Fantasy can be one of the most satisfying genres when handled well, but it’s very tricky to get right. Most modern writers simply retread old ground or serve up the same tired tropes — magic systems, faraway realms, politics, and maybe a dragon here and there. However, a few go further, finding something new and bold to say about this beloved genre.
These acclaimed and daring books are the focus of this list. The titles below span a range of styles and tones, from lyrical coming-of-age stories to sprawling epics, but they are all bursting at the seams with imagination. The best fantasy books of the last quarter-century are layered, entertaining, and psychologically rich, proving that fantasy is still thriving today.
10
‘The Fifth Season’ (2015)
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“It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die.” The best fantasy book of the last quarter-century is<em>The Name of the Wind</em>. In it, Kvothe, a legendary figure now living in obscurity, recounts his life to a chronicler: his rise from poverty, his time at a magical university, and the events that shaped his reputation. This structure creates tension not from what will happen, but from how events are remembered, and perhaps misremembered.
Kvothe and the other major characters are all compelling and well-realized, and the world they inhabit is immersive.The magic systems are especially cool, including the structured processes of “sympathy” and the more mysterious powers of “naming.” On top of all that,the prose is amazingly deliberate and lyrical, paying clear homage toUrsula K. Le Guin. Simply put,The Name of the Windis a masterpiece.
