Culture
Famous High Fantasy Books and Novels
List of famous high fantasy books, listed alphabetically with jacket cover images of the books when available. Information for these popular high fantasy books is included as well, such as the author's name and the book's publication date. This list includes the best high fantasy novels, textbooks, and stories, so use it to find books you haven't already read and add them to your reading list.
A list made up of books like The Lord of the Rings and The Diary of a Young Girl.
This list should answer the questions, "What are the best high fantasy books?" and "What are the most famous high fantasy books?"
Note that some books on this list might be currently out of print, but you can purchase most of these notable high fantasy titles on Amazon with just one click.- 1
Brandon Sanderson- Genres (Book): High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
The Way of Kings is the first book of The Stormlight Archive epic fantasy series written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was published by Tor Books and released on August 31, 2010. In 2011, ...more - 2J. R. R. Tolkien
- First Published: 1954-07-29
- Subjects: Literary, Epic film, Literature, Classics, Drama
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Chivalric romance, Fiction, Adventure fiction, Fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
The Lord of the Rings is an epic high-fantasy novel written by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 fantasy novel The Hobbit, but eventually developed into a ...more - 3Robert Jordan
- First Published: 1990-01-15
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
The Eye of the World is the first book of The Wheel of Time fantasy series written by American author Robert Jordan. It was published by Tor Books and released on January 15, 1990. The unabridged ...more - 4Terry Brooks
- First Published: 1977
- Subjects: Epic film, Adventure
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Children's literature, Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
The Sword of Shannara is a 1977 epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. The first book of the Original Shannara Trilogy, it was followed by The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. Heavily ...more - 5Terry Brooks
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
The First King of Shannara is a 1996 epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. - 6Christopher Paolini
- First Published: 2005-08-23
- Subjects: Young adult, Adventure
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Children's literature, Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
Eldest is the second novel in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini and the sequel to Eragon. Eldest was first published in hardcover on August 23, 2005, and was released in paperback in ...more - 7Terry Brooks
- First Published: 2008
- Subjects: Comics
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
The Dark Wraith of Shannara is a graphic novel produced by Terry Brooks in his Shannara series. The story is set several years after the events of The Wishsong of Shannara and Indomitable. - 8Christopher Paolini
- First Published: 2008-09-20
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Young adult literature, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
Brisingr is a book written by Christopher Paolini. - 9Terry Goodkind
- First Published: 1994-08-15
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
Wizard's First Rule, written by Terry Goodkind, is the first book in the epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth. Published by Tor Books, it was released on August 15, 1994 in hardcover, and in ...more - 10J. R. R. Tolkien
- First Published: 1937-09-21
- Genres (Book): Fantasy, Alternate history, Adventure novel, Chivalric romance, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
While highly creative, the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien was influenced by a number of sources. Tolkien was inspired by his academic fields of philology and early Germanic literature, especially poetry ...more - 11Gene Wolfe
- First Published: 1980
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
The Shadow of the Torturer is a science fantasy novel by Gene Wolfe, published by Simon & Schuster in 1980. It is the first of four volumes in The Book of the New Sun which Wolfe had completed in ...more - 12Gene Wolfe
- First Published: 1981
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Science Fiction, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
The Claw of the Conciliator is a book by Gene Wolfe. - 13J. R. R. Tolkien
- First Published: 2007-04-16
- Genres (Book): Fiction, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
The Children of Húrin is an epic fantasy novel which forms the completion of a tale by J. R. R. Tolkien. He wrote the original version of the story in the late 1910s, revised it several times later, ...more - The Book of Lost Tales is a collection of early stories by J. R. R. Tolkien, and of the first two volumes of Christopher Tolkien's 12-volume series The History of Middle-earth, in which he presents ...more
15Terry Goodkind- First Published: 2000-08-22
- Subjects: Epic film
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
Faith of the Fallen is the sixth book in Terry Goodkind's epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth.- 16Christopher Paolini
- First Published: 2002
- Subjects: Young adult, Adventure, Folklore
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Children's literature, Fiction, Young adult literature, Science Fiction
- Original Language: English Language
Eragon is the first novel in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, who began writing at the age of 15. After writing the first draft for a year, he spent a second year rewriting it and ...more - 17Douglas Niles
- First Published: 1987-05
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Children's literature, Fiction, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
Darkwalker on Moonshae is a fantasy novel by Douglas Niles and the first novel written for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Published ...more - 18Kristen Britain
- First Published: 2003-08-05
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Novel, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
First Rider's Call is the second novel written by Kristen Britain and is the second book in its series. - 19Dave Wolverton
- First Published: 2007-09
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
Worldbinder is the sixth novel in David Farland's epic fantasy series The Runelords. It is set in a land where men can bestow on each other a number of endowments, granting the recipient attributes ...more - 20Grace Chetwin
- Genres (Book): High fantasy
Book 6 in the 9-volume series Tales of Gom in the Legends of Ulm. Urolf, Lord of Aelyth-Kintalyn, falls in love with Leana, sister-in-law of Leochtor, Lord of the Lakes. Winning her heart, he weds ...more - 21Grace Chetwin
- Genres (Book): High fantasy
Book 7 in the 9-volume series Tales of Gom in the Legends of Ulm. Far into the west of Ulm, almost to the sea, runs a high mountain range, stretching from north to south. Beneath the highest peak, ...more - 22Diana Wynne Jones
- First Published: 1977
- Subjects: Young adult
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Children's literature, Fiction, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
Drowned Ammet is a fantasy novel for young adults by British author Diana Wynne Jones. It is the second book in the series Dalemark Quartet. - 23Glen Cook
- First Published: 1990-04
- Subjects: Epic film
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Dark fantasy, Fiction, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
Dreams of Steel is the fifth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black ...more - 24Cornelia Funke
- First Published: 1997
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Children's literature, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: German Language
Dragon Rider is a 1997 German children's novel by Cornelia Funke. Originally translated by Oliver Latsch, Dragon Rider was published in 2004 by The Chicken House in the UK and Scholastic Inc. in the ...more - 25Terry Goodkind
- First Published: 2001-12
- Subjects: Epic film
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, High fantasy
- Original Language: English Language
Debt of Bones is a short novel by Terry Goodkind. It was first published in the October 1998 anthology Legends then later published as a stand alone book in hardcover in 2001 and in paperback in 2004.
