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This list is divided into the older, classic authors who had an influence on the genre,
and those who are still producing valuable work today. Since some fantasy is classified as
regular fiction, and some is in science fiction, check both sections of the library,
and don't forget to check the New Books section of the library for the latest by the
Current
Stars.
Classic Authors:
Marion Zimmer Bradley: She is best known for the Darkover books, starting with Darkover Landfall. The best are The Forbidden Tower and Hawkmistress.
The books read well in any order -- although they are connected, the author didn't write them in anything resembling the order in which they occur, and many are separated by long periods of time from the others. The Darkover novels include both fantasy and science fiction elements. Bradley also wrote an excellent retelling of the Arthurian myth from a feminist perspective, The Mists of Avalon.
Randall Garrett: His short stories (and one novel) about a Holmesian detective, set in an alternate world where magic works and the Plantagenets united England and France, have been collected in Lord Darcy. A well-envisioned world, a light touch, and tight plotting make the Lord Darcy stories the very best fantasy-mysteries.
Robert E. Howard: Most famous as the creator of Conan the Barbarian, a character who has lived on through movies and comics even when the original stories were temporarily out of print. The original action-filled stories he wrote in the 1930’s are back in three volumes, The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, The Conquering Sword of Conan, and The Bloody Crown of Conan. His somewhat more cerebral stories feature a dour puritan warrior in The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane.
C. S. Lewis: The Chronicles of Narnia, which starts with either The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or The Magician's Nephew, depending on who you ask, are part religious allegory, part children's fairy tale. Brilliantly written, with talking animals, English school children, and a variety of fantastic creatures. Read either in the order written, starting with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, or in the order they happen, starting with The Magician's Nephew.
H. P. Lovecraft: A short-story writer who had influenced Fritz Leiber, Robert E. Howard, Stephen King, and others. His best stories are collected in Tales of H. P. Lovecraft or in Waking Up Screaming.
Anne McCaffrey: Dragonflight and numerous sequels chart the history of the world of Pern and its dragons. Dragonsong, Dragonsinger and Dragondrums form a trilogy that takes place in the same world but on a more personal level, and are aimed at young adults. Enjoyable for all ages. Start with Dragonflight or Dragonsong.
J. R. R. Tolkien: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are the widely-copied classics of the genre. If you read one fantasy author, read this one. And if you've watched the movie but haven't read the books yet, there's a lot here that you haven't seen.
Roger Zelazny: His Amber series, starting with Nine Princes in Amber, features the ruling family of the one true world, Amber, of which Earth is one of many shadows. Read in order.
Current Stars:
Piers Anthony: Anthony is an often brilliant writer — his best is outstanding, although he frequently loses steam as he continues a series. Try On a Pale Horse or A Spell for Chameleon. Each has numerous sequels. His most popular series, the pun-filled Magic of Xanth, continues to be expanded with new volumes, the most recent being Stork Naked.
Lois McMaster Bujold: Better known as a science fiction writer, her Chalion series, starting with The Curse of Chalion has everything: magic, adventure and romance. The sequel, Paladin of Souls, won both the Hugo and the Nebula awards. She has begun a new series, the Sharing Knife, which is also fantasy, so it seems as if she is in the genre to stay.
Patricia Briggs: Writer of a wide variety of fantasy novels. Her Mercedes Thompson books, starting with Moon Called, are modern fantasy in the Anita Blake vein; many of her earlier novels, including Raven’s Shadow, are more traditional fantasy. Excellent writer who defies categorization.
Jim Butcher: Modern Fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction meet in the Dresden Files, which are gaining popularity with each new novel. Storm Front is the first book; the most recent is the bestselling White Night.
Susanna Clarke: Her first, and so far only, novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, won the Hugo award for best novel, despite the tendency for the award to go to science fiction books instead of fantasy, and established authors over new. It is set in an alternate history Victorian England where magic works. A book of short stories, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, is also available, but we’re still waiting for her second novel.
Charles de Lint: His urban fantasies are set in the fictional North American city of Newford. Artists, musicians and other ordinary people inhabit the city alongside Irish faeries, horned men, the Crow Girls, ghosts and more. His characters often reappear in later stories, so start with the short story collection Dreams Underfoot or with the novel Memory and Dream.
David Eddings: The Belgariad is a five-part series, starting with Pawn of Prophecy. There is another series that follows named the Malloreon, and a few other connected books, such as Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress. Start with Pawn of Prophecy and read the whole series, and then expect more of the same from the other works. His latest series, Dreamers, begins with The Elder Gods.
Steven Erikson: It took a while for Canadian born Erikson’s Malazan book of the Fallen series, already popular in England, to get printed in America, but these are now available. Ten books are projected, the first of which is Gardens of the Moon. Erikson enjoys subverting typical fantasy stereotypes.
Neil Gaiman: American Gods won a slew of major awards, and deserved them. Blending the ancient deities of myth with a modern America ruled by the new gods of television and the automobile, half the fun is spotting the mythological entities in their disguises. Anansi Boys is set in the same universe, and is a worthy sequel with somewhat more intimate themes. Good Omens, co-authored by Terry Pratchett, is a more humorous book with all the same cleverness.
Laurell K. Hamilton: Hamilton's series of modern-day vampire tales are hard to classify, borrowing from the hard-boiled detective and horror genres as well as those of fantasy. Anita Blake, vampire hunter, lives in a world peopled with magic, vampires, zombies and werewolves. Guilty Pleasures is the first, and the series is best read in order. The most recent volume is The Harlequin. She also continues to write a series about the faerie, starting with A Kiss of Shadows.
Kim Harrison: The Rachel Morgan series reminds some fans of Anita Blake, but they are darker, set in an alternate world where much of the human population has been wiped out in a plague, and witches, werewolves, and vampires abound. Start with Dead Witch Walking. In the fiction section.
Diana Wynne Jones: Another series which is often enjoyed by both children and adults — those who like Lewis, Tolkien, Rowling, or Pullman — is Chronicles of Chrestomanci (beginning with Charmed Life) exploring a universe of alternate worlds. Like those other series, this is a children's fantasy universe with overtones that adults can appreciate. These books should be read in order.
Mercedes Lackey: A prolific author, her Heralds of Valdemar series it has multiple sub-series within it. The quality is uneven, but Arrow’s Flight is worth reading and should give you an idea if you want to read more.
George R. R. Martin: A science fiction author, then a screenwriter, and now the author of very long fantasy books. His characters are well-motivated, although rarely very likable, but the webs of intrigue in his books are fascinating. Start with A Game of Thrones.
China Mieville: Perdido Street Station, a haunting, dystopian steampunk novel, is highly recommended. It’s long, but rewarding. If you like this one, follow up with the somewhat slower moving The Scar. The series continues with Iron Council, which has a good deal of leftist politics as well. A long ways from Tolkien, but very interesting in its own way.
Christopher Moore: A satirist, he dips into the fantastic realm of the vampire novel with his Bloodsucking Fiends, a cult classic. A practical look at vampirism that ends up being hilarious, it now has a sequel in You Suck: A love story.
Terry Pratchett: The Discworld series is possibly the longest series in fantasy, full of wit and life, often brilliantly satirizing the fantasy genre. The First Discworld Novels, Guards! Guards! and there's plenty more after that. Good Omens, written with Neil Gaiman, is a funny romp through the end of the world.
Tim Powers: Unlike most fantasy authors Powers has mostly stayed away from writing in series. Drawing of the Dark blends 16th-century historical fact and mystical fancy, whereas Earthquake Weather has a more modern feel. Clever, literate, and very dark. Many of his books combine well researched history with the supernatural, and one consistent theme is that magic always has a price. His most recent works are found in the fiction section, his older material in science fiction.
Philip Pullman: His trilogy His Dark Materials (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass) is being discovered by a growing number of adults, who appreciate its complexity and moral passion. This is fantasy with a serious, mythic dimension and a very contemporary appeal. All three books are also available on cassette; both versions are excellent. They should be read in order.
Anne Rice: Anne Rice's books, like many on this list, are found in the library's fiction, rather than the science fiction section. Her Interview With the Vampire is a classic of the vampire genre, moody and stylish, as is its sequel The Vampire Lestat. Read either or both.
Fantasy
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