fantasy literary nonsense books

The Top 11 Nonsense Fantasy Recommendations

R. Nassor may spend more time with books, tea, and ceramic mugs than recommended by professionals but it hasn’t failed her so far. Nassor has a MA in English Literature from Georgetown University, where she looked at the way medieval and early modern literature reappear in fantasy books today. She’s been writing about romance, fantasy, science fiction, and pop culture for quite a while, starting at Book Riot in 2020. She’s also written for Tor.com. You can follow her on Tiktok and contact her through her website .

View All posts by R. Nassor

Nonsense fantasy books are all chaos and fairy dust and phantasms. You get books with every monster, creature, and cryptid. Anything that appears under the lunar cycle and the ones that walk around during the day to boot. Nonsense fantasy books answer the question, “but why though” with “yes.” I hope you are ready for confusing or entertaining fantasy stories because if not, you are definitely in the wrong realm.

The “nonsense fantasy” category name comes from @darbyisescaping ‘s video on nonsense fantasy book recommendations . Between you and me, @darbyisescaping has excellent content if you are a fan of science fiction and fantasy-focused booktokers. She describes nonsense fantasies as books with loose magic systems that are a mix of science fiction, fantasy, and other genres.

Nonsense and fantasy have often gone hand in hand. Things that are nonsensical or fantastical prop up the genre. The Book of Nonsense by Edward Lear first published in 1846 is a collection of surrealist poems that have entertained many generations of children. The book is a prime example of Literary Nonsense that brings together folk tales and intellectual absurdity. What you get is a bunch of logical statements immediately contradicted by a contradiction. So, what does that mean when it applies to fantasy novels? The fantasy world has to have no identifiable logic to it, or as @darbyisescaping puts it, whatever happens, happens because magic says so.

When compiling my list, I tried to follow the three criteria: a loose magic system, a mix of genres, and it happens because magic. I came up with a list of books broken up into adult nonsense fantasy, adult nonsense fantasy romance, and YA nonsense fantasy.

Adult Nonsense Fantasy

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

Content Warnings: Racism, Sexism, Homophobia

Stories can make a city. The human manifestation of cities are born from the stories we tell about them, and the embodiments of New York City and the boroughs are beginning to take shape and find each other. But something wants to stop this from happening. Although they have someone to guide them through the process, it will be difficult for them to learn all they can do with their new abilities before something much older and more experienced kills them and their city. A blend of science fiction and fantasy elements makes for characters with borough-specific powers in a thrilling nonsense fantasy book for everyone who loves their metropole.

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The Last Adventure of Constance Verity By A. Lee Martinez

Late 20-something Constance Danger Verity just wants a normal office job, but her chosen one energy keeps getting in the way. Seriously, how’s a girl supposed to do an interview with doomsday cults getting in the way? She wants out of the saving-the-world-from-unspeakable-magical-doom game. Now, Constance must go through one last adventure with her regular accountant best friend, Tia, if she wants to be rid of her chosen one-ness once and for all. There are no rules to the magic system other than “she’s the chosen one,” so the book fits right in.

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

Content Warnings: Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, Enslavement

It’s Cairo in 1912 and the power of the djinn has given Egypt the ability to resist European colonial rule. Fatma el-Sha’arawi works as an investigator of supernatural crime, and everyone knows she is good at her job, with that said, teaching her rookie partner would be hard enough without a new murder on her docket. Especially one that might just destabilize international politics. With the help of her colleagues and her girlfriend, hopefully, she can get the mystery solved before the world is destroyed. Again.

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom

Content Warnings: Transphobia, Transmisogyny, Police Brutality, Self-harm

An Asian trans girl joins a group of femme vigilantes who protect the Street of Miracles from transphobes, violent johns, and cops at all costs. She’s a pathological liar, a kung-fu expert, and an escape artist, and is ready to use all her skills to help her new home and the family she finds there. This fictionalized memoir proves fairy tales can belong to sex workers, trans communities, and queer families too. The mix of genres makes it an ideal nonsense fantasy book recommendation.

Adult Nonsense Fantasy Romance

Forgotten Monster by J. Emery

When a noble heir goes missing, it is up to his bookish younger brother, his guard, and the immortal criminal he hires to find him. Taisce can manage the estate on his own, but he must find the heir before someone notices that he is gone. Sef’s magical immortality has been a series of bad choices that have led him to evade the town hangman recently. He is willing to use a young noble and his guard who are looking for a guide to get out of town fast. But what Taisce doesn’t know just might kill him. If you are looking for a queer nonsense fantasy book with a slow-burn romance, immortality, myth, and monsters, you have found your book.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

Content Warning: Enslavement

If you are anything like Cinnamon, you will relate to the feeling of getting drunk at a festival and accidentally saving a hot demon on your walk home. Cinnamon is just an average spice farmer with a few practical skills and a good sense of morals. She avoided dying her hair pink or standing out too much as to dodge becoming one of the goddesses’ chosen adventurers. It worked until she ran into Fallon who decides she must come with him on his quest to kill an evil witch who enslaves demons like him. This nonsense fantasy book has every kind of magical something and an adorable romantic plot line, too.

The Lightning-Struck Heart by TJ Klune

Sam Haversford knows better than anyone that magic can be wild, unwieldy, and chaotic. Training with the current king’s Wizard has taught him to try to make deliberate, safe choices, but his best friends Tiggy the half-giant and Gus the hornless unicorn aren’t much help. Then a dragon captures the emotionally cold prince who happens to be engaged to Sam’s longtime crush, the knight commander. Now Sam, Tiggy, Gus, and the knight commander must go and retrieve the prince to save their kingdom. The whole series is very “it happens because magic says so” with its very emotion-forward magic system.

YA Nonsense Fantasy

So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens

When the chosen one and his adventuring party defeat the evil ruler, he didn’t realize he would also have to ascend the throne. Now he has to marry before his 18th birthday or disappear from existence. Arek would prefer to woo his best friend and mage, Matt, but to avoid locking him into a marriage, he tries to woo the other members of their party instead. It will take quite a few failed meet cutes before King Arek realizes that maybe the same person he loves might just love him back. This nonsense fantasy book is a magical queernorm season of the bachelor with life-threatening stakes, and I cannot recommend it more.

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Nancy knows how to be still, but when the Halls of the Dead returned her home, her normal parents did not know how to deal with her. Luckily, Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children helps youth with quirks from their other worlds and the logic or nonsense and wickedness or virtue that they operate by. But when these miracle kids start showing up dead, Nancy knows she will have to solve the locked room mystery if she wants to survive long enough to return to the Halls of the Dead. Honestly, most of McGuire’s novels are nonsense fantasy in nature, so if this pick is not for you, I recommend her backlist as well.

The Loophole by Naz Kutub

Content Warning: Homophobia, Abusive Parent

When a girl runs into the front door of your coffee shop and you give her a hand, you don’t expect to be rewarded with three wishes. Not thinking anything of the chaotic encounter, 17-year-old Sy asks for a million dollars, and it comes true. His boyfriend left him to travel the world, his best friend is more than annoyed at his self-centered attitude, and his father kicks him out when he is outed. Now, this Indian-Muslim teen will take his million dollars and follow his ex-boyfriend with the hopes of having a second chance at a happily ever after.

Wench by Maxine Kaplan

Content Warning: Self Harm

A tavern wench journeys across the kingdom with the aim of petitioning the queen to regain control of her tavern. Tanya has worked as a wench at her pseudo-adoptive guardian’s tavern since she was a kid, and she is excellent at her job. So, she was unprepared when a group of the queen’s guards came into her tavern after her guardian died and took control of her only home and job. The only way to get it back is to go to the capital and petition the queen. She will travel with any group of guards, work for any faction of outlaws, and acquire any magic item necessary to get her there. Tanya is a bisexual protagonist who is so good at organizing it becomes magic.

The End of Things

Sometimes things in fantasy worlds don’t make sense and that is, in fact, the point of it all. Come for the nonsense fantasy, stay for the heartfelt storytelling. These nonsense fantasy books take the best of nonsense literature and fantasy worldbuilding for wonderful stories that delight the senses and tickle the soul. Looking for other specific fantasy lists? May I interest you in fantasy books with magic systems based on art , fantasy books set in cities in the UK , and witchy books full of trans and nonbinary magic ?

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10 Works of Literary Fantasy You Should Read

Even if you're a genre snob (but also, if you're a genre snob, stop).

Today marks the release of one of the most anticipated books of the year: Marlon James’s  Black Leopard, Red Wolf , a sprawling literary fantasy and the first in a projected series. James is one of our best and most interesting contemporary writers, and I suggest that you read his latest—as well as any number of other works of literary fantasy, some of which I will recommend below.

But first, what do I mean by “literary fantasy”? There are probably as many definitions for this term (and most genre terms, which are all watery at best) as there are readers, but for the purposes of this list, I am using it to mean works of fantasy that prioritize sentence-level craft and/or complex thematic structures, and/or that play with expectations and fantasy tropes, and/or that focus on characters and interiority as primary goals of the work. I don’t just mean “well-written fantasy” or “literary novels that have magic in them,” though both kinds of books can be found here. What I mean is books that relate to and pull from the conventions of both genres: fantasy and literary fiction. This means there might be dragons, and there might be a hero’s journey, and there might be some lyrical descriptions, and there might be some family conflict. There is also some crossover with SF and literary SF, of course, but I will try my best not to conflate the two.

So with all that said, here are a few wonderful works of literary fantasy, that I recommend to all lovers of fantasy and all lovers of literary fiction. (NB that this is of course just a start—feel free to mention more books and writers below.) If these are uncertain waters for you, well, throw off your genre goggles and try something new! You won’t be sorry.

In his newest novel, James has created a surreal imagined Africa, which Michiko Kakutani called “the literary equivalent of a Marvel Comics universe—filled with dizzying, magpie references to old movies and recent TV, ancient myths and classic comic books, and fused into something new and startling by his gifts for language and sheer inventiveness. . . . [It] feels like a place mapped by Gabriel García Márquez and Hieronymus Bosch with an assist from Salvador Dalí.” It is an epic quest with monsters and mayhem at every turn—but also a complex literary landscape second to none.

Another recent doorstop that I loved: this crazy adventure from Chandler Klang Smith, in which two aging dragons circle a destroyed city, a late capitalist heir bucks tradition, and a rich girl with too many teeth in her mouth finds herself queen of the criminals. Plus, you have wild, ludicrous, wonderful language, references to  Infinite Jest , madcap adventure, and all the characters you can handle. It’s an absolute treat.

If you read this website at all, you probably already know that we all love Rachel Ingalls and Mrs. Caliban . Otherwise, imagine if, a few pages into  Revolutionary Road , an enormous, froglike monster appeared and he and April fell in love. I know: it would really improve things.

Technically, this is a reimagining of the Rumpelstiltskin story, but it’s so much more than that: it’s about the daughter of a moneylender who takes over the family business, and who is so good at it that she catches the eye of a faerie lord who wants eternal winter. It’s also about a woman forced to marry a demon, and what she does about. It’s also about mothers and daughters and religion and honor. It’s probably the closest thing to straight fantasy on this list, and it might be YA, but the deft language and complexity of theme make this a literary fantasy knockout for me.

Kelly Link is the queen of literary fantasy—or, I suppose, literary-horror-SF-fable-surrealist-speculative-fantasy, because she never chooses, and she never has to. It’s all great.  Magic for Beginners  is probably still my favorite collection of hers, but consider this entry as a gentle suggestion that you read her entire oeuvre, which is replete with faerie handbags, magical television shows, vampires, new Boyfriends, haunted toothbrushes and other glories.

Let’s face it: anything Ishiguro writes is going to be literary—the man just won the Nobel Prize. But this novel, his foray into Arthurian fantasy—complete with dragons, knights, pixies, and Sir Gawain the Green Knight—was pretty controversial: some loved it, and some thought he had really gone off the rails. Happily, I love it when established authors go off the rails, and this time is no exception. This is a novel about memory, about family, but more importantly, as Neil Gaiman wrote , it “does what important books do: It remains in the mind long after it has been read, refusing to leave, forcing one to turn it over and over. On a second reading, and on a third, its characters and events and motives are easier to understand, but even so, it guards its secrets and its world close.”

Here’s another book that I am constantly on about (so I’m told): N. K. Jemisin’s stupendous  The Fifth Season , and its sequels . It has everything that a traditional fantasy novel would have, and then some: deep character development and interiority, intense consideration of the world and what humans do to it, elevated language. I barely came up for air.

You may or may not have just scrolled through this list looking for  Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell . If so, hi, and I don’t blame you: this is a highly literary work, an alternative history that takes style cues from Dickens and the Brontës but also delves deep into the practice and problems of magic. Very satisfying, no matter your interests.

It’s highly experimental, and certainly part of the project is its form and language—but it also takes place in purgatory and most of the characters who aren’t Abraham Lincoln are ghosts, and some of them are silly and some of them are sad. Saunders’ first novel really defies generic description, but it’s not horror, and it’s not science fiction, and it’s not really speculative, so I’m including it here. Why not?

Genre-bending and gender-bending, clever and punchy and strange, internal and magical and entirely Woolf, this classic love letter is the ur-text of literary fantasy.

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From Lewis Carroll to John Lennon: The Irrational Magic of Nonsense Verse

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, nonsense verse is defined as “humorous or whimsical verse that differs from other comic verse in its resistance to any rational or allegorical interpretation. Though it often makes use of coined, meaningless words, it is unlike the ritualistic gibberish of children’s counting rhymes in that it makes these words sound purposeful.”

Resistance to rational interpretation? Coined, meaningless words? Nonsense for nonsense’s sake? I don’t know about you, but #ITTT I say sign me up!

Therefore, in celebration of National Poetry Month, I’d like to share a few choice morsels from this delightful genre. Feel free to read them aloud to your kids, yourself, or whoever’s handy.

Nonsense verse dates back to 1846, with the publication of Edward Lear’s A Book of Nonsense . Lear originally created the book’s limericks and drawings to amuse the Earl of Derby’s children. They certainly amuse me! Let's take a peek at Limerick #10:

Illustration by Edward Lear, 1846

There was an Old Man in a tree, Who was horribly bored by a Bee; When they said, ‘Does it buzz?’ He replied, ‘Yes, it does!’ ‘It’s a regular brute of a Bee!’

But it was Lear’s 1870 book Nonsense Songs that contained his most enduring poem—"The Owl and the Pussycat.” It is one of the masterworks of this surprisingly tricky genre:

Illustration by Edward Lear, 1871

The Owl and the Pussycat

The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea   In a beautiful pea-green boat, They took some honey, and plenty of money,   Wrapped up in a five-pound note. The Owl looked up to the stars above,   And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are,     You are,     You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!"

Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!   How charmingly sweet you sing! O let us be married! too long we have tarried:   But what shall we do for a ring?" They sailed away, for a year and a day,   To the land where the Bong-Tree grows And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood   With a ring at the end of his nose,       His nose,       His nose,   With a ring at the end of his nose.

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling   Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will." So they took it away, and were married next day   By the Turkey who lives on the hill. They dined on mince, and slices of quince,   Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,   They danced by the light of the moon,       The moon,       The moon, They danced by the light of the moon.

Ah, the runcible spoon. There are very few things I love more in this world than a runcible spoon! Runcible is the perfect example of a “coined, meaningless” word. We may not know what the heck it is, but its presence adds tremendously to the overall effect of the poem.

Speaking of runcible spoons, Lewis Carroll was the absolute master of coined, meaningless words. Up next is perhaps the most famous example of nonsense verse that exists—the classic “Jabberwocky” from Through the Looking Glass (1872):

Illustration by John Tenniel, 1871

Jabberwocky

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves   Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves,   And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!   The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun   The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand;   Long time the manxome foe he sought— So rested he by the Tumtum tree   And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,   The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,   And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through   The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head   He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?   Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”   He chortled in his joy.

As Humpty Dumpty explains to Alice later in the book, slithy means “lithe and slimy,” mimsy is “flimsy and miserable,” a borogove is “a thin shabby-looking bird,” and a rath is “a sort of a green pig.” So there you have it! The poem makes perfect sense now, right? Or should I say perfect nonsense ?

If you aren’t familiar with the writings of British-French author Hilaire Belloc, you’re in for a really fun ride. His 1907 book Cautionary Tales for Children contains a plethora of deliciously draconian tales whose late Victorian aim was to terrify children into behaving. With titles like “Jim, who ran away from his nurse, and was eaten by a lion” and “Matilda, who told lies and was burned to death,” they are also extremely funny. Behold this crusty gem:

Illustration by Basil Temple Blackwood, 1907

Rebecca, Who Slammed Doors for Fun and Perished Miserably

A trick that everyone abhors In little girls is slamming doors. A wealthy banker’s little daughter Who lived in Palace Green, Bayswater (By name Rebecca Offendort), Was given to this furious sport.

She would deliberately go And slam the door like billy-o! To make her Uncle Jacob start. She was not really bad at heart, But only rather rude and wild; She was an aggravating child…

It happened that a marble bust Of Abraham was standing just Above the door this little lamb Had carefully prepared to slam, And down it came! It knocked her flat! It laid her out! She looked like that.

Her funeral sermon (which was long And followed by a sacred song) Mentioned her virtues, it is true, But dwelt upon her vices too, And showed the dreadful end of one Who goes and slams the door for fun.

The children who were brought to hear The awful tale from far and near Were much impressed, and inly swore They never more would slam the door, — As they had often done before.

Another underground delight is the work of Laura E. Richards. She may not be a household name, but she was a beast! Although she penned a number of biographies (about Florence Nightingale, Abigail Adams, and Joan of Arc, among others), her greatest gift to humankind was her book of poems for children. She won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1959 for Tirra Lirra: Rhymes Old and New . Here is a selection from that work (there’s so much good stuff in there!):

Published by Little, Brown and Company, 1955

Oh! blithe and merrily sang the shark, As he sat on the house-top high: A-cleaning his boots, and smoking cheroots, With a single glass in his eye.

With Martin and Day he polished away, And a smile on his face did glow, As merry and bold as the chorus he trolled Of “Gobble-um-upsky ho!”

He sang so loud, he astonished the crowd Which gathered from far and near. For they said, “Such a sound, in the country round, We never, no, never did hear.”

He sang of the ships that he’d eaten like chips In the palmy days of his youth. And he added, “If you don’t believe it is true, Pray examine my wisdom tooth!”

He sang of the whales who’d have given their tails For a glance of his raven eye. And the swordfish, too, who their weapons all drew, And swor’d for his sake they’d die.

And he sang about wrecks and hurricane decks And the mariner’s perils and pains, Till every man’s blood up on end it stood, And their hair ran cold in their veins.

But blithe as a lark the merry old shark, He sat on the sloping roof. Though he said, “It is queer that no one draws near To examine my wisdom toof!”

And he carolled away, by night and by day, Until he made everyone ill. And I’ll wager a crown that unless he’s come down, He is probably carolling still.

In addition to being a genius songwriter, John Winston Lennon was a bit of a goofball with a strong penchant for the absurd. Long before he picked up a guitar, John was an inveterate doodler and jotter of whimsical verse. Three books of his jottings and doodles have been published over the years. Their titles reveal what a word nerd he was: In His Own Write (1964), A Spaniard in the Works (1965), and Skywriting by Word of Mouth (1986). Here is a short piece from In His Own Write .

Published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1964

On This Churly Morn

To them perhaps be nicky I smirk but querry jump With all this alfy hickey I do but strive a hump Knock down ye smallish hooky Am I the bairly oat? With all your davey cocky I’ll always keep afloat.

It’s really not terribly good, but it is fun and endearing. You get a heavy waft of “Jabberwocky” as you can scan the lines. John ain’t no Richards, Lear, or Carroll, but then of course there’s this:

I am the Walrus

I am he as you are he as you are me And we are all together See how they run like pigs from a gun See how they fly I’m crying

Sitting on a cornflake waiting for the van to come Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday Man, you been a naughty boy You let your face grow long

I am the eggman They are the eggmen I am the walrus

Mr. City, policeman sitting Pretty little policemen in a row See how they fly like Lucy in the sky See how they run I’m crying

Yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog’s eye Crabalocker fishwife, pornographic priestess Boy, you been a naughty girl You let your knickers down

Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun If the sun don’t come you get a tan From standing in the English rain

Expert texpert choking smokers Don’t you think the joker laughs at you? See how they smile like pigs in a sty See how they’re snide I’m crying

Semolina pilchard Climbing up the Eiffel Tower Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe

I am the eggman They are the eggmen I am the walrus Goo goo j’goob!

There are other purveyors of nonsense verse and you should seek them out, but I’m going to close with a poem by Shel Silverstein. Shel was a multi-talented dude with a twisted sense of humor and a ton of heart. Here’s a poem that’s short but deep from Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974):

Published by HarperCollins, 1974

Sandra's seen a leprechaun, Eddie touched a troll, Laurie danced with witches once, Charlie found some goblins' gold. Donald heard a mermaid sing, Susy spied an elf, But all the magic I have known I've had to make myself.

Nonsense, when done artfully, is a form of magic. No matter who or where you are, I hope you’re able to use this time to make some magic happen!

The Irrational Magic of Nonsense Verse

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8 of the Best Works by Lewis Carroll

Along with his contemporary, the great painter and poet Edward Lear (1812-88), Lewis Carroll, who was born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-98), is one of the greatest Victorian purveyors of nonsense literature. Unlike Lear, Carroll poured his nonsense into fiction as well as some of the most famous and best-loved poems in the English language, so below we introduce eight of Lewis Carroll’s best novels and poems, to be enjoyed by ‘children of all ages’.

You can buy all of the works listed below in The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll .

1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland .

Along with Edward Lear , Lewis Carroll was the master of Victorian nonsense literature, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is his best-known book. First published in 1865, the story originated in a boat trip that took place in Oxford on 4 July 1862, on which Charles Dodgson (the real name of Lewis Carroll) entertained the children of his friend Henry Liddell – children who included Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Alice in the book – with a humorous story involving illogical conversations and nonsensical events. The Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, and the Cheshire Cat have been firm favourites with readers of all ages ever since.

2. ‘ The Walrus and the Carpenter ’.

The moon was shining sulkily, Because she thought the sun Had got no business to be there After the day was done — ‘It’s very rude of him,’ she said, ‘To come and spoil the fun …’

A little nonsense now and then, as a wise man once said, is relished by the wisest men. And so this fine beach-poem, and first-rate example of nonsense verse from Lewis Carroll, earns its place here. In ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’ the two title characters, while walking along a beach, find a bed of oysters and proceed to eat the lot.

But we’re clearly in a nonsense-world here, a world of fantasy: the sun and the moon are both out on this night. The oysters can walk and even wear shoes, even though they don’t have any feet. No, they don’t have feet, but they do have ‘heads’, and are described as being in their beds – with ‘bed’ here going beyond the meaning of ‘sea bed’ and instead conjuring up the absurdly comical idea of the oysters tucked up in bed.

3. ‘ You Are Old, Father William ’.

‘You are old, Father William,’ the young man said, ‘And your hair has become very white; And yet you incessantly stand on your head – Do you think, at your age, it is right?’

Lewis Carroll hated children’s literature which moralised, and this is probably one reason why his Alice books remain such firm favourites, because whereas moral values often change from century to century, nonsense doesn’t tend to age at the same rate.

This poem (also from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ) is well-known, but what is now largely forgotten is the poem it parodies: Robert Southey’s 1799 poem ‘The Old Man’s Comforts and How He Gained Them’, a pious poem which begins, ‘You are old, Father William, the young man cried, / The few locks which are left you are grey …’

4. ‘ The Crocodile ’.

How doth the little crocodile Improve his shining tail, And pour the waters of the Nile On every golden scale!

Another poem from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland , this poem (variously known as ‘The Crocodile’ or by its first line) is another parody of an earlier well-known children’s poem: in this case, another overly pious eighteenth-century poem ‘How doth the little busy bee’ by Isaac Watts.

5. Through the Looking-Glass .

Alice finds herself transported into a looking-glass world which is arranged as a giant chessboard, but with various other features, such as gardens of flowers, present. She finds a poem which she cannot read (see ‘Jabberwocky’ below), because its words are back-to-front. Many of the subsequent ‘moves’ in the novel actually follow the rules of the game of chess (for instance, the Queens tend to move about looking-glass world a lot, while their husbands, the Kings, largely remain where they are throughout the novel), and the characters – including the Red Queen and White Queen, are chess pieces come to life.

We have analysed this classic novel here .

6. ‘ Jabberwocky ’.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe …

Another classic poem by Lewis Carroll, ‘Jabberwocky’ is perhaps the most famous piece of nonsense verse in the English language. And the English language here is made to do some remarkable things, thanks to Carroll’s memorable coinages: it was this poem that gave the world the useful words ‘chortle’ and ‘galumph’, both examples of ‘blending’ or ‘portmanteau words’.

As we explain in the summary of the poem provided in the above link, ‘Jabberwocky’ may be nonsense verse but it also tells one of the oldest and most established stories in literature: the ‘overcoming the monster’ narrative and the ‘voyage and return’ plot.

7. The Hunting of the Snark .

‘Just the place for a Snark!’ the Bellman cried, As he landed his crew with care; Supporting each man on the top of the tide By a finger entwined in his hair.

‘Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice: That alone should encourage the crew. Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice: What I tell you three times is true …’

Subtitled ‘An Agony in 8 Fits’, The Hunting of the Snark is the longest Carroll poem on this list, and one of his finest pieces of nonsense verse. Variously interpreted as an adventure story, an allegory about the search for happiness (Carroll’s own interpretation of his poem), and even a ‘tragedy’ (by the poem’s illustrator Henry Holiday), the poem follows the crew who set sail in search of the mysterious creature known as the Snark.

Critics and readers have also speculated about the significance of the number 42 in the poem (Carroll’s age when he began writing it): was this where Douglas Adams got his answer to the meaning of life, the universe and everything?

8. Sylvie and Bruno .

This 800-page novel, published in two volumes between 1889 and 1893, is Carroll’s last great work – although how ‘great’ it is has been the matter of some comment. Indeed, it is generally viewed as something of a failure. It certainly was in terms of its sales: it sold just 13,000 copies, which, given Carroll’s literary reputation and success by the 1890s, was a relative flop.

Here at  Interesting Literature , we are in a minority in seeing value in this later work of Carroll’s. It’s a compelling mixture of science, poetry, parody, plays, psychical research, romance, and silliness, albeit with the occasional dull spell. It is also frequently funny, too.

You can buy all of these classic Lewis Carroll works in one handy and affordable volume, which we here at IL Towers own and which we would heartily recommend for all your nonsense needs: The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll .

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6 thoughts on “8 of the Best Works by Lewis Carroll”

The idea of putting little verses within the text of stories has led me to do the same in my new series, where both the toads and the witch talk in verse, the toads singing and the witch casting spells. I thank victorian novelists for the inspiration.

“We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad”)))

Strongly recommend a dazzling graphic novel by the artist Bryan Talbot entitled ‘Alice in Sunderland’ which explores the inspirations for the classic novel. A brilliant, beautiful volume.

What? No Phantasmagoria?! I’m aghast. Luckily, everything else here is spot on…

Actually I agree wholeheartedly that it’s a bit of an oversight, now I reflect on it! Perhaps I’ll revise the piece to be ‘9 of the best works’…

You’ll get my increased approval if you do!

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Catherine Pelton Durrell '25 : Archives & Special Collections Library

The age of alice: fairy tales, fantasy, and nonsense in victorian england.

By Ronald Patkus

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland originated in a tale told by Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) to the children of Henry Liddell, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, during a boating trip in July of 1862. At the insistence of the children, he began to write out the tale, and his manuscript was completed in 1864. The first copies were printed in July of 1865, though interestingly, few survive which bear this year in the imprint, because most were withdrawn from circulation since the artist, John Tenniel, was dissatisfied with the illustrations. A second run was produced in November of 1865, and dated 1866. Many of the original printed copies were sold to the New York publisher D. Appleton, who added a new title page and binding. Despite this complicated publication history, the book sold well both in England and America, and several other printings followed. The sequel Through the Looking Glass appeared in 1871. After the copyright for Alice’s Adventures expired in 1907, a number of new editions appeared, with illustrations by other artists. What is more, there have been many film, television, and dramatic adaptations of the novel since the early 20 th century. Given the wide popularity of Carroll’s work, it’s no surprise that many cultural institutions will be celebrating the publication anniversary in a variety of ways. [1]

As important and influential as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was, we should take care not to let it obscure our appreciation of similar works composed by authors besides Carroll during the same period. [2] The Victorian era (1837-1901), after all, witnessed a great outpouring of fairy tales, and works of fantasy and nonsense. In fact, such works begin to appear in the first year of Victoria’s reign, and grew in number in succeeding years, right up to the year of her death. What is more, such books came to the market not only in increasing numbers, but also with increasing success and impact. Over the decades the genre grew, and eventually an audience for these works was created. Whereas at the beginning of the 19 th century most books for children had an educational or moralistic bent (one thinks, for instance, of the well-known primers, and poems and hymns by the theologian Isaac Watts), by the end of the century many other kinds of books were being offered as well. There seems to be no exaggeration in calling this “The Age of Alice ,” as a way of noting the importance of Carroll’s work while also recognizing the contributions of other literary figures. [3]

One of the earliest novels which showed signs of breaking away from the moralistic tradition in children’s literature was Sara Coleridge’s Phantasmion: A Fairy Tale , which appeared in 1837. [4] Coleridge was the daughter of the Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Apart from some translations, her output was relatively small, and the story of Phantasmion is today regarded as her best-known work. The central figure is Prince Phantasmion of Palmland. The book was well-received at the time, and likely influenced later English writers of fantasy. Yet Coleridge’s Phantasmion was not the only such work to appear in the 1830s. Also of note is Catherine Sinclair’s Holiday House, which was published two years later, in 1839. Sinclair was a Scottish writer who produced many works for children. Holiday House, a story of unruly children, incorporates elements of both nonsense and fantasy, and so departs even further from the didactic tradition. A young John Ruskin in 1841 wrote the fairy tale The King of the Golden River , though it did not appear in prnt until a decade later.

In the 1840s, 50s, and 60s more established authors such as Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray produced works with fantastical elements. They each did this after having written a number of books of more realistic fiction. In the early 1840s, a number of years after the publication of his first novels like The Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist , Dickens launched his series of Christmas stories. A Christmas Carol came out in 1843, followed in 1844 by The Chimes: a Goblin Story of Some Bells That Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In and other stories in succeeding years. [5] In 1855 Thackeray’s satirical fantasy The Rose and the Ring appeared, originally with his own illustrations, and following the publication of his major works. During these decades works also appeared by other authors who were active in fields other than fantasy. For instance, poet Christina Rossetti’s popular The Goblin Market was published in 1862, to be followed later by Speaking Likenesses.

Apart from writers who primarily worked in realistic fiction or other fields, by mid-century several authors had become especially well known as writers of works for children. One of the greatest was George MacDonald, who wrote a number of books, including Phantastes (1858), Dealings with the Fairies (1867, figure 1), At the Back of the North Wind (1871), The Princess and the Goblin (1873), and The Princess and Curdie (1883). MacDonald’s work became quite popular, and in later years influenced other fantasy writers, like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. [6] Another important writer for children was Mary Molesworth, who wrote under the names “Mrs. Molesworth” and “Ennis Graham.” Her titles include Tell Me a Story (1875), Carrots (1876), The Cuckoo Clock (1877), The Tapestry Room (1879), A Christmas Child (1880), and The Carved Lions (1895). Though he published a range of works, Edward Lear became best-known for his nonsense limericks, as seen especially in his Book of Nonsense , which first appeared in 1846, and went through several editions.

When thinking of the works of fairy tales and fantasy that more and more were being distributed to the market, we should consider not only the literary nature of the works, but also their artifactual qualities. In others words, readers interacted with actual books that had aspects worth considering. One obvious feature is that these books were relatively small, able to be held easily. Another feature is that a number of these books featured illustrations by major artists. [7] Though Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has over the years been illustrated many times by various artists, one still thinks of the first illustrations created by John Tenniel. Arthur Hughes also illustrated many books of fairy tales and fantasy, including works by George MacDonald and Christina Rossetti. Toward the end of the century, Walter Crane provided illustrations for books by Mary Molesworth (figure 2, from The Cuckoo Clock ) and Oscar Wilde. Illustrators played an important role in how a particular book was experienced. In addition to illustrations, books of fairy tales and fantasy also often possessed interesting publisher’s bindings, with gilt lettering or illustrations on the front cover. [8] Typefaces varied, but were common to other books published at the time. It is not unusual to find books with the marks of their young readers (inscriptions, bookmarks, etc) present.

The role of publishers in making books available is crucial. The center of publishing in England at this time, as it had been for centuries, was London, and nearly all of the fairy tales and works of fantasy under discussion here were published there. [9] There were some books issued from other cities, like Cambridge, Oxford, or further north in Edinburgh, but they did not outnumber works published in London. Many of the publishers of fairy tales and works of fantasy are names that are still familiar to us today; they include Chapman and Hall, MacMillan and Co., Smith, Elder & Co., Longmans, Green, and Co., Thomas Nelson and Sons, and Alexander Strahan. Sometimes these publishers issued their books simultaneously from more than one city; works published from London and New York can easily be found.

It’s also important to note that sometimes the literature under discussion did not always appear in books; sometimes it appeared in journals and magazines of the period. [10] The periodical format is significant because it presents literary works in a very different way from the traditional book. Charles Kingsley’s The Water Babies was first published in Macmillan’s Magazine in 1862-63, and F. Anstey’s The Brass Bottle was first seen in The Strand. Both of these periodicals were read by adults, and feature a range of characteristics, such as illustrations, advertisements, and a variety of texts, all of which contribute to a different reading experience. Sometimes the fairy tales and works of fantasy appeared in journals that were specifically intended for children. For example, Norman MacLeod, the editor of Good Words , published his story “The Gold Thread” in Good Words for 1861, and George MacDonald first published At the Back of the North Wind in the same periodical in 1868, before it was made available in book form. Another famous periodical for children was the American publication St. Nicholas; though focusing on American writers, it also published English authors, such as Frances Hodgson Burnett.

The publication of fairy tales and works of fantasy continued in the last years of the 19 th century and the early years of the 20 th . In fact, it had become clear that a separate strand of literary production had emerged in England alongside realistic fiction. It was at this time that two works of Oscar Wilde were published: The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888) and A House of Pomegranates (1891). Just a few years later, in 1894 and 1895, The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book of Rudyard Kipling appeared (figure 3). Between 1889 and 1910 the Scottish writer Andrew Lang collected literally hundreds of fairy tales and published them in individual volumes, each with its own color, thus for example The Grey Fairy Book (1900) and The Violet Fairy Book (1901). Edith Nesbit wrote more than 60 books for children; during the last year of the Victorian era (1901) her Nine Unlikely Tales appeared. Her three books known as the “Psammead series” began to appear in The Strand in 1902.

One should also pause to note that not all of the works of fantasy that were written and published during the Victorian era were aimed at young audiences. Sometimes writers used this genre to create works aimed at adults. They did this because the genre offered them a way to achieve their literary goals in a way that realistic fiction could not. Perhaps the best example of this trend is William Morris. During his lifetime Morris showed remarkable creativity in a number of areas of artistic endeavor, including painting, textiles, and printing. Yet throughout his life his productivity was especially great in the area of literature, and toward the end of his life a number of works of fantasy appeared. Some of his best-known works in the genre include The Story of the Glittering Plain (1891) , Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair (1895), The Well at the World’s End (1896), The Water of the Wondrous Isles (1897), and The Sundering Flood ( 1897). These books were made available to the public in trade editions, and several were also published by the Kelmscott Press, Morris’ own private press. [11]

It is apparent that over several decades, the genre of fairy tales and fantasy had developed greatly. And of course the production of works in this vein did not stop when Victoria’s reign came to an end in 1901. To the contrary, the genre expanded further, bringing us in the 20 th century works by writers like Beatrix Potter, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien.Sometimes these more-recent works were based on the inspiration of earlier books. Authors read earlier works and were influenced by them. Just as George MacDonald had read Sara Coleridge, C.S. Lewis in the 20 th century would read George Macdonald. The works that have appeared in the 20 th century have enjoyed immense popularity, and perhaps this too has obscured some of the attention that should be given to books from the 19 th century. Yet the celebration of the 150 th anniversary of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland offers an occasion for us to reconsider not only that work and others by Lewis Carroll—significant as they are—but also others like it written by a range of authors. Even a quick glance makes clear that the field of fairy tales, fantasy, and nonsense in Victorian England was long-lived, rich, and influential.

• A number of books on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland have been published. For the publishing history, a recent work worth consulting is Zoe Jaques and Eugene Giddins, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass : A Publishing History (Burlington, VT, 2013). Back
• For a recent studies, see Carole G. Silver, Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness ( Oxford, 1999) and Stephen Prickett, Victorian Fantasy (Waco, TX, 2005). Back
• I am grateful to Justin Schiller for suggesting this descriptive phrase. Back
• The claim is made in John Clute and John Grant, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (London, 1997), p. 185. A discussion of the book is given in Jeffery W. Barbeau’s intellectual biography titled Sara Coleridge: Her Life and Thought (New York, 2014). Back
• See especially Amberyl Malkovich, Charles Dickens and the Victorian Child (New York, 2013). Back
• See Roderick McGillis, For the Childlike: George Macdonald’s Fantasies for Children (Metuchen, NJ, 1992). Back
• Of special note are Brigid Peppin Fantasy: The Golden Age of Fantastic Illustration (New York,1976) and Gordon N. Ray, The Illustrator and the Book in England from 1790 to 1914 (New York, 1976). Back
• Douglas Ball, Victorian Publisher’s Bindings (Willamsburg, VA, 1985). Back
• There are several books on Victorian publishing, including John O. Jordan and Robert L. Patten, eds. Literature in the Marketplace: Victorian Publishing and Reading Practices (Cambridge, 1995). Back
• J. Don Vann and Rosemary T. VanArsdel, eds. Victorian Periodicals and Victorian Society (Toronto, 1994). Back
• The key biography is Fiona MacCarthy, William Morris: A Life for Our Time (London, 1994). Back

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What do literary agents do?

A literary agent represents your book to acquiring editors who want to publish it. In other words, an agent gets the foot of new authors in the door of a publishing house — and onto the path of getting traditionally published. 

In addition to championing you and your writing and serving as your point of contact with others in publishing, literary agents understand editors’ tastes and the types of books they are looking to add to their lists — a crucial component in getting any publishing house to invest in the works of new authors. Since most big publishers don’t accept unsolicited submissions, getting a literary agent who’s accepting submissions is the most realistic route to traditional publication, particularly for debut authors.

Aside from getting your foot in the door, what else do literary agents do?

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As you might've guessed, literary agents are especially important for debut authors, who often don't have a starting point in the vast maze that is the publishing industry. That's what a literary agent will become for you: a guide to help you throughout the publishing process, and kickstart your publishing career. 

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• For writers in the UK: Writers' & Artists' Yearbook  
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Top 10 Nonsense Literature Books

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• Literary Terms
• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Use Fantasy

I. What is Fantasy?

Fantasy , from the Greek ϕαντασία  meaning ‘making visible,’ is a genre of fiction that concentrates on imaginary elements (the fantastic). This can mean magic, the supernatural, alternate worlds, superheroes, monsters, fairies, magical creatures, mythological heroes—essentially, anything that an author can imagine outside of reality. With fantasy, the magical or supernatural elements serve as the foundation of the plot, setting, characterization, or storyline in general. Nowadays, fantasy is popular across a huge range of media—film, television, comic books, games, art, and literature—but, it’s predominate and most influential place has always been in literature.

II. Examples of Fantasy

Fantasy stories can be about anything, anywhere, anytime with essentially no limitations on what is possible. A seemingly simple plotline can be made into a fantasy with just one quick moment:

Susie sat at her table with all of her favorite dolls and stuffed animals. It was afternoon tea time, and she started serving each of her pretend friends as she did every other day. But today was no ordinary day. As Susie reached the chair where she had sat her favorite stuffed bear, she suddenly had the strange feeling like someone was watching her. She stopped pouring the tea and looked up at Bear, who stared back with his glass eyes and replied, “Well Hello!!”

As can be seen, by changing one ordinary thing into something fantastic or imaginary—like a normal stuffed animal coming to life before the eyes of a child—the story turns into a fantasy.

III. Types of Fantasy

There are dozens of types and subgenres of fantasy; below are several of the most well-known and typically used.

a. Medieval

Fantasy stories that are medievalist in nature; particularly focused on topics such as King Arthur and his knights, royal court, sorcery, magic, and so on. Furthermore, they are usually set in medieval times. They often involve human protagonists facing supernatural antagonists —opponents like fire-breathing dragons, evil witches, or powerful wizards.

b. High/Epic Fantasy

Fantasy stories that are set in an imaginary world and/or are epic in nature; meaning they feature a hero on some type of quest. This subgenre became particularly popular in the 20 th century and continues to dominate much of popular fantasy today. Prime examples include J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.  

c. Fairy Tales

Short stories that involve fantasy elements and characters —like gnomes, fairies, witches, etc— who use magical powers to accomplish good and/ or evil. These tales involve princes and princesses, fairy godmothers and wicked stepmothers, helpful gnomes and tricky goblins, magical unicorns and flying dragons. Fairytales feature magical elements but are based in a real world setting; for example, “Snow White” takes place in a human kingdom and also has a magical witch. The most notable collections include Grimm’s Fairytales (Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel) and works by Hans Christian Anderson (“The Ugly Duckling,” “The Little Mermaid”) and Charles Perrault (“Cinderella,” Tales of Mother Goose). It is also very common for stories in other genres to feature elements of fairy tales , like Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream , where humans are unaware that a fantasy world exists within their own.  

d. Mythological

Fantasies that involve elements of myths and folklore, which are typically ancient in origin and often help to explain the mysteries of the universe and all of its elements—weather, the earth, the existence of creatures and things, etc—as well as historical events. The most well-known are Greek and Roman mythology; for example, stories about the Greek Gods and heroes like Hercules have been retold countless times through fantasy films. Major examples include Homer’s epic tales The Iliad and The Odyssey .

Short stories that are similar to fairy tales, but involve animated animals as the main characters . The most famous collection is Aesop’s Fables , which each end with a short moral; for example, his tale “Mercury and the Woodman” concludes with the lesson, “honesty is the best policy.”

IV. Importance of Fantasy

While fiction in general is a popular way to tell stories, fantasy’s key asset is that it allows authors to do things outside the confines of the common world. By removing the limitations of reality, fantasy opens stories to the possibility of anything . People can become superheroes, animals can speak, dragons become real dangers, and magic can be as normal as anything else in life. Most importantly, fantasy is for the audience—it allows people to escape from reality, becoming lost in exciting and unusual stories that provoke the imagination. Fantasy allows authors and audience alike to fulfill their wonders about magic and the supernatural while exploring beyond what is truly possible in our world. Furthermore, some fantasy stories (particularly fairy tales) confront real world problems and offer solutions through magic or another element of fantasy.

V. Examples of Fantasy in Literature

Fantastic stories of kings and queens, princes and princesses, knights and dragons have been entertaining people for centuries. One of the oldest and most important pieces of English literature is the epic fantasy poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight . In this medieval tale, a green knight challenges King Arthur in a match that involves each opponent taking one stroke of an axe to their neck. Below is a selection from the tale, when one of Arthur’s knights steps up to take the challenge in place of the king, and the Green Knight goes first…

The Green Knight adjusts himself on the ground, bends slightly his head, lays his long lovely locks over his crown, and lays bare his neck for the blow. Gawayne then gripped the axe, and, raising it on high, let it fall quickly upon the knight’s neck and severed the head from the body. The fair head fell from the neck to the earth, and many turned it aside with their feet as it rolled forth. The blood burst from the body, yet the knight never faltered nor fell; but boldly he started forth on stiff shanks and fiercely rushed forward, seized his head, and lifted it up quickly.

Here, we see the extent of the Green Knight’s supernatural abilities—he is decapitated by the axe and picks up his own head, otherwise seemingly unharmed. King Arthur and his knights, however, are humans, without supernatural abilities. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a classic example of a medieval fantasy featuring human protagonists and supernatural antagonists.

With his creation of The Hobbit and the subsequent The Lord of the Rings , J.R.R. Tolkien changed fantasy literature as the world knew it. The most influential part of his writing is the fact that the stories take place in a fantasy world—a world completely external to our own— now known as high fantasy or epic fantasy. In such a setting, elements of fantasy are a standard part of that world. Below is a map of Tolkien’s Middle Earth:

Before Tolkien, the genre of fantasy was composed of stories that took place in our world, but included fantastic elements. Middle Earth is not part of the human earth, and it is home to races, creatures, languages, histories, and folklore that were completely created by Tolkien. In his world, things we see as fantastic are natural parts of the universe he developed. Tolkien also developed a full geography, history, mythology, ancestry, and fourteen languages of Middle Earth.

A very influential set of short fantasy stories is Aesop’s Fables . Below is the well-known tale of “The Hare and the Tortoise:”

The Hare was once boasting of his speed before the other animals. “I have never yet been beaten,” said he, “when I put forth my full speed. I challenge any one here to race with me.” The Tortoise said quietly, “I accept your challenge.” “That is a good joke,” said the Hare; “I could dance round you all the way.” “Keep your boasting till you’ve won,” answered the Tortoise. “Shall we race?” So a course was fixed and a start was made. The Hare darted almost out of sight at once, but soon stopped and, to show his contempt for the Tortoise, lay down to have a nap. The Tortoise plodded on and plodded on, and when the Hare awoke from his nap, he saw the Tortoise just near the winning-post and could not run up in time to save the race. Then the Tortoise said: “Slow but steady progress wins the race.”

The fantastic element of this story is, of course, the talking tortoise and hare, and their abilities to reason like humans. Aesop’s Fables are short, memorable, and enjoyable to both children and adults alike, which is why they remain relevant thousands of years after being written. They are particularly memorable because of the moral or lesson that closes each of the stories; in this case, “slow but steady progress wins the race,” which is a familiar saying even today.

VI. Examples of Fantasy in Pop Culture

Fantasy has a particularly large presence in popular culture, much more so than most other genres. Many now-famous books and films have developed massive fan bases seemingly overnight, from fantasy classics like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia , to modern day favorites like the Harry Potter series, the Twilight saga, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians .

Literally sold by the billions, the most popular series of books ever written to date is J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. In fact, the size of the Harry Potter universe within popular culture is immeasurable. The fan following of these fantasy books is both historical and remarkable, as is the resulting relationship between the author and her fans. Rowling even made a special dedication to her fans with Harry’s last journey in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows :

As a result of their popularity, the seven Harry Potter books have been made into eight blockbusters (some of the most successful in cinematic history), which led to an expansive merchandise and videogame business, and then further to the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios—to name a few things. Furthermore, the dedication and enthusiasm of her fan base led Rowling to develop Pottermore , an online interactive world set within the storyline of the Harry Potter series, where fans can become virtual wizards and students at Hogwarts, and is still releasing content years after the publication of the final book. When it comes to fantasy in popular culture, Harry Potter is a powerhouse.

One of the most watched series on television is HBO’s Game of Thrones , based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin. Like J.R.R. Tolkien’s work, Game of Thrones is set in an imaginary world. These stories are unique, however, because the elements of fantasy that are part of the books—dragons, white walkers, giants, etc—are all mentioned, but are thought to have become extinct or ceased to exist years and years before. Thus, the dragons are even more magical and terrible to behold because people believe they are gone from the world.

Another series with a massive fan base is Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight . Twilight took over the market for teen fiction and was soon developed into four majorly successful films. Knowing in advance that there would be a demand, the franchise even worked with a designer to reproduce Bella Swann’s wedding dress, which became available alongside the release of the related movie. Another trend that rose from the films was “Team Edward” vs. “Team Jacob”—the battle between fans about which man Bella should be with. It took over magazines, websites, social media, clothing companies, and more.

Meyer’s books are also particularly notable because of the huge collection of “fan fiction”—stories written by fans that involve characters and/or elements of the original story—that has resulted from their publication. In fact, one fan’s fiction became so well known that it was recently published—the infamous and wildly successful “50 Shades” novels. Furthermore, the Twilight series made vampires stories “trendy”—it led to a significant rise in the popularity and production of vampire literature, film and television.

VII. Related Terms

• Science Fiction

Technically, science fiction could be considered a subgenre of fantasy, as it involves supernatural elements. However, it is always distinguished from fantasy because its focus is scientific and futuristic rather than magical and (often) medieval. The most influential science fiction stories to date are undoubtedly the George Lucas’s Star Wars films; further examples include the TV series Star Trek and novels like H.G. Wells’ The War of the World’s and Douglas Adams’ series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy .

Like science fiction, horror could also technically be considered a subgenre of fantasy, but it is likewise always distinguished from fantasy. Horror’s main focus is to promote fear and terror in its audience, sometimes using supernatural elements like ghosts, zombies, monsters, demons, etc. Examples include classic films like The Exorcist and Poltergeist , the popular TV series The Walking Dead , and Stephen King’s horror novels like Pet Sematary.

VIII. Conclusion

In conclusion, fantasy is one of the most popular and significant genres in both popular culture and literary history. From its dozens of subgenres, to its compatibility with other genres, to its ability to be adapted into any form of media, fantasy’s influence cannot be compared to many other styles .

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The City of Beautiful Nonsense (Mint Editions (Literary Fiction)) Hardcover – February 15, 2022

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The City of Beautiful Nonsense (1909) is a novel by Ernest Temple Thurston. After a decade of working odd jobs while pursuing his literary interests, Temple Thurston finally broke through to a popular audience with this novel of romance and wonder. Adapted twice for the cinema and followed by a sequel entitled The World of Wonderful Reality (1919), The City of Beautiful Nonsense is a stunning portrait of Edwardian London and turn of the century Venice, two of the world’s most fabled cities. “It was half-past seven in the evening. At half-past seven it is dark, the lamps are lighted, the houses huddle together in groups. They have secrets to tell as soon as it is dark. Ah! If you knew the secrets that houses are telling when the shadows draw them so close together! But you never will know. They close their eyes and they whisper.” In flowing, meditative prose, Temple Thurston weaves a tale of love at first sight exploring themes of religion, tradition, and modernity. After their first meeting in a silent, candlelit church, John and Jill begin running into one another by chance on the streets of London. As they strike up a relationship, they share their innermost feelings and dreams for the future, learning about themselves as much as they do of one another. Drawn to the city of Venice, John wants nothing more than to bring Jill there, to grow their love in a city seemingly built for lovers. Heartfelt and dreamlike, The City of Beautiful Nonsense is the type of novel that stays with you long after you’ve read its last words. This edition Ernest Temple Thurston’s The City of Beautiful Nonsense is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

• Print length 230 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Mint Editions
• Publication date February 15, 2022
• Dimensions 5 x 0.69 x 8 inches
• ISBN-10 1513133322
• ISBN-13 978-1513133324
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From the back cover.

In a world consumed by the harshness of reality, rare moments of wonder remind us of what really matters. In this story of romance set in the beautiful streets and canals of Venice, a young man and woman find a way to live the life of their dreams. The City of Beautiful Nonsense is a novel by Ernest Temple Thurston.

About the Author

Ernest Temple Thurston (1879-1933) was a British poet, playwright, and novelist. Born in Suffolk, Temple Thurston was raised in England until his mother’s death in 1895, at which point he went to live with his paternal grandmother in Cork, Ireland. At sixteen, he published two poetry collections, launching his career as a prolific writer. While living with his wife Katherine Cecil Madden, Temple Thurston struggled to make ends meet and worked on the side as a merchant, brewer, and research chemist. In 1909, following their separation, he published The City of Beautiful Nonsense (1909), a bestselling novel that established his reputation as a leading writer of popular fiction. By the time of his death, Temple Thurston’s literary output consisted of forty books, many of which had been adapted for cinema or staged on Broadway.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mint Editions (February 15, 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 230 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1513133322
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1513133324
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.5 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.69 x 8 inches
• #14,200 in 20th Century Historical Romance (Books)
• #286,117 in Literary Fiction (Books)
• #1,114,711 in Genre Literature & Fiction

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10 Great Fantasy Books That Became Terrible Movies

• Great fantasy books often struggle to translate into successful movies due to the collaborative nature of filmmaking and the challenges of visualizing the reader's imagination.
• Many of the worst book-to-movie adaptations are in the fantasy genre, which is further complicated by the need for visual interpretation and mainstream appeal.
• Poor adaptations like "Alice in Wonderland," "Eragon," and "The Dark Tower" often rely too heavily on CGI, lack faithfulness to the source material, and fail to capture the essence of the original stories.

Great fantasy books that became terrible movies reveal the inherent strengths and weaknesses of both mediums. These films serve as a warning to audiences and filmmakers alike: turning any great piece of literary fantasy into a full feature film is never an easy task. Even when beloved fantasy books, novellas, short stories, or comics are seemingly paired with the perfect filmmaker to tackle the material, a lot of things can still go wrong. After all, while writing literature is typically a solitary endeavor, filmmaking is deeply collaborative, the limitations of which can sometimes offset the advantages of movies over the written word.

Unfortunately, many of the worst book-to-movie adaptations are in the genre of fantasy, which isn't surprising. The difficulties of adapting written stories to film are further exacerbated by the very things that make fantasy books worth adapting. Indeed, fantasy books typically leave all visualization to the reader's imagination - a logistical nightmare when various creatives and studio executives working on the same adaptation have different interpretations in mind. In their efforts to improve the story or make it fit for mainstream consumption, filmmakers also sometimes stray heavily from the source material. For viewers curious about which adaptations to avoid, here are 10 great fantasy books that became terrible movies.

Related: 10 Books Being Adapted Into Upcoming Movies & TV Shows

Alice In Wonderland (2010)

On paper, author Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and the darkly whimsical style of director Tim Burton are a match made in heaven. In fact, Alice in Wonderland made over $1 billion at the box office. However, while Burton's grim, gray, and post-apocalyptic Underland is a promising interpretation of Carroll's color-saturated world, Alice in Wonderland ultimately misses the mark. A common mistake among great fantasy books that became terrible movies, Alice in Wonderland relied too much on CGI, lacking the lived-in charm of Burton's previous films. Burton's dark sequel to the original story was a valiant attempt at reinventing a classic, but for many, it looked and felt lifeless.

The Giver (2014)

In the bleak future of Lois Lowry's The Giver, society has abolished strife and preserves order through Sameness - the erasure of all emotion. Only the Receiver of Memory remembers emotions and history before Sameness - a role that the young boy Jonas prepares to receive in The Giver, which was awarded the Newbery Medal for children's literature. A terrible novel adaptation that should have been good , The Giver movie instead eschewed the source material's philosophical inquiries just to jump on the young adult dystopian blockbuster wagon. That said, the inclusion of actors like Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges at least saved The Giver from being a flop.

Eragon (2006)

Christopher Paolini began writing Eragon, the first book in The Inheritance Cycle, when he was just 15 years old. With its story of a farm boy learning to embrace his destiny as a Dragon Rider, Eragon is possibly the best Star Wars- inspired young adult fantasy novel, with the succeeding books in The Inheritance Cycle providing tons of space for a movie franchise to bloom. Unfortunately, there are but two things worth watching in the Eragon film adaptation: Jeremy Irons' veteran Dragon Rider Brom, and the movie's stunning visuals. Between the rest of the cast's mediocre acting to the many changes from the book, Eragon became a generic fantasy B-movie.

Related: Disney's Eragon Reboot Can Only Fix The 2000s' Most Frustrating Fantasy Flop On 1 Condition

Gulliver's Travels (2010)

The 18th-century novel by Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels, was a proto-science fiction satire of developing societies that was way ahead of its time. It questioned the very advances that have led to the concept of the nation - through a fantastical adventure setting that made its heavy sociopolitical undertones palatable to adults and children alike. Meanwhile, the movie adaptation of Gulliver's Travels is a mildly funny adventure fantasy film. In yet another case of excessive CGI towering over plot and character development, Gulliver's Travels didn't even really try to capture what made the source material so iconic, and instead relied on computer-generated mayhem and archetypal characters.

The Dark Tower (2017)

Many terrible movies inspired by great fantasy books are the results of filmmakers giving little thought to the source material. In contrast, the reason why The Dark Tower movie failed is that it took inspiration not just from the eponymous novel, but from every book in author Stephen King's repertoire. The result is a surprisingly quick film that catastrophically fails to leverage the rich world, plot, and characters of King's sprawling Western sci-fi epic. Even casting Idris Elba in the lead role of Roland Deschain couldn't distract from the adaptation's incomprehensible narrative. Hopefully, the Dark Tower series that's in the works can focus on adapting just the novel.

The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

Much like he did with Watchmen, author Alan Moore envisioned the comic book series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as a transgressive and groundbreaking superhero story. This is why Moore assembled Victorian-era literary figures and interpreted their dark origin stories with gritty and modern realism. However, like many great fantasy books that became terrible movies, the film adaptation oversimplified the original author's visionary ideas. The visuals are great, but the movie essentially reduced the premise into typical superhero fare - the complete opposite of Moore's intent. While renowned actors Sean Connery and Naseeruddin Shah are perfectly cast respectively as Alan Quatermain and Nemo, LXG doesn't have much else to offer.

Related: Everything We Know About Disney's League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (2013)

The first book in author Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series, City of Bones is an ambitious urban fantasy teen drama focused on a secret supernatural war - fought between Shadowhunters and demons menacing the mortal world. While Clare's novels have been criticized for being predictable, they were unique enough to stand out from other young adult fantasy book series. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. While the story of City of Bones could have become a franchise, the blatantly derivative execution made the film look just like another Hollywood teen fantasy romance, which ultimately didn't garner enough interest to continue.

The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

Similar to many great fantasy books that became terrible movies, the reason why The Hobbit trilogy failed is that it essentially turned a single book into a film trilogy. While Peter Jackson made a movie from each of the three volumes in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings - resulting in the greatest movie trilogy in classic western fantasy - the director practically took the exact opposite approach in The Hobbit. Although The Hobbit movies collectively made nearly $3 billion at the box office, their meandering plot and sheer disrespect for the source material have resulted in arguably the worst-ever adaptation of Tolkien's foundational work.

The Cat In The Hat (2003)

One of the most famous books by author Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat was designed to be a better version of the traditional primers used for teaching children how to read. The Cat in the Hat has garnered a reputation for being one of the best educational children's picture books of all time, which is why it was a strange decision to turn it into a feature-length comedy sprinkled with dirty humor. As with most Hollywood adaptations of Seuss' books, the set design is fantastic. However, apart from its unnecessary sub-plots, the movie also features arguably the worst performance of Mike Myers' career.

Related: Every Dr. Seuss Movie Ranked

Inkheart (2008)

Cornelia Funke's Inkheart is about Mo, a man who has the power to pull fiction into reality by reading aloud from books. The trouble begins when Mo gives life to a villain in the book Inkheart, which eventually puts the real world in danger. As is the case with many great fantasy books that became terrible movies, the problem with the screen adaptation of Inkheart lies with the sprawling story being unjustly compressed to fit the length of a feature film. Following Funke's wishes, Brendan Fraser was perfectly cast as Mo. However, not even the performances of actors like Fraser, Paul Bettany, Andy Serkis, and Helen Mirren could save Inkheart.

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The 2024 Pulitzer Prize–Winning Books, Reviewed

The 2024 Pulitzer Prizes were announced on May 6 in New York City. Read our reviews of this year's winning works of fiction, general nonfiction, history, biography, and memoir and autobiography.

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A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy

No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War Era

King: A Life

Master Slave Husband Wife: An American Love Story

Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice

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A Small Island, a Big Mammal and One Girl’s Awakening

Set in a remote Welsh enclave on the cusp of World War II, Elizabeth O’Connor’s “Whale Fall” finds fresh resonance for a coming-of-age debut.

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Maggie Shipstead’s most recent novel is the Booker Prize-shortlisted “Great Circle.”

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WHALE FALL, by Elizabeth O’Connor

Can a novel be both blunt and exquisite? I’m not sure I would have known how to imagine such a work before reading “Whale Fall,” Elizabeth O’Connor’s excellent debut. Brief but complete, the book is an example of precisely observed writing that makes a character’s specific existence glimmer with verisimilitude.

In the autumn of 1938, our narrator, Manod, is 18 and a lifelong inhabitant of an unnamed three-mile-square Welsh island, population 47, where people eke out a subsistence by fishing and farming. Manod lives with her father, a lobster fisherman, and her younger sister, Llinos, who, in one of the book’s many small mysteries, might have some kind of cognitive impairment or might just be eccentric. Inevitably, the island bleeds people to the mainland. Boys set off in hopes of factory jobs. Girls marry their way out. Both often find disappointment.

In this starkly limited place, women’s lives are further circumscribed. But Manod is bright and restless, resistant to the expectation that, having now finished school, she ought to accept a husband immediately. “I’d seen girls married at 16,” she says, “with children by 20, widowed by the sea by 25, worn out and lost.” That Manod’s own mother is dead is not confirmed until late in the novel, but the fact is not surprising as we are given glimpses throughout of an ominous depression: “At some point after Llinos was born, Mam got smaller, thinner … She stayed in bed most days, sleeping or lying with her eyes cold and open.” Manod isn’t sure what she wants for herself, but not that.

The first outside presence to disrupt life on the island is a baleen whale that washes up on the beach. No one quite knows what to make of the corpse, though the topsy-turviness of such a massive sea animal’s presence on land is unsettling. “A few older people said it was some kind of omen,” Manod says, “though could not agree on whether it was good or bad.” Children play around the body. As it begins to rot, people bring flowers and carve graffiti into its skin.

Not long after the whale’s arrival, human interlopers arrive in the form of Edward and Joan, English researchers making an ethnographic study of the island, who quickly hire Manod as an assistant and translator. Manod is enraptured by their alienness and by the possibilities they represent. She tells Joan that, before meeting her, she had not known women could attend university or choose not to marry. “I would love to study. Like you,” she says.

“I’m saying that you can. You must,” Joan replies casually, without offering any practical advice or consideration of the barriers Manod faces. “You could do anything,” Edward echoes later when Manod says she would like to attend university, willfully ignoring her obvious misconception that he will take her with him when he leaves.

What drops the scales from Manod’s eyes is her growing awareness that the English duo are manipulating and fabricating their depiction of life on the island. Seeing a photo that they have labeled “ An island family enjoys a picnic ,” Manod observes that “no one in the photo was related. And we never ate outside.” Edward and Joan persuade a fisherman to lunge around in the surf for another staged photo and are indifferent to Manod’s protests that not only is this not how islanders fish but that the setup is dangerous, as it is custom there that no one learns to swim.

Edward is weak and weaselly, but Joan is the true villain of the novel. A disciple of the fascist Oswald Mosley, she projects “true Britishness” onto the islanders and romance onto the treacherous ocean. To her, the islanders’ endurance of grinding hardship is “such a wonderful way to live … in tune with nature.” When the researchers ask to borrow the whimsical, treasured embroideries Manod has made over the years, ostensibly just to photograph them, I wished only that her disillusionment would speed along a little more quickly.

While occasionally Manod can seem a bit too cleareyed — “The island that’s in your head. I don’t think it exists,” she tells Joan — the novel does an exceptional job of getting at the tension between the big picture and the small one. To different eyes, the same island might look like a prison or a romantic enclave, but to actually apprehend the truth of a place or person requires patience, nuanced attention and the painstaking accrual of details. Understanding is hard work, O’Connor suggests, especially when we must release our preconceptions. While the researchers fail to grasp this, Manod does not, and her reward by book’s end, painfully earned, is a new and thrilling resolve.

WHALE FALL | By Elizabeth O’Connor | Pantheon | 224 pp. | $27

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