Top 10 Short Fantasy Books Under 300 Pages

[@CapturedInWords]

The first 500 people to use my link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/capturedinwords06241 Let me know all your short fantasy recommendations!

[@captainnolan5062]

Peter Beagle's The Last Unicorn. Patricia McKillip's Forgotten Beasts of Eld. Any of the Conan stories by Robert E Howard. Any of the Elric novels by Michael Moorcock.

[@plaidan]

now do Top 300 Short Fantasy Books Under 10 Pages

[@santiagomartinez9181]

We totally need another top 10 like this

[@BookmarkedbyWolf]

I loved this, thank you. Please do standalones, not big ones maybe under 500 pages. If you haven't done one already.

[@philiptimothycflores341]

The Emperor's Soul!

[@CapturedInWords]

One of my favorites!!

[@electrichorseman7158]

That is a really good one ..

[@booknookchats]

I'm reading this right now and loving it! It's my first read by Sanderson. (I tried reading Tress of the Emerald Sea, but it didn't connect with me, so it went into my dnf)

[@natasagajic1061]

Tim Curry as Mogget is chef's kiss ✨ Also, I would warmly recommend T. Kingfisher's middle grade/ya work, especially A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking. It was easily my favorite read of 2023.

[@DiffectiveTear]

It was so refreshing to see some love for Tamora Pierce. I love all of her books and she is one of my favorite authors. The Circle of Magic series helped me become a fantasy reader.

[@barubary4477]

She's the best! A lovely human being, too.

[@Paul-TheHappyRecluse]

Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser is one of most influential fantasy series on par with Lord of the Rings and Conan. Great choice.

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

Yeah, I’ve been a big fan, going back 40 years. Two of my all-time favorite characters. Fritz is so wry & sardonic & I love how much fun he has with his two ‘heroes.’ It’s like I can almost see the twinkle in his eye as he wrote these stories.

[@Paul-TheHappyRecluse]

@@goldenageofdinosaurs7192 I've been reading them since the eighties too. Always find myself circling back around to them. They are so fun and unique. DnD was as influenced by the vibe and attitude of F and GM as much as anything else.

[@PatrickRyanBookReviews]

My favorite series with short books are: Alex Verus by Benedict Jack War for the Rose Throne by Peter McLean Fred the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes The Last Horizon by Will Wight Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne

[@tiffanycorsello1886]

I love The Old Kingdom! I've read the books before- but now I'm listening to the audiobooks- which you recommended. They're GREAT- so, thanks!

[@CapturedInWords]

Glad you're enjoying the audiobooks!!

[@birgertales]

The LOL's of "... Howl is rumored to eat the hearts of young girls" + "That's not good!" made me laugh 😂💙📚 Sabriel sounds really interesting to me so I think I'll read that somewhere down the line. :) I'm reading The Dresden files currently & I'm enjoying its dark tones! 😃👍✨️

[@Steve_Stowers]

A few that spring to mind: Diana Wynne Jones has plenty of other fantasy novels that are well worth reading. Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea books are short but deep. The Face In the Frost by John Bellairs is one of my favorite very short fantasies. Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber are short and fast-moving, but they aren't standalones; you have to read five to get a complete story. I remember liking the short, silly, lighthearted MythAdventures books by Robert Asprin.

[@leonmayne797]

I’m gonna pick up Piranesi just for the 45 dollars.

[@adityarajput5039]

Cradle is pretty short and good too.👍

[@CapturedInWords]

Yesss good rec! Cradle is awesome!

[@OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels]

Interesting list. Most fantasy classics pre-Tolkien could easily make this list - most of Michael Moorcock's books probably, and those things still go hard even by today's standards. For example Hope Mirlees' Lud-In-The-Mist, the book I consider the single greatest fantasy novel of all time, barely clocks in at ~250 pages.

[@russ9117]

Yep. He just listed a bunch of popular new age stuff. CL Moore, M. John Harrison, Michael Shea etc all wrote better books than what is listed here. And there are many more. Dude has a ton of videos about Brandon Sanderson who is a terrible writer. So you know where he is coming from

[@OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels]

@@russ9117 I like Brando Sando also, and I've read roughly half his list and liked those I did. Just pointing out some additional picks out there that fit the bill and are well worth the read!

[@CapturedInWords]

Big fan of Moorcock's Elric Saga, and they would definitely fit in with this list! Actually, if I make another video like this in the future I will likely recommend them. I've always been interested in Lud-In-The-Mist but haven't read it yet. I plan on making a video deep dive on 'Pre-Tolkien Fantasy' so will definitely make sure to read it before then. As much as I like a lot of modern fantasy, I also love a lot of classics as well and always looking for new recs!

[@CapturedInWords]

Lol I listed both Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and Jhereg (Vlad Taltos) on this which are both classics and barely talked about anymore. In many of my videos I've also talked about the Elric Saga, Book of the New Sun, and plenty of other classics. So I do not just talk about 'new age stuff'. I try to read a good dose of both classic fantasy and modern fantasy.

[@OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels]

@@CapturedInWords That's awesome, I hope you have a good time with Lud-In-The-Mist and bring more attention to it then! That book is criminally unknown.

[@spacemanspiff8703]

Gotta recommend Grendel by John Gardner. It's sort of a Beowulf prequel from the perspective of his first adversary, and it's some of the best first-person narration I've ever read! Themes like colonization, nihilism, and how art can pervert our understanding of the past and reality altogether are all explored to great depths, and it's all somehow done in under 200 pages! One of my favorites. 😄

[@CapturedInWords]

Sounds VERY interesting! I'll definitely need to give this a read!

[@wendybalivet6543]

I read the Song of the Lioness quartet when I was in high school (a long time ago); while I liked that series, I really loved the Protector of the Small quartet, by the same author - Keladry of Mindelan is one of my favorite book characters ever. Give First Test/Page/Squire/Lady Knight a try. I also loved the Trickster's Choice/Trickster's Queen duology (about Alanna's daughter, Aly), and the Bekah Cooper series.

[@barubary4477]

Protector of the Small is such a great series! Keladry had a huge impact on me and my thinking growing up. I've loved everything from Pierce but that's definitely my top recommendation.

[@FadiAntwan]

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip are my favorite short fantasy books. You can find many editions for both that are under 300 pages.

[@CapturedInWords]

Both excellent recommendations! I just read The Forgotten Beasts of Eld last year and it's one of my favorites!

[@msmason]

Loved Forgotten Beasts!

[@LightningRaven42]

A good place to find short fantasy books is with Japanese Light Novels. A lot of them are very low quality and derivative, but there are some gems there to stand toe to toe with other fantasy books. I would recommend Ascendance of a Bookworm, a character-driven story that doesn't have much action, but it's still superbly paced. It features a rich and wonderful world and a story that grows a lot from its initial roots. The main character is great to follow with her gremlin energy and goal of bringing books to a world here they are a rare commodity. If you're into litRPG and want something a bit more realistic, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is a good fantasy story that focus on survival and grief, but also features some thrilling action scenes with a cast of likable characters.

[@larrycable1827]

Can't believe there is no mention of David Gemmell's works. The writer has fantasy fiction awards named after him. Have you never heard of the Drenai, the Rigante, or the masterpiece of warrior castle siege that is simply Legend.

[@callinicobo5991]

Great video. Thank you. My suggestion is "The Forgotten Beasts of Eld" by Patricia McKillip.

[@hallowmere5313]

We definitely need another top 10 like this. So many good choices. If you haven't read it yet you should check out Mage Errant by John Bierce

[@matthewgordonpettipas6773]

Agree with you on the Witcher books. I couldn't get into the novels but I loved the short story collections. So, for me, the Witcher consists of the short stories and the video games (and yes I know the games aren't canon, but for me they are haha).

[@kylarstern42]

I could not agree more about the Witcher books. His short stories are amazing! I didn't feel the same about his full length books and stopped after a few books.

[@hendrikm9569]

I recently read Howl's moving castle, it is such a great book!

[@hendrikm9569]

Also, it is amazing how much better it is, than the Ghibli film. Especially given that the movie is already quite great.

[@CapturedInWords]

Glad you liked it!! Yeah I was surprised too with how much more I prefer it over the Ghibli version

[@IcoKirov]

I used to read the books about Vlad Taltosh. i have read the first few of them. they are kind of like heists, the assassinations he takes are usually way above his skills, if i can say it this way. what i mean is that he is a very capable fighter and so on, but for a human. the "elf" race in the books is vastly superior to humans, and when he has to kill one of them especially if they are trained, well he can't simply isolate them and overpower them, it's like a kid playing assassin trying to kill an actual special forces soldier or something. so he makes plans, similar to heists movies, and this is how he manages to fulfill his contracts. so yeah, the interesting thing there is seeing how those plans unfold.

[@LLPRR]

Okay my TBR just grew substantially. Tnx! 😅

[@bougherc]

Great list! I love shorter form novels and this is amazing. Queueing up Sabriel ASAP!

[@cloudbloom]

That $45 find was great, i love finding stuff i put in books that i forgot about🤣

[@CapturedInWords]

I was so surprised 😂 I think I put that in there like a year ago and completely forgot

[@cloudbloom]

@@CapturedInWords put it towards the wedding expenses!🤌

[@StoryGirl1128]

I love Piranesi so much! Also, I would love to read Godkiller someday. It piqued my interest!

[@NicolesBookishNook]

I adore Howl’s Moving Castle ❤

[@jayhowden2933]

All of the Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K Le Guin I believe are under 300 pages in length, The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler (just over)

[@Fayeluria]

I was gonna watch this casually during a relaxing bath but the dairy joke was so unexpected it really got me 🤣 Would you say Piranesi has similar vibes to the Slow Regard of Silent Things?

[@fantasytale4653]

Thanks Jay, always recommend excellent fantasy books to us!

[@CapturedInWords]

Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 😀

[@captainnolan5062]

I am giving this video a thumbs up for recommending Fritz Lieber's books!

[@CapturedInWords]

Awesome, thanks! I've been reading a lot of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser lately, and plan on exploring some more works by Leiber

[@captainnolan5062]

@@CapturedInWords Smart man!

[@noddyjoe]

Piranesi was incredible, never will i forget the year of the albatross 😂

[@antonioandrade459]

Tales of an Ending, by J. Antônio Andrade is a really good "short" fantasy as well. It is an Epic Fantasy that takes us to a world of dragon descendants. We follow separate POVs and their stories. But what brings those characters together are the "Tales of an Ending" themselves. A collective of prophecies about the end of their world. Too bad I haven't translated it from portuguese yet 😂😂. BUT I PROMISE I WILL. SOON!

[@dinocollins720]

Another fantastic video! Thank you!

[@CapturedInWords]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@btonanime]

Would love to hear your thoughts on the Vampire Hunter D series or the Guin Saga books

[@aleksandervadla9881]

The Ice in TBATB is my favourite shortstory❄️❄️

[@SennyGamingHQ]

Short fantasy book that I'm currently listening to that is really dark and horrific is Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

[@lady_draguliana784]

If you like the setting and premise of Twilight (even if you hated the actual book) or the Modern Real World aspect to Harry Potter, or Anime like Akira, and Jujutsu Kaizen, or TV like X-Files, Grimm, or Dresden Files*, then you're secretly a fan of _"Urban Fantasy"!_ UF also has the benefit of typically being shorter, quicker books, that run the gamut from Kids, to YA , to Adult Audience focuses! Admittedly, it tends YA and AA (Horror), but there's a lot of variety, lots of fun to be had, and often feature books you can get through in a day or 2! here're some recommendations from the "lighter fare" pile! (the best examples from the genre, imo, tend to be more robust, resembling traditional fantasy books in size and density... they're also rare in the genre... but today, we're talking quick-reads!) Kids: Goosebumps is somewhat quintessential here! Literally _any_ "modern day kid encounters the supernatural" could be called UF. 😅 YA: House Of Night (P.C. & Kristin Cast) (Highschool Drama... With Vampires!) this is a long series, but it's complete, and the individual books are very quick reads! EDIT: YA and a half: Night-Wars (Graham Masterton). Your dreams can kill you, Night Warriors are regular people during the day, and saviors by night! AA: The Last Werewolf (Glen Duncan, stand-alone), Void City Series (J.F. Lewis, bloody, s3xy, funny, scary!) *yes, I know what I did there with Dresden Files ☺

[@fitz6793]

I just finished Piranesi. The imagery is great. Laika just signed on to make a stop motion adaptation and it could be amazing!

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

I'm finishing Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and even though I love it, it's taking me a long time. I'm not a fast reader and I get distracted by books that won't take me as long to read.

[@user-ev3jb2xg5w]

Love your videos! Hope to see you review Vorkosigan series...

[@GreekLibra1984]

I'm currently reading The Bone Ships by RJ Barker. I would love to see a list of the top 10 Fantasy novels that include or center around dragons.

[@jessezigg]

You had me at demon-possessed chicken! 😂

[@vivic.k.c.4244]

Love it! Please more!!❤

[@annaschwirian7548]

Love howls moving castle and its so different the the studio gibli movie

[@CapturedInWords]

Agreed! I watched the movie first and read the book after, and was surprised how much different the book was 😊

[@zeloguy]

Went straight to library to get audiobook of Nettle & Bone and found it is Duration : 09:22:49 I've listened to a lot longer but that is a long listen for something under 300 pages. No ebook for me to check out. Would love to read it.

[@DustinHarrisWHBC]

Man I thoroughly enjoyed Godkiller but then hard DNF'ed the second book halfway through. The plot in the first was fast and interesting. Then in book 2 it's like the pacing just pumped the brakes so hard, for what felt like half the book.

[@Narohime]

Surprised that Disc World wasn't mentioned, otherwise great list

[@ashappyasiget140]

Awesome blurbs To add to the list: The last Wish, The Sword of Destiny, and House of Hollow.

[@CapturedInWords]

I've never heard of House of Hollow, I'll have to look into it!

[@shemiahwalker]

Excellent video

[@CapturedInWords]

Thank you very much!

[@shemiahwalker]

@@CapturedInWords of course

[@sergiovzv]

Sword of Kaigen feels short 😅 great video Jay!

[@CapturedInWords]

It does! I think it's close to 600 pages, but it definitely feels short

[@TheBeardedBookBeast]

Great list! I haven't read any of these yet!

[@dotdarkness]

Hey! I have a good reccomendation for you. It's called Swipe by Evan Angler. It's a dystopian series set in the future US with really good characters and it's centered around you having to be Swiped once you're 13 or you're an outcast. It's really good!

[@darkknightofrahnik]

A.P Beswicks levanthria Series are all under 300 pages and are pretty good for a new author. The last book is about to release and it was so big he split it into two books. I am willing to bet both are about 300 or less

[@revelation8199]

Please make more of these!!!

[@elgerpotts5393]

I recently read a great short fantasy (part of an ongoing series tho) The Witch and The Wolf by Erik Julkin. Was pretty impressed despite being an indie book, especially the lyrical prose (not for everyone) also the characters were enjoyable. Some dark themes and parts in it but overall a decent adventurous dark fantasy. Felt like dnd campaign a bit 😄

[@heatherkline6766]

I just checked; The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword, two novels by Robin McKinley fall into this category too. They are 246 and 248 pages respectively in the editions I have. Damar is a fantastical land of kings and castles that is believed to be ruled by gods; not that some members of the royal family would not qualify, being gifted with the elusive Kelar. The mage Luthe lives alone in the mountains, guarding a lake filled with special water which has unique properties if you possess "the gift". Gonturan, the sword that no man may carry, guides its wielder to victory with powers even the wisest do not understand. A princess who would rather risk her life by menial dragon slaying than squabble with her cousins, and a noble's daughter who feels strangely drawn to a country not her own; both protagonists are relatable and unforgettable, embarking on journeys of self-discovery amidst towering stakes. I love these books. There are a few times that the descriptions of interpersonal interactions can be taken in a more intimate direction if one's mind is so inclined, but generally young adult. As is The Outlaws of Sherwood, by the same author. You have heard the famous tales of Robin Hood, but we all know that a story grows in the telling. What was it really like? Enter Robin, son of Robert Longbow; a young yeoman who wants nothing more than to be an archer like his father, though that is nigh on impossible. When his second-rate shooting leads to manslaughter, Robin must flee for his life. With some nudging from childhood friends, he agrees to start the dreamed resistance to Norman tyranny. It turns out that Robin Hood, Robin the pessimist, Robin the ever-troubled, is exactly the leader to sustain the dozens of men and a few women who choose this temporary life. This is my favorite version of the story, actually; though it may be surprising to someone who only knows the tales of the Robin Hood who rides horses, shoots unbelievably well, and carries a sword. However this version, where he only knows 'not to hold (a sword) by the end that isn't sharp' feels more fundamentally alive and his point of view more true to normal human perception.

[@jacobrankin6097]

I don’t recall hearing them mentioned in any videos so have you read the Renshai books by Mickey Zucker Reichert? I remember enjoying the first two trilogies years ago but only read the first book of the third trilogy because the others weren’t out yet at the time and I haven’t got back into the series yet.

[@turbokid8719]

I’ll give those a try I have started reading selling ascends it’s pretty good so far.

[@arekschneyer3802]

By the way, have you read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell yet? I remember like a year ago I mentioned it in a comment and you responded that it was on your to-read list. It’s a BIG book, and personally, found the best way to experience it was with the audiobook read by Simon Prebble. But, of course, to each their own.

[@ericF-17]

Whoa! Canadian money!

[@Wethecenter]

Have you read any Jack Whyte dream of eagles series?

[@AdamAguiar10]

Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser mentioned :D

[@CapturedInWords]

Such a great series! I wish more people would read it :)

[@TheEctomancer]

FYI, Piranesi is missing it's marker on the play-bar.

[@CapturedInWords]

Thanks for the heads up! Will fix that now :)

[@PinkFloydSuperFan]

I appreciate this "short" list. I love this genre, but TBH if I hear about a "great" book (in any genre) that I need to read and see it is a LONG series, I'm moving on. I know I can be criticized for this but all I see are the authors money-grab for dragging out a good book. I'm not hard-core about this rule as I am now on book 6 of The Wheel of Time...and not even half way through the series. To the current or future authors: Not every book has to be a 5+ part series.

[@leaves2975]

Patrick rothfuss should get on skillshare

[@bim41337]

okay okay okay ... great video idea, I'll especially make sure to finally check out the first book in Age of Madness. First Law was quite cool, but a little to much character-focused for my taste. But PLEASE, explain to me, why does everybody put such high praise on Ocean at the End of the Lane? I read that one years ago because it was mentioned on SO MANY horror top lists, and I couldn't have been more disappointed. It's no horror book at all and there's just no point to the story 😅It's so weird and meaningless ... maybe I'm just a barbarian and can't appreciate abstract art or sth like that, but well ... really did not like that one 😆

[@Ghasthund]

I paused after the comment about the Wheel of Time kidnapping subplot that "went on for too long", not because I disagreed but because I couldn't think of which kidnapping. Half the cast gets kidnapped/captured at some point and I genuinely have no idea which one he means. I think I narrowed it down to either Egwene being kidnapped/captured by the Seanchan or the White Tower, OR Tuon being kidnapped/captured by Mat. And of those 3 I don't know why it would be Egwene and the White Tower considering that arc was a godsend for how horrendously boring her POV's were before that, and Tuon and Mat's dynamic was fantastic so I don't think it's that one either, so maybe Egwene and the Seanchan at Falme? I have no idea, he could even be talking about the dang King of Illian that Elaida captured for virtually no reason considering that was a laughably bad plan. Wheel of Time man, what a series lol

[@Ghasthund]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH he probably means Faile, yeah that went on for so long it actively keeps me from wanting to reread those particular books. Especially with how weird things were written with Rolan, I've had time to sort out the conflicting feelings I had about that plotline but I still don't like Jordan for making me consider that a possibility in the first place. Legitimately almost ruined my enjoyment of her character for a hot minute there. It took Perrin himself literally saying, "I dont blame you if you did anything while kidnapped to make sure you survived, it's not your fault." for me to finally push past it into being okay with how it was written. Because if Perrin, the husband himself, is saying he doesn't blame her and it's not her fault, then how am I justified in holding any of it against her? It also helps that nothing did come of it and I even felt sad about Rolan dying in the end, but I still felt like that plot just wouldn't wrap itself up for several books, meanwhile Rand and Mat are doing much more exciting things. Perrin is my second favorite character though so it's okay in the long run

[@ermenher8381]

Modern fantasy seems to be lacking shorter serial/episodic works like Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, Conan, and Elric of Melnibone.

[@CapturedInWords]

It definitely is! I'd like to see a modern episodic fantasy that's similar to those

[@carlosroo5460]

0:20 Oh book 10. Book 10. Why art thou, book 10? 😔

[@Joenah5]

One I would add is Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge

[@CapturedInWords]

Will have to check this one out!

[@arekschneyer3802]

Just letting you know that the Piranesi section is still labeled as part of “Godkiller” in the KZbin sections.

[@CapturedInWords]

Thanks for the heads up! Will fix that now :)

[@xjohnwebsterx]

missing the piranesi timestamp at 15:43

[@CapturedInWords]

Should be there now! Thanks for the heads up

[@damanthamakarova7915]

As an author who is trying to get myself into the world of books... I started to wonder if one of mine will ever be featured or even mentioned by book reviewers and KZbinrs... Don't know where to start, though XD

[@PatrickRyanBookReviews]

Most booktubers have an email address on their page that you can use to ask if they'd be interested in receiving a free review copy of the book or a PO box that you can just send a copy of your book to. But I can say from personal experience that even a reviewer with under 1000 subs could receive as many as 50 free ebooks and about 10 free physical books each year. So it can be years before they ever get to your book, if they ever get to it. You have to go into it with the expectation that for every 10 you send out, you might only get 1 review. Now if you look at reviewers with over 100k subs, I'm going to guess they receive more books each year than they could ever possibly get to. So the chances of having them showcase the book is even lower. Plus, many of them count on youtube as some sort of income so they need their videos to get views and reviews of well known books do significantly better than reviews of virtually unknown books.

[@damanthamakarova7915]

@@PatrickRyanBookReviews Thanks. I figured as much =)

[@ReppavBooks-dt2gg]

Why do you make so many top 10 or similar list-based videos?

[@clairemeehan7250]

Demon possessed chicken ? I'm in 😂

[@CapturedInWords]

Haha it won't disappoint!

[@k.coleman8483]

A Wizard of Earthsea

[@CapturedInWords]

Great recommendation! I love the Earthsea books

[@arekschneyer3802]

I see that Piranesi cover on the Thumbnail!

[@marcmarc4776]

Where is part 2 on Wise Mans Fear? Its been over a year now.

[@twakum]

Tim Powers. Everything is self contained mostly.

[@captainnolan5062]

Epic Fantasy does not mean "big books," Epic Fantasy has to do with the stakes at issue in the book. You can have a short Epic Fantasy book.

[@CapturedInWords]

True! I was generalizing there, since most epic fantasy with high stakes and huge expansive worlds spanning kingdoms and generations are typically longer works. But you're right, there are shorter epic fantasies out there as well :)

[@captainnolan5062]

@@CapturedInWords I am enjoying your channel (though I may point things out now and then that my lengthy experience with the genre brings to mind. I read the Lord of the Rings 24 years before you were born).

[@Henry-jp3mc]

Godkiller was good. The sequel is garbage 😂

[@revipleasantnight]

I thought you were american lol

[@CapturedInWords]

Nope, I'm Canadian :)

[@johngreek8239]

There is no any zelazny book, whow. There should be at least one of his Amber books or Lord of Light. No mentioning of Le Guin books also. No Last Unicorn? You include so many books which are clearly below average and miss real gems. In list you mentioned no great 300 pages books at all, just about 3 or 4 good ones, and rest of them is just pure badly written trash, which could be completely forgotten after 5 - years

[@MorganagrayYT]

Try again. Half is children books and rest is no real fantasy. Only fantasy one is the Leiber stuff, wich is ancient. I would trow in such as: the last unicorn by Beagle (not a children story!), books by Terry Brooks, almost all of them pretty short, Zelazny‘s too. Tanith Lee. Pretty all 80’s fantasy novels were short. Short and sweet, I would say. But I‘m old and I was here for some contemporary fantasy recommendations.

[@barubary4477]

He listed some amazing children's/YA series that have universal meaning and value, and in my opinion some other fantastic recommendations for fantasy. How do you define "real fantasy" that those are disqualified? Not every book will be for you and that's okay. I'm sure you'll find recommendations somewhere that meet your standards.