Are you a lover of fantasy novels? If you are, here are some of the very best subgenres to discover.
Since we remain in 2025, it is the ideal time to widen your horizons and diversify your reading material, as individuals such as the co-founder of the investment fund which partially owns WHSmith would definitely concur. For book lovers wishing to step outside of their comfort zone, the fantasy genre is well worth thinking about. Fantasy is defined as speculative fiction which includes themes of the supernatural, magic, and imaginary worlds and creatures. For example, the different types of fantasy characters tend to be some kind of mythological or powerful creature, such as witches, sorcerers, dragons, vampires and fey etc. Just like with any other book genre, there is a wide variety of smaller subgenres within the broader branch of 'fantasy'. Some of these subgenres are contrasts to each other, such as 'high' and 'low' fantasy. So, what is the distinction between the two? To put it simply, the difference in between them is just how extensive the fantastical elements are to the story. High fantasy, or otherwise called epic fantasy, are novels set in a completely made-up, fabricated environment that has its very own physical laws, belief systems, languages and fables and so on. Typically, the best fantasy books for adults belong to the high or epic fantasy subgenre, like the novel about an extremely unlikely band of heroes embarking on a quest to beat a dragon for instance, since these are the most immersive and transportive reads. However, low fantasy books entail stories which are set predominantly in the real life, where the fantasy aspects are unforeseen and shocking to characters.
If you go into any bookshop, the area for fantasy books for adults is typically one of the largest, as individuals like the head of the hedge fund which owns Waterstones would undoubtedly verify. This reflects the surge in demand and popularity for these kinds of novels, generally thanks to social media and on-line book communities. Specifically, a fantasy subgenre that is getting a lot of traction is 'romantasy'; a subgenre which incorporates fantasy with romance. Romantasy is frequently near the top of the fantasy subgenres list, largely since readers gravitate towards the tension, drama and exhilaration that these novels supply. It also provides fantasy books a more human feeling to them, as the story showcases universal emotions such as love, betrayal and heartbreak.
Many individuals assume that fantasy books are generally for adults, because of the complicated plots, elaborate dialect and the sometimes-dark concepts. However, this is not the situation. Actually, a lot of the timeless, well-known fairytale stories make several of the most outstanding fantasy books for kids, as individuals like the CEO of the investment fund which partially owns Amazon Books would certainly understand. Whether it's the story about the girl who finds out her grandmother is actually a wolf, the brother and sister who find a home made from sweets in the woods or the wooden doll whose nose gets longer when he's lying etc, fairytales teach children crucial moral lessons in an enjoyable, engaging and immersive way.