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The 10 Best Fantasy Books of All Time
These fantasy books are the magical worlds readers still lose themselves in, from Middle-earth and Hogwarts to newer epic series. All ten are still selling today and are loved by teenagers and adults alike. Start with a single book, but be warned: several of them begin long series.
Mistborn: The Final Empire#1Mistborn: The Final Empire
by Brandon Sanderson · first published 2006
Why it is on the list: On almost every US regional indie reprint chart in October 2026; on TIME's 100 Best Fantasy.
In an empire ruled for a thousand years by an immortal tyrant, a street thief discovers she can draw magic from swallowed metals. A charismatic rebel recruits her for an impossible heist against the throne. Inventive magic and a twisty plot make it a favorite way into epic fantasy.
Evidence and sources
- No. 4 on the national IndieBound mass market list, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- No. 3 on PNBA and No. 2 on MPIBA mass market/reprint bestsellers, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- No. 3 on Locus paperback bestsellers (US specialty stores), May 2023 (source)
- Listed in TIME's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time (2020) (source)
- Mistborn Trilogy No. 43 on NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy (source)
- ISBN 9780765311788, Tor Books (source)
The Lord of the Rings#2The Lord of the Rings
by J.R.R. Tolkien · first published 1954
Why it is on the list: Fellowship still charts on US indie lists in 2026; Britain's best-loved book, 150M+ copies sold.
A humble hobbit inherits a ring of terrible power and sets out with a fellowship of companions to destroy it before its dark maker can reclaim it. The foundational epic fantasy for anyone who loves vast quests and richly imagined worlds. ISBN is for Book 1, The Fellowship of the Ring. Cover and edition shown: Book 1, The Fellowship of the Ring.
Evidence and sources
- No. 5 on NEIBA classics/reprint list, week ending Oct 18, 2026; also No. 13 on MPIBA and No. 15 on SIBA (source)
- No. 4 on NCIBA mass market/reprint list, week ending Oct 11, 2026 (source)
- Over 150 million copies sold by 2007; BBC Big Read winner; in Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century; won the 1957 International Fantasy Award (source)
- No. 1 on NPR's Top 100 SF&F (source)
- On TIME's All-TIME 100 Novels (source)
- No. 1 in BBC's Big Read (source)
- ISBN 9780547928210, The Fellowship of the Ring, William Morrow Paperbacks (source)
The Hobbit#3The Hobbit
by J.R.R. Tolkien · first published 1937
Why it is on the list: On several US indie bestseller lists in fall 2026; about 100 million copies sold.
Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving hobbit, is swept off by a wizard and a band of dwarves on a quest to reclaim treasure guarded by a dragon. A charming, adventurous classic for young readers and adults, and the gateway to Middle-earth.
Evidence and sources
- No. 6 on MPIBA mass market/reprint bestsellers, week ending Oct 18, 2026; No. 13 on NEIBA (source)
- No. 3 on GLIBA mass market/reprint bestsellers, week ending Oct 4, 2026 (source)
- About 100 million copies sold (source)
- Received a New York Herald Tribune prize for best juvenile fiction of 1938; nominated for the Carnegie Medal (source)
- No. 25 in BBC's Big Read (source)
- No. 5 on NPR's 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels (source)
- ISBN 9780547928227, William Morrow Paperbacks (source)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone#4Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by J.K. Rowling · first published 1997
Why it is on the list: Sold over 150,000 US paperbacks in 2025 alone (Circana BookScan); series 600M copies.
An orphaned boy living with his unkind relatives learns on his eleventh birthday that he is a wizard and has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A warm, inventive start to the series that has hooked readers of every age. Book 1 of the seven-book series.
Evidence and sources
- 150,741 copies of the paperback sold in 2025 (Circana BookScan, PW children's bestsellers) (source)
- 128,172 paperback copies sold in 2023 (PW children's bestsellers) (source)
- Sold over 120 million copies; won the 1997 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize gold medal (source)
- Harry Potter series about 600 million copies (source)
- Series ranked No. 1 on NPR's 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels (source)
- On Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (source)
- ISBN 9780590353427, Scholastic (source)
The Way of Kings#5The Way of Kings
by Brandon Sanderson · first published 2010
Why it is on the list: A regular on US indie reprint charts through 2026; book one of the Stormlight Archive.
On a storm-battered world, a slave soldier, a scholar with a secret and a war-weary highprince are pulled toward a cataclysm no one remembers. Huge in scale and patient in its storytelling, it opens Sanderson's most ambitious series. For readers ready to sink into a long epic.
Evidence and sources
- No. 4 on MIBA and No. 11 on PNBA mass market/reprint bestsellers, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- No. 12 on the national IndieBound mass market list, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- No. 2 on Locus paperback bestsellers (US specialty stores), June 2023 (source)
- No. 71 on NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy (source)
- ISBN 9780765365279, Tor Fantasy (source)
The Name of the Wind#6The Name of the Wind
by Patrick Rothfuss · first published 2007
Why it is on the list: Still on US indie reprint charts in October 2026; on TIME's 100 Best Fantasy list.
A legendary wizard, now hiding as a quiet innkeeper, finally tells the true story of his life: an orphaned childhood, years on the streets and a hard-won place at a famous university of magic. Lyrical and immersive, it is fantasy for readers who love a great storyteller.
Evidence and sources
- No. 10 on PNBA mass market/reprint bestsellers, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- No. 8 on MPIBA and No. 12 on NEIBA mass market/reprint lists, week ending Oct 11, 2026 (source)
- Listed in TIME's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time (2020) (source)
- The Kingkiller Chronicles No. 18 on NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy (source)
- ISBN 9780756404741, DAW (source)
Circe#7Circe
by Madeline Miller · first published 2018
Why it is on the list: On US indie paperback charts in October 2026; named Goodreads' best fantasy book of the decade.
Banished to an island by the gods, the overlooked daughter of the sun god discovers a talent for witchcraft. Over centuries she crosses paths with famous figures of Greek myth and must decide where she belongs. A lush, feminist retelling of ancient legend.
Evidence and sources
- No. 15 on MPIBA paperback fiction bestsellers, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- No. 14 on NAIBA paperback fiction bestsellers, week ending Oct 11, 2026 (source)
- Shortlisted for the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction; won the 2018 Goodreads Choice Award (Fantasy) and 2026 Goodreads Best Fantasy Book of the Decade (source)
- ISBN 9780316556347, Little, Brown and Company (source)
Good Omens#8Good Omens
by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman · first published 1990
Why it is on the list: Still selling on US indie reprint lists in 2026; No. 68 in BBC's Big Read and on TIME's fantasy list.
An angel and a demon who have grown fond of life on Earth learn that the Antichrist has been born and the end of the world is due. The trouble is, the child has been misplaced. A very funny comic fantasy about the apocalypse.
Evidence and sources
- No. 12 on NAIBA classics/reprint bestsellers, week ending Sep 27, 2026 (source)
- On Locus paperback bestsellers (US specialty stores), July and November 2023 (source)
- No. 68 in BBC's The Big Read (2003) (source)
- Listed in TIME's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time (2020) (source)
- ISBN 9780060853983, William Morrow Paperbacks (source)
Piranesi#9Piranesi
by Susanna Clarke · first published 2020
Why it is on the list: Still on US indie paperback charts in October 2026; won the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction.
A gentle man lives alone in a vast house of endless halls, statues and tides, keeping careful journals of everything he sees. Clues in those journals begin to suggest that the world he knows is not what it seems. A short, strange and beautiful puzzle of a fantasy.
Evidence and sources
- No. 14 on PNBA paperback fiction bestsellers, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- No. 14 on SCIBA paperback fiction bestsellers, week ending Oct 11, 2026 (source)
- Won the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction and the 2021 Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year (source)
- ISBN 9781635577808, Bloomsbury Publishing (source)
The Princess Bride#10The Princess Bride
by William Goldman · first published 1973
Why it is on the list: A new deluxe edition charted on the national indie SF/fantasy list in mid-2026.
Framed as an abridgment of an old adventure, it follows a farm girl and her lost love through pirates, giants, sword fights and a scheming prince. Funny, romantic fantasy for readers who enjoy parody as much as adventure.
Evidence and sources
Frequently asked questions
What is the best fantasy book of all time?
On our list it is Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. On almost every US regional indie reprint chart in October 2026; on TIME's 100 Best Fantasy.
Which fantasy book should I read first?
Start with the top three: Mistborn: The Final Empire, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. They are the most popular books in this genre right now, and each one is a good way into the rest of the list.
Are these books still popular today?
Yes. Every book here has evidence of strong sales or readership from the last few years, which you can see under “Evidence and sources” on each book. That is the main difference between this list and lists that only look back at history.
How often is this list updated?
We review it about once a month against current bestseller charts and change a book only when the evidence clearly changes.
Apart from this list, see the books we love most, hand-picked by QuickOnlineTips.
How we chose these books
1. Still selling and read today
Every book shows current demand from roughly the last three years: Audible best-seller charts (Audible is owned by Amazon), US independent bookstore bestseller lists from the American Booksellers Association, Publishers Weekly and Circana BookScan sales figures, and similar charts. Old books that nobody buys any more do not make the cut.
2. Stood the test of time
Every book was first published at least five years ago and has a lasting credential: a major award (such as the Pulitzer, Booker, Newbery or Hugo), a place on a respected all-time list (such as the Modern Library 100, TIME 100 or the BBC Big Read), or very large total sales.
3. Suitable for most readers
We leave out books built around explicit sexual content or graphic abuse, and books best known for being banned. Some books on the list deal with hard themes such as war, crime or loss, and the summaries say so.
Within each genre, books are ranked with current popularity weighted most, then lasting reputation. We review the list about once a month and swap a book only when the evidence clearly changes.
Book covers: Open Library. Links to each book go to Amazon. Last reviewed: October 2026.
More of the best books of all time
See the full 200 best books of all time list, or explore more fiction genres: Classic Novels, Literary Fiction Books, Historical Fiction Books, Romance Novels, Children's Books, Mystery and Thriller Books, Science Fiction Books, Horror Books, Young Adult Books.
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