The Fantasy Review’s list of 10 Epic Fantasy Books with Unforgettable Characters.
Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1) by Steven Erikson
From the blurb:
The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen’s rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins…
The Silverblood Promise (The Last Legacy, #1) by James Logan
From the blurb:
Lukan Gardova is a cardsharp, academy dropout, and―thanks to a duel that ended badly―the disgraced heir to an ancient noble house. His days consist of cheap wine, rigged card games, and wondering how he might win back the life he threw away…
The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1) by Brandon Sanderson
From the blurb:
Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter…
A Cavern of Black Ice (Sword of Shadows, #1) by J.V. Jones
From the blurb:
As a newborn Ash March was abandoned–left for dead at the foot of a frozen mountain. Found and raised by the Penthero Iss, the mighty Surlord of Spire Vanis, she has always known she is different. Terrible dreams plague her and sometimes in the darkness she hears dread voices from another world. Iss watches her as she grows to womanhood, eager to discover what powers his ward might possess. As his interest quickens, he sends his living blade, Marafice Eye, to guard her night and day…
The Steel Remains (A Land Fit for Heroes, #1) by Richard K. Morgan
From the blurb:
A dark lord will rise.
Such is the prophecy that dogs Ringil Eskiath—Gil, for short—a washed-up mercenary and onetime war hero whose cynicism is surpassed only by the speed of his sword. Gil is estranged from his aristocratic family, but when his mother enlists his help in freeing a cousin sold into slavery, Gil sets out to track her down…
The Summoner (Chronicles of the Necromancer, #1) by Gail Z. Martin
From the blurb:
Prince. Fugitive. Exile. Necromancer.
Martris Drayke, second son of King Bricen of Margolan, never coveted the crown. But when his older half-brother Jared and Jared’s dark mage kill the king and the rest of the royal family, seizing the throne, Tris’s comfortable world shatters and he finds himself running for his life…
Homeland (Legend of Drizzt, #1) by R.A. Salvatore
From the blurb:
As the third son of Mother Malice and weaponmaster Zaknafein, Drizzt Do’Urden must be sacrificed to Lolth, the evil Spider Queen, per the tradition of their matriarchal drow society. But the unexpected death of his older brother spares young Drizzt—though he is still at the mercy of his abusive sisters…
