Previous On My Bookshelf posts:
Fairytale Retellings
Historical Fiction
Science Fiction
High fantasy: a sub-genre of fantasy fiction, defined either by its setting in an imaginary world or by the epic stature of its characters, themes and plot.
So many of my favorite books belong in the fantasy genre. I love reading about adventures and heroics and mythical places and creatures. Here are a couple of my favorites.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
“This is the land of Narnia,' said the Faun, 'where we are now; all that
lies between the lamp-post and the great castle of Cair Paravel on the
eastern sea.”
Okay, so - these books are my very favorite. They're pretty much my perfect books. Amazing plots, lovable characters, beautiful writing. I never get tired of them no matter how many times I've read them.
The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
"For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
You can't have a list of high fantasy novels without talking about Tolkien. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are fantastic. I don't think there's ever been a fictional world as complex as Middle Earth. Tolkien was a bit of a genius.
The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner
"Better to trust in the moon's promises than in the word of the Thief of Eddis. He was famous in three countries for his lies.”
The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown (Damar #1 and #2) by Robin McKinley
Pegasus by Robin McKinley
“Perhaps it is a human thing, to look upon such beauty and fail to encompass it.” - Pegasus
Pegasus by Robin McKinley
“Perhaps it is a human thing, to look upon such beauty and fail to encompass it.” - Pegasus
Over the the last year or two, Robin McKinley has become a new favorite author of mine. Her Damar books are captivating, complex, and full of twists and turns.
And I just recently finished Pegasus and had to add it to this list - it was great.
I get really excited about fantasy books. Going into a new fantasy book is just like:
And I just recently finished Pegasus and had to add it to this list - it was great.
I get really excited about fantasy books. Going into a new fantasy book is just like:
Have you read any of the books in this list? What are some of your favorite high fantasy books?
love,
Hannah
I've obvs read CoN and LOTR, but the rest of these are new to me!! I'm definitely going to check them out of my library. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think you'd really like them!
DeleteI don't read an awful lot of fantasy...I guess I'm intimidated by how huge and detailed a lot of fantasy books are. :) I do love the Chronicles of Narnia, though. They're my favorite books, too. They really are perfect! And I've read the Lord of the Rings, too, but they're a bit more of a struggle for me. :) I've read some of Robin McKinley's books, but none of these. I think I own The Blue Sword, though!
ReplyDeleteI definitely get you - some fantasy books are so long. That's awesome that you're a Narnia fan too!
DeleteI'm working my way through the CoN, and I've watched LOTR a lot, never read it though. And I like Robin McKinley too! Have you read Beauty? She wrote that as well, and I loved it. And I'm not sure if you'd call them high fantasy but the Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale are wonderful. She has a beautiful writing voice.
ReplyDeleteI love "Beauty"! That was my first Robin McKinley book. I'm a big Shannon Hale fan, too. Sounds like we like a lot of the same books!
DeleteNARNIAAAAA! :D I love Narnia! I really need to read more of the books. I've only read the first one, Caspian, and the Dawn Treader. (yes, I actually read them in the order of the movies. *head desk*) I've heard a lot of good things about the Silver Chair! And that gif is perfect for this post. x)
ReplyDelete