Best Fantasy Books of 1999

Below you will find a list of the fantasy books published in 1999 that we enjoyed most. Click on a book title to read the full review.

The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett (The Discworld Series: Book 24)

When I am asked to pick my favourite Terry Pratchett book, The Fifth Elephant is always on my mind as a contender. Granted, it’s a contender insomuch as the Rock would be versus Ali, but it’s still in there! There are books that follow that outshine this book, but only in the way that one star outshines a slightly smaller star.

Published: 1999

Stormchaser by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell (The Twig Trilogy: Book 2)

On board the Stormchaser, Twig, a young crewmember drawn by destiny to join the sky pirates, is filled with excitement at the adventure ahead. Their quest is to collect stormphrax – a valuable substance created inside the heart of the storm.

"Stormchaser is the best book in The Twig Trilogy, everything is perfect – the characters, the setting, the plot, the illustrations – and reading it is a pure delight."

Published: 1999

The Thief's Gamble by Juliet E McKenna (A tale of Einarinn: Book 1)

This is one of the first fantasy novels I remember reading and it has stayed with me ever since. For a debut, it’s amazing. The story sweeps you up immediately, led by the strong female lead of Livak who has a quick wit and dubious morals, making a living through occasional housebreaking, but mostly through fixing games of runes and fleecing the unwary. With no knowledge or experience of wizards or magic, we learn through her about wizards and elemental magic as she gets pulled deeper into the mystery of who these blonde murders are who appear and disappear and can affect people’s minds. McKenna is clearly somebody who knows how to craft a story, and how to leave you wanting more at the end of it. I highly recommend.

Published: 1999

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall - named after the imposing stone barrier which separates the town from a grassy meadow. Here, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the beautiful Victoria Forester and for the coveted prize of her hand, Tristran vows to retrieve a fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It is an oath that sends him over the ancient wall and into a world that is dangerous and strange beyond imagining...

"If you haven’t lost all sense of romance, and are able to still believe in the beauty of stars, Stardust is absolutely a must read."

Published: 1999

Gardens Of The Moon by Steven Erikson (A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen: Book 1)

The ten novels that make up A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen are works of great skill, imagination, ambition, depth and beauty. But not for the faint-of-heart, Erikson throws you in at the deep end and encourages you to swim. This series is one of the greatest fantasy literature achievements of the past one hundred years.

Published: 1999

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier (The Sevenwaters Trilogy: Book 1)

Daughter of the Forest is nothing short of fantastic! Gorgeous description, amazing world building, subtle characters, a road of trials that leads past some extremely dark places and one of the most awesome heroines I’ve encountered anywhere.

Published: 1999

Dawnthief by James Barclay (Chronicles of the Raven: Book 1)

Every now and again you come across an author who manages to write unlike any other. This is not something that will happen often, and I’ve personally only ever come across a handful (Tolkien, Pratchett, Hobb and Erikson). But one author who manages to write such a compelling story that you never want to put the book down is James Barclay.

Published: 1999

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling (Harry Potter: Book 3)

Harry is spending another dreadful summer at home with the Dursley's when an unfortunate run in with Aunt Marge ends in her sudden balloon like inflation. Harry runs away and fears expulsion from Hogwarts for his use of magic outside of term time. At the same time Sirius Balck escapes from Azkaban Prison and this adds to Harry's woes as it appears that Black seeks to kill him for his part in foiling Voldemort's plans.

"After raising the expectation to a level that borders on the unfair (and putting herself under a lot of pressure), JK Rowling really has risen to the challenge and created a book even better than the first and second, a wonderful achievement by a wonderful author."

Published: 1999

World's End by Mark Chadbourn (Age of Misrule: Book 1)

The details that Mark Chadbourn puts into the Celtic mythology are fantastic. I’ve never really been that keen on Celtic mythology in books in the past, this is the first book where I’ve enjoyed going into the details of the old myths. Generally the small details in the book are amazing. You feel as if he’s walked every path, and driven every road that the characters have travelled upon. It all helps to make the book feel that bit more authentic than the average story.

"Chadbourn's first of three is a sparkling read, weaving multiple Celtic myths together to reopen a Britain that has much of its folklore in mistier times. Providing a new future for the island nation and bringing together some peculiarly British characters (who do need some more work to become more rounded) it is a magisterial tour de force from this author that any fantasy fan will enjoy."

Published: 1999