Most Popular Fantasy Books of the 1980s

Discover popular Fantasy books from the 1980s, with reader ratings and new favorites to explore.

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Books in this list

Garrett, P.I. #3

Cold Copper Tears

Glen Cook

Fantasy · Urban Fantasy

October 1988

10.0/10 2 ratings

Tale of the Five #2

The Door into Shadow

Diane Duane

Fantasy

1984

10.0/10 2 ratings

The Way of Wyrd

Brian Bates

Fantasy

1983

10.0/10 2 ratings

Catwitch

Lisa Tuttle

Fantasy · Childrens

1983

Dying Earth #3

Cugel's Saga

Jack Vance

Fantasy

1983

10.0/10 2 ratings

The Time of the Ghost

Diana Wynne Jones

Fantasy · Young Adult

1981

10.0/10 2 ratings

Endangered Species

Gene Wolfe

Fantasy · Horror · Science Fiction · Short Stories · Mainstream

1989

10.0/10 1 ratings

Imperial Lady: A Fantasy of Han China

Andre Norton, Susan Shwartz

Fantasy · Alternate History

1989

10.0/10 1 ratings

Books of Merlin #1

The Coming of the King

Nikolai Tolstoy

Fantasy · Historical Fantasy

1988

Traveller

Richard Adams

Fantasy · Historical Fiction · Mainstream

July 1988

10.0/10 1 ratings

Dictionary of the Khazars

Milorad Pavic

Fantasy · Translation · Alternate History

1988

10.0/10 1 ratings

The Seventh Sword #3

The Destiny of the Sword

Dave Duncan

Fantasy

1988

8.5/10 2 ratings

The Tredana Trilogy #3

The Great Wheel

Joyce Ballou Gregorian

Fantasy

1987

10.0/10 1 ratings

Deryni

The Deryni Archives

Katherine Kurtz

Fantasy · Epic Fantasy · High Fantasy · Short Stories

1986

10.0/10 1 ratings

Beyond the Dar Al-Harb

Gordon R. Dickson

Fantasy · Science Fiction · Short Stories

1985

10.0/10 1 ratings

Return to Nevèrÿon #3

Flight from Nevèrÿon

Samuel R. Delany

Fantasy · Short Stories

1985

10.0/10 1 ratings

Kane

The Book of Kane

Karl Edward Wagner

Fantasy · Dark Fantasy · Sword and Sorcery · Short Stories

1985

10.0/10 1 ratings

Tékumel: The Empire of the Petal Throne #1

The Man of Gold

M. A. R. Barker

Fantasy · Science Fiction

1984

The Darkangel Trilogy #2

A Gathering of Gargoyles

Meredith Ann Pierce

Fantasy · Young Adult

1984

10.0/10 1 ratings

Thieves' World (other novels)

Jamie the Red

Gordon R. Dickson, Roland J. Green

Fantasy

1984

10.0/10 1 ratings

The Conan Chronicles #6

Conan the Destroyer

Robert Jordan

Fantasy · Sword and Sorcery

1984

10.0/10 1 ratings

The Conan Chronicles #7

Conan the Victorious

Robert Jordan

Fantasy · Sword and Sorcery

1984

10.0/10 1 ratings

Maia

Richard Adams

Fantasy

1984

10.0/10 1 ratings

To Reign in Hell

Steven Brust

Fantasy

1984

10.0/10 1 ratings

Merlin / The Arthurian Saga #4

The Wicked Day

Mary Stewart

Fantasy

1983

10.0/10 1 ratings

The Compass Rose

Ursula K. Le Guin

Fantasy · Science Fiction · Locus Award · Short Stories

1982

10.0/10 1 ratings

We Are All Legends

Darrell Schweitzer

Fantasy · Sword and Sorcery · Short Stories

1981

10.0/10 1 ratings

Adventures of the Empire Princess #4

The Beast of Hades

Graham Diamond

Fantasy

1981

10.0/10 1 ratings

Samarkand #2

Samarkand Dawn

Graham Diamond

Fantasy

1981

10.0/10 1 ratings

The Illustrated Faerie Queene

Douglas Hill, Edmund Spenser

Fantasy

1980

10.0/10 1 ratings

Captain Sinbad

Graham Diamond

Fantasy

1980

10.0/10 1 ratings

Adventures of the Empire Princess #3

The Falcon of Eden

Graham Diamond

Fantasy

1980

10.0/10 1 ratings

The Dread Empire (prequels) #2

With Mercy Toward None

Glen Cook

Fantasy · Dark Fantasy

1985

9.7/10 3 ratings

The Dread Empire (prequels) #1

The Fire in His Hands

Glen Cook

Fantasy · Dark Fantasy

1984

9.7/10 3 ratings

Ealdwood #2

The Tree of Swords and Jewels

C. J. Cherryh

Fantasy · Epic Fantasy · High Fantasy

1983

9.5/10 4 ratings

Ealdwood #1

The Dreamstone

C. J. Cherryh

Fantasy · Epic Fantasy · High Fantasy

1983

9.5/10 4 ratings