10 high fantasy books for readers who enjoy sweeping worlds, dangerous quests and richly imagined histories.
High fantasy is built around an entirely invented world, complete with its own cultures, conflicts, mythology and rules. That distinguishes it from stories that simply add magic or monsters to the modern world. J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth remains the defining example, but the genre has grown into many different forms.
Some of the books below feature grand battles, sorcery and ancient powers. Others keep magic rare, place ordinary people under extraordinary pressure or use history as the foundation for a new setting. If you are choosing a long fantasy series or planning a themed reading list, the Arcade Machine Buying Guide approach applies surprisingly well: know what kind of experience you want before you commit.
Ursula K. Le Guin — A Wizard of Earthsea (1968)
Ursula K. Le Guin’s first Earthsea novel uses familiar fantasy ingredients while giving them unusual emotional and philosophical weight. Ged is a gifted young magician whose impatience and pride unleash a dangerous shadow. His real challenge is not defeating a conventional dark lord, but accepting responsibility and learning why balance matters.
The novel is short and remarkably focused. Readers who connect with its quiet, thoughtful style can continue through the five-book Earthsea series, which expands its world through further meditative stories.
Guy Gavriel Kay — Tigana (1990)
Guy Gavriel Kay often reshapes real history into emotionally intense fantasy. Tigana draws on Renaissance Italy and centres on a province whose name and memory have been magically erased by the sorcerer king Brandin.
The people born in Tigana retain the truth of their homeland, even though the wider world cannot remember it. Their attempt to restore that memory becomes a political and military struggle, giving the novel a strong sense of loss beneath its fantasy setting.
Robert Jordan — The Great Hunt (1990)
The second book in The Wheel of Time gives Robert Jordan’s characters more room to develop after the familiar fantasy patterns of The Eye of the World. Rand al’Thor is caught in another world alongside a secretive woman, while aspiring Aes Sedai face betrayal and an invasion.
Multiple threats push the story forward, and the larger cast begins to show the depth that would define the series. For readers considering a substantial fantasy commitment, this is often where the saga’s strongest qualities become clear.
Andrzej Sapkowski — The Last Wish (1993)
The Last Wish introduces the Continent through short stories that give familiar fairy-tale ideas darker, stranger outcomes. Geralt of Rivia is a professional monster hunter, but mythical creatures are not always his most difficult opponents; cruel people and political complications can be just as dangerous.
The collection balances sharp humour, action and tragedy. It is also an accessible entry point to The Witcher world, whose later novels focus more heavily on the devastating consequences of war.
Steven Erikson — Gardens of the Moon (1999)
The opening volume of Malazan Book of the Fallen drops readers into the Malazan Empire’s campaign to conquer Genabackis. Con artists, assassins, mages and gods all become involved as the conflict spreads across a setting shaped by thousands of years of history.
Its dense worldbuilding can take time to absorb, but persistence brings rewards: nuanced characters, rapid movement and a huge sense of historical depth. It is a strong choice for readers who want fantasy on an unusually ambitious scale.
Robin Hobb — Fool’s Errand (2001)
Robin Hobb’s FitzChivalry Farseer is an assassin who can form bonds with animals. The character is introduced in the earlier Farseer Trilogy, but Fool’s Errand begins the Tawny Man trilogy and follows Fitz 15 years later.
That time gap brings a more mature story about ageing and loss. Fitz must search for a missing prince at a mysterious estate, relying less on brute force than on observation, judgement and his ability to survive difficult situations.
Lois McMaster Bujold — The Curse of Chalion (2001)
Inspired by the unification of Spain, The Curse of Chalion combines court politics with demons, dark magic and active gods. Cazaril, a former soldier scarred by captivity and torture, takes a position tutoring noble children.
Old enemies and a powerful curse soon draw him into a dangerous plan to protect the royal family. The solution involves political manoeuvring, sacrifice, a marriage arrangement and divine intervention, making this a satisfying fantasy novel for readers who prefer strategy to battlefield spectacle.
Scott Lynch — The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006)
In a fantasy city inspired by Venice, Locke Lamora leads a group of talented con artists preparing an ambitious scheme. Their plans become far more dangerous when a brutal new crime lord begins attacking the city’s criminal factions.
The first Gentleman Bastard novel is packed with rival organisations, elaborate deceptions and an appealingly funny cast. Its warmth makes the sudden violence hit harder, while the heist structure later helped inspire the tabletop role-playing game Blades in the Dark.
Brandon Sanderson — Words of Radiance (2014)
Brandon Sanderson is known for constructing detailed worlds and clearly defined magic systems, many of which connect through the shared Cosmere universe. His work includes Elantris, Warbreaker and the original Mistborn trilogy, but The Stormlight Archive is his most expansive project.
Words of Radiance builds on the foundations laid by The Way of Kings. Shallan, a noble scholar hiding troubling secrets, receives greater focus as the political and supernatural stakes rise. Despite running beyond 1,000 pages, the novel moves through major action scenes and frequent revelations.
James Islington — The Will of the Many (2023)
James Islington’s first Hierarchy novel blends the scale of modern epic fantasy with a setting inspired by the Roman Republic. In Caten, the ruling system treats magic as a mechanism of control, draining the will of lower-ranking people to increase the strength of those above them.
Vis, a prince from a fallen kingdom, is sent undercover to the Hierarchy’s most prestigious school. His role as a spy places him inside the political system he distrusts, leading to a twist-filled story driven by secrets, social oppression and carefully developed worldbuilding.
Choosing your next fantasy read
These books cover a broad range of high fantasy: reflective magic in Earthsea, historical echoes in Tigana and Chalion, sprawling military conflict in Malazan and The Wheel of Time, and character-led intrigue in Hobb, Lynch and Islington.
For more gaming and hardware reading, browse the Arcade Blog, explore compact bartop arcades or compare the options in the arcade machine range. Readers who enjoy fantasy combat and mythical creatures may also appreciate the selection of arcade light guns for action-focused play.
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