Looking back at decades of work in a genre as wide in scope and with as vast a catalog as fantasy is, quite simply, staggering. The shape of fantasy literature in the year 2000 feels worlds away from what it has become today. We’re here to recognize works from those early years of this century up to 2025 that continue to be widely read, that urge readers to find similar books, and that we are certain will forever haunt the halls of our minds as fully realized and breathtaking as some of the mythical, magical creatures in these stories. In coming up with this list, as with others that will be released throughout the year, we looked back not only at some of our personal favorites, but also at the books that changed the landscape of the genre and became instant classics. We looked at the books that impacted culture beyond the pages and created massive fandoms.
Here are the fantasy books that top our charts this century so far.
All Access members, find a PDF of the complete Best Fantasy Books of the Century (So Far) list below!
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