Epic Fantasies are sprawling adventures, often starting small, focusing on a single character and soon blossoming to cover whole continents before bringing the hero and a multitude of characters together for an epic finale. In order to contain fate-of-the-world conflicts and consistent, in-depth worldbuilding, epic fantasies as a rule span multiple books.
For this reason epic fantasy series can be intimidating. Beyond trilogies, a fair number of epic fantasy series stretch past ten volumes. Couple the large number of series entries with doorstopper page counts (epic fantasy novels are typically over 500 pages and are often many more) and it’s no wonder readers curious about epic fantasy are loath to begin.
Thankfully, there exists a rare exception to the rule: standalone epic fantasies. An epic fantasy that somehow fits the story, conflict, and vibes into a single volume.
For those readers new to epic fantasy and to those seasoned veterans who need a palate cleanser after finishing a massive series such as Malazan Book of the Fallen, standalones are perfect. Let’s dive into seven titles with all the hallmarks of epic fantasy and three more standalones whose qualities overlap significantly with epic fantasy and will be of interest for fans of the genre.
Note: novels that were originally published as a standalone but have since received prequels or sequels have been excluded. For example The Priory of the Orange Tree (prequel: A Day of Fallen Night) or Battle Mage (prequel Battle Mage: Aquila) did not make the cut. Also excluded were books that are currently standalones but their prequel or sequel has been announced (e.g. Elantris and its unpublished sequel Elantris 2 and Elantris 3).
Curation Corner
- Flavor: Epic Fantasy
- Common Flavor pairings: Grimdark, Portal, Military, Mystery
- Setting: secondary world
- Hallmarks: Large cast of characters, magic heavy, fate of the world, chosen one, archetypal hero, mythical creatures such as dragons, multiple PoVs
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
688 pages | Berkley Books | 1990
A masterful epic of magic, politics, war, and the power of love and hate--from the renowned author of The Fionavar Tapestry and Children of Earth and Sky.
Tigana is the magical story of a beleaguered land struggling to be free. It is the tale of a people so cursed by the black sorcery of a cruel despotic king that even the name of their once-beautiful homeland cannot be spoken or remembered...
But years after the devastation, a handful of courageous men and women embark upon a dangerous crusade to overthrow their conquerors and bring back to the dark world the brilliance of a long-lost name... Tigana.
Against the magnificently rendered background of a world both sensuous and barbaric, this sweeping epic of a passionate people pursuing their dream is breathtaking in its vision, changing forever the boundaries of fantasy fiction.
The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams
704 pages | DAW Books | 2003
This standalone transports unsuccessful rockstar Theo Vilmos from modern California to a land of magic and mystery
Returning to the fantasy genre that made him a coast-to-coast best-selling phenomenon, Tad Williams writes this stand-alone contemporary fantasy novel, set in Northern California--and also in the strange parallel world that coexists in the farthest reaches of the imagination.Theo Vilmos is a thirty-year-old lead singer in a not terribly successful rock band. Once, he had enormous, almost magical charisma, both onstage and off--but now, life has taken its toll on Theo.
Hitting an all-time low, he seeks refuge in a isolated cabin in the woods. While there, he reads an odd memoir written by a dead relative who believed he had visited the magical world of Faerie. And before Theo can disregard the account as the writings of a madman, he, too, is drawn to a place beyond his wildest dreams...a place that will be, and has always been, his destiny.
To Ride Hell’s Chasm by Janny Wurts
704 pages | Voyager | 2002
An epic fantasy standalone novel from the author of the stunning Wars of Light and Shadow series. When Princess Anja fails to appear at her betrothal banquet, the tiny, peaceful kingdom of Sessalie is plunged into intrigue.
When Princess Anja fails to appear at her betrothal banquet, the tiny, peaceful kingdom of Sessalie is plunged into intrigue. Two warriors are charged with recovering the distraught king's beloved daughter. Taskin, Commander of the Royal Guard, whose icy competence and impressive life-term as the Crown's right-hand man command the kingdom's deep-seated respect; and Mykkael, the rough-hewn newcomer who has won the post of Captain of the Garrison - a scarred veteran with a deadly record of field warfare, whose 'interesting' background and foreign breeding are held in contempt by court society.
As the princess's trail vanishes outside the citadel's gates, anxiety and tension escalate. Mykkael's investigations lead him to a radical explanation for the mystery, but he finds himself under suspicion from the court factions. Will Commander Taskin's famous fair-mindedness be enough to unravel the truth behind the garrison captain's dramatic theory: that the resourceful, high-spirited princess was not taken by force, but fled the palace to escape a demonic evil?
Starless by Jacqueline Carey
592 pages | Tor Books | 2018
Jacqueline Carey is back with an amazing adventure not seen since her New York Times bestselling Kushiel's Legacy series. Lush and sensual, Starless introduces us to an epic world where exiled gods live among us, and a hero whose journey will resonate long after the last page is turned.
I was nine years old the first time I tried to kill a man...
Destined from birth to serve as protector of the princess Zariya, Khai is trained in the arts of killing and stealth by a warrior sect in the deep desert; yet there is one profound truth that has been withheld from him.
In the court of the Sun-Blessed, Khai must learn to navigate deadly intrigue and his own conflicted identity...but in the far reaches of the western seas, the dark god Miasmus is rising, intent on nothing less than wholesale destruction.
If Khai is to keep his soul's twin Zariya alive, their only hope lies with an unlikely crew of prophecy-seekers on a journey that will take them farther beneath the starless skies than anyone can imagine.
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
592 pages | Tor Books | 2009
In the world of Warbreaker, each person is born endowed with the power of one Breath―which can be sold and collected by others, then used to Awaken objects and even corpses to do their bidding. A few individuals who die in glory return as gods, with the power of thousands of Breath, but no memory of their mortal lives―and are enthroned in the Court of Gods in Hallandren's capital. To Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris, the abuse of Breath and the claim of the Returned to be gods are repugnant blasphemy. But with one princess wed to the God King of their nation's enemies in a bid for peace, the other finds she must rely on Breath-using mercenaries to try to rescue her sister from her monstrous husband.
Lightsong the Bold, a lesser god who doubts his own religion, starts investigating mysterious murders in the Court of Gods and uncovers haunting clues to his own forgotten past. He is one of four gods who controls the army of Awakened Lifeless soldiers, and one faction is inciting an invasion of Idris despite the marriage treaty. Vasher―wielder of the sapient sword Nightblood―works behind the scenes against the declaration of war, but Lightsong's visions of bloodshed prophesy its inevitability. Can the new queen, unaware of her sister's imminent rescue attempt, persuade Lightsong and also somehow get through to the aloof God King―who she has been forbidden to speak to or even look in the eyes―before her homeland is destroyed?
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
464 pages | Orbit | 2019
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 WORLD FANTASY AWARD
Gods meddle in the fates of men, men play with the fates of gods, and a pretender must be cast down from the throne in this masterful first fantasy novel from Ann Leckie, New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards.
"Absolutely wonderful. . .utterly brilliant." -- The New York Times Book Review
For centuries, the kingdom of Iraden has been protected by the god known as the Raven.
He watches over his territory from atop a tower in the powerful port of Vastai. His will is enacted through the Raven's Lease, a human ruler chosen by the god himself. His magic is sustained by the blood sacrifice that every Lease must offer. And under the Raven's watch, the city flourishes.
But the Raven's tower holds a secret. Its foundations conceal a dark history that has been waiting to reveal itself. . .and to set in motion a chain of events that could destroy Iraden forever.
"It's a delight to read something so different, so wonderful and strange." -- Patrick Rothfuss
The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang
650 pages | Self-published | 2018
On a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire's enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name 'The Sword of Kaigen.' Born into Kusanagi's legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family's fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen's alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be. Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.
Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.
When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?
Epic Fantasy Adjacent Standalones
These books, while not traditionally recognized as epic fantasy, contain an undeniable element common to epic fantasy novels. Fans of epic fantasy will find comfort in these novels even if the set dressing isn’t what they’re used to reading.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (2004)
864 pages | Bloomsbury Publishing | 2004
In the midst of the Napoleonic Wars in 1806, most people believe magic to have long since disappeared from England - until the reclusive Mr. Norrell reveals his powers and becomes an overnight celebrity.
Another practicing magician then emerges: the young and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's pupil, and the two join forces in the war against France.
But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wild, most perilous forms of magic, and he soon risks sacrificing his partnership with Norrell and everything else he holds dear.
Susanna Clarke's brilliant first novel is an utterly compelling epic tale of nineteenth-century England and the two magicians who, first as teacher and pupil and then as rivals, emerge to change its history.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (2014)
512 pages| Tor Books | 2014
A lush tale of deadly court intrigue and a modern classic of fantasy by Locus award winner and Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award finalist Katherine Addison
Unbound Worlds 100 Best Fantasy Novels of All Time
A Best Fantasy Novel of the Decade Pick for BookRiot
"Striking."--The New York Times
The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three half brothers in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.
Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.
Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend . . . and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne-or his life.
The Barbed Coil by J. V. Jones
704 pages | Warner Books | 1997
Tessa McCamfrey, young and rootless resident of Southern California, has never found much in life that interests her. All of that changes when she stumbles upon a ring that transports her to a distant time and place. There she discovers her unexpected talent: She can create luminous, magical illustrations that have the power to influence others' lives. She becomes involved in the fate of kingdoms when her power is brought to bear against an evil king whose mind has been taken over by a golden crown called the Barbed Coil. As in The Book of Words trilogy, J. V. (Julie) Jones imbues every one of her characters with personality, from the dashing mercenary Ravis, who becomes Tessa's protector in this strange new world, to the sailors, innkeepers, soldiers, and others who populate her lush, involving story.
0 comments