Would you like to know the best fantastic novels? And it is that traveling can be done in many different ways: exploring a large European city for a short week, making a getaway to the beach or the mountains, going backpacking and enjoying the purest nature… But about dragons, trees that speak, elves, unicorns, and creatures as captivating as they are dangerous can only be found in books ? and in the movies that are made from those books, of course.
If you’ve already spent all your savings on ice cream, and the spin of the fan blades stopped being entertaining at least three hours ago, there’s nothing better than a good fantasy novel to escape to a place so far away that it doesn’t even really exist. Fast, cheap, comfortable and effective, the books that we present to you below at Espect?culos BCN are some of the best fantastic novels of all time. Do you dare to discover them?
The best fantasy novels of all times
Few literary genres rely as impressively on the human ability to imagine as fantasy. Fantasy makes possible in our minds everything that has never been and will never be achievable in our real environment, without limits or rules, and it may be this freedom that allows us to fulfill impossible wishes that makes fantastic literature such a fascinating genre. The following novels demonstrate this magic of words to perfection, and that is why they are considered great classics of literature, international best-sellers, or even future mandatory reading at school for the following generations. Let’s discover how far our imagination can go:
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Although many know the Lord of the Rings saga thanks to the faces of actors like Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, or the pixels that make up Gollum’s rather unpleasant appearance, the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien is a classic in the fantastic genre.
Although published in the 1950s, the books that make up The Lord of the Rings ? originally intended as a single volume ? are still often the number one example of the dictionary definition of fantasy. With his detailed world, his magical creatures, and even the complex languages ??he invented for his characters, Tolkien brought the fantasy genre as we know it today to the center of the literary world, placing modern fantasy in the realm of the mainstream. and popular for the first time.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
From a famous fantastic saga adapted to the screen written by a man with an acronym in his name, we move on to another famous fantastic saga adapted to the screen written by a man with an acronym in his name: A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin , made popular by the HBO series Game of Thrones. Although the book saga is not finished, its astronomical popularity has launched George R. R. Martin’s novels to the top of the fantasy genre.
Inspired by medieval Europe, but with touches of magic and dragons in the middle, the Song of Ice and Fire novels promise to hook anyone, but yes, be prepared to remember names, family trees, and to say goodbye to characters like bugs fallen by the author’s literary mosquito repellent.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
This classic by Englishman Lewis Carroll is the oldest on our list, published in 1865, and also one of the best examples of fantasy novels for a younger audience. With elements inspired by the fairy tale, a forerunner of the fantastic genre, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has become a classic of the fantastic genre for children, with companions such as the stories of Peter Pan or The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, among others.
The fantastic story of a girl who discovers a magical, peculiar and sometimes unusual world by going down a burrow has fascinated thousands of readers since its publication, and its characters and references have become part of international popular culture. Originally intended to entertain a girl named Alice and her sisters during a boat trip, Lewis Carroll inadvertently managed to capture the imagination of thousands and thousands of children ? and adults, of course ? many years after that day in July.
The Neverending Story of Michael Ende
Michael Ende combines fantasy with learning history in this classic published in 1979. Bastian is a shy and clumsy boy who one day finds a book called The Neverending Story in an antiques bookstore. Soon he will be captivated by his story, in which the kingdom of Fantasia is weakening due to the illness of its Child Empress, and this fascination will transcend fiction to end up implicating Bastian himself in the story he is reading.
Although its story of fantastic worlds and its young protagonist give the impression that The Neverending Story belongs exclusively to the children’s genre, through it Michael Ende makes a profound reflection on the power and role of literature, as well as the limits between fiction and reality. The popularity of the story and its numerous adaptations on stage, television and video games are proof of the importance of its message.
Philip Pullman’s Dark Matter
In the city of Oxford in a parallel universe similar to our own, lives Lyra, an orphan girl, with the occasional company of her uncle, the researcher Lord Asriel, and his daemon, called Pantalaimon, part of the human soul that manifests itself as a changing animal. When Lyra’s friends and other children begin to mysteriously disappear, Lyra begins to connect the dots to uncover the mystery and discover the secrets behind her golden compass, the mysterious Mrs. Coulter, and a matter called Dust.
Philip Pullman’s popular trilogy ? Northern Lights, The Dagger, and The Lacquered Spyglass ? has become one of the most lauded literary sagas of the turn of the millennium, and its references and inspirations in physics and philosophy make the world fantastic. of Lyra and the rest of the characters, a creation as original and unique as it is worthy of exploration and analysis.
Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
One of the most recent sagas on our list, the novels of the unfinished Chronicle of the Kingslayer trilogy, and especially the first volume, The Name of the Wind, have received praise from many fans of the epic or heroic fantasy genre, including authors as George R.R. Martin, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Brandon Sanderson. His story, with a complex world full of magic, is told through a narrative framework in which the protagonist, Kvothe, tells his life in an autobiographical way, so both present and past have their role in the narrative.
Beginning his autobiographical tale from childhood, the reader will follow the story of Kvothe as he develops his incredible talent for magic, managing to survive all the obstacles that arise on his way to mastery of magic.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Books bigger than a brick, magical creatures, and the occasional young protagonist seem to be a perfect combination to ensure the success of a fantastic novel, and surely more than one has been inspired by the famous story by C.S. Lewis to get it. The Chronicles of Narnia, published between 1950 and 1956, are a collection of seven books whose common thread is found in the character of Aslan and in the fantastic kingdom of Narnia. The first three books, with the Pevensie brothers as protagonists, are however the best known by the public.
The story was born in the context of World War II, when the author had to shelter three girls in his home who had been evacuated from the city due to bombings in London. This is why the fantastic world of Narnia, in addition to serving as an escape from reality, also includes strong messages of hope and religious and biblical allegories.
The Harry Potter saga by J.K. Rowling
Although it has little to do with the epic and heroic fantasy of books like The Lord of the Rings or the Song of Ice and Fire saga, for example, no list of the best fantastic novels would be complete without mentioning the very famous saga of the young wizard. Harry Potter and his friends (and enemies, of course).
From waiting in vain for your Hogwarts letter to taking the online test to determine which house you belong to (we can’t all be Gryffindors, after all), J.K. Rowling has infiltrated society in such a way in recent decades that her presence is palpable even years after the publication of the last book and the premiere of the last film adaptation. Harry Potter did not invent the fantastic genre or fiction centered on magic, but his contribution to the media coverage of the genre is of indisputable importance. The magic is here to stay, and part of it is thanks to the English boy with the round glasses and the lightning scar.
As the editor of the blog, She curate insightful content that sparks curiosity and fosters learning. With a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for detail, she strive to bring diverse perspectives and engaging narratives to readers, ensuring every piece informs, inspires, and enriches.
