By:- Anvi Doshi
It was a hot day. I was 17 years old and stumbling along book piles at the Flora Fountain signal, in Mumbai. After Harry Potter, life had become kind of drab. All the colours, seemingly sucked out of the ether. I was looking for other worlds, worlds where you could be anything you wanted and no one dared to question you.
I was looking for magic, hope, love, life and all the goodness that reality proudly boasted of having dumped. Three yellowed paperbacks awaited my arrival. And I was a fantasy reader from then on.
A lot of us ridicule fantasy as whimsical stupidity. But I for one, will tell you that the realm of magic and supernatural has taught me more of life and living than any other form of literature. Here are my 19 favourites that might just change your world.
The Raven Boys – Maggie Stiefvater
Ah! This one has just opened my eyes furthermore to beautiful writing. And the world Stiefvater creates will simply knock the breath out of you. Be prepared for massive book hangovers after you devour the series.
2
Throne of Glass – Sarah J Mass
A bad-ass assassin. A land where magic is banned and every creature has faced the repercussions. Embrace flawed heroes, human-yet-terrific-loves, utterly stunning and gripping battles and above all, hope.
3
The Eye of the World – Robert Jordan
http://www.orbitbooks.net
Ask the guys from the 80’s and the 90’s what this dude meant to their bookshelves. You’ll know exactly why he is a fantasy fiction legend.
4
Chocolat – Joanne Harris
https://booksandbakes1.files.wordpress.com
Joanne Harris is one of those few writers for me that can literally transport a reader to the land of the tale. And what with gastronomical pleasures backing up black magic and fighting staunch Christianity, it’s all about good book tremors.
5
The Fellowship of the Ring – J.R.R Tolkien
http://www.ibookpile.com
The godfather of fantasy fiction will never disappoint. Especially when he comes all guns blazing with an Elven language and Gandalf, the main man. Go read now, okay bye.
6
The Golden Compass – Philip Pullman
http://www.ibookpile.com
This one is such an intelligent story. At every turn, you simply won’t expect the gradual building of the fictional worlds. And you most certainly won’t expect the fine, sharp, visuals-inducing Pullman prose.
7
Cinder – Marissa Meyer
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net
I don’t do Sci-fi. But I was blown away by the originality of Cinder. Especially with its cunning retelling of the Disney Princesses tales fed to us as kids.
Get your copy here.
8
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com
Oh boy, Adams totally stole my heart with his genius. I won’t refrain from showing all my love for this absolutely-gobsmacking-brilliant book.
9
Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Laini Taylor
http://crimeandpublishing.com
I had to stop myself from not going back to reading it all over again. (Blame it on my TBR pile) I love the juxtaposition of angels and beats fighting off to restore peace.
10
Ingo – Helen Dunmore
https://images.apps-foundry.com
Honestly, sometimes the best fantastical worlds are found in children’s books. But I won’t say this one is for children. Because the world of the Mer folk is too mature for anyone younger than a teen to understand.
11
The Vengekeep Prophecies – Brian Farrey
http://www.brianfarreybooks.com
Hilarious. An out-right riot of misfits and powers and totally rocking the thievery world. I couldn’t fathom Brian’s wit right till the very end.
12
The Amulet of Samarkand – Jonathan Stroud
http://file2.answcdn.com
If you like humour with sass and downright spunk, meet Bartimaeus, a beaut djinn aging somewhere around thousand. Leave it all on him to slay your day. (He’s my man. Till date)
13
The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
http://www.rantingdragon.com
I was in love. Yes, true, mad and deep. And it was all because on this one epic adventure of Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves. Couple that with a few elves and a crazy army of Ogres.
14
The Sandman Book of Dreams – Neil Gaiman
https://3.bp.blogspot.com
One of the first three fantasy books I dived into. And boy, was I glad that I did? Especially with Gaiman’s dark, epic fantastical short stories making my life worth living.
15
Eragon – Christopher Paolini
https://bookwraiths.files.wordpress.com
I remember sitting for hours on end because I did not want to leave Saphira and Eragon’s side as they battled Shades, an angry king and rescued and elven warrior.
16
Amber and Ashes – Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
https://qualitybookcovers.files.wordpress.com
This duo form my favourite fantasy authors. I am amazed at the old world charm they create with the lands of Krynn and how beautifully formulated the plots can be.
17
Wicked Lovely – Melissa Marr
http://cdn.playbuzz.com
Again, one of my all-time favs. And nope, this definitely does not border on romantic as much as it borders on creative, one-of-a-kind faerie realm in the history of literature.
18
Priestess of White – Trudi Canavan
https://images.apps-foundry.com
The best series that Canavan has written, in my opinion. A page turner and a subtle yet precise critic on religion and gods, it leads you closer to natural world and human bravery.
19
Skulduggery Pleasant – Derek Landy
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com
What happens when you have a skeleton guy busting demon asses? And a ten-year-old kid as his mentee? Umm, find out yourself.