Fantasy is a tough genre to get into, mainly because of the overwhelming nature the books and the stories present. They tend to be quite large, the language is strange and new, and the world building is so intense that they typically put a map and appendix in case you forget something.
Now let’s say you want to get into the fantasy genre and are casting aside the intimidation of the “epic” portion of the genre and you reach to grab something. You’re going to freeze up, in a manner of speaking, because, although you are brave enough, you just don’t know what to get. Do you grab "Lord of the Rings" because it’s something everyone knows and you enjoyed the movies? Do you grab "Game of Thrones" because the television series is amazing?
No. Put them down, you can read them later. Here’s a secret that you need to know: reading fantasy is a chore with many benefits. It’s something you slightly have to learn to read. You don’t start learning math by jumping into a classic formula like quadratics, and the same is with fantasy. You don’t want to jump into it too quickly. Luckily for you, I can help.
Here are three books that I believe are great introductions into the fantasy genre, if you’ve ever been curious. A way to dip your toe in the water, so to speak.
"The Acts of King Arthur and His Holy Knights" by John Steinbeck.
"The Acts of King Arthur and His Holy Knights" by John Steinbeck is perhaps the best introduction into this genre, in my honest opinion. For starters, it is written by one of the most acclaimed writers, John Steinbeck, probably best known for "Of Mice and Men," "The Grapes of Wrath" and a few others. If you are a fan of any of his works, this one should be an easy book to enjoy, and it’s his only novel that is a fantasy.
What’s great about this novel is that it was written as though to be an introduction into the fantasy series. King Arthur and his knights is a story that everyone always seems to know already, but never truly knowing of the story. They know the basics, like Merlin and the sword in the stone and Lancelot, but there is so much more to it than that.
Steinbeck’s novel is fantastic in that he produces a work that is not only familiar to all readers, but is easy to read as he, although keeping faith to the original translation, provides more story to the characters as well as tuning the language so that it is easily accessible to modern day readers. Moreover, it is more like an anthology, meaning that instead of one large story, you get a bunch of little ones. It’s like cheating, but it isn’t.
The only problem with this books is that it is unfinished. Like Beethoven’s "Symphony No. 10," Steinbeck died before he was able to complete it. Nevertheless, it is one, if not, the best starting off point for a fantasy series.
"Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman.
So after you’ve finished read "The Acts of King Arthur and His Holy Knights," you’re going to want to get into something that’ll fill that hole that Steinbeck created in your heart, but you may be grabbing every fantasy novel on the shelf. Don’t do that, as you need time to heal, trust me, I know. I’ve been down that dark path. So instead of jumping onto the wagon of dragons and knights and the such, maybe you should try something a little different, as you are still a newbie at this. Maybe try the subgenre of urban fantasy.
Urban fantasy is essentially a fantasy story set in the present day time. There are going to be many different urban fantasy novels out there, and there are many that are great, but again, as you’re still new, you’re going to want to go with something classic that’s written by a well-known and celebrated author. Neil Gaiman’s "Neverwhere" is perfect.
Gaiman is an accomplished writer and he’s still alive and writing today, so nothing is unfinished. More importantly though, as the novel is set in modern times, you’ll be able to more easily relate to the characters and appreciate the dialogue and banter between all of the characters, and not just the main one.
In fact, the characterization of the characters are something that everyone is familiar with. For instance, the main character is just a bored everyman who is thrust into this new and weird world that doesn’t make sense to him, and all he wants to do is go home; there’s another character who, although a seemingly narcissist, does in fact care for the people he’s with; and there’s another character who is just bubbly and optimistic despite the horrors that have happened to her. These are archetypes that people nowadays know fully well.
Also, I’m recommending this book not only because it’s a great story in the fantasy genre, but because there is a fantastic audio drama of it that is pretty much one of the best I’ve ever heard. Moreover, it’s exactly like the books, so it is cheating if you listen to it, but no one will ever know.
"Stardust" by Neil Gaiman.
OK, so you have just finished "Neverwhere" and are ready to jump back into straight fantasy once more and start your journey into the great genre. What do you grab? I’ll tell you what not to grab: those intense stories with 1000 pages, like "Game of Thrones" or "Eye of the World" or "The Fellowship of the Ring." Those are classics, like "Huck Finn" or "Pride and Prejudice." Classics are supposed to be read when you have the time and are able to commit, and fantasy is a commitment. No, you need a straight fantasy that isn’t one of the “classics.” Luckily, you don’t need to look far, as Neil Gaiman (again) has just the thing: "Stardust."
"Stardust" is very much straight fantasy, and although there aren’t knights or dragons (or many of them anyways), there is still magic, a girl needing saving and a battle for right and wrong. In sense, you could describe it as a fairy tale with a twist, as the characters aren’t what you’d normally get in a “classic” tale. The hero, although eventually worthy of everything, is essentially an idiot, the girl that needs saving is a potty mouth, and the villain isn’t necessarily defeated. I don’t want to give too much away, but just know that it is a great ending.
This book, as well as the other two, are fantastic in introducing you the genre, and reading them in this order will help you understand and get into the groove of the things, because fantasy is a chore, but one that leaves the reader believing that dragons and magic are out there, and that they can both be conquered.
