49 Best Fantasy Books
We analyzed 5+ expert sources, curated book lists, and recommendations from successful people to find the 49 best fantasy books according to the internet — not just one person's opinion. Each book on this list was mentioned by at least two independent sources, and the ranking is based on how frequently each title appears across all sources studied. This consensus-based approach ensures you get recommendations backed by multiple experts, not a single reviewer's bias.
Goal: Find the best Fantasy books according to the internet (not just one person's opinion).
Method:
- Search for "best fantasy books" and study the top 5+ pages.
- Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
- Rank the results neatly here.
49 Best Fantasy Books
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
A Wizard of Earthsea
The Earthsea Cycle Series, Book 1
American Gods
A Novel
The Name of the Wind
The Kingkiller Chronicle, Book 1
Also recommended by
4 people
Aubrey Marcus recommended this bookAubrey Marcus
"The classic coming of age tale of a troubled hero, out for revenge." - Aubrey Marcus
Aubrey Marcus's recommendation of this book 
Brandon Sanderson recommended this bookBrandon Sanderson
"I loved [this book]." - Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson's recommendation of this book 
Tim Draper recommended this bookTim Draper
Tim Draper's answer to "What’s the best book you’ve read in the last 6 months?"
Tim Draper's recommendation of this book 
Anna Akana recommended this bookAnna Akana
Anna Akana recommended this book on Twitter.
Anna Akana's recommendation of this book
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
Also recommended by
1 person
Neil Gaiman recommended this bookNeil Gaiman
"Like Jane Austen's huge lost fantasy novel about the return of magic to England." - Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman's recommendation of this book
The Lord of the Rings
One Volume
Also recommended by
1 person
Paul Krugman recommended this bookPaul Krugman
"About orcs." - Paul Krugman
Paul Krugman's recommendation of this book
A Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones, Book 1
His Dark Materials Trilogy
The Golden Compass / The Subtle Knife / The Amber Spyglass
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland, Book 2
Also recommended by
5 people
Naval Ravikant recommended this bookNaval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant's answer to "first book which started your lifelong journey of reading?"
Naval Ravikant's recommendation of this book 
Richa Chadha recommended this bookRicha Chadha
"I was greatly influenced by [this book] in my formative years." - Richa Chadha
Richa Chadha's recommendation of this book 
Russell Brand recommended this bookRussell Brand
"Has so much to teach us. It’s an archetypal tale about recognising that there are different layers of reality." - Russell Brand
Russell Brand's recommendation of this book 
Sahil Lavingia recommended this bookSahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
Sahil Lavingia's recommendation of this book 
Salman Rushdie recommended this bookSalman Rushdie
"The books we love change the way we see the world. For me it all began with [this book]." - Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie's recommendation of this book
The Night Circus
Also recommended by
2 people
Jaysen Headley recommended this bookJaysen Headley
"" - Jaysen Headley
Jaysen Headley's recommendation of this book 
Matt Haig recommended this bookMatt Haig
"A lovely book." - Matt Haig
Matt Haig's recommendation of this book
Watership Down
A Novel
Also recommended by
2 people
Christopher Hitchens recommended this bookChristopher Hitchens
"[The author's] masterpiece." - Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens's recommendation of this book - Andrew Wilkow recommended this book
Andrew Wilkow
"One of my favorite books and I can't wait for my kids to read it." - Andrew Wilkow
Andrew Wilkow's recommendation of this book
Good Omens
The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Also recommended by
1 person
Veronica Belmont recommended this bookVeronica Belmont
"[This] book is great!" - Veronica Belmont
Veronica Belmont's recommendation of this book
Perdido Street Station
Bas-Lag, Book 1
Also recommended by
1 person
Feng Zhu recommended this bookFeng Zhu
"[One] of the most visual books I've ever read." - Feng Zhu
Feng Zhu's recommendation of this book
The Fifth Season
Broken Earth, Book 1
Also recommended by
1 person- Sahil Lavingia recommended this book
Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
Sahil Lavingia's recommendation of this book
The Lies of Locke Lamora
Gentleman Bastard, Book 1
Also recommended by
1 person
Zack D'Aleo recommended this bookZack D'Aleo
"Preparati a vivere un’avventura con i bastardi gentiluomini in una città molto simile a una Venezia fantastica quasi dickensiana." - Zac D'Aleo
Zack D'Aleo's recommendation of this book
Assassin's Apprentice
The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter, Book 1
Storm Front
The Dresden Files, Book 1
The Dark Tower I
The Gunslinger
The Last Unicorn
The Last Unicorn, Book 1
The Magicians
A Novel
The Princess Bride
Who Fears Death
Who Fears Death, Book 1
The Master and Margarita
Also recommended by
6 people
Peter Thiel recommended this bookPeter Thiel
"The devil shows up in Stalinist Russia, [...] and gives everybody what they want, and everything goes haywire." - Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel's recommendation of this book 
Jordan Peterson recommended this bookJordan Peterson
"I read [this book] four times, and it's still unbelievably deep." - Jordan Peterson
Jordan Peterson's recommendation of this book 
Jack Dorsey recommended this bookJack Dorsey
"[One] of my favorite books." - Jack Dorsey
Jack Dorsey's recommendation of this book 
Max Levchin recommended this bookMax Levchin
"One of the finest works of fiction of the last century." - Max Levchin
Max Levchin's recommendation of this book 
PewDiePie recommended this bookPewDiePie
"A masterpiece." - PewDiePie
PewDiePie's recommendation of this book 
Jack Edwards recommended this bookJack Edwards
"Bizarre, but quite wonderful." - Jack Edwards
Jack Edwards's recommendation of this book
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 1
Also recommended by
3 people
Chris Anderson recommended this bookChris Anderson
"As a child, they exploded my imagination." - Chris Anderson
Chris Anderson's recommendation of this book 
Gretchen Rubin recommended this bookGretchen Rubin
"How many times have I read [this book]? Easily could be 40. Could be more." - Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen Rubin's recommendation of this book 
Russell Moore recommended this bookRussell Moore
Russell Moore recommended this book on Twitter.
Russell Moore's recommendation of this book
Circe
Also recommended by
2 people
Kathryn Minshew recommended this bookKathryn Minshew
Most Recommended Books reached out to Kathryn Minshew directly.
Kathryn Minshew's recommendation of this book 
Shauna Niequist recommended this bookShauna Niequist
Shauna Niequist recommended this book on Twitter.
Shauna Niequist's recommendation of this book
A Wrinkle in Time
Time Quintet, Book 1
Also recommended by
1 person
Sheryl Sandberg recommended this bookSheryl Sandberg
"I wanted to be Meg Murry, the admittedly geeky heroine [in this book]." - Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg's recommendation of this book
Howl's Moving Castle
Howl's Castle, Book 1
Also recommended by
1 person- Zack D'Aleo recommended this book
Zack D'Aleo
"Io amo totalmente questa storia, al punto che non riesco a scriverne una recensione." - Zac D'Aleo
Zack D'Aleo's recommendation of this book
Kindred
Also recommended by
1 person
DeRay Mckesson recommended this bookDeRay Mckesson
"An incredible book." - DeRay Mckesson
DeRay Mckesson's recommendation of this book
The Buried Giant
A Novel
Also recommended by
1 person
Niall Ferguson recommended this bookNiall Ferguson
"I am more enthralled than I have been by a book in a long time. Profound meditation on memory." - Niall Ferguson
Niall Ferguson's recommendation of this book
The Dark is Rising
The Dark Is Rising, Book 2
Also recommended by
1 person- Gretchen Rubin recommended this book
Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen Rubin mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
Gretchen Rubin's recommendation of this book
The Gormenghast Trilogy
Also recommended by
1 person
Astro Teller recommended this bookAstro Teller
"My favorite books." - Astro Teller
Astro Teller's recommendation of this book
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
The Inheritance Trilogy, Book 1
Also recommended by
1 person- Brandon Sanderson recommended this book
Brandon Sanderson
"Slight content warning." - Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson's recommendation of this book
The Once and Future King
Also recommended by
1 person
Ben Shapiro recommended this bookBen Shapiro
"The best fantasy book of all time." - Ben Shapiro
Ben Shapiro's recommendation of this book
The Way of Kings
The Stormlight Archive, Book 1
Also recommended by
1 person- Sahil Lavingia recommended this book
Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
Sahil Lavingia's recommendation of this book
Tigana
Also recommended by
1 person- Brandon Sanderson recommended this book
Brandon Sanderson
"A wonderful work." - Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson's recommendation of this book
A Stranger in Olondria
A Novel
All the Birds in the Sky
Black Leopard, Red Wolf
The Dark Star Trilogy, Book 1
Gardens of the Moon
Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 1
Jade City
The Green Bone Saga, Book 1
Legend
Drenai Saga, Book 1
The Bone Clocks
The Color of Magic
A Novel of Discworld
The Dragonbone Chair
Memory Sorrow and Thorn, Book 1
The Final Empire
Mistborn, Book 1
The Golem and the Jinni
A Novel
The Grace of Kings
The Dandelion Dynasty, Book 1
Under Heaven
Under Heaven, Book 1
Wheel of Time
Premium Boxed: Books 1-3
Sources
- 1
50 Best Fantasy Books of All Time: The Ultimate List (2023)
nerdmuch.com
- 2
The 60 Best Fantasy Books of All Time | Reedsy Discovery
reedsy.com
- 3
The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time | TIME
time.com
- 4
Top25 Fantasy Books.Php
bestfantasybooks.com
- 5
36 of the best fantasy books everyone should read | WIRED UK
wired.co.uk
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
Comments
Did we miss something? Have feedback?
Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts