Which fantasy novel won the first World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1975?

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld won the first World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1975.

Written by Patricia A. McKillip, “The Forgotten Beasts of Eld” was first published in 1974. The 1975 World Fantasy Awards recognized it as the inaugural winner in the Best Novel category, making the book an important early landmark for the award and for modern high fantasy.

The novel follows Sybel, a young woman raised in isolation in the mystical land of Eldwold. She summons and cares for legendary creatures, but her secluded life changes when political power, family history, love, and revenge draw her into the wider world. The book combines fairy-tale imagery with emotionally complex questions about freedom and responsibility.

The date can be misleading: 1975 is the award year, while the novel itself appeared in 1974. “The Once and Future King,” “The Left Hand of Darkness,” and “The Silmarillion” are influential fantasy or speculative works, but none was the first Best Novel winner of the World Fantasy Awards.