Good complexity makes for a good story when reading good fantasy.

(1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter Book 7) by J.K. Rowling in 2007

Everything that happened before this novel pale in comparison to the final climax, the events leading up to the final confrontation of good against evil, Harry against Voldemort.

(2) The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time Book 2) by Robert Jordan in 1991

The story features young heroes Rand al’Thor, Mat Cauthon, and Perrin Aybara, who join Shienaren soldiers in a quest to retrieve the Horn of Valere. At the same time, Egwene al’Vere, Nynaeve al’Meara, and Elayne Trakand go to the White Tower in Tar Valon to learn Aes Sedai ways. Finally, an exotic army invades the western coast.

(3) A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire Book 1) by George R.R. Martin in 1996

A Game of Thrones follows Ned Stark who becomes Hand of the King to Robert Baratheon, Ned’s bastard son Jon Snow joins the Night’s Watch, an ancient order sworn to defend Westeros by maintaining the Wall, and the exiled Viserys Targaryen marries his sister, Daenerys, off to Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo in exchange for an army to take back Westeros.

(4) Dragons of Winter Night (Dragonlance Chronicles Book 2) by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman in 1985

With the return of the dragon minions of Takhisis, the Queen of Dragons, the land of Krynn has become more dangerous than ever. But as the nations of Krynn prepare to fight for their homes, their lives, and their freedom, longstanding hatreds and prejudices interfere. When fighting breaks out among the races, it seems the battle is lost before it even begins. Meanwhile, the heroic Companions have been torn apart by war.

(5) Bearing an Hourglass (The Incarnations of Immortality #2) by Piers Anthony in 1984

When life seemed pointless to Norton, he accepted the position as the Incarnation of Time, even though it meant living backward from present to past. The other seemingly all-powerful Incarnations of Immortality—Death, Fate, War, and Nature—made him welcome. Even Satan greeted him with gifts. But he soon discovered that the gifts were cunning traps and he had become enmeshed in a complex scheme of the Evil One to destroy all that was good.

(6) Homeland (The Dark Elf Trilogy Book 1) by R.A. Salvatore in 1990

The story follows Drizzt Do’Urden from his time of his birth and his upbringing amongst the dark elves.

(7) The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower Book 2) by Stephen King in 1987

While pursuing his quest for the Dark Tower through a world that is a nightmarishly distorted mirror image of our own, Roland, the last gunslinger, encounters three mysterious doorways on the beach. Each one enters into the life of a different person living in contemporary New York.

(8) The War in Heaven (Eternal Warriors Book 1) by Theodore Beale in 2000

The story follows a young man named Christopher Lewis and his sisters, Jami and Holli, who are caught up in the timeless battle between the forces of good (Heaven) and the forces of evil (Hell).

(9) Winter’s Heart (The Wheel of Time #9) by Robert Jordan in 2000

Rand is on the run with Min, and in Cairhein, Cadsuane is trying to figure out where he is headed, Perrin is desperately searching for Faile, and in Ebou Dar, the Seanchan princess known as Daughter of the Nine Moons arrives–and Mat, who had been recuperating in the Tarasin Palace, is introduced to her.

(10) The Approaching Storm by Alan Dean Foster in 2002

The story follows Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker as they are sent to a planet to settle a dispute as growing unrest threatens the Galactic Republic’s stability.

(11) Blood of Elves (The Witcher Book 3) by Andrzej Sapkowski in 1994

When the Empire of Nilfgaard attacks the Kingdom of Cintra, Ciri, granddaughter of Queen Calanthe, manages to flee the capital city. The Emperor of Nilfgaard sends his spies to find her, hoping to harness her magical potential and the elven blood in her veins. Enter Geralt of Rivia. A monster hunter for hire, he’s keeping Ciri safe at the Witchers’ keep, Kaer Morhen. But with the Emperor’s spies closing in, how long can Geralt keep Ciri hidden away?

(12) The Dragon Society (The Obsidian Chronicles Book 2) by Lawrence Watt-Evans in 2001

Years after escaping the destruction of his village at the hands of dragons, fueled by years of hatred for the dragons, bandits, and slavers that took away his youth — Arlian seeks out The Dragon Society, whose sworn purpose is to stand against the dragon menace.

(13) Faerie Wars (The Faerie War Chronicles Book 1) by Herbie Brennan in 2003

Enlisting the help of his sister, Holly Blue, and his new friend, Henry, Pinrce Pyrgus Malvae must get back to the Faerie world while dealing with the threat of an egomaniacal demon prince, greedy glue factory owners, and the leader of the Faeries of the Night.

(14) A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire Book 2) by George R.R. Martin in 1999

A Clash of Kings depicts the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros in civil war, while the Night’s Watch mounts a reconnaissance to investigate the mysterious people known as wildlings. Meanwhile, Daenerys Targaryen continues her plan to conquer the Seven Kingdoms.

(15) Armageddon’s Children (Genesis of Shannara Book 1) by Terry Brooks in 2006

Navigating the scarred and poisoned landscape that once was America and guided by a powerful talisman, Knight of the Word Logan Tom has sworn an oath to seek out a remarkable being born of magic, possessed of untold abilities, and destined to lead the final fight against darkness.

(16) Vector Prime (The New Jedi Order Book 1) by R.A. Salvatore in 1999

As the Jedi and the Republic focus on internal struggles after the downfall of the Empire, a new threat surfaces from beyond the farthest reaches of the Outer Rim–an enemy bearing weapons and technology unlike anything New Republic scientists have ever seen.

(17) The Lady of the Lake (The Witcher Book 7) by Andrzej Sapkowski in 1999

After walking through the portal in the Tower of Swallows while narrowly escaping death, Ciri finds herself in a completely different world… and knows she must escape to finally rejoin the Witcher, Geralt, and his companions – and also to try to conquer her worst nightmare.

(18) Bearing an Hourglass (The Incarnations of Immortality Book 2) by Piers Anthony in 1984

When life seemed pointless to Norton, he accepted the position as the Incarnation of Time, even though it meant living backward from present to past.

(19) A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire Book 3) by George R.R. Martin in 2000

A Storm of Swords picks up with The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros still in the grip of the War of the Five Kings, a large host of wildlings, the tribes from beyond the Seven Kingdoms’ northern border, approach the Wall that marks the border, and Daenerys Targaryen, the daughter of a deposed former king of Westeros and “mother” of the world’s only living dragons, sails west, planning to retake her late father’s throne.

(20) The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1937

The Hobbit is set within Tolkien’s fictional universe and follows the quest of home-loving hobbit Bilbo Baggins to win a share of the treasure guarded by Smaug the dragon.

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