Unique magic systems, mythical creatures, unusual humanoid races, quests of an epic nature, and vast, unfamiliar lands…
Perhaps all that sounds incredibly fun and alluring, but getting into fantasy can seem daunting if you’ve never read it before. I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be.
There are so many books out there and everyone has a recommendation, so it can be hard to know what to pick up first. Some people might scoff at you for not starting with namesakes like J. R. R. Tolkien or C. S. Lewis, but the only thing that matters is finding a fantasy book that sounds interesting to you.
So, what classifies a story as fantasy? Unlike sci-fi, fantasy doesn’t have to worry about being scientifically grounded for its plot and worldbuilding to be possible. Magical or supernatural elements are what make a fantasy world run and with it can come unique laws, cultures, races, and creatures. This may seem like a broad definition for what fantasy is, but that’s what makes fantasy so great – there’s a lot out there to appeal to everyone!
Now don a cloak and sword and get your bravery on, for we have some perfectly mystical audiobook recs for a fantastical listening adventure.
Read a Standalone
Perhaps this has happened to you – you find a book that checks all your boxes, and the premise sounds interesting, only to discover there’s many more books following that one. What if you end up hating it? Or maybe you just don’t want to read a series! A standalone story is a satisfying meal without the pressure of an entire feast.
The Last Phi Hunter
Written by Salinee Goldenberg, narrated by David Lee Huynh
A perpetual lone wolf finds his road to glory interrupted when a heavily pregnant martial artist enlists his help…
This mythic dark fantasy is imbued with Thai culture and folklore, gory fight scenes, and light romance. Goldenberg describes her book as follows:
…Ex, an ambitious young Phi hunter is on his way to slay a legendary demon when he meets Arinya, a pregnant runaway, who hires him for escort through the spirit-filled forest. But she has dangerous secrets, and now he’s fighting not only monsters, but assassins, necromancers and even worse, falling in love.
No Gods for Drowning
Written by Hailey Piper, narrated by Jodie Harris
In this suspenseful novel—part dark fantasy, part noir detective story, part alternate reality with updated mythology—Lilac seeks to summon a blood god to save her city.
The old gods have fled and the monsters they once kept at bay for centuries threaten to drown the city of Valentine. As monsters hunt mankind, a serial killer starts ritually sacrificing victims, leaving their bodies strewn throughout the city.
Lilac Antonis want to stop the impending destruction of her city by summoning a blood god – even if it means slitting a few throats to do it – forcing her to evade her friends and her lover Arcadia. Alex and Cecil of Ace Investigations are tasked with hunting down the killer (not knowing they’re hunting their friend Lilac) only to realize the gods may not have left willingly.
As Arcadia and her evacuation team struggle to save people from the flooding, Lilac’s ritual killings at last bear fruit – only to reveal her as a piece in a larger plan. Alex and Cecil are running out of time to uncover the true culprit behind the god’s disappearance before an ancient divine murder plot destroys them all.
The Water Outlaws
Written by S. L. Huang, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller
A queer epic fantasy inspired by the classic Chinese wuxia novel, Water Margin (but don’t worry if you’ve never read it before).
Huang describes the original tale as a “Robin Hood” story that predates Robin Hood:
Their mission: steal from the rich and destroy tyrannical government officials. If that’s not a story for our times, I don’t know what is.
In Huang’s retelling, a group of women and genderqueer martial artists band together to challenge inequalities and injustices in an empire that would rather see them imprisoned or destroyed.
Lin Chong is an expert arms instructor who is focused on preserving her place within Imperial society’s status quo. That is… until she’s rebranded as a criminal by a man higher up in the food chain. Now on the run, Lin Chong is recruited by a group of dissenters and outsiders – the Bandits of Liangshan – and they’re ready to bring down a corrupt empire.
Try a Popular Series
Or maybe you do want to break into a series on your first foray into fantasy. These strong openers might stir you into picking up the next book, and the next, and the next.
The Legionnaire
Written by Samantha Traunfeld, narrated by Andie Penn and Alex Fowler
Friends and enemies become indistinguishable from each other in this epic military fantasy filled with intrigue and betrayal.
Can Saiden, a Blood-Cursed legionnaire, Queen Loralei, a ruler blessed by the God of Life, and Mozare, Saiden’s partner and blessed by the Goddess of Death, survive long enough to fulfill their destinies without losing those closest to them, or will their missions irreparably ruin them—and possibly the entire kingdom?
Explore religious devotion and the consequences of divine power in book 1 of the Blood-Cursed series.
The Warden
Written by Daniel M. Ford, narrated by Lindsey Dorcus
The first in an action-adventure fantasy series where a noblewoman turned necromancer discovers a great evil—perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes and The Witcher.
A blend of fantasy and detective novel, Ford says his book is about “a young Necromancer named Aelis de Lenti coming to terms with her power and her responsibility. She’s fresh out of the Lyceum (wizard university) serving as warden — a kind of law enforcement position — at a tiny village for the next two years. She would so much rather be in a city.”
But when the villagers she’s been getting to know start behaving strangely, Aelis begins to suspect there is a far greater need for a Warden of her talents than she previously thought. She might be standing between one of the greatest evils ever known and the rest of the world.
The Mirror Visitor Quartet
Written by Christelle Dabos, narrated by Emma Fenney
Binge all four books in this fantastical, disjointed, perilous universe filled with intrigue, suspense, and unforgettable characters.
Ophelia must harness her unique powers to navigate her strange and complex world after the Rupture. This cataclysm has shattered the planet into many floating celestial islands, known as arks.
Ophelia enjoys her peaceful existence on her ark, Anima, communing with the souls of objects and traveling through mirrors. However, this all comes to a screeching halt when she is betrothed and must follow her fiancée to the floating capital on the distant Ark of the Pole… and into a deadly political plot.
Try a Subgenre
Want something that feels a little closer to home? Try urban or low fantasy. Love a good historical novel? Give historical fantasy a go. Grew up reading myths and fairytales? Fantastical retellings might be your jam.
For Girls Who Walk Through Fire
Written by Kim DeRose, narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
A fierce and deeply moving novel about teen witches, perseverance in the face of justice, and the transformational power of friendship.
Elliott D’Angelo-Brandt attends a support group for teen victims of
sexual assault, but she’s tired of just talking. She wants justice.
Using a spell book she found in her late mom’s belongings, she recruits a coven of fellow survivors – Madeline, Chloe, and Bea. All are united in their rage against a system that never seems to punish those who deserve it.
Each take a turn casting a hex against their unrepentant assailants, but revenge has heavy implications. Each member will have to make a choice: continue with their magical vigilantism or discover what it truly means to claim their power.
Comfort Me With Apples
Written by Catherynne M. Valente, narrated by Karis Campbell
A Bluebeard retelling for those who enjoy domestic thrillers tinged with fantasy.
The title comes from a line from the King James translation of the Song of Solomon:
Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love.
Here is how Valente describes her book:
It’s about a woman named Sophia who lives in a severely gated community under the rules of an extraordinarily repressive HOA agreement. She is the perfect housewife, the perfect host, the perfect woman, everyone agrees on that much – and one day, while her husband is away on one of his long work trips, she finds a desiccated human fingertip buried in the bottom of her knife block.
The Heir of Venus
Written by Laura Shepperson, narrated by Frances Butt
This feminist retelling of Greek mythology reimagines the story of Trojan hero Aeneas and the women once left at the fringes of his story.
Lavinia never asked to be fought over. But now her childhood sweetheart has waged a war that threatens to destroy everything she holds dear, all because Lavinia’s father has promised her to somebody else–Aeneas.
Aeneas, rumored to be the son of Venus, is famed for his bravery, cunning, and his vision for a new great Empire. He is also secretive, slippery—and Lavinia wonders why he will never discuss the past he left behind.
So when a stranger arrives in the camp with stories about Aeneas that suggest he is not what he seems, Lavinia realizes she has to take her future, and that of her people, into her own hands.
A Portrait in Shadow
Written by Nicole Jarvis, narrated by Carlotta Brentan
Enter a sumptuous world of art and magic in 17th-century Florence, where a painter is determined to make her mark and exact her revenge.
When Artemisia Gentileschi arrives in Florence seeking a haven for her art, she faces instant opposition from the powerful Accademia, self-proclaimed guardians of the healing and necrotic magic that protect the city from plague and curses. The all-male Accademia jealously guards its power over art and architecture and has no place for an ambitious young woman arriving from Rome under a cloud of scandal.
Artemisia begins winning allies like Galileo, Michelangelo the Younger, and Cristina de’ Medici. But when her infamous rape trial in Rome turns her thoughts to vengeance and an incendiary preacher turns his ire to Florence’s art world, Artemisia must choose between revenge and her dream of a lasting legacy.
