Long Epic Fantasy series

Just wondering how many continuous fantasy series are over 5 volumes. So far I have

Jordan, Wheel of Time - 14
Goodkind, Sword of Truth - 11
Martin, Song of Ice and Fire - 7
Erikson, Mazlan Book of the Fallen - 10
Kate Elliot, Crown of Stars - 7

When I say continuous I mean one set of main characters and one story in the books, not a series of books set in the same world like Valdemar and Pern or long series made up of series of trilogies like Robin Hobb or Raymond Feist. Just one very long series. How many more can we think of?

Well, how about The Dark Tower by Stephen King -7 (eight if you count The Little Sisters of Eluria)
and, ahem, Harry Potter -7

Katherine Kerr's Deverry books? 12 volumes.

I've only read a couple of them so far, and they're technically grouped into three four-book "acts" on her website, but I've never seen anyone talk about her work as anything other than a single long series.

Also, cheating a bit, but Chaz Brenchley's Outremer books were released as 6 volumes in the U.S. (Believe it was only a trilogy in the U.K. :) )

Out of the series mentioned so far, I've only read HP, and attempted the Wheel of Time but gave up after book 7.

My question is, are any of the long series mentioned worth reading, with continuous quality throughout?

A series I've just started reading today is Janny Wurts' Wars of Light and Shadow which has 8 books.

#4 lunacat
One of the problems, as far as I can see, is that not all of those are complete series yet. So of the ones already mentioned the one I am still reading as incomplete is the Malazan Book of the Fallen which I find is consistently good so far. Definitely thought provoking!

One not already mentioned that I read and think is brilliant is Janny Wurts Wars of Light and Shadow (so far one trilogy Curse of the Mistwraith and 5 in the Alliance of Light series published with a sixth due soon.) * AHS-Wolfy had not posted when I started typing!

The other incomplete series - Deverry, Wheel of Time and Song of Fire and Ice I am not continuing until the series are finished. Various reasons not that they are not consistent but at least partly because I want a complete story before continuing in those worlds.

Of the complete series
I liked the Dark Tower but know that other people have a problem with it.
Outremer is a trilogy as far as I am concerned; it didn't make me run out and see what else Chaz Brenchley has writtten
Kate Elliott's Crown of Stars I thought was so good that I had to buy her Jaran series (which I am disappointed in and is languishing at the bottom of my TBR!)
Sword of Truth I completed reading but can not honestly say is consistently good.

For all of them it is a matter of whether you find the worlds and writing style worth spending time on! :)

Not mentioned yet, although not quite on the epic scale of the others mentioned, is Naomi Novik's Temeraire series which is currently on nr. 5, with book 6 forthcoming.

Another 7-book series is The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I found it quite entertaining and balanced.

Thought of a couple more to add:

Terry Brooks' Landover series has now reached 6.
Joel Rosenberg's Guardians of the Flame has reached 10.

And if you don't mind including comic fantasy then there's also The Myth Adventures books by Robert Asprin currently stands at 19 books.

Jim Butcher's Dresden Files if you count urban fantasy. They're independent stories, but have continuity between them, so there are overarcing plot elements. It looks like number 12 has just been announced.

>attempted the Wheel of Time but gave up after book 7.

Well, book 8 is worse, but 9 is better and quality increases from there (IMHO).

>When I say continuous I mean one set of main characters and one story in the books, not a series of books set in the same world like Valdemar and Pern

I would argue that Arrows of the Queen through Storm Breaking counts as a continuous series of 10 (Arrows, Winds, Storm and By the Sword). An argument could maybe even be made for including Owl, but I won't try it.

And Dragonquest through All the Weyrs of Pern might also count with seven books.

David Drake's Lord of the Isles series comes to mind. It's at 9 books and there aren't plans for any more.

Roger Zelazny's Amber series which has 10, although a lot of the later ones were so short I hesitate to call them separate books.

13: The length of the Amber books is actually pretty average for a lot of older sf, so I don't think it's fair to judge them by modern doorstopper standards.

#13 & 14
I agree not really long enough in today's terms. Numerically 10 yes but actually short enough to be collected in one readable book http://www.librarything.com/work/8306/descriptions/

L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s Recluse series is up to 15 books with a 16th due out next year.

Steven Brust's Jhereg series has a dozen books in the core series & if you count the 5 Khaavren Romances, which are preludes, that's 17.

Robert E. Howard's Conan series - Does it count? So many authors, editors & editions. There are a lot of books there, though.

I have The Great Book of Amber & the flimsy paperback binding won't hold up to many readings. I gave a copy to my son & I think he said it fell into pieces on his second read - the third one the book had. He isn't the most caring reader in the world, but still...

CJ CHerryh's fortress in the eye of time is exactly 5 books long I think.

Donaldson's chronicles of Thomas Covenant is into it's 8th with two more expected

I always think of the belgariad and mallorean as 1 series so that's 10 (12 if include the two summary volumes)

#4 Consistent quality: Jim butcher, Janny Wurts, Stephen donaldson, show no decline in stanards at all. The middle two of CJCherryh's series are a bit weak, but it picks up again for the last two.

Glen Cook's Black Company is a complete series of 10 books, though one of them is more a spin-off (to tie off some loose ends) than part of the main sequence. Cook has also proposed two additional books to be written.

>16jimmaclachlan - the Chronicles of Amber were once upon a time collected in two hardcover volumes which you can still find (at not a lot of cost, at least in the USA), e.g.: http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Amber-Volumes-Roger-Zelazny/dp/B002915BDO/ref=s...

They might stand up better to the wear and tear you describe!

#19: jnwelch

Thank you. I didn't make it clear that I was replying to #15. I don't find the 'Great Book of Amber' particularly readable. It's inexpensive & great for an introduction, but I re-read the books at least every decade if not more often. I think my son has read the series every other year for the past 10. I own the set you mentioned & so does my son - now.

#17 - There are new Thomas Covenant books?? Must look those up!

Jennifer Roberson and her Cheysuli series (beginning with Shapechangers) was a favourite of mine in highschool, and is long since completed at eight volumes. Only available in omnibus editions now. Each volume is about the next generation of the family, each one bringing a prophecy one step closer to fruition, but does serve as one continuous story with many characters carrying over from one to another (but none all the way through, of course).

http://www.castlefiction.com/epic_fantasy_main/epic_fantasy_series2.htm

That's a pretty good list at Castle Fiction. They're missing Janny Wurts Wars of Light and Shadow series, though. That's being republished now & the last book is due out soon.

#23/24> That list is also woefully out of date.

#25 I noticed it was out of date but I was in a hurry and had to post the link somewhere I could get to it quickly because it has some series I hadn't thought of. there were other lists, but they all seem to consist of the same ones this has some lesser known ones

#23, 24 - Will updated his site to include Janny's books. He has another site:
http://fantasyguide.stormthecastle.com/series/series-index.htm#wurts

There's always the Alvin Maker series, by Orson Scott Card which has six so far, with another on the way.

#4 - In my experience very few series maintain their quality in all books. I have read first half of Sword of Truth series and its mostly good. Wheel of Time loses it's quality in the middle but I have heard it makes up for it in latter books (which I haven't read yet).

#9 - I am not sure if you can count Terry Brooks' Landover series, even though it is set in same world with same set of main characters, each story is pretty much independent of others.

According to that list, Shannara series seems pretty long, does it maintains same story line or every trilogy has it's own story?

I haven't read them, but the Shannara books are mostly separate trilogies and prequel and sequel trilogies etc etc.

That's about right. They have an overlapping arc, as far as it's visible, but that, as I remember, is about it.

And because I'm slightly insane this morning: Have a summary of all the books we've mentioned in the thread so far, along with some we haven't, neatly divided into two groups of 'we don't disagree these are long epic fantasy' and 'we're not sure these really fit Musereader's original question'.

New-new additions are in italics.

we don't disagree these are long epic fantasy

Brust - Jhereg: 12(/17 with Khaavren Romances)
Orson Scott Card - Alvin Maker: 6(+1 more in the works)
Carey - Kushiel's Legacy: 6
CJ Cherryh - Fortress in the Eye of Time: 5
Cook - Black Company: 10
Donaldson - Thomas Covenant: 8 (+2 more expected)
David Drake - Lord of the Isles: 9
Kate Elliot - Crown of Stars: 7
Erikson - Mazlan Book of the Fallen: 10
Goodkind - Sword of Truth: 11
Jordan - Wheel of Time: 14
King - The Dark Tower: 7(/8)
Martin - Song of Ice and Fire: 7
Modesitt Jr - Recluse: 16
Moordcock - Elric: 11 (?)
Novik - Temeraire: 5 (with 6 on the way)
Joel Rosenberg - Guardians of the Flame: 10
Rowling - Harry Potter: 7
Sagara - Elantra: 5 (with 6 on the way)
Weis & Hickman - Death Gate Cycle: 7
West - Sun Sword: 6
Wurts - War of Light and Shadow: 8 (with 3 more on the way)

we're not sure these really fit Musereader's original question

Robert Asprin - The Myth Adventures: 19
Chaz Brenchley - Outremer: 6 (US release, but 3 UK?)
Brooks - Landover: 6
Brooks - Shannara: ?
Butcher - Dresden Files: 11 (with a twelfth announced)
Eddings: Belgariad/Mallorean: 10(/12 with summary volumes)
Green - Death Stalker: 7/8
Green - Hawk & Fisher: 7/8
Green - Night Side 7/8
Hawke - Wizard & Time Wars: ?
Hamilton - Anita Blake: 17 (?)
Howard - Conan: ? (so many editors/authors/etc)
Kerr - Deverry: 12
Lackey - Valdemar: 10 (Arrows of the Queen through Storm Breaking)
McCaffrey - Pern: 7 (Dragonquest through All the Weyrs of Pern)
Jennifer Roberson - Cheysuli: 8
Pratchett - Discworld: ?
Zelazny - Amber: 10

Most of the problems with these books is that they don't necessarily talk about the same characters, or they're books that stand-alone yet still for a series. Some aren't so much epic (high) fantasy either from the comments on them.

#31 Wow! That's fantastic. Here are a few more possibilities.

Laurell K. Hamilton Anita Blake series 17 books now?
Simon R. Green - Death Stalker series, Hawk & Fisher series, Night Side series - all seem to have 7 or 8 books.
Michael Moorcock - Elric has 7 books, I think.
Simon Hawke - Wizard & Time Wars

# 31 Shanra - that's a fabulous summary.

If it's appropriate to flesh out your listing, there will be three more volumes to the finish of The Wars of Light and Shadow. This is definite, they are under contract, which will end that series entire, at 11 books. The ninth is almost done, now.

Congrats Janny!

32: jimmaclachlan - don't think the anita blake series is epic fantasy. The Nightside series could maybe be called epic fantasy though it is also urban fantasy.

31: Shanra - that's a great summery

#32 - I think Moorcock is closer to 11 Elric books now. (Leastwise that's what/how it's on my list. 'course I'd clean forgotten about them.)

#33 Janny, that's fantastic news! Congratulations!

I've edited in the information provided above, but it might be better to just let the series titles pile in a bit further and copy/make a new list instead of editing that one all the time. It'd get lost in the new posts. Glad people are finding it useful, though! ^-^

May I say, I love having author insights :)

There are 17 books in R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt books (and 5 or 6 related stories), and they are much better than the bulk of the D&D novels floating around. The later ones are less game oriented and I would put them on par with just about any fantasy series around. The really early ones still have the echoes of dice rolling in the background, however.

# 34 readafew, #36 Shanra - thanks! I am beyond excited to have the last of these in the pipe! (happy dance going on in the background)

#37 lunacat - it's the best, being part of the gang here. Not only for the best books, and for the cute kitty hits, and getting bumped from behind by the roombas, you guys are irreverent geniuses for bent humor.

Think David Eddings is worth mentioning, Thought the Belgariad is just 5 books you have the to prequels about Belgarath and Polgara, and than the sequel series Mallorean.

No-one's mentioned Burroughs Martian series, I've lost count of the times I've re-read them. But for a nice long series of books there is Alan Burt Aker's Scorpio series.
I'm looking forward to Janny's 9th

Does the twenty some Tarzan books count?

Then there is the Pellucidar series; but for sheer number of books Perry Rhodan would take some beating, though they are more science fiction than fantasy.
I'm happy; "The Gathering Storm" has just been delivered!

I don't think Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Mars" series counts as fantasy. It takes place on another planet and involves a human man interacting with aliens. Sure, it's not hard sci-fi, and there are swords and quests and things, but still....

surely someone has mentioned the Song of Ice and Fire series by GRR Martin. Surely? First book is Game of Thrones currently being made into an HBO pilot and hopefully series

Ah, I see it in the first post now. Just no touchstone thingie so I was confused. Sorry!

Of course, ASoIaF only has 4 books at the moment. ;)

@46 - true. But each book is three normal ones long ;-)

I don't think anyone's mentioned Norman's Gor series yet. That is, if you like your SF/Fantasy mix with a whole lot of misogyny.

Hey some of you should read some of the series by Sharon Shinn. She is my favorite fantasy author besides JK Rowling. and i hate to say it but some of her books are better then harry potter and i don't give that compliment litly. lol anyway here are some titles.
1.)reader and the realinx series
2.)truth-tellers tale series (crappy cover art but awsome books)
3.) Shape-Changers Wife (one book)

Jennifer Roberson's Tiger and Del series fits the bill at 6 volumes.

And I was thinking of LotR, but that's six books in three volumes. :)

You didn't list Shinn's series that starts with Archangel... you should try that.

There's also Sara Douglass' Wayfarer Redemption series (two trilogies), in which the individual books are long enough that I think the 6 books count as epically long.

She also has a 4-book series, the Troy Game, which still totals 2624 pages for 4 books (hardcover).

#48 I've recently finished the 27th Gor book and I agree the misogyny does ruin what began as a good series. I coped by reading a lot of the later books in fast-forward mode. They were the only books of mine that my ex-wife read. I'm not into macho-posturing to create an impression which is probably why she's an ex!

btw, I just heard that Peter Jackson is doing a His Majesty's Dragon movie. Looking forward to that!

morganville vampires by rachel caine- 7 books so far and going on
vampire academy by richelle mead-the 5th book will be released on May
I like them both. Unfortunately, twilight saga stops after four books. I don't know if you can count midnight sun, the first book through Edward's version, only found on pdf at the author's website. So far, she decided not to publish because of breach.