Summary
- Overt romance isn’t necessary for great fantasy storytelling; some series prioritize platonic love and personal growth over romantic relationships.
- Standalone fantasy books with little to no romance can be just as compelling as series, offering unique and immersive experiences for readers.
- Authors like Brandon Sanderson and V.E. Schwab prove that fantasy can thrive without focusing on romance, creating intricate worlds and compelling characters.
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Fantasy books include many fantastical elements and plotlines, but sometimes it’s easier to focus on the magic and storytelling when the novel series has no romance. Many of the greatest and best-known series include some form of romance. However, in recent years, the romance genre has exploded, as has its intersection with fantasy. These have made for some iconic books, but overt romance-driven storytelling isn’t for everyone. While it’s difficult to avoid romantic relationships completely, as they’re part of life, certain series focus on platonic love and personal growth to progress their plots.
It can be difficult to maintain interest in a fantasy series over many years.
There are many amazing standalone fantasy books to read with little to no romance. Despite this, there is something uniquely compelling about following a group of characters or remaining in the universe of a fantasy series across several installments. It can be difficult to maintain interest in a fantasy series over many years. However, the authors who take on the challenge are uniquely equipped to capture the audience’s attention until the very end. Doing this without using romance as a trope and relying on these types of relationships to create the conflict is especially impressive.
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10 Fantasy Books With Real-World Settings That Actually Make Sense
While some works of fiction are set in faraway realms, these fantasy novels are rooted in the real world, making their magic seem close at hand.
10 The Hobbit (1937) – The Lord Of The Rings (1937–1955)
Written by J.R.R. Tolkien
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The Hobbit isn’t always thought of in the same category as the rest of The Lord of the Rings book series, but it’s very much a part of the story. Tolkien’s initial exploration of Middle Earth set the stage for the remaining three books, building out a world that would capture the hearts of readers for generations to come. In The Hobbit, the audience can rest assured that Bilbo is looking for adventure, not romance, on his unexpected journey. The same is true of Frodo in his section of the story.
There is some light romance between Aragorn and Arwen. Fortunately, it mostly consists of faraway longing and brief encounters. Additionally, their courtship is hardly central to the plot of the story, as its thrust, Frodo and Sam’s trek to Mount Doom to destroy the ring, is far more important. It can be assumed that what happened to Frodo after The Lord of the Rings was living out the rest of his life in relative peace and isolation. Bilbo and Frodo were the perfect protagonists because they didn’t think of romance as being paramount to adventure.
9 The Lies Of Locke Lamora (2006) – The Gentleman Bastard (2006–Present)
Written by Scott Lynch
Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamore is the first in The Gentleman Bastard series, which has continued strongly to this day. Locke Lamora, the central character of the book, is akin to Robin Hood if he grew up in a dangerous city full of secrets and characters that double-cross him at every turn. He’s a brilliant con man slowly taking over the criminal underworld of this imagined city, one score at a time. Alongside him are his group of loyal friends and allies, whom he can trust to get the job done, and are almost like siblings.
The relationship between Locke and Jean is paramount to the stories, and without their connection of friendship and brotherhood, there would be no way for them to pull off the cons and thievery they do.
As the books progress, Locke and Jean, his best friend, travel across the world searching for rich people to swindle, looking for bigger and better scores. The relationship between Locke and Jean is paramount to the stories, and without their connection of friendship and brotherhood, there would be no way for them to pull off the cons and thievery they do. Though the pair face their share of ups and downs, they only worry about each other and staying alive.
8 The Goblin Emperor (2014–Present)
Written by Katherine Addison
Though Katherine Addison is a pen name for Sarah Monette, this doesn’t take away from the fame and success she’s garnered from The Goblin Emperor series. The titular book was released in 2014 and was nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula awards. It’s unavoidable that Maia, the unlikely emperor of the Elflands in The Goblin Emperor, experiences budding feelings of romance as he comes of age against the background of a deadly court. However, few of those feelings are acted on, and marriage is treated as a political alliance rather than an act of love.
The heart of The Goblin Emperor books all boils down to political intrigue and espionage rather than the inner workings of the noble’s hearts. Maia is left behind as a protagonist in the remaining novels in favor of additional background characters that populate the world of the Elflands. However, with each passing story, Monette paints the dynamics of the political and royal machines with great accuracy and truth. Book one stands out, especially, for how it introduces the reader to the world.
7 Monstrous Regiment (2003) – Discworld (1983–2015)
Written by Terry Pratchett
Though Monstrous Regiment could be read as a standalone installment, all the Discworld books offer little to no romance.
Today, Terry Pratchett is likely best known for co-writing the Good Omens series with Neil Gaiman, as it’s become a hit TV show. Many fans are anxiously awaiting Good Omens season 3, but in the meantime, reading Pratchett’s extensive Discworld series is a perfect way to reenter the off-beat and witty world that Pratchett so easily creates. Though Monstrous Regiment could be read as a standalone installment, all the Discworld books offer little to no romance.
In Monstrous Regiment, a young girl’s only way to save her family’s business and find her brother is to disguise herself as a boy and join the army of her eccentric country of outdated ideals. Throughout the story, the girl, Polly, soon discovers that she may not be the only one in her predicament and that many others are looking for something, including their truest selves. Like all Discworld books, Monstrous Regiment takes a humorous look at its themes and narrative, but there is an emotional truth to the book and Polly’s development that makes it easy to connect with.
6 Archivist Wasp (2015) – The Archivist Wasp Saga (2015–2018)
Written by Nicole Kornher-Stace
Despite being geared more toward younger audiences, Nicole Kornher-Stace’s Archivist Wasp series is just as thrilling and full of excitement as any book targeted at adults. Perfect for all generations, Archivist Wasp takes a dystopian spin on fantasy placing its central character, Wasp, in a universe where she must hunt ghosts at the behest of a mysterious goddess. However, Wasp isn’t content to do the bidding of those above her and remain complacent. She’s curious and needs justification if she’s going to rid the world of ghosts.
Wasp encounters many individuals throughout her story, both living and dead, but none of them catch her eye as a potential romantic partner. Her journey is internal, and she has bigger issues nagging at her than future romance, not to mention her constant companion is a ghost long gone from the world of the living. In the second book, Latchkey, Wasp continues on her journey and forms a group of like-minded young women who want to save the world as she does.
5 A Wizard Of Earthsea – The Earthsea Cycle (1968–2001)
Written by Ursula K. Le Guin
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As one of the greatest fantasy writers of all time, Ursula K. Le Guin is a prolific author who has penned works whose legacy continues to this day. One of her best-known series, The Earthsea Cycle, is part of what put her on the map and made readers take notice of her terrific fantasy worlds. In the first book, A Wizard of Earthsea, Ged is introduced as a young boy who will grow up to become a wizard of unbelievable power, but his path to greatness is not what one might expect.
Everyone he helps is awed by his power, but it sets him apart and leads to a life of solitude.
His mentors and allies help him along, but it’s up to Ged to understand his abilities and future. In 1968, A Wizard of Earthsea was groundbreaking for its depiction of coming-of-age fantasy in an honest and thrilling way. The story grapples with death, inner demons, and the cost of pride. In each book, Ged ages and becomes wiser and weary of the world. Everyone he helps is awed by his power, but it sets him apart and leads to a life of solitude.
4 Elatsoe (2020–2024)
Written by Darcie Little Badger
Elatsoe has received great praise for its representation of the LGBTQ+ community by having an asexual character as the protagonist. The title character, Elatsoe, lives in a fictionalized America full of monsters and magic. However, when a murder takes place she must use the powers passed down through Lipan Apache ancestors. Her abilities manifest, giving her the power to speak to the ghosts. Combining these fantastical elements with the contemporary setting of Texas, Elatsoe lets its characters move freely through the world and be themselves.
Following the success of Elatsoe, Darcie Little Badger penned the second installment, the prequel, Sheine Lende. It travels back to when Elatsoe’s grandmother, Shane, lives. Shane has the same powers as her future granddaughter and works tirelessly to find missing persons because of her own backstory. Both Elatsoe and Shane are brilliantly realized characters who don’t require love interests to be compelling to the reader. Elatsoe‘s great work will doubtlessly inspire more authors to imbue their work with asexual representation.
3 This Savage Song (2016) – Monsters Of Verity (2016–2017)
Written by V.E. Schwab
What makes This Savage Song so effective is that Kate and August come from different worlds and sides, but even though they have the groundwork for an enemies-to-lovers romance, it never blossoms.
In This Savage Song, V.E. Schwab centers on the relationship of Kate and August, who remain close friends throughout the series. There are brief inklings of a romance between them in the sequel, Our Dark Duet, but they never come to fruition. What makes This Savage Song so effective is that Kate and August come from different worlds and sides, but even though they have the groundwork for an enemies-to-lovers romance, it never blossoms. They develop a bond as friends and learn to trust each other.
In the Monsters of Verity series, Kate and August contend with warring families in a city torn apart by conflict and dark monsters. Categorized as urban fantasy, the world they inhabit is not unlike the real world in terms of city life and technology, but it’s made more fantastical by the addition of monsters. Both Kate and August are afraid of the monsters and willing to fight them, but they also fear what lies within themselves. Only by working together can they find the balance and peace that those who came before them couldn’t achieve.
2 The Way Of Kings (2010) – The Stormlight Archive (2010–2021)
Written by Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson has written many fantastic book series, like Mistborn and The Cosmere, but The Way of Kings is unique because it shies away from romance, unlike his other works. Throughout The Stormlight Archive, certain side characters have small romances, as there are many novels in the series, and it would be difficult to justify not having a single romantic relationship to speak of. However, in Roshar, the world of The Stormlight Archive, the environment is so unforgiving and there are so many warring factions to contend with, that characters have no time to deal with petty jealousies.
Sanderson weaves together the story of several different characters from multiple perspectives to create a full picture of life in every corner of Roshar. Each book expands the lore and narrative of the series and brings new characters to life with deep empathy and understanding. Though it’s high fantasy and contends with multiple plotlines and individuals, The Stormlight Archive manages to remain accessible to readers in every installment of the work. Roshar is a strong setting that lets Sanderson’s world-building shine.
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1 The Thousand Names (2013) – The Shadow Campaigns (2013–2018)
Written by Django Wexler
Combining magic with early aspects of warfare, The Thousand Names takes two military leaders, Marcus and Winter, and leads them to question where their loyalties should lie. Throughout The Thousand Names and The Shadow Campaigns as a whole, the characters are embroiled in political turmoil and the machinations of an immense war machine. Before long, the pair must face bigger threats of magic and assassinations. For almost the entirety of The Thousand Names, no romance appears, and the one that does is secondary to the main story.
For readers with knowledge or interest in military history and a love of fantasy, The Shadow Campaign is the perfect choice for the next book on their list.
Any mentions of romance are brief and inconsequential when compared with the plots afoot to usurp thrones and conquer dangerous magic that takes place in every book. For readers with knowledge or interest in military history and a love of fantasy, The Shadow Campaign is the perfect choice for the next book on their list. The world of the story and the character’s war strategies are paramount to the thrust of the story.