The 21 Must Read Fantasy Books of All Time

Here's the list from the article:

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien

A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R.R Martin

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

Dune by Frank Herbert

The Night Angel by Brent Weeks

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Discworld by Terry Pratchett

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1 by Patrick Rothfuss

Temeraire by Naomi Novik

For me a lot of these are solid, but some are pretty questionable. I regret the time I spent with Night Angel, for example, and found Hunger Games to be entertaining, but not substantial enough to get past the first book.

These lists are subjective. I'm glad my favourite one is in there (see user name) but it's weird to me that Robin Hobb and Codex Alera aren't on there

Also, stop putting Patrick Rothfuss on these things. His series will never be finished and we should stop getting people stuck on book 2

That list reads more like a "21 books that I've read--with a few girl authors I heard were good or famous or black thrown in".

Brent Weeks is not a great author, and while Jim Butcher is consistent in his output (barring the few years where his RL went to shit on him) his Craft suffers in his non-urban fantasy series. (He coasts a LOT on Harry Dresden's voice and charm and culture references, and doesn't get that crutch in his other series and it shows.) I LIKE Jim Butcher, but there's tons of authors that can write circles around him. His career is based on completing books and getting them out the door, not creating masterworks.

Where's Robin McKinley? Robin Hobb? Kate Elliott, who was writing and COMPLETING her Crown of Stars epic fantasy series at the same time Martin and Jorden were writing (and never completed their series)? Lois McMaster Bujold, whose Challion series is just as good as her Vorkosigan series? Jacqueline Carey? And if we're including YA, which the Hunger Games suggests (although as one person pointed out, those are sci-fi), where's Tamora Pierce? Patricia C. Wrede?

The person who wrote that list reads a very specific part of the genre and leaves a LOT of the greats out.

These lists are so subjective. For example, The Dresden Files have been around for a while, but I wouldn't consider them to be the top of the fantasy genre. Also, no Robin Hobb?

Has J. K. Rowling been officially cancelled now?

She might be a horrible person, but Harry Potter absolutely belongs on a list like this IMO.

They need to add Malazan book of the fallen. Easily my fave fantasy series.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Cradle by Will Wight
• Mage Errant by John Bierce
• Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
• Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
• The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis
• Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
• The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan
• Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
• The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
• The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang

Well, technically it's 21 series, not books. 😀

I don't get why American Gods is always recommended. Neil Gaiman takes the coolest ideas in principle and finds the most underwhelming ways imaginable to flesh them out. That and Neverwhere were really disappointing to me for those reasons.

I would never suggest someone read all of ASOIAF. It just gets ridiculous in length and complexity for no valid reason, and he's likely to die before finishing the series. The first 2-3 books are alright though.

Also, no Hobbit? No Legend of Drizzt? Wtf. RA Salvatore is one of the best.

Is Hunger Games considered fantasy? I can’t think of anything fantasy about it, everything is just advanced technology.

Pet peeve of mine but grouping an entire series together as an entry in a list of individual books is so stupid. So many lists do this all over the net.

At least pick a stand out book from the series or something. Sorry but don't promise me a list of 21 books then give me trilogies and series all getting their own single entry.

I don't understand the love that the Dresden Files gets. Great idea with terrible execution. Butcher's writing is just clumsy with bad dialogue and weak world building. The series was originally recommended to me because I was lamenting that Gibson had moved away from noir after Neuromancer and a friend thought Butcher would fit the bill.

Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson should be expanded to the entire Cosmere, not just Mistborn. Several other book series in the same universe, and all are very good IMO, e.g. Stormlight Archive, Elantris, and my favorite, Warbreaker.

Some of these books are true must reads, but several are just okay and a couple are downright bad.

Read most of these and some I agree with, some I don't.

Weeks is okay, but I don't think Night Angel is a "must read".

I liked the Dresden Files well enough, but I don't think it is must-read either. They were fun reads, but he wouldn't be in the top authors even of urban fantasy specifically.

I don't read them really, but Harry Potter seems influential enough that it should probably be on the list. I might make a case for some Scott Lynch and Robin Hobb to be there too. Sorta surprised neither Terry Brooks nor Terry Goodkind made the cut either, though I haven't personally read them since I was very young.

So, yes or no on the night Angel series? I enjoyed Week’s Prism series a lot, and have though about moving to his other books eventually.

I wish someone could suggest a book in Dragon Lance + Dark soul world.