When you need a book to read and can’t find anything good to read, we recommend turning to your favorite genre. And for us, that is fantasy novels. With so many incredible classic fantasy novels, we decided to share three must read classic fantasy books. Keep reading to find out which ones you need to add to your reading list!
While we love new fantasy novels, there is something magical about classic fantasy novels. Many of them have influenced the genre over the years even if many readers do not realize it. Some of the most popular series wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for these books.
We all know how influential The Lord of the Rings was to the genre but it isn’t the only one. There are many others that also made readers fall in love with reading and fantasy books. Without these books, I don’t know if I would still choose this as my favorite genre.
You will most likely have heard of these novel and even read some of them. And if you aren’t an avid fantasy reader, then you are in for a fun treat. These are three classic fantasy novels that we loved and know you will too. You can see the full list below!
If You Love Fantasy, You Owe It to Yourself to Read These Classic Books
- A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
- His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
- The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
The first novel on this list is one that I hold in high regard. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin is one of the best fantasy novels and series that I have read. Considering that this was Le Guin’s first attempt at writing a fantasy novel, it came out pretty well.
The novel is about a young wizard named Duny as he learns magic. What follows is a journey to learn magic and to correct his own mistake while journeying across the world. Le Guin’s novel introduced the idea of a young wizard and it avoided the usual tropes of a fantasy novel.
Many people have credited Le Guin of influencing Harry Potter but J. R. Rowlin has never publicly admitted it. The idea of a young wizard and a school for wizards are in a Wizard of Earthsea and people have connected the dots.
Le Guin’s novel has influenced many books including creating a magic system based on knowing the true name of a person or thing. One popular work that uses this magic system is Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki.
This novel is up there with The Lord of the Rings in influencing the fantasy genre. And it is just as good. If you haven’t read this novel, then now is the time. Because you can’t call yourself a fan of fantasy books without reading this novel and series!
His Dark Materials
The second book on this list has to one of the best fantasy novels that many readers are introduced to early on. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman is up there with The Lord of the Rings as one of the faces of fantasy novels. It goes in a different direction than your typical fantasy novel and yet captures the magic of being a child perfectly.
11-year-old Lyra Belacqua is eager too see her uncle who has just returned to Jordan College, Oxford, where Lyra has been raised. When Lyra sees someone poison her uncle’s drink, she knocks the drink over and saves her uncle and starts the chain of events that will turn her whole world upside down.
Lyra’s friend Roger is kidnapped and she is adopted by Mrs Coulter, the leader of the Gobblers. Unbeknownst to Mrs Coutler, Lyra has an alethiometer, a truth-telling device that Lyra slowly learns how to use over time. Once Mrs Coutler is outed as the leader of the Gobblers, Lyra escapes and pursues the people who kidnapped Roger.
Besides rescuing Roger, another big plot is discovering who Lyra’s parents are. Lyra realizes the alethiometer is powerful and uses it to guide her as she is destined for something big according to the witches.
The Witcher Series
When we talk about the best fantasy series and franchises, we have to mention The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski. After writing for a magazine as for a competition, fans fell in love with the story and it led to him writing 14 short stories before he finally wrote the novels staring in 1994. And I am glad because it is different than most western fantasy novels and truly an epic adventure.
Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher, a monster hunter with superman abilities who specialize in killing dangerous monsters. He travels across the lands to fight monsters and offer his services to towns. But destiny calls and he is caught in the middle of a war that will determine the future.
Geralt has to save Cirilla is the princess of Cintra as she its hunted by enemies. But in order to do so, Geralt needs to rely on old friends and learn more about his enemy and who the person behind the mask is. Cirilla, also known as Ciri, is learning how to wield magic and how to fight like a Witcher. But she is also coming to terms with her own powers as she becomes an adult.
The novels are fun and you can see the influences of the early short stories on the series. I fell in love with the series because of the Netflix show of the same name. The first season is one of the best in all of television and it made me want to read the books as a result. Now, the show has lost its momentum and with a ton of controversies, is not the same as before.
I recommend this series to anyone that loves great writing and storytelling. And you will see some common themes in this series and His Dark Materials as they both use time traveling as a big part of their plot.
Conclusion
The fantasy genre is constantly changing and evolving, Now, romantasy novels, romance and fantasy novels, are trending and introducing fantasy books to a new audience. And yet, you can still see the influence of older fantasy novels that paved the way.
Early fantasy novels such as The Lord of the Rings and The Wizard of Earthsea will always ne relevant. Authors are still borrowing ideas from those books decades later. And if you a big fan of fantasy novels. then it is only right to read the books that made it possible for new fantasy books,
How many of the classic fantasy books on this list have you read or plan to read? This list includes novels that few non fantasy readers would have come across. We are here to rectify that mistake. Until next time, happy reading!
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A Wizard of Earthsea was the first fantasy novel I ever read, as a teen. It opened so many doors for me. I went on to read almost everything Le Guin wrote as well as other fantasy books.
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Please check the author listed for writing Harry Potter. Her name is JK Rowling, not JR Rowlin.
I hope the Witcher books are better than the series, because I tried watching the series and I seriously could not get through the first episode. Gave up halfway through. It seemed to be a mishmash of old tropes.
That’s the way it usually works