This list is just for fantasy books authored by writers who either have a Mormon (read: some group tracing their theological lineage back to Joseph Smith) background, or deal in Mormon themes, or both. Please do not add sci-fi (like by Orson Scott Card, although his Alvin Maker series could count). This is just for fantasy fiction.
Gerrit
842 books
61 friends
61 friends
Crazy Uncle Ryan
445 books
16 friends
16 friends
Maddy
33 books
5 friends
5 friends
Thomas
96 books
20 friends
20 friends
Polly
296 books
70 friends
70 friends
Kathryn
1583 books
582 friends
582 friends
Fantasyfan
2 books
1 friend
1 friend
Libby
896 books
109 friends
109 friends
More voters…
Comments Showing 1-25 of 25 (25 new)
date
newest »
newest »
Yeah, I read several of them when I was a kid. They are fun :) Probably get the first one for my children when they are old enough to see if they like them.
Just to clear up any confusion, the Book of Mormon, although a great book, really might better be placed in another list. It is the premiere book in Mormon works but it should not be considered specifically as Mormon Fantasy Fiction, since it is, in fact, a work of nonfiction. To clarify for those unfamiliar with the LDS faith, Mormons across the world believe in the Book of Mormon, not as fantasy, but as factual holy writ.
That's interesting. I figured they just saw "Mormon" and voted for it without really thinking about the scope of the list...which is why I wrote what I did--so it wouldn't confuse people who are unfamiliar with the Book of Mormon.
HahahaThis cracks me up
message 6: by Travis (new)
Apparently even Mormons think the Book of Mormon is fantasy fiction.
You gotta be kidding me, 90% of this list does not belong. This list should be titled "Best Books by a Mormon Author."How weird.
Travis and Rials you guys should stop cracking jokes! First of all I voted for the Book of Mormon not because it's a good fantasy fiction but because you should read it. I am LDS and proud of it.So please stop with the jokes.
Travis wrote: "Apparently even Mormons think the Book of Mormon is fantasy fiction."Yeah, I saw that, and thought 'The person who wrote this was obviously not Mormon.'
This is a great list, but I really wish the list had a different name. It should be Best Fantasy books written by and LDS author.
Yeah I have thought about the nuances of the title but feel that Mormon Fantasy allows the list to include both fantasy which happens to be written by a Mormon (e.g., Shannon Hale) and fantasy with LDS theology explicit in the text (e.g., Chris Heimerdinger). Hopefully that makes sense.It was tough to decide on a title that would include both types of fiction.
Yeah, the Book of Mormon really shouldn't be in this list. Either change the name or remove The Book.
This list has been extremely helpful as I prepare the syllabus and outline for a pair of courses in Reading and Writing LDS Fantasy at Southern Virginia University. The list reminded me of work I might have overlooked, and also introduced me to several writers I had never heard of, or that I did not know were LDS.Having the Book of Mormon pop up on this list reminded me of when my Homecoming series first came out. I sold the series to Beth Meacham at TOR by saying, "I want to do a science-fiction adaptation of the Book of Mormon; I'll simply change the ocean to space and the story will work perfectly." She agreed.
But when the book came out, my publisher received a spate of letters informing the publisher that I had "plagiarized" the Book of Mormon. Setting aside issues of public domain and fair use, my best answer to such people was: You can't "plagiarize" history. So if you believe the Book of Mormon really is what it says it is -- and I do -- then my novels based on its stories were historical fiction with the Book of Mormon as a completely legitimate source.
Still, it might be worth a good hour's discussion to consider the proposition: IF the Book of Mormon were fiction, then in what ways did it presage the tropes, techniques, and genre markers of the fantasy genre that emerged with the publication of Lord of the Rings 120+ years later?
- Orson Scott Card
Good list! I'd add my own book series (which comes out in February), but that is against the rules. Haha.It's getting traditionally published, though (Gollancz/Orion, Random House, Blackstone Publishing, etc), and it's currently being translated into German, Russian, Dutch, and French...so I think that qualifies it as being a legitimate addition (not to mention it is genuine epic fantasy).
Scott wrote: "This list has been extremely helpful as I prepare the syllabus and outline for a pair of courses in Reading and Writing LDS Fantasy at Southern Virginia University. The list reminded me of work I m..."Dear Scott--what a delightful surprise to read your excellent comments! Sorry it took so long to respond. I created this list a decade ago and largely left it to grow on its own until looking at it again this morning. I hope you never felt excluded by the description--I realized early on I wanted to just have fantasy on here. Of course, like the Book of Mormon, many things made it on here that likely shouldn't have, including Ender's Game, although it's of course an excellent book.
Your story of your Homecoming series and "plagiarizing" history is fascinating. I do think the Book of Mormon is overlooked often as a work of extraordinary literature--that is, exhibiting sound mastery of a variety of genres. It could be said that fantasy is one of them. I have written elsewhere that the epic poem is a literary ancestor of the fantasy novel and the Book of Mormon has many of those same tropes, including a founding myth (including the founding of a civilization's enemies), supernatural forces taking an interest in the action, and of course epic heroes and warfare. I hope the future sees more of these conversations about this great book we love.
-- Gerrit van Dyk
Related News
For devoted bookworms, the new year is an exciting time. Specifics on the year’s upcoming books start making the rounds, along with release...
Anyone can add books to this list.

















Have any of you read the Tennis Shoes Adventure series by the Mormon author Chris Heimindinger (I think that is how you spell it) It is a great series about time travel.