[Esa1996]

As we're already talking about recommendations, does any one know any epic fantasy series that have a really long continuous story (One long series like Malazan/WOT/ASOIAF, I'm not too interested in trilogies or standalone books)? I've already read ASOIAF, WOT, Malazan, TSA (Well, it's not long just yet, but it will be) and The Second Apocalypse (To be honest it was too simple IMO. Also it's made up of two trilogies which kind of goes against my previous "No trilogies please" rule. At least they have the same characters).

By googling "Longest Fantasy Series" I've found a bunch of series like Shannara that consist of 10 or so trilogies which each are somewhere between 1000 and 2000 pages, but it's not what I'm after. Wars of Light and Shadow seems to have something of what I'm looking for but it consists of something called "arcs" which to me sounds again like it's made up of individual stories. Can anyone shed light on this?

This post has been edited by Esa1996: 26 October 2015 - 08:27 PM

[Obdigore]

Maybe The Black Company by Glen Cook, but it's pretty different.

If you want lighter stuff The Dresden Files might do.

Other than that, no.

[Salt-Man Z]

Esa1996, on 26 October 2015 - 08:24 PM, said:

As we're already talking about recommendations, does any one know any epic fantasy series that have a really long continuous story (One long series like Malazan/WOT/ASOIAF, I'm not too interested in trilogies or standalone books)? I've already read ASOIAF, WOT, Malazan, TSA (Well, it's not long just yet, but it will be) and The Second Apocalypse (To be honest it was too simple IMO. Also it's made up of two trilogies which kind of goes against my previous "No trilogies please" rule. At least they have the same characters).

By googling "Longest Fantasy Series" I've found a bunch of series like Shannara that consist of 10 or so trilogies which each are somewhere between 1000 and 2000 pages, but it's not what I'm after. Wars of Light and Shadow seems to have something of what I'm looking for but it consists of something called "arcs" which to me sounds again like it's made up of individual stories. Can anyone shed light on this?

Presumably Kate Elliot's 7-book Crown of Stars would fit your criteria. (I own it, but haven't read it yet.)

I'd also throw in Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, even though it is broken up into series: two trilogies and a quartet, and the first trilogy is also pretty episodic. But, though things wrap up (or seem to) at the conclusion of each trilogy, the 10 books taken together form one continuous story, and characters and events from, say, book 2 are just as impactful upon book 8 as they are on book 3.

[worry]

Re: Mistborn, it's worth noting the first book reads like a fantasy-set V for Vendetta novelization to an almost distracting degree. Books 2 and 3 depart from that in much more satisfying ways.

Re: long series, I have read Crown of Stars and it may be what you're looking for. Its main issue is the first book is fairly dry, focuses on a very familiar Medieval Europe-style setting with an on-the-nose Christianity analogue, and not much of major consequence happens. It's, tbh, kinda boring. But I had bought the whole series already so I trucked on, and in retrospect that first book was necessary as setup for a world and characters that go through some major changes. This series becomes less predictable as you progress, in a wholly sensible way mind you, and has some of the craziest tricks in store I've ever read this side of SE.

[amphibian]

Salt-Man Z, on 26 October 2015 - 08:36 PM, said:

Presumably Kate Elliot's 7-book Crown of Stars would fit your criteria. (I own it, but haven't read it yet.)

I'd also throw in Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, even though it is broken up into series: two trilogies and a quartet, and the first trilogy is also pretty episodic. But, though things wrap up (or seem to) at the conclusion of each trilogy, the 10 books taken together form one continuous story, and characters and events from, say, book 2 are just as impactful upon book 8 as they are on book 3.

These are perfect.

Salt-Man Z and I also really like Gene Wolfe, so his Solar Cycle is also a very great, very long series. There are three books in The Book of the New Sun, as well as a novella that is an epilogue, three books in The Book of the Long Sun, and four books in The Book of the Short Sun. There are some other short stories that fit in somewhere, but they are out of print, inaccessible to the general public, and/or wildly expensive.

[Esa1996]

Salt-Man Z, on 26 October 2015 - 08:36 PM, said:

Esa1996, on 26 October 2015 - 08:24 PM, said:

As we're already talking about recommendations, does any one know any epic fantasy series that have a really long continuous story (One long series like Malazan/WOT/ASOIAF, I'm not too interested in trilogies or standalone books)? I've already read ASOIAF, WOT, Malazan, TSA (Well, it's not long just yet, but it will be) and The Second Apocalypse (To be honest it was too simple IMO. Also it's made up of two trilogies which kind of goes against my previous "No trilogies please" rule. At least they have the same characters).

By googling "Longest Fantasy Series" I've found a bunch of series like Shannara that consist of 10 or so trilogies which each are somewhere between 1000 and 2000 pages, but it's not what I'm after. Wars of Light and Shadow seems to have something of what I'm looking for but it consists of something called "arcs" which to me sounds again like it's made up of individual stories. Can anyone shed light on this?

Presumably Kate Elliot's 7-book Crown of Stars would fit your criteria. (I own it, but haven't read it yet.)

I'd also throw in Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, even though it is broken up into series: two trilogies and a quartet, and the first trilogy is also pretty episodic. But, though things wrap up (or seem to) at the conclusion of each trilogy, the 10 books taken together form one continuous story, and characters and events from, say, book 2 are just as impactful upon book 8 as they are on book 3.

I'll have to look into Covenant then. I actually found CoS on one of the lists of the longest fantasy series and it's also on my list of "perhaps" books. Cover and name both remind me of WOT for some reason

[Mentalist]

Adrian Tchaikovsky's "shadows of the Apt" is a 10-book series that's now finished. Author starts off with pretty poor characterization (imho), but gets much better.

Tom Lloyd has a 5-book series "Twilight Reign". Likewise, characterization in the first book is iffy, but world-building is quite solid, very "Malazan-lite".

Jim Butcher's "Codex Alera" is a 6-book series. Bk1 is pretty average, but Bk 2 is awesome, and the rest is crazy and action-packed. The're the Roman Empire, pokemon (kinda), and Zerg, and it all works.

Re: Wars of Light and Shadow: I've read the first 3, and have the 4th (which is the start of another "arc". All the books feature the same conflict between 2 main characters, but it unfolds in stages, is my understanding. So far the series is good, but wordy. Hard to read them back-to-back.

Harry Turledove's "Darkness" series is a re-telling of WWII, but with magic instead of technology. I read the first 4 (the series is out of print in Canada, I haven't been able to find the last 2. Yet), and it's certainly epic, and the stories are fascinating.

Stephen King has a 7-book series "the Dark Tower". I've heard great things, though I'm yet to sink my teeth into it properly.

Paul Kearney's "Monarchies of God" is a 5-book series, though it's usually available in 2-volume omnibus. Nice alt-history with a subtle magic presence, but the ending was a bit rushed.

Glen Cook's "Black Company" was originally 10 books, but now it's available in 4 volumes. It's gritty military fantasy, and certainly fits the "epic" part.

Charles Stross had a 6-volume series "Merchant Princes", about dimension-hopping traffickers. Nov available in 3-volume omnibuses (2 books each). I've read 4/6 so far, it's deep and well-plotted.

"The Witcher" is a series of 2 short story collections and 5 novels. It's VERY good, some of the best "low-fantasy" out there.

EDIT: another one I forgot: "The Death Gate Cycle" by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. 7 books long. It's dated, and the ending's rushed, but it has some interesting twists for an "old-school" fantasy series. Worth a look.

EDIT AGAIN: NEal Stephenson's "Baroque Cycle" is published as a trilogy, but it's actually 8 books. It's an alternative interpretation of OUR history, with a bunch of adventure novel-type plots thrown in, mixed with a crash course on the origins of modern banking system. It's awesome. There's a sequel-of-a-sort "Cryptonomicon", which is set in modern times and is also super-amazing.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 27 October 2015 - 02:21 AM

[Primateus]

Macros, on 24 October 2015 - 06:05 PM, said:

Regarding the riftwar.
Seriously, like 12 books. Don't go past Rage of a Demon King chronologically

Agreed. There's some stuff past Rage of a Demon King that is genuinely good, but the majority is incoherent and just plain bad.

Does it have to be fantasy? If not I'd recommend either Meluch's Tour of the Merrimack or Corey's The Expanse

[Mentalist]

If sci-fi counts, check out Neal Asher's Cormac books (5 books main sequence + 1 prequel + 1 spin-off sequel, kinda). He has more stuff set in the same universe that's awesome, but won't meet the definition of a "same story".
-there's also the Dune saga. The original books are certainly worth a look, even if the latter books aren't. Basically a Feist-type situation.

[Andorion]

Mentalist, on 28 October 2015 - 02:20 PM, said:

If sci-fi counts, check out Neal Asher's Cormac books (5 books main sequence + 1 prequel + 1 spin-off sequel, kinda). He has more stuff set in the same universe that's awesome, but won't meet the definition of a "same story".
-there's also the Dune saga. The original books are certainly worth a look, even if the latter books aren't. Basically a Feist-type situation.

Strongly backing Neal Asher, his Polity books are awesome.

I have only read Dune 1 and it was great.

[Maark Abbott]

The House books are passable. Everything else that Herb Jr and KJA did with Dune is just dross. It broke my heart.

[Primateus]

Andorion, on 28 October 2015 - 02:22 PM, said:

Mentalist, on 28 October 2015 - 02:20 PM, said:

If sci-fi counts, check out Neal Asher's Cormac books (5 books main sequence + 1 prequel + 1 spin-off sequel, kinda). He has more stuff set in the same universe that's awesome, but won't meet the definition of a "same story".
-there's also the Dune saga. The original books are certainly worth a look, even if the latter books aren't. Basically a Feist-type situation.

Strongly backing Neal Asher, his Polity books are awesome.

I have only read Dune 1 and it was great.

Also remember, Asher is apparently a batshit insane crazy nutjob, which just makes it all the more sweeter!

[Alrin]

Esa1996, on 26 October 2015 - 08:24 PM, said:

Wars of Light and Shadow seems to have something of what I'm looking for but it consists of something called "arcs" which to me sounds again like it's made up of individual stories. Can anyone shed light on this?

Wars of Light and Shadow details the ongoing conflict between two half-brothers that extends for half a millennia. The individual arcs explore themes and progress the story, each arc setting the stage for the next. Arc I (Mistwraith) introduces the world and characters. Arc II (Merior and Vastmark) escalates the conflict. Arc III (by far the largest, containing five of the eleven volumes) again escalates the conflict, engulfing nations, and finally revealing some of the deeper mysteries of the setting. Arc IV (ongoing) begins to set up the pieces for the final, one-book arc. Characters come and go from the story and descendants of earlier characters come to the fore as the story progresses, but the core focus (which isn't to say POV) remains always on the two brothers. It's easily one of the most ambitious series I've ever read, but Wurts isn't for everyone. She's wordy, poetic, and asks readers to work for the story, to fully invest in each and every chapter. I'm actually surprised she isn't more well-received on this forum, of all places. While there's no comparison in style to Erikson, it's similarly dense and she expects her readers to examine their own assumptions, much like Erikson.

[Mentalist]

Alrin, on 29 October 2015 - 12:18 AM, said:

Esa1996, on 26 October 2015 - 08:24 PM, said:

Wars of Light and Shadow seems to have something of what I'm looking for but it consists of something called "arcs" which to me sounds again like it's made up of individual stories. Can anyone shed light on this?

Wars of Light and Shadow details the ongoing conflict between two half-brothers that extends for half a millennia. The individual arcs explore themes and progress the story, each arc setting the stage for the next. Arc I (Mistwraith) introduces the world and characters. Arc II (Merior and Vastmark) escalates the conflict. Arc III (by far the largest, containing five of the eleven volumes) again escalates the conflict, engulfing nations, and finally revealing some of the deeper mysteries of the setting. Arc IV (ongoing) begins to set up the pieces for the final, one-book arc. Characters come and go from the story and descendants of earlier characters come to the fore as the story progresses, but the core focus (which isn't to say POV) remains always on the two brothers. It's easily one of the most ambitious series I've ever read, but Wurts isn't for everyone. She's wordy, poetic, and asks readers to work for the story, to fully invest in each and every chapter. I'm actually surprised she isn't more well-received on this forum, of all places. While there's no comparison in style to Erikson, it's similarly dense and she expects her readers to examine their own assumptions, much like Erikson.

My guess would be the wordiness is turning people off. I only started to "get" her on my second try (I got through Mistwraith the first time. Finished Vastmark the second before I needed a break again).

So far her pacing is just too slow for me to wholly enjoy. it's good, but there aren't really any "explosive awesome" moments to make it seem "epic"

[Alrin]

As I said, she's not for everyone. I understand. It just seems that if there were one fandom that might willingly embrace her, it would be Malazan.

Anyway, on-topic, while my vote went for Lynch, I want to echo some sentiments higher in the thread regarding Feist. While I agree that there's little of worth beyond the Serpentwar saga, I'm not sure Rage of a Demon King is a great stopping point. It's been a while since I read them, but I seem to recall there being obvious lead-ins to the next novel in the final chapter. Yes, the fourth Serpentwar novel is pretty average, but not near as bad as everything that comes after.

Talon of the Silver Hawk, while featuring the biggest Marty Stu Feist ever created, at least had the benefit of a change of scenery to grab readers' attentions. King of Foxes threw continuity to the wind with ridiculous, albeit minor, inconsistencies and the most aggravating deus ex moment I've had the displeasure of reading. Had Feist simply had the stones to carry on with what he'd already done to a certain character, those Conclave books, despite basically being little more than a protracted prologue for his third Riftwar series, could've been some of my favourite. But I digress... I submit that, rather than pushing on to the Serpentwar and then cutting it short one book from its intended conclusion, don't read it at all. In fact, read only one and a half books penned by Feist -- Magician, and Honoured Enemy (the latter being the best thing in Feist's entire catalogue, which makes one question the amount of input he had in crafting it).

If you absolutely must read on beyond those two, read the Riftwar Saga, Prince of the Blood and King's Buccaneer, and the Serpentwar Saga. Avoid the terrible Krondor tales. Avoid the other co-authored stuff with the exception of the Empire trilogy by Wurts (again superior to anything Feist did on his own).

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 28 October 2015 - 06:37 PM, said:

Andorion, on 28 October 2015 - 02:22 PM, said:

Mentalist, on 28 October 2015 - 02:20 PM, said:

If sci-fi counts, check out Neal Asher's Cormac books (5 books main sequence + 1 prequel + 1 spin-off sequel, kinda). He has more stuff set in the same universe that's awesome, but won't meet the definition of a "same story".
-there's also the Dune saga. The original books are certainly worth a look, even if the latter books aren't. Basically a Feist-type situation.

Strongly backing Neal Asher, his Polity books are awesome.

I have only read Dune 1 and it was great.

Your missing out then. Read Dune 1-6 and enjoy yourself

I mean to. Maybe I will get around to it next year, or after I have finished Shadows of the Apt and ASOIAF

[Andorion]

Alrin, on 29 October 2015 - 12:18 AM, said:

Esa1996, on 26 October 2015 - 08:24 PM, said:

Wars of Light and Shadow seems to have something of what I'm looking for but it consists of something called "arcs" which to me sounds again like it's made up of individual stories. Can anyone shed light on this?

Wars of Light and Shadow details the ongoing conflict between two half-brothers that extends for half a millennia. The individual arcs explore themes and progress the story, each arc setting the stage for the next. Arc I (Mistwraith) introduces the world and characters. Arc II (Merior and Vastmark) escalates the conflict. Arc III (by far the largest, containing five of the eleven volumes) again escalates the conflict, engulfing nations, and finally revealing some of the deeper mysteries of the setting. Arc IV (ongoing) begins to set up the pieces for the final, one-book arc. Characters come and go from the story and descendants of earlier characters come to the fore as the story progresses, but the core focus (which isn't to say POV) remains always on the two brothers. It's easily one of the most ambitious series I've ever read, but Wurts isn't for everyone. She's wordy, poetic, and asks readers to work for the story, to fully invest in each and every chapter. I'm actually surprised she isn't more well-received on this forum, of all places. While there's no comparison in style to Erikson, it's similarly dense and she expects her readers to examine their own assumptions, much like Erikson.

This seems interesting. I'll have to check it out

[Andorion]

Primateus, on 28 October 2015 - 09:31 PM, said:

Andorion, on 28 October 2015 - 02:22 PM, said:

Mentalist, on 28 October 2015 - 02:20 PM, said:

If sci-fi counts, check out Neal Asher's Cormac books (5 books main sequence + 1 prequel + 1 spin-off sequel, kinda). He has more stuff set in the same universe that's awesome, but won't meet the definition of a "same story".
-there's also the Dune saga. The original books are certainly worth a look, even if the latter books aren't. Basically a Feist-type situation.

Strongly backing Neal Asher, his Polity books are awesome.

I have only read Dune 1 and it was great.

Also remember, Asher is apparently a batshit insane crazy nutjob, which just makes it all the more sweeter!

Could you expand on this? I never got this idea from the books. And in fact I once emailed him regarding a historical error and he emailed me back, thanking me for pointing out the mistake, And it didn't read like a pre-set form email either

[Macros]

Alrin, on 29 October 2015 - 03:17 AM, said:

As I said, she's not for everyone. I understand. It just seems that if there were one fandom that might willingly embrace her, it would be Malazan.

Anyway, on-topic, while my vote went for Lynch, I want to echo some sentiments higher in the thread regarding Feist. While I agree that there's little of worth beyond the Serpentwar saga, I'm not sure Rage of a Demon King is a great stopping point. It's been a while since I read them, but I seem to recall there being obvious lead-ins to the next novel in the final chapter. Yes, the fourth Serpentwar novel is pretty average, but not near as bad as everything that comes after.

Talon of the Silver Hawk, while featuring the biggest Marty Stu Feist ever created, at least had the benefit of a change of scenery to grab readers' attentions. King of Foxes threw continuity to the wind with ridiculous, albeit minor, inconsistencies and the most aggravating deus ex moment I've had the displeasure of reading. Had Feist simply had the stones to carry on with what he'd already done to a certain character, those Conclave books, despite basically being little more than a protracted prologue for his third Riftwar series, could've been some of my favourite. But I digress... I submit that, rather than pushing on to the Serpentwar and then cutting it short one book from its intended conclusion, don't read it at all. In fact, read only one and a half books penned by Feist -- Magician, and Honoured Enemy (the latter being the best thing in Feist's entire catalogue, which makes one question the amount of input he had in crafting it).

If you absolutely must read on beyond those two, read the Riftwar Saga, Prince of the Blood and King's Buccaneer, and the Serpentwar Saga. Avoid the terrible Krondor tales. Avoid the other co-authored stuff with the exception of the Empire trilogy by Wurts (again superior to anything Feist did on his own).

Honoured Enemy is me favourite short novel I reread it all the time. However I feel magician and the empire trilogy should he read before it.
I would read riftwar trilogy, empire trilogy, honoured enemy, prince of blood, kings buchaneer (if only as a set up for serpentwad) krondor betrayal and krondor assassins then the serpentwar TRILOGY.

[Esa1996]

Alrin, on 29 October 2015 - 12:18 AM, said:

Esa1996, on 26 October 2015 - 08:24 PM, said:

Wars of Light and Shadow seems to have something of what I'm looking for but it consists of something called "arcs" which to me sounds again like it's made up of individual stories. Can anyone shed light on this?

Wars of Light and Shadow details the ongoing conflict between two half-brothers that extends for half a millennia. The individual arcs explore themes and progress the story, each arc setting the stage for the next. Arc I (Mistwraith) introduces the world and characters. Arc II (Merior and Vastmark) escalates the conflict. Arc III (by far the largest, containing five of the eleven volumes) again escalates the conflict, engulfing nations, and finally revealing some of the deeper mysteries of the setting. Arc IV (ongoing) begins to set up the pieces for the final, one-book arc. Characters come and go from the story and descendants of earlier characters come to the fore as the story progresses, but the core focus (which isn't to say POV) remains always on the two brothers. It's easily one of the most ambitious series I've ever read, but Wurts isn't for everyone. She's wordy, poetic, and asks readers to work for the story, to fully invest in each and every chapter. I'm actually surprised she isn't more well-received on this forum, of all places. While there's no comparison in style to Erikson, it's similarly dense and she expects her readers to examine their own assumptions, much like Erikson.

The wordiness might be a problem but otherwise it sound pretty good. I'll have to make a decision on what to read, The First Law standalone books, Crown of Stars or this one after finishing my re-read of WOT 5. Or at least the order I read them in. TFL is probably first, then either CoS or TWoLaS.