Why did I choose to write an epic fantasy novel? The same reason I choose to read them! Nothing captures the imagination more than a fantasy novel. And the epic fantasies are simply the most exquisite, magical, grand adventures one could ever hope to go on—from the safety of your own bedroom (or car, or hammock, or wherever!). I read to escape and explore worlds that I can never see except in my dreams, to go where I simply cannot go, and to experience struggles and hopes and dreams of friends I otherwise couldn’t meet. Reading is a journey—and fantasy settings are simply the best of them.
This book is an excellent read for lovers of fantasy, especially coming-of-age fantasy focused on the hero’s journey. The novel is the first in a series, the Codex Alera, and is the author’s first fantasy series and one of his life-long passion projects. It was written after a bet was made by another writer that he couldn’t write a series based on a lame idea. He upped the ante and based it on two lame ideas: the Lost Roman Legion and Pokémon. This series has a fantastic magic system, believable characters who make mistakes, learn, and grow, and an unforgettable journey. This is one of my favorite fantasy series.
In this extraordinary fantasy epic, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files leads readers into a world where the fate of the realm rests on the shoulders of a boy with no power to call his own...
For a thousand years, the people of Alera have united against the aggressive and threatening races that inhabit the world, using their unique bond with the furies—elementals of earth, air, fire, water, wood, and metal. But in the remote Calderon Valley, the boy Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help…
I recommend this book because of the incredible journey the main protagonist takes across the vast series (11 books in the main story). This is an underdog and hero’s journey epic fantasy book. The magic system, characters, and setting are all fantastic and unforgettable. I absolutely loved the main character and his two closest allies (one is his grandfather; the other is his love interest who is powerful and intelligent, not a damsel in distress). Again, the characters are human—they make mistakes, sometimes catastrophic, but they learn and grow and are better because of it. I can’t recommend this series enough!
A beloved fantasy classic and the beginning of one of the most breathtaking adventure stories of all time
One man, Richard Cypher, holds the key to the fate of three nations and of humanity. But until he learns the Wizard's First Rule his chances of succeeding in his task are slim. And his biggest problem is admitting that magic exists at all ...
A novel of incomparable scope and brimming with atmospheric detail: in a world where heart hounds stalk the boundaries for unwary human prey, blood-sucking flies hunt on behalf of their underworld masters, and where artists can draw…
In 1660, Amsterdam is the map-printing capital of the world. Anneke van Brug is a colorist, paid to enhance the black-and-white maps for the growing number of collectors. Her talent brings her to the attention of the great Joan Blaeu, owner of a prestigious publishing house. Not content to simply…
I started reading this book because of a recommendation on an online fantasy book community and I absolutely loved it! This series follows a female protagonist in a world so vastly different than anything I’ve ever read. The magic system is complex with strict rules and is the most unique magic system I’ve ever encountered in a series (hard system, not soft). This makes the read a bit challenging sometimes to follow at first during some fight scenes, but once you understand the mechanics, it’s extremely fun and mesmerizing how detailed the author writes and just simply amazing how he came up with it! The characters again are flawed, but grow with time and experience, making them believable. The story follows the underdog, hero’s journey archetype—with a major twist!
Brandon Sanderson - the international phenomenon who finished the Wheel of Time sequence - introduces a fantasy trilogy which overturns the expectations of readers and goes on to tell the epic story of evil overturned in a richly imagined world.
A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float down endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, labouring in the ash…
I recommend this book because it was the first fantasy book that I ever read and really set me off on the journey that ultimately led to me writing my first fantasy book. It’s fun, lively, at times scary and suspenseful, and leaves the reader with a sense of awe and wonder because of the wonderful characters, magic, and setting. The protagonist is, of course, a Hobbit—someone so unthreatening it’s hard to believe he’s the hero of the story, which of course makes it all the better to read! And what an incredible journey this little fellow finds himself in—a journey that kick starts a series of events that lead into The Lord of the Rings by the same author.
Special collector's film tie-in hardback of the best-selling classic, featuring the complete story with a sumptuous cover design inspired by THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY and brand new reproductions of all the drawings and maps by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End.
But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey 'there and back again'. They have a plot to raid…
6-book series set in a haunted roadside inn in 1821 Alabama!
Cassie Fairhope longs for only one thing: to escape her mother’s tyranny. Her plan? Seduce the young man, who is acting as innkeeper while her father is away on business, into marrying her. But Flint Hamilton has his own…
I recommend this book because you can’t read The Hobbit and not read the follow-on series The Lord of the Rings. This book kick starts the journey of Frodo Baggins, the nephew of Bilbo Baggins—the protagonist in The Hobbit. He’s forced into a journey because of a particular heirloom his uncle leaves him upon his departure to Rivendell. This gift ends up becoming, strangely, a character in and of itself throughout the series. The ensuing adventure is filled with friendship, bonding, fright, action, and suspense enough to keep you reading until the end. The writing is just simply beautiful, and the world is so magical it will stay with you for the rest of your life.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.
David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb is the first book in a young-adult epic fantasy two-part series written by T.C. Crawford. It tells the story of David Bishop as he grapples with the incredible power granted to him by a mysterious orb and the prophetic conflict that ensues—a conflict that began ages ago between the most powerful beings in existence, the mystics. As David and his allies fight to prevent the release of an ancient evil that will reign destruction on their world, time is running out.
An alien starship appears in the Solar System! Humanity faces a glorious future, or total extinction, and only Joe Falcon can make the choice. Never would Joe have imagined it would fall to him to make the decision that would alter the destiny of two worlds, launching humanity towards a…
A mother daughter sister story set in Southern California in the 1990's. It starts on the night of the O.J. Simpson slow speed freeway chase. The Simpson case provides background noise for the novel, but the story is not about Simpson. It's about a woman whose life is falling apart.…
