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Posted: 7/26/2024 12:07:08 AM EDT
[#1]
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher if you want something a little different.Two of Jim's other series have already been mentioned that are more classic fantasy, but the Dresden files is basically a modern day down on his luck Chicago gumshoe Wizard. There are 19 books in the series and they are all over the place from Judas to vampires to the Chicago mob to Greek Mythology to Odin, etc. The first book is a little slow, but it picks up quickly after that and they are fun easy reads.
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Posted: 7/26/2024 12:07:54 AM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Magician Series by Raymond Feist and The Death Gate Cycle by Weiss and Hickman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_Gate_Cycle |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 12:09:01 AM EDT
[#3]
The First Law, Joe Abercrombie.
Can be pretty dark, but awesome. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 12:12:18 AM EDT
[#4]
I would agree with those who recommended the Drizzt Do'Urden books by R.A. Salvatore. I also thoroughly enjoyed the original Shannara Trilogy as well as the Scions of Shannara by Terry Brooks. The Dragon Lance series was also good, as was the Legend of Huma, which occurred in the same world but I believe some years earlier in the Timeline. Not really a prequel, per se, but very related.
I will also throw out the Dragon Prince series by Melanie Rawn as a suggestion. There are also a great number of books in The Forgotten Realms series that were very good. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 12:23:02 AM EDT
[#5]
If you are already considering the Stormlight Archive just read everything cosmere related.
I’m sure there are lots of read orders online. Pick one, and stick to it. Wheel of Time is very good, and it ended incredibly well which many epic fantasy series struggle to do. It was finished by Brandon Sanderson if you didn’t know that. It does turn into a bit of a slog through the middle books, but it’s still worth reading. I haven’t been able to get into Malazan, but I’m determined to get it done eventually. Another great series is the First Law, and the Age of Madness which are both written by Joe Abercrombie. The two series are set about 20 years apart, but the second is a continuation of sorts to the first. It isn’t exactly epic fantasy though. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 12:26:14 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Science fiction I recommend the Red Rising series. Class warfare and whole planet battles. First book is kind of hunger games ish but after that the whole universe opens up. 5 books out now waiting on the final book to come out next year. I know OP said epic fantasy, but if he’s willing to try SciFi Red Rising is great. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 12:28:05 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This. I bought a bunch of them, planning to finish his series and just can’t get through the endless introspection and self loathing. War of the Spider Queen is good. Can recommend WoT, Song of Fire and Ice, Thieves World (although it goes off the rails at the end), Shannara, The Faithful and the Fallen, almost anything David Eddings. The Faithful and the Fallen is also really good. I just finished the first book of the second trilogy. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 12:28:24 AM EDT
[#8]
Walter Jon Williams' "Metropolitan" and "City on Fire" are more urban fantasy, but weird urban fantasy. He's writing the third book now, expected to be published within the next year. It's not "epic high fantasy" but since other people are recommending battling space lizards, what the hell.
 Quote HistoryQuoted: The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss(Book 3 has been under development for years. He works at the pace of George RR Martin. The first two books are excellent) Quote HistoryQuoted: The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss(Book 3 has been under development for years. He works at the pace of George RR Martin. The first two books are excellent) He literally hasn't even started the third. About a year and a half ago, Rothfuss "auctioned" the introductory chapter to get donations to his "charity" -- he promised to post it on his website if people donated more than several hundred thousand dollars. They did. He hasn't. Keep in mind that the "first chapter" to these books is very brief, highly formulaic, and should basically write itself. Having read the first two, I could slap together that chapter in a day. The fact that Rothfuss hasn't been able to put it together in 18 months -- and, indeed, didn't already have it written at some point in the last THIRTEEN YEARS -- indicates he hasn't done a single page of his third novel, and probably never will. The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny Good series, notable lack of elves. I would also recommend "Lord of Light" even though it's not really fantasy, just "sufficiently advanced technology indistinguishable from magic." |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 12:31:05 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The Riftwar saga by Raymond E Feist The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny The Books of Swords by Fred Saberhagen Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams The Belgariad by David Eddings Mistborn by Brian Sanderson The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss(Book 3 has been under development for years. He works at the pace of George RR Martin. The first two books are excellent) I feel like Kingkiller will never get finished which is why I haven’t started it, but maybe Rothfuss will surprise me. At this point I hope we actually get Winds of Winter, and I expect that will be the last a Song of Ice and Fire book we get from Martin, or probably anyone for that matter. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 12:32:19 AM EDT
[#10]
“Dies the Fire” by SM Stirling is good for awhile.
John Scalzi’s “Ghost Brigade” series. Seriously, early Jack Ryan/ Tom Clancy books. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 12:34:41 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: red rising is tier 1 space opera. blends roman and greek types with science fiction, including super vikings and similar. really screams to be made into a hbo/netflix multi-season show. It would make an amazing show. I’ve heard rumors, but it seems there are rumors surrounding every successful book series right now. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 12:50:18 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Think there’s a new Conan series out from Norwegian author? Why though? The worst thing that happened to Conan were the posthumous stories by others and movie adaptations. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 1:02:53 AM EDT
[#13]
David Drake
Hammer's Slammers The Voyage (Jason and the Argonauts) Cross the Stars (The Odyssey) Northworld (A retelling of Thor) |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 1:06:23 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The problem with Drizzt is he is a whiny cunt. Really? I know the Author is, but Drizzt never came off to me that way. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 1:17:18 AM EDT
[#15]
Monster Hunter Memoirs
Book 1-3 By John Ringo Freaking awesome!!! Chad Gardenier |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 1:19:04 AM EDT
[#16]
Serious answer.
1: The Saga of the Forgotten Warrior by Larry Corriea. 2: The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 1:19:51 AM EDT
[#17]
The Survivalist Series
Author : A.. AMERICAN |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 1:21:33 AM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The Survivalist Series Author : A.. AMERICAN  Not epic high fantasy |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 1:33:50 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Codex Alera by Jim Butcher https://www.jim-butcher.com/books/alera#:~:text=Codex%20Alera%20is%20an%20epic,Cursor's%20Fury I agree. Highly underrated series. I like it better than his Harry Dresden books. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 2:25:49 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I feel like Kingkiller will never get finished which is why I haven’t started it, but maybe Rothfuss will surprise me. The first two are worth reading regardless. Just use a library so Rothfuss doesn't get any money out of you. You can pretty much guess the core plot elements of the third based on what he's told you in the first two. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 2:52:21 AM EDT
[#21]
While we are throwing in some fairly old series, might as well add Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (to Thieves World, Chronicles of Amber, and several others I read like 40 years ago)..
Sorry, it was probably already mentioned 3 times... The only way to hurt a man who has lost everything, is to give him back something that is broken. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 3:04:13 AM EDT
[#22]
A large collection of books (currently 17) that is close to being finished are the Vlad Taltos novels by Steven Brust. There are 1 or 2 novels left to write in the main series, as well as other much shorter series that are related but are much earlier in the timeline the author is writing about. I recommend you read them in order, even though the timelines inside the books often jump around by decades; mostly via remembrances related to the current situation.
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Posted: 7/26/2024 3:38:41 AM EDT
[#23]
See my avatar. Unofficially called the Sparhawk Saga. It's a series of six books by author David Eddings. Two trilogies of 3 books each. Books 1-3 are called The Elenium. Books 4-6 are called The Tamuli. It is my favorite book saga of all time.
He also wrote another longer series of books that a lot of people like as well called The Belgariad and The Malloreon. Between those two series are a total of 10 books. There's also The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne Mccafferey. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 3:44:57 AM EDT
[#24]
Not really High Fantasy, but have you real the Elric of Melniborne series?
Closer to Conan than LoTR, but fun. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 4:17:27 AM EDT
[#25]
Elric series by Michael Moorcock
Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series by Fritz Leiber And someone mentioned Thieves World analogy And everyone should read “The Warhound and the World’s Pain” by Michael Moorcock. It’s about a German mercenary captain during the Thirty Years War who makes a bargain with Lucifer to regain his condemned soul. He must search for and find the Holy Grail and bring it to Lucifer so… get this… Lucifer can talk to God. When God cast Lucifer down, Lucifer could no longer communicate with God. Lucifer wants to talk to God because he no longer wants to be the Devil. He wants God’s forgiveness. This in turn causes the minions of Hell to rebel, for fear that if Lucifer reconciles with God, they will be destroyed. So the Captain’s quest is to not only find the Grail, but to avoid being killed by Hell’s army who are trying to stop him. All in the backdrop of the brutality of the Thirty Years War. "It was in that year when the fashion in cruelty demanded not only the crucifixion of peasant children, but a similar fate for their household animals, that I first met Lucifer and was transported into Hell; for the Prince of Darkness wished to strike a bargain with me." |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 4:38:54 AM EDT
[#26]
A more recent and excellent epic fantasy series is Larry Correia's Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series. Six books, with four books published and the 5th is coming this November, no real worries about being left hanging.
Son of the Black Sword is the first book. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 4:42:25 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You take that back!  The biggest issue is it went on and on through various books and got "popular" it changed. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 6:35:09 AM EDT
[#28]
Of the list you mentioned, Malazan book of the fallen.
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Posted: 7/26/2024 7:14:48 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: red rising is tier 1 space opera. blends roman and greek types with science fiction, including super vikings and similar. really screams to be made into a hbo/netflix multi-season show. My son and I are big fans, and agree on the show concept. To be done well it would cost a fortune though. It would be awesome (and affordable) of done as anime. They could also then get away with all the blood and gore without a tv ma rating. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 7:20:50 AM EDT
[#30]
"Out of the Ashes" series by William W. Johnstone
"The Survivalist" series by Jerry Ahern "Deathlands" series by James Axler |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 7:32:43 AM EDT
[#31]
While not exactly fantasy, much more historical fiction, the Bernard Cornwell series are excellent.
The King Arthur series and the Last Kingdom series do have a touch of possible magic and the Archer series is a hunt for the holy grail. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 8:05:27 AM EDT
[#32]
Robert E. Howard's Conan series
Michael Moorecock's Elric of Melnibone Jim Butcher's Dresden Files |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 8:09:15 AM EDT
[#33]
"The Sword of Truth" series by Terry Goodkind
HUGE series (21 books) with many books 800+ pages. They even had a television series for a while made from the books. The books are an excellent story and it rarely drags along. Probably my #1 fantasy series, even beating Lord of the Rings. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 8:12:41 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: One thing to try is the Tarzan series, it may not take too long because the books are short and they are extremely formulaic, but still entertaining. I agree. The first one is great. Second one is okay but worth reading for sure. Easy to read. I read a few of Doyle's other books too that were very entertaining. Something about a dude on mars or whatever. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 8:21:12 AM EDT
[#35]
The Song of Albion series, Stephen Lawhead is pretty good.
Based on Celtic mythology. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 8:45:43 AM EDT
[#36]
Night's Dawn trilogy by Peter Hamilton. The whole series is around 4,000 pages.
As others have mentioned the Dresden Files and Malazan series are good. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 8:53:14 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I would agree with those who recommended the Drizzt Do'Urden books by R.A. Salvatore. I also thoroughly enjoyed the original Shannara Trilogy as well as the Scions of Shannara by Terry Brooks. The Dragon Lance series was also good, as was the Legend of Huma, which occurred in the same world but I believe some years earlier in the Timeline. Not really a prequel, per se, but very related. I will also throw out the Dragon Prince series by Melanie Rawn as a suggestion. There are also a great number of books in The Forgotten Realms series that were very good. Lots of good ones to choose from - I already recommended the War of the Spider Queen, but would also strongly recommend the Erevis Cale series of books. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 8:56:26 AM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I agree. The first one is great. Second one is okay but worth reading for sure. Easy to read. I read a few of Doyle's other books too that were very entertaining. Something about a dude on mars or whatever. John Carter of Mars. Again, formulaic but good quick reads. I once decided to read every book by Edgar Rice Burroughs and by the time I was done i realized they were all pretty much the same book, over and over an over. Good guy is super amazing at everything - Good guy or good guy significant other is kidnapped - good guy rescues or self rescues - brings retribution upon kidnappers - ends up being a ruler of yet another group of people. Throw in mini adventures between the main points and you have yourself a book that can be read in 4 hours. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 9:17:07 AM EDT
[#39]
[Deleted]
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Posted: 7/26/2024 9:18:23 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Science fiction I recommend the Red Rising series. Class warfare and whole planet battles. First book is kind of hunger games ish but after that the whole universe opens up. 5 books out now waiting on the final book to come out next year. I second this one. On the third second book now. Really liking it. ETA: Not sure how I double quoted the same quote. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 9:21:35 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: John Carter of Mars. Again, formulaic but good quick reads. I once decided to read every book by Edgar Rice Burroughs and by the time I was done i realized they were all pretty much the same book, over and over an over. Good guy is super amazing at everything - Good guy or good guy significant other is kidnapped - good guy rescues or self rescues - brings retribution upon kidnappers - ends up being a ruler of yet another group of people. Throw in mini adventures between the main points and you have yourself a book that can be read in 4 hours. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I agree. The first one is great. Second one is okay but worth reading for sure. Easy to read. I read a few of Doyle's other books too that were very entertaining. Something about a dude on mars or whatever. John Carter of Mars. Again, formulaic but good quick reads. I once decided to read every book by Edgar Rice Burroughs and by the time I was done i realized they were all pretty much the same book, over and over an over. Good guy is super amazing at everything - Good guy or good guy significant other is kidnapped - good guy rescues or self rescues - brings retribution upon kidnappers - ends up being a ruler of yet another group of people. Throw in mini adventures between the main points and you have yourself a book that can be read in 4 hours. They are formulaic for sure but some of the writing and words will give younger readers fits nowadays, ERB didn't use small words when a longer more obscure one would work better. I USED to have the entire first editions of Tarzan books I had picked up for a few bucks at a garage sale. Mom threw the entire lot away when I joined up. I wasn't happy about that. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 9:54:01 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: They are formulaic for sure but some of the writing and words will give younger readers fits nowadays, ERB didn't use small words when a longer more obscure one would work better. I USED to have the entire first editions of Tarzan books I had picked up for a few bucks at a garage sale. Mom threw the entire lot away when I joined up. I wasn't happy about that. Awwww c'mon, who doesn't know the meaning of "thews"??? |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 10:01:07 AM EDT
[#43]
 
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Posted: 7/26/2024 10:02:27 AM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: While we are throwing in some fairly old series, might as well add Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (to Thieves World, Chronicles of Amber, and several others I read like 40 years ago).. Sorry, it was probably already mentioned 3 times... The only way to hurt a man who has lost everything, is to give him back something that is broken. I have to admit, I struggled through the first book. I found it to be just awful. And not because the character is a POS, but just that the story was dull. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 10:11:08 AM EDT
[#45]
I can't believe no one has mentioned Brian McClellan's The Powdermage trilogy and Gods of Blood and Powder trilogy.
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Posted: 7/26/2024 10:15:45 AM EDT
[#46]
Dave Drake's 5 book The General series
The first five books are set on the planet Bellevue, previously part of a high-technology galactic civilization (the Federation). Interstellar civilization collapsed during "The Fall", when extensive civil war greatly reduced the planet's technology level. Technology has redeveloped only slowly: the most advanced groups have reached the level of double-expansion steam engines, wrapped-brass-cartridges, breech-loading rifles (Martini-Henry lock or very similar) and lever-action carbines, cast-steel breech-loading cannon, simple revolvers, etc. Progress is slow: the breech-loading rifle design has not changed for over two hundred years, and other groups still use flintlock or percussion cap weapons. A series of books set in the D&D world I liked was the Justicar series by Paul Kidd. Three books follow a ranger through three classic D&D modules in the Greyhawk world. White Plume Mountain, Descent into the Depths of the Earth, and Queen of the Demonweb pits. Kidd’s stories follow the adventures of a moody ranger called The Justicar, his sentient hellhound pelt Cinders, the obnoxious pixie Escalla, and the rest of their ragtag adventuring troop. Kidd’s colorful and well-written characters stand out in bright primary colors as they romp through a bleak and gritty version of the Flanaess, from White Plume Mountain all the way into the Vault of the Drow (...) before plunging into the Demonweb (...). It’s rich, imaginative writing that gives old D&D tropes a new spin. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 10:17:09 AM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That’s one you don’t hear very often. Dark series about an angry leper transported to another realm with lots of power, especially the anger. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant That’s one you don’t hear very often. Dark series about an angry leper transported to another realm with lots of power, especially the anger. This series is one of the reasons my wife and I met/got together. We were both readers in a world where there were few of us, and neither one of us had met anybody else that had read Stephen R. Donaldson's masterpiece...let alone loved them. Wearing my white gold wedding ring as I type this. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 10:20:17 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Xanth series by Piers Anthony, great series IMO. As a child, one of my favorite authors. Read everything he'd written. As an adult? Serious pedo vibes. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 10:21:38 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The Song of Albion series, Stephen Lawhead is pretty good. Based on Celtic mythology. I forgot about that series. I read it years ago and rather enjoyed it. |
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Posted: 7/26/2024 10:21:49 AM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted: There's actually a third series (four books) that follows Linden Avery going back to the Land about ten years (her time) later. Haven't had a chance to get into it yet. Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. The magic isn't there, or at least not for me. That world is colorless, gray, and devoid of any of the wonder of previous incarnations. Thoroughly depressing. |
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