10 Fantasy Book Series That Are Better Than ‘Harry Potter’

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When the first Harry Potter book came out in 1997, fantasy readers immediately fell in love with its enchanting world, viewing it as a welcome escape. While Harry Potter is now one of the most famous fantasy series globally, it’s not necessarily the best. Many other fantasy series offer even more depth and imagination.

While the Harry Potter series is incredibly popular and a huge success, there’s a whole world of other fantastic fantasy books to discover. If you enjoy fantasy – whether it’s epic adventures, darker stories, or something in between – you might find series even more captivating than the one about Harry Potter and his friends. It’s time to expand your reading list!

Go on an Adventure in Middle-Earth With The Lord of the Rings

If you’ve enjoyed reading the Harry Potter books, a great next read is The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Written by a professor at Oxford University between 1937 and 1949, and published in the mid-1950s, the story follows a fellowship on a mission to destroy a powerful ring. It’s a complex tale, but that’s the basic idea.

The story is told in three books: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. It features a wide cast of characters, including hobbits, elves, dwarves, orcs, dragons, trolls, wizards, and the popular ents. Readers often have a favorite character and debate whether they could withstand the temptation of the One Ring.

More than 70 years after its creation, the influence of remains incredibly strong. It’s spawned prequels, related books, a TV series, films, video games, board games, a real-world attraction in New Zealand, even guides to meal planning, and continues to inspire tattoos – proving its enduring cultural power.

The Stormlight Archive Takes Readers to Planet Roshar

If you’re a long-time fan of fantasy novels, you’ve probably heard of Brandon Sanderson. But if you’re looking for a series to really sink your teeth into—one that could keep you reading for years—you should definitely check out The Stormlight Archive.

So far, five books of the planned ten-book Stormlight Archive series are available, giving you plenty of reading to enjoy for years. What makes this series special is that each book tells the story from the perspective of a different character within its world, alongside a couple of shorter stories.

These books explore difficult themes like trauma, mental health, and the consequences of war, all set on a stormy planet called Roshar, where characters face moral challenges and betrayals, and magic exists. Brandon Sanderson is a master world-builder, and his detailed creation of Roshar makes the 1,000+ page series fly by. Excitingly, the books are being adapted into a TV show! Fortunately, Sanderson has a unique agreement that allows him to maintain creative control, ensuring the adaptation stays faithful to his original stories.

The Earthsea Cycle Was Almost Only One Book

Ursula K. Le Guin initially wrote A Wizard of Earthsea in 1968 as a single story, the first in what would become The Earthsea Cycle. She later expanded the series, writing six novels in total, with the final book appearing in 2001.

While this series falls into the young adult genre, it’s enjoyable for readers of all ages, much like Harry Potter. The six books can be roughly divided into two parts: the first three are more typical YA stories, while the final three explore more mature themes. A television miniseries adaptation was released in 2004, and though it differs from the books, it’s still available to watch.

Although Ged is the central figure in The Earthsea Cycle, the stories aren’t solely about him. The series also explores the world through characters like Tenar and Tehanu. The books aren’t driven by large-scale conflicts, but rather by Ged’s personal development over many years as he deals with the consequences of his actions.

A Song of Ice and Fire Cancels Out the Show

We won’t discuss any spoilers. However, we highly recommend reading George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. The books are fantastic! While it seems Martin may not be finishing the series anytime soon, the first five books are well worth reading.

This story is full of ancient magic, epic battles, and complex political schemes, complete with shocking betrayals and strong family connections. Expect plenty of unexpected twists and heartbreaking losses. The characters, traveling from Westeros to Essos, will evoke a wide range of emotions – they’ll disappoint you, uplift you, and ultimately leave a lasting impression.

The first book in the series, A Game of Thrones, came out in 1996, and it’s been over a decade since the last one, A Dance with Dragons, was published in 2011. Despite their length, these books are incredibly captivating and hard to put down. Thankfully, beloved characters like Tyrion remain true to form – he still enjoys a drink and is full of insightful knowledge!

The Wheel of Time Turns Pages Across 14 Novels

This fantasy series, with a total of 17 books including prequels and companions, offers a long and immersive reading experience. The story centers on Rand al’Thor and his companions as they embark on a quest to save the world, all while Rand battles to maintain his sanity. It’s considered one of the greatest fantasy series ever written.

The series features a large cast of characters who develop over the course of fourteen books. After men lose their ability to use the One Power, the women of the Aes Sedai must prepare the world for the Last Battle. While Prime Video adapted the series into a TV show with three seasons, it was canceled in 2025. Fans can still enjoy the books, with potential for future movies as well.

The first book in The Wheel of Time series, The Eye of the World, was published in 1990, and the final book, A Memory of Light, appeared in 2013. Sadly, the author Robert Jordan died in 2007. Fortunately, Brandon Sanderson, another fantasy writer, was able to complete the series using Jordan’s notes, with permission from Jordan’s wife, Harriet McDougal.

The Realm of the Elderlings Takes Readers on the Ultimate Character Building Quest

As someone who loves a good Arthurian tale or an epic fantasy series, I think you’ll really enjoy The Realm of the Elderlings. It’s written by Robin Hobb (that’s Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden’s pen name!), and it’s a huge series – sixteen novels in total. What I found particularly compelling was how it followed the life of FitzChivalry Farseer, a royal assassin, not just through adventures, but also through all the complexities of life and his own mental health, from his teens all the way into old age.

This 16-book series is divided into five smaller story arcs, most of which are three books long. It begins with The Farseer Trilogy, which follows Fitz as a young man learning through difficult experiences. Throughout the series, each trilogy and related story shows Fitz at a different point in his life, facing new obstacles, while also exploring the wider world through the eyes of various characters.

I first discovered Robin Hobb’s incredible world back in 1995 with Assassin’s Apprentice, and I was completely hooked! It was such a journey following FitzChivalry Farseer all the way through to Assassin’s Fate in 2016. While the story unfolds at a more deliberate pace than some, it’s the amazing characters and the richly detailed world of The Realm of the Elderlings that really drew me in and kept me captivated. Hobb truly builds something special.

The World of the Malazan Book of the Fallen Series Keeps Expanding

Between 1999 and 2011, Steven Erikson wrote the ten books that make up the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It’s a complex world with a huge cast of characters and a rich history, demanding readers pay close attention to keep up. If you expect fantasy novels to be straightforward and focus on one main character, this series might challenge your expectations.

The Malazan Book of the Fallen series starts with 10 novels, but that’s just the beginning. Authors Steven Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont have since added nearly two dozen more books – prequels, sequels, companion stories, and novellas – with even more on the way. If anyone asks what you’ll do when you retire, you could honestly say you plan to read everything set in the Malazan Empire!

The Malazan Book of the Fallen series doesn’t offer much guidance – it throws you right into the action. It’s similar to the feeling of contestants on Destination X removing their blindfolds and trying to make sense of everything. However, if you persevere through the first couple of books and get used to the world, you’ll find a richly detailed and rewarding experience within the complex Malazan Empire.

The First Law Trilogy Shows How Hard Personal Redemption Is

Joe Abercrombie launched his acclaimed fantasy series, The First Law, with the 2006 novel The Blade Itself. This trilogy is set in a gritty, war-ravaged world filled with complex characters who aren’t simply good or evil. If you enjoy stories that avoid clear-cut heroes and villains, The First Law is a great place to start.

As power shifts between the nations of the North, the Union, and the Gurkish Empire, the story switches between different characters’ perspectives, offering a look into the experiences of both humans and demons at war. If you liked the first three books, you can continue with a collection of short stories and separate novels. Plus, a new trilogy, The Age of Madness, was published between 2019 and 2021.

The screenplay for the movie based on Best Served Cold is written by Abercrombie. Although the project isn’t canceled, production has been on hold since 2023.

His Dark Materials Takes on Organized Religion

Philip Pullman’s fantasy series, His Dark Materials, centers on the adventures of Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry as they travel between different worlds, encountering creatures like armored bears and witches on a quest to safeguard a mysterious substance called Dust. The original trilogy was published between 1995 and 2000. Pullman later expanded this universe with The Book of Dust, another trilogy released from 2017 to 2025, which explores events happening both before and after the story of His Dark Materials.

Although often labeled as young adult fiction, His Dark Materials explores complex ideas about religion, free will, and authority, making it appealing to readers of all ages. The story has been adapted for various media, most recently as a television series that aired from 2019 to 2022.

The Kingkiller Chronicle Series Has Fans Waiting for Its Conclusion

Although the series remains incomplete, it’s still a compelling read. The first book, The Name of the Wind, came out in 2007, and the second, The Wise Man’s Fear, followed in 2011. Since then, fans of Patrick Rothfuss’s fantasy series have eagerly awaited the final installment, even playfully attempting the book’s magical arts – sygaldry, naming, and alchemy – to try and bring it to fruition.

This fantasy series centers around Kvothe, who is now living in hiding as an old man named Kote. He wasn’t always in hiding, though – he used to be an adventurer, a skilled magic-user, and a gifted musician. The story unfolds as Kvothe recounts his life story to a traveling writer over three days, with each day forming the basis of one novel in the series.

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2026-05-07 00:14