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What is fantasy? Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic and magical creatures are common.

In popular culture, the fantasy genre is predominantly of the medievalist form, especially since the worldwide success of The Lord of the Rings and related books by J. R. R. Tolkien. In its broadest sense, however, fantasy comprises works by many writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians, from ancient myths and legends to many recent works embraced by a wide audience today.

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Fantasy is a vibrant area of academic study in a number of disciplines (English, cultural studies, comparative literature, history, medieval studies). Work in this area ranges widely, from the structuralist theory of Tzvetan Todorov, which emphasizes the fantastic as a liminal space, to work on the connections (political, historical, literary) between medievalism and popular culture.

The popularity of the fantasy genre has continued to increase in the 21st century, as evidenced by the best-selling statuses of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series; Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians pentalogy, which focuses on Greek mythology; The Kane Chronicles trilogy, which focuses on Egyptian mythology; and the Heroes of Olympus trilogy, which focuses on Greek and Roman mythology, along with all three's successors. Several fantasy film adaptations have achieved blockbuster status, most notably The Lord of the Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, and the Harry Potter films, currently one of the highest-grossing film series in film history

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l Fantasy books have taken the world by storm. Not only are fantasy books popular among children, but adults enjoy reading fantasy books as well. There are several fantasy books out there but some classics like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and A Song of Ice and Fire will always remain popular no matter what year you are in. Especially now with the creation of movies and TV series from these fantasy books, the popularity of fantasy books has only risen. Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Twilight etc. have been adapted to movies and TV shows and are a hit among their targeted audiences.

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l 10. Twilight: Breaking Dawn Breaking Dawn is the fourth and final part of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. It was adapted into the movie Breaking Dawn, which was released into two parts. Breaking Dawn is written in three parts, where one part is from the perspective of Bella, while the last part is from the perspective of Jack. The novel was released in 2008 and is still popular among teens.

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l 9. The First Law: The Blade Itself The Blade Itself is the first part of the trilogy, The First Law. It is written by Joe Abercombie. It is one of the recent hits as the novel was released in 2006. The trilogy has received very positive reviews and this being the first pat, is the most popular among the trilogy.

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8. The Hunger Games The Hunger Fames trilogy is a worldwide sensation and now with the release of the movie by the same name, the sale and popularity has risen a lot. The Hunger Games is popular among teens and young adults. It has garnered positive reviews from critics and sold more than a million copies worldwide.

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7. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers It is part two of the classic trilogy, Lord of the Rings. It is a fact that Lord of the Rings has a massive fan based and is an all-time classic. It is still popular among people of all ages. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was written from 1937 to 1949, but is still popular worldwide. It has sold more than 150 million copies.

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6. The Hobbit The Hobbit, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, is an all-time classic. Initially targeted towards children, The Hobbit has gotten popular among people of all ages. It is seen as a predecessor to Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Hobbit has received critical acclaim and is regarded as a children’s classic.

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5. Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and last part of Harry Potter series. To date, the series is the most selling series of all time. The series has also adapted to the movies. Harry Potter books have a strong and loyal fan base and even now, these books are very popular. The Deathly Hallows was the most popular Harry Potter book in 2002.

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4. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Return of the King is the final part of Lord of the Rings trilogy. It saw an end to what was an amazing and an all- time classic trilogy.

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3. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring The first part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring is a book by J.R.R. Tolkien. The book as well as the whole series has been adapted to movie trilogy. The book is a timeless classic.

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2. A Song of Ice and Fire: Clash of Kings Clash of Kings is the second part of the book series, A song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. Written in the 1990’s, the book series has become a worldwide sensation, thanks to the popular HBO series, Game of Thrones. The series is set in a fantasy world of seven kingdoms. Many critics feel that Clash of Kings is the best book of the series. .

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1. A Song of Ice and Fire: Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is the first part of the immensely popular book series, A Song of Ice and Fire. The series has been adapted in a hit TV show, HBO’s Game of Thrones. The series has made the book series get even more popular and as things stand, Game of Thrones is the most popular fantasy book of 2012.

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