Hi, everyone! I thought I would do a fun post today since things have been crazy with getting settled into my PhD program (did I mention that? Yes, I’m doing a PhD). So, in the spirit of creating more posts about sci-fi and fantasy books, along with my writing and literary journal posts, here’s a list of the longest epic fantasies to try to take a crack at.
Also, if you want to see some other posts similar to this, check out my post 10 Greatest Golden Age Science Fiction Novels.
The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien) – 470,000 words
Probably the most well-known book on this list, J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic work starts the list off at around 470,000 words. This includes his appendices, which include a lot more information about the world of Middle Earth. The three volumes, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, are pretty short. Tolkien famously wanted it to be one book, but it was published as three volumes as a sequel to his children’s book The Hobbit.
Summary: Members of the various races of Middle Earth must band together on a quest to destroy a magic ring and save the world from the Dark Lord.
The Stand (Stephen King) – 472,376 words
While this is the only dark fantasy book on this list and also more of a post-apocalyptic story, Stephen King’s The Stand is over 472,000 words long. King started writing the book in 1975. Initially, he wanted to write something reminiscent of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
Summary: After a deadly influenza epidemic, the world divides into factions of good and evil and locks into a seemingly never-ending battle.
Ash: A Secret History (Mary Gentle) – 500,000 words
The third book on this list is Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle, a British sci-fi and fantasy author. Along with historical fiction, this book, which clocks in at around 500,000 words, is also an alternate history. Fun fact: because of its length, the books come in four volumes in the United States. In order, the volumes are A Secret History, Carthage Ascendant, Wild Machines, and Lost Burgundy, all of which appeared between 1999 and 2000.
Summary: A historian discovers an alternate history of the world, while a young orphan in this alternate history grows up to become a mercenary throughout Europe and North Africa.
Several Books by Diana Gabaldon – 401,000 to 502,000 words
When going around trying to figure out which epic fantasies were the longest, I realized that author Diana Gabaldon came up a lot on this list. So much so that most of the list would have been only about her books! So I decided to place them all in one place. These books all come from Gabaldon’s Outlander series. The fifth book in the series, The Fiery Cross, is about 502,000 words. The sixth book, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, is 501,000 words. Several of her other books are tied for the longest fantasy, including An Echo in the Bone and Drums of Autumn.
Summary: A nurse in the Second World War travels through time to 18th-century Scotland, where she finds love and adventure in this blend of fantasy, romance, and historical fiction.
To Green Angel Tower (Tad Williams) – 520,000 words
The last and longest book on this list! Tad Williams’ book remains at the top with 520,000 words. This is also the third novel in his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Trilogy. It was also separated into two volumes when made in paperback: Siege and Storm. I won’t spoil this book since it’s not the first in the series.
Summary: After the death of the king, a young boy is swept into an adventure that involves the fate of the world.
I hope you enjoyed this list! See you all next week for another writing post. Maybe this list provided you with new books to put on your TBR. Happy reading!
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Ooh. I simply adore doorstoppers. Give me a nice long series any day! I love that you put word count instead of page count too. As an author it’s so much easier to think of things that way.
Right!! I also really enjoy long books. I was surprised at how long some of these were. Thanks for reading!
Good job. Interesting books. Love yo💕