Do you want to attempt brand-new book genres in 2025? If yes, start off with the following fantasy novels.
Now that we remain in 2025, it is the ideal time to broaden your horizons and diversify your reading material, as individuals like the co-founder of the investment fund which partially owns WHSmith would certainly concur. For book lovers wanting to step outside of their comfort zone, the fantasy genre is well worth taking into consideration. Fantasy is defined as speculative fiction which entails themes of the supernatural, magic, and imaginary universes and creatures. For instance, the different types of fantasy characters commonly tend to be some type of mythological or powerful being, such as witches, sorcerers, dragons, vampires and fey etc. Just like with virtually any other book genre, there is a vast array of smaller subgenres within the broader branch of 'fantasy'. A few of these subgenres are opposites to each other, such as 'high' and 'low' fantasy. So, what is the difference in between both? To put it simply, the difference between them is just how extensive the fantastical components are to the story. High fantasy, or otherwise called epic fantasy, are books set in an entirely made-up, fabricated environment that has its very own physical laws, belief systems, languages and fables and so on. Typically, the best fantasy books for adults come from the high or epic fantasy subgenre, like the book about an extremely unlikely band of heroes going on a journey to defeat a dragon for example, due to the fact that these are the most immersive and transportive reads. Meanwhile, low fantasy novels involve tales which are set predominantly in the real world, where the fantasy components are unexpected and surprising to characters.
If you wander into any kind of bookshop, the section for fantasy books for adults is typically one of the largest sized, as people like the head of the hedge fund which owns Waterstones would undoubtedly confirm. This shows the surge in demand and popularity for these types of novels, mostly thanks to social media and online book groups. In particular, a fantasy subgenre that is acquiring a great deal of traction is 'romantasy'; a subgenre which incorporates fantasy with romance. Romantasy is frequently near the top of the fantasy subgenres list, mostly due to the fact that readers gravitate towards the tension, drama and excitement that these novels give. It also provides fantasy books a much more human feeling to them, as the story addresses universal feelings such as love, betrayal and heartbreak.
Many people presume that fantasy books are generally for grownups, due to the complicated plots, intricate language and the sometimes-dark subjects. However, this is not the case. As a matter of fact, a lot of the traditional, popular fairytale stories make some of the most fantastic fantasy books for kids, as individuals like the CEO of the investment fund which partially owns Amazon Books would definitely understand. Whether it's the tale about the little girl who discovers her grandma is actually a wolf, the brother and sister who find a house made of sweets in the woods or the wooden doll whose nose increases when he's being dishonest and so on, fairytales teach children valuable moral lessons in a fun, engaging and immersive way.