War is the bread and butter of fantasy literature. Many of us grew up reading about the War of the Ring or the Narnian Revolution, and many of us are still looking forward to reading about the conclusion of the Great War in Westeros (someday…). 

But what if you’re weary of stories about massive armies clashing on bloodstained battlefields? If you feel like reading one more page of battle tactics and bloodlust might send you over the edge, fear not. I can think of at least a few good fantasy books without war in them, for those days when you’d like a somewhat quieter magical escape from reality.

Standalone Fantasy Books Without War in Them

All of the fantasy novels below are completely free of war-centric storylines and conversations. War may be referenced in passing, at the very most, but it will not impact the plots or characters of these stories in any significant way. In most cases, it won’t be mentioned at all.

As of this writing, these novels also are standalone and are not part of any particular series. (Three or more directly connected books count as a series, for the purposes of this list.) 

As usual, these aren’t in any particular order.

‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass’ by Lewis Carroll

While there are some “battles” in these books, neither of Alice’s adventures through Wonderland amount to anything close to a proper war or even a major skirmish.

While it can be argued that the chess match in Looking Glass is a gamified representation of war, that’s not going to count for the purposes of this list. Forget what you saw in the Tim Burton movies—the biggest “battle” in the books is a confrontation between a Lion and a Unicorn, and it’s not exactly Waterloo.

‘The King of Elfland’s Daughter’ by Lord Dunsany

A fairy story in the purest sense, the actual experience of reading this 1924 classic feels much like I expect walking through a fairy mound would.

There’s a sense of slight disorientation, as if the world is dancing and you are the only thing standing still—it’s dizzying at times, but spellbinding. And so, so beautiful.

‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman

Raise your hand if you saw this one coming. Pretty much anything by Neil Gaiman could go on this list, but I’ll settle for choosing just Neverwhere to start.

It’s an urban fantasy classic, and certainly one of Gaiman’s best, in my opinion. Think Labyrinth, but if Clive Barker directed it—and Gaiman wrote it. (Because, let’s face it, nobody writes like Neil Gaiman.)

‘Deerskin’ by Robin McKinley

Deerskin is a fairytale retelling that centers around experiencing, and overcoming, massive psychological trauma. In other words, it is not for the faint of heart. 

If you’re familiar with the old fairytale “Donkeyskin”—or, to my fellow Storyteller fans, “Sapsorrow”—you can guess at the basic plot. But as any good retelling does, this version stands on its own as an original work. Touching and ultimately inspiring, it’s a fantasy novel about moving beyond a traumatic past to reach a place of healing and power.

‘The Last Unicorn’ by Peter S. Beagle

I loved the movie (one of the most faithful adaptations of a book I’ve ever seen) as a child, and when I read the book in college, I loved it still more. Peter S. Beagle is such a gentle, clever storyteller, and never does his magic shine more brightly than in this beautiful classic. The Last Unicorn is a romantic adventure without so much as a whisper of warmongering.

It’s also (somewhat) less dark than the previous two books on this list, if you’re looking for lighter fare.

Fantasy Novel Series Without War in Them

Need a longer break from battle and bloodshed? Here are a couple of fantasy book series without war in them. 

‘Practical Magic’ by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman is the queen of writing fantasy centered around psychological, rather than physical, conflict. Like Gaiman, most of her books would make a great addition to this list, but Practical Magic and its sequel-prequels are perhaps her most approachable (and most popular) works.

You could argue that there’s a touch of ‘war’ about the persecution of witches by witch-hunters (especially in the third book, The Rules of Magic), but again, the conflict between the two is fought more with words than with swords (or torches, for that matter—though of course it wouldn’t be a witch story without someone’s house burning down).

‘The Kingkiller Chronicle’ by Patrick Rothfuss

While it’s possible future titles in this series may deal more directly with war and combat, at the time of this writing the Kingkiller Chronicle books revolve more around the events that lead up to a war. The Name of the Wind and its associated titles are a kind of magical biography of one mysterious man’s life—as dictated to a professional chronicler by the man himself. The time of the telling takes place after the war; the story being told is set before it.

While these books aren’t without physical conflict, these moments aren’t the meat of the story. No, Kingkiller Chronicle plays much more with internal and interpersonal conflict, and the nature of people and the stories they tell. (Fair warning though: this is an ongoing series, and the latest book to date was released in 2011. But I’m willing to bet the next book will have been more than worth waiting for.)

Why Aren’t There More Fantasy Books Without War?

If this list feels short, it’s because (a) despite how much I love the genre, I haven’t read all of the fantasy books out there without war in them yet, but also (b) there simply aren’t nearly as many of these kinds of fantasy stories out there. 

There are many reasons why this might be. A good story needs a good conflict, and of course war provides an obvious path to climax for a fantasy epic about good versus evil. Fantasy is also the perfect means by which we can “safely” cope with the horrors of war—whether we authors choose to mute it with bloodless magical battles or amplify it with truly grotesque spellwork.

Whatever the reasons, fantasy and war are a pair not easily parted―but there are good fantasy books without war out there, for those willing to dive a little deeper into the genre’s limitless potential. I hope to read more of them in the future—and perhaps write a few, myself.

Kim Berkley is the author of The Harbinger’s Head, an interactive fantasy/horror novel rife with faerie creatures and dark magic―and completely war-free. Read the first chapter online for free today!