The Fantasy Review’s list of 7 Classic Fantasy Books You Probably Haven’t Read Yet. All books on this list were published in the 90s or prior (even if sequels were published more recently).
Hawkwood’s Voyage by Paul Kearney
From the blurb:
THE WESTERN WORLD IS BURNING…
Even as cities and cathedrals are tumbling, their defenders crucified by the invading Merduks, the Faithful war among themselves, purging heretics and magical folk and adding to the flames.
For Richard Hawkwood and his crew, a desperate venture to carry refugees to the uncharted land across the Great Western Ocean offers the only chance of escape from the Inceptines’ pyres. The King’s cousin, Lord Murad, has an ancient log book telling of a free, unspoiled land…
Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman
From the blurb:
Over a millennium ago, Erna, a seismically active yet beautiful world was settled by colonists from far-distant Earth. But the seemingly habitable planet was fraught with perils no one could have foretold, and the colonists found themselves caught in a desperate battle for survival against the fae, a terrifying natural force with the power to prey upon the human mind itself, drawing forth images from a person’s worst nightmare or most treasured dreams and indiscriminately giving them life.…
The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts
From the blurb:
Let each who reads determine the good and the evil for himself
Athera is besieged by the Mistwraith, which blights the land and dims the mysteries guarded by the last fugitives of the old bloodlines.
But from a prophecy springs hope: the gifts of two brothers – one dark, one fair, raised on opposite sides of a relentless war – when paired may challenge the Mistwraith’s invasion, though at brutal cost…
Moonheart by Charles de Lint
From the blurb:
When Sara Kendell opens a box of oddments in the storeroom of the Merry Dancers Old Book and Antique Emporium, she has no idea that she’ll stumble across anything unusual. But those seemingly ordinary artifacts—a painting, a ring and a flat bone disc—will turn Sara’s world upside down and lead her to places she never dreamed could exist: a world of mists and forests, ancient magics, mythical beings, ageless bards…and restless evil.…
Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling
From the blurb:
Luck in the Shadows A showman, spy, thief–Seregil gathers intelligence information for the Queen about the threat of war by Plenimar. During one of his missions, he discovers an orphan lad and takes him on as an apprentice. When a mission goes awry, leaving Seregil in a coma, it falls to Alec to get his mentor to safety in order to avert a sinister plot of epic proportions.…
Into the Dark Lands by Michelle Sagara West
From the blurb:
War has its cost, and the Servants of the Bright Heart and the Servants of the Dark Heart have been locked in a struggle that has defined life and death for millennia. But the end is coming, and only the Lady who has served the Bright Heart for the whole of her immortal life has seen it, in a vision that spans time and demands the highest of prices.…
The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany
From the blurb:
Certainly! “The King of Elfland’s Daughter” is a novel by Lord Dunsany. It is considered one of the earliest and most influential works in the genre of modern fantasy. The story takes place in the imaginary land of Erl, where the people are ruled by a mortal king named Alveric, who falls in love with the daughter of the King of Elfland. She agrees to marry him, but only if he can bring back the magical crystal that once separated the realms of elves and men.…
