The 5 Greatest High Fantasy Books That You Haven't Read

Published Oct 12, 2026, 7:14 PM EDT

Once head of Screen Rant's Star Wars coverage and co-lead of Superheroes, Tom Bacon now works with the movies and books teams. He's a lifelong fan of the fantasy and sci-fi genres, and loves franchises such as Doctor Who and Marvel. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon, on LinkedIn @tabacon, or on Muckrack under tombacon.

Tom has a wide range of interests, and he continues to serve his university as a volunteer chaplain. He's heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he's into British politics too.

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It doesn't matter how well-read you are, there are always so many more great high fantasy books to read. Masters of the high fantasy genre are among some of the greatest writers in history; when you think of high fantasy, you inevitably come up with names like J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, or Brandon Sanderson. But there's so much more to this genre than the masters everyone knows.

Here, then, are five high fantasy novels you almost certainly haven't read. To select these, we began by searching popular fantasy novels on Goodreads; we looked for high fantasy with 4 stars or higher, but with between 3,000 and 10,000 ratings. Then, to double-check, we checked through reviews online to verify that they'd been well-received by critics in the field as well. Although time-consuming, it turned out to be quite a sophisticated methodology, because few books ticked all three boxes. Still, if you're a fan of high fantasy, these are definitely the ones to check out.

5 The Crimson Queen by Alec Hutson

First in our list is The Crimson Queen, by Alec Hutson. This is the first book in "The Raveling" trilogy, and it was a judges' favorite at the 2016 Ink and Insights competition as well as a strong competitor for the 2017 SPFBO. The synopsis alone promises a thrilling, epic world with a sophisticated magic system:

"Long ago the world fell into twilight, when the great empires of old consumed each other in sorcerous cataclysms. In the south the Star Towers fell, swallowed by the sea, while the black glaciers descended upon the northern holdfasts, entombing the cities of Min-Ceruth in ice and sorcery. Then from the ancient empire of Menekar the paladins of Ama came, putting every surviving sorcerer to the sword and cleansing their taint from the land for the radiant glory of their lord.

The pulse of magic slowed, fading like the heartbeat of a dying man.

But after a thousand years it has begun to quicken again.

In a small fishing village a boy with strange powers comes of age...

A young queen rises in the west, fanning the long-smoldering embers of magic into a blaze once more...

Something of great importance is stolen - or freed - from the mysterious Empire of Swords and Flowers...

And the immortals who survived the ancient cataclysms bestir themselves, casting about for why the world is suddenly changing..."

Reviewers praise The Crimson Queen for using familiar tropes in refreshing ways. While sorcery is an essential part of The Crimson Queen, it isn't battle-heavy, and Hutson does a phenomenal job of building a complex fantasy world. The prose is polished and lyrical, making this a joy to read.

The Crimson Queen is available now from retailers like Amazon.

4 The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson

Rated 4.18 on Goodreads but with less than 3,500 ratings, The Lost War has received mixed reviews from critics — but that actually makes the book all the more interesting, because they've actually been won over on rereading. One SFBO reviewer for The Fantasy Hive discussed her "complicated" relationship with the novel, criticizing it on a first read and then falling in love with it on the reread. This is an action-packed story inspired by a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, and the synopsis alone gives a sense of the book's epic scale:

The war is over, but something is rotten in the state of Eidyn.

With a ragged peace in place, demons burn farmlands, violent Reivers roam the wilds and plague has spread beyond the Black Meadows. The country is on its knees.

In a society that fears and shuns him, Aranok is the first magically-skilled draoidh to be named King’s Envoy.

Now, charged with restoring an exiled foreign queen to her throne, he leads a group of strangers across the ravaged country. But at every step, a new mystery complicates their mission.

As bodies drop around them, new threats emerge and lies are revealed, can Aranok bring his companions together and uncover the conspiracy that threatens the kingdom?

Strap in for this twisted fantasy road trip from award-winning author Justin Lee Anderson.

Although The Lost War is a plot-driven story, it's praised for the sheer depth of its character-work. Even better, this is the first book in Anderson's "Eidyn" series, and every book receives more critical praise than the last.

The Lost War is available now from retailers like Amazon.

3 Aching God by Mike Shel

The first book in Mike Shel's "Iconoclasts" trilogy, Aching God is a grim-dark fantasy novel praised for its psychological realism. Like The Lost War, it was inspired by a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, and it shows. According to Fantasy Book Review, "Somehow Shel was able to capture the essence of playing a thrilling role-playing game and transfer it into a rich and compelling narrative filled with likable heroes, horrifying villains, and surprising mysteries." The full synopsis gives a true sense of the scale:

“Closer, mortal. You are here, finally, to feed the Aching God…”

The days of adventure are passed for Auric Manteo. Retired to the countryside and isolated with his scars and riches, he no longer delves into forbidden ruins seeking dark wisdom and treasure. But just as old nightmares begin plaguing his sleep, he receives an urgent summons back to that old life.

To save his only daughter, he must return to the place of his greatest trauma: the haunted Barrowlands. Along with a group of inexperienced companions and an old soldier, he must confront the dangers of the ancient and wicked Djao civilization. He has survived fell beasts, insidious traps, and deadly hazards before. But how can he contend with the malice of a bloodthirsty living god?

Aching God currently has a score of 4.6 on Goodreads, with over 4,000 ratings. It's available now from retailers like Amazon.

2 The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding

Fantasy lends itself to series, although we've deliberately only included entries here that are the first book. Published in 2018, The Ember Blade is the start of Chris Wooding's epic "Darkwater Legacy" trilogy, and it riffs on classic sword-and-sorcery fantasy in a modern way. Here's the official synopsis:

"A land under occupation. A legendary sword. A young man’s journey to find his destiny.

Aren has lived by the rules all his life. He’s never questioned it; that’s just the way things are. But then his father is executed for treason, and he and his best friend Cade are thrown into a prison mine, doomed to work until they drop. Unless they can somehow break free . . .

But what lies beyond the prison walls is more terrifying still. Rescued by a man who hates him yet is oath-bound to protect him, pursued by inhuman forces, Aren slowly accepts that everything he knew about his world was a lie. The rules are not there to protect him, or his people, but to enslave them. A revolution is brewing, and Aren is being drawn into it, whether he likes it or not.

The key to the revolution is the Ember Blade. The sword of kings, the Excalibur of his people. Only with the Ember Blade in hand can their people be inspired to rise up . . . but it’s locked in an impenetrable vault in the most heavily guarded fortress in the land. All they have to do now is steal it. . .

Designed to return to classic fantasy adventures and values, from a modern perspective, this is a fast-moving coming-of-age trilogy featuring a strong cast of diverse characters, brilliant set-pieces and a powerful character and plot driven story."

Several critical reviews praise Wooding's writing, comparing him to the likes of Tolkien, G.R.R. Martin and Joe Abercrombie. "The blurb on Goodreads and Amazon is poorly written and makes The Ember Blade sound like a stirring of the same old soup," Grimdark Magazine observe, for example. "But it is not, for this book is 1000% the real deal." It's praised for character-work and pacing, although the length means this requires some commitment.

The Ember Blade is available now from retailers like Amazon.

1 The Path of Flames by Phil Tucker

Finally, coming in with a Goodreads score of 4.02 and nearly 3,500 reviews, we have Phil Tucker's The Path of Flames. First in his "Chronicles of the Black Gate" saga, it was an entry into Mark Lawrence's Blog Off that made it into the final round back in 2016. According to the Elitist Book Review, it's a "typical high fantasy set in a medieval world with castles, lords, ladies, knights, a fictional religion, slaves, magic swords, girls who want to fight, magic, yadda yadda." But it's praised for a plot that handles tension rather well, a fun read in the classic high fantasy pattern. Here's the synopsis:

"A war fueled by the dark powers of forbidden sorcery is about to engulf the Ascendant Empire. Agerastian heretics, armed with black fire and fueled by bitter hatred, seek to sever the ancient portals that unite the empire - and in so doing destroy it.

Asho--a squire with a reviled past--sees his liege, the Lady Kyferin, and her meager forces banished to an infamous ruin. Beset by tragedy and betrayal, demons and an approaching army, the fate of the Kyferins hangs by the slenderest of threads. Asho realizes that their sole hope of survival may lie hidden within the depths of his scarred soul--a secret that could reverse their fortunes and reveal the truth behind the war that wracks their empire."

The Path of Flames is available now from retailers like Amazon.