The best fantasy books that will change the way you think

Why am I passionate about this?

In my few years of life I have done what I thought most difficult. I have changed my mind. I have changed hobbies and passions, changed political and scientific views and I have found myself becoming quite good at it, so when a book is captivating enough to move me then it is only natural that I should wish to do the same for others. These books are part of what has shaped me not only as a writer but as a human, giving me the ability and reason to question the very world about me, each is unique and, in my opinion, a classic of their genre.


I wrote...

The Good Mage

By Solee Stagbeetle,

Book cover of The Good Mage

What is my book about?

Finding himself in a new world of magic, mystery, and generally awful things. Solee, the now mage embarks on a menial mission that will radically and terribly change both his fate and the fate of the world itself.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Ender's Game

Solee Stagbeetle Why did I love this book?

Ender's Game was the first book I ever read in which I was so enthralled that I viewed the book as if watching a movie, I didn’t so much read this book as consume it, fell into it.

The very nature of the universe and how I view it will forever be changed by this book and the author's ideas and views, very specifically the way he interprets gravity, space travel, and how humans and aliens would or could interact.

Also, a war viewed in part from the alien's perspective is a particularly interesting and engaging angle.

This makes it one of my very favourites.

By Orson Scott Card,

Why should I read it?

15 authors picked Ender's Game as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Orson Scott Card's science fiction classic Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut―young Ender is the Wiggin drafted…


Book cover of Hounded

Solee Stagbeetle Why did I love this book?

Hounded gives such an original take on the different types of magic and how characters use them that it is a must-read book for any magic lovers, it gave me new and interesting ideas not only about magic itself but about religion and cultures worldwide, mixing in history and legend in a most intriguing and unique way.

By Kevin Hearne,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Hounded as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first novel in the New York Times bestselling Iron Druid Chronicles—the hilarious, action-packed tales of a two-thousand-year-old Druid pursued by ancient gods in the modern world

“A page-turning and often laugh-out-loud-funny caper through a mix of the modern and the mythic.”—Ari Marmell, author of The Warlord’s Legacy

Atticus O’Sullivan is the last of the ancient druids. He has been on the run for more than two thousand years and he’s tired of it. The Irish gods who want to kill him are after an enchanted sword he stole in a first-century battle, and when they find him managing an…


Book cover of Furies of Calderon

Solee Stagbeetle Why did I love this book?

With its mix of nations, magic, and just a twinge of real history, The Furies of Calderon is without a doubt my favourite book of all time. Not only a completely unique fantasy adventure but a mind-warping perspective of humanity that sticks with me to this day. Jim Butcher somehow made a story as complex as a master's game of chess an easy-flowing and incredibly pleasing experience that kept me diving back in till every page was gone, it is also one of the very few books that I have read no less than three times.

By Jim Butcher,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Furies of Calderon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14.

What is this book about?

In this extraordinary fantasy epic, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files leads readers into a world where the fate of the realm rests on the shoulders of a boy with no power to call his own...
 
For a thousand years, the people of Alera have united against the aggressive and threatening races that inhabit the world, using their unique bond with the furies—elementals of earth, air, fire, water, wood, and metal. But in the remote Calderon Valley, the boy Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help…


Book cover of The Colour of Magic

Solee Stagbeetle Why did I love this book?

The Colour of Magic was the first of Sir Terry Pratchet’s novels I read, and although it has been nearly ten years, I still find myself drawn back to the depths of its pages. Full of intriguing characters set in a perplexing and amazing world, the likes of which will shape the genre for many years to come. The story follows a character, who is not only about as void of magic as you can come, but absolutely hopeless at pretty much everything else. It was a refreshing change from the standard “man with no powers finds power” stance and really altered my way of thinking about how a story should or could be told. A truly compelling read, it had me hooked from start to finish.

By Terry Pratchett,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked The Colour of Magic as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

On a world supported on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown), a gleeful, explosive, wickedly eccentric expedition sets out. There's an avaricious buy inept wizard, a naive tourist whose luggage moves on hundreds of dear little legs, dragons who only exist if you believe in them, and of course The Edge of the planet...


Book cover of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Solee Stagbeetle Why did I love this book?

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a truly remarkable book.” You may only get this reference once you have read it, but a truer statement has rarely been said. Although not exactly a fantasy novel, this book about a book contains enough magic, science, and gospel to fit in just about any genre it feels like. It explains the universe in a way that only a mad scientist should be able to tell and truly makes you feel small and insignificant in the best possibly way once done. I would be very surprised if anyone can only read the first in the trilogy of five.

By Douglas Adams,

Why should I read it?

31 authors picked The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This box set contains all five parts of the' trilogy of five' so you can listen to the complete tales of Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Zaphod Bebblebrox and Marvin the Paranoid Android! Travel through space, time and parallel universes with the only guide you'll ever need, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Read by Stephen Fry, actor, director, author and popular audiobook reader, and Martin Freeman, who played Arthur Dent in film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He is well known as Tim in The Office.

The set also includes a bonus DVD Life, the Universe and…


You might also like...

The Blade in the Angel's Shadow

By Andy Darby,

Book cover of The Blade in the Angel's Shadow

Andy Darby Author Of Me and The Monkey

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Fantasy lover Psychonaut Cat dad Designer Metalhead

Andy's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Dr Dee has designs for a British Empire that will dominate the world for ages to come ushering in Revelation, and with the aegis of the Angels, he has the power to make it a reality.

But, two elements are missing, and through blackmail and occult ritual, infamous swordswoman Captain Lament Evyngar and her giant Dutch comrade are forced to journey to the war-ravaged Spanish Netherlands on a quest that will reveal the truth about strange entities that use humans to fight out their eternal conflicts and in doing so alter Lament and the course of history forever.

The Blade in the Angel's Shadow

By Andy Darby,

What is this book about?

Infamous swordswoman Captain Lament Evyngar awaits execution in the Tower of London, charged with heresy and attempted regicide, but all is not as it seems. Unwittingly entangled in the schemes of the Angels, she recounts her tale to the Queen's sorcerer, Dr Dee, who is more than a little responsible for her predicament.

Dr Dee has designs for a British Empire that will dominate the world for ages to come, and with the aegis of the Angels, he has the power to make it a reality. But, two elements are missing, and through blackmail and occult ritual, Lament and her…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in magic-supernatural, wizards, and extraterrestrial life?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about magic-supernatural, wizards, and extraterrestrial life.

Magic-Supernatural Explore 606 books about magic-supernatural
Wizards Explore 95 books about wizards
Extraterrestrial Life Explore 227 books about extraterrestrial life