More like Half Upon a Time

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Tolkien's legendariumUniverse
universe163 books1923
Fantasy, set in secondary world.
“Before the seas were bent and the mountains raised, there was Music — and from that Music came Arda, and in the west of Middle-earth the long defeat and stubborn hope of those who dwell there.”
from the catalogue
Start with The Fellowship of the Ring →
includes The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The History of Middle Earth, The Fall of Gondolin, The History of the Lord of the Rings
The Princess and the GoblinSeries
series2 books1871
completed
Fantasy, adventurous in tone, about quests and coming of age, set in secondary world.
“Strahan had published the story and illustrations as a serial in the monthly magazine Good Words for the Young, beginning November 1870.”
from the catalogue
Start with The Princess and the Goblin →
StardustNovel
Neil Gaimanstandalone novel1998
About fae, set in fairyland.
“Stardust has a different tone and style from most of Gaiman's prose fiction, being consciously written in the tradition of pre-Tolkien English fantasy, following in the footsteps of authors such as Lord Dunsany and Hope Mirrlees.”
from the catalogue
NarniaUniverse
universe38 books1950
Portal fantasy.
“Once there is a wardrobe at the back of a spare room, and behind the fur coats the wood gives way to snow, and a lamp-post burns alone among the trees.”
from the catalogue
Start with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe →
includes Narnia, Narnia Solo Adventures
The Neverending StoryNovel
Michael Endestandalone novel1979
Portal fantasy, about books and reading.
“A boy enters a fantasy world through the pages of an old book, and he sets about trying to save its empress to keep the enchantment alive.”
from the catalogue
RailseaNovel
China Miévillestandalone novel2012
Steampunk and weird fiction.