China's first fantasy novel was Journey to the West.
The first Chinese novel was Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.
Edmund Spenser wrote 'The Faerie Queene' which is often regarded as an early fantasy novel. He was a well - known English poet, and his work in this area helped to shape the future of the fantasy genre with its complex characters and magical settings.
The first novel that was considered a fantasy novel was Journey to the West.
This question was a little difficult to answer because fantasy novels were a relatively broad concept. Different people might have different understandings of this word. But if we answer according to the common definition of a fantasy novel, then the first novel that is considered a fantasy novel is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
The first martial arts novel in modern China was The Legend of the Condor Heroes written by Jin Yong.
The first cultivation novel in modern China was " The Cultivators refute the Theory of Magic." The author of this book was first published in China in 2000. " Cultivators refute the theory of magic " was a fantasy novel with the theme of cultivation. It told the story of a young man named Li Yun who accidentally transmigrated to a different world and became a cultivator. In the process of cultivation, he constantly refuted various magic theories. This novel was widely welcomed by readers and became the first work of modern Chinese cultivation novels.
One of the early contenders for the first ever fantasy novel was 'The Epic of Gilgamesh'. It was written by an anonymous author in ancient Mesopotamia. It contains elements like a hero's journey and encounters with supernatural beings, which are typical of fantasy.
There is some debate about who exactly wrote the first urban fantasy novel. Some people might point to Fritz Leiber and his works like 'Our Lady of Darkness' which had early elements of urban fantasy.
For 'The Odyssey', it was written by Homer. His works have been studied for centuries for their literary merit and their contribution to the development of various genres, including fantasy.
It's hard to say for certain who wrote the first science fantasy novel. There are several contenders like Mary Shelley with 'Frankenstein' and Jonathan Swift with 'Gulliver's Travels'. Each of these works has elements that could classify them as science fantasy, but they were written in different historical contexts and for different purposes.