Best Fantasy series

The 200 best Fantasy series, scored across every volume.

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By year of first publication, 1938–2025. The busiest stretch is 2010–2019, with 64. Select a bar to narrow the list.

Why The Stormlight Archive is #1

The Stormlight Archive (Brandon Sanderson) scores 9.1/10 from 13K ratings — 0.2 points ahead of The Kingkiller Chronicle in second place.

The score is a weighted average across 3 independent rating sources. A title with few ratings is pulled toward the category average, so a handful of enthusiastic reviews cannot outrank a book that thousands of readers have judged. Method →

How to pick good fantasy

Good fantasy has rules, and the rules have costs. Look for books where those rules change what the characters decide.

Magic has a priceIf a spell solves every problem, the tension dies. What matters is what the character pays.
The world lives beyond the plotTrade, faith and politics keep working even when the heroes don’t need them.
Judge the first volume separatelyVolumes are rated separately here. If only later ones rank high, expect a slow start.

Frequently asked questions

Which title here has the most ratings?

Harry Potter (J. K. Rowling) — 56.6K ratings and 8.7/10, which puts it at #9 on this list.