In this list, I will be talking about the Top 5 Epic Fantasy Books that I need to read! There are so many brilliant epic fantasy series out there but I didn’t know where to start, so I compiled this list.
5. Lightbringer by Brent Weeks
The first book in the series is The Black Prism. I have heard so much about this series! The magic system revolves around colours, and there is one person who can wield all of the colours (I think that’s right). It just sounds so cool and the reviews for this first book (and the series) are very good so I hope to get round to it soon.
4. Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb
The first book in the trilogy is Assassin’s Apprentice. The series follows Fitz who has a power called Wit; this means he has a magical link with animals. After being adopted into the royal household, he has to hide this power (as it is abhorrent to royalty) as he trains to be an assassin.
Robin Hobb is a writer I have seen and heard of everywhere fantasy is talked about and shown, so there must be something good I am missing out on!
3. The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
The first book in this to-be-really-really-long series is The Way of Kings. I remember buying this book in a secondhand bookshop and being amazed by the size of it! (My copyhas part 1 and 2 in one book). It is huge!
This series is part of Sanderson’s ‘Cosmere’ which is the same world The Mistborn trilogy and a lot of his other books are from. You don’t need to read all of them to enjoy them individually, but I plan on making reading all of them and finding the links one day – it’s like one of my life missions!
2. The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
There has been so much continued hype around this series, and the first book The Name of the Wind is still being recommended and thrown around wildly to anyone who will listen.
This book is told as a story from the perspective of Kvothe, the most notorious wizard the world has ever seen. It is said to be written beautifully and the story is dark, twisting, and enchanting. Obviously a must-read!
1. Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
This series is too big and too loved not to be my number 1, must-read epic fantasy series. The series begins with Gardens of the Moon and continues for 10 more books!
It is set within a huge world with an Empire, war, and gods that take pleasure in playing with humanity.
I want to know what everyone is so excited about when they talk about this series!
If you have any recommendations for high fantasy series, please let me know in the comments – I’m always happy to find new series to read!
I did not enjoy Gardens of the Moon but a lot of people are die-hards about that series. I loved Name of the Wind and I’ve read the first two books in the Farseer trilogy which are great. I’ve owned Way of Kings and The Black Prism for years now but still haven’t gotten around to giving them a try. Great list!
This is the first negative review of Gardens of the Moon I have heard, so I will still read the first book but I’ll go into it with an open mind for it o go either way – thanks! I own Way of the Kings and Assassin’s Apprentice, and have done for a while now, so it’s about time I read them!!
It wasn’t bad. I just enjoy character driven stories and that one is totally plot driven. I know I’m in the minority on that opinion though lol.
I really didn’t enjoy Gardens of the Moon. Too much going on, too many characters. It just left me not caring about any of it. Got most of the way through and just decided to not bother any more. But many people seem to love it. So maybe it just wasn’t for me.
Robin Hobb’s books are some of the best I have ever and will ever read. The Fitz trilogies, the Liveship Traders and the Rainwild Chronicles all inhabit the same universe and all very loosely tie in. So it’s worth immersing yourself in all.
Name of the Wind is amazing and the sequel ‘Wise Man’s Fear’ is also a great read. Patrick Rothfuss full-on George R.R. Martin’d it, though by getting people super-hyped by his first books and then just not realising the final part. He has released a spin-off … yay.
Thanks for the advice! There has been a lot of support for Hobb and Rothfuss so I think I will begin with them 🙂
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on all of the series in the list 🙂
Definitely read Robin Hobb and Brandon Sanderson. Patrick Rothfuss is good but he hasn’t published the third book and it has been, like, seven years. The Malazan Book of the Fallen is really dense, I enjoyed book one but thought book two was very dull. I want to read Lightbringer but I’m waiting for the last book to be released so I don’t have to wait.
Awesome lineup. I haven’t started the Stormlight archive because I like to wait until a series is done (I blame Rothfuss for that). But I can’t wait. And I love Rothfuss, though I wonder if he’s ever going to finish the Kingkiller Chronicles. All the others are awesome, and I agree that for series readers they’re top of the list. 🙂
Thanks! I think I should start waiting for series to end too but if I did that I think I would be dead before finishing them all!
That’s my concern too. But I also love to binge read series. That the best book hangover ever. 🙂
You have to read the Robin Hob series, they have remained one of my all-time favourites. Have you ever read the Belgariad series by David Eddings?
I have heard of them – the series is actually listed on my second Top 5 list for fantasy series here: https://profusionbook.wordpress.com/2018/04/30/5-more-epic-fantasy-series-that-i-need-to-read-2/ 🙂 Thank you for your suggestions!