The Best Completed Fantasy Series

MacAvoy creates a brilliant coming-of-age fantasy in a medieval world with the Lens of the World trilogy. Nazhuret is a parentless outcast. When he is forced out of the military Royal School of Sordaling, he's mentored by a strange man called Powl. 

Living with the eccentric Powl, Nazhuret is forced to prove himself, learning astronomy, languages, swordsmanship, and even mind and body control.

Once he leaves Powl, Nazhuret embarks on a long journey of self-discovery. Making his way through darkness, war, and death, Nazhuret rises to the challenges of his destiny. 

Ged is a powerful sorcerer in the archipelagic world of Earthsea. However, as a young boy he was the hubristic Sparrowhawk. After accidentally releasing a dark shadow onto the world and tampering with long-held secrets, Ged must restore the balance.

This first tale in the epic Earthsea series follows Ged as he goes to epic lengths to prove himself — and then to heal the world from the harms he's caused. 

This series is set partly in the contemporary world, and partly in the fantastical world of Fionavar. Five University of Toronto graduate students meet a man by chance who, unknown to them, will completely change their lives

This man is a mage, and he brings the five students to the first of all worlds, Fionavar. There, among gods and myths, these students will be forced to uncover the truth of who they are. They will be tested to see just how much they are willing to sacrifice. 

Fionavar stands on the brink of a great war, and only these five can stop it. 

Lieber’s fantastical sword and sorcery series takes place in the world of Nehwon. The narrative follows Fafhrd, a young prince; and an apprentice magician, the Grey Mouser, as the two forge a lifelong friendship and travel on adventures together. 

In “The Snow Woman,” Fafhrd feels freedom when he can escape his mother’s enchantments through pursuing the love of a beautiful actress. “The Unholy Grail” follows Mouse as he crosses a line between white and black magic to avenge a great offense. 

Finally, in “Ill Met in Lankhmar,” the friends disguise themselves as beggars in order to invade the Thieves’ Guild. However, their greed carries a price. 

With 23-plus novels in its entirety, the science-fantasy Dragonriders of Pern series is an exciting adventure from start to finish. 

In the beautiful world of Pern, Lessa is an outcast who has survived many challenges in her life. With her parents murdered and her birthright stolen, Lessa has never stopped dreaming of revenge.

When an ancient threat to Pern reemerges and attempts to destroy all that exists, Lessa will rise from the ashes. Specifically, she will rise on the back of a dragon with which she shares a special telepathic connection. Together, they will change the fate of Pern forever.

In ancient times, the Rings of Power were forged into the One Ring by the Elven-smiths and the Dark Lord Sauron. The One Ring was built to give Sauron the power to control and rule all others, but it was taken from him and remains lost to him.

After many ages, the Ring has fallen into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, whose story is told in The Hobbit. When Bilbo entrusts his young cousin Frodo with the Ring in The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo must make a dangerous journey through Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom.

There he must destroy the Ring, and the Dark Lord’s evil purpose.

Thomas Covenant is called the Unbeliever, because he refuses to believe in the new alternate world he suddenly finds himself in. But in this new Land, Thomas no longer feels the pain of his illness and loneliness, and he's hailed as the reincarnation of Berek Halfhand, the Land’s greatest hero. 

If he is who the people of this Land believe him to be, then he can protect the Lords of the Land from ancient evil Lord Foul. But first, Thomas must figure out how to use his new power. 

The orphan named Pug has travelled to the shores of the Kingdom of the Isles in order to study under the magician Kulgan. But even after he earns respect from the court and the love of a princess, Pug is uncomfortable with the normalities of magic.

Pug’s unusual well of power suddenly threatens the fate of the world. Pug must fight for survival—his, and others—as a rift opens between worlds, loosing dark beings on innocents. 

The Wheel of Time is a fourteen-volume series (or longer, if you count the prequels and sister novels) written by Jordan and completed by Brandon Sanderson. The series draws on themes found in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism including balance, duality, and a respect for nature. 

The first novel in the series, published in 1990, is The Eye of the World.

When an army of monsters called Trollocs attack The Two Rivers, only five villagers manage to escape into the night. They leave behind all they ever knew to enter into a world full of mystery and danger.

Award-winning Roger Zelazny is one of the most well-known names in genre fiction, and The Chronicles of Amber is arguably his most popular creation. 

When Carl Corey wakes up in a secluded New York hospital with no memory, he's determined to get answers. As he begins to investigate, piece-by-piece the truth comes out.

Carl discovers he is really Prince Corwin of Amber. He is one of nine men who might rule Amber, the one true world in which Earth is nothing more than a shadow. However, to get the crown, Prince Corwin must contest his older brother, Eric. 

Robert Silverberg tells the intricate science-fantasy stories of the inhabitants of planet Majipoor. The main series can be divided into two trilogies: the Lord Valentine Cycle, and the Lord Prestimion Cycle, which is set earlier in the history of Majipoor.

In the Lord Valentine Cycle, Silverberg introduces a vagabond with no recollection of his past. Calling himself Valentine, he wanders the world with entertainers.

When Valentine begins to receive transmissions in his dreams, he realizes he is more than just a wandering performer—he is a lord who has had everything taken from him. And he'll do whatever he can to reclaim his birthright. 

The Chronicles of Narnia might comprise seven books, but they're each so short that if you added up all of the words in the story, it's still smaller than George R.R. Martin's A Storm of Swords or Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings. So, not only is the iconic portal fantasy/religious allegory a completed series, but you can complete the work yourself in no time flat. 

Despite author C. S. Lewis's brevity, the books follow the rise and fall of Narnia itself—an entire world, contained in such a tidy package. Some prefer to start with the first book that Lewis wrote, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, while some other readers will insist on beginning with the first entry within the fictional chronology, The Magician's Nephew. 

Either way, you're in good hands.

Author Tomi Adeyemi concluded her worldwide phenomenon, The Legacy of Orisha, in June of 2024. The trilogy began with Children of Blood and Bone, which debuted at #1 on The New York Times bestsellers list, and the momentum has only grown from there, spawning into a massive franchise with a film adaptation to come.

The story follows Zélie Adebola as she seeks to restore magic in the West African-inspired land of Orisha … and wrestles with the consequences of such grand ambition.

As he's wont to do, author Brandon Sanderson still has ever-expanding plans for the world of Mistborn (called Scadriel) in the context of his interconnected Cosmere. However, the original trilogy following Kelsier, Vin, and Elend ended with The Hero of Ages, published in 2008.

Part heist, part story of the Chosen One gone wrong, Mistborn delivers fun and complex magic systems with characters you're sure to love. Mistborns are characters who can use Allomancy. Through the ingestion and manipulation of metals, Mistborns can kinda-sorta fly, gain super strength, and maybe even see into the future …

If you haven't already tried The First Law Trilogy, then there's no time like the present to get started. An epic tale from the self-proclaimed Lord Grimdark himself, Joe Abercrombie, details the lives of all sort of untrustworthy and captivating characters. Logen Ninefingers, the barbarian and berzerker, has ambitions of leading a normal life but can't seem to get out of his own way. 

The wizard Bayaz plays the world on a string, manipulating the selfish nobleman Captain Jezal dan Luthar and misanthropic Inquisitor Glokta. If you like morally gray charactrs, the line between hero and villain has never been so thin as in these books.