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Backpack fantasy is are for all heroes who travel light. For adventurers campaigning with naught but a rucksack, duffel, or carrier bag, they carry everything they need on their person. They decide to save the world with their just friends, some snacks, and a spare pair of socks and I commend them for their minimalist lifestyle.
Backpack fantasy books are, as Wyngraf puts it, fantasy books where adventurers move through the wilds to conquer goals as opposed to a home or community. Essentially, in backpack fantasy books party members bond on the go as they maneuver the challenges of the natural space, learning more about themselves, each other, and the world in the process.
The setup is very emblematic of a traditional fantasy tabletop role playing game à la Dungeons and Dragons. The plot structure allows for self-discovery outside traditional socio-cultural structures.
In the tradition of Medieval Breton Lais, or French poems, young knights would have to venture out into the natural world to gain knowledge of life beyond the court so they could return to their kingdoms stronger and more equipped to handle the unknown. Oftentimes, they would encounter magic, fairies, or moments of adventure or fate that would change their outlook on the world forever.
That is all to say, backpack fantasy books have been around for longer than there has been a name for the subgenre. This is simply a quick and easy list of unlikely backpack fantasy recommendations to expand your shelf and horizons.
The Best Backpack Fantasy Books
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
Marra was the third-born princess raised in a convent. Out of sight and out of mind, no one expected the almost-nun to leave and rescue her sister from her abusive husband. The man is a prince, so to free her sister, Marra will have to complete three impossible tasks. In return, she gains the tools to kill a prince and the unlikeliest of allies. A bone dog, a former knight, a demon-possessed chicken, and Marra might just be able to venture across a kingdom and save a princess.
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
Although the royal family has oppressed both their citizens and the god imprisoned beneath their palace for centuries, a guard and an outcast have a chance to change everything. When Jun and Keema free the god, she takes them on a pilgrimage that could end the royals’ rule once and for all. This queer epic fantasy novel challenges established power systems, explores the power of the natural world, and asks us all to reconsider what we owe to each other.
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
The journey of an epic Inuyasha-esque YA high fantasy trilogy begins with a single step. Every thousand years, the Kami Dragon reappears, and the person in possession of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers is granted a wish. The dragon is returning, and Yumeko, the half-kitsune, half-human orphan raised among monks, has the scroll. Adversaries have already burned her home and killed the monks who raised her. Now, she must travel across the land and keep the scroll safe and secret at all costs. She even makes a dangerous bargain for protection with a mysterious samurai. The fate of the world relies on Yumeko’s journey, but with demons and assassins nipping at her heels, success is anything but certain.
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming
Romance lovers will be delighted by Cinnamon’s chaotic journey in book one of the Mead Mishaps series. Spice trader Cinnamon lives to avoid big adventures, but when she drunkenly encounters a demon on her walk home, she protects herself with cinnamon and frees the dragon-shifter from a curse. Now, the demon she freed wants her to journey across the kingdom to take down the evil witch and free the demons under her influence. Sure, he also wants to marry Cinn, but he can multitask.
The Lights of Ystrac’s Wood by Alexandra Rowland
The sacred wood of Ystrac, the god of the hunt and wilderness, fills all who pass through it with wild terror. Only the lanterns tended by priests of Talesyn, the god of poets, keep the fear away. Dedicated to Ystrac, Aneth guides travelers like the Talesyn priest, Corentin, along the road and accepts the forest’s fear. Determined to light a lantern’s flame, Corentin must face the challenges of Ystrac’s wood head-on in Rowland’s atmospheric novella.
This Will Be Fun by E. B. Asher (September 10, 2024)
Saving the kingdom from villainy absolutely ruined the lives of all adventurers involved. Galwell the Great, his sister Elowen, her best friend Beatrice, and the ex-bandit Clare became heroes, but no one thought Galwell would sacrifice himself to save the world. A decade later, Elowen lives alone in a nightmare forest, Beatrice is recently divorced, Clare is the kingdom’s hero, and former villain Vandra works for the Queen. But, when they receive the Queen’s wedding invite—and a subsequent quest to save the Queen’s husband—they cannot say no. Even though they might not be the heroes they once were, they might just be able to find love—and glory—along the way.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Xingyin’s mother raised her on the moon, hidden from the Celestial Emperor up till the day her magic flared, revealing her existence to him. Now, she must leave her mother, her home, and everything she’s ever known behind and make her way to the Celestial Kingdom in disguise. Xingyin even manages to train alongside the emperor’s son and develop feelings for the prince. But when her mother’s life is threatened, she will have to overcome a dangerous quest, challenge the Celestial Emperor, and rebalance the scales of the world.
The High Mountain Court by A. K. Mulford
The Five Crowns of Okrith romantasy debut is a near-perfect backpack fantasy book. At 19, Remy is one of the last living red witches in Okrith. She would have spent the rest of her life in hiding, working at a tavern, if Prince Hale of the Eastern Kingdom and his fae warriors never found her. The prince wants to stop the war with the Northern Court, and he needs Remy’s help to make it happen. Together, they will start a journey across kingdoms to save everyone in the kingdom, including themselves.
I am glad to send you on your way with these backpack fantasy recommendations. Sometimes, all you need is a bit of magic, some friends, and the natural world to turn your life around. If you are looking for books in other related subgenres, try these Fantasy Books Inspired by Mythologies From Around the World, these Excellent Epic Fantasy Debuts, or these Must-Read Historical Fantasy Books.
