10 (Slightly Less) Famous Fantasy Authors
Ollie Ander
Is probably just a couple cats in a trench-coat—the hair shedding and sunlight napping are highly suspect.
Fantasy authors hold renown like no others. Pitting the two most well-known names from the two biggest genres around, it’s no contest. Though we’re surely all familiar with Science Fiction narratives that have his influence, not everyone could give Isaac Asimov by name. But everyone—everyone—knows JRR Tolkien, the grandad of Fantasy.
However, the visibility and appeal of mainstream Fantasy is a double-edged sword. The most famous authors around are Fantasy powerhouses, but their names also tend to dominate media conversation, overshadowing their peers. In the spirit of love for the genre, here’s a list of 10 Fantasy authors who aren’t yet household names, but deserve it no less.
Joe Abercrombie
Joe Abercrombie is an epic Fantasy author with multiple series. The First Law Trilogy is his most notable, but if you want to dip your toes into a series’ world before diving in, the Age of Madness Trilogy has several accompanying stand-alone texts. Abercrombie just launched the first title in a new series (May 2025) called The Devils, so it’s a perfect time to check out this body of work and join in the adventure!
R. F. Kuang
R. F. Kuang came into her literary career swinging! Her debut novel, The Poppy War, became an engrossing (and frankly traumatic) Fantasy trilogy. Equally, if not more well known, is her stand-alone novel Babel, or the Necessity of Violence, which explores deeper ideologies in a Fantastical, dark academia setting. Most recently she’s published the novel Yellowface, a modern satirical take on the publishing industry, but it looks like she’ll be going back to her roots of Fantasy academia with Katabasis, releasing in August 2025.
Fonda Lee
Fonda Lee is referred to as a Speculative Fiction author because she has such a wide mastery of genres, but she’s attained professional recognition through awards for Fantasy in particular. Her debut Fantasy novel, Jade City, won the World Fantasy Award in 2018, among others! The series has an accompanying novella and short stories collection, so there’s multiple entry-points for the world. Fonda Lee has been quoted as treating magic in a "Science Fiction-like way," so if that intrigues you, and you want an Epic Fantasy that does not reflect medieval Europe, you should check The Green Bone Saga out!
Matt Dinniman
Matt Dinniman may not be a household name, but his series of Dungeon Crawler Carl books have made their rounds through fandom spaces. To switch things up from Epic Fantasy recs, DCC is a Scifi Fantasy LitRPG book series, originally self published, but later picked up in 2024 traditionally. There are seven books in the series already, and no definitive talk of when (or if) the fun will ever end.
Tomi Adeyemi
Tomi Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïsha trilogy kicked off in 2018 with the release of Children of Blood and Bone, a YA romantic Afrofantasy. Adeyami’s work is influenced by Western YA contemporaries and integrates West African mythology, as well as Yoruban culture. Though a slightly younger demographic than others on this list, any age can appreciate the wordbuilding and unique cultural incorporations.
Ken Liu
Ken Liu’s debut long-fiction was The Dandelion Dynasty, the first in an Epic Fantasy series where you won’t find typical wizards, but engineers instead! Liu coined the term "silkpunk" to describe how his work blends East Asian culture (material and philosophical) into an alt world. Liu also has a library of older, shorter works that are less fantastical but no less fascinating.
Robin Hobb
Robin Hobb is one of the pen names of Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden, under whom she published the Farseer trilogy, an introspective, Epic Fantasy with an Arthurian base. But wait, there’s more! The Realm of the Elderlings is an expansive fictional world with many novels set within it, including Farseer, Liveship, Tawny Man, Fits and the Fool (which are ALL trilogies), and the Rain Wild Chronicles. And if you love Hobb’s writing but would like to switch it up with some Urban Fantasy instead, her second pen name, Megan Lindholm has got you covered.
John Gwynne
John Gwynne offers a side-step on typical Epic Fantasy by drawing from Viking culture and inspiration. His debut novel, Malice, won Best Fantasy Debut in 2012, and was followed by three more books in The Faithful and the Fallen series. The Of Blood and Bone trilogy shares the same world, so there’s even more to enjoy there! Following those successes and in the spirit of drenching eager readers in Norse myths, Gwynne’s highly praised Bloodsworn Saga dropped its last installment in 2024.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is better known for her acclaimed horror novels Mexican Gothic and Silver Nitrate, but before those, she garnered awards for the Historical Fantasy Gods of Jade and Shadow. The protagonist, Casiopea Tun, is dragged across 1920’s Mexico on a scavenger hunt to renew the god of death, whom she has been accidentally bound to.
Jen Williams
Jen Williams is a twisted fairy tale enjoyer who takes that gruesome interest and turns it into strong FMC in Fantasy novels that are as dark as they are full of adventure. The Copper Cat trilogy born from her debut novel kicked off her career in mysterious, Epic Fantasy, but she’s most renowned for The Winnowing Flame series, which won the British Fantasy Award—twice! Williams is currently taking a detour with thriller releases, but if you liked the tense, grim elements of her Fantasy books, I’m sure they’ll live up to expectations.
Perhaps you’d heard of some of the names on this list before, but I hope others were new to your radar and that you’ve been inspired to check them out. From veterans with multiple Fantasy series under their belt, to authors with cultured infusions outside the typical Fantasy setting, there’s lots of gems to choose from! If you want to peruse the very biggest names in Fantasy fiction to get a baseline, $ this article’s got all the classics$ .
Like what you're reading?
Join other authors like you in NovelPad’s free writing community!
Join the communitySimilar Posts
What File Formats are Accepted by Kindle Direct Publishing?
File types for ebooks, paperbacks, and hardbacks on Amazon's KDP.
Ollie Ander
Is probably just a couple cats in a trench-coat—the hair shedding and sunlight napping are highly suspect.
How long is a fantasy book? Words, pages, chapters, scenes, & prologues
What should wordcount goals look like for a fantasy novel?
S.R. Beaston
Crafty with words, wit, and wisdom, just add caffeine to make it more interesting.
When is the best time to publish a romance novel?
What is the best month and day of the week to publish a romance? Do romance novelists make money?
Rina Fontes Malka
A writer with too many ideas and not enough time.
How to Publish on Kindle Unlimited | A Comprehensive Step-by-Step Guide
Everything you need to know about enrolling your book on Amazon's Kindle Unlimited.
Ollie Ander
Is probably just a couple cats in a trench-coat—the hair shedding and sunlight napping are highly suspect.
The Writer’s Resolution Guide 2024
Goal ideas and strategies for your new writing year.
Sage Kay
Writer, reader, outfit repeater.
Do Self-Published Authors Make More Money?
Royalty rates, merchandise sales, ad control, and other ways self-published authors stand to make more money.
Bella Rose Emmorey
book editor, rogue behaviorist, digital marketer, writer, brand builder, plant aunt, and cheese enthusiast.