from the taoist beliefs of ursula le guin’s earthsea books to the complexity of steven erikson’s malazan book of the fallen. From the ambition of Stephen Donaldson’s Thomas the Covenant books to Robin Hobb’s beautifully written Kingdom of the Ancients. these are, in our opinion, the best fantasy book series available, and we highly recommend everyone read them. the critery? For the purposes of this list, we have decided that a series must consist of at least four books. so no trilogies, that deserves its own page.
a malazan book of the fallen by steven erikson
a song of ice and fire and the robin hobb trilogy of trilogies (seer, living, and tawny man) are quite capable of making a very strong case for their favorite works, but few can deny that the quality and The ambition of the ten books that make up a tale of the malazán book of the fallen are unmatched within the genre.
You are reading: Best fantasy trilogy books
“erikson is an extraordinary writer… my advice to anyone who will listen to me is: enjoy the gardens of the moon”. Stephen R. donaldson
“I am amazed at the Malayan book of the fallen. This masterpiece of the imagination may be the highest water mark in epic fantasy.” cook of the glen
a malazan book of fallen reviews: gardens of the moon, doors of the dead house, memories of ice, house of chains, midnight tides, the bone hunters, reaper’s gale, toll the hounds, dust of dreams and the crippled god
- buy on amazon
a song of ice and fire by george rr martin
jorge r. r. martin is a wonderful writer and his fantasy series, a song of ice and fire, is so popular because it is excellent. This is not a finished series, only five of the seven books have seen the light of day so far (but those who have seen the HBO series will have a good idea of what comes next). Inspired by the Wars of the Roses, the 15th century English civil war, the series features wonderful storytelling, a huge cast of characters that demand your attention, and storytelling that shows that all humans are capable of being cruel but kind, intelligent but foolish, brave but cowardly. my advice to someone who hasn’t read this series yet is this: forget the hype, try to forget the hbo series: read a game of thrones on its own merits and hope you enjoy the experience. It’s pretty good, you know?
“the mind-blowing scope of this epic has caused other fantasy writers to walk away shaking their heads… their ambition: to construct the twelve Caesars of fantasy fiction, with characters so poisonous they could eat Borgias” the Guardian
a song of ice and fire: a game of thrones, a clash of kings, a storm of swords, a feast of ravens, a dance with dragons, the winds of winter, and a dream of spring
- buy on amazon
robert jordan’s wheel of time
a saga full of unforgettable characters and a world full of rich history and legend. if you really love the fantasy genre, passing up the opportunity to read the wheel of time would be an incredible mistake.
“with the wheel of time, jordan has come to dominate the world that tolkien began to reveal” new york times
the wheel of time: the eye of the world, the great hunt, the dragon reborn, the rising shadow, the fires of heaven, lord of chaos, a crown of swords, the path of daggers, the heart of the winter, the crossroads of twilight, knife of dreams, the coming storm, towers of midnight and a memory of light
- buy on amazon
jk rowling’s harry potter series
is all the fuss about the harry potter books justified? In a word, yes, the books are a joy to read and quite possibly the most rewarding young adult book since The Hobbit. Hogwarts is a truly magical place, not only in the most obvious way but also in all the details the author has gone to in order to describe it so vibrantly. It is the place everyone wishes they had gone to when they were eleven years old. This book is highly recommended for anyone between the ages of 8 and 80.
“one of the greatest literary adventures of modern times” sunday telegraph
the harry potter series: harry potter and the philosopher’s stone, harry potter and the chamber of secrets, harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban, harry potter and the goblet of fire, harry potter and the order of the phoenix, harry potter and half blood prince and harry potter and the deathly hallows
- buy on amazon
the cycle of the land sea by ursula le guin
ursula le guin has a reputation for exploring psychological and sociological themes in her books and this collection is no different. These novels can be read by children and enjoyed from the perspective of magic, wizards, adventure, and the beautifully imagined world of Earthsea. they can also be appreciated by adults for the thought-provoking elements that the book evokes. this is a collection that makes you think and leaves you thinking. Ursula Le Guin’s creation, Earthsea, an ancient world of wizards, magic, dark and light, and an ever-shifting balance of power, is an acknowledged masterpiece.
“one of the major works of fantasy of this century.” observer
the cycle of Tierramar: the Tierramar quartet: (a mage of Tierramar, the tombs of Atuan, the farthest shore and Tehanu), the other wind and tales of Tierramar
- buy on amazon
robin hobb’s realm of the elders
robin hobb is an author of exceptional skill and imagination and the books (13 and counting) that make up her elders series are among the best the genre has to offer. she writes beautifully and her characters are so real you can almost touch them.
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“hobb is one of the great modern fantasy writers! what makes his novels as addictive as morphine is not just his imaginative brilliance, but the way his characters are compromised and manipulated by politics.” the times
the kingdom of the elders: the assassin’s apprentice, the royal assassin, the assassin’s quest, the ship of magic, the mad ship, the ship of destiny, the fool’s errand, the golden fool, the destiny of the fool, the dragon keeper, the dragon’s haven, the city of dragons, blood of dragons, slayer of fools, quest for fools, destiny of the slayer
- buy on amazon
the duncton chronicles by william horwood
duncton wood is a truly stunning and enchanting read that reminds us how wild yet loving the animal kingdom really is. It’s unfortunate that these works should be compared to Watership Down, but that’s the only book I can really compare it to in terms of plot and excellence. this is a book for adults and is at times as dark as it is uplifting, first published in 1980 and has since become a bestselling novel. A story of courage, loyalty and the power of love… inspired by the shadows and light of England’s most beautiful countryside.
washington publication “an impressive achievement”
the duncton chronicles: duncton wood, duncton quest, duncton found, duncton tales, duncton rise, and duncton stone
- buy on amazon
genevieve cogman’s invisible library series
genevieve cogman’s invisible library is a world I want to write about. I want to have the opportunity to play in this sandbox, visit the library and meet someone new, and take them on adventures through this intricate and magical world of alternatives. lands and mysterious interdimensional libraries. If you like colorful but dark, fantastic and adventurous worlds, this is the book for you. say the name of the library in the language and the door will open. Pass through at your own risk.
the invisible library series: the invisible library, the masked city, the burning page, the lost plot, the mortal world and the secret chapter
- buy on amazon
the chronicles of thomas covenant, the unbeliever by stephen r. donaldson
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbelieving is a series of fantasy novels with tremendous scope and psychological depth never before attempted. they are very complex works but deep down you will find a good old tale of epic fantasy. the series cannot be read without the constant concentration of the reader, it is adult fantasy fiction and the casual fantasy reader may need a period of time to get used to this – no cute hobbits to help you get into the story, here has to have a man who has lost everything, an angry, bitter man, marginalized from life and the world he knew. but the effort invested in reading this series is rewarded tenfold and I recommend all fantasy fans read this seminal work.
the chronicles of thomas covenant, the unbeliever: the bane of the foul lord, the war against the earth, the power that preserves, the wounded earth, the single tree, the bearer of white gold, the runes of the earth, the fatal reborn, against all things that end and the last darkness
the guardian stone chronicles by joseph delaney
the warstone chronicles: the wraith’s apprentice, the wraith’s curse, the wraith’s secret, the wraith’s battle, the wraith’s mistake, the wraith’s sacrifice, the wraith’s nightmare, the wraith’s fate, the wraith : i am grimalkin, the spook’s blood, the ghost : slither’s tale, spook’s: alice and the ghost’s revenge
it could be said that if ursula le guin and the sixth sense merge, the result can be as good as the ghost’s apprentice. I highly recommend Apprentice Ghost to young adults looking for a fantastic series. chilling, memorable, full of wonderful characters, and written in a fluid style that makes the storytelling accessible to all ages.
the warstone chronicles: the wraith’s apprentice, the wraith’s curse, the wraith’s secret, the wraith’s battle, the wraith’s mistake, the wraith’s sacrifice, the wraith’s nightmare, the wraith’s fate, the wraith : i am grimalkin, the spook’s blood, the ghost : slither’s tale, spook’s: alice and the ghost’s revenge
the mitogo cycle by robert holdstock
Despite all its savagery, you hope that there is, somewhere in this world, a forest like this. mythago wood is a fantasy masterpiece.
the cycle of mythago: the forest of mythago, lavondyss, the forest of bones, the hollow, the forest of merlin, the ivory door, the horn door and the avilion
the dresden archives by jim butcher
great characters, a mystery that goes round and round like a corkscrew, and most of all, harry, a wizard with a world-weary sense of humor, who takes life on his chin.
the dresden archives: stormfront, foolish moon, grave danger, summer knight, death masks, blood rites, dead blow, proven guilty, white night, small favor, change of coat, changes, ghost story , cold days, skin game, peace talks and battlefield
next thursday by jasper fforde
a great combination of humor, thriller, science fiction, detective and fantasy. In my opinion, this book really takes the fantasy fiction genre further. I know I’m going to repeat myself but this series is as I would have said on Thursday: “crazy as crazy”. it combines some great elements that really make this book come to life in more than one dimension. combining funny and witty dialogue but also numerous literary ideas with the bookworms and the names of several of the characters make this an excellent read and should be a must for everyone.
next thursday: the eyre affair, lost in a good book, the well of lost plots, something rotten, first among sequels, one of our thursdays is missing, and the woman who died long
stephen king’s dark tower
stephen king’s dark tower features some of the best fantasy characters and the first installment introduces us to the obsessive and lonely gunslinger, roland of gilead and the innocent but world-weary jake from new york. and as we read they form a tender and loving relationship that is central to all that follows. From the beginnings in the desert and through events and flashbacks, then we visit the doomed city of Tull, we visit Gilead, we see Jake’s When New York and finally we travel through the mountains to the moment Roland faces his most difficult decision. of their life. the king’s magnum opus is a towering achievement.
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the dark tower: the gunslinger, the drawing of the three, the wastelands, the wizard and the crystal, the wind through the keyhole, the wolves of the cove, susannah’s song and the dark tower
the edge chronicles by paul stewart and chris riddell
elegantly creepy; sometimes beautiful, funny, scary and inspiring.
“incredibly original” the guardian
the rim chronicles: the curse of the gloamglozer, the winter knights, the clash of the sky galleons, beyond the deep woods, storm chaser, midnight over sanctaphrax, the last of the sky pirates, vox , freeglader and the immortals
black company chronicles by glen cook
there are no larger than life characters in the black company, they all contain weaknesses and flaws found in all humans. this book is beautifully amoral and contains no two-dimensional characters. As I’ve already mentioned, The Black Company is a wonderfully amoral book, often dark and containing violent battles and fantastical characters. glen cook changed the face of the fantasy genre forever, and for the better.
chronicles of the black company: the black company, the shadows linger, the white rose, shadow games, dreams of steel, desolate seasons, she is the darkness, the water sleeps and the soldiers live
raymond e feist rift war saga
If you get any pleasure from reading fantasy, then this is one series you simply can’t afford not to read. Understandably, this is one of the most respected fantasy series of all time.
the riftwar saga: mage, silverthorn, a darkness in sethanon, blood prince and buccaneer kings
the rigante novels of david gemmell
a book by david gemmell is about morally gray heroes who fight for what they believe in and are often kicked in the balls by fate. a tavern brawler who selflessly stands up when he stands up against injustice. a drunk who, without a moment’s hesitation, sacrifices his life for an innocent family. a burly lumberjack who travels to all corners of the world to rescue his captured crush. a pacifist priest forced to kill numerous enemies. these stories speak of honor and glory, duty and loyalty, courage and determination, all wrapped up in a wonderful mix of action, dark humor, and suspense.
the rigant novels: sword in the storm, midnight falcon, ravenheart and stormrider
terry pratchett’s discworld
be careful! once you’ve read and enjoyed a discworld novel, you may find yourself working your way through the entire 41-book series.
discworld: the color of magic, fantastic light, equal rights, mort, fountain, wyrd sisters, pyramids, guards. guards!, eric faust, moving images, reaper man and 31 more
chronicles of obernewtyn by isobelle carmody
When you think about considering some of the greatest writers in the English language, it’s a constant source of pity that Isobelle Carmody’s name isn’t among the greats like Tolkien, Lewis, and Hemingway. Although some of her work has been criticized, writing science fiction, fantasy, children’s and young adult literature, Carmody is probably best known and praised for her work on the Obernewtyn Chronicles.
obernewtyn: obernewtyn, the far seekers, ashling, the place of guard, the song of the waves, the stone key, the shipment and the red queen
the new sun book by gene wolfe
the book of the new sun is a classic of scientific fantasy that improves with each reading. Too often overlooked, possibly because of its density in allegory and symbolism, the joy of coming to understand Wolfe’s craft is part of the joy of reading it. The main character, Severan, is an unreliable narrator, and this adds another layer of complexity. if you’re a fan of science fiction and fantasy, this is a must read.
the book of the new sun: the shadow of the tormentor, the claw of the conciliator, sword & citadel, the lictor’s sword, the autarch’s citadel, the urth of the new sun and shadow & claw
a story of einarinn by juliet and mckenna
This is a series that looks at a wide range of different cultures and how they interact with each other, and how a relatively normal girl making a living on the fringes of society managed to land herself in extraordinary circumstances. if you’re looking for a great fantasy series to get into, give this a try.
A Tale of Einarinn: The Thief’s Wager, The Swordsman’s Oath, The Gambler’s Fortune, The Warrior’s Bond, and the Assassin’s Blade
the drenai novels by david gemmell
david gemmell is a master of heroic fantasy. Gemmell’s characters are always wrestling with his inner demons: past mistakes, arrogance, greed, you name it. however, despite these “flaws”, the protagonists fight for what they believe to be right. or just because they like to fight… the worlds gemmell creates are dark, cruel and full of danger.
the drenai novels: legend, the king beyond the gate, waylander, search for lost heroes, waylander ii: into the realm of the wolf, the first chronicles of druss the legend, the legend of the death walker, winter warriors, hero in the shadows, the white wolf and the swords of night and day
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