must-have fantasy novels
Discover the best must-have fantasy novels of all time, from Patricia A. McKillip's lyrical classics like *Ombria in Shadow* and *The Book of Atrix Wolfe* to Robin McKinley's beloved *The Blue Sword* and *Beauty*. This curated list of spellbinding fiction and juvenile fantasy features unforgettable tales of magic, adventure, and myth, including works by Tanya Huff and Jennifer Roberson. Perfect for fans of epic storytelling and dark fairy tales, this collection highlights essential reads, from *Spindle's End* to *Winter Rose*, that belong on every fantasy lover's shelf.
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Lady of the Glen
by Jennifer Roberson
"Lady of the Glen" is the spellbinding story of Catriona Campbell's enduring passion for Alasdair Og MacDonald, the second-born son of her clan's most powerful foe, the Laird of Glencoe. Enemies from birth, Catriona and Alasdair know from the moment they meet that they will lie in each other's arms someday. But their love, for centuries forbidden, comes at the most dangerous of times, as they become pawns of war and of history.
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Lady of Sherwood
by Jennifer Roberson
A retelling of the adventures and enduring love of Robin Hood and Maid Marian finds them involved in political intrigue and personal betrayals
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The Fire's Stone
by Tanya Huff
A thief, a princess, and a wizardess embark upon a perilous quest for a magical stone that has long protected the city from the volcano that threatens it
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Spindle's End
by Robin McKinley
In the tradition of Beauty and Rose Daughter, Newbery Award-winning author Robin McKinley "lends a fresh perspective to a classic fairy tale, developing the story of Sleeping Beauty into a richly imagined, vividly depicted novel" (School Library Journal) BRILLIANT...[a] sumptuous world. (New York Times Book Review) MYTHIC GRANDEUR...with magical detail and all-too-human feeling. (Publishers Weekly starred review) Satisfying reading, pleasing in the depth of the weaving and elaboration. (Chicago Tribune) Rich prose and colorful description...keep readers spellbound. (Rocky Mountain News)
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Winter Rose
by Patricia A. McKillip
Sorrow and trouble and bitterness will hound you and yours and the children of yours… Some said the dying words of Nial Lynn, murdered by his own son, were a wicked curse. To others, it was a winter’s tale spun by firelight on cold, dark nights. But when Corbet Lynn came to rebuild his family estate, memories of his grandfather’s curse were rekindled by young and old--and rumors filled the heavy air of summer. In the woods that border Lynn Hall, free-spirited Rois Melior roams wild and barefooted. And as autumn gold fades, she is consumed with Corbet Lynn, obsessed with his secret past…
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Ombria in Shadow
by Patricia A. McKillip
The death of Ombria's prince leads to chaos as light and dark factions compete for control and the fate of the city rests in the hands of untried forces. By the author of The Tower at Stony Wood. Reprint.
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The Tower at Stony Wood
by Patricia A. McKillip
She saw the knight in the mirror at sunset… During the wedding festivities of his king, Cyan Dag, a knight of Gloinmere, is sought out by a mysterious bard and told a terrifying tale: that the king has married a false queen—a lie cloaked in ancient and powerful sorcery. Spurred on by his steadfast honor and loyalty, Cyan departs on a dangerous quest to rescue the real queen from her tower prison, to prevent war, and to awaken magic in a land that has lost its way…
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The Book of Atrix Wolfe
by Patricia A. McKillip
In wolf shape, among the wolves, he had sensed danger sweepingtoward the mountains he loved. So begins The Book of Atrix Wolfe, the story of a man who lived amongwolves, hiding from the mistakes of his past -- and the woman who offered him one lastchance for redemption.
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The Terrorists of Irustan
by Louise Marley
In this novel from the author of "Sing the Light", a talented medicant defies the rule of men--and changes the lives of every woman on the planet. "Rich with alien atmospherics".--"Publishers Weekly".
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The Fountainhead
by Ayn Rand
The revolutionary literary vision that sowed the seeds of Objectivism, Ayn Rand's groundbreaking philosophy, and brought her immediate worldwide acclaim. This modern classic is the story of intransigent young architect Howard Roark, whose integrity was as unyielding as granite...of Dominique Francon, the exquisitely beautiful woman who loved Roark passionately, but married his worst enemy...and of the fanatic denunciation unleashed by an enraged society against a great creator. As fresh today as it was then, Rand’s provocative novel presents one of the most challenging ideas in all of fiction—that man’s ego is the fountainhead of human progress... “A writer of great power. She has a subtle and ingenious mind and the capacity of writing brilliantly, beautifully, bitterly...This is the only novel of ideas written by an American woman that I can recall.”—The New York Times
