Fantasy is among the greatest genres within the world of literature; keep reviewing to learn exactly why.
Now that we remain in 2025, it is the perfect time to broaden your horizons and diversify your reading material, as individuals like the co-founder of the investment fund which partially owns WHSmith would concur. For book lovers wanting to step outside of their comfort zone, the fantasy genre is well worth thinking about. Fantasy is defined as speculative fiction which entails themes of the supernatural, magic, and imaginary universes and creatures. For instance, the different types of fantasy characters usually tend to be some kind of mythological or powerful being, such as witches, sorcerers, dragons, vampires and fey etc. Just like with virtually any other book genre, there is a large range of smaller subgenres within the broader branch of 'fantasy'. A few of these subgenres are opposites to each other, like 'high' and 'low' fantasy. So, what is the distinction between both? To put it simply, the difference between them is just how extensive the fantastical components are to the story. High fantasy, or otherwise called epic fantasy, are books set in an entirely made-up, fabricated environment that has its own physical laws, belief systems, languages and fables and so on. Typically, the best fantasy books for adults come from the high or epic fantasy subgenre, like the book about an extremely unlikely band of heroes going on a journey to beat a dragon for example, due to the fact that these are the most immersive and transportive reads. However, low fantasy novels involve stories which are set mostly in the real world, where the fantasy components are unexpected and shocking to characters.
If you wander into any type of bookshop, the area for fantasy books for adults is frequently one of the largest sized, as people like the head of the hedge fund which owns Waterstones would undoubtedly confirm. This shows the surge in demand and popularity for these types of books, mostly thanks to social media and online book groups. Specifically, a fantasy subgenre that is acquiring a great deal of traction is 'romantasy'; a subgenre which incorporates fantasy with romance. Romantasy is frequently near the top of the fantasy subgenres list, mostly due to the fact that readers gravitate towards the tension, drama and excitement that these novels give. It also gives fantasy books a much more human feeling to them, as the novel addresses universal feelings such as love, betrayal and heartache.
Many people presume that fantasy books are generally for grownups, as a result of the complicated plots, intricate language and the sometimes-dark subjects. Nonetheless, this is not the case. In fact, a lot of the traditional, popular fairytale stories make several of the most remarkable fantasy books for kids, as people like the CEO of the investment fund which partially owns Amazon Books would certainly understand. Whether it's the tale about the little girl who finds out her grandmother is actually a wolf, the brother and sister who find a house made of sweets in the woods or the wooden puppet whose nose grows when he's lying etc, fairy tales teach youngsters vital moral lessons in an enjoyable, engaging and immersive manner.