21 of the Best Standalone Fantasy Books

Set in an alternate universe, McKinley's Sunshine plays with urban fantasy and supernatural tropes. After a war between humans and "others"—vampires, mostly—a civilian pastry chef nicknamed "Sunshine" is kidnapped by vampires. Fans of fantasy-horror and paranormal romance should consider this one a must-read. The book is good enough that readers may be left wanting more, but McKinley has said there will not be a sequel.

Fantasy novelist Elizabeth Ann Scarborough’s The Healer's War may be her most unusual novel, but it's also widely considered to be her best. A sci-fi/fantasy novel that verges on magical realism, this book follows characters from the real-life Vietnam War into the surreal fictional world Scarborough paints within it. This novel is one that will remind readers of just how unique fantasy novels can be. There’s nothing wrong with classic Middle Ages-era fantasy fare, but there’s so much more out there to read.

Naomi Novik’s Uprooted is a standalone fantasy novel that unevenly blends a Beauty and Beast retelling (in the first half) with some delicious court intrigue (in the second half), unfolding against the lush, verdant backdrop of a sentient forest. The story begins like a Grimm’s fairytale—with a young village girl sent to live with a reclusive wizard called the Dragon, as payment to keep the horrors of the Wood away. The slow-blooming romance between the two is lovely to read, and Novik’s evocative prose brings the Wood alive in all its menacing glory. 

Dave Duncan is primarily known for his fantasy series like The Seventh Sword, The Years of Longdirk, and A Man of His Word. But in Portal of a Thousand Worlds, the late Duncan proved his ability to write a fantasy saga that's both epic and economical. An alternate history fantasy set during nineteenth century Imperial China, Portal of a Thousand Worlds opens on the eve of disaster. The legendary portal between worlds is about to re-open for the first time in hundreds of years, and the only person who can prevent it from unleashing chaos on the world is the prophesied Firstborn. The strength of Portal of a Thousand Worlds is that it subverts the conventional Chosen One narrative to simultaneously explore the hopes and fears of characters more tangential to the main hero's quest, but who are also facing the end of everything they've ever known. 

Those in the mood for whimsy tales told in the magic realist vein, will definitely adore Heather O’Neill’s Daydreams of Angels. From reworked fairytales to Biblical retellings, the author touches upon important themes of family life and sexual awakening in this engrossing collection, via a range of absurd and quirky images. And if you’ve loved Heather O’Neill’s historical fantasy novel The Lonely Hearts Hotel, you’re likely to be enchanted by this book as well.

Probably one of the best fantasy novels I’ve ever read, Fire and Hemlock is a book about many things—a Tam Lin retelling; a coming-of-age story of a young girl in the 80’s; an urban fantasy with faeries that blend seamlessly with the real world; a tale that celebrates the wonders of storytelling and the power of letting go. The story follows Polly who has two sets of memories—one set is boring and free of magic, the other set includes her friendship with a cellist called Tom Lynn and plenty of magical adventures. But as she slowly uncovers the truth of what actually happened, she is pushed closer and closer towards a most perilous fate.

Along with The Dragons of Babel and The Iron Dragon's Mother, The Iron Dragon's Daughter is one of three standalone fantasy novels set in a faerie world which is strange, nihilistic, and at times experimental. The Iron Dragon's Daughter everything that most other fantasy novels aren't, and by design: Swanwick has said that the novel was a response to "the recent slew of interchangeable fantasy trilogies." The Iron Dragon's Daughter was published in 1993, but that Swanwick quote could have been uttered yesterday. There are still about a million reasons for even the most dedicated fantasy fans to want a break from the multi-volume world-building elf-filled quest, and reading The Iron Dragon’s Daughter is the perfect way to change things up a bit.

This one’s for lovers of faery stories and epistolary fiction. Told entirely in the form of diary entries by a 15-year-old girl, still grieving the death of her twin sister, Among Others chronicles the day-to-day life at a boarding school while also archiving all the sci-fi and fantasy books she’s reading as a sort of coping mechanism. Brimming with magical realist elements, the novel is a love letter to speculative fiction of the last century and the healing power of fandom communities.  

Set in Regency-era England, this novel focuses on the title characters as they bring long-extinct magic back to life. This is a fantasy novel with a dash of alternative history and romance, and it pleased more than a few fans of literary fiction, too. It's a unique and effective fantasy novel, and as of now it's entirely self-contained.

Sure, we all grew up with animal stories. Sure, bunnies are rather cute and make for adorable pets. But Richard Adams’ Watership Down will put all such notions at bay. A well-regarded classic, Watership Down is an epic adventure story, starring intelligent rabbits with their own highly develop cultures and literature, as they escape prey of all kinds, fend off various obstacles, strategize about war, and eventually establish their new homestead. Seriously, if you like anthropomorphic characters, go read this book—it has some of the bravest, cleverest and fearsome bunnies you’ll ever encounter. 

Though Rushdie’s novel was intended as a fable for children, Haroun and the Sea of Stories is so much more than that. Abounding in puns, wordplay and political allegory, it follows a simple quest narrative where Haroun strives to fix the poisoned waters of the sea of stories, facing numerous foes along the way. The novel touches upon many socio-political issues of the Indian subcontinent, highlighting the need for authentic storytelling and protesting against censorship. 

If you love Greek myths, you can’t miss out on Madeline Miller’s Circe—the standalone story of the most infamous witch from ancient legends—rendered in luscious prose.  It chronicles Circe’s life, right from when she’s a child and encountering the injustice of the gods for the first time, to the years spent in perfecting her occult crafts, and up to her exile in a deserted island where she’s alone but never short of visitors. Poignant, heart-breaking and immersive, Circe’s story is certainly a spellbinding one.

An all-time fantasy classic, The Last Unicorn is also a standalone story. It follows the titular unicorn as she searches for fellow survivors after a hunter's warning that she may be the very last of her kind. Perhaps you’ve seen the classic animated movie based on this story—but have you read the book? It’s worth your time.

Moore is a master of comic fantasy. This, his first novel, tells the story of a man trying to ditch a demon that has prevented him from aging a day since he accidentally caught the thing at 19 years old. Moore's success led to more than a dozen more books, and although some characters from Practical Demonkeeping do appear in later novels in his Pine Cove series, it's also satisfying as a self-contained standalone story. 

Pratchett and Gaiman have both written some great fantasy on their own, and Pratchett's sprawling Discworld series is pretty much the opposite of the standalone type of book we're focused on here. But this comic fantasy novel about the end of times is perfect for our list. Pick it up before you check out the new Amazon Prime adaptation.

An experimental novel that feels like a puzzle to be solved, bristling with literary allusions and imaginative details, Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea is a testament to just how wondrous and magical the genre can be, when pushed to its limits. While the frame narrative includes a queer love story, there are also folktales and vignettes embedded within the text, that add to the book’s bewitching power.

One of my favorite reads of last year, The West Passage by Jared Pechaček is weird and whimsy fantasy at it’s very best, that feels like a medieval manuscript come alive. Unfolding in a sprawling castle, the book is peppered with giant Ladies, a slow-stirring beast, strange beehives, lantern people and plenty more eldritch curiosities—a Wonderland for adults where nothing is safe, there are lessons to be learned, and episodic adventures in every corner. If you’re looking for something refreshing and unconventional, add The West Passage to your TBR pile asap.

This one has it all: fantasy, romance, comedy, and action. Goldman wrote this classic book and adapted it for the equally classic film version. Both versions wrap up quite nicely, of course—no sequel required. If you’re a fan of the movie who hasn’t read the book, the time has come to fix that!

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a story within a story, a portal fantasy that takes the reader to not just one but many, many wondrous worlds. At the same time, it’s a powerful meditation on colonization, on how so many of the worlds’ cultures are built on stolen treasure and resources. The tale follows January Scaller, who’s grown up in a mansion stuffed with curiosities—until she stumbles upon a strange book that tells her all about the hidden worlds, the doors that can spring open anywhere, and the truth about her own history.

Finally, if you’re in the mood for an underrated read that was almost forgotten by history, you must check out Lud-In-the-Mist, a captivating fantasy novel published in 1926 by the Modernist writer, Hope Mirrlees—decades before J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis arrived on the scene with their influential classics. It’s a story filled with ordinary people, living in a quaint world that shares its borders with the fey realm, that touches upon societal issues without losing out of any of its cozy charm.

Once upon a time, children and young adult fantasy novels were allowed to exist without spawning a bunch more books. Norton Juster's surreal and hilarious novel was written for a younger set, but just about anyone with a healthy appetite for nonsense will find that it's worth reading (or re-reading). Few books have been as gleeful (and as economical—this is a quick read) with their world-building and their embrace of fantasy’s limitless potential for imagination as The Phantom Tollbooth.