Fantasy is one of the most exciting entertainment genres. Stories that fall under the fantasy umbrella are many and varied, exploring different worlds, different timelines, and sometimes different realities, offering up rich and complex characters, and almost always featuring some kind of adventure and intrigue. Fantasy stories are big stories and when it comes to books, fans of the genre have a wealth to choose from, especially as the genre grows more and more popular thanks to books from authors like George R.R. Martin, Brandon Sanderson, and many more.
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But for every wildly popular Game of Thrones, there are many other books that haven’t gotten quite as much attention, books that are still every bit as good of reads, with incredible worlds and adventures in store for readers. Here are seven fantasy books that every fan should read, even if they’ve perhaps never heard of them before — and at least one of them deserves to have a television adaptation (or, rather, a proper redo that would do the story much more justice.)
7) Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
The first of a trilogy (the other two books are Empire of the Damned and Empire of the Dawn), Empire of the Vampire follows the story of Gabriel de Leon, the last in his holy order of vampire hunters. With humanity having fallen into endless night ruled by vampires, Gabriel recounts his life story to his vampire captors, revealing the story of a dark, dangerous world — and perhaps offering one last hope to end the endless night.
With dynamic characters, an interesting take on the humans versus vampire conflict that frequently pops up in fantasy literature, and even a bit of political intrigue and adventure with what might be humanity’s final stand and the one person whose shoulders it falls on, Empire of the Vampire (and indeed the entire series) is an epic and exciting book that more fantasy fans should read.
6) Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
This one might technically fall into the category of fantasy books that aren’t exactly underrated — it shows up on a lot of “must read” lists — but we still think it deserves more attention than it’s gotten. Prince of Thorns follows a young, sociopathic prince named Jorg Ancrath as he leads a ruthless band of thugs on his march to reclaim his throne.
Prince of Thorns is dark, fast-paced, and a little unique in terms of fantasy as it’s set on a post-apocalyptic earth thousands of years after a horrible event. This world sees humanity going back to a more medieval society and brings back concepts of magic, though in this case they’re actually just old tech that’s been misunderstood. The story is dark and brutal, and mixes in an exploration of trauma and some truly unexpected twists. The book is very violent and has some serious adult content, but it makes the story all the richer for it.
5) Up Jumps the Devil by Michael Poore
What if the Bible isn’t being honest about Lucifer? That’s the general premise of Up Jumps the Devil by Michael Poore. In the book, Lucifer actually really cares about humanity and has spent lifetime after lifetime trying to inspire humans through their creative gifts and talents. Known this time around as John Scratch, he’s a mentor to a lot of major musicians and artists but it tuns out that his motives aren’t exactly altruistic. Turns out he just wants to get his angel ex-lover out of Heaven by turning Earth into its own paradise. Yep, the devil is just a lovesick guy manipulating mankind in the name of romance.
If you’re looking for a fantasy that is romance-centered, has a morally gray main character, and takes a sort of humorous approach to the idea of good versus evil this one you don’t want to miss.
4) Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
The first of two books (and honestly, series) by Jim Butcher on this list, Furies of Calderon might be Butcher’s most underappreciated. The first book in the Codex Alera series, Furies of Calderon is a high fantasy story that follows a young boy named Tavi who lives in a world where people can control the elements through their bond with the element’s fury. Tavi, however, is the only person without the ability. Ridiculed for this, Tavi finds himself having to rely on his intellect to survive, especially as he gets caught in a conspiracy when an enemy returns and suddenly makes Tavi’s intellect far more useful and powerful than magic.
Furies of Calderon and the Codex Alera series to date is a fresh, new take on high fantasy. It’s fast paced, inventive, and a really engrossing read. We’d love to see this one adapted to a television series, but it’s not the Jim Butcher series we really want to see on the small screen (we’ll get to that soon.)
3) The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
The first of R.F. Kuang’s books on this list, The Poppy War is considered by some to be a story that could never be adapted for screen thanks to depictions of drug use and very complex plot, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still a great and worthwhile read. The story, based roughly on the Second Sino-Japanese War from the 1930s and 1940s, follows orphaned teenager Rin. Rin manages to pass an elite test and get accepted into a highly prestigious military academy but soon finds that she has magical abilities and is the one thing standing between her country and a dangerous enemy.
Unlike a lot of fantasy stories, The Poppy War’s more contemporary inspiration and references to historical events makes for an unusually rich landscape that makes it approachable for readers. It’s also a sharp deviation into a corner of the world that fantasy novels often shy away from and digs into serious themes of genocide, racism, and socioeconomic discrimination. It’s a great and challenging book.
2) The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
We told you there’d be another Jim Butcher series on this list and we’re just going to go ahead and recommend the entire series — though if you are really looking for just one book, start at the beginning with Storm Front. The Dresden Files follows Harry Dresden who just so happens to be the only professional wizard who is also a private investigator in Chicago. He’s a regular consultant for the police on cases that involve the supernatural and when he ends up investigating a double murder that happens to involve black magic, he finds himself caught up in the crosshairs between a black mage and the White Council of Wizards. All this in a world of vampires, mobsters, and more.
What makes The Dresden Files so great is that it’s not just fantasy, it’s also a hardboiled noir detective series, just with the addition of magic. Harry is a fascinating character and the supporting figures in the book are great as well. This series really needs a television adaptation because of how fascinating and fun it really is and technically it already had one. The series got a one-season series starring Paul Blackthorne, but it was cancelled in 2007. That series, while fun, was very different than the books and we’d love to see a proper series adaptation hit the small screen, eventually.
1) Babel by R.F. Kuang
The second book by R.F. Kuang on this list, though this time it’s more about academia than it is about war and military. Set in an alternative 1930s England, Babel follows Chinese orphan Robin Swift who comes to Oxford’s Royal Institute of Translation and is presented with a choice: serve the British Empire or become part of an anti-imperialist resistance.
Babel explores the power of language in revolution and serves as a critique of imperialism. The world has an interesting system of magic based on translation and there are deep themes of identity as well as that of betrayal. It’s a rich, dense book that asks big questions about power and institutions as well as the power of people to revolt.
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