Sylvia Bishop

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.

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.

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.