Nostalgia hits real.

You ever see a book cover and get hit with memories from years ago?

Me too.

Here are the 4 most nostalgic fantasy series from my childhood.

Deltora’s Quest

A series that many kids of the 90s will remember, this beloved fantasy series has ballooned to 15 books!

These books were all the rage when I was in elementary school. Every year people would rush to get the newest one at the Scholastic Book Fair. (Also, remember the book fairs? Those were awesome.)

It became a communal thing. We’d all read the latest book, talk about it, and swap books and theories. At one point we even made a hand-drawn card game for it.

The books follow the story of Leif, our hero and protagonist, as he ventures to find all 7 of the Deltora’s Gems to fill out a belt that will make him strong enough to defeat the evil emperor. (I wrote this summary from memory but I know it’s close.)

Each book is a new quest for the next gem. New big boss, new setting, etc. They were short, action-packed and fun.

Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle)

Oh Eragon. The story of a small-town boy finding a dragon egg, bonding with a mysterious mentor and going on a quest to save the world.

These were my introduction to fantasy. And they were fun.

To put it into one word — dragons.

Sure, they’re filled with fantasy clichés but now that I’m a little more well-read in the genre, I sort of love that. What’s wrong with a fun book packed with dragons and clichés?

I don’t have any real desire to read these again, but I have no problem recommending them to younger readers.

(The scene where the cousin goes crazy with a hammer and wins a battle by himself is one I think about a lot.)

Silverwing Series

This series feels like a fever dream.

I had to google them to make sure they weren’t.

I’m going to try and write the synopsis of each book from memory.

Silverwing is the story of a bat who is separated from his tribe and has to fight to get back to them. Sunwing is about them losing their home and migrating south. And Firewing is the story of our main character going to the underworld to save his son from Hell.

I looked this up, and I was pretty close.

Featuring cannibals, a bat/bird rivalry that dates back to dinosaurs times, rat kings and bat religions, this was a series like no other.

And I loved them.

(It says they were bestsellers but I have no idea if anyone else read them.)

Harry Potter

This was the easiest to put on this list.

I think anyone who lived in the 90s through the early 2010s has nostalgia for Harry Potter. Whether it was the books, movies or games.

The magical world, the lovable (and hate-able) characters, the sense of wonder, the fun stories.

This was also the last series for me, with everyone reading and talking about it. I was a little too old for Twilight or The Hunger Games. The Game of Thrones show had it a bit, but not quite the same.

Harry Potter was the last time that everyone I knew was into it. We would read the books and talk about what we thought would happen next. We’d mourn Dumbledore and share theories.

I have unforgettable memories of lining up for a midnight release at the bookstore with my friends, all of us in costume.

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Let me know if you have any fantasy series that are pure nostalgia for you.