The list was compiled by Bella (formerly of A Bibliophile's Bookshelf), who currently blogs at A Prairie Girl Reads, and Jo (Ink & Paper) when they held a mammoth poll in 2009 inviting readers to nominate their favorite fantasy books. The list is compiled of all the books nominated and voted for (813 total) in order by number of votes. The challenge started out with a year long format and then I changed it to a perpetual challenge. In both instances, books could be read from the top 101 or the entire list of 813.
Below are the guidelines for this revamped challenge. I hope you will join me!
The guidelines for The Fantasy Project
- Read 101 fantasy books from the list of 101, or the entire list of 813, in 10 years (access the lists at the top of the blog).
- choose 101 fantasy books from the list (due to the large amount of urban/paranormal fantasy titles on the list, I have made thisexception--26 titles can be titles that are not on the list, i.e. newer releases that came out after the list was compiled, more books of a high fantasy nature, etc.) To break it down...75 titles from the list and 26 that are not on the list = 101 books total.
- you can read other books in a series in which the first book, or other books in the series, appears on the list, to complete the challenge
- post your list on your blog
- choose your completion goal date ten years in the future and make note of it with your list of titles (like this: reading goal--101 books goal dates--August 20, 2013 - August 20, 2023)
- come back here and post the link to your list in the linky below
- write a review on the book when finished and link it to the title in your list
- there are pages at the top of the blog that link to spreadsheets where you can list/link up your reviews
- there is a members list page, where I will list your name, blog, goal date, and link to your list
- there is a "introduce yourself" page for members
- when you have completed the challenge, come add your link to the Completed Challenges page
- If you happen to host a read-a-long, or an event or challenge surrounding one of the titles on your list, post about it at this PAGE
- I will try to have periodic group check-ins too
- grab the button from sidebar
A few more important details
- this challenge can be crossed over with any other challenges
- your link in the linky below must lead to your list, not just your main blog address. Any links that are blog links only will be deleted
- the list must be made in advance. The idea is to work toward reading fantasy you may have been otherwise neglecting and/or the fantasy titles/authors you love. However, the list does not have to be set in stone. You can change out titles as the mood suits you.
- every 2 - 3 months we will have what we'll call the Wheel of Fortune (borrowing from The Classics Club classics spin idea) where you make a list of 15 books from your list (i.e. 5 you're dreading, 5 you can't wait for, 5 favorites or rereads--yes, rereads are okay OR 5 urban fantasy, 5 high fantasy, 5 by the same author...the list is pretty much up to you). On a predetermined date, I will randomly draw (random.org) a number from 1 - 15 and the number that's chosen will be the book you read from your list of fifteen.
- our Twitter hashtag is #101FantasyProject
- Addendum: If you finish the 101 books before the ten years is up, come back and make another list and reset your ten year time limit!
If you have any questions or comments, please leave me a comment below, or email me at truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom
I found this the other day. How did I not know about this? Anyway, I have wanted to read some many books on the list of 813 that I had to sign up. In fact, I decided that I want to read mostly new to me books. I wanted to concentrate on getting to those books that I've been putting off. My goal is August 2023 for the 101 books listed, but I'm hoping I can read these in 5 years. I think I'll be making smaller timeline goals as the years progress.
My List:
New Reads:
- Arabian Nights
- Kelley Armstrong -- Bitten (Women of the Otherworld #1)
- Kelley Armstrong -- The Summoning (Darkest Powers #1)
- JM Barrie – Peter Pan
- Anne Bishop -- Daughter of the Blood (Black Jewels #1)
- Anne Bishop -- Heir to the Shadows (Black Jewels #2)
- Anne Bishop -- Queen of the Darkness (Black Jewels #3)
- Anne Bishop -- The Invisible Ring (Black Jewels #4)
- Marion Zimmer Bradley -- The Mists of Aalon (Mists of Avalon #1)
- Edgar Rice Burroughs – Tarzan
- Edgar Rice Burroughs -- John Carter
- Rachel Caine -- Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires #1)
- Kristin Cashore -- Graceling (Seven Kingdoms #1)
- Cassandra Clare -- City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1)
- Susanna Clarke --Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
- Paulo Coelho – The Alchemist
- Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl #1)
- Suzanne Collins – Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles #1)
- Michael Ende – The Neverending Story
- Antoine de Saint Exupery – The Little Prince
- Jeaniene Frost -- Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress #1)
- Neil Gaiman – The Graveyard Book
- Neil Gaiman – American Gods
- Neil Gaiman – Anansi Boys
- Robert Jordan – The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time #1)
- Annette Curtis-Klause – Blood and Chocolate
- Ursula Le Guin – A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea #1)
- Gail Carson Levine – Ella Enchanted (Enchanted #1)
- Gregory Maguire – Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
- Juliet Marillier – Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters #1)
- Juliet Marillier – The Dark Mirror (Bridei Chronicles #1)
- Melissa Marr -- Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely #1)
- George RR Martin -- A Feast for Crows (Song of Fire and Ice #4)
- Anne McCaffrey – Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern #1)
- Anne McCaffrey – Dragonsong (Harper Hall #1)
- Anne McCaffrey – Acorna: The Unicorn Girl (Acorna #1)
- Cormac McCarthy – The Road
- Patrica A McKillip – Riddle-Master of Hed (Quest of the Riddle Master #1)
- Patrica A McKillip – Ombria in Shadow
- Patricia A McKillip – The Changeling Sea
- Robin McKinley -- The Blue Sword (Damar #1)
- Richelle Mead – Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid #1)
- Richelle Mead – Storm Born (Dark Swan #1)
- Karen Marie Moning -- Darkfever (MacKayla Lane #1)
- Karen Marie Moning -- Bloodfever (MacKayla Lane #2)
- Karen Marie Moning -- Faefever (MacKayla Lane #3)
- Karen Marie Moning – Dreamfever (MacKayla Lane #4)
- Karen Marie Moning – Beyond the Highland Mist (Highlander #1)
- Karen Marie Moning -- To Tame the Highland Warrior (Highlander #2)
- Karen Marie Moning -- The Highlander's Touch (Highlander #3)
- Karen Marie Moning -- Kiss of the Highlander (Highlander #4)
- Karen Marie Moning -- The Dark Highlander (Highlander #5)
- Karen Marie Moning -- The Immortal Highlander (Highlander #6)
- Karen Marie Moning -- Spell of the Highlander (Highlander #7)
- Audrey Niffenegger – The Time Traveler’s Wife
- Garth Nix– Sabriel (Old Kingdom #1)
- Aprilynne Pike – Wings (Laurel #1)
- Terry Pratchett – The Color of Magic (Discworld #1)
- Terry Pratchett -- Mort (Discworld #4)
- Terry Pratchett -- The Wyrd Sisters (Discworld #6)
- Terry Pratchett -- Guards! Guards! (Discworld #8)
- Terry Pratchett -- Small Gods (Discworld #13)
- Terry Pratchett -- Soul Music (Discworld #16)
- Terry Pratchett -- The Truth (Discworld #25)
- Terry Pratchett -- The Last Hero (Discworld #27)
- Terry Pratchett -- Night Watch (Discworld #29)
- Terry Pratchett -- The Wee Free Men (Discworld #30)
- Terry Pratchett -- Nation
- Patrick Rothfuss – The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicle #1)
- Brandon Sanderson – Mistborn
- Michael Scott – The Alchemyst (Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1)
- Lisa See – Peony in Love
- Diane Setterfield – The Thirteenth Tale
- Maria Snyder -- Poison Study (Study #1)
- Maria Snyder -- Magic Study (Study #2)
- Maria Snyder -- Fire Study (Study #3)
- Maggie Stiefvater – Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception (Books of Faerie #1)
- Jonathan Swift – Gulliver’s Travels
- Rachel Vincent– My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers #1)
- Rachel Vinent– My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers #2)
- Kurt Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse-Five
- JR Ward -- Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood #1)
- Jaye Wells – Red-headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane #1)
- Patricia Wrede – Mairelon the Magician (Mairelon #1)
- Patricia Wrede – Snow White and Rose Red
- Patricia Wrede – The Magician’s Ward (Mairelon #2)
- Patricia Wrede – Thirteenth Child (Frontier Magic #1)
- Diana Wynne Jones– Charmed Life (Chrestomanci #1)
- Diana Wynne Jones– House of Many Ways (Howl's Castle #3)
- Diana Wynne Jones – Castle in the Air (Howl's Castle #2)
- Diana Wynne Jones – Fire & Hemlock
Rereads:
- Diana Gabaldon -- Outlander
- Homer -- The Odyssey
- Diana Wynne Jones -- Howl's Moving Castle
- CS Lewis -- Chronicles of Narnia
- Gregory Maguire -- Wicked
- JRR Tolkien -- The Hobbit
- JRR Tolkien -- The Fellowship of the Ring
- JRR Tolkien -- The Two Towers
- JRR Tolkien -- The Return of the King
- Jules Verne -- Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea