10 Best Fantasy Series to Read for Every Type of Reader
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10 Best Fantasy Series to Read for Every Type of Reader

Best Fantasy Series to Read: 10 Picks for Different Tastes

Key takeaways

  • The best fantasy series depends on what you want from the genre: a sweeping quest, a compact trilogy, an enormous world to get lost in, or a clever comic detour.
  • This list focuses on fantasy books, not TV shows, and pairs each recommendation with a good starting point and a note about the commitment involved.
  • You don’t have to approach *Discworld* as one continuous sequence; there’s more than one reasonable path in.
  • Start with the book whose tone and scale suit you, then continue only if you want more of that world.

Table of contents

Best fantasy series at a glance

Series A good fit if you want… Where to start
The Lord of the Rings A classic high-fantasy quest The Fellowship of the Ring
Earthsea Reflective, beautifully spare fantasy A Wizard of Earthsea
Discworld Comic fantasy and flexible entry points Guards! Guards! or The Colour of Magic
The Wheel of Time A long, traditional epic The Eye of the World
Realm of the Elderlings Character-led fantasy with emotional depth Assassin’s Apprentice
Mistborn: The Original Trilogy A complete, fast-moving epic The Final Empire
The Broken Earth Ambitious, darker literary fantasy The Fifth Season
Harry Potter A school setting and a coming-of-age story Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
His Dark Materials A thoughtful, adventurous trilogy Northern Lights
Between Earth and Sky Myth-inspired fantasy and political conflict Black Sun

The best fantasy series by reading style

1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Start with The Fellowship of the Ring if you want the classic fantasy journey: a small group sets out on a dangerous mission that could shape the fate of an entire world. Tolkien’s trilogy helped establish many features readers now associate with epic fantasy, including invented histories, languages and cultures.

The style is older and more descriptive than that of many contemporary fantasy novels, so readers looking for a brisk, modern pace may need time to settle into it. For a broader introduction to Middle-earth, read The Hobbit first; it takes place earlier, but The Lord of the Rings works as a starting point on its own.

Best for: Readers who want foundational high fantasy, a large-scale quest and detailed world-building.
Consider first: The prose can feel deliberate and dense if you prefer a fast-moving story.

2. Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Begin with A Wizard of Earthsea, which follows Ged, a young wizard whose ambition has serious consequences. Le Guin’s fantasy is less about armies and elaborate battles than about power, responsibility, identity and balance. Her clear, economical prose gives the world a mythic quality without burying the story in exposition.

The series grows beyond Ged’s early adventures, with later books changing focus and deepening the questions raised in the first. That makes Earthsea a strong choice for readers who want fantasy that leaves room for reflection as well as wonder.

Best for: Readers who want thoughtful, compact fantasy with a quieter tone.
Consider first: It’s not built around nonstop action or a single, steadily escalating quest.

3. Discworld by Terry Pratchett

If you want fantasy that pokes fun at familiar genre conventions, try Discworld. Terry Pratchett’s comic series ranges across a richly imagined world, using witches, guards, wizards and other familiar fantasy figures to explore everything from power and prejudice to work and belief.

There are many books, but you don’t have to approach them as one continuous sequence. Readers who want a city-focused starting point can try Guards! Guards!; those curious about the series’ original entry can begin with The Colour of Magic. The books are connected, but many are grouped into recurring character or theme-based sequences, so there’s more than one reasonable path in.

Best for: Readers who like wit, satire and the freedom to choose a smaller entry point.
Consider first: Its comic voice is central; readers seeking a solemn, straight-faced epic may prefer another pick.

4. The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

Start The Eye of the World if you’re ready for a substantial epic built around prophecy, a dangerous journey and a sprawling cast. The series offers the deep world-building and high stakes that long-form fantasy readers often seek, gradually widening its scope across many books.

That scale is also the main drawback: this is a major commitment, with a large cast and a story that takes time to unfold. It’s a better match for readers who enjoy following a world and its characters over many volumes than for anyone looking for a short, self-contained introduction to fantasy.

Best for: Readers who want a long, immersive saga with extensive world-building.
Consider first: Its length and expanding cast can be daunting.

5. Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb

For character-led fantasy, begin with Assassin’s Apprentice, the first book in the Farseer sequence. It introduces Fitz, a royal outsider whose life becomes entangled with court politics, loyalty and dangerous responsibilities. Robin Hobb’s writing puts considerable weight on relationships and the personal costs of serving a larger cause.

The wider Realm of the Elderlings consists of several connected sequences, so readers who enjoy the first trilogy have more to explore. It’s usually best to begin with the Farseer books rather than jump into a later arc: the world and its returning characters develop across the larger series.

Best for: Readers who value complex characters, court intrigue and emotional consequences.
Consider first: Its appeal is more rooted in character and relationships than in nonstop action.

6. Mistborn: The Original Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

If you want a complete story without signing up for a sprawling multi-volume epic, try the original Mistborn trilogy, starting with The Final Empire. Its setting combines an oppressive empire, a plan to challenge the ruling order and a distinctive system of magic. The trilogy gives readers a clear starting arc and a sense of forward momentum.

Mistborn continues beyond those first books in a different era, but newcomers can begin with the original trilogy and treat it as a satisfying entry point. That makes it a practical pick for readers curious about Sanderson’s world-building who would rather start with a defined sequence.

Best for: Readers who want an accessible epic, a strong central premise and a contained first arc.
Consider first: The story’s magic system and plotting take center stage, so it may be less appealing if you prefer quieter, more literary fantasy.

7. The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin

Start with The Fifth Season for a darker, more formally adventurous fantasy trilogy. Its world is shaped by recurring environmental catastrophe and by the social systems built around people with powerful abilities. Jemisin uses that setting to explore oppression, survival and family as well as the mechanics of a fantastical world.

This is a more intense choice than a light quest or whimsical fantasy, both in subject matter and presentation. The trilogy is complete, so readers looking for a beginning, middle and end in a defined set of books can read it as one sustained story.

Best for: Readers who want challenging, socially engaged fantasy with a darker edge.
Consider first: Its themes and atmosphere can be heavy; it’s not the pick for an easygoing adventure.

8. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

The series begins with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone—published as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States—and follows Harry through school, friendship and a growing conflict with a powerful enemy. Its early books have a lighter school-adventure feel, while the story becomes more serious as Harry grows older.

That gradual shift helps make the sequence an approachable starting point for younger readers moving into longer fantasy stories. Adults who read it for the first time should know that the tone and subject matter change over the course of the series rather than staying at the level of the opening book.

Best for: Readers who enjoy magical schools, friendship and a coming-of-age arc.
Consider first: The series begins with a younger audience in mind, even as its stakes grow.

9. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Begin with Northern Lights, known as The Golden Compass in the United States. This trilogy follows Lyra into a wider world of exploration, danger and moral questions, blending adventure with ideas about authority, knowledge and growing up.

It’s a good option for readers who want a defined trilogy rather than an open-ended series. The story has a strong sense of adventure, but it also gives its ideas room to develop, making it a rewarding choice for teens and adults as well as younger readers.

Best for: Readers who want a complete, idea-rich adventure with a young protagonist.
Consider first: The series moves into more philosophical territory as it unfolds.

10. Between Earth and Sky by Rebecca Roanhorse

Start with Black Sun if you’re looking for fantasy rooted in a world inspired by pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas rather than the medieval European settings common in the genre. The series brings together political tensions, religious power and characters whose lives intersect amid major change.

A Five Books feature on fan-chosen fantasy and science-fiction selections connected to the 2025 Hugo Awards includes Between Earth and Sky as a series choice and identifies Black Sun as its opening volume. That’s one useful route into the series, though any fan-selected list reflects its participants’ tastes rather than a universal ranking.

Best for: Readers seeking myth-inspired fantasy, political conflict and a setting beyond the familiar European template.
Consider first: Its world and competing interests may take a little time to get oriented.

Which fantasy series should you read first?

For a shorter commitment, try Mistborn: The Original Trilogy, The Broken Earth or His Dark Materials. For a long immersion, choose The Wheel of Time or Realm of the Elderlings. If you want humor and flexibility, start with Discworld; if you want reflective, compact fantasy, try Earthsea.

There’s no single best fantasy series for every reader. Start with the book whose tone and scale suit you, then continue only if you want more of that world.