Best Asian Fantasy Books

Fantasy Set in an Oriental Milieu

So you like fantasy with martial arts, swords, ninjas, or just something different that’s not set in the same old ‘knights, lords, and wizards duking it out in some generic middle ages’ milieu that’s been recycled more times than a Britney Spears dance song, then this list is for you. Sadly, this subgenre has not been well explored (yet) by western authors, perhaps because it’s quite difficult for the western mind to accurately represent foreign concepts (Asian cultural values and thoughts are often not at all similar to the western idea of things). Quite often you get a standard fantasy novel set in an ancient Japanese/Chinese landscape with Asian names, but characters who could be ripped straight out of any standard epic fantasy.

There are a few fantasy books that do a good job at depicting the Far East accurately. For some, this may not be an issue, but you should at least be aware of it.

There is in fact an entire subgenre of oriental fantasy called Wuxia (see our Wuxia Fantasy Guide here). Wuxia fantasy is heavily steeped in oriental mythology, with names, places, and the setting inspired from eastern cultures like China and Japan. This Best Asian Fantasy list may include some Wuxia fantasy, but also more general fantasy that does not include specific Wuxia elements yet still maintains an oriental feel in culture or setting.

While even in 2015, there are quite a few oriental-inspired fantasy worlds out there in the genre, though still just a drop in the bucket compared to the common medieval themed fantasy.

We've scoured the genre to give you a list of the best fantasy inspired or set in an oriental milieu.



