Epic Fantasy Books Guide

Epic fantasy centers on large-scale conflicts, expansive settings, and long, interwoven plots. Ideal for readers who enjoy deep worldbuilding and ongoing sagas.

Curated by Fabled Tome

166 Books in subgenre
Apr 13, 2026 Last updated
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145 House of Blades

House of Blades

By

Rated 4.09 out of 5 stars, based on 18,365 reviews.

House of Blades (Traveler's Gate, #1) by Will Wight follows Simon, a young man whose family is killed and friends captured by enemy Travelers—individuals who wield mystical powers drawn from otherworldly Territories. Unlike another villager who is pr…

Book 1 of Traveler's Gate series


146 The Judging Eye

The Judging Eye

By

Rated 4.09 out of 5 stars, based on 7,230 reviews.

The Judging Eye by R. Scott Bakker returns to the world of the Prince of Nothing twenty years after the events of The Thousandfold Thought, shifting its focus to a new generation shaped by old wars and lingering prophecy. In this dark epic fantasy, s…

Book 1 of The Aspect-Emperor series


147 Imager

Imager

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Rated 4.09 out of 5 stars, based on 9,599 reviews.

Imager by L.E. Modesitt Jr. introduces Rhennthyl, a young journeyman artist in the capital city of L’Excelsis whose plans for a quiet artisan’s life end when a fatal accident reveals his rare talent as an imager, able to make what he pictures become…

Book 1 of Imager Portfolio series


148 A River Enchanted

A River Enchanted

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Rated 4.07 out of 5 stars, based on 94,096 reviews.

In A River Enchanted, Rebecca Ross sets her fantasy on the isle of Cadence, where elemental spirits shape daily life and old songs hold real power. Jack Tamerlaine, a bard who has spent a decade on the mainland, is called back when young girls begin…

Book 1 of Elements of Cadence series


149 Prince of Fools

Prince of Fools

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Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 35,513 reviews.

Prince of Fools (The Red Queen's War, #1) by Mark Lawrence introduces Prince Jalan Kendeth, a self-indulgent royal who can see the deadly presence known as the Painful Sister, invisible to most. Set during the long secret war led by the Red Queen aga…

Book 1 of The Red Queen's War series


150 The Thousand Names

The Thousand Names

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Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 20,695 reviews.

The Thousand Names by Django Wexler blends military fantasy with subtle supernatural forces in a desert frontier setting. Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, stranded with a battered Vordanai colonial garrison after a local uprising, must hold a fragile outpost…

Book 1 of The Shadow Campaigns series


151 The Bone Ships

The Bone Ships

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Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 12,203 reviews.

The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker introduces an adult epic fantasy world where rival maritime nations wage unending war in fleets built from the bones of long-dead dragons. In the Hundred Isles, political power and military strength depend on these rare…

Book 1 of The Tide Child series


152 Graceling

Graceling

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Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 481,902 reviews.

Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1) by Kristin Cashore and Kuri Huang follows Katsa, a young woman born with the Grace of killing in a world where certain individuals possess unique talents called Graces. As the king’s niece and enforcer, Katsa struggles…

Book 1 of Graceling Realm series


153 The Traitor Baru Cormorant

The Traitor Baru Cormorant

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Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 26,014 reviews.

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson follows a brilliant young woman whose island home is absorbed by the expansionist Empire of Masks, which erases local customs and destroys her family. Determined to dismantle this power from within, Baru s…

Book 1 of The Masquerade series


154 Traitor's Blade

Traitor's Blade

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Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 26,347 reviews.

Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell follows Falcio val Mond, once the first Cantor of the Greatcoats, an elite order of travelling magistrates trained in both swordplay and the intricate laws of Tristia. After the Dukes overthrow the king and sei…

Book 1 of Greatcoats series


155 The Naming

The Naming

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Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 27,709 reviews.

In The Naming, Alison Croggon introduces Maerad, a young woman enslaved in a harsh settlement after war destroys her family. When Cadvan, a powerful Bard of Lirigon, recognizes her latent magical gift and connection to the School of Pellinor, she is…

Book 1 of The Books of Pellinor series


156 Enchantress

Enchantress

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Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 18,020 reviews.

Enchantress by James Maxwell follows Ella, a determined young woman who dreams of mastering magic after seeing an enchanter save her brother’s life. Shut out of the elite Academy of Enchanters by cost and class, she studies obsessively while her brot…

Book 1 of Evermen Saga series


157 Fire & Blood

Fire & Blood

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Rated 4.05 out of 5 stars, based on 148,260 reviews.

Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin, illustrated by Doug Wheatley, presents a detailed fictional history of House Targaryen in Westeros, written as an in-world chronicle by a Citadel maester. Beginning with Aegon the Conqueror and the forging of the I…

Book 1 of A Targaryen History series


158 Prince of the Blood

Prince of the Blood

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Rated 4.05 out of 5 stars, based on 27,542 reviews.

Prince of the Blood by Raymond E. Feist follows twin princes Borric and Erland of the Kingdom of the Isles as their carefree lives end with a sudden elevation to political importance. Named heir to a throne endangered by the lack of a royal son, Borr…

Book 1 of Krondor's Sons series


159 Nine Princes in Amber

Nine Princes in Amber

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Rated 4.05 out of 5 stars, based on 61,253 reviews.

Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny opens with Corwin, a powerful but amnesiac man who wakes in a modern Earth hospital with only fragments of his identity. As he uncovers his connection to Amber, the one true world from which all others are shado…

Book 1 of The Chronicles of Amber series


160 Ashes of the Sun

Ashes of the Sun

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Rated 4.04 out of 5 stars, based on 5,810 reviews.

Ashes of the Sun (Burningblade & Silvereye, #1) by Django Wexler is set in a world reshaped by a devastating magical war that toppled an empire. The story follows siblings Gyre and Maya, separated for twelve years after their parents sold Maya to the…

Book 1 of Burningblade & Silvereye series


161 Dragons of Autumn Twilight

Dragons of Autumn Twilight

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Rated 4.01 out of 5 stars, based on 123,231 reviews.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman introduces the war-torn world of Krynn, where dragons have reappeared and the old gods seem to have vanished, taking divine healing with them. A group of long-separated companions—Tanis, S…

Book 1 of Dragonlance: Chronicles series


162 Dragon Rider

Dragon Rider

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Rated 4.01 out of 5 stars, based on 85,881 reviews.

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke follows Firedrake, a young dragon who sets out to locate a hidden refuge where silver dragons might finally be safe. Joined by Sorrel, a wary brownie, and Ben, a human boy without a family, he crosses oceans and remote…

Book 1 of Dragon Rider series


163 A Crucible of Souls

A Crucible of Souls

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Rated 4.00 out of 5 stars, based on 8,255 reviews.

A Crucible of Souls (Sorcery Ascendant Sequence, #1) by Mitchell Hogan follows Caldan, who, after the brutal death of his parents, is raised by monks and trained in sorcery. Seeking to uncover the truth behind his family’s past, he enters a dangerous…

Book 1 of Sorcery Ascendant Sequence series


164 The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

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Rated 3.90 out of 5 stars, based on 82,418 reviews.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance Trilogy, #1) by N.K. Jemisin follows Yeine Darr, a young woman from the northern tribes who is unexpectedly summoned to the floating city of Sky after her mother's death. Named an heiress to the ruling king,…

Book 1 of Inheritance Trilogy series


165 The Darkness That Comes Before

The Darkness That Comes Before

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Rated 3.88 out of 5 stars, based on 23,963 reviews.

The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker introduces a meticulously crafted world marked by an apocalyptic history and a looming crusade. The narrative follows a diverse group of characters, including the enigmatic Anasûrimbor Kellhus, whose…

Book 1 of The Prince of Nothing series


166 Prince of Thorns

Prince of Thorns

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Rated 3.84 out of 5 stars, based on 124,379 reviews.

Prince of Thorns (Broken Empire, #1) by Mark Lawrence follows Honorous Jorg Ancrath, who witnessed the brutal murder of his family at a young age and became the ruthless leader of a violent gang by his early teens. At fifteen, Jorg aims to reclaim hi…

Book 1 of Broken Empire series