Fantasy Genres 101
A crash course on different fantasy genres (plus examples and recommendations!)
The entry point.
So you want to get into reading fantasy but don’t know where to start? The fantasy genre can feel like an exciting world of endless possibilities, but knowing which path to take first can be overwhelming. This is your beginner’s guide to the main genres in fantasy. Keep in mind that there are many subgenres that I won’t be talking about today, but this is a great place to get you started!
High Fantasy: The Big Daddy
High fantasy— also called epic fantasy— is like the big daddy of fantasy world. These stories are usually long, epic tales brimming with large casts of characters, battles, political intrigue, and a hero/heroine journey. They must include:
A magic system.
Fantastical elements. Think dragons, witches, trolls, elves, faeries, etc.
Be set in a world outside of our own (aka not earth as we know it).
An epic quest. Usually to save the world from a super bad, seemingly invincible antagonist.
Multiple storylines are told simultaneously, weaving a mysterious and high-stakes narrative that all come together in the end. Some examples of high/epic fantasy are:
“The Lord of the Rings” by JRR Tolkien
“The Stormlight Archive” by Brandon Sanderson
“A Song of Ice and Fire” by George RR Martin
“A Court of Thrones and Roses” by Sarah J Mass
And believe it or not… Shrek the movie
Usually you’ll find an intricate map and a glossary in the book to help you learn the universe as you read. I often find myself referring to these when reading particularly challenging reads like “The Shadow of the Gods” by John Gwynn.
Low Fantasy: A Familiar World
While high fantasy requires it’s own unique-non Earthy world, low fantasy stories do not. In fact, the main distinction between high and low fantasy are 1) the magic/fantastical elements are woven into a familiar or real world and 2) the scale. Low fantasy narratives are not as complex or stakes-driven as high fantasy narratives. Think ‘fantasy lite’. Examples of low fantasy novels are:
“Legends and Lattes” by Travis Baldree
“Harry Potter” by She Who Shall Not Be Named
Urban Fantasy: A Modern World
A fantasy novel that has modern day elements is sometimes considered Urban Fantasy, which is a subgenre within Low Fantasy. These are stories that contain technology or modern societal features. Examples are:
“Ninth House” by Leigh Bardugo
“Rain of Shadows and Endings” by Melissa Roerich
Paranormal Fantasy
If you’ve been reading my Substack or are subscribed to my Youtube channel, you already know how much I love paranormal romance. It truly is the best of both worlds, and I can’t seem to get enough. Ever. While people usually consider this anything with vampires or werewolves, I would argue that it encompasses anything supernatural (like ghosts, angels/demons, monster romances, alien romances, and all shifter romances). Examples include:
“Twilight” by Stephanie Meyer
“Ice Planet Barbarians” by Ruby Dixon
“Bride” by Ali Hazelwood
“Hush Hush” by Becca Fitzpatrick
Paranormal fantasy (PNF) is my jam, and I could go on and on with recommendations. It was never a phase, mom.
Portal Fantasy: A Tricky Between Worlds Situationship
Portal fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that kind of falls between low and high fantasy. It’s main distinction is, you guessed it, a portal between worlds. This is usually a portal between a nonmagical world and a magical one. Examples of portal fantasy are:
“Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll
“The Chronicles of Narnia” by CS Lewis
Portal fantasy is all about our protagonist going from their mundane boring life to an exciting life of adventure. Keeps me hoping that one day I’ll find the right wardrobe and end up in Narnia… If I could only find the right door.
That is it for my Fantasy 101 crash course! One of the reasons I love fantasy so much is because there is a subgenre for whatever mood I’m in. There are so many fun, niche subgenres we could talk about like cozy fantasy, dark fantasy, historical fantasy, steampunk, magic realism— the list goes on.
What is your favorite subgenre of fantasy? Leave a chat in the comments and I’ll add it to my TBR!