Top 10 Greatest Fantasy Series of All Time

To some readers, fantasy is dragons burning down cities, to others, it is grand wizards casting spells and flying broomsticks. The genre is beautiful because it has the widest spectrum of books—it gives authors the most freedom to experiment.

The most important function of fantasy, however, remains its ability to put characters in situations that would otherwise be impossible. Take Rand from the Wheel of Time as an example. Who could imagine the fate of the world resting on the shoulders of a shepherd boy? What does that do to a man psychologically? Or take Paul Atreides from Dune; (It's not fantasy, I know) he becomes the prophet—the voice of god to the freemen. What effect does that have on his loved ones, himself? How does a messiah fit into the political equation of the imperium? All these questions are answered in fantasy when done right. To celebrate fantasy, I've compiled a list of my top ten favorite series and why. Enjoy!

10: Farseer Trilogy (Robin Hobb)

Okay, for those of you who are new to fantasy, Robin Hobb is a must. The story itself is told from a first person past tense with Fitz (the protagonist) writing—trying to—write a book recounting the events of his life. It's more rare than not to see a fantasy series done great in the first person, so that in itself should be the selling point of this series. If that doesn't convince you, hear me out. The entire plot of the story is Robin Hobb finding unique ways to make Fitz suffer. If this is giving you Tokyo Ghoul vibes, good. For those of you who have a fetish for this kind of emotional/physical pain, look no further!

To give a more detailed analysis, however, the reason Farseer is ranked at the bottom of my list is because while it is interesting, it is not as thought provoking or influential as some of the other series on this list. Farseer is the most like YA fiction out of this list. It’s entertaining, it’s fun. But it didn't have a monumental impact on me.

9: King Killer Chronicles (Patrick Rothfuss)

Before I dive in to why one of the most popular fantasy series of all time is in 9th place, I think it's important to note that King Killer chronicles is told in the same POV as Farseeer (first person past). This should give you some idea that the first person is rarely done in fantasy and when it is, it's usually not break-next good. That's not to say King Killer is not a wonderful series, to this day, The Name of the Wind (book one) remains one of my favorite books.

The story follows an exiled bartender who is more than what appears to the naked eye. While to the village, he is known as Kote, an unobtrusive bartender, to the rest of the world, he is feared as Kvothe, counselor of Kings, he who hunts the Chandrian.

Kvothe's story is so beautifully written not because of the character depths it dives into, or the magic system, or even the sub-tropes (love triangle, etc). The reason it's so good is the width of what the series covers well. Rothfuss manages to mix epic magic fights, with music, love and the perfect dose of tragedy. Personally, Kvothe speaks to me as a character. Rothfuss demonstrates complexity in character development because he understands that to write a character well, he/she cannot be binary or singularly focused on achieving some goal. The character is, after all, human. This is Rothfuss’s strength; more than Harry Potter, or Percy Jackson, Kvothe is the most human character I've ever met.

The weakness of King Killer is common in the genre as a whole. Namely, the sequels. While The Name of the Wind will be remembered as one of the greatest fantasy books (if I were making a fantasy book list, it would much higher up) of our time, I can't say the same for its sequel, Wise Man's Fear. It lacks the complexity of book one and drags on for far too long. The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a novella that, while it continues the story, didn't captivate me like book one. And the long awaited third book of the series? It's been in the works for well over ten years now with little sign from Patrick Rothfuss on its completion date (check out his Twitch, he spends most of his time gaming apparently).

8: Mistborn (Branden Sanderson)

Going through this list, you guys are going to be seeing a lot more of Brandon Sanderson, and there's a good reason why. Right now, he's the face of the genre. Think of books by Sanderson as Marvel's multiverse. Character's jump between world’s right? That's the premise of Sanderson's Cosmere. I'll go into a deep dive into the Cosmere in another post, but here's a brief overview. In this galaxy, different "gods" occupy different worlds and magic for that specific world is derived from that god. The overarching plot he is setting up is certain gods, using humanity as tools to conquer the entire galaxy.

The Final Empire starts on the world of Scadriel. It's written from the third person restricted (which, in my opinion, is the best for writing Fantasy). Sanderson's strength lies in creating magic systems. He even created Sanderson's 3 laws of magic in which he explains how to use magic to solve problems in stories.

But okay, why Mistborn? Simply put, the world building functions in tandem with character development. It's a rare series that really does this well. As the reader learns more about the world, it's like Vin (the protagonist) is developing along with you. The magic system especially—Allomancy is intricately constructed such that Mistborn contains some of the best fight scenes I've ever read.

There are two types of Allomancers: Mistings and Mistborn (the namesake). There are eight allomantic metals known to man. Each gives the user a unique ability. For example, if the user burns the tin in their body, their senses increase in sensitivity ten fold. This is where Sanderson's genius comes in. He highlights that there are key drawbacks and advantages to using Allomantic powers. Using the tin example, super heightened senses equate to getting knocked out if there's an immediate flash of bright light or an extremely loud noise because it will be ten times stronger.

The major drawback of the series lies in the restricted plot. Whereas series such as A Song of Ice and Fire and The Wheel of Time do a great job expanding on conflicts and raising the stakes in war, this element is lackluster in Mistborn. As you will see in books two and three, the antagonists, while present, do not seem as prolific as the antagonist from book one. Conflict leading up to the series finale is poorly setup, and the series ends on a somewhat dubious note.

7: Gentlemen Bastards (Scott Lynch)

The Gentlemen Bastards is a must read for any fantasy reader—no, any reader period. If I had to pick one perfect series with negligent flaws in terms of plot and character development, the Gentlemen Bastards wins the crown. This is as close to perfection as you can get.

The series has many selling points starting with the world building. While some fantasy series such as The Stormlight Archive, The Song of Ice and Fire, and The Wheel of time opt for huge expansive worlds spanning continents and wars fought between cities and kingdoms, these classical/high fantasy tropes are vacant in the Gentlemen Bastards. The story itself follows a simple premise. A gang of thieves trying to con the rich. What makes the series so fun to read is the unique storytelling choice Scott Lynch uses. He intersperses most chapters with an interlude in between that is usually a recollection of the past. In turn, this past event now affects the present events. Sound confusing? Think of Money Heist and how the professor explains the plan to rob the royal mint as the robbery is taking place.

The next selling point (and in my opinion, the biggest) is the character development and relationship with other characters. The relationship between the two main characters Locke and Jean is absolutely endearing to read. Even the magic system (a soft magic system—I'll explain soft vs hard in another post) fits right into place with the world.

To sum it up, there's nothing I can say is wrong with this series. I will say however that it’s been nine years since A Republic of Thieves (book 3) was released. Scott Lynch reported he is suffering from mental health issues and announced that he plans to write novellas as his next work that will take place between books 3 and 4.

6: Malazan, Book of the Fallen (Steven Erikson, Ian C. Esslemont)

Steven Erikson once said that you'd either like his series or you wouldn't. I couldn't agree more. You will either love Malazan Book of the Fallen or you'll grow to hate it. There's no middle ground. It's a hit or miss.

To start off, this series is super confusing. I nearly dropped the series as I was reading book 2. I struggled to get through Deadhouse Gates. I spent somewhere around 10 months on and off until I eventually finished it. The biggest lesson I learned is that nothing makes sense until book 6. That's literally the best way to put it. Books 1 and 2 are so disjoined that they take place on separate continents. There's maybe two characters that cross over between books 1 and 2. Considering that there were a staggering 33 narraters in book 1, that's practically nothing.

Malazan has a huge entry barrier and to me, that is the first two books. If you can get past them, then the road only goes up with Memories of Ice (book 3) being one of my favorite books of all time. Another reason many people drop Malazan is the writing style. To incorporate 33 narrators, Erikson switches POV's so often to the point where I didn't know who the main character was (to be honest, I still don't).

Despite these criticisms, it's hard to due Malazan justice by explaining the sheer magnitude of what it accomplishes. Malazan is an experience. The only comparison I can think of is to Dune. Dune, just like Malazan, will be nothing like you've ever read. That's the best way to say it. If you're not afraid to take a leap, try it. And if you can get through book two, then it's definitely going to become one of your all-time favorites.

5: Lord of the Rings (J.R.R Tolkien)

So why is the series that is widely acclaimed as the father of modern fantasy only number 5 on my list? The upcoming top 5 are series are so close to perfection that they're interchangeable. This is where personal preference plays a huge part. I read Lord of the Rings late into my career as a reader. By the time I had gotten to it, I had read most of the Cosmere, started Discworld, read and watched GOT, and fallen in love with the Wheel of Time.

So, personal preference. Why is Lord of the Rings number 5? The narration. This is classical fantasy at its best. While I can wholeheartedly appreciate everything Tolkien accomplishes and the influence this series has had on the entire genre. Compared to series higher on this list, I didn't have the most fun reading LOT. The narration played a big part of this. From the beginning, I had never really bought into Frodo as a narrator. This, coupled with the somewhat old English, just brought the story down in my list. However, this old English is what makes LOT, LOT. If I had a magic wand that could change anything, I wouldn't change LOT in the slightest bit.

4: Stormlight Archives (Branden Sanderson)

Sanderson reported that he'd been working on the Way of Kings for over ten years before its publication. It shows. The planet Roshar is the most well-constructed world I've ever read. That's high praise considering that this is only 4th on the list. But seriously, the selling point of this series is its phenomenal world building. The story focuses on two primary protagonists: Shallan and Kaladin. They are as opposite as can be. While Kaladin's journey begins in a slave camp, Shallan's journey begins with her studying under the most prestigious scholar on all Roshar.

The world of Roshar is unique because of the magic system. Magic itself is derived from stormlight. Stormlight is derived from "high-storms" that periodically cross the continent. Crazy right? Magic comes from storms? Well, that's the premise. To avoid spoilers, I'll leave it at that. Suffice it to say that as old enemies rise, the heroes of this age must embrace powers long ago forgotten to face the desolation (destruction of humanity).

3: Discworld (Terry Pratchet)

This wouldn't be a top 10 fantasy series list without Discworld. While I said The Stormlight Archive has the best world building, Discworld is simply put a unique experience. Let me explain. This is the Discworld:

Yup, you're looking at it right. The flat Earth is held on the back of four elephants that are standing on a turtle flying through space.

In another post, I'll go over in depth my favorite Discworld reading order, but for now, check out this resource if you're interested:

Anyway, Discworld is unique because it tackles the most bizarre themes. Terry Pratchett is one of my favorite writer’s because of his sheer out of the boxiness. I love the Death sequence in Discworld. It’s when Death takes on a human apprentice named Mort. In one of the later books, Death is forced to become human. It's hilarious and insightful because Death reflects on the futility of human life. Death, who had been a sympathetic before, begins to see things from the eyes of humans (quite literally). There are numerous other commentaries on human nature that can be found in Terry Pratchet's work including a commentary on religion in Small Gods.

Although with 47 books, Discworld seems larger than life, keep in mind that you are by no means obligated to read all of it. The Death sequence, for example, is only five books and Small Gods is a standalone novel.

2: A Song of Ice and Fire (George R.R Martin)

Now, who hasn't heard of Game of Thrones? But there must be a reason it's so famous, right? Well, here are a couple.

GRRM can write death. And write it well.

The suede-feudal system.

While writing Death in literature might not seem that difficult, (I mean, you just have a character die right?), it is one of the hardest things to do well. Look at Percy Jackson for example (my love for Greek Mythology aside), no one dies. Okay, not no one. Luke-Cronos dies but him aside. In book three, we thought Grover dies, and he came back. In book 12, Percy was thought dead and then he comes back. Sure, the cornerstone of writing YA fiction is that you don't kill characters because you can't narrate or use them anymore. But leaving characters alive for too long is at the same time degrading to the story.

I've seen no other writer, not even Robert Jordan, able to write death as well as GRRM does. For the sake of those who haven't read or watched the show, I'll avoid spoilers (but come on, the statue of spoilerness expired long ago).

The suede-feudal system plays an important role because it provides the story structure and direction. The reader can almost predict what will happen sometimes because of the rules the author lay ahead of time. That's not to say GOT doesn't have its fair share of twists and turns. As I hinted at, there's a lot of death and you never see it coming. I nearly quit after a very specific death took place in the books.

Not only that, but the characters in the series are complex yet relatable. Not in the sense that they are kings and queens, but in the way that GRRM humanizes them. Now, this is where there is criticism for the books and the show. Too much intercourse. Another criticism (not so much about the books but about the author) is that he's been promising the sixth book for over a decade now. Sound familiar? A lot of authors seem to have this problem...

1: Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan, Branden Sanderson)

The Wheel of Time is the longest cohesive story out there. With over four million words, it takes home the crown of epic fantasy. Unlike the Gentlemen Bastards, The Wheel of Time is by no means a perfect series. The major criticism from new readers is that the series is just too long. A big part of that is due to the excessive "describing" Jordan does. He takes describing stuff to a whole new plane. He will spend pages and pages just describing stuff for the sake of painting the most vivid possible mental picture. It's sometimes a drag.

This criticism, however, pales in comparison to the sheer amount The Wheel of Time accomplishes. To start off, the world is one governed by women. Primarily because the magic in this world—the one power—can only be touched by women. To be more specific, touched safely by women. Any man who uses the one power is doomed to madness and death. The twist lies in the fact that, as prophecy dictated long ago, when the last battle comes, a man who uses the one power—the dragon—must save mankind.

The wheel of time challenges societal norms in our male dominant society by flipping the scales. He then upsets the new status quo by following the journey of the Dragon as he leaves destruction in his wake. As prophecy dictates, the Dragon must destroy the world to save it.

Robert Jordan challenges the idea of a savior of mankind. What if that savior was doomed to go mad and die? Would he still save mankind? What goes through a person's head when they are put in such an impossible situation? How does it affect the people around him?

I mentioned earlier that Farseeer and the King Killer chronicles both have characters that suffer as a result of plot. Well, they pale in terms of the suffering Robert Jordan inflicts on his protagonist Rand.

The complex relationships between characters, the plot, and the world building are done to perfection in this series. While other series may specialize in one or more of these categories, The Wheel of Time takes the crown because is spcializes in all of these categories.