There are 14 books in The Wheel of Time series, plus a prequel. They came out between 1990 and 2013. That's 23 years, hundreds of chapters and millions of words of epic fantasy. Rand al'Thor and his friends from the Two Rivers go from being rustic nobodies to heroes of legend. We visit a huge number of places and get to know a ton of peoples, from the Aes Sedai sorceresses to the Seanchan slavers to the warrior Aiel.
In terms of scope and size, The Wheel of Time series really can't be beat; it puts the "epic" in "epic fantasy." If you've enjoyed the books, or if you're watching the Prime Video TV show and are looking for something else to sink your teeth into, we're here to give you some recommendations. These are the epic fantasy book series if you should if you love The Wheel of Time. They'll keep you busy from here until the Last Battle:
1. The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
- First book: The Way of Kings, 2010
- Last book (so far): Wind and Truth, 2024
- Word count: ~2,766,000 words
Robert Jordan was the original author of The Wheel of Time series, but he died before he could finish. Then-budding fantasy author Brandon Sanderson was chosen to complete to series, working off Jordan's notes and turning in another three books.
Sanderson is also a prolific author himself, and looking at his own work, it's easy to see why he was picked to finish The Wheel of Time: like Jordan, he writes series with lots of characters, carefully constructed worlds, and huge senses of scale. If you're enjoying The Wheel of Time, Sanderson's books are a natural place to go next.
The Stormlight Archive is Sanderson's ongoing magnum opus. The story begins on the world of Roshar, which is wracked by storms which shape the environment and the lives of the people inhabiting it. Once, the world was defended by the Knights Radiant, an ancient order of warriors who wielded mystical swords. They've long since disbanded, but people with their powers are starting to reemerge, just in time to fight a new enemy who could threaten the entire world.
Like The Wheel of Time, The Stormlight Archive is told from a variety of perspectives. Each of the five books released so far expands the story and adds to our understanding of this world; the latest, Wind and Truth, connects the story of The Stormlight Archive to Sanderson's bigger shared literary universe, the Cosmere.
Sanderson has written five books in The Stormlight Archive series so far and has five more planned. There's quite a lot more story to tell, but Sanderson is a famously fast writer, so they'll be along sooner or later.
2. Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
- First book: Gardens of the Moon, 1999
- Last book: The Crippled God, 2011
- Word count: ~3,274,000 words
We can't talk about epic fantasy series without bringing up Malazan Book of the Fallen. With 10 books coming out over the course of 12 years, it's another whopper of a book series; like Jordan and Sanderson, author Steven Erikson believes in the power of big.
Generally speaking, Malazan is set on a world dominated by the Malazan Empire, which has designs on conquering other nations. We meet characters from within the Malazan Empire, we meet characters from the countries resisting it, we meet characters who are human, alien, undead and immortal. Altogether, there are 453 unique points of view represented in this series; the scale is insane.
That said, the Malazan books are structured a little differently from your typical epic fantasy series. This isn't a situation where Erikson is telling one long story with each book serving as one leg of the journey. By and large, each book has a separate conflict it wraps up, and while some characters will carry over from one book to another, others wont'.
In the sixth and tenth books, Erikson ties the plots in the previous books together for major crossover events, so there's still a sense of continuity between books even if it's not as straightforward as it is in The Wheel of Time.
3. Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
- First book: Assassin's Apprentice, 1995
- Last book: Assassin's Fate, 2017
- Word count: ~4,071,000 words
The Realm of the Elderlings series is divided five different sets of books: four trilogies and one quartet of books. In publication order: they are: The Farseer Trilogy, The Liveship Traders, The Tawny Man Trilogy, The Rain Wild Chronicles, and The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy. The first book in The Farseer Trilogy, Assassin's Apprentice, came out in 1995. The final book, Assassin's Fate, released in 2017, so we're talking about 16 books over the course of 22 years.
As the title suggests, Assassin's Apprentice follows a young boy, Fitz, training to be an assassin for a royal family. The book traces his coming-of-age tale. It also introduces the Fool, an enigmatic figure who may be able to predict the future and who will become a mainstay of the series.
After The Farseer Trilogy, Fitz and the Fool continue their adventures together in The Tawny Man Trilogy and The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy. The Liveship Traders and The Rain Wild Chronicles feature casts of mostly new characters, although there's still plenty of overlap.
Robin Hobb's fantasy world is vivid and vibrant; we meet kings, pirates, dragons and all manner of other fantasy mainstays. The subject matter can get very serious, and it's clear Robb has a love for her characters. Realm of the Elderlings is more intimate and less sprawling than something like The Wheel of Time, with most things eventually coming back to Fitz and the Fool. But the sense of scale is still enormous and the content voluminous.
4. The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
- First book: Nine Princes in Amber, 1970
- Last book: Prince of Chaos, 1991
- Word count: ~650,000 words
Let's dip into a classic. Roger Zelazny published 10 novels in his Chronicles of Amber series between 1970 and 1991. The story is mainly set on the planet of Amber, which represents order. Amber's opposite is Chaos. There are the only "true" worlds in existence, but there are many "Shadow" dimensions inbetween; our Earth is one of them. The members of the royal family of Amber, including our narrator Prince Corwin, can move between these worlds, changing reality as they go.
The Chronicles of Amber novels are separated into two sets of five books apiece. The first five center around Corwin, and kick off as he and his siblings try and figure out who will succeed their father Oberyn. There's a lot of politicking and paranoia at play, which should remind people of the games played by Aes Sedai in the White Tower in The Wheel of Time or the characters in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.
The second set of five books revolves around Corwin's son Merlin, who goes about acquiring ever-more powerful artifacts in a kind of magical arms race.
At one point, Stephen Colbert was trying to produce a Chronicles of Amber TV show, but it's hard to know if it'll ever make it to the screen or not. The book series isn't going anywhere.
5. The Belgariad and The Malloreon by David Eddings
- First book: Pawn of Prophecy, 1982
- Last book: The Seeress of Kell, 1991
- Word count: ~1,861,000 words
We once again have an epic fantasy series broken into two sets of five books. The first set of five, The Belgariad, follows a farm boy named Garion who discovers he has a great destiny. He sets out on a quest with a growing party of adventures and finds himself caught up in an epic struggle against a dark god named Torak.
That first series ends with Garion defeating Torak. The Malloreon is set in the same world as The Belgariad but expands on several aspects of the setting, especially the eastern continent of Mallorea. The new series sees Garion and his friends facing down Torak's successor as the epic conflict is passed down through generations.
The first book in The Belgariad, Pawn of Prophecy, came out in 1982. The final book in The Malloreon, The Seeress of Kell, came out in 1991, so that's 10 epic fantasy books over the course of nine years. The Belgariad was hugely popular when it first came out; it's a straightforward epic fantasy story perfect for those who enjoy the classics.
6. The Dagger and the Coin series by Daniel Abraham
- First book: The Dragon's Path, 2011
- Last book: The Spider's War, 2016
- Word count: ~666,430 words
The Dagger and the Coin is comparatively small considering the sorts of series we're talking about here: it only runs for five novels published between 2011 and 2016. You can probably knock 'em out in an afternoon.
The Dagger and the Coin is a serious-minded high fantasy novel with a lot of politicking and little in the way of chosen ones rising from obscurity. Through a series of geopolitical pushes and pulls, it asks what really wins wars: the dagger (military might) or the coin (money).
Daniel Abraham is one half of the writing team that produced The Expanse books, which are a sort of epic fantasy series set in a sci-fi milieu. Like The Expanse, The Dagger and the Coin is a series that likes to stay grounded in reality.
7. The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
- First book: The Gunslinger, 1982
- Last book: The Dark Tower, 2022
- Word count: ~1,358,065 words
Stephen King, on the other hand, has no need for reality. The Dark Tower is the famous author's attempt at an epic fantasy series along the lines of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, although he infuses it with his own flare for the horrific and strange. It's set in a fantasy world where the power of magic lingers, but there's also the remains of a technologically advanced society and a lot in common with the American old west. This world is coming apart; time does not flow in an ordinary fashion, nations tear themselves apart in war, and sometimes the sun even rises from the wrong horizon.
The Dark Tower starts with a man named Roland Deschain, who belongs to a knightly order or warriors called gunslingers. He is looking for a mysterious tower that is said to be the nexus of all universes. Once we get there, King is able to tie this story into many of his others, connecting his work into a kind of multiverse.
Roland's enemy is the mysterious Man in Black, who has popped up in other Stephen King stories. The Dark Tower series started with The Gunslinger in 1982 and seemingly concluded with a book simply called The Dark Tower 22 years and six books later in 2004. Fans consider that the end of the series, but King has dipped back into the world since then and it's possible we could get more.
The Dark Tower was adapted as a movie in 2017, but it went over pretty badly. There's also been talk of a TV series, but that seems to be stalled.
8. Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- First book: Empire in Black and Gold, 2008
- Last book: Seal of the Worm, 2014
- Word count: ~1,924,000 words
The Dark Tower is one of the better known series on this list; who doesn't know who Stephen King is? Shadows of the Apt may be one of the least known series on here, but it's a sprawling story of kingdoms at war that comes highly recommended.
Shadows of the Apt is set on a world where different tribes of people, called kinden, each have aspects of different insects. They're further divided in Apt and Inapt people; the Apt can understand, design and use mechanical devices but do not have magical abilities, while the Inapt can use magic but can't use even very simple mechanical devices. You won't find that kind of dynamic in many other places.
kinden. Each kinden is a fictional race of humans, named after (and having certain characteristics of) an insect. Kinden are typically divided into two categories : Apt and Inapt. The Apt do not have magical abilities, but are able to understand, use and design mechanical devices. The Inapt have varying amounts of magical abilities, but cannot use mechanical devices, even those as simple as latches. The series focuses on the attempted conquest of the lowlands by the Wasp-kinden empire.
The story gets going in Empire in Black and Gold, when the Wasp-kinden empire marches on the largely peaceful Lowlands. It's up to the aging statesman Stenwold Maker to convince the leadership of the Lowlands of their peril.
The story of Shadows of the Apt takes place over 10 thick books published between 2008 and 2014. There are also dozens of short stories to check out if you can't get enough of the bug people going to war.
9. The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington
- First book: The Shadow of What Was Lost, 2014
- Last book: The Light of All That Falls, 2019
- Word count: ~728,515 words
For something a little more compact, check out The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington, published from 2014 to 2019. It's been years since a race of incredibly powerful people people called the Augurs were overthrown. The Gifted, who once served the Augurs, are allowed to live, but only after they have their powers greatly limited.
Davian, our lead character, is one of the Gifted. He was born after the war against the Augurs ended, but he and his people are still discriminated against. When he discovers he has the forbidden powers of the Augurs, he and his friends set into motion a chain of events that will change the world.
With multiple points of view, a straightforward writing style and a complex pre-history for the world, The Licanius Trilogy has been compared to both The Wheel of Time and The Stormlight Archive, which was itself inspired by The Wheel of Time. It's classic fantasy done by a modern author.
10. The Riyria Revelations, The Riyria Chronicles and Legends of the First Empire by Michael J. Sullivan
- First book: The Crown Conspiracy, 2008
- Last book: Drumindor, 2024
- Word count: ~1,891,390 words
And we're back to bigness. Michael J. Sullivan hasn't just written one epic fantasy series; he's written three, with each building on the last.
First came The Riyria Revelations series, about a thief and a mercenary who are going about their lives pulling off jobs for scheming nobles when they find themselves scapegoated in a plot to kill a king; to unravel it, they're have to solve an ancient mystery. The Riyria Chronicles takes us back 10 years to when the thief and the mercenary, Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater, first met, and follows their early years on the job. And Legends of the First Empire takes us a few thousands years before that, exploring some of the foundational stories of this world that have been distorted by the time of Royce and Hadrian.
All of these series take place in traditional fantasy worlds complete with elves and other creatures. The first book in The Riyria Revelations came out in 2008 while the final book in The Riyria Chronciles released in 2024. There are 17 books in all (six in Revelations, five in Chronicles and six in Legends), not counting short stories. You can read the series in any order you want and stop whenever you want, but if you want to get the full picture, you'll be at it for awhile.
11. First Law by Joe Abercrombie
- First book: The Blade Itself, 2006
- Last book: The Wisdom of Crowds, 2021
- Word count: ~1,978,200 words
The First Law series began with The First Law trilogy, set in a world on the edge of an industrial revolution where various states are at war. A barbarian warrior, a mutilated swordsman, a revenge-driven escaped slave and others get caught up in the conflict. After that, Abercrombie wrote a trio of standalone novels following up on the events of The First Law trilogy; the first of those, Best Served Cold, is being turned into a movie. Another trilogy, The Age of Madness, picks up some years later, when that industrial revolution has begun.
This is a high fantasy series, so there's magic involved; it depends on accessing the Other Side, where demons dwell. But you best not forget the First Law: "It is forbidden to touch the Other Side direct."
The First Law trilogy kicked off with The Blade Itself in 2006 while The Age of Madness trilogy wrapped up in 2021; there are nine books in all, not counting short stories. The First Law series has seen a lot of success, with Abercrombie getting praise for his vivid storytelling and hard-boiled prose.
12. Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
- First book: Dragonflight, 1967
- Last book (for now): Dragon's Code (by Gigi McCaffrey), 2018
Human being have colonized the planet of Pern, but have since forgotten where they came from as their society has regressed to medieval levels. A lot of that can be pinned on Thread, a voracrious spore that occasionally rains down from "the Red Star" (actually another planet) whenever it passes by Pern. To combar Thread, the people of Pern make use of intelligent, fire-breathing dragons.
That lore is mostly doled over the course of the series; the first book, Dragonflight, focuses on a Nessa, a young woman who becomes a dragonrider.
Dragonflight came out in 1967. The most recent book, Dragon's Code, came out in 1918, years after Anne McCaffrey's death in 2011. There are 24 books in all, many of which explore the history of Pern before the events of the first trilgoy. Towards the end of her life, McCaffrey wrote Pern books with her son Todd; her daughter Gigi has also contributed. There may be one more posthumous Pern book, After the Fall Is Over, to come, completed by Anne's children.
13. Shannara by Terry Brooks
- First book: The Sword of Shannara, 1977
- Last book: Galaphile, 2025
- Word count: ~3,865,000 words
Terry Brooks has written a staggering 36 books in the Shannara series since the first, The Sword of Shannara, came out in 2077. The Last Druid, which came out in 2020, perportedly ended the series, but Brooks with Galaphile just this year. It feels like if there are stories to be written in this world, Brooks will write them.
Shannara is set in a traditional fantasy world called the Four Lands, filled with elves and Druids and the like, but it's actually our world many years after a nuclear apocalypse. MTV briefly adpated the second book in the series, The Elfstones of Shannara, into a TV show, but it only lasted two seasons before getting cancelled.
Many of the Shannara books explore the distant past of the Four Lands. With dozens of books to work with, Brooks leaves no stone unturned.
14. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- First book: The Fellowship of the Ring, 1954
- Last book: The Return of the King, 1955
- Word count: ~481,103 words
Let's end with a trio of really obvious ones. Even if you've never read The Lord of the Rings trilogy, or seen the movies, you've heard of it. A plucky Hobbit named Frodo must go on a perilous quest to cast a magical, malevolent ring into the fires of doom, saving Middle-earth even if he can't save himself. It's incredible, it's a classic, it's readable, it's essential.
It's also relatively short compared to a lot of selections on this list. Tolkien didn't know that if you're working in this genre you're supposed to write dozens of books for the rest of your life; he was too busy laying the foundation for what everyone would follow him would do. Sometimes, the original is still the best.
15. The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski
- First book: The Last Wish, 1993
- Last book (for now): Crossroads of Ravens, 2025
- Word count: 932,000 words
The Witcher series became hugely popular thanks to the video games from CD Projekt Red, but the original book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski are still worth a read.
There are eight books in this series, with a ninth only recently having come out. Things kick off with a pair of short story collections and continue with the five-book Witcher saga. More recently, Sapkowski has written two prequel books.
Most of the books follow Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster hunter who gets mixed up with a wayward princess named Ciri and finds it harder and harder to stay neutral in the wider affairs of the Continent. The Witcher TV show will air the fourth of its five seasons later this year.
16. The Kingkiller Chronicle
- First book: The Name of the Wind, 2007
- Last book (so far): The Wise Man's Fear, 2011
- How many words? ~650,000 words
The Kingkiller Chronicles began with The Name of the Wind in 2007, a beautifully written fantasy novel about a young man named Kvothe who loses his family before attending a magical university. The Wise Man's Fear continued Kvothe's journey in 2011. The Doors of Stone is supposed to close things out, but it's been a very long time coming.
Is the series worth reading if it may never finish? Well, the prose is lyrical in a way you don't normally see in these kinds of epic fantasy stories, and the story remains compelling even if we've been waiting to see what happens next for over a decade.
17. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
- First book: A Game of Thrones, 1993
- Last book (so far): A Dance With Dragons, 2011
- How many words? ~1,736,054 words
We have to mention A Song of Ice and Fire here, the series adapted for TV as Game of Thrones. The first book in the series, A Game of Thrones, came out in 1996. The fifth, A Dance With Dragons, dropped in 2011. We've been waiting for the next book, The Winds of Winter, ever since.
Once again, we have a series that isn't complete. But what's there is remarkably dense, retrained, funny, epic and exciting. Martin tells his tale through the eyes of dozens of differnet characters and a minimum of magical elements; there are dragons in the story, but their arrival is heralded as a miracle not seen in generations. Much of the tale is about a cast of memorable characters striving to find power, love and honor in a world where they're all in short supply.
There are many more epic fantasy series worth reading out there, but hopefully these will keep you going for a while. In the meantime, new episodes of The Wheel of Time drop on Prime Video every Thursday.
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