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One of the hallmarks of thefantasygenre is lay the history in a school for magic . While many popular script use this backdrop , likeHarry Potter , this is far from the only tale that tinct upon what an academy of illusion and religious mysticism might look like . Depending on the object audience , adult or young grownup , these books can look very unlike , with some authors willing to discuss the dark and crimson share of these stories . Whether they ’re plant in another world or a fictionalized version of the real world , all these schools are beyond the readers ' wildest dreams .
Many of themost anticipated fantasy book of 2025are turn over into the dark academe writing style , as this has promptly become one of the most pop niches within lit . Schools are a great circumstance for any story , not just fantasy . This is because they ’re a microcosm of the larger world . Issues of class , discrimination , and power are all daily natural event in the globe of learnedness , and add an factor of magic trick heightens these themes . Many ofthe protagonists in these stories find themselves with more province and great power than they bargain for , take in it necessary for them to train .
10Carry On (2015)
Written by Rainbow Rowell
The first ledger in theSimon Snowtrilogy , Carry On , was an exciting pin for Rainbow Rowell , as her first two books , Eleanor & ParkandFangirl , were realistic fiction . With a great LGBTQ+ Romance language and a relatable character in the reasonably hapless Simon , Carry Onis a great start to theSimon Snownovels , which observe Simon and his lamia roommate Baz . However , things are n’t well-off for Simon , as he ’s not exactly the Chosen One that he and the other magicians were hop for .
The forces of honorable and immorality are n’t what they seem inCarry On , as being the Chosen One might not be Simon ’s true purpose after all .
In his terminal class at Watford School of Magicks , Simon ’s training is going defective than ever before , and he ca n’t serve but be distracted by the fact that Baz , an antagonizing violence in his life sentence , is absent . The forces of good and wickedness are n’t what they seem inCarry On , as being the Chosen One might not be Simon ’s true aim after all . Filled with friendly relationship , romance , and discussions of the role destiny fiddle in our life sentence , Carry Onis one of Rowell ’s most relatable works .
9The Novice (2015)
Written by Taran Matharu
Taran Matharu’sThe Novicesets the stagecoach for theSummonerseries andfollows Fletcher in his journeying to discover how to use his sorcerous talent . In the Earth ofThe Novice , there ’s an epic war against the Orcs that Fletcher finds himself a part of , train to summon devil and control his strength to serve the army . The magical military academy where he spends his days is fulfill with traps and tricks , as Fletcher does n’t have the illustrious background that some of his schoolmate share .
In a Hellenic hero ’s journey , Fletcher is put forward from his circumstances as a blacksmith ’s learner and transform into a unnerving magicianwith the power and bureau to opt how and when to maintain his science . Fletcher ’s demon , Ignatius , is one of the only individuals he can trust , but he ca n’t be certain how far a ogre ’s loyalty will go . Though there ’s danger at every bend , The Noviceis nearer in tone to a YA novel than a drab high fantasy .
8The Magician’s Guild (2001)
Written by Trudi Canavan
The Black Magician ’s Trilogybegins withThe Magician ’s Guild , an exploration of class and magic as a metaphor for power and ascendence . Sonea , the principal quality , is a extremity of the lower socio-economic class within the fabricated world and hat the prestidigitator for their discrimination against her people . However , she has more in unwashed with the magicians than she thinksand spends much ofThe Magician ’s Guildtrying to outwit the people who would instruct her to harness her powerfulness as it start to grow out of her control .
Though Sonea knows she ’ll never be one of them , she ca n’t help but be intrigued by the potential of her new abilities .
ThoughThe Magician ’s Guilddoesn’t spend as much fourth dimension in the magic shoal as the second rule book , The Novice , book one sets the phase for the serial and piques the lector ’s curiosity about what lies ahead at the Guild . While there are some members of the Guild who want Sonea to take her office among them , others are hiding dangerous secrets and like to use Sonea to further their agendas . Though Sonea knows she ’ll never be one of them , she ca n’t help but be scheme by the voltage of her new abilities .
7Ninth House (2019)
Written by Leigh Bardugo
Though Leigh Bardugo is well known for theShadow and Boneseries , her latest grownup fancy series is showing readers a raw side of the author . Ninth Houseis afantasy book that molding on horror , as the protagonist , Alex , delve into the paranormal doings of the secret societies at Yale . Since it ’s fix in a wizard version of the material mankind , Alex must grapple with the societal and academic struggles of being a scholarly person at Yale while seek out the occultas a resolution of the deal she made to look the university .
A new 2024 dark academia fantasy volume might just be the Ninth House replacement lover of the serial have been waiting for since Heel Bent .
The dark academia genre has been growing more popular in late geezerhood , and Bardugo understands that the ambiance and aesthetics of the story are just as decisive as the plot . Alex is an unlikely outsider within the elite community she ’s thrust into . However , this makes her unambiguously qualified to see through the Lie and play a joke on her fellow classmates are pulling and what they ’re getting by with . In conversation with the genuine clandestine societies that live the campuses of Ivy League schoolhouse , Ninth Housedoesn’t stretch how readers might gestate .
6The Poppy War (2018)
Written by R. F. Kuang
R.F. Kuang ’s debut novel , The Poppy War , successfully kicked off her prolific career , as Kuang has cursorily tell apart herself as one of the sound young writers in fantasy . While her recent novel , Babel , also touch upon saturnine academia , The Poppy Waris much more entrenched in true thaumaturgy . However , Rin , the friend , does n’t understand her link to gods and the pantheon for a long fourth dimension . When she does tap into her tycoon , it changes her lifetime forever .
For the first one-half of the book , Rin fights tooth and nail to be accepted to the most prestigious military training schoolhouse in the country .
For the first half of the book , Rin fights tooth and nail to be accepted to the most esteemed military training school in the land . She then find herself funnily depict to the reclusive Master Jiang , who help her tap into her shamanic potency . However , The Poppy Waris not plainly a tale about Rin ’s school days , as warfare chop-chop ca-ca its mark on her life , incite the novel into a dingy and violent 2nd half that coerce Rin to grapple with her newfound ability .
Image by Ana Nieves
5A Wizard Of Earthsea (1968)
Written by Ursula K. Le Guin
One ofUrsula K. Le Guin ’s good rule book , A Wizard of Earthsea , the first in theEarthsea Cycle , is a untried grownup phantasy novel that push boundaries when it was first published in the belated sixties . Le Guin ’s work has long been cited as the most influential additions to phantasy and sci - fi , with her interlink universes and graphic worlds transporting readers of all ages for generations . A Wizard of Earthseais one of her most classical narration , as it ’s framed around the coming of age of the young wizard , Ged .
It takes a little while for Ged to entrust menage and join the school for trick on the island of Roke , as he ’s initially learn by a local wiz . However , it ’s Ged ’s superbia and thirst for cognition and power that provokes him to enroll at the school day and in the end bet a part in his great challenge . Unsurprisingly , Ged get a line more at school than what ’s learn in the course , as he is n’t immune to the taunting of other educatee and playing with mogul he ca n’t control .
4A Deadly Education (2020)
Written by Naomi Novik
Naomi Novik has quickly proven herself to be one of the most large fantasy writers of the past few ten , as her standalone novel , Uprooted , and the acclaimedTemeraireseries have been making waves since the former 2000s . Her recent serial publication , Scholomance , play with old and novel ideas about how a magic honorary society should treat the young and gifted . The Scholomance inA Deadly Educationis unlike any other sorcery school in fiction , as there are no teachers , only mysterious lessons and immature people combat for their liveliness .
El spend the account book and the entireScholomancetrilogy subverting mass ’s anticipation and try out herself to be a selfless wielder of deception .
The report revolves around El , a young sorceress who is plague by a prophecy that say she will be part of the destruction of many group of sorcerers . However , El drop the book and the entireScholomancetrilogy undermine hoi polloi ’s first moment and proving herself to be a selfless wielder of trick . It ’s a dark and dangerous earth , as there are lusus naturae who feed on immature sorcerer in every corner of her mystic school , but El is dictated to make it out alive and not let anyone determine who she is .
The Magicians follows a group of young adults who enroll at Brakebills University, a secretive institution devoted to teaching magic. As they engage in an unconventional education in spellcasting, they realize that a childhood fantasy world is indeed real and presents a significant threat to humanity.
3The Magicians (2009)
Written by Lev Grossman
It did n’t take long for Lev Grossman ’s dear fantasy serial to be adapted for the screenland , resulting in the five - season - longsighted TV show that expanded upon Grossman ’s original body of work . The series follow the story of Quentin Coldwater , a untested human being whose life is turn upside down when he ’s accepted to Brakebills University , a schoolhouse that trains magicians . After feeling like an outsider his whole life , getting accepted to Brakebills is what Quentin has been waitress for , but the reality of magic are much harsher than he realizes .
The Magiciansplays with the figure and pitfalls of phantasy serial like it , reach many clapper - in - cheek reference to far-famed works likeHarry PotterandThe Chronicles of Narnia . With more mature and adult element , The Magiciansdistinguishes itself as a story for audiences interested in the dismal side of magical academia . However , whatThe Magiciansdoes best is skimpy into the themes of how illusion and schools for the talented are used as solace for the great unwashed who find different and how this can be a unsafe lookout .
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The Magicians follow a group of untested grownup who inscribe at Brakebills University , a closelipped instauration devote to teaching deception . As they engage in an unconventional Department of Education in spellcasting , they realize that a childhood fantasy world is indeed real and present a significant threat to humanity .
2The Name Of The Wind (2007)
Written by Patrick Rothfuss
Patrick Rothfuss ' iconicKingkiller Chronicleseries tells the epic story of Kvothe and his adventure and how his clock time at the University convert him evermore . Told from the perspective of an older Kvothe , reflect on his travel , The Name of the Windsees him come at the University , where he learns more about the masses who kill his parent and finally discovers his magical artistry . Though the University is n’t ab initio magical , by the remnant , Kvothe has used his power to call out the name of the jazz , set him on a new path .
There are many theory about the idle world-beater ’s identity in The Kingkiller Chronicle , and this modest moment might be a fundamental slice of the enigma .
The Name of the Windconnects with so many readers because it ’s written in the style of so many definitive fantasy epic and seamlessly transitions from one menstruation of Kvothe ’s life to the next . It ’s compelling to see Kvothe ’s view of the University change throughout the story , as he ’s so desperate to be a part of this community of interests in the beginning but presently can objectively analyze its flaws and prejudices . Though the third book in the series is yet to be published , it ’s probable that Kvothe is n’t done with the University yet .
1Harry Potter (1997–2007)
Written by J.K. Rowling
One of the ripe - knownfantasybook series of all time , Harry Potteris almost entirely set in the magical school Hogwarts , with the character making their mode into the wider macrocosm in the 7th and final installment . Immersive and vivid , Hogwarts is simultaneously life-threatening and comforting for the master graphic symbol , as magic trick is n’t always used for good inHarry Potter . The cultural encroachment and longevity of the series speak to how much reader enjoy escaping to a spellbinding human beings like that of Hogwarts .
TheHarry PotterTV remake can repair many original series problems , but the aura and dynamic within Hogwarts is a part of the books that should n’t be spay too much . Harry , the protagonist , feels get in touch to the school , as it ’s more of a home to him than any other place in his lifetime . Hogwarts is so special to audiences because it enthrall Harry to a place where anything is possible and he matters for the first time ever . It ’s easy to see oneself in Harry and imagine that Hogwarts could transport the lector to a new humankind .
Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned male child who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry , where he learns the truth about himself , his class , and the awful evilness that obsess the magical world . adjust from the novels , Harry Potter is an eight - episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends , Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley , as they pilot the tricky earth of growing up , school life , and illusion . start from year one and moving to their seventh year , the films chronicle the students ' time at Hogwarts while unroll a ominous plot that centre around the unsuspecting Harry . With the return of the dark wizard , Voldemort , the bookman and professors at Hogwarts will fight to hold on as the world around them may change forever . Harry Potter has expand beyond the world of its films and novels with several TV biz , a twist - off film series titled Fantastic Beasts , and even attractions at Universal Studios .
The Magicians follows a group of young adults who enroll at Brakebills University, a secretive institution devoted to teaching magic. As they engage in an unconventional education in spellcasting, they realize that a childhood fantasy world is indeed real and presents a significant threat to humanity.
Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students' time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.