10 Best Fantasy Books of the 1990s

The 1990s saw fantasy writing getting bolder and more diverse, while also finding more mainstream success. Writers expanded the form’s possibilities, building creatively upon the foundations laid by the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Ursula K. Le Guin. The result was an impressive collection of classics, many of which remain powerful cultural forces today.

In this decade, epic fantasy grew darker and more politically sophisticated, children’s fantasy reached unprecedented global popularity, and entirely new subgenres emerged that challenged conventional ideas about magic and world-building. Here are some of the finest books to come out of this wave.

10

‘The Eye of the World’ (1990)

Image via Tor Books/ Orbit

“The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills.” With The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan launched the beloved Wheel of Time series. The novel follows Rand al’Thor and his friends after their quiet village is attacked by monstrous Trollocs, forcing them to flee alongside the mysterious Aes Sedai Moiraine. Their journey gradually reveals an ancient struggle between the forces of the Light and the Dark One that threatens the fate of the entire world.

Although the book very much pays homage to The Lord of the Rings, its unique magic system, juicy plots, and colorful characters won over legions of fans across the globe. In the process, The Eye of the World helped redefine epic fantasy for a new generation, paving the way for later writers like Brandon Sanderson (who actually completed The Wheel of Time after Jordan’s death).

9

‘Tigana’ (1990)

“There are no wrong turnings. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk.” Set in a peninsula inspired by Renaissance Italy, Tigana focuses on a group of rebels seeking to overthrow the tyrant Brandin of Ygrath, whose magical curse has erased the history and even name of their homeland from the memories of everyone except those born there. The tale blends political intrigue, romance, and war, all held together by Guy Gavriel Kay‘s lyrical prose.

Crucially, all the major characters are drawn in shades of gray, making them a lot more interesting than your average fantasy protagonists. Even the villain Brandin emerges as a tragic figure with complicated motivations. Tigana also benefits from being relatively restrained. For instance, there’s only one supernatural creature, mystical beings known as the riselka. Likewise, while there is sorcery, the focus is really on the characters and their psychology.

8

‘Wizard’s First Rule’ (1994)

“People are stupid.” The opening novel of Terry Goodkind‘s Sword of Truth series introduces woods guide Richard Cypher, whose ordinary life changes forever after meeting the mysterious Kahlan Amnell. Together they embark upon a quest to stop the tyrannical Darken Rahl from obtaining magical power capable of plunging their world into darkness. Although many of these story elements are classic, traditional fantasy fare, Goodkind executes them with flair and fast pacing, keeping the pages turning.

Indeed, Wizard’s First Rule is a very accessible fantasy book. Rather than striving to be ambitious and groundbreaking, it’s content to simply be charming and earnest. Its success helped bring the genre a little more into the mainstream, and influenced some blockbuster fantasy novels that followed. The TV show Legend of the Seeker, created by Sam Raimi, is based on the novel.

7

‘Good Omens’ (1990)

“Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions.” This is one of the funniest and most inventive fantasy books ever, with a truly unique (and frequently absurd) vibe. As the Apocalypse approaches, angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley discover that the Antichrist has been misplaced during infancy. Having grown rather fond of life on Earth, the unlikely pair decide to prevent the end of the world while heaven and hell prepare for the final battle.

From here, Good Omens riffs on biblical and mythological tropes with unhinged glee. It’s practically overflowing with memorable characters, witty dialogue, and ridiculous situations (like Pestilence, the Horseman of the Apocalypse, retiring due to the discovery of penicillin), alongside some affectionate and surprisingly wise observations about human nature. Beneath its absurdity, the book is a celebration of humanity’s imperfections, as well as a warm ode to friendship.

6

‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ (1999)

Image via Bloomsbury Publishing

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” In the late ’90s, the Harry Potter books appeared out of nowhere to create one of fantasy’s greatest phenomenons, one that continues to exert a pull on the public imagination. One of the finest installments in the series is the third one, which saw the magical world maturing a lot alongside its young readers. Returning to Hogwarts for his third year, Harry Potter learns that the notorious Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban prison and appears determined to find him.

From here, we get mysteries, werewolves, Patronuses, boggarts, Dementors, betrayal, mistaken identity, time-travel, Hippogriffs, fortune-telling, and shape-shifting. The tone gets darker and more emotionally complex, while the world-building gets richer and new light is shed on the events leading up to Harry’s parents’ deaths. A joy to read, even now.

5

‘Reaper Man’ (1991)

“‘No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away.'” Many 1990s Discworld novels could plausibly have made this list, though the most well-rounded of them is Reaper Man. It begins with a great premise: Death is fired by the universe’s cosmic administrators for becoming too compassionate toward humanity. Forced into retirement, he adopts the name Bill Door and experiences ordinary human life for the first time. Meanwhile, the absence of Death causes a dangerous surplus of life energy to accumulate across the Discworld.

The Death storyline balances real philosophical ideas with sophisticated social satire. Alongside it, the book’s subplot involving the Unseen University’s chaotic attempts to deal with supernatural excess provides some of the funniest sequences in the whole series. All in all, Reaper Man is simply a delight, a great representation of everything that makes Discworld great.

4

‘Gardens of the Moon’ (1999)

Image via Tor Fantasy

“The harder the world, the fiercer the honour.” Gardens of the Moon is the first book in Steven Erikson‘s monumental Malazan Book of the Fallen, one of the most ambitious fantasy series ever written. (It contains 10 volumes that together span more than 11, 000 pages.) Rather than centering on a single hero, Erikson presents an enormous cast whose lives intersect in surprising and often devastating ways. This one follows various soldiers, assassins, mages, gods, and revolutionaries as imperial conquest collides with ancient powers that have shaped the world for millennia.

In other words, Gardens of the Moon is real epic fantasy, with jaw-dropping scope and a seemingly inexhaustible wellspring of creative ideas. It is rather challenging, meaning it’s not great for fantasy neophytes, but it certainly rewards genre aficionados. There’s a great magic system and more than a few compelling, morally ambiguous protagonists.

3

‘To Green Angel Tower’ (1993)

“Time itself was changing.” To Green Angel Tower is the magnificent final installment in Tad Williams‘ Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, which began with 1988’s The Dragonbone Chair (also a banger). Our hero Simon, once an ordinary kitchen boy, joins kings, queens, warriors, and sorcerers in the final struggle against the immortal Storm King, whose return threatens to plunge Osten Ard into eternal darkness. The character’s transformation over the course of the series is touching and feels earned, and this book brings it to a satisfying conclusion.

We get richly imagined cultures, memorable characters, ancient mysteries, and sweeping battles, yet Williams makes sure that the focus is always on the protagonists’ emotions. They feel like real people rather than plot devices. The series went on to influence writers like George R.R. Martin, particularly in its willingness to blend Tolkien-inspired grandeur with more realistic politics and morally complicated characters.

2

‘A Game of Thrones’ (1996)

Image via Bantam Spectra

“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.” Speaking of Martin, no list of landmark ’90s fantasy would be complete without A Game of Thrones. This grim, political, relatively restrained book opened up new possibilities for modern fantasy and spawned a world-conquering franchise (even though the lack of a conclusion to the book series has frustrated many fans). In it, we meet various noble families competing for political power while a supernatural threat slowly gathers strength beyond the northern Wall.

Although gritty and historically-informed fantasy had been done before, G.R.R.M took it to new heights with A Game of Thrones. Here, he embraces the messiness of real-world politics and people’s divided motivations. The plot is unpredictable, and he is more than willing to maim or even kill his most beloved characters. Legions of imitators followed, though few have the style or punchiness of this novel.

1

‘The Golden Compass’ (1995)

Image via Alfred A. Knopf

“We’re all subject to the fates. But we must all act as if we are not.” Aka Northern Lights, the opening novel in Philip Pullman‘s His Dark Materials trilogy follows young Lyra Belacqua as she leaves the sheltered world of Jordan College and embarks upon a dangerous journey into the frozen Arctic. Along the way, she uncovers a conspiracy involving kidnapped children, mysterious particles known as Dust, armored bears, witches, and forces capable of reshaping the nature of reality itself.

Most strikingly of all is the bond between humans and their dæmons. It’s one of the most emotionally resonant inventions in modern fantasy, and it becomes a great vehicle for the novel’s themes. Indeed, His Dark Materials has a lot to say about free will, religion, authority, innocence, and knowledge, making it unusually sophisticated (and audacious) for children’s fantasy, and a high watermark for the genre’s 90s output.