Our 2023 Crash Course in Fantasy takes attendees on a journey covering the genre’s latest trends, hot titles, and tips for using NoveList resources to feel like a fantasy expert.
Top reasons why readers love fantasy
Fantasy allows readers to enjoy imaginative, detailed worlds filled with magic and memorable characters. Readers can safely escape the day-to-day of their lives. They can experience the adventure without having to face a dragon!
Everyone loves options: the fantasy genres can range from high fantasy to urban and even cozy fantasy. Each subgenre has unique appeals and brand-new worlds to enter. Fantasy readers aren't likely to be bored.
Series reign supreme in fantasy, meaning readers can travel with their favorite characters for years and always have at least one go-to when wondering what to read next.
While the worlds have magic and elements not found in the real world, fantasy fiction often explores universal struggles or societal issues. And with an increasing amount of page-to-screen adaptations, there are more ways than ever for readers to experience the stories they love.
Fantasy in NoveList
NoveList offers plenty of resources to help you stay up-to-date with fantasy and help readers find a little bit of magic. Here are some ways to fast-track the process:
Conquer searching
Use NoveList's advanced search (look for a link to it right under the basic search bar on the homepage). Enter "fantasy" in the first search field and select "GN Genre" from the drop-down menu. Then, scroll down and narrow your search by a variety of limiters, like the audience, grade level, author's cultural identity, if the books have won an award and more. Click "search" and see the fantastic options you have.
Use field codes to perform search wizardry within NoveList databases. Field codes are abbreviated, two-character search tags such as SU for Subject or GN for genre. For a quick genre search for fantasy directly from the NoveList homepage, enter GN "fantasy."
See the latest titles
Use our genre browse carousels to explore the freshest books by age range and subgenre. These carousels let you hover over a title for its description, so you’ll know if it’s right for you immediately.
Here’s how to access genre browse carousels:
- Go to "Browse By" on the top navigation bar and select "Genre" from the drop-down menu.
- Scroll down on the homepage to "Browse Genres" and select any of the square images.
Once you're on the Genre Browse page, select a genre from the drop-down menu next to "New and Popular in..."
Find award winners
If you want award-winning titles — whether for your collection, displays, or recommendations — head over to our Awards Page, to find fantasy fiction awards like the Hugo and Locus Awards, all on one page. Here’s how:
- Go to "Browse By" on the top navigation bar and select "Award Winners" from the drop-down menu.
- Or enter this into the search bar to see fantasy awards: ND "Award Winners" AND GN "fantasy"
Want to stay up to date on the latest big and small-screen fantasy adaptations?
- Use our page to screen genre heading to see all the books that have been adapted for TV or film audiences. Here are two ways to quickly search for fantasy-specific adaptations:
- Use our genre field code, GN, and copy and paste this search into the NoveList search bar: GN "fantasy" AND GN "page to screen.”
On our advanced search page, enter "fantasy" in the first field box and "page to screen" in the second field box. Then, for both, use the drop-down menu to select "GN Genre" and hit search.
Curate quality collections
Worried that you’re not picking the best fantasy fiction options for your collection? Use Core Collections to get impartial, authoritative guides that help you build and maintain well-rounded collections of the most highly recommended books. See it in action by requesting a free demo.
Want to market and highlight your library's fantasy collection?
LibraryAware subscribers can create newsletters, bookmarks, shelf talkers, flyers, social and digital displays, and more for promoting books and resources throughout the library and beyond. Search "fantasy" in LibraryAware to find book flyers, widgets, and other resources you can use. Not a subscriber? Get a free demo and a trial!
Other media and resources
There’s a tome of resources to use along with NoveList to learn about what's happening in fantasy.
Awards websites
Podcasts
Yaika Sabat is the Manager of Reader Services. She is currently reading Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas.
