Best Of Lists · Fantasy
Best Fantasy Series
to Read in Order
The best fantasy series are complete worlds that reward investment — each book building on the last, each entry expanding a world that feels realer than the one outside. These 10 series are the ones worth committing to, ranked by where to start.
01
The Name of the Wind
Kvothe tells the story of how he went from orphaned street child to the most dangerous man the world has ever seen. Rothfuss's prose is the most beautiful in modern fantasy — dense, musical, and addictive. Book one of the Kingkiller Chronicle.
Epic FantasyLiterarySlow Burn
02
The Lies of Locke Lamora
Locke Lamora is the greatest con artist and thief in the city of Camorr. Book one of the Gentleman Bastards — an heist fantasy that reads like Ocean's Eleven set in a Renaissance Venice full of alchemy and crime.
Epic FantasyHeistAdult
03
The Way of Kings
The Stormlight Archive begins here — one of the most ambitious fantasy series ever attempted. Sanderson's world-building is without parallel: Roshar, with its storm-shaped ecology and 10 ancient orders of knights, feels as real as Middle Earth.
Epic FantasyHigh FantasyLong Series
04
A Game of Thrones
The series that changed what fantasy could do with power, betrayal, and consequence. Start here even if you've seen the show — the books have more complexity, more characters, and more of the world that makes Westeros feel real.
Epic FantasyDarkClassic
05
The Blade Itself
Book one of the First Law trilogy — Abercrombie's deconstruction of fantasy heroism. Characters who seem like genre archetypes are revealed to be something far more complex and human. Brutal, funny, and brilliant.
Grimdark FantasySubversiveTrilogy
06
The Final Empire
Mistborn book one — the perfect starter Sanderson. A heist against an immortal god-emperor in a world of ash and mist, with one of fantasy's most creative magic systems. Completely self-contained enough to read as a standalone.
Epic FantasyMagic SystemSanderson
07
A Wizard of Earthsea
The book that everything else in fantasy ultimately descends from. Ged is a young wizard learning his power and his mistakes. Le Guin's prose is crystalline; her moral intelligence, unmatched. Essential reading even 50 years later.
Classic FantasyEssentialShort
08
The Eye of the World
Book one of The Wheel of Time — 14 books, the most expansive secondary-world fantasy series ever completed. Jordan's world-building and Sanderson's completion (books 12-14) make it worth every page.
Epic FantasyLong SeriesClassic
09
Six of Crows
A six-person heist crew breaks into the most impenetrable prison in the world. Bardugo's duology can be read without the Grisha trilogy — it's the better starting point. Cast chemistry and plot mechanics are the genre's gold standard.
YA FantasyHeistEssential
10
The Priory of the Orange Tree
A dragon-rider, a queen, and a world on the brink of apocalypse — one 800-page standalone epic with no series commitment required. Shannon's feminist high fantasy is one of the decade's best, and you can read the whole thing in one book.
Epic FantasyStandaloneFeminist
How to Choose Your First Fantasy Series
Fantasy series can feel intimidating — The Wheel of Time is 14 books; The Stormlight Archive is planned for 10. The best approach is to start with something short: Mistborn (3 books), Six of Crows (2 books), or the standalone Priory of the Orange Tree. Get a feel for the depth of world-building you enjoy before committing to a 10-book epic.
For readers who want literary prose, The Name of the Wind and A Wizard of Earthsea are essential. For action and magic systems, Sanderson's work is unmatched. For subversion of the genre's tropes, start with The Blade Itself — Abercrombie will change what you expect from fantasy permanently.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best fantasy series to start with?
The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson is the optimal starting point — it's self-contained, the magic system is extraordinary, and it can be read as a standalone. Six of Crows is the best choice for readers who want heist energy and cast chemistry. The Lies of Locke Lamora is perfect for readers who come from crime fiction.
Is The Wheel of Time worth reading all 14 books?
Yes, though the middle books (roughly 7-10) are slower. The pacing issues are real, but the world Jordan built and Sanderson completed is worth the journey. Many fans skip nothing; others skim books 8-10 on first reads. Either way, the finale is extraordinary.
What fantasy series is complete?
The Wheel of Time (14 books, complete), Mistborn Era 1 (3 books, complete), The First Law trilogy (3 books + standalones, complete original trilogy), and Six of Crows (2 books, complete) are all fully finished. The Kingkiller Chronicle is unfinished as of 2026.
What fantasy series has the best magic system?
Brandon Sanderson dominates this category — Allomancy (Mistborn), Stormlight (The Stormlight Archive), and Awakening (Warbreaker) are three of fantasy's most inventive and internally consistent magic systems. Sanderson's "hard magic" approach — rules-based, coherent, integral to plot — is deeply satisfying.