There is no balm sweeter than a story to soothe the burn of a harsh reality. Fantasy worlds, in particular, are prime destinations for those seeking an immersive escape. While dark fantasy and Serious Adult Fairytales are all well and good, sometimes all you really need is something that will make you smile.
This is the magic of lighthearted fantasy books. They refuse to take themselves too seriously and remind us how to laugh even in the face of darkness and despair.
Lighthearted Fantasy Books: A Feel-Good Reading List
“The best fantasy is written in the language of dreams,” as G.R.R. Martin once wrote. And while one would be hard-pressed to call his fantasy books “lighthearted,” I have to agree—the best fantasy stories allow us to either face our worst nightmares or bask in the glow of our happiest daydreams.
This is a list of books that do the latter.
‘The Princess Bride’ by William Goldman
“True love is the best thing in the world, except for cough drops. Everybody knows that.”
The poster child of lighthearted fantasy, The Princess Bride is one of those rare stories that takes up equal space in my heart in both book and film form. The two are very different in some respects, but the spirit is the same—and if you haven’t read the book yet, you’re in for a real treat.
‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carroll
“‘Well! I’ve often seen a cat without a grin,’ thought Alice; ‘but a grin without a cat! It’s the most curious thing I ever saw in all my life!’”
Another classic, fantasy rarely gets more absurdly fantastic than it does in Wonderland. It doesn’t matter how many adaptations you’ve watched or read (and trust me, I’ve seen and read a lot of them), if you haven’t read the original yet—or haven’t revisited it in a while—it’s high time you went down the rabbit hole. I adore Carroll’s wordplay, and despite Alice crying a whole ocean of tears, there’s very little in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or its sequel that isn’t good, clean, lighthearted fun.
‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ by Diana Wynne-Jones
“‘I’m dying of boredom,’ Howl said pathetically. ‘Or maybe just dying.’”
As much as I love Ghibli movies, and Howl’s Moving Castle in particular, this is another case of “same energy, different details.” The basic plot is the same, but Sophie is even more unwittingly clever and Howl somehow manages to be even more dramatic—and Calcifer is, well, Calcifer. There are so many lines in the book (and its sequels) that made me laugh out loud, quite literally, and overall it’s a sweet, gentle fantasy story that’s perfect for a cozy night in or a weekend away.
‘Stardust’ by Neil Gaiman
“Anyone who believes what a cat tells him deserves all he gets.”
I originally had Good Omens on here, because it is by far the funniest book I’ve ever read and because both Gaiman and Terry Pratchett were involved. But if it’s an escape you’re looking for, Stardust is, I think, the better choice. Though Gaiman is the sort of writer who can just as easily break your heart as mend it, in this case, a bit of stardust may be just the thing to help you heal from whatever troubles you’re trying to leave behind.
‘Mogworld’ by Yahtzee Croshaw
“I had passed on from life, from the world of struggles and hardship and big fat women with annoying laughs, and entered a glorious new existence of utter peace, and joy, and love. And then some git brought me back to life.”
That quote above was the one that made me buy the book. I’m still so glad I did. Technically, it can be classified as either sci-fi or sword and sorcery fantasy—but since we spend the majority of the book in the POV of a magic skeleton reanimated by necromancy, I’m counting it as fantasy. If you like your epic quests with a heavy dose of silly shenanigans, and especially if you enjoy playing tabletop (or virtual) RPGs, you’ll probably dig Mogworld just as much as I did. That is to say, a lot.
Not Every Fairytale Needs to Be Grimm
Don’t get me wrong. I adore dark fantasy and even straight-up horror stories. Halloween, to me, is a month, not a day. But life is a balance of many things, including dark and light, and sometimes a girl just needs a lighthearted fantasy book to lift her spirits when the weight of the world gets a little too heavy to carry.
These are the books that got me through days like that in the past—and to their authors, I will be forever grateful for that. What lighthearted fantasy books have gotten you through difficult times in the past? Let me know in the comments!
When she isn’t reading fantasy, author Kim Berkley is busy writing it. Read chiaroscuro, her free interactive fiction novella, for free today—and be sure to sign up for her newsletter!
