Published May 4, 2026, 2:30 PM EDT
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The HBO franchise Game of Thrones, and the popular series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, are high on the list of the best fantasy stories ever told, but some books are even better. As audiences await updates on Martin's The Winds of Winter, now is the perfect time to read the greatest fantasy novels ever.
A novel is rarely so strong that it can fuel not just a great series, but an entire multimedia franchise. What started with the first book, A Game of Thrones, in 1996, has since spawned three successful television series, with a huge future at Warner Bros. still ahead for the iconic brand.
Game of Thrones was a generational program, bringing a serious and grounded tone to epic fantasy that drew in a casual audience. More than series like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones proved itself to be something very special, with deep writing, rich characters, and enormous stakes. The books and novels alike distinguished themselves, too, with countless unexpected twists.
Still, A Game of Thrones is not the best fantasy book, nor is A Song of Ice and Fire the best fantasy series. The genre has gone in so many different directions that it is difficult to qualify exactly what could be seen as the greatest, and which corner it inhabits. However, these seven novels make a strong case.
1Q84 (2009-2010)
Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 is a very different kind of fantasy from Game of Thrones. The Japanese author is known for stories that feature magical-realist details, and those features shine in this enormous novel. Telling a love story between Tengo and Aomame, the novel shifts between genres, integrating elements of crime and literary fiction.
This is blended against a fantastical backdrop. The novel begins in 1984 with an unsettling crossing over into a slightly different reality, referred to as 1Q84. With little people, two moons, and air chrysalises that bend the line between fact and fiction, 1Q84 is an extremely special novel with a more literary bent than many works on this list.
While there have been several movies based on Murakami's work, no adaptation of the novel has been made. Despite this, the novel contains many cinematic elements that would be effective put to screen.
Less fantastic, but integrating strong elements of the genre, 1Q84 is fantasy that is more squarely aimed at readers of Mikhail Bulgakov and Kobo Abe rather than fans of Terry Brooks or Tad Williams. It makes a strong case for being one of the best and most unusual fantasy novels ever written.
The Name Of The Wind (2007)
Patrick Rothfuss' debut is a beautiful and brilliant novel, and it may be the best start to a fantasy series ever written. The story of Kvothe is relatable, especially in his financial struggles, but full of strong tension as it hints toward his future with two separate narratives.
The characters, the magic, and the writing are so compelling and beautiful in this stunning novel. Kvothe's adventure is exciting and unveils a unique and exciting world.
In isolation, The Name of the Wind is one of the best fantasy novels ever written. However, it is brought down by its reliance on other works. The sequel, The Wise Man's Fear, was a decent follow-up, but felt like a small step down. Since then, readers have been waiting for a final book to conclude the trilogy.
The last book in Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle hit bookstores in March 2011, four months before George R.R. Martin's last Ice and Fire novel, A Dance with Dragons. While Martin has been given a hard time for not finishing his next book, Rothfuss has left the fans waiting even longer.
The Way Of Kings (2010)
The Way of Kings is a stunning start to an incredible fantasy series that is bound to be the next big thing on television. With one of the most creative magic systems ever put to page, and a stunning cast of characters, including the wrongly indentured Kaladin and the sarcastically clever Shallan, there is much to love in this novel.
Apple TV is adapting the Cosmere, Brandon Sanderson's interconnected universe of stories, and this novel will soon be the basis of their first television series, The Stormlight Archive. With chasmfiend beasts, antagonistic Parshendi, spirit-like beings called spren, and enormous stakes, the novel brings readers into an exciting and unusual world.
Most important, however, the story is incredibly strong. Chronicling Kaladin's rise through the ranks, while the honorable Dalinar struggles against Sadeas, there are bold stories in Stormlight, and this novel does an incredible job of laying them all out. The more than 1000 pages of this book truly fly by.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf (2019)
Flummoxed by the overwhelming whiteness seen in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy, Man Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James decided to write a fantasy of his own that drew from African folklore and tradition. Black Leopard, Red Wolf is the first of three volumes, and is a stunning achievement.
Dark, very adult, and unsettling, James' first foray into fantasy tells the postmodern story of Tracker as he works alongside Leopard and others to track a missing boy. The narrative is littered with rich details that construct a fantasy world that is both unsettling and entirely fresh.
Billed as the African Game of Thrones, James' fantasy novels are actually something much different. Far less accessible, far more unsettling, and perhaps even confusing, Black Leopard, Red Wolf is not an easy read, but it is entirely worth the effort.
The Malazan Book Of The Fallen (1999-2011)
Steven Erikson's The Malazan Book of the Fallen is another ambitious work of fantasy that is challenging, but totally worth the effort. Telling a long, interconnected tale across ten volumes, beginning with the 1999 release Gardens of the Moon, Malazan crafts a world that is more violent, dark, and brutal than even Westeros.
The difficulty in Malazan, other than its incredible length, is that Canadian author Erikson does not hold the reader's hand. Rather, he throws them into the story in medias res, and details like character dynamics, magic rules, and even sides of the conflict can be hard to divine on a first read through.
With that said, returning to Malazan is an incredibly rewarding experience. The story of the Bridgeburners, the T'lan Imass, Karsa Orlong, the Crippled God and the rest of this world are incredibly complex, but also breathtakingly creative. Malazan is easily one of the best fantasy novels ever released.
The Wheel Of Time (1990-2013)
It is hard to overstate the influence that Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time had on the genre as a whole. Through the decades, many authors simply copied and pasted elements of Tolkien's own works without moving much beyond that creative framework. Works like The Sword of Shannara felt far too familiar.
With The Eye of the World, Jordan began this story on a similar path, with an idyllic setting assaulted by evil, leading to an epic quest across a colorful world. But the story quickly grew richer and more complex as it dealt with creative factions in conflict, including the Aes Sedai and their magic.
A gorgeous work that takes its time and allowed epic fantasy to become something flexible and new, the 14 works of The Wheel of Time are a must-read. It is a shame that Prime Video's Wheel of Time series was cut short before finishing the story. Fortunately, the books are far stronger and are complete.
The Lord Of The Rings (1954-1955)
J.R.R. Tolkien's seminal masterpiece The Lord of the Rings remains the high standard that all other works in the genre are measured against. A classic tale of good and evil that drew from Tolkien's experiences in war and love of languages and myth, the stories of Middle-earth are as complex as they are beautiful.
Still a work of great importance, with ancillary material being used to craft entire television series, like The Rings of Power, as well as two upcoming Lord of the Rings movies, interest in Tolkien's rich world has only grown in the decades since his novels were released.
Yes, Game of Thrones is excellent, and one could make an argument that it is one of the best series of its kind. However, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings remains the most revered and important work in the whole genre of fantasy. Game of Thrones would not exist without it.
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