(by 3 people)
The genre of Epic Fantasy is as old as the human race itself. The oldest written story is an epic fantasy called Gilgamesh. (It was inscribed on stone tablets a thousand years before the Iliad was written) And at any given time there is almost always an epic fantasy novel on the best seller list. Yet this genre is misunderstood and often perceived as being adolescent. This lens helps you find out more about the genre and guides you to great reading of the classics both old and new.
Books About Epic Fantasy
Want to learn more about the genre of Epic Fantasy? Here are some great books.
Wizardry and Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Fantasy
Amazon Price: $17.05 (as of 10/15/2008)
The Heroic Process: Form, Function and Fantasy in Folk Epic
Amazon Price: (as of 10/15/2008)
The Writer’s Complete Fantasy Reference
Amazon Price: $11.55 (as of 10/15/2008)
Tales Before Tolkien: The Roots of Modern Fantasy
Amazon Price: $7.50 (as of 10/15/2008)
Epic Fantasy Links and Essays
Learn more about Epic Fantasy, find epic fantasy works.
- www.epic-fantasy.com
- Brand new website devoted to the genre of Epic Fantasy.
- What is Epic Fantasy?
- Epic Fantasy is a misunderstood genre of fiction and is often categorized with Science Fiction. This essay gives a solid definition of what Epic Fantasy is.
- The History of Epic Fantasy
- Epic Fantasy has a long history going all the way back before the time of the Iliad and the Odyssey. This is an essay that explains the great works of epic fantasy right up to modern times.
- The Modern Day Classics of Epic Fantasy
- Epic Fantasy as we understand it today began in the late 19th Century. This is an essay that takes you through this modern history and how the genre has developed.
- Why Do We Love Epic Fantasy?
- We all feel the desire to rise up against challenges. In other words we all have a hero within us. This is part of the reason why we love Epic Fantasy. This essay describes our desire to greatness and the appeal of epic fantasy.
- Looking for an Epic Fantasy Novel to Read?
- There is a lot of Epic Fantasy novels out there and many of them are clones of the usual formula. This essay helps you select good Epic Fantasy whether you are a beginner to the genre or an expert.
- The big List of Epic Fantasy series
- One of the pitfalls of modern day epic fantasy is that the genre is (over)loaded with multi-book series. How many books are in a series and what is the next book? This is a list of the more popular series.
- Interested in Writing Epic Fantasy?
- No Grammar or plot advice here. This essay is about the philosophy of epic fantasy and what it attempts to achieve/satisfy.
- Heroic Dreams - Epic Fantasy blog
- The Epic Fantasy Blog
A place where you can get all the latest news and information on epic fantasy. Book Reviews, movie reviews and video games. Particular focus on Online RPG's. - The Fantasy Guide
- The Guide to Everything Fantasy. Books, Movies, Projects, Medieval, castles, Mythical beasts. Lots of resources and weblinks.
- The Power, Allure, and Mystery of the Ring in Fantasy
- An interesting article about the symbology of the ring in fantasy.
- Advice for epic fantasy writers - focus on the internal conflict » The Heroic Dreams Blog
- An article about writing epic fantasy and what is really important in the genre.
Recommended Classic Epic Fantasy Books
These are some of the Classics OF Epic Fantasy
They are a must read for anybody interested in the genre.
Gilgamesh: A New English Version
The oldest written story in modern human existence
Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 10/15/2008)
Grendel
A retelling of the Gilgamesh story from the Beasts point of view(Grendel)
Amazon Price: $9.56 (as of 10/15/2008)
The Odyssey
Considered to be the ultimate work of a Hero on a quest
Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 10/15/2008)
The Lord of the Rings (50th Anniversary Edition)
Epic in scope and more modern in writing
Amazon Price: $53.55 (as of 10/15/2008)
Resources on the Web
- Wikipedia Definition of Epic Fantasy
- Wikipedia defines Epic Fantasy as very similar to High Fantasy and a sub-genre of Fantasy.
- Test your knowledge of Epic Fantasy
- If you are a fan of Epic Fantasy you might want to take this test. It is a great way to see how much you really know about the genre.
- An Essay on Epic Fantasy
- Epic Fantasy is a genre that is replete with poor work and copy cat novels. This essay explores the issue of quality in the genre.
- Reader's Guide To Epic Fantasy
- This is a guide to finding and reading epic fantasy books. It is broken down into three different user levels from beginner to advanced fans of the genre.
- Free Online novels
- Here is a collection of free epic fantasy novels that you can read in your web browser or download in plain text format.
- Eternal Lands
- Here's a great Epic fantasy game you can play online for free. It has something for everybody. If you like adventures and quests it has plenty of those. If you like making and manufacturing weapons, potions, armor and a host of other things then this has got it. If you just like the thrill of chasing down and slaying all types of creatures and beasts then this game has got that too! IT is chock full of skeltons, orcs, goblins and a range of baddies for you to conquer. The best thing about it is that it is completely free!
- Online Epic Fantasy video games
- Online games to play in the epic fantasy genre.
- The Fantasy Guide - Top Ten Fantasy Movies
- The Top Ten fantasy movies of all time as judged by the website "The Fantasy Guide"
- Book Review of The Fabulous Women of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell
- A review of the book The Fabulous Women of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell. This is a great Fantasy Art Book.
- Medieval castles: The Strength and Secrets of a thousand years
- Medieval Castles - Mystery, magic, secrets and strength. A thousand year legacy in stone.
- Knight Medieval.com - Everything about knights
- Website all about Medieval Knights, their weapons, their chivalry and their history.
Books for writers
Writing Epic Fantasy? Here are some great references
How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 10/15/2008)
List Price: $14.99
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The Writer’s Complete Fantasy Reference
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Amazon Price: $11.55 (as of 10/15/2008)
List Price: $16.99
Usually ships in 24 hours
Alchemy with Words: The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy vol 1 (The Compete Guide Series)
Release Date: 05/28/2008
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Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 10/15/2008)
List Price: $24.95
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Elements of Writing Fiction - Characters & Viewpoint (Elements of Fiction Writing)
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Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 10/15/2008)
List Price: $14.99
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World Building (Science Fiction Writing)
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Amazon Price: $15.29 (as of 10/15/2008)
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Links to Free Novels
Free Novels you can read in your browser
- The Well at the World's End
- If you are a fan of epic fantasy and you have never heard of William Morris then you are in for a real treat. It all started with the publication in 1892 of his novel The Well at the World's End. This is an outstanding piece of Epic Fantasy and it is considered to be the first epic fantasy work of the modern era.
Here is a quick synopsis of the novel : The youngest son of a king (Ralph of Upmeads) runs away from home and kingdom, but before he goes his godmother gives him a necklace with a bead on it. He overcomes many obstacles and challenges on the way to his destiny at the well at the world's end.
Does this sound familiar. It is a template that many have further expanded on and some of the more familiar modern day masters such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien have openly proclaimed homage to Morris. - Five Children and It
- By: Edith Nesbitt
The story begins when a group of children move from London to the countryside of Kent. While playing in a gravel pit soon after the move, they uncover a rather grumpy, ugly and occasionally malevolent sand-fairy known as the Psammead who is compelled to grant one wish of theirs per day. - The Gods of Mars
- By: Edgar Rice Burroughs
After the long exile on Earth, John Carter finally returned to his beloved Mars. But beautiful Dejah Thoris, the woman he loved, had vanished. Now he was trapped in the legendary Eden of Mars -- an Eden from which none ever escaped alive. - The Wood Beyond the World
- Another classic epic fantasy tale by William is The Wood Beyond The World This one is a tale of a hero named Walter and his epic sea voyage. This novel and The Well at the World's End are works that absolutely have to be in the collection of any fan of epic fantasy.
- Fulcrum Shift; My Epic Fantasy Novel
- Here you can download my first novel. It is available in several formats including Microsoft Word and pdf.
From the Back Cover:
An Epic Fantasy Adventure
Fulcrum Shift is a fantasy novel filled with dark terror, mythical creatures, and pulse-pounding, sword-wielding action.
The Best Series of Novels in the Genre
Delve into a massive world through a series of books
Epic Fantasy by its very definition says "Big" and of course this also means that there are some very big series of novels out there (often more than ten volumes in size!) Amazon has them all. Here are my picks for the top five series.
The Top Five Epic Fantasy Series of All Time
This is a list and description of the top five epic fantasy series of all time. I have left Lord of the Rings off the list because it stands alone above even these. The main criteria I used are popularity, longevity and length of series.
The Shannara series by Terry Brooks - There are currently twenty books in the Shannara series and they are roughly broken down into trilogies. It all began in 1977 with the release of the first book The Sword of Shannara. This series of books is often heralded as the rightful heir to the Lord of the Rings. I have to agree :) trilogy The Sword of Shannara. The second book is The Elfstones of Shannara which is currently being made into a major motion picture. The third book of the trilogy is The Wishsong of Shannara.
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan - This is a series of books that currently number eleven. The twelfth and final book is scheduled to be out in the Fall of 2009. I would say this series is a bit more serious than the Shannara series. The First book is The Wheel of Time and the Second Book is The Great Hunt.
The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind - The first book in this series is Wizards First Rule. I have read the first three books in this series and thoroughly enjoyed them. I will get to the others eventually. The Very first book is just phenomenal. It was released in 1994 to much critical acclaim. You may want to get the box set of the first three novels. You are going to burn through the first one pretty quick. The Sword of Truth Books 1-3: Wizard's First Rule, Blood of the Fold, Stone of Tears are all masterfully crafted books.
The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson - There are currently eight books in this series. - Of all the series I have read this is my absolute favorite. I have read through the whole series twice. This world stands apart from the others for a couple of reasons. True it is a fantasy work with all the usual things like magic, wizards, big battles and well you know. But it is also very sharply balanced by a peculiar main character - Covenant. He is a leper and a bit of an anti-hero.conflict. The first book Lord Foul's Bane was released in 1977 The most recent book in the series is Fatal Revenant and it was released in October of 2007 so this is a nice current series with another book coming.
A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R.R. Martin - This is a series of currently four books and the first book A Game of Thrones was published in 1996. There are three more books planned for the series and several prequel novellas. The fifth book in the series (A Dance with Dragons) is scheduled to be released in Sep 2008. This series of books is more contemporary than the other series; it was started in 1996 and it tends to have much more of a Medieval Europe flavor to it. Political intrigue and the maneuverings between various factions play a big part in the story.
The Top Five Epic Fantasy Series of All Time
This is a list and description of the top five epic fantasy series of all time. I have left Lord of the Rings off the list because it stands alone above even these. The main criteria I used are popularity, longevity and length of series.
The Shannara series by Terry Brooks - There are currently twenty books in the Shannara series and they are roughly broken down into trilogies. It all began in 1977 with the release of the first book The Sword of Shannara. This series of books is often heralded as the rightful heir to the Lord of the Rings. I have to agree :) trilogy The Sword of Shannara. The second book is The Elfstones of Shannara which is currently being made into a major motion picture. The third book of the trilogy is The Wishsong of Shannara.
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan - This is a series of books that currently number eleven. The twelfth and final book is scheduled to be out in the Fall of 2009. I would say this series is a bit more serious than the Shannara series. The First book is The Wheel of Time and the Second Book is The Great Hunt.
The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind - The first book in this series is Wizards First Rule. I have read the first three books in this series and thoroughly enjoyed them. I will get to the others eventually. The Very first book is just phenomenal. It was released in 1994 to much critical acclaim. You may want to get the box set of the first three novels. You are going to burn through the first one pretty quick. The Sword of Truth Books 1-3: Wizard's First Rule, Blood of the Fold, Stone of Tears are all masterfully crafted books.
The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson - There are currently eight books in this series. - Of all the series I have read this is my absolute favorite. I have read through the whole series twice. This world stands apart from the others for a couple of reasons. True it is a fantasy work with all the usual things like magic, wizards, big battles and well you know. But it is also very sharply balanced by a peculiar main character - Covenant. He is a leper and a bit of an anti-hero.conflict. The first book Lord Foul's Bane was released in 1977 The most recent book in the series is Fatal Revenant and it was released in October of 2007 so this is a nice current series with another book coming.
A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R.R. Martin - This is a series of currently four books and the first book A Game of Thrones was published in 1996. There are three more books planned for the series and several prequel novellas. The fifth book in the series (A Dance with Dragons) is scheduled to be released in Sep 2008. This series of books is more contemporary than the other series; it was started in 1996 and it tends to have much more of a Medieval Europe flavor to it. Political intrigue and the maneuverings between various factions play a big part in the story.
The Sword of Shannara
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 10/15/2008)
List Price: $7.99
The Wheel of Time (Boxed Set #1)
Amazon Price: $15.62 (as of 10/15/2008)
List Price: $22.97
Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth, Book 1)
Amazon Price: $12.21 (as of 10/15/2008)
List Price: $17.95
Lord Foul's Bane (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Book 1)
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 10/15/2008)
List Price: $7.99
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1)
Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 10/15/2008)
List Price: $16.00
