One of my favourite fantasy settings has always been vast, tangled forests, preferably with a healthy dose of magical beasts and enchantments.
Forests hold such promise of adventure, and yet also inspire fear of the unknown. They offer a simpler existence than we know in our cities and towns, but at the same time are frighteningly untamed — the playground of wolves, nymphs and gods. And they provide everything a skilled forester could need to survive and flourish, and enough danger to ensure a naïve city-dweller wouldn’t last more than a few nights alone.
These, I believe, are just a few reasons they’ve featured so heavily in myths, fairytales and fantasy throughout human history — from Grimms’ Fairy Tales to the sprawling worlds of modern fantasy.
Read on for five fantasy novels and series that feature unforgettable magical forests:
Fangorn Forest, from The Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien
We start with arguably the most iconic of them all: a forest that’s not just enchanted, but actually filled with tree-like beings called Ents. Shepherds of the trees, they protect them from evil and danger.
We now know that trees behave not entirely dissimilarly to this in the real world, communicating with each other via an underground network of linked fungi and roots. Tolkien was well ahead of his time!
Mossflower Wood, from Redwall by Brian Jacques
There are few settings as idyllic and nostalgic in children’s literature as Mossflower Wood. Told in beautiful prose and brimming with talking animals, perilous quests and epic feasts, this series can be enjoyed by all ages!
The Wyrdwood, from Gods of the Wyrdwood by R. J. Barker
Lush and dreamlike, and yet also completely terrifying, the woods and forests of this world are depicted in vivid detail. One of the most intriguing parts of the series is that there is no metal in the world, meaning everything from armour to currency is made from wood.
The Forbidden Forest, from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
“The forest was black and silent.” – with these six words, J.K. Rowling paints a vivid, unforgettable picture. The forest may not feature much in the books, but each and every scene set beneath its branches is seared into my memory.
The Wood, from Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Sinister, sentient, and unnervingly real, the Wood in Uprooted is no passive setting — it’s the story’s main antagonist. Creeping ever closer to human settlements, the forest is as malevolent as it is magical.
Step into the Kingdom of Ashwood…
If you enjoyed exploring these magical forests, you might just love my upcoming fantasy series Chronicles of the Divided Isle. Set in a densely forested kingdom, the wilds of Ashwood influence everything from travel to education to magic. Magicians’ staffs are carved from forest wood, with each tree species offering different magical powers.
Read on for an excerpt from a spell-casting lesson set deep in the forest, taken from the first book in the series, Witchcraft and Fury (out August 2025), and don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter to receive a free prequel novella!
Witchcraft and Fury, spell-casting excerpt:
Solar needed no more encouragement. Her tongue was tingling, eager to voice the entrancing words on the page. Her eyes fixed on the slanting text, and the crackling of the flames died slowly in her ears until all she could hear was her own voice:
‘Fear not the axe’s cruel blows. The ignorant will hew, the greedy plunder, tearing branch from trunk asunder. Behold! The son follows in the steps of his forefathers, bringing wicked blade to dappled glade …’
The campfire’s heat grew in intensity, and Solar became dimly aware of a stirring at the very fringes of her vision, amongst the trees. But she was caught up in the spell, in the feel of the words as they spilled from her lips:
‘Despair not! For whilst flame may ravage your dells, claim your glades like so many untamed beasts loose from the cage, life will stir anew from the ashes
—’
‘Oswald, continue!’ commanded Loveday.
Solar fell silent, and Oswald took up from where she had left off:
‘For deep within the earth lie the seeds of the forest, imbued with magic, forever untouched by frost, flame or axe …’
As Oswald spoke, Solar saw shadows moving in the clearing. It was as if great, tall things, enormous things, were rising from the ground to loom over them.
They took turns with the spell, feeling its power swell around them, until finally Loveday commanded, ‘Pingot!’, and Pingot finished the incantation:
‘Rise tall! An oak born again from the acorn. Feel life course from root to branch. For you are the forest, proud and unconquered, a magic spanning beyond the dawn and twilight of man.’
Loveday stood from his place round the fire and, lifting his staff to the heavens, cast a bright light over the clearing.
Only it was a clearing no longer. The tree stumps were gone, and in their place were newly grown trees, a forest more alive and vibrant than any they had seen before.