Fantasy Subgenres in Fiction—The Best Novels In The Fantasy Genre

The past decade has seen a veritable explosion of fantasy movies upon the silver screen, many of which have been adapted from novels, some classic and well-loved (Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings; C.S. Lewis’s world of Narnia; Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland), others less well-known perhaps, but with their own young reader/viewer appeal (Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia; Susan Cooper’s The Seeker: The Dark is Rising; Holly Black’s Spiderwick Chronicles).

Before we all rush out to option our favourite fantasy novels, it may be instructive to take a look at the myriad subgenres.Below is a far from complete list that gives only some examples of novels representative of the major subgenres. Considering the wealth of fine fantasy literature available, both classic and contemporary, the possibilities for adaptations are practically limitless. Of course, it should be noted that subgenres are not mutually exclusive and often blend into one another with elements of several present in any one novel.

High/Epic Fantasy: This is the type of fantasy that most people expect when they think 'fantasy'. Often set in medieval or pseudo-medieval times, stories tend to focus on kingdoms and castles, lords and ladies, wizards and witches, and of course, knights in shining armour. Dragons and unicorns, griffins and gnomes, faery folk and other exotic creatures may also make an appearance. Drawing from medieval European legends, high or epic fantasy focuses its themes on Good versus Evil, and extols the values of honour, virtue and valour. Often a personal coming-of-age story, and usually centering on a young boy on the cusp of adulthood, who,in the midst of an ordinary life,is unexpectedly plunged, with a mismatched group of companions, into a quest for a symbolic item of world-shaking import,resulting in an extraordinary whirlwind adventure that will test their mettle and imbue in them honour and valour, and maybe even the beginnings of wisdom.

Examples: Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings; C.S. Lewis’s world of Narnia; Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain cycle; William Goldman’s The Princess Bride; Lord Dunsany’s The King of Elfland’s Daughter; Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea cycle; C. J. Cherryh’s Ealdwood and Fortress series; David Eddings’ Belgariad; George R. R. Martin's A Song Of Fire And Ice series, Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series; Robin Hobb's The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin's Quest); Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series, Patricia A. McKillip's Riddlemasters of Hed.

Sword and Sorcery/ Heroic Fantasy: Rollicking tales of high adventure in medieval or pseudo-medieval settings, with the hero rescuing the damsel in distress by wielding his sword to overcome all the bad guys. Muscle-bound Conan-types have been replaced in recent years by the thinking damsel’s hero, while more recent novels have featured female protagonists who excel in swordplay as well as sorcery.

Examples: Robert E. Howard brought about the rise in popularity of this sub-genre with his creation of Conan: The Barbarian; Michael Moorcock’s anti-hero Elric of Melnibone is the antithesis of Conan; Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser; the four books in C. J. Cherryh's Morgaine saga (the first 3 novels: Gate of Ivrel, Well of Shiuan, Fires of Azeroth are followed by Exile's Gate).

Fairy Tales, Folklore and Mythology: The Brothers Grimm sanitized many a folktale to come up with fairy tales for children. Recent years have seen a re-telling of these fairy tales in versions that would delight, as well as disturb, grown-ups. Yet other fantasy authors draw inspiration from ancient mythology.

Examples: Robin Mckinley’s re-telling of Beauty and the Beast in her novels Beauty, Rose Daughter, Spindle’s End; C. J. Cherryh’s Ealdwood or Arafel stories (The Dreaming Tree, originally published as The Dreamstone and The Tree of Swords and Jewels) are based in part on Celtic mythology, while her Russian trilogy (Rusalka, Chernevog, Yvgenie) draws heavily from Slavic mythology; Patricia A McKillip's Winter Rose has intimations of Tam Lin; Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising series incorporate traditional British mythology, including Arthurian and folkloric elements; Charles de Lint's The Dreaming Place combines elements of Celtic and native American mythology; Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon is a re-telling of the Arthurian legend from the point of view of the women behind the throne.

Historical/Alternative Historical Fantasy:Fantasy tales set in real countries (or places that closely resemble real countries) way back when, often including real historical characters.

Examples: Judith Tarr’s Lord of the Two Lands set in Egypt, Katherine Kurtz’s Deryni books set in an alternate Britain; C. J. Cherryh’s Russian series (Rusalka, Chernevog, Yvgenie); Guy Gavriel Kay’s Tigana set in medieval Italy, A Song for Arbonne, set in a medieval Provence; The Lions of Al-Rassan, set in a medieval Spain, Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors, set in a medieval Constantinople, The Last Light of the Sun, set in medieval England and Wales.

Contemporary/Urban Fantasy:Set in modern times and often involving protagonists who struggle with supernatural powers as they straddle two parallel or not-so-parallel worlds.

Examples: Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys and Coraline; Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer; J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series; Holly Black’s Spiderwick Chronicles; Emma Bull’s War For The Oaks; Charles de Lint's many urban fantasy novels, e.g. The Mystery of Grace.

Dark Fantasy: The nightmarish, darker side of magic, evil creatures, vampires and demons—the supernatural, paranormal and, on occasion, erotic.

Examples: H. P. Lovecraft; Anne Rice; Laurel K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series starring a vampire hunter protagonist; Tanya Huff's Blood series and The Keeper's Chronicles (which can also be considered as contemporary fantasy); Robin McKinley’s re-telling of fairy tales.

YA (Young Adult) Fantasy: Aimed specifically at young readers (children, tweens and teenagers), some of these novels may transcend their target audience, appealing to grown-ups as well. Some authors write predominantly for the younger crowd, but there are a few (e.g. Charles de Lint) who, despite writing predominantly for adults, have a few novels that feature very modern older teens as protagonists.

Examples: J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series; Mercedes Lackey's The Heralds of Valdemar series; the novels of Tamora Pierce, including many excellent series such as The Immortals, Protector of the Small, Song of The Lioness, Circle of Magic; Jane Yolen's Pit Dragon Chronicles series, Sister Light, Sister Dark; Patricia A. McKillip's award-winning The Forgotten Beasts of Eld; Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle, The Chronicles of Chrestomanci; Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series; Holly Black’s Spiderwick Chronicles; Charles de Lint's edgy The Blue Girl and Little (Grrl) Lost for older teens.

Comic Fantasy: Outright spoofs of other serious fantasies, or light-hearted tales of humour.

Examples: Robert Asprin's MythAdventures series; Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series; Piers Anthony’s Xanth series; Tanya Huff’s short stories featuring Magdalene, the world’s most powerful (and laziest) wizard.

SteamPunk Fantasy: Evoking a retro-futuristic era that incorporates steam power in a Victorian-esque society, steampunk is fast-growing in popularity, although its origins hark back to the works of famous authors Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, among others. Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials trilogy may be deemed steampunk-ish, as well as Hayao Miyazaki’s anime films such as Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Howl’s Moving Castle, the latter based on a YA novel by Diana Wynne Jones.

And there you have it, a list of novels representative of the myriad fantasy subgenres. While this list includes fine examples of each subgenre, it is by no means exhaustive. If I have left out your all-time favourites, drop me a comment and I will add it to my list, which I hope will become a helpful resource for readers who are both new to the fantasy genre and for those established fantasy readers who hope to discover new novels and authors to love and enjoy. Happy reading!