Regardless of what many could assume, and no matter the sheer variety of books on the market, Fantasy and Epic Fantasy are nonetheless burgeoning genres in fiction.

For hundreds of years, writers constrained themselves to literary drama and saved away from mythology however for just a few allusions right here and there. After which got here Professor Tolkien, a linguist with a knack for names and an excellent better present for the imaginative, who, in his toil, began a motion that reconciled literary fiction with mythological storytelling and set the foundations for a lot of what we right this moment seek advice from as speculative fiction.

Over the a long time because the launch of The Lord of the Rings, many writers have picked up the gauntlet and put their very own spins on this ever-evolving style. Choosing 10 out of dozens and dozens of those sensible wordsmiths and impressed storytellers is a little bit of a grating process. Nonetheless, I believe we are able to all agree that there are specific names whose legacy stays unforgettable when it comes right down to it.

C. S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia is without doubt one of the most influential fantasy e book sequence ever. To say that Lewis has had a hand in shaping the style storytelling panorama can be an enormous understatement as a result of the world of Narnia is not solely a gateway to kids’s literature but additionally one of the vital deliberative works of fiction. Many fashionable up to date fantasy tales like The Magicians, Harry Potter, His Darkish Supplies, and Percy Jackson & the Olympians hint their roots to Lewis’ work within the early ‘60s.

Ursula Ok. Le Guin

Talking of authors who themselves have helped outline a complete era of storytellers, Ursula Ok. Le Guin deserves a spot on this listing for her many contributions to the style by way of The Earthsea Cycle. Her novel A Wizard of Earthsea, now thought of a traditional of journey fantasy, is the proper mix of conventional fantasy (alluding to Tolkien) tropes and fashionable sociopolitical components. Neil Gaiman has repeatedly cited the award-winning novelist and poet as an enormous affect on his craft, whereas many different nice names like Margaret Atwood, N. Ok. Jemisin, and Patrick Rothfuss haven’t been far behind in heaping reward on Ok. Le Guin’s monumental legacy.

George R.R. Martin

There have been many worldbuilders and storytellers after Tolkien, however George R.R. Martin is without doubt one of the few who appears to have all of it: A knack for crafting fictional locations and histories, mastery of prose that comes off as neither flowery nor bland, and the capability to give you extraordinarily compelling characters. All of that has turned Sport of Thrones and the world of Westeros into one of the vital influential works of fantasy prior to now few a long time. And positive, a lot to the dissatisfaction of his monumental fanbase, Martin has but to carry the sequence to a conclusion, however that on no account diminishes his affect on the style. Some creatives definitely take their time getting there, however there’s no denying that the wait is price it once they do.

Brandon Sanderson

If there’s one title on the market who has been as influential as Martin, if no more, it’s the prolific and relentless writing machine who goes by the title of Brandon Sanderson. Because the creator of such extremely acclaimed works as Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive, the final three Wheel of Time books, and dozens of different praised novels, Sanderson is presently the king and champion of the Epic Fantasy style. Sanderson is understood for his intricate worldbuilding, advanced magic techniques, nuanced characters, and gob-smacking twists. He’s additionally the one fantasy writer you may belief to all the time ship his sequels on schedule.

Neil Gaiman

Identified for fashionable books like Stardust, Coraline, American Gods, Good Omens, and The Sandman comedian sequence, Neil Gaiman is without doubt one of the most distinguished figures of literary fiction proper now. Gaiman is usually praised for his versatility in weaving collectively totally different genres, his expertise for lyrical and deeply allusive prose, and his huge affect on popular culture. A lot of Gaiman’s works have been tailored into movies, animations, tv exhibits, and graphic novels. Gaiman’s self-described mission is to “make good artwork,” and he’s been at it for so long as he’s been in a position to maintain a pen.

Robert Jordan

There are a whole lot of similarities between Robert Jordan and J. R. R. Tolkien. Each have been veterans of a vicious battle, Tolkien within the trenches of World Battle I and Jordan within the unforgiving deltas of Vietnam. Each stuffed the void left by that horrible expertise by way of telling tales. Each have been credited as heralds and pioneers of the Epic Fantasy style. Maybe it will be no hyperbole to recommend that Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time was the true inheritor to The Lord of the Rings and the preferred work within the style till J. Ok. Rowling’s Harry Potter took the world by storm. Even now, The Wheel of Time stays the proper bridge between J. R. R. Tolkien’s conventional tackle mythology and George R. R. Martin and plenty of different contemporaries’ newer, grimmer spin on the style. Certainly, in some ways, The Wheel of Time options one of the best of each worlds.

J. Ok. Rowling

Today, Rowling is a determine of controversy, engulfed within the tradition battle raging between conservatives and liberals, however there was a time when everybody with a love for fantasy and the speculative style had turn out to be obsessed along with her story of The Boy Who Lived. With over 500 million gross sales, Harry Potter continues to be the best-selling fantasy e book sequence of all time, and Rowling’s Wizarding World stays a sensational escapist abode for its devoted neighborhood. Granted, the story could have been by-product to some extent, however there’s no arguing the magic of Harry Potter continues to be very a lot actual, neither is there any doubt that Rowling has modified the sport eternally.

Patrick Rothfuss

The concept of The Kingkiller Chronicle was to give you a fantasy story that not solely combines components from totally different subgenres but additionally renovates them in creative methods. It took Patrick Rothfuss greater than ten years to complete drafting and revising The Identify of the Wind, however all of that toil was effectively price it for a e book that grew to become a sensational hit within the Epic Fantasy neighborhood. The story of Kvothe Kingkiller is chock filled with emotion, journey, knowledge, and folly, and Rothfuss’ flowery prose ensures a studying expertise in contrast to something you’ve come throughout earlier than. We may criticize Rothfuss for failing to launch the third and last e book within the sequence by way of all these years — and rightly so — however there’s no denying that The Kingkiller Chronicle will go down as one of the vital influential works of Epic Fantasy and on a bigger scale, fiction.

Robin Hobb

Serving as an enormous affect on many contemporaries like Rothfuss, George R.R. Martin, and Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb stays a behemoth of the style due to his Realm of the Elderlings sequence, extra famously generally known as the Farseer saga. Robin’s prose is highly effective and enchanting, her character work is extremely compelling and pushed, and her themes are darkish and contemplative. The Farseer Trilogy may remind you of a few of the greatest qualities in Sport of Thrones, however the sequence as a complete has way more to supply. Be forewarned, although; the place Hobb treads, unspeakable, heart-rending tragedy is just not far behind.

J. R. R. Tolkien

When speaking in regards to the best authors within the historical past of speculative storytelling, you may’t fail to incorporate J.R.R. Tolkien — and never merely for spearheading the literary motion. Even now, no writer has managed to soar fairly as excessive as Tolkien did relating to worldbuilding. What the Oxford linguist professor did together with his so-called “Legendarium” is the historical past of a complete universe mirroring our personal. The story of creation, the music of Ainulindalë, the autumn of Melkor, the story of the Silmarils, the woes of Beren and Lúthien Tinúviel, the Battle of Wrath, the reappearance of Sauron, and lastly, the Battle of the Ring, all comprise a story in contrast to another.