Recommendations Epic Scale Fantasy Novels

I usually recommend Ian Irvine's Three Worlds series. There is a lot of pages to get through too, which is quite nice. The first and second quartets are disconnected by 100+ years so you don't need to read the first quartet, but obviously it helps because you don't miss the references. I think the second quartet is the best though.

 

Daniel Abraham has written a couple of really good series. The Long Price Quartet is pretty damn good (though short in comparison to other epic fantasy works). His Dagger and Coin series is more of traditional western fantasy series though I didn't like ti as much.

Robert Jackson Bennett is a fantastic author, I really loved his Divine cities, as well as his other fantasy standalones such as The Troupe.

The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne is very popular, though I'm not a fan.

Sebastien de Castell's Greatcoats is amazing. Think The Three Musketeers in a fantasy world and it's just great.

For a more psychological fantasy, read R. Scott Bakker. It's good, but I never really got into it. Still it's quality and many others love it.

 

LOL, good luck with kingkiller 3rd book. maybe in year 2030 or never

Gentleman Bastards ............ Hope the new book will be 100x better than The Republic of Thieves.

My Rec (and haven't mentioned by other) :
Adventurers Wanted Series by M.L Forman ( a coming of age book)
Raven's Shadow by Anthony Ryan (just read the first book)
Codex Alera by Jim Butcher (my favourite)
Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson (a loose spin off of Elantris). Might as well read Warbreaker, Legion and Skin Deep.
The Rook by Daniel O'malley (not a series but still good)
Low Town by Daniel Polansky
Tales of the Kin series by Douglas Hulick (one of the my top fav)
Drakenfeld by Mark Charan Newton
Labyrinths of Echo by Max Frei
Farseer Trilogy and Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb
Vlad Taltos Series by Steven Brust
The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon
The Old Kingdom Chronicles by Garth Nix
The Wizard Engineer by Glenn Micheals

 

Wow. I approve. Even down to the fact that the books after Blood Song are garbage. Though Liveship traders by Hobb is also very good imo

 

I don't read Liveship Traders because there is no FitzChivalry Farseer in it

 

I find most of Robin Hobb's books kind of emotionally-dry and not as warm as some of the other authors of epic fantasy (Butcher, McCaffrey, Eddings, Tolkien even). Good if you like a slightly cool storytelling style which places more emphasis on world-building and logical ramifications of certain events/powers rather than the emotional lives of the characters. Similar to L.E. Modesitt's Recluce Saga.

Epic Fantasy authors with 'warm' storytelling styles:
- Jim Butcher, Codex Alera (6 books)
- Anne McCaffrey, Chronicles of Pern (20+ books, but don't read the ones co-authored by her son Todd.)
- David Eddings, Belgariad (5 books), Malloreon (5 books), Elenium (3 books) and Tamuli (3 books)
- Janny Wurts and Raymond E. Feist, Empire (Mara of the Acoma) Trilogy
- Lois McMaster Bujold, Chalion series (3 books) and Sharing Knife series (4 books).
- Elizabeth Moon, Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy
- Sharon Shinn, Twelve Houses series (5 books)
- Fiona McIntosh, Valisar, Percheron, Trinity or Quickening trilogies
- Sherwood Smith, Inda quartet
- Mercedes Lackey, Valdemar series (20+ books)
- Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory, Obsidian Mountain series (4 books)

Epic Fantasy authors with 'cool' storytelling styles:
- L.E. Modesitt, Saga of Recluce (14+ books), Corean Chronicles (6 books) and Spellsong Cycle (5 books)
- Steven Brust, Vlad Taltos series (14 books)
- Michelle Sagara, Chronicles of Elantra series (9 books)
- Jane Linskold, Firekeeper saga (6 books)
- Diana Pharoah Francis, Crosspointe Chronicles (4 books)

(Red are especially strong recommendations.)

 

I like the ones I have read of the ones you are strongly recommending. Will have to check out others based on that.

Paksenarrion has more than three books now. The rest are worth reading as well if you like the main trilogy. Elizabeth Moon's Sci fi is also good even though that wasn't asked for here.
Empire is the only great books Feist has been part of. Showing that Janny Wurts is the better author of the two and she does have an epic series in the Wars of Light and Shadow (only read the first book thus far). Feist does have a large number of books in his universe though and the overall history progressing is interesting.

 

I've never like the Belgariad tbh. It just felt too simplistic? No that's not the right word. Immature maybe? I'm not sure. I didn't like the three books of it I did read at least.

I haven't read over half of the books you mention, but I'm not really sure what exactly you mean by cold vs warm storytelling. Especially since Hobb emphasizes her characters so much more than anything else in her story. Fool's Assassin, the first book in the Third Fitz series is entirely character driven in plot with only minimal world-building to the point that you need to be familiar with the characters to really get into the book imo.

Regardless, the only series I've read on your list that I would agree is great is Empire, so I think that we just have different tastes in books.

But it does have the Fool

 

Emotionally dry? Not as warm? Does it meant that there are no happy and heart touching moments?
I find it emotional when he found a mother he never had in his stepmother. when he found NightEyes and they hunt together, forever. When he found his first love and lost it to someone like a father to him. I find it touching when the Queen bowed to him in respect because she is the only one knows what he sacrificed and will sacrifices more. TT_TT Damn it. I nearly tearing up again.

How did I ever forgot The Empire Trilogy!?
Liveship Traders has Fool in it? I only know a bit from The Tawny Man.
I like Belgariad not because the story itself but because of the interesting side characters and how slowly we discovered their past and how slowly they ended with happy endings. I like the crafty Silk, surprised that Mandorallen is actually smart, How silly Relg and Taiba was

 

I would like to recommend you The Amber Sword - http://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-amber-sword/ i is quite epic lattely, it's realli unique in sea of chinase novels ;p

 

Oddly enough, I don't find Janny Wurts' books that compelling either. I've read the Wars of Light and Shadow, and it's kind of... meh. About the same level as Feist's Serpentwar saga. But somehow, when these two good-but-not-great writers combined, they created something truly magical in Mara of the Acoma.

And thanks! Didn't realise the Paladin's Legacy series has developed so far. Last time I visited that universe, Moon had only completed the first novel. Heris Serrano is fun, I agree, though it starts off as kind of slow and small-scale (then again, I read it just after binge-ing Honor Harrington, so maybe my expectations were skewed).

Fair enough. Maybe we really do just have different tastes. I think Belgariad makes more of an impact on a young/inexperienced reader of fantasy. It was one of the first 10 fantasy series I read in my teens, so that probably played a part in it. Eddings did say that he wrote Belgariad as sort of an introduction to fantasy for younger readers, before they got to the great classics. If you started with and got used to some of the heavier or grimdark series, then Belgariad is very light. (Like reading YA fiction drama after finishing Les Miserables or War and Peace)

Oddly enough, the Assassin trilogy that introduced us to Fitz is probably the only trilogy I haven't read from Robin Hobb. I started with the Liveship Traders and worked both forwards and backwards. So maybe that might have skewed my perception of her as a more plot or world-driven author than a character-driven one. I didn't build the emotional connection to the characters of the world that Fitz's story might have provided.

The best examples I can use to contrast 'warm' versus 'cool' storytelling is L.E. Modesitt's Recluce Saga (cool) versus Jim Butcher's Codex Alera (warm). Maybe I can explain it by saying 'cool' storytelling is sort of the tone I associate more with speculative science fiction stories (like Ender's Game or Star Trek), while 'warm' storytelling is the sort of tone I associate more with space opera or romance stories (like Star Wars). There's a stronger emphasis on dispassion and regulating emotion with rationality when reacting to events in 'cool' stories, while 'warm' stories instead try to enhance the passion and emotional impact of certain scenes and how they affect the characters. In 'cool' stories, Spock (from Star Trek) is the narrator. In 'warm' stories, King Leonidas (from '300') is the narrator.

 

Yeah, I can agree with that Modesitt was one of the authors I have to agree with you is kinda lacking in the emotional character moments in his works (including his other works such as Spellsong and Imager Portfolio). And Butcher is just a pretty good writer in general, though his MCs do tend to be on the more instinctive side I agree.

And all of Hobb's series, outside of her three series starring the first person FitzChivalry are weaker because they don't have as good character interactions and the emotion isn't as poignant I would say (though Liveship is still quite good imo). The first series is still her best one too.

And yeah I didn't read the Belgariad until much later in my fantasy career. Though I did start with Eragon, R.A. Salvatore, and Dragonlance, so I have my own novels that I feel somewhat nostalgic to as my gateway to fantasy despite how poor they might actually be.

 

Read Eragon! Lots of dragons and magic~

 

I am actually hooked on to R S baker...he writes good stuff.
Same here, read the ubhewn throne but didn't sit well with me...
The greatcoat is awesome...his take on 3 musketeers mixed with sorcery and stuff is brilliant.I believe his 2 book has been released ...not sure but ppl say it's great...u should try it soon..
Thanks for the suggestions!

First off all...a great thanks and shout out to you...there quite few books in the list which I will need to try...checked there reviews on Goodreads...and well...

Btw continue the ravens shadow...the second and third part are epic...in literal sense...
As for kingkiller...I am pretty much much in a mood to bash him up...lol...tired waiting for his 3 book..
But it's way better than GoT..that gut has been postponing his release every year since past few years...
Once again thanks for the recommendations..

 

It's been 5 years since the last book in the Aspect Emperor but I guess since the series isn't as popular, and Bakker never made any promises, people aren't complaining nearly as much.

 

@Vex

Druss, the legend. The one where he's old.

Dresden files. Becomes kinda epic if you take into account all the politics of all the courts. Modern day though.

Iron druid. Kinda like dresden- in one book, their goal is to kill thor- cause he's an asshole.

Dune. If you liked wheel of time- this is the book it ripped off.

Winter of the world. Kinda old- but pretty cool fantasy setting and solid mc.

Steelheart. Superheroes is fantasy right? 3 books done. Also a product of sanderson's group of ghostwriters.

Warhammer is hit and miss. Warmaster 40k is great at building 'several' worlds. Start with horus heresy.

Silmarilion? Literal world building- and vin diesel read this.

It's a tv series- and hard to find, but try krod mandoon. It's a funny show that captures fantasy gaming humor- or at least, my gaming groups'.