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Amazingly Epic Fantasy

Minnow

Minnow

If you're gonna dig, dig to the heavens!
Halloo, does anyone have any recommendations for some truly epic novels or series? Preferably fantasy (mostly because most other genres don't really venture into that style), but whatever fits the bill. Something long, larger-than-life, and, however subjective an adjective this may be, awesome.

Most of the time I try to seek out very well-written stories, with great characterization and plot and things, but I feel like I need to give in sometimes. Sometimes you don't really want something deep, and thought-provoking. Or full of social commentary and metaphors. Sometimes you just want something fantastic you can immerse yourself in. Something that doesn't necessarily have an amazingly original plot, or extremely unique characters, but has that feel to it that pushes it into the realm of awesomeness.

Now, of course, great characters/plot are always pluses, but in this case they're not entirely necessary.

I feel a little shallow for asking about this, but it's like food. Yes sometimes you want that gourmet meal, which will undoubtedly be better than some $5 bacon, but other times, you know, you want the BACON.

So, I want epic fantasy. I want it to have grandeur. I want it to be awesome. I want to be able to listen to Nightwish while reading this book.

Any suggestions?
 
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, an urban fantasy detective noir series about a snarky wiseass wizard in modern-day Chicago. It's not epic in the fate-of-the-world high fantasy sense, but it is epic in the sense of including moments such as the main character riding a zombie dinosaur around the city. And it's just fun.
 
Definitely go George R. R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" books--I'd say they're exactly what you're looking for, and they're actually decently written to boot. They may be a little more political intrigue-y than your typical "epic" high fantasy, but there are still monsters and huge battles and distant lands and all that stuff. However, they are full of loads of violence and sex, so if that's not your thing, you probably want to stay away.

Also... Dragonlance. If you haven't read the original saga (starting with Dragons of Autumn Twilight) by Weiss and Hickman, you definitely should do that--they are pretty much the quintessential fantasy epic, and loads of fun at that. Generally I don't like the books in that universe by other authors as much, but the ones by Weiss and Hickman are pretty good and something that I always enjoy going back to when I want a fun, light read. If you enjoy those, Weiss and Hickman also wrote the Death Gate Cycle, which is a little different from your typical fantasy but contains many of the same elements. Again, fun read.

I know some people are really into the Forgotten Realms books, especially by R. A. Salvatore, as well; not personally a fan, but I think they're along the lines of what you want.

Recently I've started reading the first book in the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy by Tad Williams; as I'm only about a quarter of the way through the first book, I can't say terribly much about how it resolves as a series, but from what I've seen so far and given the descriptions of the later books, it sounds like Epic Fantasy. Nicely written as well.
 
Well y'know, there are always the old favorites, Harry Potter and Eragon, those are both pretty intense.

Then if you haven't already, check out Maximum Ride, a really kickass book that's also been converted into a graphic novel.

The Alex Rider series was a good read, really intense and full of suspense, with all that espionage going on.

Also, the White Fox Chronicles is almost 99% action, 1% plot. Lots of shooting and lasers and neo-nazis.

Also, a great book was Seeker by William Nicholson. I still haven't read the next two in the series but I wanna.

Don't worry, I'll think of more later. That's all I read.
 
Momoharu said:
Then if you haven't already, check out Maximum Ride, a really kickass book that's also been converted into a graphic novel.
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WHAT

HOW DID I KNOW NOTHING OF THIS

HOT FREAKING DOG

Anyway, the Song of Ice and Fire books are pretty good, I started reading the second one a little while ago and it's pretty awesome so far. Couldn't get the first one because someone lost the library copy :<

Also MAXIMUM RIDE but I didn't enjoy the fourth one. Too preachy about global warming, not enough action, less fantasy, all that.

And I'm just mirroring everyone else because honestly I haven't read all that many. =/
 
Uh... it's been a while since I've done any serious fantasy reading, but if you want interesting worlds and also happen to like dinosaurs then might I recommend the Quintaglio Ascension by Robert Sawyer? It's a trilogy about these tyrannosaurs that were apparently rescued from Earth before the K5 extinction event and put on another planet so the aliens could observe their evolution or something, and now they've developed their own civilization and competing religions and whatnot... it sounds absolutely ridiculous, I know, but Sawyer actually does an excellent job with the dinosaur society and beliefs. It isn't your typical sword and sorcery fantasy (it's probably better classed as straight-up science fiction), and it does draw pretty heavy parallels to the life story of Galileo and so can get a bit technical in places, but I really enjoyed the first book, found the world he'd created fascinating and have been looking for the other two for a while. The first book is called Far-Seer if you want to look for it; the trilogy is out of print now, though. I had to place a special order to get the first one. If you're just looking to borrow it from a library it shouldn't be too hard to find, though.

Also, I continue to find the use of the words "roots" and "vegetables" as curses awesome. "Oh, vegetables, Afsan, that's not good." Call me easily amused, but I thought it was cute.
 
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Definitely go George R. R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" books--I'd say they're exactly what you're looking for, and they're actually decently written to boot. They may be a little more political intrigue-y than your typical "epic" high fantasy, but there are still monsters and huge battles and distant lands and all that stuff. However, they are full of loads of violence and sex, so if that's not your thing, you probably want to stay away.
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Seconded so very very much. GRRM is head and shoulders above any other fantasy writer, saving perhaps only Ursula K. Le Guin. I cannot stress this recommendation enough. Although, yes, GRRM does not believe in censoring himself (he is not, however, quite as bad as Jacqueline Carey). Don't let that scare you away, though, trust me.

Most of the time I try to seek out very well-written stories, with great characterization and plot and things, but I feel like I need to give in sometimes. Sometimes you don't really want something deep, and thought-provoking. Or full of social commentary and metaphors. Sometimes you just want something fantastic you can immerse yourself in. Something that doesn't necessarily have an amazingly original plot, or extremely unique characters, but has that feel to it that pushes it into the realm of awesomeness.
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A Song of Ice and Fire is epic fantasy, but it is also the most well-written and well-plotted (seriously) series I have ever read. Plus the characterisation is hands-down the best of any fantasy series (there is not a single black-and-white character in the books, and defining protagonists and antagonists is... problematic). First book is A Game of Thrones. Get it.

Well y'know, there are always the old favorites, Harry Potter and Eragon, those are both pretty intense.
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Harry Potter isn't epic fantasy and Eragon is about as low as you can possibly go. Christopher Paolini is head and shoulders below any other fantasy writer, saving perhaps only that dragons-with-uzis dude.

The problem with epic fantasy is that most of it is really really bad. Under no circumstances should you read the Sword of Truth series. Under very few circumstances should you read the Wheel of Time series. And so on.

However! You do have Tad Williams, who is pretty good (I've only read the first book, though); you have Robin Hobb, who is not exactly an epic fantasy writer but close enough, and she is excellent; you have Brandon Sanderson, who shows great promise (I've only read one of his standalone novels, but he has a trilogy that sounds like what you want, and I've heard good things). Then you have the crossovers with other subgenres: there's Adrian Tchaikovsky for some added steampunk, Joe Abercrombie for some added heroic fantasy, and maybe I could even mention Neil Gaiman's The Sandman as a crossover with... Neil Gaiman fantasy.
 
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The series by William Nicholson beginning with ‘Seeker’ is really very good, and a gripping read. I also got into ‘The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness’ beginning with Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver. Obviously, there are the classics, like ‘The Lord of the Rings’, but there are some brilliant works that are newer as well.
 
I've been in the process of reading Janny Wurts' The Wars of Light and Shadow series, and all I can say is...WOW!!!

The plot pulls you in, and the description, while poetic at times, sets the scenes perfectly.
 
Dragonlance.

I've only read The Old Kingdom 3 years ago and the barnyard fight is still quite vivid in my mind. It's that epic.
 
Adrian Tchaikovsky!!!!

I know my boyfriend likes Raymond E. Feist's fantasy novels, which fill up pretty much an entire shelf in his room, but I don't know if they're actually any good.
 
opaltiger said:
Eragon is about as low as you can possibly go. Christopher Paolini is head and shoulders below any other fantasy writer, saving perhaps only that dragons-with-uzis dude.
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Omg I love you.

Anyway, I don't know about your standards, but one of my favorites is the Lightning Thief series. It's just... outstanding. Great modern interpretation of Greek Mythology. Also, I really liked Brave Story, it's by a cool Japanese author I know. Pretty "epic". I would say Artemis Fowl, but the series gradually goes downhill after the first two and, arguably, the third book.
 
I've found the Canadian author, Guy Gavriel Kay, to have pretty epic writing. I'm still a fan of his early book - the Fionavar Tapestry. x3
 
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