They come from the same author, are set in the same world and even have the same fans, but the Lord of the Rings series differs from its predecessor The Hobbit in a few key ways.
Published 17 years before The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit is lighter in both mood and adventure. Rather than saving Middle Earth from a doomsday villain, the hobbits in JRR Tolkein’s first novel are searching for treasure stolen by a dragon.
Some readers even consider it one of the first “cozy fantasy” books.
What is cozy fantasy?
Cozy fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy. It offers all the magic, world-building, and adventure of traditional fantasy, but without the life-or-death stakes. As the word “cozy” suggests, this subgenre is the lighter side of fantasy.
“They’re a soft place to land,” says Meg Hood, known to her followers on TikTok as “Meg’s Tea Room.” It’s more than a genre, it’s a community and a culture. On BookTok’s cozy fantasy page, you’ll find comfy blankets, fantasy cosplay, warm drinks, and of course, books.
Cozy fantasy is sometimes defined by what it doesn’t have – dark, world-saving missions, death, or blood-pressure-raising stakes, for example. But Hood prefers to define it by what it does have – uplifting real-life storylines, rich world-building, magic, strong character development, and found family. The friends you make along the way (sometimes baby dragons or other magical sidekicks) provide an inherent sense of goodness.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is a typical cozy fantasy book – it was Hood’s and many others’ entry into the subgenre. In Legends & Lattes, an orc hangs up her battle sword to open the town’s first cafe. You won’t find intense battles or death by magic, but you will find romance, pastries, and a good cup of coffee.
“It feels like an adventure I could go on,” says Lindsey Hall, one of Baldree’s editors at Tor Publishing, part of the Macmillan Publishers Group. “Trying to open the little company felt like a matter of life and death, more so than some of the biggest 700-page journeys we’ve done before in the fantasy world.”
Cozy fantasy is all about imagining the mundane. That’s perhaps why so many stories include elements of food, like A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J. Penner or Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne.
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Why you should read cozy fantasy books
Cozy fantasies have been around for decades—whether they were explicitly called that or not—but publishers saw an increase in interest during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, says Erika Tsang, editor-in-chief at Bramble, an imprint of Tor Publishing.
“Society wasn’t very comforting and I think readers were looking for stories that would provide comfort,” says Tsang. Cozy fantasies feel like “being wrapped in a hug,” she explains.
This is how Hood – a long-time fantasy reader – came to this genre.
“When I started reading them, I was in a phase where (dark, epic fantasy) stories just overwhelmed me and made me more nervous,” says Hood. “When I open a cozy fantasy, I know I’m going to get a happy ending.”
That’s exactly what makes cozy fantasies so alluring – there’s an inherent bond of trust between the reader and the author. You don’t have to worry about your favorite character dying in a gruesome, unexpected way.
Cozy fantasy is also a good genre for anyone who wants to get into fantasy but doesn’t know where to start. Or, if you already read fantasy, try it as a palate cleanser between dark stories.
The best cozy fantasy books
“The Hobbit” can serve as an example of what to look for in a cozy fantasy novel — the stakes are high, but “it’s giggle-worthy and fun for the whole family,” says Hood.
Here are some more cozy fantasy recommendations from readers of Hood, Hall, Tsang and BookTok:
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