From the Bookshelf: Fantasy Favourites
10 fantasy book recommendations, for lovers of the fantastical and imaginary.
Fantasy is one of my favourite genres for the following reason: anything can happen.
Here a couple of my favourite fantasy books, just to give you a taste of the genre I love so much.
In no particular order, here we go!
1. Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians
“On my thirteenth birthday, I received a second confirmation that my parents were indeed cruel people. That was the day when I unexpectedly received in the mail the only inheritance they had left me.
It was a bag of sand.”—Alcatraz Smedry (aka Brandon Sanderson), Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians
I found this book (the four-books-in-one version, that is) in an op-shop for much less than it would have cost in a bookstore; so, not knowing what I was buying, but having some experience with Brandon Sanderson’s books, I added it to my collection.
I did not regret that decision.
With magic technology beyond most people’s wildest imaginations; Talents that include being late, tripping, and breaking things; evil librarians; talking dinosaurs; and sand; Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians is a very sarcastic, slightly morbid, breaking-the-fourth-wall ‘fantasy’ that is simultaneously ridiculous and hilarious.
Recommended to ages 12+.
2. Ella Enchanted
“Shaking her head sympathetically at Mother, the fairy touched my nose.
"My gift is obedience. Ella will always be obedient. Now stop crying, child."
I stopped.”—Ella of Frell (Gail Carson Levine), Ella Enchanted
This book was a gift, and one I’ve read multiple times over.
Ella Enchanted is a Cinderella retelling that explores why Ella is always obedient. I loved every part of Ella’s rebellious and witty character and the magical world she lives in.
While I haven’t read it in a while, I would still highly recommend it to fantasy-lovers and fairytale fanatics.
3. Eragon
“Eragon found the stone both beautiful and frightening. Where did it come from? Does it have a purpose? Then a more disturbing thought came to him: Was it sent here by accident, or am I meant to have it? If he had learned anything from the old stories, it was to treat magic, and those who used it, with great caution.”
—Christopher Paolini, Eragon
Reading this book after watching the movie (spoiler alert: the book is better) I loved the characters built by a young Christopher Paolini.
Young Eragon finds a stone, beautiful and clearly remarkable… but it turns out it isn’t a stone after all. It’s a dragon egg.
While I wouldn’t recommend it to young readers (for various reasons), the dialogue and plot are epic, and of course, there are dragons! Sapphira’s dry sense of humour in particular is always refreshing to read.
4. Word Hunters: The Curious Dictionary
“The book had started to buzz, and a glow had come from somewhere inside it. It was Al who had called Lexi in to show her. It was Al who had opened the book to find the source of the glow. And Al who had pressed the golden button marked ‘& more’ at the end of the definition of the word ‘Hello’. At that point, things had stopped making sense.”
—Nick Earls, Word Hunters: The Curious Dictionary
As a logophile myself, I love anything that has to do with words, or the origins of words. This book, the first in a trilogy, only helped grow that love.
Al and Lexi, twins, find themselves accidentally travelling back in time with only one way home: hunt down the words that are fading from the world, and save them from becoming completely extinct.
Highly recommended to all ages. (Don’t worry if you find it a bit confusing—it makes more sense after you’ve already read it once.)
5. Finding Serendipity
“‘Come on, Baxterr, you know wishes don’t come true if you tell,’ Tuesday said. Please, she had wished. Please, please, oh please let today be the day that she finishes the book.”
—Angelica Banks, Finding Serendipity
This book was a library find—and one I would love to add to my bookshelf one day! It’s the first in a trilogy, but it’s undoubtedly the best book in the series, and works very well as a standalone.
Tuesday McGillycuddy has a secret. Her mother, Sarah McGillycuddy, is actually Serendipity Smith, the famous writer! But then her mother goes missing… inside her story. So, of course, Tuesday goes in after her.
Recommended to all ages! Very sweet, and lots of fun—though the villain may scare some very young readers.
6. The Hobbit
“"Good morning!" he said at last. "We don't want any adventures here, thank you! You might try over The Hill or across The Water." By this he meant that the conversation was at an end.
"What a lot of things you do use Good morning for!" said Gandalf. "Now you mean that you want to get rid of me, and that it won't be good till I move off."”—J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
A real classic of a fantasy adventure, this one was recommended to me by a family friend, who then lent us one of his copies of the book. (Thank you!)
Bilbo Baggins, a respectable hobbit, is certainly not looking for adventure… but unfortunately, it comes looking for him, in the form of a Wizard and thirteen dwarves. And as it turns out, they’ve got his name down as their burglar.
This one is recommended to all ages, but bear in mind that there is quite a lot of action content—including, but not limited to, giant spiders.
It’s also a lot of fun to read out loud!
7. The Fairy-tale Detectives
“"I'm going to die of boredom here," Sabrina Grimm thought as she looked out the train window at Ferryport Landing, New York.”
—Michael Buckley, The Fairy-tale Detectives
Another library find, this is the first book in a series that is surprisingly dark for the age it’s marketed to; but as a fairytale enthusiast, I loved it nonetheless!
Sabrina and Daphne Grimm’s parents are missing. After a long time in the foster system, the two girls are now being sent to live with their grandmother, Relda Grimm—except, one small problem: Sabrina’s always been told her grandmother is dead. And this old lady is clearly crazy… isn’t she?
Full of fairytale fun and sibling shenanigans, I would recommend this book and the following series to mature readers ages 12+. Even better if they know the original fairytales, and not just the Disney retellings.
8. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
“‘This is the land of Narnia,’ said the Faun, ‘where we are now; all that lies between the lamp-post and the great Castle of Cair Paravel on the eastern sea. And you—have you come from the wild woods of the west?’
‘I—I got in through the wardrobe in the spare room,’ said Lucy.”—C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Firstly, the book is better than the movie. Secondly, if you haven’t read The Chronicles of Narnia, then you should.
This book is technically the second in the series, but I read it first, and because it was also written first, it worked. I know a lot of people say ‘start with The Magician’s Nephew because it’s book one’—honestly, I prefer to treat The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as book one, and then treat ‘book one’ as the prequel, since that’s how it was written. But whatever works for you!
A beautiful allegory that doubles as a brilliant fantasy read, highly recommended to all readers, all ages.
9. Mary Poppins
“"How did you come?" Jane asked. "It looked just as if the wind blew you here."
"It did," said Mary Poppins briefly. And she proceeded to unwind her muffler from her neck and to take off her hat, which she hung on one of the bedposts.”
—P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins
Another gift, this series has been one of my favourites for a very long time now. It really is a classic!
Mary Poppins, the nanny who blew in with the wind. Everything about her character is classic and timeless: her bottomless carpet-bag, her talking parrot-head umbrella.
This book reads like a collection of short stories, all featuring the same characters. Highly recommended—and even better to read as a family, where everyone can laugh at the silliness together.
10. The Princess Bride
“"Farm Boy, fetch me this"; "Get me that, Farm Boy—quickly, lazy thing, trot now or I’ll tell Father."
"As you wish."
That was all he ever answered. "As you wish."”—William Goldman, The Princess Bride
Another classic, this one is a rather romantic adventure involving a Spaniard, a Giant, a Sicilian, a Miracle Man, a Pirate, true love, rodents of unusual size, and of course, a Princess Bride.
Something to bear in mind—the book is presented as an abridgement, but it is not actually an abridgement. The story was made up by William Goldman, who presented it as an abridgement in order to skip all the boring parts.
Also, it isn’t necessary to read all his rambles in between the actual story. It affects practically nothing if you skip those parts.
Recommended to ages 14+, since some of Goldman’s humour is aimed at a slightly older audience.
If you’ve gotten this far, good on you!
What are your favourite fantasy books? Have you read any of the above? If so, what did you think of them? Comment and let me know!
May every story be incredible—
Emily B.
I love many of these books! Haven’t read Finding Serendipity, or the Word Hunters book. The Alcatraz book is one of the funniest I’ve read! I loved Sisters Grimm as well and Ella Enchanted.
Lovely choices! Funny thing though, I've never read any of them except *The Hobbit* and *The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe*