Brandon Sanderson’s Oathbringer Named Top Fantasy Novel in 20 Years

If you were to ask a room of fantasy readers to name the single finest novel the genre has produced over the last two decades, you would almost certainly ignite a very polite, extraordinarily detailed argument. Yet in a recent retrospective ranking by pop-culture site Collider, evaluating the top fantasy titles published over the past twenty years, one behemoth emerged at the very top of the stack: Brandon Sanderson’s Oathbringer.

Published in 2017, Oathbringer serves as the third instalment of Sanderson’s massive The Stormlight Archive series. Clocking in at well over 1,000 pages, and closer to 1,200 depending on which edition is currently crushing your nightstand, it is a towering book in every sense of the word. For readers who have followed the New York Times best-selling author through his sprawling Cosmere universe, seeing this particular volume take the top accolade over the last two decades of fantasy publishing feels both surprising and strangely fitting.

Why Oathbringer Takes the Crown

When people talk about The Stormlight Archive, conversation usually gravitates towards the breathtaking opening of The Way of Kings or the tight, cinematic climax of Words of Radiance. However, Oathbringer is where the grand architecture of Roshar truly expands. It is the book that shifts the narrative from a localised military struggle on the Shattered Plains to a world-spanning, apocalyptic conflict against the forces of Odium.

More than that, Oathbringer works because of its central character focus. Every main book in the series highlights a specific character’s backstory through flashbacks, and here the spotlight falls squarely on Highprince Dalinar Kholin. Up until this point, Dalinar was presented as the principled, honourable patriarch trying to unite a fractured kingdom. Oathbringer strips that heroic myth away, revealing the brutal conqueror he used to be known as the Blackthorn.

It is a remarkably mature piece of character writing. The journey Dalinar takes to accept responsibility for his past sins, rather than letting memory magic hide them away, produced what is arguably Sanderson’s finest thematic moment: the quiet realisation of what the most important step a man can take really is. (Hint: it is always the next one.)

Sanderson’s Dominance in Modern Fantasy

Securing the top spot in a twenty-year retrospective is no small feat given the competition across the modern fantasy landscape. The past two decades have seen the rise of grimdark masterpieces, cosy low-stakes tales, and urban fantasy juggernauts. Yet Sanderson’s meticulous approach to magic systems, continent-scale worldbuilding, and plot payoffs has set a baseline standard for epic fantasy in the twenty-first century.

It is also worth noting how productive Sanderson remains. Even while fans celebrate past milestones like Oathbringer, the author’s work ethic shows no signs of slowing down. Between ambitious secret projects, tabletop expansions, and screen adaptations in perpetual discussion, Brandon Sanderson’s release plans continue to scale up year after year.

Despite his massive commercial success and critical praise from rankings like this one, Sanderson has often spoken about the pressures of managing such an expansive, interconnected fictional universe. In fact, Sanderson has open insights on imposter syndrome, acknowledging how daunting it can be to follow up on books that readers hold in such high esteem.

A Benchmark for the Genre

Deciding what constitutes the “greatest” fantasy novel over any twenty-year period is always subject to debate, particularly when choosing between standalone literary works and massive series entries. Choosing book three of an ongoing saga relies heavily on the reader being fully invested in the hundreds of pages that came before it.

If you are looking for new additions to your TBR pile alongside established classics, our guide to the best fantasy books to read right now offers plenty of inspiration. But for those who have braved the highstorms of Roshar alongside Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar, seeing Oathbringer recognised at the peak of the genre feels like a well-earned reward for a truly monumental story.