Legacy of Fantasy: Top 25 best fantasy

		Written by Stephan on Oct 16, 2010 \| 34 comments
		Filed under: Fantasy News, Lists

As a newcomer in the land of Fantasy reviews, The Ranting Dragon will, without a doubt, try to bring the latest fantasy books to your computer screen. However, the fantasy genre is about more than just new books. It’s about our legacy and about the great writers of the past.

We would not want to forget our past. Thus, we searched the internet for a great list on must-review books. We found many lists, each of them different than the others. So, we decided to combine these lists. We have cross-reverenced all of the books on these lists and as a result, we came up with our own list.

These are the best twenty-five genre books and series. Not according to us, but according to the internet. We don’t believe the internet, though, and therefore, we will take it upon ourselves to read and review every single book on the list to find out the truth. It will probably take us a while, but it will definitely be worth it in the end. This is, after all, the legacy of our genre.


1.				The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
				The popular epic Fantasy by J.R.R. Tolkien, set in the world of Middle Earth. The story of unlikely heroes on an epic journey to destroy a ring of power, before it falls into the hands the Dark Lord Sauron.



2.				Narnia by C.S. Lewis
				A classic series of seven fantasy novels for children, set in the mythical land of Narnia, a place where animals talk, magic is common and good battles evil. Children must help the lion Aslan save Narnia.



3.				Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
				Seven novels chronicling the adventures of Harry Potter and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.



4.				The Belgariad and The Malloreon by David Eddings
				Two epic series, set in the same world. The Belgariad tells the story of the recovery of the Orb of Aldur and coming of age of Garion, an orphaned farmboy. The Malloreon is the sequel to this story.



5.				The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson)
				A series of fourteen epic fantasy novels, telling the story of three unlikely heroes, farmboys from a small town, and their journey to unite the world and fight the evil Dark Lord to save the world.



6.				His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
				A young adult trilogy that follows the coming of age of two children as they wander through a series of parallel universes against the backdrop of epic events taking place in heaven.



7.				A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
				A series telling of the many-sided struggle for the Iron Throne after the death of the king. The sides in this struggle, however, are unaware of the danger coming from the cold northern border.



8.				Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
				A fictional realm created for a short story became the setting for six novels and seven short stories of magic and mythical creatures like dragons.



9.				Forgotten Realms y by R.A. Salvatore
				A large series of novels set in a world created for the Dungeons and Dragons RPG, that features popular characters like the dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden.



10.				The Riftwar Cycle by Raymond E. Feist
				An epic series of books set in a universe featuring the worlds of Midkemia and Kelewan. Human magicians and other creatures from both worlds are able to create rifts that connect both planets.



11.				Shannara by Terry Brooks
				An epic fantasy series blending magic and primitive technology. The series is set in The Four Lands, in some books identified as Earth, after a nuclear holocaust. Shannara is the name of an elven noble family.



12.				The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
				Multiple epic trilogies set in the same world, starting with Farseer, about Fitz, a royal bastard and trained assassin, and his uncle, Prince Verity, attempting to wage war on raiders from OutIslands.



13.				Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll
				The classic story of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy land inhabited by peculiar creatures. The tale plays with logic in ways that have given the story lasting popularity.



14.				American Gods by Neil Gaiman
				A popular blend of Americana, fantasy and various blends of ancient mythology, all centering around a mysterious and taciturn protagonist named Shadow.



15.				The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
				An epic fantasy trilogy featuring a story in a story when the Chronicler visits Kvothe and makes him tell his life story of magic, music and adventure in three days.



16.				Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
				A story of four vampire-themed fantasy romance novels, chronicling a period of the life of Bella Swan, a teenage girl who falls in love with a 104 year old vampire named Edward Cullen.



17.				The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson
				Three series of books centering the cynical leper Thomas Covenant, shunned by society, who is destined to become the heroic savior of an alternate Earth and struggles against the tyrannical Lord Foul.



18.				Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny
				In the Amber stories, there are only two true worlds: Amber, and the Courts of Chaos. All other worlds are but shadows of the tension between these.



19.				Dragonlance by Weis and Hickman
				Dragonlance is a shared world created for roleplaying and expanded into a series novels. In Dragonlance, the gods are opposed by Chaos, who seeks to destroy the world of Krynn.



20.				The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
				In the fictional land of Alagaësia, an order of Dragon Riders oversaw the nations and brought peace, until one Dragon Rider betrayed the others. Now, Eragon and his dragon must restore peace to the world.



21.				Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
				An epic trilogy asking the question: what if the prophesied hero fails and becomes a dictator instead? In a world of scientific magic and dictatorship, one girl must battle the emperor and an evil god.



22.				The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind
				A series of novels centering around Richard, the unexpected bearer of a magical and powerful sword and Kahlan, the last of a breed of equally powerful sorceresses.



23.				The Dark Tower by Stephen King
				A series of books incorporating themes from multiple genres, including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. It describes a “Gunslinger” and his quest toward a physical and metaphorical tower.



24.				Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
				A fantasy novel set in a fictional country resembling medieval Italy, focusing on a group of rebels, native to the province of Tigana, attempting to overthrow both tyrants and win back their homeland.



25.				Inkworld Trilogy by Cornelia Funke
				Three young adult fantasy novels chronicling the adventures of a teenage girl who realizes that she and her father have the unusual ability to bring characters from books into the real world.

We have used the following lists to compose our own “Master List”: Top 25 Best Fantasy Books, Great Fantasy Books, Beginner’s Fantasy Books, Top 100 Fantasy Books, Top 100 Best Fantasy Books and The Best Fantasy Books by Goodreads.

We would love to hear what you think of the list, and what books you would add or wouldn’t add.

The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

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Richard

Oh come one, I agree, a very good list but what about Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen series ?
Richard

Oh come one, I agree, a very good list but what about Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen series ?
http://twitter.com/HearttLight Stephan van Velzen

Checked my notes. Malazan ended on #24, in a tie with Tigana and Inkworld. I have chosen those over Malazan, because they were mentioned in more lists.

However, I can tell you, that Gardens of the Moon is on my “To read and review in 2010″-pile. So I will review it, and if I like it enough, it might make it into the final list.

Rossdjarnold

codex alera?

http://twitter.com/HearttLight Stephan van Velzen

Checked my notes. Malazan ended on #24, in a tie with Tigana and Inkworld. I have chosen those over Malazan, because they were mentioned in more lists. However, I can tell you, that Gardens of the Moon is on my “To read and review in 2010″-pile. So I will review it, and if I like it enough, it might make it into the final list.

Rossdjarnold

codex alera?

http://twitter.com/SplashOOWorlds Blog Tweets

I feel proud that i have read many of those books! I wouldn’t have put Twilight in it though…
And you have Inkworld and Raymond Feist in it! Totally agree with those!

http://twitter.com/HearttLight Stephan van Velzen

I couldn’t agree more about Twilight. But it’s what the other lists have done. And of course, those books are quite popular. What other books have you read?

http://twitter.com/SplashOOWorlds Blog Tweets

From that list i have read LOTR,Narnia, HP, Wheel Of Time, Riftwar Cycle, Alice, Inheritance Cycle, Sword Of Truth and Inkworld…I tried His Dark Materials too but i didn’t like the writing style and i stopped it too early.

http://twitter.com/SplashOOWorlds Blog Tweets

Oh and Twilight..i have read that too :p

http://twitter.com/SplashOOWorlds Blog Tweets

I feel proud that i have read many of those books! I wouldn’t have put Twilight in it though…
And you have Inkworld and Raymond Feist in it! Totally agree with those!

http://twitter.com/HearttLight Stephan van Velzen

I couldn’t agree more about Twilight. But it’s what the other lists have done. And of course, those books are quite popular. What other books have you read?

http://twitter.com/SplashOOWorlds Blog Tweets

From that list i have read LOTR,Narnia, HP, Wheel Of Time, Riftwar Cycle, Alice, Inheritance Cycle, Sword Of Truth and Inkworld…I tried His Dark Materials too but i didn’t like the writing style and i stopped it too early.

http://twitter.com/SplashOOWorlds Blog Tweets

Oh and Twilight..i have read that too :p

Galena

Including Twilight on this list makes my soul cry.
Galena

Including Twilight on this list makes my soul cry.
James

Like the article says, we don’t necessarily agree with the internet, because seriously, the internet is full of idiots and young tweens who worship Mr. Edward Cullen.
James

Like the article says, we don’t necessarily agree with the internet, because seriously, the internet is full of idiots and young tweens who worship Mr. Edward Cullen.
http://twitter.com/MelLHay Melissa

A few of these I have read and a few I have either on my TBR pile or list. Great to know I’m on the right path. Thanks for the cool list.
http://twitter.com/MelLHay Melissa

A few of these I have read and a few I have either on my TBR pile or list. Great to know I’m on the right path. Thanks for the cool list.
Pingback: American Gods by Neil Gaiman | The Ranting Dragon
http://twitter.com/Cory_Emerson Cory Emerson

id love to see you guys compile your own list. I love the aggregate one here, but id like to see your tastes

http://twitter.com/HearttLight Stephan van Velzen

There will definitely be a list in the future. I’m not sure how to do it, yet, but I’m thinking it should be an interactive process. We might post our personal lists in the mean time, though.

http://twitter.com/Cory_Emerson Cory Emerson

id love to see you guys compile your own list. I love the aggregate one here, but id like to see your tastes

http://twitter.com/HearttLight Stephan van Velzen

There will definitely be a list in the future. I’m not sure how to do it, yet, but I’m thinking it should be an interactive process. We might post our personal lists in the mean time, though.

Dk_stevens

Sorry but a really poor list. Am i right in understand that you simpky tabulated the other fantasy ultimate lists on the net? In particular the Top best 100 Fantasy Books is a poor source, it was written by a young man or woman with spetacualrly bad tastes in books! Terry Brooks and David Eddings simply do not belong on any list such as this, and Twilight? is that fantasy?

Top 25 best fantasy is the best list i’ve seen on the net, you might not agree with all the choces, but at least they have been selected based on the talent displayed in the writing and oringinality of the story, rather than simply on popularity.

Another feedback for your website, gret idea, but start being more harsh with your ratings. its hard to take it so seriously when every book is either given a 4 or 5 star rating. But other than that, keep up the good work!

http://www.facebook.com/people/Stephan-van-Velzen/100000499757880 Stephan van Velzen

Hey, thanks for the feedback! I agree on most of your points, of course. This list was a starting point for us. We were (are?) new, and wanted to have a place to start. However, we are busy reading every fantasy we can get our hands on; both new releases and old classics. We will definitely be creating our own list as soon as we feel confident about having covered enough books to do so.

As for the 4 or 5 star ratings, I couldn’t agree more. Do know, however, that this is just a problem of this period. We have quite enough harsher reviews in our archives. We’ve just been reading a lot of good books, lately.

Dk_stevens

Maybe change the name of the list from top 25 best fantasy to Top 25 most popular fantasy on the net?

Also perhaps you could have a list for fantasy starter books – and in this area you can have thelikes of CS lewis,JK Rowling, Eddings, Brooks Weiss & Hickman, Salvatore, Goodkind and Paoloini. While all these writers are very popular, really fantasy conniseurs tend to gnash their teeth when their names are mentioned, as they really are not the most talented or original writers in the genre!

.

Dk_stevens

Sorry but a really poor list. Am i right in understand that you simpky tabulated the other fantasy ultimate lists on the net? In particular the Top best 100 Fantasy Books is a poor source, it was written by a young man or woman with spetacualrly bad tastes in books! Terry Brooks and David Eddings simply do not belong on any list such as this, and Twilight? is that fantasy?

Top 25 best fantasy is the best list i’ve seen on the net, you might not agree with all the choces, but at least they have been selected based on the talent displayed in the writing and oringinality of the story, rather than simply on popularity.

Another feedback for your website, gret idea, but start being more harsh with your ratings. its hard to take it so seriously when every book is either given a 4 or 5 star rating. But other than that, keep up the good work!

http://www.facebook.com/people/Stephan-van-Velzen/100000499757880 Stephan van Velzen

Hey, thanks for the feedback! I agree on most of your points, of course. This list was a starting point for us. We were (are?) new, and wanted to have a place to start. However, we are busy reading every fantasy we can get our hands on; both new releases and old classics. We will definitely be creating our own list as soon as we feel confident about having covered enough books to do so.

As for the 4 or 5 star ratings, I couldn’t agree more. Do know, however, that this is just a problem of this period. We have quite enough harsher reviews in our archives. We’ve just been reading a lot of good books, lately.

Dk_stevens

Maybe change the name of the list from top 25 best fantasy to Top 25 most popular fantasy on the net?

Also perhaps you could have a list for fantasy starter books – and in this area you can have thelikes of CS lewis,JK Rowling, Eddings, Brooks Weiss & Hickman, Salvatore, Goodkind and Paoloini. While all these writers are very popular, really fantasy conniseurs tend to gnash their teeth when their names are mentioned, as they really are not the most talented or original writers in the genre!

.

http://mostpopularbooks.org/top-ten-books/top-ten-books-whats-been-famous-around-the-world/ Ondrej from Top Ten Books

You can’t seriously include Twilight in the company of LOTR or Wheels of Time, can you? Just because teenagers like something doesn’t make it good.
http://mostpopularbooks.org/top-ten-books/top-ten-books-whats-been-famous-around-the-world/ Ondrej from Top Ten Books

You can’t seriously include Twilight in the company of LOTR or Wheels of Time, can you? Just because teenagers like something doesn’t make it good.
http://mostpopularbooks.org/good-reading/good-reading-the-left-hand-of-god/ Ondrej from Good Reading

I’ve recently went through the opening of Kingkiller Chronicles; can’t way to get back in the city and borrow sequels from the library…
http://mostpopularbooks.org/good-reading/good-reading-the-left-hand-of-god/ Ondrej from Good Reading

I’ve recently went through the opening of Kingkiller Chronicles; can’t way to get back in the city and borrow sequels from the library…