More than anything, I am drawn to fantasy books and their titles. Many people are sold on book covers, and while I certainly love a good book cover, I’m sold on two things: the title and the first 500 words (sometimes even the first sentence, in the case of Nietzsche).
I thought this would be a quick and easy post to assemble, but it turned out to be quite difficult to narrow it down to only 10. There are so many amazing fantasy books that I will probably have to make a second more inclusive post in the future.
Top 10 Fantasy Book Titles of All Time
1. Nine Princes in Amber
This is my favorite title because it has a great word “princes” (a particularly rich word, especially if you understand it from a Shakespearean and Machiavellian context) a pun (nine princes in amber, of course being the nine princes in the world of Amber, but the pun adds value: nine princes preserved in amber as we know it in this world), and an oddness to it. Why 9? Its one less than the perfect number 10. This throws the mind a little, and makes me want to discover who these 9 princes are, and what their story is.
2. Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings
I’m listing this here because of its nod to literature, and the way poets and philosophers used to section their works. Byron, for example, divided his Childe Harrod into “Part the First,” “Part the Second,” and “Part the Third” (looking directly back to the poetic tradition).
I also love this for what is promised in the title. The reluctant regent makes his return. How can you resist?
3. Gardens of the Moon
One of the greatest words in the English language is the word “moon.” It has beguiled and enchanted humanity throughout all the ages. What this fantasy title does is pair the most enchanting word in our language with perhaps the second most enchanting word, “Garden.” The allure of the magic thrumming between the covers and bouncing from word to word is irresistible.
4. The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There
I LOVE long titles. There need to be more verbose titles in fantasy literature! This one has a nice postmodern echo of the popular thriller “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” but is also splendidly ironic. There is the tension between Fairyland–generally associated with flourescent moss, frolicsome regents and puckish princes, and happiness–and the grim and darkness of the land of the dead. The tension between these two terms is quite piquant.
5. The Guns of Avalon
I do love a Zelazny title. I particularly love this one for the imagery it conjures. Again, strange word pairing is at work, sitting “Guns” (a word with modernity, suggestive of roughness and smoke) next to “Avalon” a pristine medieval utopia.
6. Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn
This reminds me of Chaucer’s middle English spellings, as well as Chaucer’s admirable word play. Piers Anthony’s punny title is a very welcomed addition to some of the more serious titles in this list. I had to really resist adding two other titles, Knot Gneiss and Swell Foop, both equally refreshing for their humorous winking.
7. Neverwhere
If you are going to use a one word title for your fantasy book (and there are certainly enough fantasy authors trying this) it has got to deliver big.
It has to be unusual.
It has to grab attention.
It has to be suggestive.
Not only do I love the word “Neverwhere” I also love the strange architecture of the word itself. While Neil certainly isn’t getting any help from his cover, he doesn’t really need it.
Great title.
Strange, wonderful word.
8. Fablehaven
The second single word entry. This is technically young adult fantasy, but it is still a beautiful title. I think I enjoy this so much precisely because I don’t know why I enjoy it. It’s sonorous, alluring, and altogether magical.
9. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
What doesn’t this title have? Terry Pratchet’s gift for humour and a very English title makes this an easy inclusion.
10. Wheel of Time: Winter’s Heart. It’s almost obligatory to list a Robert Jordan title, isn’t it? I don’t particularly gravitate towards any particular title, but I love the series title (maybe I’m cheating here a little bit; this could probably be a feature on its own since fantasy authors love to add a series title). I love this one for the word “Winter,” which is one of my favorite words. There is also a subtle contrast between “Winter” which summons feelings of death, cold, and ice, and “Heart” which is redolent of life and warmth.
