The 10 most popular fantasy book series of all time

Epic fantasy is a genre that encompasses all other literary traditions, so when you talk about the most popular books that have shaped their long history, it’s not surprising that you’re faced with a wealth of wildly different stories, characters, and worlds.

Be it the rolling hills of Middle-earth where the Free Peoples battle the Shadow that rises from the eastern sky, or the heavy storms of Roshar that sweep across the continent and remind the world of things it has forgotten, or the petty feuds of the Lords and Ladies of the Seven Kingdoms and the common people who are always caught up in their conflicts, the fantasy genre has something for everyone.

Yet while the number of celebrated fantasy books is innumerable—despite the relatively short time since their rise in the 1970s—there are some names that have managed to become timeless due to their popularity, influence, or permanence.

Harry Potter by JK Rowling

With over 500 million copies sold worldwide, Harry Potter is undoubtedly the most popular and well-known name in fantasy. The story of The Boy Who Lived finds new fans in every generation of young readers, and the acclaimed film adaptations have secured JK Rowling’s immortality in the speculative fiction landscape. Harry Potter may be trite and sometimes disappointing, especially for seasoned fantasy readers, but there is a sense of sincerity and warmth in Rowling’s pages that can’t be found anywhere else.

The Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit) by JRR Tolkien

Lord of the Rings was the long-awaited sequel to The Hobbit and took the world by storm when it was released in 1954. In one of the first reviews, The Sunday Times praised Tolkien’s achievement, saying: “The English-speaking world is divided between those who Lord of the Rings And The Hobbit and those who will read them.” Many years later, these words sound almost prophetic. While we don’t have Eru Ilúvatar’s omniscience to say that without Tolkien there would be no high fantasy today, we do know that the entertainment world would not be the same.

The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was once the most memorable fantasy read for many children before they moved on to serious stories. I remember flicking through the pages and being absolutely mesmerized by the world that CS Lewis created. I also remember begging my parents to buy me the sequel before the first book was even finished. In many ways, The chronicles of Narnia is like the compromise between Tolkien’s Lord of the Ringswhich built an imaginative world from scratch, and Rowling’s Harry Potterthat combines the fantastic with reality.

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

There is no denying that Tolkien’s legacy was enormous. What followed, Lord of the Rings was a series of unoriginal, generic rip-offs, all trying to jump on the bandwagon and emulate the Professor’s success. In fact, epic fantasy as a genre only really began to blossom when authors like Robert Jordan and George RR Martin came along to breathe new life into this delicate new beast. The Wheel of Time Written by the former, the work continues Tolkien’s legacy and, having sold nearly 100 million copies since its creation, remains one of the most ambitious feats of imaginative world-building ever attempted.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin

George RR Martin would be without HBO’s game of Thronesbut the fact that Westeros is here to stay – whether it is really popular spinoffs like House of the Dragon or the continued hype surrounding the books despite the decades-long drought – can only be a testament to his power as an author. Martin changed the game forever, but more importantly, this is exactly what Epic Fantasy needed to take off after Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy in the early 2000s.

Discworld by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is a voice to be celebrated, and his Discworld The series remains one of the best-selling and most popular fantasy books of all time. Now, it doesn’t matter how many (or how few) publications decide to write silly articles about how his literary output is exaggerated (those who know, know), because there’s always a place in Pratchett’s books for people looking for a bit of humorous, escapist fantasy to shed some of their burdens.

The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice

This may seem like a rather strange inclusion, but considering that The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice has sold tens of millions of copies since its publication and should by definition have a place in the list of the most popular fantasy books in history. In addition, there is no doubt that Anne Rice has greatly influenced the Gothic and Urban Fantasy movement with The Vampire ChroniclesThe story was progressive for its time and its themes still play a role in shaping many other Gothic fantasy books today.

The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

Say what you want about dusk and its literary value – or lack thereof – but at least the case of Stephenie Meyer and her huge success should be investigated. Now, I admit that I put the first book down after only 100 pages, but the story has certainly left its mark in the fantasy realm. Several popular and even celebrated book series, such as A courtyard of thorns and roses or the new BookTok sensation Fourth wing, We attribute their popularity and importance to Meyer’s work.

The Dark Tower by Stephen King

While one can always expect the fantastic in Stephen King’s works, it was only The Dark Tower that the author forgot to familiarize himself with the genre and instead plunged headlong into a dark story that combines elements from various genres such as fantasy, science fiction and spaghetti westerns. The seven-volume series has sold 30 million copies and is one of the best works in the field of epic fantasy.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

At first glance, PercyJackson could come across as Harry Potter It’s not a true clone, as it follows Rowling’s themes and motifs to the fullest, but thanks to Riordan’s brilliant prose and amazing characterization, the story has a lot more to offer. Percy Jackson and the Olympians The books are now among the best-selling fantasy stories in the world and the new Amazon adaptation is sure to increase their popularity tenfold.

This was our list of some of the most popular fantasy book series, but as they say, popularity does not make a great work of art, so read this article to read our picks for the top ten fantasy book series of all time.