Writing a book is no easy task; writing a good book even less so. After all, writing is an art, and it can be a difficult thing to master. Heck, some people spend years and years studying it before they ever publish anything, and even then, there’s no guarantee that it will be good. With self-publishing being easier than ever thanks to Amazon, it certainly won’t take long to find a slew of awful books out there.
This is especially the case in the high fantasy genre, a subgenre featuring stories that take place in worlds completely separate from our own. High fantasy is experiencing a significant boom right now, which has been going on since at least the 1980s. A lot of authors have tried their hand at the genre, only to fail miserably. Every so often, though, a writer comes along that totally nails it. Their books might have perfect pacing, perfect characters, perfect prose, perfect emotion; perfect everything. These are the most perfectly written books in high fantasy.
‘The Lies of Locke Lamora’ (2006)
The Lies of Locke Lamora takes place in an unnamed fictional world, specifically in the city of Camorr, which resembles Renaissance Venice. In this weaving labyrinth of streets and canals, there exists a group of con artists calling themselves the Gentleman Bastards. These thieves have only one purpose: to rob the rich blind before they even realize they’ve been had. It’s kind of like Robin Hood, only without all the giving to the poor.
Chapters alternate between the present storyline’s acts of thievery and the history of the city and of the organization itself, which is actually a great way of worldbuilding and establishing lore without overwhelming the reader with info dumps. It keeps the story rolling forward, but also provides some much-needed context at key points. With a crew reminiscent of Ocean’s Eleven and some fantastical heists, this book has garnered a lot of love amongst fantasy readers for its excellent writing.
‘The NeverEnding Story’ (1979)
The NeverEnding Story was written by German author Michael Ende and was adapted for the big screen just five years later. It’s sort of a frame story, acting as a bit of book-ception. The premise is that a lonely boy in the real world finds an old book, and begins reading it, which happens to be pretty much The NeverEnding Story itself. The book is set in the realm of Fantastica, which is under threat from a dangerous, amalgamous force called “the Nothing.” Fearing destruction, a princess sends a boy warrior named Atreyu to stop it.
It’s a classic feel-good story, though it is not without its more depressing parts. The movie became a staple of ’80s fantasy cinema, even spawning a few sequels. As with pretty much any book-to-film adaptation, though, the original text is going to reign supreme. It feels like a nostalgic childhood fairytale, including dragons, adventure, and magic, which is pretty much everything one could want from a high fantasy story. The writing approach turned out to be the correct choice, because it certainly helped the book stand out amongst others.
‘The Blade Itself’ (2006)
The Blade Itself is the first book in The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. It’s a grimdark fantasy series, so don’t expect it to be all sunshine and daisies. This book is unapologetically bleak, with very few, if any, morally sound characters. The protagonists in question are pretty awful people, with one being a murderous barbarian, one being a fraudulent wizard, another being a hedonistic soldier, and the last being a literal torturer. Their fates become intertwined when conspiracies are unravelled, and villains show up to exact revenge.
This book is basically what would happen if a tabletop RPG party was made up of the worst people you ever knew. Which… if you play games like that with your friends, maybe it’s the case anyway. Joking aside, the writing in this book is brilliant, largely because it feels so realistic. The characters feel like they could be genuine people, because, let’s face it, there are a lot of corrupt and evil people out there. The way the characters are fleshed out is exceptional, and makes for an amazing reading experience.
‘A Wizard of Earthsea’ (1968)
A Wizard of Earthsea is the first in the popular Earthsea saga, which became known for a lot of things, namely its impeccable worldbuilding. The story is set on an ocean planet, with the only land being an archipelago of islands. This planet, called Earthsea, is inhabited by both humans and dragons. Most humans have some sort of magical abilities and have developed cultures and realms. It’s not so simple and one-dimensional as having one culture per island either — many of these cultures have expanded and colonized multiple islands, making the world actually feel like a real, complete place.
Ursula K. Le Guin won numerous awards for this book, and for its sequels. Not only does it have a fascinating world that is incredibly easy to get lost in, but it’s also a fantastic, well-thought-out story. Of course, the thing that makes it all better is the writing itself. The prose immaculately flows and really reminds the reader that writing is an art form. There’s just nothing else like these books out there, and they’re still popular today.
‘Assassin’s Apprentice’ (1995)
Assassin’s Apprentice is the first book in Robin Hobb‘s Farseer Trilogy, which eventually expanded into a rather large shared universe consisting of multiple trilogies and one quadrilogy. Believe it or not, the book is about an assassin’s apprentice. More specifically, it is about the king’s illegitimate son being taken at the age of six to train with the assassins in order to protect the throne from his power-hungry uncle.
This book came as a bit of a surprise to fantasy fans, because nobody had ever read anything quite like it before. Like any work, it’s clear where its inspirations come from, but it also did a lot to reinvent classic fantasy tropes so that it felt original. Assassin’s Apprentice is proof that Hobb is a master of the pen and is able to craft stories that capture the imagination and emotions, creating an unparalleled fantasy experience.
‘Gardens of the Moon’ (1999)
Gardens of the Moon is the first book in Steven Erikson‘s Malazan universe, as well as the first in the main sequence known as Malazan: Book of the Fallen. The gist of the story is that there is a terrifying and oppressive regime, called the Malazan Empire, which has conquered much of the known world. At the onset of the series, they intend to expand even further by conquering the continent of Genebackis.
That’s the very short version of things, anyway. The novels get much more complex and nuanced — they’re epic fantasy, after all. Malazan has become something of a favourite in the fantasy fandom, and it’s still seeing releases to this day, so it never goes out of style. While all of the books are pretty awesome and well-written in their own right, the way this one is written is just a little bit more special.
‘A Storm of Swords’ (2000)
A Storm of Swords is the third book in George R. R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire series, which famously got adapted into the hit HBO original series, Game of Thrones. This book was so large that it actually needed two seasons of the show to adapt the whole thing. Like the rest of the series, the story is about nine royal families feuding over a throne, completely unaware that a primordial evil is silently gathering strength far to the North, preparing to bring an end to humanity.
So many important and legendary events happen in this book, including the Battle of Castle Black and the notorious Red Wedding. Even though it’s a super long book, it really doesn’t feel that long because it’s consistently exciting all the way through. It’s bleak, epic, and really emotional, inspiring anger, anxiety, sadness, triumph, and pretty much every other emotion that a reader should feel from a good story, all thanks to Martin’s impeccable writing style.
‘The Shadow Rising’ (1992)
The Shadow Rising is the fourth book in the enormous The Wheel of Time saga, which spans 15 novels. The Wheel of Time generally has a reputation for being too “fluffy.” Author Robert Jordan often includes lots of padding, especially around books seven through ten, and it can be challenging for a lot of people. This fourth entry, however, is perfectly paced: each chapter actually feels like it progresses the story rather than serving as an overly long bit of filler.
The overarching narrative is set on Earth, thousands of years in the future, and is about a chosen one known as the Dragon Reborn, who is destined to either destroy the world or save it. This book follows the characters as they traverse the mysterious desert known as the Aiel Waste. It also happens to be the basis for the third and final season of the cancelled TV show. Among fans, it’s widely considered one of the best books because it’s got lots of adventure, excellent worldbuilding, great character moments, and a ton of interesting sequences. Above all, the writing in this one is absolutely top-tier.
‘Oathbringer’ (2017)
Oathbringer is the third book in Brandon Sanderson‘s The Stormlight Archive saga. The series is part of his shared literary universe known as the Cosmere. Each book or series in the Cosmere takes place on its own planet within the same galaxy, with each planet having a distinct system of magic. Stormlight takes place on the barren world of Roshar, a land constantly bombarded by hurricane-like events known as highstorms. There is little to no plant life, and most indigenous life forms are crustaceous.
The premise of the series is about a war between humans and the native Listeners, a race of crustaceous humanoids, and the resurrection of an old form of magic that hasn’t been seen in over 1,000 years. This monster of a book is 1,200 pages long, yet it doesn’t waste a single word. It’s perfectly paced, contains some amazing and meaningful quotes, lots of large-scale battles, and one of the most thrilling climaxes in the entire genre. Sanderson is a master at his craft, but this book might just be his absolute finest.
‘The Hobbit, or There and Back Again’ (1937)
The Hobbit is a book that probably doesn’t need an introduction. Just in case you somehow haven’t heard of it, the story was J. R. R. Tolkien‘s debut novel, and the first set in his enormous legendarium known commonly as Middle-earth. This story is meant for both kids and adults, and serves as only a small part of the truly enormous history that Tolkien wrote about Middle-earth. In it, a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins is swept away from his cozy home in the Shire to embark on a journey across the land to reclaim the dwarven kingdom of Erebor from a slumbering dragon.
The length is perfect, neither too short nor too long. It’s an absolute fantasy classic that serves as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy that Tolkien primarily became known for, which, like The Hobbit, would later receive movie adaptations directed by Peter Jackson. The best part about it is Tolkien’s signature flair, which recounts the story almost as if he were a father telling it to his children. It’s full of classic fantasy tropes, grand adventure, and a warm, cozy atmosphere. It’s also a legendary piece of history and one of the earliest high fantasy novels ever made.
