SerpApi.Org
The fantasy genre has come a long way since its inception. It's always been a popular genre, especially in the literary world, but things really took off between the 1970s and 1990s. Today, fantasy has evolved exponentially, with loads more ideas being discussed and experimented with. Thanks to the internet, it's now easier than ever to publish a book, and many of them have captivated audiences.
The 2020s, in particular, have seen an explosion of new fantasy novels, likely due to the pandemic in 2020, which had people cooped up in their houses, desperately in need of an outlet. Some took to writing, crafting their own stories as a form of escapism during a difficult time. As a result, fantasy is better than ever, and it's noticeable in these fantastic books that have come out.
'The Jasmine Throne' (2021)
The Jasmine Throne is the first entry in a fresh trilogy by Tasha Suri. Suri, who is of Indian ancestry, created a completely new world inspired by India, which is a major departure from any other major fantasy setting. Most fantasy settings tend to favor a Medieval Europe type of world, after all.
The plot follows an oppressive regime and a deadly epidemic, which causes plants to grow from one's body. Of course, the ones being oppressed are one particular culture, specifically one that is able to use magic. The magic system is not only unique, but interesting, and has clear limitations and sacrifices that must be made. Critics loved this book for its themes of power, emotional development, and rich world.
'The House in the Cerulean Sea' (2020)
If large, epic adventures or complex magic systems aren't really your thing, you might want to check out The House in the Cerulean Sea. This story feels straight out of a classic fairytale, focusing on a close, intimate, and cozy vibe. The protagonist is Linus, who works for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, acting as an inspector in orphanages and group homes. He gets a call to visit one particular island to check a local orphanage and make sure it's all up to code.
What he finds there is a group of non-human children, including dragons and demons, which could potentially bring about the end of days, forcing him to choose between duty and morality. The story is filled with wonder and jogs the imagination, and it's not overly long or elaborate. It's a simple, open-and-shut read that is pretty difficult to put down, and which became a massive hit with fans of the genre.
'Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution' (2022)
R. F. Kuang became a well-known name in the literary world with her critically acclaimed The Poppy War trilogy of grimdark fantasy novels. However, many regard her finest work to be Babel, which came out in 2022. Kuang is a postgraduate student, so she tends to include themes about academia and its dark side in her books, which is exactly why people found Babel so captivating.
The story is about an orphaned boy named Robin who begins to train to study at Oxford University in the year 1828. Robin isn't just headed for Oxford, though — he's intent on getting into the Royal Institute of Translation, a fictitious institute that not only focuses on linguistics, but also magic. This is made a struggle when Robin is caught in the middle of a brewing war between the UK and China over resources, forcing him to use his newfound skills to choose a side. Critics lauded the book not just for its ambitious premise, but also for how intelligently constructed it is. It's become a popular read in fantasy circles for precisely this reason.
'The Will of the Many' (2023)
As discussed, the fantasy genre tends to favor a certain type of setting. In particular, it tends to lean towards Medieval Europe. So many fantasy novels, movies, and video games have used this exact setting that it can start to grow tiresome after a while. If you're in the mood for a different kind of setting, look no further than James Islington's The Will of the Many.
Though this is a high fantasy series, meaning it takes place in a world completely separate from our own, the world of this story is more akin to the Roman Empire at its height. The protagonist is an undercover agent who has been sent to a prestigious academy, where he is ordered to solve a murder and uncover the secrets of an age-old weapon without the administration finding out. It's a great story that mirrors the politics of Ancient Rome, and which is easily able to keep people guessing. Every answer raises another question, leaving it consistently exciting.
'Crossroads of Ravens' (2024)
Andrzej Sapkowski is well-known for his The Witcher saga, which became a Netflix original series in 2019. The series follows Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster hunter known as a Witcher, who travels from town to town, taking on bounties to exterminate troublesome beasts for the locals. The newest entry in the saga, Crossroads of Ravens, serves as a prequel to the entire dark fantasy series, even to the short story collections that are prequels in and of themselves.
Crossroads delves into Geralt's journey into becoming a Witcher, long before the main events of the saga. Here, readers get to witness Geralt in his youth, as well as how he trained to become such a deadly force to be reckoned with. It's a grueling process, true to the grimdark genre, but it adds so much to Sapkowski's world. It might not be the best Witcherbook, but it's a great return to form, and a superb prequel.
'The Trouble With Peace' (2020)
The Trouble With Peace is the second novel in Joe Abercrombie's The Age of Madness trilogy, which is set in the same world as his critically acclaimed and highly popular The First Law series. While this trilogy was pretty stellar all around, not everybody was content with the way it concluded. That said, this second entry is pretty universally loved across fantasy discussion forums.
This sequel picks up right where the last one left off, opening up on war, betrayal, political intrigue, and a world plagued by greed. Being a grimdark series, one can definitely expect some gruesome violence and plenty of brutality contained within. For many readers, this only made them fall in love with the book even more. Joe Abercrombie is nothing if not consistent, and he kept his momentum up from his previous works in this universe, coming in strong with this second installment.
'Piranesi' (2020)
Piranesi comes from author Susanna Clarke, who also penned the low fantasy hit Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell, which actually got its own live-action miniseries. This short and sweet novel is another stand-alone low fantasy, only this one is much more mind-bending. In this story, the main character is Piranesi, whose house is of impossible dimensions. Some corridors go on forever and ever, some rooms change positions, and there are thousands of statues lining the walls.
As Piranesi explores his home, which is gradually filling up with water, he meets an unnamed stranger in the labyrinth who desperately seeks his help. This book is admittedly hard to grasp with all its twists and turns (both literally and figuratively), but it makes for an interesting reading experience. It challenges the heart and the mind, and has a depth way beyond some of the other books on this list.
'Jade Legacy' (2021)
Jade Legacy is the third and final novel in Fonda Lee's award-winning series, The Green Bone Saga. The short version of the plot and setting is that there was an enormous global conflict, similar in scale to the Second World War, which left the world in an uneasy tension. A once sprawling empire completely shatters into numerous splinter factions and rival tribes, who still squabble with each other, primarily over a new substance known as jade. Jade is normally able to give people magical powers — if you can survive it, that is. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily), a group of people known as the Kekonese are the only ones who are able to handle it safely.
This final book serves as the epic conclusion to a highly acclaimed series. It's also the only mainline novel of the series to be published in the 2020s (which doesn't include the prequel novel or the collection of short stories). In any event, this threequel kept things going strong, finishing just as explosively as it began, much to the delight of critics and fans alike.
'Dungeon Crawler Carl' (2024)
Dungeon Crawler Carl might actually be the most bonkers fantasy book you'll ever read, but this is exactly why people have come to love it. The book opens up with an alien corporation called Borant exterminating almost all human life on Earth to mine for the planet's resources. One of the sole survivors, Carl, is forced to enter the World Dungeon, an 18-level dungeon based on tabletop RPGs and dungeon crawler video games. Accompanying him is his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, who can also talk and use magic.
A mishmash of sci-fi and fantasy, Dungeon Crawler Carl is absolutely absurd in the best ways possible. In just two short years, the book prompted seven more sequels, and rumor has it that a TV adaptation is on the way, set to debut on Peacock. This book is so crazy and over-the-top that it's hard not to love. It also feels like a parody of classical fantasy tropes, making it a book that many long-time fantasy fans will love.
'Tress of the Emerald Sea' (2022)
Tress of the Emerald Sea is the first of Brandon Sanderson's "secret projects" that he worked on while in quarantine. This stand-alone novel later became part of the Hoid's Travails series, which is about to see its third installment. This novel, inspired by The Princess Bride, is set in Sanderson's Cosmere, a shared universe that many of his works take place in. The premise of the Cosmere is that every stand-alone or series takes place on a new planet in the same galaxy, many of them having their own intricate magic system.
This story takes place on the planet Lumar, which is orbited by 12 moons. The moons orbit extremely close to the planet, and constantly deposit a stream of spores onto the surface. These spores, called aethers, are of 12 different varieties and colors, each of which has a different effect when they come into contact with water. For example, blue spores explode. These spores make up the oceans of the world, taking the place of water oceans, but the spores behave like liquid thanks to a series of gas jets hidden beneath, which fluidize the sea and make it churn and seethe. Story-wise, the plot follows a girl named Tress, who sets sail across the hostile seas of Lumar in search of her missing lover, who has been kidnapped by an evil witch. It feels like a heartwarming fairytale on an incredibly alien world. It's written as the narrator, Hoid, telling someone a story, something he does frequently throughout the Cosmere. Moreover, the humour is brilliant, the adventure is great, and it eventually turns into a pirate story, so what's not to love?
