Top 16 Best Fantasy Adventure Books Updated 04 /2024

Trying to find a book that will make you want to read all night long? Your search is over. From grimdark fantasy to young adult novels, these 11 high-stake stories will keep you reading until the very end. They're all sure to keep you hooked. These fantasy adventure books feature epic battles, powerful magic, amazing creatures, and fully-realized worlds that you'll want to visit. They're sure to take you on a journey that you'll never forget.

Darksoul

By Anna Stephens

This gripping follow-up to Godblind continues the tense conflict from the first book in this series. It's a story about cruel gods and heroes who don't give up on their dreams. It's a must-read for anyone who likes dark fantasy.

Durdul Koridam used to be a commander, but now he's the King of Rilporin. He keeps the city safe from the violent invaders. Durdul, the new ruler of the city, is willing to die rather than see it fall to the Red Gods and King Corvus' Mireces army.

As long as Prince Rivil's troops are outside the city's walls, the Mireces and Prince Rivil's forces have reached an uneasy truce. But Dom Templeson, a seer, arrives and the conflict comes to a head. He might tell King Corvus something important after being tortured by the Red Gods.

Crys Tailorson, one of the few Rilporin survivors outside of the city walls, may have to make a difficult sacrifice and lead a band of unlikely survivors in a last-ditch effort to turn the tide of the bloody battle, but it could be too late.

The Seventh Sword

By Dave Duncan

Dave Duncan, a great Canadian author of speculative fiction, wrote an epic fantasy series about a young man who is dying. Wallie is a young man who is dying. The next morning, Wallie wakes up in a world that he has never seen before. In an unknown place, Wallie doesn't know where he is or who the people around him are. When he hears that the Goddess is looking for a swordsman, he agrees to help. During each volume in this long-running series, Wallie tries to figure out how he got to this new place and how to keep his new friends and family safe from pure evil.

War in Heaven

By Charles Williams

War in Heaven is a fantasy thriller that many people don't know about. It's a lot like The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. In fact, Williams was a member of the Inkling group at Oxford, where J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were. His first book is a gripping story about an epic battle between good and evil that starts in the English countryside after the Holy Grail itself is found in a church. The legendary relic is being stalked by an evil that hides behind the front of a small town pharmacy. A book editor, a boy, and a deacon must work together to stop their local paranormal fight from changing the worlds of both the living and the dead.

Enemy

By Betsy Dornbusch

Third book: Enemy is about Draken vae Khellian as he returns to the world of Akrasia after being disgraced. It's part of the thrilling sword and sorcery trilogy, "The Book of the Seven Eyes." Draken hasn't had a peaceful life, and now that he's back in the land where he was banished a long time ago, he has a lot of anger and rage to deal with. R.A. Salvatore fans will be gripped by Enemy, a gruesome adventure that will keep them reading. It's the end of a fantastic fantasy saga.

Songs of Earth and Power

By Greg Bear

A young poet named Michael Perrin is taken from Los Angeles to the brutal and beautiful Realm of the Sidhedark after he hears an infamous magical concerto. This fantasy duology by Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Greg Bear is the story of how he got there. Michael needs to adapt quickly to the faerie world in order to stay alive and save the people he cares about when the Infinity Concerto weakens the boundary between human and faerie lands even more. This is what happens.

The Sun Wolf and Starhawk Series Books 1–3

By Barbara Hambly

If you like fantasy stories about female warriors and powerful magic, this dark fantasy series will be right up your alley. His band of marauders and his first lieutenant, Starhawk, help Sun Wolf live in a war-torn country. As this epic saga starts, the legendary Sun Wolf is taken by the women of the port city of Mandrigyn and forced to fight against the armies of a greedy, ransacking wizard. The legendary mercenary Sun Wolf is being held hostage by Starhawk, who shows that she can be as bad as he is.

Three Hearts and Three Lions

By Poul Anderson

A Danish engineer named Holger Carlsen is a big part of the fight against Nazis. But soon, he learns that his victories outside of the world he knows are important, too. A lot of magic is found in the Middle World after Hoger is hurt during battle. Ogier the Dane is a well-known warrior and hero in the Middle World. Holger is surprised to learn that in the real world, he's called Ogier the Dane. It's a land full of dragons, druids, and dreams that come true. Holger has to use his skills as an engineer to mix science and magic together and make both worlds happy.

Neveryóna

By Samuel R. Delany

One of a series of novels and short stories set in the fantasy world of Nevèron by Samuel R. Delany, Neveryóna is about the main character, pryn. It turns out that pryn isn't the only person who can fly a dragon. She's also a thief, wanderer, and general jack-of-all trades. Her adventures include a search for a sunken city and a fight with Gorgik the Liberator in the civil war in Nevèron over slavery, which she helped win. From science fiction great Samuel R. Delany, Neveryóna is a fun and thought-provoking fantasy that looks at the nature of language and how people are able to get what they want.

His Majesty's Dragon

By Naomi Novik

His Majesty's Dragon is the first book in a nine-book series by Naomi Novik, a fantasy author who won the Nebula Award for her work. This is the story of Captain Lawrence and Temeraire, a dragon in the British air force who is both impressive and sometimes controversial.

Before he meets Temeraire, Lawrence is proud of the service he has done for the crown as captain of the HMS Reliant in the Napoleonic wars. When the Reliant catches a French ship with valuable goods, like a rare dragon egg, Lawrence will do everything he can to make sure the dragon can help the army. During the dragon's selection process, Lawrence is chosen as his captain. Lawrence gives up a high-ranking Navy job in favor of a low-ranking job in the corps.

Lawrence and Temeraire go on a lot of great adventures together because of their roles in the Napoleonic wars. If you're a fan of dragons and military fantasy, this book is for you. His Majesty's Dragon is a page-turner of epic proportions.

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