by Elton Gahr

Created on: June 12, 2009

Fantasy is a wide genre with numerous styles and types of books that have very little in common besides having some type of magical or supernatural element. This can make it a difficult genre to begin to read in and after having discovered a single novel or series knowing where to go next can be hard.

At the heart of fantasy is Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. These are the basis for most epic fantasy and anyone who truly loves the genre should read them eventually, but I wouldn't suggest anyone attempt them first. These are difficult novels and should be read after you have been introduced better to the genre.

If you want classic a better place to start could be the Chronicles of Narnia. These were written at the same time by a friend of Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and while there isn't the depth of Lord of The Rings they are quick reads that are still fun.

Another good place to start are the Harry Potter books. Written in a more modern style than the other books they are something that kids and adults can enjoy and are a great way to get someone who hasn't read fantasy before interested in the genre.

After the most famous three series the genre widens out. Many of the most popular remain epic fantasy. These include The Belgariad by David Eddings, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind. Any of these would be well worth reading as an example of epic fantasy in which you have a hero that is the only hope for the entire world. They all have their own style, but similar themes.

If you prefer dark fantasy then the Dark Tower Series by Steven King is an excellent place to start. Not horror in the traditional King sense these are set in a world that is different but connected to our own. Or in the complete opposite direction you could read The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett which is humorous fantasy.

Finally for a different style of classic fantasy check out Aesop's Fables, Alice in Wonderland and Watership down, and stories by The Brother Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson. These have a very different feeling from what we often think of as fantasy novels but for anyone who loves the genre they are well worth reading.

Fantasy is a difficult genre to pin down and while at times it feels as if many of the books are similar when reading works by the true masters of fantasy you will be able to see that even when there are similarities in theme that characters, style and plot make for stories that can keep you entertained for years.

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