10 Popular Fantasy Book Series’ That Impacted the Genre Forever

It would be difficult for me to list many more literary works that have had a greater impact on the artform and medium than John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, better known as J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of The Lord of the Rings and its associated works. With reportedly more than 150 millions copies sold of just these three books, not counting the massive amounts of sales of his other works such as The Hobbit, these books some of the most recognizable pieces of media today (thanks in no small part to the Peter Jackson movies as well) as well as some of the best selling novels of all time as well. This classic tale of how even the smallest and most unsuspecting one of us can rise up in times of need and prove to be the best of us. It’s hard to imagine things like Dungeons & Dragons existing without The Lord of the Rings, and without that, perhaps the entire RPG genre wouldn’t exist either!

2. Twilight Saga – Stephanie Meyer

Joke all you want about sparkly vampires, but it’s hard to deny just how much of a cultural impact that Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga has had since the books were first released back in the mid 2000s. This series, featuring the love triangle between the vampire Edward (who yes, sparkles in the sunlight), the werewolf Jacob, and a normal human teenager Bella gone on to sell over 160 million books (as of fall 2022) across the four mainline novels, and two additional ones, with the latest, Midnight Sun which retells the story of the first book but from Edward’s perspective. From high school romance to fighting off against a vampire coven, Twilight is still going strong even now, twenty years later, and it’s hard to picture the modern-day Romantasy scene being quite the same had it not been for Twilight.

3. Percy Jackson – Rick Riordan

I wonder just how many stories have been told or whose DNA could be traced back to the old tales of Greek Mythology? Struggles of the gods against titans, and the mortals you raise up to become heroes. Rick Riordan’s beloved Percy Jackson franchise is one such example, set in the modern day with Percy being the demigod son of Sally Jackson, a mortal woman, and Greek god Poseidon. While more geared towards the younger teen crowd, this hasn’t stopped the series from spawning movies, games, and streaming shows, in addition to the pantheon of books that form the basis of the series, consisting of multiple arcs and even spinoff series that further flesh out the world, pulling in over 180 million books sold (as of 2021) .

You can check out our comprehensive reading guide to the Percy Jackson series for more information. The second season of the Disney+ series wrapped up season 2 and season 3 has already finished filming.

4. Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

Talking Lions, magical wardrobes and so much more fill the pages of the seven books that compose C.S. Lewis’ beloved Chronicles of Narnia series. The first published work, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which released back in 1950 revealed the magical world of Narnia to readers through the eyes of the Pevensie children Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, recently evacuated to the English countryside during World War II and stumble on a magical path into the fantastical alternate world, where they would grow to become kings and queens of the realm. Lewis would go on to flesh out both the legacies of the children and the history of Narina over the course of the series, resulting in a classic story with an underlying thread of Christian ideas, bewitching more than 120 million readers (as of 2023), and a few movie adaptations too, which unfortunately didn’t prove successful enough to cause the entire series to be adapted, though there is a new adaptation in the works from Netflix, releasing this year! If you want to read the series yourself, there are two advisable ways to do so: Publication Order and Chronological Order.

5. Discworld – Terry Pratchett

A flat world sitting on top of three elephants riding a giant turtle – that is Discworld. The largest series on this list, encompassing 41 books from 1983 to 2015, is a darling in the fantasy genre with its special brand of whimsy and comedy mixed with staples of the genre like wizards and magic. While there is some aspect of continuity through the library of works, Discworld could be better viewed as a collection of multiple sub-series all under author Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld” Umbrella. Characters like Rincewind (the wizard with no skill, no wizardly qualifications, or interest in heroics) and Death (the seven-foot robed skeleton) with his horse Binky continue to delight readers to this day, offering a quirkiness in the sea of other fantasy books, with some of the books even receiving video and board game adaptations. To date this series has managed to sell more than 100 million copies, but it all began with the Colour of Magic back in 1983, which first gave us a taste of what can happen on a world that is sailing through space on the back of a giant turtle.

6. Wheel of Time – Robert Jordan (& Brandon Sanderson)

First released back in 1990 with The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan’s epic high fantasy Wheel of Time series has delighted readers ever since, weaving the tale of the Dragon Reborn and the looming Last Battle. While it may be a bit more recognizable currently as the basis of the unfortunately cancelled Amazon series based on the 14-book epic, the Wheel of Time is one of the most beloved examples of the genre in modern times. These books follow a large cast of characters include Rand, Perrin, Matt, Egwene, and Nynaeve from the small village of Two Rivers, who, after being whisked away by the Aes Sedai Moraine (Wheel of Time’s version of a magic user basically) and their protector Lan, are thrust into an event that will determine the fate of the world. While Robert Jordan did pass back in 2007 before he was able to finish the books, working with his widow, Harriet McDougal, who also served as his editor, along with Jordan’s notes, the series was finished by Brandon Sanderson – another prolific fantasy author whose work also appears on this list – who wrote the final three books. More than 100 million copies sold (as of 2023).

For a more in-depth breakdown of the series and its books, check out our reading guide.

7. A Song of Ice and Fire – George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin’s fantasy behemoth, A Song of Ice and Fire, helped usher in the new renaissance of the genre, particularly so in regards to TV adaptations with HBO’s Game of the Thrones show. Set on the continents of Westeros and Essos, Ice and Fire features more political backstabbing than spell slinging, but still features some classic magic-y staples like dragons. In addition to the show, Martin has further expanded on the lore and history of this world over the years with multiple spin-off shows and books including the House of the Dragon which adapts the 2018 book, Fire & Blood, telling of the decline of House Tagaryian 200 years before the first Ice and Fire book. There’s also the new A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms TV series which uses Martin’s The Hedge Knight novella as its base. Even with only five of the series seven books having released so far, with readers having waited nearly 15 years for Winds of Winter, Martin’s works have sold more than 90 million copies of his books. Even if A Song of Ice and Fire never concludes, there is little denying the impact that these books and shows have done to revitalize the epic fantasy genre into the 21st century.

8. Shannara – Terry Brooks

First released in 1977 with The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks’ series now spans over 40 books set in the Four Lands, a world both familiar and foreign to our own. Divided into numerous connecting arcs, each composed of multiple books, Shannara as a whole encompasses multiple thousands of years from start to finish. Common characters, and their bloodlines, like the Ohmsfords, are central to the lore of the Four Lands, with other notable aspects such as the druids – this world’s form of powerful magic users and historians – the elfstones, and other artifacts appear throughout, helping tie it all together. An endeavor that’s proven rather successful, considering the number of books that Brooks has released, selling more than 25 million copies, and even with him pulling back from the writer’s chair last year, the reins have been handed over to Delilah Dawn as Shannara’s primary writer. While Shannara may not have received the same quality of treatment others have had with its adaptations, fans can look forward to continued adventures ahead, with new mysteries of the Four Lands being exposed and revealed for years to come.

For reading order, Terry Brooks himself provides 2 recommendations: For new readers, publication order, and for returning re-reads, chronological order.

9. Cosmere – Brandon Sanderson

Whether it’s finishing the Wheel of Time series, dropping five surprise books on fans, or now working on the screenplay for the upcoming Apple TV adaptation, if you told me Brandon Sanderson was a sentient keyboard, I would believe you. But outside of the incredible output of works Sanderson manages to accomplish, it’s the quality of those books that has pulled in readers from across the world around his expansive and interconnected universe known as the Cosmere. Constructed from different worlds, each featuring its own special magic systems, characters, and lore, the Cosmere has continued to grow ever since Sanderson’s first published novel, Elantris, was released back in 2005. Some of the most popular of the cosmere-related stories take place on Roshar, the world of the Stormlight Archive, which will be getting a television series, and Mistborn’s Scadrial, which is getting the film treatment (and that Sanderson is currently working on the screenplay for). Along with a brand new tabletop RPG, these books have garnered a large enough following to warrant having its own convention, Dragonsteel Nexus, where just this past year, Sanderson’s 50 millionth book was sold.

For a full breakdown of how you may want to approach tackling the Cosmere, check out our comprehensive reading guide.

Harry Potter – J.K. Rowling

Perhaps the biggest property on this list, which has become its own multimedia empire in the nearly 30 years since the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone released, this seven-book story about the boy who lived defined a whole generation of readers back in the early 2000s. And I’m willing to bet that you may own a copy of one of the books yourself, as the series (as of 2018) had already gone on to sell more than 500 million copies. While the author and their views continue to be a topic of contention among fans, these books remain an endearing tale of good standing their ground against a rising tide of evil. The wizarding world, with memorable locations like Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and, of course, the school of Hogwarts itself, continues to enchant readers, with every new game, side story, or adaptation adding more richness and lore for fans to uncover. With a new HBO TV series arriving in 2027 and WB Games investing heavily in games set in this universe, looks like the world will be boarding the train for Hogwarts for a good long while yet.

Scott White is a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and guide coverage. Follow him on X/Twitter or Bluesky.