Over the past decade, fantasy literature has reinvented itself in more ways than one. The genre, which was dominated by familiar tropes, now includes stories that not only blend different categories but are also more daring and inclusive. Some of the best fantasy books of the past 10 years have shown that this truly is the golden age of the genre by transporting readers into worlds far beyond their imaginations.
While we still get stories like Fourth Wing that fully lean into the chosen one trope, others like V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Madeleine Miller’s Circe are fantasy books that defy tropes, giving readers stories that are rich, emotional, and intimate. Building complex words and magic systems are still the cornerstones of fantasy, but modern novels from the genre understand that putting characters first is as important as ever.
Fantasy has become one of the most dominant genres in the last 10 years and is often shaping pop culture discourse on social media. As such, it is essential to look into the novels that have not only propelled the genre further but also offer a look into what fantasy might be like in the next decade.
House Of Earth And Blood (2020)
Sarah J. Maas
With the rise of BookTok and Bookstagram, romantasy books have recently been in the spotlight, with Sarah J. Maas’s House of Earth and Blood being one of the most revered entries in the genre. The first book in the Crescent City series, House of Earth and Blood, blends everything we love about fantasy: lore, supernatural creatures, and love, with an urban setting.
House of Earth and Blood is one of those books that is simply unputdownable. It grips readers with an intriguing mystery and lures them into a story deep with history, power struggles, and a love story for the ages.
Ninth House (2019)
Leigh Bardugo
Centering on Alex Stern, a young woman with a traumatic past who unexpectedly receives a scholarship to Yale University, Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House offers a much darker look into magical learning. Unlike books like Harry Potter, which feel cozy, Ninth House makes academia feel eerie and predatory.
Ninth House’s biggest strength is, of course, its protagonist. While Alex is at the center of the story, she isn’t the type of character we have come to expect from fantasy novels. She is deeply flawed and makes decisions that are centered on her survival rather than destiny. Bardugo’s novel works because it is perfectly balanced. Ninth House reads like a crime thriller that is layered with fantasy, resulting in a novel that is as much about magic as it is about uncovering the darkness hiding under the privilege of Ivy League education.
The Priory Of The Orange Tree (2019)
Samantha Shannon
Defined as a modern high fantasy classic, The Priory Of The Orange Tree is told from the perspective of four characters: Ead, Tané, Loth, and Niclays. Set in a vast world divided by religion, politics, and an ancient fear of dragons, Samantha Shannon’s novel makes Game of Thrones feel small. The book has spectacular worldbuilding with a rich history, culture, and intricate political systems.
Where as fanatsy novels like GoT and Fourth Wing treat dragons as pets, The Priory Of The Orange Tree flips that narrative on its head by depicting the powerful creatures as a terrifying species that should not be trifled with. With its multiple perspectives, Shannon’s epic fantasy story weaves a tale that is as powerful as it is intimate.
The House In The Cerulean Sea (2020)
T.J. Klune
When T.J. Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea was published in 2020, it was immediately clear why the author is considered one of the most talented fantasy writers of our time. The story follows Linus Baker, a by-the-book government caseworker who inspects magical orphanages to ensure they are safe. His life is mostly uneventful and ruled by his work until he is sent to an orphanage that serves as home to children with incredible magical prowess.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is a kind of fantasy story that feels like it’s giving you a warm hug. Sure, it doesn’t include dragons or epic adventures, but that is exactly what makes it such a great book. What it lacks in scope, it makes up for in intimacy, humor, and a group of unlikely characters who become each other’s family.
Tress of the Emerald Sea (2023)
Brandon Sanderson
It wouldn’t be a list of great fantasy books without the inclusion of at least one Brandon Sanderson book. Inspired by the classic novel, The Princess Bride, Tress of the Emerald Sea is a standalone, whimsical fantasy book set in Sanderson’s Cosmere universe. Although Tress of the Emerald Seas reads like a classic fairy tale adventure, it has elements that elevate it to high fantasy.
The novel features Sanderson’s signature building of a world that has a structured magical system. In Tress of the Emerald Sea, the environment itself obeys strange but consistent physical rules. As a heroine, Tress is incredibly easy to root for. She begins her journey as an underestimated and inexperienced character and ends it as a young woman who is sure of herself and what she is capable of.
The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue (2020)
V.E. Schwab
V.E Schwab, whose deservedly earned a reputation as one of the best fantasy writers of recent years, created her best work in the 2020 novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Beginning in 1714 in France, the book tells a sprawling story that covers centuries of the protagonist’s life. When Addie, who desires nothing more than to live life on her own terms, is forced into getting married, she makes a Faustian bargain to live forever, but there’s a caveat to her immortality: everyone who meets Addie instantly forgets her, so she can’t form connections or have a family.
Schwab paints Addie’s loneliness in vivid detail. Her pain, isolation, and desire to love and, in turn, be loved are painfully obvious through the pages. Very few fantasy novels excel at telling deeply human stories, and that’s why Schwab’s masterpiece stands out. Addie may not be the chosen one predestined to save the universe, but it’s her determination to leave a mark on the world that resonates and truly sticks with readers.
Babel (2022)
R.F. Kuang
Babel isn’t a fantasy novel that is exciting right off the bat. The first few chapters are a little hard to get into, but once it gets going, it proves that it is worth sticking with. Focusing on Robin Swift, a Chinese orphan brought to Britain in the 1830s after losing his family to cholera, the primary protagonist is raised in Oxford and trained at the mysterious institute known as Babel, where scholars translate texts from across the world.
A story about history and linguistics honestly doesn’t sound that riveting, but R.F Kaung’s novel leaves a lasting impression with its somewhat realistic magic system. Babel, however, isn’t simply a fantasy story about a man whose life changes; it is a critique of an empire that takes advantage of the less powerful members of society. Babel is not a comfortable read; it makes it clear that it doesn’t aim for a clean resolution, but instead invites its readers to interrogate history.
The Jasmine Throne (2021)
Tasha Suri
Fantasy novels often have a predictable setting: Europe or America. The Jasmine Throne, however, draws heavily from South Asian history, mythology, and aesthetics, resulting in a tale with a unique magic system that does not follow the usual fantasy tropes.
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The Jasmine Throne is not the kind of story where magic solves problems easily. Instead, readers are treated to the harshness of manipulation, propaganda, and political struggles. However, it’s main character Malini and Priya who steal the show. Though they come from different worlds, they are both shaped by trauma and a need to survive in a world that has not been kind to them.
The Sword Of Kaigen (2018)
M.L. Wang
Set in the isolated region of the Kaigenese Empire, a militarized society where the people of the Kusanagi Peninsula are known as the Sword of Kaigen, The Sword of Kaigen truly is in a class of its own. M.L. Wang’s novel has the rare of abiity of sneaking up on its readers. It begins as a classic story featuring elite warrior training, then shifts into a devastating tale of war, which changes everything about the first impression it gives.
The Sword of Kaigen is one of the deepest fantasy novels of recent years. Wang’s novel doesn’t shy away from criticizing nationalism and the consequences of propaganda and putting sacrifice on a pedestal. The Sword of Kaigen stays with readers because it doesn’t make war look like something that the book’s protagonists can easily win. When war breaks out, it devastates families, destroys lives, and leaves an indelible mark on history.
Circe (2018)
Madeline Miller
Madeline Miller’s award-winning book took a character who is painted as being one-note and added depth to her story. Born in the divine family of Helios, the sun god, Circe immediately stood apart because she was not powerful or beautiful. Instead, her differences made her an outcast in the halls of the gods, where power is everything, and empathy is weakness.
Greek mythology often reduces Circe to a minor villain who is famous for turning men into pigs, but Miller’s story is much more than that. It gives the Greek goddess agency over her life, power, and a voice that many in her circle ignore. While Circe includes familiar Greek gods, they never overshadow her story. The novel packs an emotional punch and lets the reader feel Circe’s evolution from a lonely, unwanted character to a protagonist who is powerful in her own right.