The Best Fantasy Books

This year’s award-winning fantasy books offer something for every taste, from melancholic fairy tales to gripping horror. Our fantasy and sci fi editor Sylvia Bishop introduces the winning titles.

Fairy tale retellings are nothing new: the same stories have been told in various forms across centuries and cultures. Modern fantasy is making new use of these timeless tales, specialising in unlikely heroes and playful subversions. We asked Ursula Vernon, the Hugo Award-winning author, to recommend her top five fantasy books based on fairy tales.

High fantasy, also known as epic fantasy, has been on a long journey since J.R.R. Tolkien published The Lord of the Rings. Richard Swan introduces us to the breadth of the genre – and how it embraces social commentary, political realism, and deeply personal stories.

What makes fantasy worlds so ripe for comedy? Hugo nominee Travis Baldree points toward our shared humanity, our love of anti-heros, and the power of back-to-front archetypes. He recommends the five best fantastical adventures to get us laughing – mostly at ourselves.

We tell ourselves fantastical stories to account for all that cannot be explained, says Seanan McGuire, the multi-award winning author of the October Daye, InCryptid, and Indexing series. Here, she selects five of the best urban fantasy books—fabulous novels that help us find the magical in the mundane.

Low-stakes 'cozy' fantasy is very popular right now, says the bestselling author TJ Klune—and as a result it's a very exciting time to be working in the genre. Here he recommends five cozy fantasy novels, all with magical worlds to get lost inside: from moving castles to coffee shops at the end of the world.

Dragons can be found in the mythology of almost every culture, and today they are enjoying a surge in popularity – but these days they are portrayed as companions, not the enemy, says the bestselling author Taran Matharu. He talks us through his top five 'dragon fantasy' books, from classic heroes' journeys to emerging fantasy trends, and tells us how to spot if your dragon is actually a wyvern.

Fantasy and mystery blend beautifully because PIs and wizards occupy the same role, says Jim Butcher, bestselling author of The Dresden Files. He tells us about the inspiration for his own PI, Harry Dresden, and introduces us to his top five fantasy mysteries: stories where our modern urban fears can be explored, and where metaphorical and literal underworlds meet.

Whatever genre you love, it can be made steampunk, argues 'The Steampunk Scholar' Mike Perschon. He talks us through his top five choices, and shows how the core elements of the steampunk style are being recombined to create rollicking and original adventures – from alternate Civil War tales to flying whales.

In recent years there has been a steady flow of JRR Tolkien books published posthumously. If you liked The Lord of the Rings and are wondering what to read next, 16 year old Valentin guides you through some of his other favourite books set in the vast world that Tolkien created.