Best Epic Fantasy Books

1. A Song of Ice and Fire

George R.R. Martin

5 volumes published · 1996–2011 · Bantam Spectra (US) / Voyager (UK)

Several noble houses fight for control of the Seven Kingdoms. Intrigues, wars, and political alliances dictate the events. Magic slowly returns to a world that has long forgotten it.

What makes it unique is the uncompromising portrayal of power, consequences, and death. Characters are not protected. Decisions carry permanent weight. The world possesses historical depth, distinct cultures, and clear rules.

Essential because it liberated epic fantasy from the tropes of Good vs. Evil and replaced them with realistic power dynamics that reshaped the genre.

Official Website

2. The Lord of the Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien

3 volumes · 1954–1955 · Allen & Unwin (UK) / Houghton Mifflin (US)

The One Ring must be destroyed before its creator, Sauron, can subjugate the world. Various peoples form an alliance against absolute evil.

Tolkien created the foundation of modern high fantasy: constructed languages, deep history, coherent mythology, and a functional world logic that every later author works against or alongside.

Essential because the genre was defined here. No modern series exists without this blueprint somewhere behind it.

Official Estate Website

3. The Wheel of Time

Robert Jordan

14 volumes · 1990–2013 · Tor Books

A young man is identified as the reincarnation of a legendary hero and must save the world from the Dark One. Simultaneously, a global power struggle unfolds between orders, kingdoms, and sorcerers.

Unique for its massive cast of characters, complex magic systems, and a coherent world history spanning 14 volumes. The final three volumes were completed by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan's death.

Essential for the sheer scale and consequence of long-form epic fantasy. Few works in the genre match its architectural ambition.

Fan Community Site

4. The Stormlight Archive

Brandon Sanderson

5 volumes published of 10 planned · since 2010 · Tor Books

A world ravaged by storms stands on the brink of a new war between ancient powers. Warriors, nobles, and those gifted with magic carry fragments of a forgotten history.

Particularly notable are the logically structured magic system, the political conflicts between the Highprinces of Alethkar, and psychologically complex characters like Kaladin and Dalinar.

Essential because modern epic fantasy is technically perfected here. Sanderson has set the current benchmark for the genre's craft.

Official Website

5. The Elven (Die Elfen)

Bernhard Hennen

Extended saga · since 2004 · Heyne (DE) / limited English availability

An elven realm fights against demonic powers and the decline of its own culture. The series combines classic high fantasy with a deep European narrative tradition.

Particularly strong in clear moral fronts, tragic decisions, epic battles, and the long-term evolution of the world across multiple generations of characters.

Essential as a significant work of German high fantasy. Limited English translation means most anglophone readers still do not know this series — they should.

Official Website

6. Malazan Book of the Fallen

Steven Erikson

10 volumes · 1999–2011 · Bantam Press (UK) / Tor Books (US)

Empires, gods, and ancient races fight simultaneously across several continents. There is no single main character, but a global panorama of war.

Unique for its military depth, mythology, and complexity. Readers are required to think actively — Erikson refuses to spoon-feed context or simplify his structure.

Essential for experienced fantasy readers seeking the most sophisticated epic structures the genre has produced.

Official Website

7. The Kingkiller Chronicle

Patrick Rothfuss

2 volumes published of 3 · since 2007 · DAW Books

A legendary mage tells the story of his own life: from his wandering childhood and his time at the University to the political intrigues that shaped his legend.

Notable for its controlled prose and focus on knowledge, music, and magic as tangible tools. Rothfuss treats sympathy and naming as technical disciplines, not mystical gestures.

Essential for its lyrical style and the figure of the tragic hero told in his own voice. The third volume remains awaited for over a decade.

Official Website

8. The Dwarves

Markus Heitz

Main saga + spin-offs · since 2003 · Piper (DE) / Orbit (English)

A dwarf becomes the defender of an entire realm against orcs, trolls, and traitors. The series holds unusually close to its non-human protagonist, never drifting into human perspective as a relief.

Unique for its consistent perspective from a non-human hero and its military clarity. Battles are not abstracted — Heitz describes formations, terrain, and tactical decisions.

Essential for fans of classic epic war fantasy who want the form delivered without grimdark deconstruction.

Official Website

9. Mistborn

Brandon Sanderson

Two eras, multiple volumes · since 2006 · Tor Books

An oppressed world is controlled by an immortal ruler. A crew of thieves plans his overthrow using a precise magic system based on ingested metals.

Unique for its fusion of high fantasy with heist-and-revolution tropes. Sanderson takes the premise "what if the Dark Lord won?" and builds a functional thousand-year tyranny around it.

Essential for its innovative world mechanics and for demonstrating that rigorously engineered magic can still feel wondrous.

Official Website

10. Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn

Tad Williams

3 main volumes + continuing saga · since 1988 · DAW Books

A kitchen boy is pulled into a war between humans and ancient races. A slow-build, expansive world, and a classic hero's journey rendered with unusual patience.

Essential as the vital bridge between Tolkien and modern grimdark. George R.R. Martin has explicitly named Williams as a direct influence on his own work.

Williams continued the saga in 2017 with a new trilogy and remains active in the Osten Ard universe.

Official Website

11. The Farseer Trilogy

Robin Hobb

3 main volumes · 1995–1997 · Bantam Spectra (US) / Voyager (UK)

A royal bastard is trained as a tool of the crown. He serves as spy, assassin, and messenger in a realm threatened by external enemies and internal intrigue.

Unique for its consistent portrayal of duty, loss, and personal sacrifice. The focus is on loyalty and responsibility rather than conventional heroism.

Essential for its realistic character development and long-term world logic. Hobb is the psychological counterpart to Tolkien's mythic tradition — few authors in the genre probe interiority so deeply.

Official Website

12. The First Law

Joe Abercrombie

Trilogy + standalones + Age of Madness · since 2006 · Gollancz (UK) / Orbit (US)

Warriors, nobles, and sorcerers are caught in a war between empires manipulated by ancient powers. Battles, betrayal, and power politics define the course.

Notable for its radical honesty: heroes fail, ideals shatter, and violence has real consequences. Glokta, the crippled inquisitor, is one of the genre's great cynical narrators.

Essential because epic fantasy is told here without romanticism, taking military and political reality seriously. The closest modern heir to the Martin tradition in tone.

Official Website

13. Elric of Melniboné

Michael Moorcock

Multi-volume saga · since 1972 · Various publishers

An albino emperor fights with a cursed sword that devours souls. His world is governed by the opposing forces of Law and Chaos.

Unique for its tragic anti-hero and the philosophical structure of power and responsibility. Stormbringer, the soul-drinking blade, is one of fantasy's great cursed objects.

Essential because Elric shaped the image of the dark fantasy hero. Every brooding, cursed protagonist in the genre since owes something to Moorcock.

Official Website

14. The Witcher

Andrzej Sapkowski

8 main volumes · since 1993 · Gollancz (English) / SuperNOWA (Polish)

A mutant hunts monsters in a world saturated with political conflict, racism, and war. The series blends folklore motifs with complex statecraft and moral dilemmas.

Essential for its mix of mythology, politics, and consequence. The world is brutal, logical, and built with historical credibility that refuses fairy-tale comfort.

Sapkowski's prose treats monsters as moral puzzles, not action set pieces — Geralt's dilemmas matter more than his sword work.

Official Website

15. Lightbringer

Brent Weeks

5 volumes · 2010–2019 · Orbit

Magic is based on the spectrum of light, which creates physical substances known as luxin. An empire is threatened by prophecy and internal power struggles.

Unique for its technical magic system and the intertwining of religion, politics, and war. Weeks treats colour theory as the foundation of a theological hierarchy.

Essential for its innovative world mechanics and strategic conflicts. A completed five-book saga, rare in contemporary epic fantasy.

Official Website

16. The Black Company

Glen Cook

10 volumes · since 1984 · Tor Books

A mercenary company serves various masters in a war between sorcerers and empires. Told from the viewpoint of common soldiers, not kings or chosen ones.

Essential because it presents epic fantasy with military realism — focused on orders, survival, and group loyalty rather than heroic arcs.

Cook is the direct ancestor of the grimdark subgenre. Abercrombie, Bakker, and most modern cynical fantasy trace their lineage through The Black Company.

About the Author

17. The Black Magician Trilogy

Trudi Canavan

Main trilogy + sequels · 2001–2003 · Orbit

A young woman discovers her magic by accident and is pulled into the power structures of an elite guild. Politics, training, and social hierarchy are at the forefront.

Essential for its clear world order, functional magic system, and long-term conflict building. Canavan treats the class structures of magical education as the real engine of her plot.

A cleaner, more accessible alternative to the grimdark-heavy market — structured magic and political weight without the nihilism.

Official Website

18. The Goblin Emperor

Katherine Addison

1 main volume + continuations · 2014 · Tor Books

An unloved heir suddenly becomes emperor of an elven empire. Instead of battles, the focus is on administration, diplomacy, and the weight of responsibility.

Essential because high fantasy is explored here through governance and ethical consequence rather than conventional warfare.

A proof-of-concept that epic fantasy does not require a climactic battle — the highest stakes can be a council vote and a diplomatic apology.

Official Website

19. Sword of Shadows

J.V. Jones

4 volumes · since 1999 · Warner Aspect / Orbit

A borderland between humans and strange beings becomes the setting for an ancient war. The series blends Nordic motifs with political decay and an ancient threat returning.

Essential for its dark atmosphere and realistic depiction of clan-level and border conflicts. Jones writes cold landscapes as few other authors can.

A series that stayed under-read partly because it demands patience — the reward is one of the most atmospheric frontiers in modern fantasy.

Official Website

20. The Monarchies of God

Paul Kearney

5 volumes · 1995–2002 · Gollancz (UK)

Two realms fight for supremacy while an ancient power returns. The narrative is tight, militarily precise, and free of unnecessary subplots.

Essential for readers seeking classic high fantasy with clear structure and hard consequences. Kearney writes naval warfare and siege campaigns with authority.

One of the most underread epic fantasy series of the 1990s — a generation of readers missed it because it was marketed quietly.

About the Author