High fantasy

High fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. These stories are serious in tone, often epic in scope, dealing with themes of grand struggle against supernatural evil forces.

Other typical characteristics of high fantasy include fantastical races (such as elves and dwarves), magic, wizards, invented languages, coming-of-age themes, and multi-volume narratives.

In some high fantasy, a contemporary, "real-world" character is placed in the invented world. Purists might not consider this to be "true" high fantasy.

Some of the most famous examples include:

• J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (set in Middle-earth).
• Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea and its sequels.
• Lord Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter.
• Terry Brooks's The Sword of Shanarra and its sequels.
• Tad Williams's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series, beginning with The Dragonbone Chair.
• Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series.
• George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.