Fantasy Series

Some people believe that great books come in threes, while others are looking for the "long-term relationship" that they get with longer sagas. Whichever you prefer, you're sure to find something good to read in this list of popular Fantasy series.

The Incarnations of Immortality Series by Piers Anthony
What if there really were a "Grim Reaper" who rode a pale horse and collected and judged the souls of the dead? What if the same were true for other "immortal concepts" – Time, Fate, War, Nature, as well as Evil and Good? And what if the "people" performing the duties of these abstract concepts were only holding an office or job and the office-holder periodically changed? Anthony – best known for his long-running Xanth Series – creates a realistic world where you or I might live, but which is also home to these immortal incarnations, living and working in it, unseen by mortal humans.
1) On a Pale Horse
2) Bearing An Hourglass
3) With A Tangled Skein
4) Wielding a Red Sword
5) Being a Green Mother
6) For Love of Evil
7) And Eternity

The Shannara novels by Terry Brooks
Living in peaceful Shady Vale, Shea Ohmsford knew little of the troubles that plagued the rest of the world. Then the giant, forbidding Allanon revealed that the supposedly dead Warlock Lord was plotting to destroy the world. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness was the Sword of Shannara, which could only be used by a true heir of Shannara – Shea being the last of the bloodline, upon whom all hope rested. Soon a Skull Bearer, dread minion of Evil, flew into the Vale, seeking to destroy Shea. To save the Vale, Shea fled, drawing the Skull Bearer after him.
The Shannara Series
1) The Sword of Shannara
2) The Elfstones of Shannara
3) The Wishsong of Shannara
Prequel: The First King of Shannara
Heritage of Shannara
1) The Scions of Shannara
2) The Druid of Shannara
3) The Elf Queen of Shannara
4) The Talismans of Shannara
Voyage of the Jerle Shannara
1) Ilse Witch
2) Antrax
3) Morgawr
High Druid of Shannara
1) Jarka Ruus
2) Tanequil
3) Straken

The Codex Alera Series by Jim Butcher
In the land of Alera (which appears similar to Ancient Rome), where people bond with the furies – elementals of earth, air, fire, water and metal – young Tavi struggles to cope with his lack of magical talent, until his homeland erupts into conflct between rebels and loyalists, and Tavi discovers that he holds the key to his realm's survival. Also try Butcher's popular Dresden Files Series.
1) Furies of Calderon
2) Academ's Fury
3) Cursor's Fury
4) Captain's Fury

The Alvin Maker Series by Orson Scott Card
Alvin Maker is the seventh son of a seventh son. Born into an alternative frontier America where life is hard and folk magic is real, Alvin is gifted with the power. He must learn to use his gift wisely. But dark forces are arrayed against Alvin, and only a young girl with second sight can protect him.
1) Seventh Son
2) Red Prophet
3) Prentice Alvin
4) Alvin Journeyman
5) Heartfire
6) Crystal City

The Belgariad Series by David Eddings
It all begins with the theft of the Orb that for so long protected the West from an evil god. As long as the Orb was at Riva, the prophecy went, its people would be safe from this corrupting power. Garion, a simple farm boy, is familiar with the legend of the Orb, but skeptical in matters of magic – until, through a twist of fate, he learns not only that the story of the Orb is true, but that he must set out on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger to help recover it.
1) Pawn of Prophecy
2) Queen of Sorcery
3) Magician's Gambit
4) Castle of Wizardry
5) Enchanter's End Game
6) Belgarath the Sorcerer
7) Polgara the Sorceress
8) Rivan Codex

The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind
A mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher's forest sanctuary in the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father. Kahlan seeks help ... and more. Richard's world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence. In a dark age when it takes courage to live, and more than mere courage to challenge those who hold dominion, Richard and Kahlan must take up that challenge or become the next victims. In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword, to invoke within himself something more noble.
1) Wizard's First Rule
2) Stone of Tears
3) Blood of the Fold
4) Temple of the Winds
5) Soul of the Fire
6) Faith of the Fallen
7) Pillars of Creation
8) Naked Empire
9) Chainfire
10) Phantom
11) Confessor

The Farseer Series by Robin Hobb
This series is actually made up of three trilogies; each trilogy can stand on its own, but they also work together to form the nine-volume Farseer Series. Young Fitz is a bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the court of the Six Duchies by his father's gruff stableman. He is ignored by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. But now, as the barbarous Red Ship Raiders ravage the coasts and sleepwalkers prowl the heartland, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. For Fitz is a threat to the throne...but he may also be the key to the survival of the kingdom.
The Farseer Trilogy
1) Assassin's Apprentice
2) Royal Assassin
3) Assassin's Quest
The Liveship Traders Trilogy
1) Ship of Magic
2) Mad Ship
3) Ship of Destiny
The Tawny Man Trilogy
1) Fool's Errand
2) Golden Fool
3) Fool's Fate

The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan
Set in a world where two kinds of magic exist, one female and the other male, the Wheel of Time series features an epic quest to unite the diverse peoples of this planet against the Dark One, who threatens to destroy their world. A staggeringly complex and enjoyable adventure featuring a cast of unforgettable characters: Rand, a simple sheepherder who is stalked by an evil he does not yet understand; Egwene, Rand's love interest, who happens to possess her own special gift; Moraine, the beautiful but possibly dangerous member of a powerful legion of sorceresses called Aes Sedai; and Lan, Moraine's fearless companion and guardian.
1) Eye of the World
2) The Great Hunt
3) The Dragon Reborn
4) Shadow Rising
5) The Fires of Heaven
6) Lord of Chaos
7) Crown of Swords
8) Path of Daggers
9) Winter's Heart
10) Crossroads of Twilight
11) Knife of Dreams
Prequel: New Spring

The Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey
One of the most prolific writers in the Fantasy genre, Lackey's longest-running series is the Valdemar Chronicles, but she is also known for The Bardic Voices, Bedlam's Bard, and others. In this recent trilogy, Kellen lives an ordered life, structured by the principles of High Magick – until he discovers a set of forbidden books on Wild Magic and becomes anathema to his people. Banished in disgrace from his home, Kellen enters a wild world populated by elves and other magical creatures only to find that this world is threatened by the rise of demons deep within the Obsidian Mountain.
1) The Outstretched Shadow
2) To Light a Candle
3) When Darkness Falls

The Earthsea Series by Ursula K. LeGuin
A coming-of-age tale about a boy destined to become the greatest sorcerer in the world has been heralded as one of the most pedagogical and beautifully written novels ever penned. Born in the realm of Earthsea, a much-storied world dominated by an extensive archipelago, Ged is a poor blacksmith's son born with an innate understanding of magic. But after he is sent to Roke Island to study the craft, he lets his arrogance and antipathy for another student lead him into a disastrous mistake – unleashing an evil spirit bent on devouring Ged's essence!
1) Wizard of Earthsea
2) The Tombs of Atuan
3) The Farthest Shore
4) Tehanu
5) Tales From Earthsea
6) The Other Wind

The Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R.R. Martin
A contemporary masterpiece of fantasy that combines intrigue, action, romance and mystery in a family saga. The cold is returning to Winterfell, where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime. The Stark family has long anticipated this shift of seasons, but are they prepared to deal with the members of the Lannister family? Through his superb creation of a believable fantasy world, Martin creates a society almost without magic but with human perversity at its most abundant and active. One of the most appealing aspects of this series is the almost dauntingly large cast and an almost equal number of viewpoint shifts.
1) A Game of Thrones
2) A Clash of Kings
3) A Storm of Swords
4) A Feast for Crows

The Temeraire Series by Naomi Novik
This newer, character-driven series conjures the Napoleonic-era military, replete with aerial corps of fighting dragons and their handlers. When Captain Laurence of HMS Reliant takes a French frigate as a prize, the cargo includes a dragon egg due to hatch before the Reliant can reach a British aviators' base. When Temeraire the dragon bonds with the captain, the two leave the navy to sign on with His Majesty's sadly understaffed Aerial Corps, which takes on the French in sprawling, detailed battles that Novik renders with admirable attention to 19th-century military tactics.
1) His Majesty's Dragon
2) Throne of Jade
3) Black Powder War
4) Empire of Ivory

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
Tolkien is credited with being the father of the modern fantasy genre, and his work has certainly influenced just about every other writer included on this list, among countless others. Frodo the hobbit and his companions set out to deliver the One Ring of Power to the dark land of Mordor in order to destroy the ring in the forge of its creation. The trilogy is also available in one volume: Lord of the Rings.
1) The Fellowship of the Ring
2) The Two Towers
3) The Return of the King
Prequel: The Hobbit

The Dragonvarld Series by Margaret Weis
A very prolific Fantasy author known best for her numerous Dragonlance novels (with Tracy Hickman), Weis here creates a world where Dragons and humans have lived separately for years until a renegade Dragon declares herself ruler of the human realm of Seth. Now an Amazonian order of priestesses with magical powers and the Mistress of Dragons can no longer keep the peace, and a wild and magical conflict ensues, revealing a secret lineage and a dark truth about the Parliament of Dragons.
1) Mistress of Dragons
2) The Dragon's Son
3) Master of Dragons

List created 6/05 – Last Updated 1/08