10 Fantasy Books That Changed the Genre (And Still Feel Magical Today)

It is hard to imagine me falling in love with reading and not being a fan of fantasy novels. They are the perfect novels to escape reality and to be transported to another magical world filled with magical beings. That is why we will be sharing our list of 10 fantasy books that changed the genre. Keep reading to find out which books made our list!

There are so many amazing fantasy books to read that trying to list them all will seem impossible. Instead, we decided to focus on 10 fantasy books that helped shape the genre to what it is today.

Even if you aren’t a big fantasy fan, these novels will strongly resonate with you because they are just that good. We chose novels that will keep you reading late into the night. So, if you lose out on some sleep, don’t blame us too much. You can see the full list below!

10 Fantasy Books That Changed the Genre

• The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
• The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
• The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb
• Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
• Katabasis by R. F. Kuang
• The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1 by Patrick Rothfuss
• The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Ardin
• The Once and Future King by T.H. White
• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

I have read a lot of fantasy novels and don’t often come across novels that are in a league of their own. But The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin was a novel that had me in awe and wonder. The plot, characters, magic system, and writing made this novel a fresh experience and makes me hopeful that the fantasy novel will never get stale.

When Yeine arrives at Sky, she finds out that she has been named as one of the three heiresses and must fight for her right for the thrown or be killed in the process. She has to learn fast at how Sky functions and who she can trust as she is caught up in the schemes of the Arameri and the gods that serve them.

When Yeine arrives at Sky, she finds out that she has been named as one of the three heiresses and must fight for her right for the thrown or be killed in the process. She has to learn fast at how Sky functions and who she can trust as she is caught up in the schemes of the Arameri and the gods that serve them.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

When I decided to give Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, I didn’t think it would live up to the hype around it. But boy was I wrong and I was happy that I decided to give this novel a chance. The storytelling and world building make this novel a breath of fresh air. It feels like a fairytale and it is one of the best fantasy novels ever written in my opinion.

Two magicians with different ideologies emerge during the beginning of the nineteenth century to change England’s history. Mr Norrell reveals his magical powers to help England in the war effort against Napoleon Bonaparte.

Suddenly, he is a celebrity overnight and the leading figure of magic. Jonathan Strange’s magic is of a different kind and he also joins the war against Napoleon.

He becomes Mr Norrell’s students but their disagreements on magic lead them to two different paths. But Strange might need his mentor’s help to stop a power that is bent on destroying everything he loves.

I enjoyed the historical element of the book and felt transported to the nineteenth century. I will admit the novel starts off slow but once it picks up, you won’t be able to put it down.

Katabasis

Another author that I am a big fan of in the fantasy genre is R.F. Kuang. She also brings something new to the fantasy genre with every book and I loved her newest novel Katabasis. I ended up reading this in less than two days and it surpassed all my expectations for this book.

There aren’t many authors that I can get excited about but one of them that I am a big fan of is R.F. Kuang. When I saw that she was going to releases Katabasis in 2025, I was ready to binge read it as soon as possible. And it was everything I could have hoped for and more. 

Alice Law is a postgraduate student at Cambridge who is practicing magic. She wants to land a great job after she finished school but knows that her only chance to do so is with a recommendation from her former professor and advisor Jacob Grimes.

But because of a simple mistake by Alice, Jacob died while doing a magic spell and now is in Hell. And Alice plans to go to Hell to bring him back to life. 

Just as Alice is about to create a magic circle to go down to Hell, her colleague and rival Peter Murdoch walks in and tells her that he is going to join her to bring back Grimes. They both descend to Hell and what follows is an adventure unlike any other.

Kuang has slowly established herself as a fantastic fantasy writer. Her world building is great and while it isn’t anything like a Brandon Sanderson novel, it has its own appeal. What makes her standout besides her writing is her magic systems that are uniquely her own and a lot of fun. Especially if you love history and writing. 

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Ardin

Some of my favorite novels are the ones that I ended up reading on a whim. That is how I ended up choosing The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Ardin and I ended up falling in love with this series. It is a beautiful fantasy novel that includes Russian folklore. I don’t know about you but I didn’t know a single Russian folklore before this. 

The novel feels magical and it captures all of my favorite things about fantasy novels. The novel follows the adventures of Vasilisa, better known as Vasya, and she can see spirits. She has a premonition of bad events happening and plans to correct them before it is too late.

But Vasya has to escape from her stepmother’s clutches in order to do so. Her stepmother wants to marry her off or confine her in a convent. To protect the ones she loves, Vasya must do things that will go against the norm and turn to powers that she has been told to fear all her life.

A Wizard of Earthsea

When I talk about fantasy novels that everyone must read, I always have to mention A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. It 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 children’s 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!

Conclusion

These are 10 fantasy books that changed the genre that we recommend to fantasy lovers and readers interested in reading more fantasy books. Many of these novels have shaped the genre and are still influencing other writers even decades later.

I enjoyed all of these novels and they are a big reason why I consider fantasy my favorite genre to read. Fantasy novels have a lot to offer and these books are just some of the many that will keep you entertained.

How many of these fantasy books have you read or plan to read? What other fantasy books would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!

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