There is no feeling that can match what a reader feels while reading books from brilliant fantasy authors. It is like digging and discovering a treasure joyfully. The world of fantasy books is full of gripping, magical stories written by talented authors with a wealth of ideas.

Today, we are here to celebrate some of the most influential authors in the fantasy genre. From classic series of epic hits to the latest novels, lots of fantasy book authors have been immensely influential through their impressive work.

 

How We Have Selected Fantasy Book Authors For Our List?

Although many fantasy book authors have created history, we have selected a few of them here, keeping in mind the following criteria:

They are widely recognized:

Almost all the authors in this list are widely recognized and have established their large fan following of young adults through their fantastic literary work in the fantasy genre.

They have written series-based books:

Almost all the authors in this list have written multi-book series, offering readers to experience something new in their favorite fantasy world and new character developments.

They have written books with diverse themes:

Almost all the authors in this list explore the themes of magic, coming-of-age, friendship, love, the fight between light and the dark, and overcoming life challenges.

Listing Some Of The Greatest Fantasy Authors

Although our team has suggested far too many amazing titles to add to this list, we’ve mutually agreed to a few names of some of the greatest fantasy authors. Keep on reading and explore them here in this blog:

  • A.k. Gilbert— Among Best Fantasy Authors Of All Time

A.k. Gilbert is first among the best fantasy authors of all time. Born in Richlands, Virginia, he was passionate about creating fantasy worlds, developing interesting characters, and creative narratives since childhood. A.k. Gilbert has always read legendary fantasy stories of Gene Roddenberry and J.R.R. Tolkien, and that’s how he realized his passion for creating fantasy worlds.

His authorship career is full of creating iconic fantasy characters and lines him up among the top fantasy authors​. Films like Conan, Willow, and Red Sonja were among his favorites, which influenced him to take an interest in history, poetry, and art to reflect some magical elements in his writings.

A.k. Gilbert Books

Gods and Men: A Dream Of Fire and Blood

Gods and Men: A Dream of Fire and Blood by fantasy author A.k. Gilbert is a gripping story of a realm standing at the edge of a war. Its story is all about an ancient prophecy turning into reality, honorable families competing against each other for power, shifting of associations, and awakening of dark forces.

  • George R. R. Martin

George R. R. Martin, an author of the groundbreaking fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, was born in New Jersey. He is an inspiration for many due to his fantastic literary work. He became a global phenomenon with his book adapted for HBO’s critically acclaimed series Game of Thrones.

Although he is known for his book A Song of Ice and Fire, Martin’s work is beyond that. He has been writing since the 1970s, and his literary work speaks volumes of how he is among the best fantasy authors.

Some of the famous books of George R. R. Martin

  • A Game of Thrones
  • A Clash of Kings
  • A Dance with Dragons
  • A Storm of Swords
  • A Feast for Crows
  • Fire & Blood
  • A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
  • A Song of Ice and Fire
  • Wastelands
  • The Ice Dragon
  • Wild Cards
  • Rogues
  • Seanan McGuire

Seanan McGuire is one of the most influential fantasy authors working currently to uplift the standard of fantasy book writing. Her literary work spans fantasy, science fiction, and individual book volumes like Middlegame. McGuire’s legacy is worth watching out for her impeccable work in the fantasy genre and her passion for creating magical, futuristic and capturing stories.

Some of the famous books of Seanan McGuire

  • October Daye series
  • The Wayward Children series
  • Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear
  • Alchemical Journeys
  • Indexing
  • Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson is a fantasy author known for a great talent for creating epi worlds full of fantastical elements. Despite being a fantasy novel writer, Brandon Sanderson has been promoting storytelling art by teaching, hosting podcasts, and writing niche articles. He has a spark for constructing epic fantasy tales, and it is evident in his literary work prominently.

Some of the famous books of Brandon Sanderson

  • Finished the Wheel of Time series by  Robert Jordan
  • Cosmere universe,
  • Stormlight Archive
  • Wind and Truth
  • Elantris
  • Patrick Rothfuss

Although Patrick Rothfuss has written very few books to date, he has established his name as an incredibly talented author for penning down heroic fantasy books. Although he is still writing his latest book for the series of The Doors of Stone, he makes it to this list of the best fantasy authors and his upcoming books will further solidify him as our pick for this blog.

Some of the famous books of Patrick Rothfuss

  • Kingkiller Chronicle
  • The Name of the Wind
  • The Doors of Stone
  • The Wise Man’s Fear
  • The Lightening Tree
  • J.R.R. Tolkien

It will be an honor to talk about J. R. R. Tolkien, i.e., John Ronal Reuel Tolkien, in this list of most influential authors in the fantasy genre. We can claim that no other author can match his level of expertise on this list. His name is now synonymous with fantasy books.

His work, The Lord of the Rings, inspired many authors in different genres to create their main characters, plotlines, themes, and elements. Although Tolkien is not an author who invented fantasy genre, it is difficult to imagine any list of fantasy book authors without him now.

Some of the famous fantasy books of J. R. R. Tolkien

  • The Lord of the Rings
  • The Fall of Gondolin
  • The Hobbit
  • Errantry
  • The Two Towers
  • The Children of Húrin
  • Nnedi Okorafor

Relatively a new author in the fantasy genre, Nnedi Okorafor is a Nigerian-American writer who mixes fabulous fiction with fantasy remarkably. The way she writes books like Who Fears Death, which is a combination of history and fantasy, is commendable. Nnedi Okorafor’s books are usually inspired by the conflicts and real-world events in Africa, that enable adding a kind of freshness to the fantasy realm.

Some of the famous fantasy books of Nnedi Okorafor

  • Binti
  • Who Fears Death
  • The Book of Phoenix
  • Akata Woman
  • Remote Control
  • Zahrah the Windseeker
  • Andrzej Sapkowski

The Witcher, one of the most sprawling enterprises, with novels, comic books, TV shows, and even games, is born out of one creative mind, Andrzej Sapkowski. Born in Poland, Andrzej is popularly known for The Witcher. However, he has written an array of books—including books on unique topics of the Soviet-Afghan War. As The Witcher is one of the widely popular fantasy books out there, Adrzej has created history as the most influential fantasy book author.

Some of the famous fantasy books of Andrzej Sapkowski

  • The Last Wish
  • Sword of Destiny
  • Season of Storms
  • Time of Contempt
  • The Lady of the Lake
  • The Tower of the Swallow
  • The Tower of Fools

Some Other Recommended Fantasy Authors

Although there are numerous fantasy authors with successfully published books, we cannot list all of them here. However, here are some more recommended fantasy authors with books worth reading.

  • Robin Hobb
  • Naomi Novik
  • Neil Gaiman
  • Ursula K. Le Guin
  • George MacDonald

Conclusion

We have listed the most influential authors in the fantasy genre in this blog. From classic fantasy book series to epic standalone novels, the fantasy authors listed in this blog have a huge fan following through their impressive work.