The Best Fantasy Books of the 1990s episode artwork

EPISODE · May 14, 2026 · 31 MIN

The Best Fantasy Books of the 1990s

from Mythmakers

What an extraordinary decade for fantasy! In the first instalment of a decade by decade look at fantasy publishing, in this episode Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker begin with a period that gave us countless instant classics. Each shares their top three picks—will you agree with their choices? Tune in to find out!(00:04) Revisiting the Fantasy Reads of the 1990s(02:31) Major Fantasy Titles of the Decade(05:28) Adding Game of Thrones and Good Omens to the List(07:51) Defining “Best” as Books Worth Returning To(09:19) Jacob’s Number Three: Star Wars and Heir to the Empire(12:03) Julia’s Number Three: J.D. Robb’s In Death Series(15:07) Jacob’s Number Two: Northern Lights / The Golden Compass(19:34) Julia’s Number Two: Garth Nix’s Sabriel(23:36) Why Harry Potter Tops Both Lists(28:54) Final Rankings and an Invitation to ListenersFor more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit: Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok    

What an extraordinary decade for fantasy! In the first instalment of a decade by decade look at fantasy publishing, in this episode Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker begin with a period that gave us countless instant classics. Each shares their top three picks—will you agree with their choices? Tune in to find out!(00:04) Revisiting the Fantasy Reads of the 1990s(02:31) Major Fantasy Titles of the Decade(05:28) Adding Game of Thrones and Good Omens to the List(07:51) Defining “Best” as Books Worth Returning To(09:19) Jacob’s Number Three: Star Wars and Heir to the Empire(12:03) Julia’s Number Three: J.D. Robb’s In Death Series(15:07) Jacob’s Number Two: Northern Lights / The Golden Compass(19:34) Julia’s Number Two: Garth Nix’s Sabriel(23:36) Why Harry Potter Tops Both Lists(28:54) Final Rankings and an Invitation to ListenersFor more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit: Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok

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The Best Fantasy Books of the 1990s

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This episode was published on May 14, 2026.

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What an extraordinary decade for fantasy! In the first instalment of a decade by decade look at fantasy publishing, in this episode Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker begin with a period that gave us countless instant classics. Each shares their top...

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