--- title: The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time description: With a panel of leading fantasy authors, TIME presents the 100 most engaging, inventive and influential works of fantasy fiction. canonical: https://time.com/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/ article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-03-17T00:08:27.387Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-17T00:08:26.983Z og:title: The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time og:description: With a panel of leading fantasy authors, TIME presents the 100 most engaging, inventive and influential works of fantasy fiction og:url: https://time.com/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc815bd60101f7004/698a130516d88444cdc38ae1/100-Best-Fantasy-Books-of-All-Time2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time og:type: website twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time twitter:description: With a panel of leading fantasy authors, TIME presents the 100 most engaging, inventive and influential works of fantasy fiction twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc815bd60101f7004/698a130516d88444cdc38ae1/100-Best-Fantasy-Books-of-All-Time2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---   Illustration by Corrine Reid for TIME # The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. With a panel of leading fantasy authors—N.K. Jemisin, Neil Gaiman, Sabaa Tahir, Tomi Adeyemi, Diana Gabaldon, George R.R. Martin, Cassandra Clare and Marlon James—TIME presents the most engaging, inventive and influential works of fantasy fiction, in chronological order beginning in the 9th century [Read More](/5900236/how-we-chose-100-best-fantasy-books/) ## Introduction *  [N.K. Jemisin on the Timeless Power of Fantasy](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898000/nk-jemisin-fantasy-novels/) byN.K. Jemisin ## The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time *  [The Arabian Nights](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898459/the-arabian-nights/) byTIME Staff *  [Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5897156/le-morte-darthur/) byTIME Staff *  [Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5897157/alices-adventures-in-wonderland/) byTIME Staff *  [Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5897158/through-the-looking-glass/) byTIME Staff *  [Five Children and It by E. Nesbit](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5897159/five-children-and-it/) byTIME Staff *  [Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898430/ozma-of-oz/) byTIME Staff *  [Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898431/mary-poppins/) byTIME Staff *  [The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898432/the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe/) byTIME Staff *  [The Palm-Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898433/the-palm-wine-drinkard/) byTIME Staff *  [The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898435/voyage-of-the-dawn-treader/) byTIME Staff *  [The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898436/fellowship-of-the-ring/) byTIME Staff *  [My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by Amos Tutuola](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898437/my-life-in-the-bush-of-ghosts/) byTIME Staff *  [The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898438/the-two-towers/) byTIME Staff *  [The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898439/the-return-of-the-king/) byTIME Staff *  [A Hero Born by Jin Yong](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898440/a-hero-born/) byTIME Staff *  [The Once & Future King by T.H. White](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898441/the-once-and-future-king/) byTIME Staff *  [James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898442/james-and-the-giant-peach/) byTIME Staff *  [The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898443/the-phantom-tollbooth/) byTIME Staff *  [A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898444/a-wrinkle-in-time/) byTIME Staff *  [The Wandering Unicorn by Manuel Mujica Lainez](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898445/the-wandering-unicorn/) byTIME Staff *  [Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898446/dragonflight/) byTIME Staff *  [The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898447/the-last-unicorn/) byTIME Staff *  [A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898448/a-wizard-of-earthsea/) byTIME Staff *  [The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898449/the-crystal-cave/) byTIME Staff *  [The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898450/the-tombs-of-atuan/) byTIME Staff *  [Watership Down by Richard Adams](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898451/watership-down/) byTIME Staff *  [The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898452/the-dark-is-rising/) byTIME Staff *  [The Princess Bride by William Goldman](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898453/the-princess-bride/) byTIME Staff *  [Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898454/tuck-everlasting/) byTIME Staff *  [A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L’Engle](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898455/a-swiftly-tilting-planet/) byTIME Staff *  [The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898456/the-bloody-chamber/) byTIME Staff *  [The BFG by Roald Dahl](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898457/the-bfg/) byTIME Staff *  [Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898458/alanna-the-first-adventure/) byTIME Staff *  [Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898460/howls-moving-castle/) byTIME Staff *  [Redwall by Brian Jacques](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898461/redwall/) byTIME Staff *  [Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898462/swordspoint/) byTIME Staff *  [The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898463/the-lives-of-christopher-chant/) byTIME Staff *  [The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898464/the-eye-of-the-world/) byTIME Staff *  [Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898465/good-omens/) byTIME Staff *  [Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898467/haroun-and-the-sea-of-stories/) byTIME Staff *  [Outlander by Diana Gabaldon](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898469/outlander/) byTIME Staff *  [Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898468/tigana/) byTIME Staff *  [The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898470/the-golden-compass/) byTIME Staff *  [Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898471/neverwhere/) byTIME Staff *  [Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898472/ella-enchanted/) byTIME Staff *  [The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898473/the-subtle-knife/) byTIME Staff *  [Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898475/brown-girl-in-the-ring/) byTIME Staff *  [Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898476/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban/) byTIME Staff *  [Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley](/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898477/spindles-end/) byTIME Staff ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"CollectionPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/"},"headline":"The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time","description":"With a panel of leading fantasy authors—N.K. Jemisin, Neil Gaiman, Sabaa Tahir, Tomi Adeyemi, Diana Gabaldon, George R.R. 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