Genre Primer: Epic Fantasies

A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin
Let’s start with the 800-pound Direwolf in the room: A Song of Ice and Fire, a.k.a. A Game of Thrones. One of the most influential and successful epic fantasy series ever produced, A Song of Ice and Fire is a modern re-imagining of the epic fantasy that takes traditional tropes and inverts, subverts, and re-invents them. For anyone who has watched the TV series and loved it, these books could be the gateway drug to an epic epic fantasy habit.

A Memory of Light (Wheel of Time Series #14), by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
When James Oliver Rigney, Jr, better known as Robert Jordan, author of the mega-successful Wheel of Time series, passed away in 2007, he left one of the most epic, complex, and longest-running epic fantasy series in history unfinished. Brandon Sanderson (well known on his own account for the Mistborn and Stormlight Archive novels) has brought the story of Rand Al’Thor and the Dark One to a rousing and suitably huge ending—as evidenced by the series’ collective nomination for a 2014 Hugo Award.

Half a King, by Joe Abercrombie
Joe Abercrombie writes stories that combine epic scale and intense action with some of the best-realized and most complex characters in modern fantasy. Half a King is the first in the Shattered Sea series, introducing us to another incredibly detailed world and an incredibly affecting character in Yarvi, the titular “half a king,” who is first a reluctant royal, later a deposed and tortured prisoner, and finally, a seeker of revenge—and, through it all, fascinating company. This isn’t just a great gift for fantasy fans, but for readers in general.

Fool’s Assassin, by Robin Hobb
Hobb is often credited, alongside George R.R. Martin, with reinvigorating and modernizing epic fantasy with her Farseer trilogy and subsequent series set in the same universe. For any fan who was excited about the earlier books, the publication of Fool’s Assassin, which returns to FitzChivalry Farseer as a main character for the first time since Fool’s Fate in 2003, is sure to please.

The Broken Eye, by Brent Weeks
Book three in the Lightbringer series continues the tale of Gavin and Kip Guile in the remarkably fresh and fully-realized universe of the Seven Satrapies and the Chromeria, where light itself is a magical material and technology is a bit more advanced than your typical medieval epic fantasy setting (with gunpowder and simple machines in wide use). Weeks has created an absorbing story filled with intrigue, twists, and one of the most well-thought-out magic systems of all time.

The Daylight War, by Peter V. Brett
Book three of Brett’s Demon Cycle series, The Daylight War is a perfect gift for those who read the first books—The Warded Man and The Desert Spear—and haven’t yet continued the adventure. Brett fully embraces the epic nature of the genre, having taken two full novels to establish the overarching premise that only comes together in this third installment, making it a must-read for fans of who prefer to soak in all the details.

The Republic of Thieves, by Scott Lynch
The third book in Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard series (and who can resist a name like that?) was six years in the writing, but for readers, it was worth the wait. Lynch has created a startlingly original universe, with the unusual (for epic fantasy) focus on a richly detailed criminal underground and the interpersonal relationships between characters. Those who read the first two and got tired of waiting for The Republic of Thieves, would do well to get back into the books now, before the expected publication of book four in 2015.

The Widow’s House, by Daniel Abraham
The penultimate installment of The Dagger and the Coin series, The Widow’s House is the beginning of the end for what has been an impressively detailed and subtle epic fantasy, and one of the few to seriously incorporate economics into its worldview and plotting. Don’t worry—this isn’t a series for bean counters, but rather a gripping story that feels like it’s based on real people, and real ideas.

Tower Lord, by Anthony Ryan
Ryan’s second Raven’s Shadow novel (after Blood Song) continues the saga of assassin Vaelin Al Sorna, member of the Sixth Order, known as Hope Killer, now a man tired of death and praying for a quiet escape—a hope that, naturally, is doomed. Ryan hasn’t reinvented the epic fantasy here, but what he has taken traditional ingredients and created something fresh and new that will excite fans of the first book, and even has the potential to convert newcomers to epic fantasy.

The Belgariad, by David Eddings
Although it pre-dates the ‛modern’ period of epic fantasy, Eddings’ breakthrough work remains a powerful story of maimed gods who inhabit a fully fleshed-out world, with a cast of characters you’ll enjoy spending time with. If you’re looking for an ideal introduction to epic fantasy to gift to a voracious reader, you can’t go wrong with this story of immortals, their servants, and a struggle for a magical talisman of immense power.