Fantasy isn't one thing any more. The genre has fragmented into dozens of subgenres, each with its own conventions, tones, and reader expectations. Finding your corner of fantasy — or exploring new ones — starts with knowing what's out there.
Here's a map of the territory.
Epic / High Fantasy
The classic. World-shaking stakes, detailed worldbuilding, often multi-volume. Good versus evil on a grand scale. Think Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson (and me! - one day).
Try if: You want immersion. You want a world you can live in for thousands of pages. You want clear moral stakes and a sense of grandeur.
Skip if: You prefer faster pacing or morally ambiguous characters.
Grimdark
The gritty response to epic fantasy. Moral ambiguity, graphic violence, cynical worldview. Heroes who aren't particularly heroic. Think Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, R. Scott Bakker.
Try if: You want fantasy that doesn't flinch. You like complicated characters making terrible choices. You find traditional heroism unrealistic.
Skip if: You want escapism, comfort, or characters you can unambiguously root for.
Urban Fantasy
Magic in the modern world. Usually set in contemporary cities, often with a mystery or noir flavour. Think Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, Ilona Andrews, Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London.
Try if: You want the fantastic without leaving the familiar. You like genre blends, especially fantasy-meets-detective fiction.
Skip if: You want fully immersive secondary worlds.
Cosy Fantasy
The warm hug of the genre. Low stakes, found families, small-scale stories with happy or hopeful endings. Think Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, or the gentler Discworld novels.
Try if: You want comfort, warmth, and characters having a nice time. You don't need world-ending stakes to be engaged.
Skip if: You need tension and danger to stay invested.
Romantasy
Fantasy where romance is central, not a subplot. Often has explicit content (though not always). Rapidly growing subgenre. Think Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout.
Try if: You want emotional intensity, romantic tension, and character relationships driving the plot.
Skip if: You prefer romance to stay secondary to action and adventure.
Portal Fantasy
Characters from our world enter a fantasy world. The classic is Narnia, but the form has evolved. Think The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Every Heart a Doorway.
Try if: You enjoy the outsider perspective — discovering a world alongside the protagonist.
Skip if: You'd rather dive straight into a world without the framing device.
Historical Fantasy
Real historical settings with fantastical elements. Magic in the Napoleonic Wars (Temeraire), in Regency England (Jonathan Strange), in medieval China (Under Heaven).
Try if: You want the texture of history plus the freedom of fantasy. You enjoy learning while you read.
Skip if: You want pure invention without real-world baggage.
Sword and Sorcery
Action-focused, often featuring a roguish hero. Less world-building than epic fantasy, more adventure and combat. Classic examples: Conan, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.
Try if: You want quick reads, exciting action, and larger-than-life protagonists.
Skip if: You want complex plots or deep characterisation.
Mythic Fantasy
Drawing heavily on mythology and folklore. Often literary in style, concerned with archetypes and the numinous. Think Patricia McKillip, Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea.
Try if: You want prose you can sink into. You're interested in fantasy's mythological roots.
Skip if: You prefer straightforward storytelling and fast plots.
New Weird
Deliberately strange and unclassifiable. Blends fantasy, horror, science fiction. Revels in the grotesque and the surreal. Think China Miéville, Jeff VanderMeer.
Try if: You want your imagination stretched. You like being unsettled. You find traditional fantasy too safe.
Skip if: You want familiar structures and clear resolutions.
Far-Fetched Fiction
The original New Weird. Anything by Robert Rankin.
Try if: You like bonkers stories about time travelling sprouts living in Elvis's head. Start with the Brentford 'Trilogy'.
Skip if: Don't. Just read them, alright!