Fantasy subgenres
73 ways into fantasy, from sword and sorcery to cozy and romantic fantasy. Each guide explains what defines the subgenre, what sets it apart from its neighbours and which books to start with.
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- Allegorial Fantasy Books Allegory is a literary device in which characters, settings, and events are symbolic of something else outside the story. If we think of…
- Alternate History Books Traditionally set in some recognized period of history—such as the Dark Ages, the Victorian era, the Enlightenment, early Rome—these works…
- Alternate World Books “There's no place like home. There's no place like home.” Click your heels together and you're back in the sepia colored real world—but oh…
- Anthropomorphic Fantasy Books Animals! Animals! Animals everywhere! To be boring, anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics, languages, behaviors, and…
- Arabian Fantasy Books Arabian Fantasy is an often romanticized sub-genre that many mediums, including literature, draw upon. For example, music, visual arts, and…
- Arcane Fantasy Books Magic and science exist in the world simultaneously—they are two separate fields, but complement each other and are used together. Magic is…
- Arthurian Fantasy Book Arthurian Fantasy is easily defined as any fantasy story incorporating the legends of King Arthur and his many companions.
- Assassin Fantasy Books The name of this sub-genre says it all—these are stories about assassins set within a fantasy world. Intrigue, secrecy, espionage, mystery,…
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- Celtic Fantasy Books Celtic Fantasy encompasses all fantasy stories that drawn on Celtic legends and lore. Usually these stories are from Ireland, but they can…
- Christian Fantasy Books Pretty simple definition: Fantasy written by and for Christians. It is a story that reflects some part of the Christian world-view. Some…
- Classical Fantasy Books Like Historical Fantasy, Classical Fantasy is focused on specific details and time periods and portrays them in a new and fantastic way.…
- Colonial Fantasy Books A small sub-genre that is not hugely popular and not widely advertised—Colonial Fantasy is a fantasy in which colonialism is a theme and a…
- Comedic Fantasy Book Probably the lightest of all fantasy sub-genres, Humorous or Comic Fantasy is fun first, fantasy second. Basically, it just presents a…
- Coming of Age Fantasy Books In the tradition of acknowledged classics like Candide, Jane Eyre, or even Tom Sawyer, this genre takes our protagonist along an arc that…
- Contemporary Fantasy Books Contemporary Fantasy is defined by its setting: real world, present day. It is our very recognizable world -- with some fantastical…
- Court Intrigue Fantasy Books Lawyers dueling in court rooms! Jury tampering! Okay, so not that kind of court. More like a royal court— think castles, thrones, and royal…
- Crossworlds Fantasy Book A common sub-genre, Crossworlds Fantasy is often used in conjunction with other sub-genres. The sub-genre features a protagonist from the…
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- Dark Fantasy Books You can substitute “horror” for “dark fantasy” if you like, but fans of this sub-genre would probably be able to create sharp divisions…
- Dragon Fantasy Books Dragons are the most well-known mythological creature. There exists myths and stories about dragons in almost every culture around the…
- Dying Earth Fantasy Books The Earth, it is dying—that pretty much sums up this sub-genre.
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- Epic Fantasy Books One of the most popular forms of fantasy fiction takes its basic formula from ancient epic storytelling, which combined legend and history…
- Erotic Fantasy Books The Erotic Fantasy sub-genre, as the name suggests, contains strong sexual elements. The overall story of an Erotic Fantasy book are often…
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- Fable Books We all know, and mostly love, fables. They are perfect for the fantasy genre because their very conception includes magic in the form of…
- Fantastic Poetry Books Fantastic Poetry is everything you love about fantasy, but supercharged and condensed into a literary gem. It is an imaginative and…
- Fantastic Romance Books No, it's not a list of "fantastically great romance reads" but a legitimate fantasy subgenre.
- Fantastique Books The story of "once upon a time" does not exist in the sub-genre of the Fantastique. Fantastique does not tell stories that end with neat…
- Fantasy of Manners Books Fantasy of Manners is a kind of hybrid sub-genre of traditional Fantasy and the Comedy of Manners form. A Fantasy of Manners story is not…
- Flintlock Fantasy Books Flintlock is a term applied to a firearm that uses a flintlock mechanism—that's the Wikipedia definition and it's pretty boring and not…
- Futuristic Fantasy Books The future is fantastic! Futuristic Fantasy is a story set in the future that incorporates elements of fantasy. Okay, so that was a really…
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- Gaslamp Fantasy Books Gaslamp Fantasy is a genre bending sub-genre that belongs to both Fantasy and Historical Fiction and borrows tropes, themes, and even…
- Gods and Demons Fantasy Books Gods and Demons Fantasy, also called Shenmo, pulls together the wonder of the ancient Chinese world of the gods (and demons) with the…
- Grimdark Books Grimdark Fantasy is an oft debated sub-genre both in its value and its definition. Joe Abercrombie argues in a blogpost on his website that…
- Gritty Fantasy Books Gritty fantasy is all the rage these days. One of the first authors to bring gritty fantasy to the table was Glen Cook with his Black…
- Gunpowder Fantasy Gunpowder Fantasy is part of the modern fantasy trend. It occupies a space that is neither medieval nor urban. Steampunk is Gunpowder…
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- Hard Fantasy Books Logic and reason rule the pages of Hard Fantasy and attention to detail is a writer's best gift. Hard Fantasy is the Fantasy version of…
- Heroic Fantasy Books Heroic Fantasy has been bypassed recently by other fantasy genres, but the affinity of young males for comic book-style heroes pretty much…
- High Fantasy Books A popular subgenre that's often used interchangebly with Epic Fantasy. We feel there is a distinction, however. High Fantasy tends to focus…
- High Historical Fantasy Books This is a subset of Historical Fantasy and so shares the defining feature of an historical setting. The difference is that it also shares…
- Historical Fantasy Books In the Historical Fantasy sub-genre a part of Earth's history is the setting, but with added fantastical elements. This setting may be set…
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- Legend Retelling Fantasy Books Some stories never get old. Some characters become legends. Sometimes these stories have a kernel of truth to them.These tales are…
- Literary Fantasy Books Judging something to be Literary Fantasy is a bit like defining pornography: you know it when you see it. The “Literary” label seems…
- Low Fantasy Books Low Fantasy has nothing to do with height or literary merit and everything to do with the low emphasis placed on traditional Fantasy…
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- Magic Realism Books Magic is a part of everyday life—magical life and mundane life coexist and are not in conflict. This sub-genre tends to be more literary…
- Magical Girl Fantasy Books Adorable girls, awesome costumes, the power of friendship, adventure, and of course magic. Magical Girl Fantasy is a multi-platform…
- Media Tie-in Fantasy Books An absolutely huge sub-genre that has its own professional organization, the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers (not a…
- Medieval Fantasy Books Medieval Fantasy is defined less by its characteristics and more by it setting: namely, the medieval historical period. This sub-genre has…
- Military Fantasy Books The Military Fantasy sub-genre has a descriptive name, but that does not mean all Fantasy stories with military elements are part of this…
- Mundane Fantasy Books Mundane Fantasy is a bit of an oxymoron: how can something mundane also be fantasy? In a very broad definition, Mundane Fantasy is a…
- Mythic Fantasy Books In a sense, all fantasy derives from the vast number of myths developed throughout human history. Nature's force and fury, death, disease…
- Mythopoeia Books To define Mythopoeia simply, it is a work (we're talking about books here, but it could take other forms) of artificial mythology. This…
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- Paranormal Fantasy Books This fantasy version of the classic adventure novel is currently very popular. It's contemporary, hip, snarky, funny...naturally, it…
- Political Fantasy Books “Politics” and “Fantasy” might at first seem an unlikely combination for a good read. But think about it: any fantasy world has one or more…
- Portal Fantasy Books There is a real world—the world that we all know and love (or hate, as the case may be)--and a fantasy world created by our illustrious…
- Prehistoric Fantasy Books Prehistoric Fantasy is a specific type of Historical Fantasy that takes places in prehistoric times and depicts the lives of the people…
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- Science Fantasy Books As fantasy fiction becomes more focused on contemporary environments, as opposed to medieval and ancient worlds, technology plays an…
- Series Fantasy Books Series Fantasy, also known as Shared World Fantasy, is a long series of stories in either novel or short story form. These series differ…
- Silk Road Fantasy Books There are fantastic worlds outside Europe. Wonderful, beautiful, mythic lands. Lands with djinns, dragons, caliphates, palaces, deserts,…
- Steampunk Fantasy Books Steampunk stories postulate an alternate history where Victorian-era technology, namely steam, and aesthetics took hold. The sub-genre came…
- Superhero Fantasy Books A genre in of itself, Superheros are hugely popular and have strong fan bases. Characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Thor,…
- Swashbuckling Fantasy Books Ah the romance of men swinging from chandeliers brandishing a sword and cracking wise. Lots of energy and adventure make these stories…
- Sword and Planet Fantasy Books Sword and Planet Fantasy is another sub-genre of speculative fiction that has a bit of Fantasy and a bit of Science Fiction. The Sword and…
- Sword and Sorcery Books Is a canonical sub-genre of Fantasy—it spawns the action side of Fantasy. It is a sub-genre that has it all—magic, supernatural elements,…
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- Weird Fiction Books As humans we like to think we understand the world, but there are so many contraries and distances and illogical things. Weird Fiction…
- Weird West Fantasy Books Fantasy meets the Western with a dash of the supernatural. Weird West Fantasy is inherently genre crossing with bits of Fantasy, Western,…
- Wuxia Fantasy Books Originating in China, Wuxia is action, adventure, and fantasy all rolled into one. Succinctly described as a martial art adventure. The…