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Published Jan 29, 2026, 3:30 PM EST
Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.
You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep."
Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant.
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Harry Potter was a cultural phenomenon, and the book series defined millennials' childhoods with its combination of modern life and magic. The movie adaptations made their main stars into household names, and the original seven-part series is still popular. That said, a harsh reality of re-reading the Harry Potter books is that they are not as good as other fantasy series.
Harry Potter can be considered derivative, and it is getting increasingly difficult to separate the original art from its controversial creator. While Harry Potter might give its original fans a sense of nostalgia, it is time to branch out by reading other excellent fantasy novels. There are many great fantasy books set in magic schools, and some even preceded Harry Potter.
The Worst Witch
By Jill Murphy
The Harry Potter books grow increasingly dark as the series progresses, and it is sometimes easy to forget that they were originally aimed towards children. Jill Murphy's The Worst Witch books have a young target audience and follow the adventures of the accident-prone Mildred Hubble, who attends Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches. The series was adapted with Bella Ramsey playing the titular "Worst Witch."
Unlike Harry Potter, The Worst Witch has no central "chosen one" plotline. Mildred often doubts herself, and rather than discovering that she is special, she uses her talents to grow as a person, often saving her school from threats in the process. This makes the eight-book The Worst Witch series more relatable for a young audience, and often hilarious.
The Elemental Masters
By Mercedes Lackey
The Elemental Masters series adapts fairy tales for a more modern audience, while still being set in different time periods, like World War 2. Harry Potter's way of sorting children based on personality traits has been criticized, and Lackey's series treats this concept differently, with magical characters feeling an affinity with a particular element and its associated creatures.
Each book in The Elemental Masters series follows a different character and their journey to discover their magic. Like Harry Potter, they are coming-of-age tales, but each character finds a way to adapt their magic to them, rather than be sorted into houses. This is a fantasy series with happy endings and central heroines who both save and find themselves at the same time.
The Rain Wild Chronicles
By Robin Hobb
The Harry Potter books often try to present Harry as an outcast, but this is circumstantial rather than a personality trait, like with Luna Lovegood. Readers who are looking for an outsider to root for should read The Rain Wild Chronicles instead. Thymara is born with features that her people see as deformities, and, tired of being shunned, she joins a mission to guide newly hatched dragons home.
Robin Hobb writes ambitious fantasy book series that pay off, and the world in The Rain Wild Chronicles is one of the most exciting yet, with its ruins and acid river. Fans of dragons may find it better than Harry Potter, as the dragons are treated as characters in their own right, with a rich culture and history, rather than symbols or pets.
Wicked
By Gregory Maguire
An issue with Harry Potter that becomes increasingly apparent is its struggle to present deep world injustices to a young audience. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire, does this in a much better way. The book is the source material for the Wicked stage show and movies, and centers on a character who finds herself an outcast targeted by propaganda while fighting a system of injustice.
The book centers on a university for magic while exploring the idea of good and evil. It took risks that Harry Potter did not, by highlighting the damage that can be done through remaining neutral in the face of rising prejudice. While Harry Potter is regularly critiqued now for outdated messaging, Wicked feels just as relevant today as it did when it was released.
The Earthsea Cycle
By Ursula K. Le Guin
On the surface, The Earthsea Cycle's plot is extremely similar to that of Harry Potter. Ged attends a remote magic school where he is mentored by a wise elder, has a rivalry with another student, and finds himself fighting a shadow creature. The Earthsea Cycle is a fantasy book series that never gets old, as it has the comforting and familiar genre tropes while also being captivating.
The Earthsea Cycle is often considered better than Harry Potter as it is more complex and profound, with a story that builds more slowly but with greater emotional depth. It is much more culturally diverse, and the central message is that wisdom often outweighs talent. In short, it does not matter how much talent you have; the way you use it matters more.
The Magicians
By Lev Grossman
Lev Grossman's The Magicians series starts with a similar set-up to Harry Potter, but is aimed at an older audience. A young man, Quentin Coldwater, is accepted to a magical university, where he finds acceptance and belonging. However, The Magicians then tells a different story, with Quentin discovering the dark sides of studying magic by accidentally unleashing a deadly beast.
The TV adaptation of The Magicians has been described as "a 10/10 fantasy masterpiece," and it is not surprising that it was adapted quickly. The Magicians' dark and more cynical take on magic was perfect for the screen. Harry Potter characters might claim that magic does not solve everything in life, but The Magicians' book characters prove it.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians
By Rick Riordan
The Percy Jackson book series follows the titular Percy, who learns that he is a demigod and travels to Camp Half-Blood to train with other demigods and protect himself from potential enemies. Like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson belongs in both the regular and magical worlds, but the Percy book series feels more grounded, with some great representation of dyslexia and ADHD.
Both Harry Potter and Percy Jackson & The Olympians are fast-paced and aimed at a younger audience, while being a series that adults can appreciate, too. That said, the Percy books are funnier, much more diverse in race and LGBTQ+ representation, and embrace a modern setting, combining different mythologies with real locations like the Empire State Building and Long Island.
His Dark Materials
By Philip Pullman
Harry Potter might have his moments of teenage angst, but he lacks the flaws that make characters compelling and realistic. On the other hand, Philip Pullman's Lyra feels both real and familiar. Most people know somebody like Lyra, who is fiercely protective, stubborn, inquisitive, and extremely intelligent despite her lack of formal education, even while growing up in a university.
His Dark Materials and Harry Potter both have a "chosen one" plotline, but Lyra's role in the story feels earned rather than being a result of her birth. The series trusts younger readers with complex ideas and dark storylines about the dangers of organized religion, while including the charm and excitement that every masterpiece fantasy book series needs.
The Kingkiller Chronicle
By Patrick Rothfuss
The Kingkiller Chronicle features one of the most unique magic systems ever found in a book series. The story follows Kvothe, who was brought up as a musician in a traveling show but suffers a devastating loss. The two published parts of the planned trilogy are written in a way that feels just as accessible as Harry Potter, but with a much more complex world.
The story reads like an epic legend, with quests, love, and betrayal, while each side quest adds to the story rather than slowing its pace. Kvothe learns magic at university, while planning to confront the monstrous beings responsible for his parents' death. Along the way, he meets a diverse range of realistic cultures and characters, and despite being unfinished, both books are masterpieces.
The Old Kingdom
By Garth Nix
Fantasy books often suffer from a lack of imagination when it comes to magical professions. Harry Potter's take on this involved taking familiar jobs and putting a magical spin on them. However, Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series takes it one step further, introducing a world in which Necromancers roam, and characters take on magical positions to send them to the world of the dead.
The heroes in the series are trying to find their places in the world, but are proactive rather than reactive. The "chosen one" plotlines often end with twists that change the narrative entirely, showcasing the characters' intelligence and problem-solving skills rather than their destiny, as in Harry Potter. Of all the possibilities, Netflix should adapt this fantasy series next.
Movie(s) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
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