Top 10 Best Fantasy Novels: 1960-1969 (A Journey Thru Time Series)

Join us on an enchanting journey through time as we explore the best fantasy novels of the 1960s! This decade was a golden era for imaginative storytelling, introducing readers to captivating worlds filled with magic, adventure, and unforgettable characters. In this video, we’ll delve into iconic works from legendary authors and uncover hidden gems that defined the genre during this transformative period.

Discover classics that have influenced generations of writers and readers alike, from epic quests to whimsical tales that spark the imagination. Whether you’re a seasoned fantasy fan or new to the genre, this retrospective will inspire you to revisit these timeless stories and perhaps even discover a few new favorites.

To be clear, these are Jim’s Top 10 fantasy novels of the ’60’s. Will you agree? Would you change up the order? Is one of YOUR favorites missing from his list?

Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more literary explorations and recommendations! What was your favorite fantasy novel from the 60s? Let us know in the comments below! And don’t forget to catch the upcoming videos continuing through the decades.

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0:00 - Opening
0:21 - Episode Explanation
1:57 - 10th Best of the ’60's
2:39 - 9th Best of the ’60's
3:45 - 8th Best of the ’60's
4:36 - 7th Best of the ’60's
5:14 - 6th Best of the ’60's
6:04 - 5th Best of the ’60's
6:45 - 4th Best of the ’60's
7:44 - 3rd Best of the ’60's
8:47 - 2nd Best of the ’60's
9:52 - Best Fantasy Novel of the ’60's
10:59 - Conclusion & Wrap-up

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Music and video elements licensed under Envato Elements:

[OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels]

Great list! My personal favorite from your picks is Dragonflight. Here's some other stuff I loved from the 60's:

Poul Anderson - Three Hearts and Three Lions
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - One Hundred Years of Solitude
Michael Moorcock - Hawkmoon
Fritz Leiber - Lankhmar

Hawkmoon in particular's significant among Moorcock's stuff because the later books provide an ending to his entire Eternal Champion mythos.

[parazatico]

The Elric saga started in the sixties, as did the Swords series by Fritz Leiber, both are iconic and have been enormously influential. Moorcock (well, it has been a while, and I'd hate to disappoint) also wrote the first of his Runestaff series then as well. I was around then, but a bit young to be reading fantasy.

[andrewknight]

The last unicorn is worth watching, loved the movie as a child.

[AlecSorensen]

A Wizard of Earth Sea is absolutely one of the best fantasy books ever, and easily could be number 1 for the decade. Prydain is probably a better series, at least in its consistency, and I am more attached to them by the end of the series... and it still makes me tear up a little at times in the way that a Wizard of Earthsea does not, Le Guin being more cerebral and detached in her writing style. However, there are a few reasons why I think A Wizard of Earth Sea is better than any individual one of the Prydain series, or for the matter any of the books on this list.

A Wizard of Earth Sea, Prydain, and the Last Unicorn are all fantastic stories with some deep, archetypical elements and symbolism of the heroes journey that really hit home. However, I would say that Le Guin's writing is more beautiful (and less obviously down-scaled for very young readers) than Lloyd Alexander's. Le Guin's world is also more coherent than that of the Last Unicorn, which trades heavily on its archetypes and symbolism without really a coherent world underneath--although the strange anachronism of bandits (or someone) eating tacos in a medieval, high fantasy world still strangely grabs me. It's very dreamlike, which is a strength, but ultimately I also think that disguises a slightly lower level care and craftsmanship in the writing and the world building. No disrespect to Beagle. Le Guin has always been one of the strongest sci fi and fantasy writers in terms of quality of prose, and A Wizard of Earth Sea is Le Guin in rare form, with all of the powerful symbolism, but without getting mired in her philosophical hobbies.

Le Guin describes a deep, rich story with Jungian elements and a character arc that is relevant now more than ever: a young boy enchanted by the promise of big flashy magics makes a terrible mistake in his hubris. On his journey he learns to appreciate the simple beauties in life for their own sake and how to come to terms with the worst parts of himself. It's also just a landmark for the genre for a couple of reasons. Le Guin gives us the first magical university that I know of. Sparrow Hawk is the first black wizards I know of as well, and still probably the most prominent one... so early in the genre that he suffers from constant white washing.

[lisagulick]

I am a bit disappointed that you apparently missed Norton Juster's _The Phantom Tollbooth._ Not telling any more...this book works best when it is read with no preparation!

[lisagulick]

Whatever you do, stay away from the _Wrinkle in Time_ movies (yes, there were two)! They are both terrible, and they take way too many liberties with the story.