What is the best fantasy book series of all time?
Fantasy literature has produced some of the most immersive worlds ever imagined — but which series towers above the rest? From Tolkien's foundational Middle-earth to Brandon Sanderson's cosmere, vote for the fantasy book series that captured your imagination most completely.
1The Dresden FilesJim Butcher's bestselling urban fantasy series following Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard-for-hire, across 17+ novels.1000pts
2The Malazan Book of the FallenSteven Erikson's dense 10-book epic regarded as the most ambitious and complex fantasy series ever written, with thousands of characters.880pts
3A Song of Ice and FireGeorge R.R. Martin's gritty ongoing epic about power, betrayal, and survival across the Seven Kingdoms, inspiration for Game of Thrones.789pts
4The Wheel of TimeRobert Jordan's (completed by Brandon Sanderson) monumental 14-book epic spanning a war between the forces of Light and the Dark One.710pts
5The First LawJoe Abercrombie's darkly subversive grimdark trilogy (and sequels) that deconstructs classic fantasy archetypes with brutal realism.609pts
6MistbornBrandon Sanderson's six-book series beginning with a heist story set in an ash-covered world where ash falls from the sky and mist rules the night.609pts
7The Dark TowerStephen King's eight-book magnum opus following gunslinger Roland Deschain across a post-apocalyptic fantasy universe to reach the Dark Tower.609pts
8The Kingkiller ChroniclePatrick Rothfuss's ongoing trilogy following the legendary wizard and musician Kvothe as he narrates the story of his own mythologized life.473pts
9The Stormlight ArchiveBrandon Sanderson's ongoing epic-fantasy series set on the storm-ravaged world of Roshar, known for its intricate magic system and world-building.284pts
10The Chronicles of NarniaC.S. Lewis's classic 1950–1956 seven-book children's fantasy series set in the magical land of Narnia, entered through a wardrobe.284pts
11His Dark MaterialsPhilip Pullman's 1995–2000 trilogy following young Lyra Belacqua across parallel universes in a world where human souls take animal form.284pts
12The WitcherAndrzej Sapkowski's Polish fantasy saga about monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, which inspired one of gaming's most acclaimed RPG franchises.284pts
13The Lord of the RingsJ.R.R. Tolkien's foundational 1954–1955 epic trilogy that created the template for modern high fantasy and spawned an entire genre.1pts
14Harry PotterJ.K. Rowling's seven-book 1997–2007 series about a young wizard's years at Hogwarts School that became the best-selling book series in history.1pts
15DiscworldTerry Pratchett's beloved 41-book satirical fantasy series set on a flat world carried by four elephants on the back of a giant turtle.1pts
16EragonChristopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, begun when he was 15, following a farm boy who discovers a dragon egg and becomes a legendary Dragon Rider.1pts
Comments
Tolkien finished his trilogy in 1955 and Rowling published seven novels between 1997 and 2007, so this shelf sets influence against reach: https://youpick.best/articles/harry-potter-ranked-many-ways
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