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here some great fantasy websites:

Storm The Castle.com - Fantasy and creativity with an edge

Epic-Fantasy.com - website devoted to the genre of epic fantasy

The Fantasy Guide - The complete guide to fantasy on the web

The Heroic Dreams Fantasy blog - daily updates and info on the genre in movies books and more

The Heroic Dreams Forum - Come share your thoughts and opinions on the genre of fantasy

 

 

Looking for an Epic Fantasy Novel or series?

You are searching for some good epic fantasy to read. First off we should probably clarify what "good" is. If you want to get clear on what you think "good" might be check out the essay "What Makes Good Epic Fantasy?" then come back.

Now we need to establish a baseline for where you currently stand in the epic fantasy world. Read over these guidelines and jump to the section that best describes your experience with epic fantasy:

Choosing one of these categories will jump you down the page to that section

1. Beginner I know nothing at all about epic fantasy, Of course I saw the Lord of the Rings movies but never read the books. I am curious to know what all the hullabaloo is about.

2. Intermediate I have read some epic fantasy but definitely wouldn't call myself an expert at it

3. Expert I have probably read at least twenty epic fantasy books and I am familiar with several series. I have a good handle on some of the more popular epic fantasy works but I am looking for some real gems that might have been overlooked. You are the type that will read the beginner and intermediate sections just because you have the desire to learn everything about the genre.

 

1. Epic Fantasy For Beginners

Before starting on this journey you might want to read the essay on what epic fantasy is.

Your first reaction when adventuring out into the world of epic fantasy might be to run out and buy the Lord of the Rings and this is ok but not my best recommendation. This series of three books is actually quite daunting a task and you may get discouraged. This is kind of like jumping into the deep end of the pool without learning to swim. The language in the books is a little stilted and the scope is just enormous. You will need to stretch your reading muscles a bit before you tackle these books.

If you are absolutely determined to get right into The Lord of the Rings then you have to absolutely and undeniably read The Hobbit first. (It comes in several different printings and there are several inexpensive paperback versions to choose from). It is the prequel to the Lord of the Rings. It introduces you to many of the main characters and villains and it sets the stage for almost everything in the series. If you are still hell bent on the whole series then you can buy http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345340426&templates=bestsellers">all four books packaged together in a reasonable price. But read the Hobbit first -don't skip over it. You won't be disappointed.

Now lets say that you already read these books or because you saw the movies and you know what is going to happen you want to try something different. Well this is where epic fantasy gets really juicy! there are plenty of other works that are just as satisfying. The Earthsea Trilogy, written by Ursula K. LeGuin is a fantastic set of books now totaling 6 and a great place to start your adventure. The first book called A Wizard of Earthsea is about a boy named Ged who is sent off to wizard school to learn how to become a wizard! Sounds familiar right? But this was written twenty years before Harry Potter. There are some wonderful things in this book including a fateful and revealing encounter with a dragon and plenty of secrets that only wizards can know. You are going to love these books! I guarantee it! And they are suitable for children and adults alike.

I don't normally recommend getting more than one book in a series if you aren't familiar with the author already but in the case of the Earthsea books I recommend you http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140154272&templates=bestsellers">buy the first four as a package. The books are small and the first book is only 183 pages. You could read this whole book in one sitting and be disappointed because you now have to order the rest of them and wait until they arrive. And believe me, you are going to want to read the rest of them.

Okay you are thinking to yourself that this all sounds pretty good but it seems to be focusing more on the fantasy aspect of epic fantasy and you want something more epic. Maybe you are looking for something less enchanting and more muscular. You have visions of big heroes overcoming enormous odds to save a mysterious world. Maybe you would like grand battles and one on one combat. Well I have the perfect book for you. It has been described as the epic fantasy book that raises the bar for all other epic fantasy books. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin is complete with lords, ladies, assassins, sorcerers, barbarians, ice vampires, direwolves, and of course a dragon princess. It is the first book in the series A Song of Ice and Fire and the fourth book is set to be released in November so now is the perfect time to start on the series.

I envy the next couple of months for you as a beginner. You are going to experience things that you won't be able to let go of. You are going to find yourself in work or in school just dying to get back home so you can continue with the book. Epic Fantasy is that powerful.

If you want to look into some series Castlefiction has put together a comprehensive list of the more popular epic fantasy series.

 

2. Intermediate: Epic Fantasy for the fan who is an occasional reader looking for some more good books.

You have probably read a couple of different series and you are looking for a new series to start on until your favorite author puts out the next book. It can be a long time between novels in a series. I have some great series here for you to discover. Each one comes with an overview of what it is about. Just skip over any that you have already read.

The Wheel of Time (series) - Robert Jordan
These books are well crafted and very detailed. There is all of the expected fantasy and epic aspects to this series and if you really like the politicial intrigue of different factions and houses then this is right for you. There is a faction of women called the Aes Sedai which are very reminiscent of the Bene Gesserit order in the Dune series. The books are enormous so this is a serious undertaking. The plots develop slowly and evolve over time. So if you like fast reads with lots of action this is probably not the series for you. The most current book and the 11th in the series is http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312873077&templates=bestsellers">The Knife of Dreams. (released Oct 05)

The Shannara series -Terry Brooks
If you are a hard core Lord of the Rings fan and you are looking for similar material this series of books is for you. The first book is the http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345314255/stormthecastl-20">Sword of Shannara It was published in 1977 and was the first fantasy book to make the New York Times Bestseller list since the Lord of the Rings. There are http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345314255,0345285549,0345356365&templates=mytemplates">three books in the Sword of Shannara series The second and third books are http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345285549/stormthecastl-20">The Elfstones of Shannara, and the http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345356365/stormthecastl-20">Wishsong of Shannara.

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever (series) - Stephen Donaldson
This is a series of ten books that starts with http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345348656/stormthecastl-20">Lord Foul's Bane. This series is a sweeping epic fantasy that takes some good variations on the theme. The main character (Covenant) epitomizes the anti-hero. He is thrust into a world that he doesn't fully believe in and he constantly attempts to deny the role of redeemer of the land that is thrust upon him. There is also a race of warriors called the Haruchai that take a nice twist o the warrior race theme. They have vowed to never use weapons. They fight strictl in hand-to-hand combat bare handed. And they are quite good at it!

The Runelords - (series) David Farland (Pen name for Dave Wolverton)
If you love epic fantasy video games you are going to love this series of books. It takes a very video game oriented theme and applies it to this world. With the help of a Facilitator and a specially forged metal called Blood Metal a person can take attributes from other people and animals. So a person can take the strength or the sight, or wit or metabolism and there is no limit to how many people the attributes can come from. So a Rune lord can become very powerful. But there is a cost. The Runelord must care for those that he received attributes from and there are always trade offs.If you increased your metabolism by ten times you could run ten times faster but you would also age ten times faster. There are Four books in the series and the first book is The Runelords: The Sum of All Men . This series of books is currently in production to be released as major motion pictures so you may want to get a head start by reading them.

A Song of Ice and Fire (series) - George R.R.Martin There are currently four books in this series. There are several unique things about this series that sets it apart from many other series. First of all the quality of writing is extremely high. When the first book http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553573403&templates=bestsellers">A Game of Thrones  was released in 1996 it was heralded as being a notch above most everything that came before. It wasn't just another cookie cutter from the Tolkien mold. Some interesting things are that the seasons in the world are unlike normal seasons. They don't change every four months; They can last as long as ten years. Magic takes a lesser role in this world with an almost ominous undertone.

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn -Tad Willliams This is a series of three hardcover books that was changed into four books when released to paper back. (The third novel was split into two volumes). The first book in the series is The Dragonbone Chair. It follows the path of a kitchen boy as he struggles to rulership over the entire world of Osten Ard. The world has several races that parallel human history such as the vikings and ancient romans. It also has a race of elf like people called the Sithi who are immortal.

If you want to look into some series Castlefiction has put together a comprehensive list of the more popular epic fantasy series.

 

3. Expert: Well versed in epic fantasy, have read plenty of it and looking for gaps in your reading, things you might have overlooked or missed. Looking for those rare gems that an aficionado can appreciate. Let me give you a gem from several different categories.

Historic Figures in Epic Fantasy:

How about taking an adventure into the life of a real epic scale character and the building onf an empire on an epic scale? This book has everything: A driven and larger than life figure and an exotic land. Have you ever read anything about Genghis Khan? This is an award winning and very powerful novel based on the Khans life. The Blue Wolf: The Epic Tale of the Life of Genghis Khan and the Empire of the Steppes

Rare, Little Known works:

This novel is one of those rare gems that few people know about. If you are looking for a great epic fantasy adventure that is not cut from the typical mold then this is definitely one you need to get. You will not be disappointed. It is nordic in setting and will keep you interested from the first page to the very last. If you are getting weary of Medieval England and want to take a look at Medieval period Vikings then The Deepest Sea is a perfect choice.

Classic:

The Worm Ouroboros - (first published in 1922) by E.R.Eddison This was the Lord of the Rings before the Lord of the Rings was published. You have no doubt heard of this book but if you haven't read it there is definitely a gap in your knowledge of the field. If you are skeptical you may want to learn more about the Ouroboros to understand how important this symbol is in mythology (A circular symbol of a snake swallowing its own tail)

Your Library: If you collect epic fantasy here is a short list of absolute must haves:

 

If you want to look into some series Castlefiction has put together a comprehensive list of the more popular epic fantasy series.