Fantasy Book Details

1.Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865)

Even if you’re not a math geek, you’re probably familiar with the algebraist Charles Dodgson — you just know him his much more famous alter-ego, Lewis Carroll. Unlike Dodgson, Carroll wrote stories that defied logic, twisting it into dreamlike, fantastical shapes: a hookah-smoking caterpillar, a flamingo-filled croquet-ground, a perpetually tardy White Rabbit. The result was , which has delighted adults and children alike since it was published over a century and a half ago — and today is recognized as a momentous early foray into the fantasy genre as a whole.

2.The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (1968)

The Lord of the Rings has made its mark on high fantasy’s DNA more than any other work — and this is the volume that started it off. Like The Hobbit, its prequel of sorts, The Fellowship of the Ring is a story that turns on ordinary acts of courage. Running as a counterpoint alongside the thundering motifs of kingly destiny and good-versus-evil, we see the innocent bravery of country gentlemen and the loyalty of gardeners. These, the book argues, are the real engines of historical change. And in today's fantasy landscape overshadowed by the grimdark, returning to Tolkien’s brand of clear-eyed hope can be a real breath of fresh air.


3.The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (1973)

A perennial favorite of both elementary schoolers and their teachers, The Dark is Rising renders the cosmic conflict between Light and Dark in lively style, at a scale accessible to young readers. It centers on British schoolboy Will Stanton, who discovers, on his eleventh birthday, that he’s actually an immortal Light warrior known as an Old One — bound to play out an eternal struggle against the forces of the Dark. This story is perfectly contextualized by Susan Cooper's vast mythological knowledge, drawing generously from the sea-scented myths of her native British Isles, especially the Arthurian legend.

4. Watership Down by Richard Adams (1972)

If you don’t think a rabbit warren could be reasonably described as epic fantasy, clearly you’ve never read Watership Down. This stirring adventure story has it all: warriors and visions, harrowing escapes and heartbreaking deaths — its stars just happen to be unusually soft of fur and long of ear. Indeed, when human encroachment on their environment threatens their way of life, the rabbits react the way any self-respecting group of noble warriors would: by going on a quest. Despite its adorable premise, Richard Adams’ novel draws on a rich wellspring of literary precedents, and reads like Beowulf by way of Beatrix Potter.

5.The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip (1974)

With its elegant language and a thoughtfully rendered heroine,The Forgotten Beasts of Eld has won the love of readers young and old (not to mention the 197 World Fantasy Award). The story centers on teenage orphan Sybel, whose only companions are the sentient, mythical creatures who share her mountain home — and with whom she cohabits happily. But one day, a stranger named Coren arrives, along with a newborn he claims to be the rightful heir to the kingdom of Eld. Together, the man and the baby conscript Sybel into single parenthood — and drag her quiet mountain refuge into a world of political turmoil.