The fantasy genre includes multiple sub-genres, some of which overlap with other genres. As readers' advisors we cannot simply assume that someone who enjoys one fantasy sub-genre will enjoy another. Each have their own appeal and should be carefully considered when making reading recommendations. Here are a few of the more popular sub-genres including some key authors and titles.
*Authors with no website are linked to the Internet Speculative Fiction Database for more information about them and their works.
**Authors with no specified titles or series write almost exclusively within that sub-genre.
Alternate History/Parallel Worlds - Sometimes considered crossovers with the history genre as they tend to reinvent historical events or figures with magic. This genre also includes other fully developed worlds that exist alongside our own.
Key authors include:
Piers Anthony (Xanth Series)
Terry Brooks (Magic Kingdom of Landover Series)
Orson Scott Card (The Tales of Alvin Maker Series)
Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)
Susanna Clarke (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell)
Barbara Hambly
Guy Gavriel Kay
C. S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia)
L. Frank Baum (Oz Series)
Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials Series)
Roger Zelazny (The Chronicles of Amber)
Comedic - Novels with one common theme - laugh-out-loud humor in the form of eccentric characters, hilarious situations, sarcastic parodies, wordplay, or strange adventures.
Key authors include:
Piers Anthony (Xanth Series)
Robert Asprin (Myth Adventures Series, Phule's Company Series)
Neil Gaiman (American Gods, Good Omens)
Craig Shaw Gardner
Terry Pratchett (Discworld Series)
Patricia C. Wrede (The Enchanted Forest Chronicles)
Contemporary/Urban - Stories set in the "real world" with secret or hidden magic societies or creatures. The setting is easily recognizable, but always includes magical elements.
Key authors include:
Francesca Lia Block
Charles de Lint
Neil Gaiman
Laurell K. Hamilton (Merry Gentry Series)
Karen Marie Moning (The Fever Series)
J.K. Rowling
Dark - Often considered crossovers with the horror genre, these are novels where "the stakes are seen as too high for much levity, and the price paid for victory is severe" (Saricks, 2009, p.271). Dense, no-humor atmospheres; terse dialogue, and troubled characters are all characteristic of this sub-genre.
Key authors include:
Clive Barker (Weaveworld)
Stephen King (The Dark Tower Series)
H.P. Lovecraft (Cthulhu Mythos)
Brian Lumley
Michael Moorcock (Elric Series)
Peter Straub (Shadowland)
Fairy tales, Myths, and Legends - Based on traditional fairy tales, myths or legends; but twisted to incorporate new plots, characters, or settings. Arthurian legends and fairy tale retellings are among the most popular.
Key authors include:
Marion Zimmer Bradley (Avalon Series)
Mercedes Lackey
Gregory Maguire
Juliet Marillier
Patricia A. McKillip
Robin McKinley
Mary Stewart (The Arthurian Saga)
High/Epic - Stories that develop into unusually long series due to the detailed histories, large casts of characters, and vivid descriptions of lifestyles and cultures. Hand-drawn maps of the world and appendices with vocabulary and character lists are common in these books.
Key authors include:
Terry Brooks (Shannara Series)
Robin Hobb (Farseer Series)
Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time Series)
George R.R. Martin (Song of Ice and Fire)
L.E. Modesitt, Jr. (The Saga of Recluce)
Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicles)
J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings)
Romantic - Fantasy story lines that are almost entirely devoted to the romantic relationships between characters. These are often marketed as romances rather than fantasies in order to appeal to a larger audience.
Key authors include:
Anne Bishop
Laurell K. Hamilton (Merry Gentry Series)
Mercedes Lackey
Juliet Marillier
Karen Marie Moning (The Fever Series)
Sharon Shinn
Science - This is a highly mixed genre where both elements of science fiction as well as fantasy are present. Where science fiction does not allow the presence of magic or other supernatural elements, science fantasy does.
Key authors include:
Piers Anthony (Apprentice Adept)
Marion Zimmer Bradley (Darkover Series)
Anne McCaffrey (Pern and Acorna Series)
Sword and Sorcery - Heroic deeds and magical quests are key aspects of these novels which often focus on magical battles between wizards and sorcerers/sorceresses in a medieval type setting.
Key authors include:
David Eddings (The Belgariad and the Malloreon Series)
Terry Goodkind (The Sword of Truth Series)
Robert E. Howard (Conan the Barbarian Novels)
Andre Norton
R.A. Salvatore
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance Novels)
