) who kills his own relatives and even uses human parts when crafting a bow.

Despite these horrors, The Fencer Trilogy contains fascinating details in a middle age setting, including how bows are made, how trenches are dug during castle sieges and more.

  • The Crowthistle Chronicles by Cecilia Dart-Thornton
  • The Soldier Son Trilogy by Robin Hobb
  • The Fall of Lucifer by Wendy Mac
  • The Fencer Trilogy by K.J. Parker

Spiritual and/or epic fantasy novels

Most fantasy novels, especially epic fantasy, focus heavily on the battle between good and evil, which is an age old spiritual battle fundamental to most world religions. Spiritual themes in fantasy novels are often open to interpretation and the impressions of the reader. Some examples of fundamentalist Christian-themed fantasy fiction are:

  • The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • The Chronicles of Tenebrak by Shannah Jay
  • The Fall of Lucifer by Wendy Alec
  • A Wolf Story by James Byron Huggins

Great children’s and young adult fantasy novels

  • The Wings of Fire Series by Tui Sutherland
  • The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan
  • The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
  • The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer

Dark fantasy (fantasy-horror) novels

I do not enjoy horror, usually, but I have read some of Sara Douglas who I consider a fantasy-horror writer.

· The Axis Trilogy

· The Wayfarer Redemption series

How The Psion Saga is unique but still fits the paradigm of epic fantasy

My novel follows some of the tried and true formulas for epic fantasy (male hero gains magical powers and goes on a journey to seek help for his people), but it does the following things differently:

  • The main character, Talon, is dark-skinned and above the typical age for heroes (he is nineteen in book 1)
  • The female supporting main character, Sarlice, is a few years older thanTalon. She is also wiser and more skilled than him
  • Talon is competent in a number of areas, including hunting, gathering, animal care and his occupation of quartermaster’s apprentice
  • The novel contains detailed action and battle scenes, including an epic, realm-wide war, which the protagonists lose
  • The characters are fallible and don’t get everything right all the time
  • The antagonists in the series, the Zeikas, are sorcerers who can conjure flames and monster. Some of the protagonist Kriites are psions who can communicate telepathically and negate much Zeika sorcery
  • Some Kriites can bond with an animal, a weapon, a skyearl (feathered dragons) and other objects

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