Another modern sword & sorcery tale. There’s a lot of swashbuckling swordplay, adventure, and romance present in this novel. While some might say the series is more high fantasy than...
Leiber helped to pioneer the sword-and-sorcery genre and is widely hailed as one of the most influential fantasy writers ever. Unfortunately, he's never received the credit he deserves for such...
If you are looking for some classic sword and sorcery that combines action and romance in equal spades, The Sword Dancer series delivers on this. The characters evolve dramatically over...
This series starts off with so much promise. Del, brave warrior-woman in the North has been training for five years to rescue her brother from slavers in the South and...
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are the titular characters of a collection of sword-and-sorcery stories. Originally they were created as more human counterpoints to larger than life characters like Tarzan...
Often referred to as 'the greatest fantasy author you've never read' by some. And sadly true.But if you've read any modern sword and sorcery with dark themes, complex characters, strong...
"The Serpent and the Wings of Night" is the first installment in the "Crowns of Nyaxia" series. Set in a world of sword and sorcery, this book promises an epic...
Generally regarded, along with A Man of His Word, as Duncan’s best work. This is some of the best sword and sorcery fantasy you’ll read, period.The premise is that a...
"The Swords of Night and Day" is the final book in the "Drenai" series by David Gemmell, and it follows the character of Skilgannon the Damned as he embarks on...
When someone mentions Sword and Sorcery, what comes to mind is Conan the Barbarian, arguably the greatest representation of the genre. It’s true that the story of Conan has been...
True to classic Sword and Sorcery, there are plenty of barbarians, wizards, and seductresses lining the pages of this classic work. The story centers on Gath of Baal, a barbarian...
Moody and bookish, Elric the albino is no burly barbarian. Nor is he a product of heroic destiny fated to save the world, but rather kicks against prophecy and wants...
Flewelling's series takes place in the medieval country of Skala and presents a near-perfect sword and sorcery experience. It details the growth of Alec, saved from prison by Seregil, a...
Elric is the famed albino sorcerer and wielder of Stormbringer, a sentient sword that confers power upon its wielder. All for the totally-reasonable price of being fed souls. Needless to...
Welcome to the world of Kane, perhaps the most complex characters in early Sword and Sorcery pulp. Wagner with his Kane stores together with Howard's Conan helped shaped the Sword...
History and fantasy nuts should find an amazing middle ground with The Lion of Cairo. It's set between the Second and Third Crusade, and it's clear Oden has done his...
Polish fantasy has come to North America and, judging from how awesome it is, here to stay.If you've played the fabulous 'Witcher' video games, you'll have some idea what this...
Two words describe this series: Love and War. A flawed work as a whole, but certainly an exciting, ambitious one, and the flaws are in many ways compensated by the...
The King of Elfland's daughter tells the tale of a human prince who is dispatched by his father to woo and wed the elf princess of a mystical land.Why it's...
Before I recommend the best sword and sorcery books, it's important that you, the reader, understand exactly what classic sword and sorcery really is. Sword & Sorcery is a complex...
Sword and sorcery fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literature and media that focuses on action-packed adventures featuring sword-wielding heroes, mystical elements, and a gritty, often dark tone. It originated...
Dark fantasy books are those that contain elements of the horror genre. Terrifying monsters, horrible people and awful violence are all a must. In dark fantasy worlds, the shadows hold...
English literature has many great works of fantasy -- Lord of the Rings, A Game of Thrones, The Chronicles of Narnia. But there's an entire body of literature -- and...
After the development of Fantasy in the early part of the 20th century, it truly seemed like the genre was moving towards a golden age. Then the real world became...
If you're tired of those same old boy villager finds magic sword / talisman / super power, meets a company of sidekicks (with the requisite princess in disguise and old...
Ah the 90's. Bad fashion, bad hair and Nickelback.If fashion and hairstyles (and arguably music) took a hit, fantasy certainly did not. The 90's saw the emergence of some of...
Epic fantasy is arguably the father of all fantasy subgenres. It's also the most popular fantasy genre, with hordes of new epic fantasy books being released each month. Unfortunately, the...
Tolkien is considered the founding father of the modern epic fantasy. Thus, it’s no surprise that many fantasy epics give a heavy nod to Tolkien, through some of the plot...
So you like fantasy with martial arts, swords, ninjas, or just something different that’s not set in the same old ‘knights, lords, and wizards duking it out in some generic...
Fantasy books can transport us to bright, wondrous worlds filled with magic and heroism, where heroes always survive unscathed, and the villains are cartoonish. This list is not about those...