Best Fantasy Authors
You may expect the list of best fantasy authors to consist of those brilliant minds that created the best fantasy series. And guess what… you are right. However, you will see that order of this list is somewhat different.
I did take into account the influence of the author on the fantasy genre and my view on the writing style and skills of the authors. However, as with the other lists I created, this top ten is of course mostly based on my personal preference and therefore contains my favorite authors. So please judge me too harshely right away when you find out that the great Tolkien is not number one in this list…
1. George R.R. Martin
In one word: brilliant. Martin has created a fresh, new fantasy worlds, written great stories and unbelievable writing skills. His Song of Ice & Fire is well on its way of becoming one of the greatest fantasy series ever and now a television series, called Games of Thrones, will even be made of A Song of Ice & Fire. But please, someone make him write just a little bit faster!
Read more about George R.R. Martin.
2. J.R.R. Tolkien
Tolkien’s writing style may not the most accessible ever, although personnaly I do not dislike his elaborative style, but he is one of the greatest authors ever. The world and stories he created are fantastic and by writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings he simply is the most influential fantasy writer ever.
Read more about J.R.R. Tolkien.
3. Steven Erikson
Contrary to Martin, Steven Erikson writes like the devil himself is on his heels. I do not know another writer who writes this intense on such an epic scale. He is close to finishing his fantastic Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Hopefully, Erikson has something in mind after this.
Read more about Steven Erikson.
4. Robert E. Howard
Howard was the creator of Conan and by this also the Sword & Sorcery genre. Because of this, he has had enormous effect on the fantasy genre as many authors and directors were influenced by the character Conan and his story. Sadly, Robert E. Howard committed suicide aged only 30.
Read more about Robert E. Howard.
5. Terry Pratchett
What a laugh! His stories are brilliantly written and highly entertaining. Considered to be one of the greatest British novelists, sir Terry Pratchett has already written close to forty of his very humorous and higly acclaimed Discworld novels.
Read more about Terry Pratchett.
6. Stephen King
Definitely not an author of high fantasy like the authors in this list, but most of his books have fantasy elements, with The Dark Tower as best example. Stephen King simply is one of the greatest writers ever.
7. Raymond E. Feist
I would not go as far as qualifying him as a genius but Feist has written many, many fantasy books and several of his series are a must-read for fantasy fans. As his books introduced me to the fantasy genre, Feist has deserved his spot in this list.
Official website of Raymond E. Feist
8. Robert Jordan
May he rest in peace. Jordan has not been able to finish his popular Wheel of Time series but I hope that Brandon Sanderson will honor him by writing a fitting end to the series.
9. Stephen R. Donaldson
His books are not an easy read but Donaldon writes very intense and his stories have great depth and loads of morality. Known for his Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (the unbeliever), his world and characters are seen by some as rivalling those of Tolkien’s.
Official website of Stephen R. Donaldson
10. Robin Hobb
Hobb is a great storyteller and is very well able to develop the characters in her books. Her Farseer and Liveship Traders series are therefore highly recommendable.
Official website of Robin Hobb
11. Ursula K. Le Guin
By writing the Earthsee series, and many other novels, Ursula K. Le Guin has had a large influence on the development of the fantasy genre during the 20th century. The series has been and still is very popular and a television mini-series was even made, loosely based on Earthsee.
Official website of Ursula K. Le Guin
12. Terry Goodkind
Not my personal favorite but Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series is highly acclaimed and very popular, to the extent that it now even has been turned into a television series.
Official website of Terry Goodkind
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There it is: a list of what I believe to be the best fantasy authors ever. I will extent and update this list over time. If you do not agree with the list or if you have additions, please leave a comment!
August 17th, 2010 at 16:09
[...] Best Fantasy Authors [...]
May 5th, 2010 at 06:28
Hi Nicholas,
I do not agree with most of your suggestions as they are scifi authors and I don’t think they belong in this list but I will include Robert E. Howard. You’re right in saying he was a very influential writer. He put the the Sword & Sorcery genre on the map, especially by creating Conan.
December 29th, 2009 at 16:08
I understand creating a list is always hard, esp. when limited to a slot of only 10. But I do have to ask, why does Robert Jordan rate higher then Gene Wolfe, Jack Vance (granted these two could also be considered SF), Lucious Shepard, Robert E. Howard, Michael Swanwick or even new-comers like Scott Lynch? I understand the man was a very prolific writer but ‘influential’?
I thoroughly enjoyed the Dark Tower series,except for the last two, mostly because it was very repetitive, but to honor him as one of the 10 ALL TIME BEST FANTASY WRITERS seems a tad far fetched.
Now, if this is just a list of authors you like for whatever reason then so be it, but us readers, must object and voice our opinions as to legends that have shaped and molded this genre.
I would not agree with having this list include, J.K. Rowling nor T.H. White. Even though the Harry Potter series has opened the door to numerous teens and young adults, I don’t see this series as ‘genre altering’. T.H. White’s Once and future King and his Merlyn books were great reads, very well developed stories, but I wouldn’t put them on a top ten list.
I thoroughly agree with G.R.R. Martin and J.R.R. Tolkien being on this list. In fact I would put them on ANY top list. Martin has had his hands in numerous novels, series, and collaborations, that to think he would just ‘go away’ is flabbergasting. In my opinion Martin is a juggernaut of fantasy and litaery power, and that comes from a man that didn’t even like ‘A Feast of Crows’.
December 20th, 2009 at 12:20
Thanks for your comment Adam. Apparently I didn’t make it clear enough that this is “just” a list of what I believe to be the best fantasy authors. Erikson simply is a favorite of mine and while he and Martin indeed have not (yet) accomplished as much as Tolkien, I have placed them above Tolkien because of my preference for their work.
I appreciate your input and will examine the authors you have mentioned.
December 11th, 2009 at 12:42
I share your enthusiasm for George RR Martin, but this list of “Top Fantasy Writers” is a travesty. You should qualify this list at the top by saying “My Favorite Fantasy Authors” or some-such because this is NOT a list of fantasy’s best (nor most influential) authors by any stretch of the imagination. Favorites are certainly a matter of individual taste, but one should have the ability to see influence and staying power on a list such as this.
#2 – STEVEN ERICKSON! Mr. Erickson is a fine writer, but NUMBER TWO on an all-time list? That is rather like saying that Johan Santana (a fine pitcher, no doubt about it) is one of the top two in the history of baseball. Please.
JRR Tolkien belongs at the top no matter what way you put this list together. He is a FAR, FAR more talented writer of prose than you give him credit for. His style is DIFFERENT from the prose of more modern writers, but in many ways much, much better. He was meticulous, and could make his words work in whatever way he liked. Very, very few writers have been able to escape Tolkien’s shadow.
And where are the other true fantasy masters of this century? Great and influential writers are not always found on the NY Times bestseller’s list. I’m sorry, but neither Raymond Feist nor Terry Goodkind belong on this list. Goodkind, in fact, belongs far far away. Erickson, no, certainly not yet. And let’s wait until we see how George RR Martin completes his one major series before we proclaim him god, eh? I sincerely doubt that Tolkien would be so influential had he written only The Fellowship of the Ring.
Where is Ursula LeGuin? Robert Holdstock? Patricia McKillip? Mervin Peake? I think even Mr. Martin himself would tell you that many of these individuals should be on this list. These are not only fantastic writers, but writers who have influenced scores of other writers, both fantasy and otherwise.
When it comes down to it, where is JK Rowling & Philip Pullman? Madeleine L’Engle & TH White? I realize you can’t fit EVERYONE, but a little bit of perspective is necessary with a list like this.