Most people enjoy a brand of fantasy, be it epic fantasy or urban fantasy or some variation of the two extremes, so to speak.  I personally enjoy pretty much all types of fantasy when it’s well-written and one of the things that makes it so is usually the fantasy creatures that inhabit the writer’s world.  What elevates some fantasy books from good to great is well thought out, unique fantasy creatures.  They don’t necessarily have to be completely unique, but I do like it when authors put a new spin on old tropes, particularly regarding vampires, werewolves and dragons.

Personally, my favourite fantasy creature is dragons.  I love dragons in fiction because there is really no canon dragon; each author most definitely has their own type.  Christopher Paolini in his Inheritance Cycle has dragons with riders that are just as intelligent, if not more than humans.  Marc Secchia has both dragons, dragon shapeshifters, Ancient Dragons and dragonets and his fantasy world is one of the best thought out of all the ones I’ve ever read.  Rachel Hartman’s math-loving, shape-shifting, highly analytical dragons are pretty cool as well.  Essentially, dragons are unique to the writer and that part of what makes me love them so much.

Now what I want to know is this: What is your favourite fantasy creature?  Why?