The Best High Fantasy Books: A Beginner’s Guide To The Genre
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Back in the old days, the word ‘fantasy’ referred pretty much exclusively to ‘high fantasy’. Now, of course, we’ve branched out; you’ll see descriptors like ‘epic’ and ‘low fantasy’ thrown around a lot, even ‘urban fantasy’ (which in my opinion is sometimes literally just paranormal…but that’s an argument for a different day). With all these terms floating about, here’s a guide on how to tell the difference.
I don’t actually think this book is that great. But I’ve included in on here because it’s absolutely the most typical high fantasy book I can think of. Medieval-inspired setting? Check. (Anyone with a passing knowledge of English and Scottish history will recognise a lot of the events that happen). Quest? Absolutely. (Everyone’s trying to get their hands on the Iron Throne). Important enemies and allies? You got it. Violence and a patriarchal system are added bonuses.
While I’m ambivalent about the actual quality of this ultra-popular series, I do admit that if you’re looking for a classical example of the genre you need look no further.
This one is awesome, and I regularly reread it. The heroine, Sabriel, is an Abhorsen – someone whose job it is to ensure that the Dead don’t get any ideas about making their way back into Life. But when her father vanishes she must go into the lawless Old Kingdom to track him down. She’s confronted by a destiny where Dead things haunt her every step, hoping to drag her into their world.
This series is two brilliant on two counts. Firstly, the fantasy world Nix has created is awesome: it’s complex, consistent, and well realised, everything you want from a fictional reality. Plus, he’s not gone down the clichéd route of having institutionalised sexism. The book features multiple strong female characters in positions of power, and gender is never discussed.
This one deserves way more recognition than it actually gets – for its originality, if nothing else. The main character, Tobin, isn’t a girl pretending to be a boy: he’s a boy who was born a girl. But to protect him, he was transformed at birth into a male body. More specifically, the body of his dead twin brother, who now haunts him as a vengeful demon.
This is more of a character-driven fantasy than the ones I’ve mentioned so far. Tobin really believes he’s a boy, but he’ll have to re-assume the female form in order to take up the throne. Flewelling here give us a pretty interesting book that dips into things like gender dysphoria, a topic not usually explored sensitively or with depth in high fantasy. Don’t read it if you’re after blood and guts – that’s what A Game of Thrones delivers on.
This is one of those that people sometimes claim is ‘urban fantasy’, because a lot of the action is based in a city setting. That city happens to be Elantra, a fantastical place populated by a whole bunch of magical creatures. Our heroine Kaylin has fled a dark past and become a respected city official. But now children are dying, and she’s the only one who can help figure out why.
This has been described by Tamora Pierce (herself an immensely respected high fantasy novelist) as a ‘police procedural’. It’s just that the police officers in question happen to be things like wolves and immortal dragons, and the crimes they’re investigating are magical.
Do yourself a favour and READ THIS BOOK. It’s got plot twists, and humour, and action, and incredible characters – basically, it’s almost perfect. Admittedly there isn’t a ton of court intrigue, but it manages a good balance between being character-driven and plot-driven.
The characters are, frankly, spectacular. Our hero, the eponymous thief, is Gen: an irreverent, sarcastic, tricky young man whom you should never ever trust. He agrees to come along on a mysterious quest because it gets him out of prison. This might sound standard, but it’s carried by Turner’s flawless writing and world-building. The sequel The Queen of Attolia is even better – you basically read this book because it sets you up for that one, which is BRILLIANT.
