The best literary fantasy sagas... and their adaptations

Many have been adapted into films or series, but the pleasure of immersing yourself in these fantastic books, 'the old-fashioned way', is truly the best way to enjoy these stories. Discover some literary fantasy sagas that are absolutely worth having a go at.

Image: 'Shadow and Bone,' Netflix

These novels were written by Leigh Bardugo and began to go on sale in 2012. They start with the orphan girl Alina who, after saving Mal from a monster attack, begins to show Grisha powers - meaning she is able to manipulate the elements to use them as weapons.

Netflix made a series based on two series of books in the Grishaverse called 'Shadow and Bone.' Its first season was released in 2021, with its second coming out in March 2023.

Image: Netflix

In 1970, the first book of this saga was published, written by Roger Zelazny. It tells the story of how Corwin loses his memory after a car accident but finds a deck of cards with images that are extremely familiar to him. So much so, that he sees himself in one of them. This deck of cards will lead him to Amber, the place where he will reign.

In early 2023, it became known that Stephen Colbert's production company Spartina joined Skybound Entertainment and Vincent Newman Entertainment to make a series out of the ten books.

'Twilight' was written by Stephanie Meyer. It follows Bella Swan who goes to live with her father in a small town. There she meets Edward, a strange and mysterious boy who keeps a dark secret: he is a vampire.

The first book was published in 2005 and the last one in 2008, which was the same year the first film was released. They were box-office hits but were also highly criticized by readers of the novels.

These books were written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The first novels were published in 1984, but from 2003 onward, they began to be adapted as role-playing books. The plot? A priestess, a warrior and a wizard fight against an evil goddess and her army of dragons.

J. R. R. Tolkien's LOTR series consists of three books, the first being released in 1954. There is also the prequel to these, the much-loved book, 'The Hobbit'. According to the story of the trilogy, Frodo Baggins has a mission, to destroy the One Ring. However, his enemies will try to stop him at all costs.

The books were adapted into films that went on to win 17 Oscars. In addition, Amazon Prime brought the popular series 'Rings of Power' to us in 2022.

Cassandra Clare wrote the first book of the saga and published it in 2007, whilst the last of the six came out in 2014. Their stories are about Clary Fray, who discovers that she is descended from a family of half-angel warriors. When her mother disappears, she joins a group of shadowhunters and enters the underworld, where there is everything from warlocks to werewolves.

This saga was turned into a movie and released in 2013. It was intended to be a trilogy but remained a single installment. After the failure of the film, a series was then made (image courtesy of Freeform), which lasted for three seasons.

The books were written by Ursula K. Le Guin, with part one first published in 2003. They describe the realm of Earthsea, where there are dragons, wizards, wraiths, talismans, and mythical powers. Each person has a name given to them during Creation that gives the wizards powers over the elements and animals.

Discworld is a series of books written by Terry Pratchett. The first book was published in 1983. In 2015, Pratchett published 'The Shepherd's Crown', the last book of the saga, shortly before he died.

Some of the books were adapted into role-playing games. They describe wizards, thieves, and demons alike. All creatures live in a flat world held by four elephants that are supported on the back of a giant tortoise. Pretty fantastic.

In the center of the picture, Sir Terry Pratchett OBE signs a stone for the town of Kingwell Rise, Somerset in 2010.

These novels were written by Lauren Kate with the first book published in 2009 and the last of the main saga in 2012. The books tell the story of how Lucy Price is taken to a boarding school where she meets Daniel and other fallen angels. There, she will have to defeat the demon.

Although the possibility of adapting the novels was considered on several occasions, the project was always canceled, until a film was released in 2016 adapting the first book. It was unsuccessful and only released in the United States.

Image: Mayhem / Lotus / Disney

The books were written by Robert Jordan until the 12th installment. They were then completed by Brandon Sanderson due to Robert Jordan's death. The first novel of the saga was published in 1990. It begins in Two Rivers, a forgotten district of Andor where an Aes Sedai arrives at Emond's camp. There, its people are searching for a young man, but they don't actually know who he is.

The saga has been adapted into comics, role-playing games, and even music. While several adaptations for television or film never came to fruition, Amazon Prime finally released a series with the same name in 2021. In addition, according to Deadline, there's a "'Wheel Of Time' film adaptation in the works" with the 'Thor' writer Zack Stentz.

Image: Amazon Prime Video

'The Chronicles of Belgarath' consists of five books written by Davis Eeddings. They recount the adventures of Garion, Belgarath, Polgara, and others in search of the Orb of Aldur. They were first published in 1985.

This saga of books was written by Marissa Meyer over a period of three years. The first book was published in 2012 and the last one in 2015. The books tell the fairy tales of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White, but in a very different way...

These books, written by George R. R. Martin, were first published in 1996. In a world divided by a throne in which betrayal, love, revenge, and loyalty are always at the forefront, creatures emerge in the winter to try and bring an end to the world of men.

The books were adapted into the now-famous series 'Game of Thrones' which ended in 2019 after eight seasons with an all-time Emmy record of 59 awards. Of course, the success continues with 'House of the Dragon,' a series that began its first season in August 2022.

'The Death Gate Cycle' is written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The saga is made up of 7 novels that were first published in 1990. they recount how war-weary Sartans decide to divide the world into four elemental worlds and imprison the Patryn in a labyrinth prison. Years later, after the Sartans have disappeared, the Patryn begin to escape into these worlds.

Brandon Sanderson, the author of these novels, began publishing these works in 2006. They describe a world in which, for 1,000 years, ashes have fallen and nothing flourishes. The Skaa have been enslaved and live in fear of the Lord Lawgiver.

Sanderson announced in the summer of 2022 that some sort of adaptation is being made. Whether it's a series or film, a live-action or animated adaptation, he did not reveal.

Image: Brandon Sanderson, @BrandSanderson / Twitter

The saga written by Christopher Paolini was first published in 2002 and tells the adventures of Eragon, who one day finds a blue stone that hatches and a dragon emerges. This causes his greatest enemies to pursue him in order to steal the dragon.

In 2006, the film adaptation of the first book of the saga was released. Due to the poor box-office results, other projects involving the rest of the books were halted.

Catheryne M. Valente is the writer of these novels, (with a tongue-twister name!) which were first published in 2011. September is a girl yearning for adventure, so when Green Wind offers her the chance to go to Fantasyland, she doesn't think twice...

This saga was written by Rick Riordan and began publication in 2005. The books are set in the present day but are based on events in Greek mythology.

The first film adaptation of the books was released in 2010 and the second in 2013. However, 'Percy Jackson 3' certainly won't be happening. Nevertheless, the author has teamed up with Disney + and is set to release a series based on the saga - it began filming in June 2022.

Image: 20th Century Fox

The books are written by Alexandra Bracken and were first published in 2012. They tell the story of Ruby, a teenager who has been imprisoned in a concentration camp for having developed powers. Ruby manages to escape and joins other young people with powers who are on the run from the government.

The first book was adapted for the big screen and the film was released in 2018. But, like many of these titles, it was a modest flop, grossing $41.1 million worldwide against its $34 million production budget.

C. S. Lewis wrote this famous saga and published the first book in 1950 and the last of the seven in 1956. It describes four children traveling through a wardrobe to Narnia, where they experience adventures with the help of Aslan the lion.

The first three novels of the saga were adapted into films. The first film was released in 2005, the second in 2008, and the third in 2009. Many will remember the original mini-series from 1988, however. In addition, Netflix bought the rights in 2018 to make a project about the Narnia universe.

Image: Disney

The books are written by Robin Hobb and were first published in 1995. The protagonist, young Traspié, is the illegitimate son of the noble prince Hidalgo, heir to the throne of the six duchies. After being rejected by his family, he is taken to court where his father will tutor him.

Erika Johansen wrote these books, which began publication in 2016. Their protagonist is Kelsea Glynn. She is the heir to the throne of Tearling which means she will have to both try to win over the people and also free them from dark magic and corruption.

Written by Diana Wynne Jones, the first of these books was published in 1997. The books are set in the south of England in an unknown time in a parallel world where magic is part of everyday life.

The author of these books, Stephen R. Lawhead, published the first novel, 'Taliesin', in 1987. The stories are set between the 5th and 6th centuries AD and tell the legend of Arthur within a real historical framework, while also adding fantasy, magic, and dragons.

The 2008 BBC miniseries of 'Merlin', based on the books, was a huge success and broadcast five series.

Image: BBC

The books are written by Terry Goodkind, with the first published in 1994. They follow George as he investigates his father's suspicious death. As he sets out to find the killers and seek revenge, he encounters wizards, women in distress, and enemies to defeat.

The books have been adapted into a two-season series ('The Legend of the Seeker') directed by Sam Raimi.

Image: ABC / Amazon Prime

The saga is written by Richelle Mead and was first published in 2007. The books tell the story of Rose Hathaway who is trained to be a defender of the Moroi, against the barbarity of the vampires.

The first novel was made into a film in 2014. As the first film did not make much profit, the project to adapt the rest was stopped in its tracks. In 2022, Peacock released a series based on 'Vampire Academy.'

Image: Peacock

Amanda Hocking is the author of 'My Blood Approves', which hit the bookshelves in 2010. The story is about Alice, a girl who lives an ordinary life until she meets Peter and Jack - two strange fellows hiding a big secret. Very 'Twilight-esque'.

We cannot discuss the greatest fantasy sagas without mentioning J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. The author has come under a lot of scrutiny in past years, however, for making comments that diminish the worth of transgender people.

The books were first published in 1997 and then made into a film series starting in 2001.