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Modern Epic Fantasy in the Tolkien Tradition
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"Not all those who wander are lost."
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin 4 books, more to come
An incredibly complex and deliberately-paced series, "A Song of Ice and Fire" is replete with a large cast of characters and a rich landscape. The epic history of this land's politics, culture, and religion is lushly detailed. The plot itself is well-supplied both with tales of chivalrous knights and with accounts of foul treachery and murder. This series is light on magic-except for a dragon or three, and a few ice demons-but heavy on plot, action, and intrigue.
- Book 1: A Game of Thrones. 1997.
- The decade-long winter is approaching and political upheaval is on its heels. Lord Stark of the northern land of Winterfell heads south to serve as the advisor of King Robert, his old and trusted friend. Treacherous Queen Cersei, however, has other plans for the throne.
- Book 2: A Clash of Kings. 1999.
- Five different lords declare themselves king and a war breaks out across the land, pitting brother against brother in a bloody battle for succession. Meanwhile, the children of Lord Stark are forced to fight their own separate battles.
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Book 3: A Storm of Swords. 2000.
- The War of Five Kings continues. Young King Joffrey Lannister sits precariously upon the Iron Throne with his mother Cersei as Regent. In the North, the equally young Robb Stark struggles to rule his own rebellious kingdom while his half-brother fights demonic Others atop the icy Wall.
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Book 4: A Feast for Crows. 2005.
- Queen Regent Cersei is beginning to lose her mind, and has already lost the support of her followers. In the North, Robb Stark's band of mercenaries and warlords is fractured and locked into a bloody power-play as the danger from the far north increases.
The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind 10 books, more to come
A complex tale with highly moral, enjoyable, and often quirky characters, "The Sword of Truth" series combines the traditional fantasy elements of wizardry, magical beasts, and sword-swinging action with a healthy dose of philosophy and political idealism. Darker story elements pepper the plot, but the interactions between the characters often provide welcome lightness and humor.
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Book 1: Wizard's First Rule. 1994.
- When Richard Cypher, a woods guide living a quiet life in the Westland, spots a lovely young woman being pursued by thuggish assassins and chooses to help her, he is launched into a quest that will change his life and reveal his true identity and destiny.
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Book 2: Stone of Tears. 1995.
- Having saved the world from destruction by the evil Darken Rahl, Richard Cypher finds that his actions have provided an opening for the evil Keeper of the Underworld. In order to stop him, Richard must learn to control his gift for wizardry.
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Book 3: Blood of the Fold. 1996.
- Richard's actions have opened the way for the power-hungry Emperor Jagang of the Imperial Order and his brutal armies to invade the New World. Richard must accept his new status and power and try to close the gate.
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Book 4: Temple of the Winds. 1997.
- Emperor Jagang is spreading a magical plague through the New World. To stop him, Richard must seek the lost Temple of the Winds-but to find it, he must complete a ritual requiring that he and his beloved Kahlan marry other people.
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Book 5: Soul of the Fire. 1999.
- Kahlan accidentally freed the elemental Chimes which now threaten the world's magic. Kahlan and Richard travel to Anderith seeking help, but are drawn into a civil struggle that threatens to allow Emperor Jagang's armies to enter the Midlands unopposed.
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Book 6: Faith of the Fallen. 2000.
- Nicci, an evil Sister of the Dark, forces Richard to come with her and live under the oppressive regime of the Imperial Order. He begins to undermine Jagang's power from the inside, while Kahlan musters huge armies to fight the Order's military juggernaut.
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Book 7: The Pillars of Creation. 2001.
- The other surviving illegitimate children of the deposed Darken Rahl plot against the rule of Richard, whom they see as Darken Rahl's legitimate--and therefore necessarily corrupt--heir.
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Book 8: Naked Empire. 2003.
- Richard has been poisoned. The search for a cure leads him to the lands of the Bandakar, a non-violent people isolated for centuries. Unfortunately, the price for the cure may be Kahlan's freedom!
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Book 9: Chainfire. 2005
- Richard wakes one day to discover that Kahlan is missing--and that no one else remembers her! His struggle to find his wife reveals the magical spell of Chainfire, capable of unraveling existence if used incorrectly.
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Book 10: Phantom. 2006.
- The three evil Sisters of the Dark who cast a spell on Kahlan to make her vanish from memory are now collecting the Boxes of Orden, hoping to free the Keeper of the Underworld. Richard fights to find Kahlan and prevent the Sisters from opening the boxes.
The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan 11 books, more to come
A complex tale with highly moral, enjoyable, and often quirky characters, "The Sword of Truth" series combines the traditional fantasy elements of wizardry, magical beasts, and sword-swinging action with a healthy dose of philosophy and political idealism. Darker story elements pepper the plot, but the interactions between the characters often provide welcome lightness and humor.
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Book 1: The Eye of the World. 1990.
- Rand, Mat, and Perrin live quiet lives in Three Rivers until the day beast-like Trollocs attackÉwith the three youths as their intended victims! With the help of the sorceress Moraine, the young men and two village wise-women head for the magical stronghold of Tar Valon, facing many dangers along the way.
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Book 2: The Great Hunt. 1990.
- Rand Al'Thor must accept that he is the prophesied Dragon Reborn, destined to confront the Dark One in the Last Battle. The Horn of Valere, necessary for that battle, has been stolen, and Rand must join the quest to retrieve it.
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Book 3: The Dragon Reborn. 1991.
- Rand Al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles to master his magical abilities whilst fending off the madness they may bring. Meanwhile, he quests to obtain the magical sword Callandor and his friends find themselves drawn onto the paths of their own dangerous destinies.
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Book 4: The Shadow Rising. 1992.
- Rand Al'Thor travels to the dangerous Aiel Waste to discover secrets about the world's past and about his own destiny. Meanwhile, while the Aes Sedai magical order discovers treachery and dissention in its own ranks and Perrin Aybara defends Three Rivers from attacks by Trollocs.
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Book 5: The Fires of Heaven. 1993.
- Rand Al'Thor must lead loyal Aiel forces against those who do not accept him. Meanwhile, Mat Cauthon has discovered memories of former lives, and fledgling sorceresses Nynaeve and Elayne fall into the company of Birgitte, an ancient heroine given new life.
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Book 6: Lord of Chaos. 1994
- Rand Al'Thor consolidates his power, while the Aes Sedai, now split into two opposing camps, continue to scheme for power of their own. Egwene Al'Vere finds herself chosen leader of one camp, while the other seeks to make common ground with Rand and his army of male magic-users.
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Book 7: A Crown of Swords. 1996.
- Elayne, Mat, and their companions search for a magical talisman. Rand finds himself pitted against an ancient and merciless foe while still struggling to control his own abilities and sanity.
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Book 8: The Path of Daggers. 1998.
- The Seanchan, a race from across the ocean, are invading with their armies of enslaved magic-users and flying beasts. Egwene Al'Vere declares war on the usurper in the White Tower and Elayne attempts to gain her seat on the throne of Andor.
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Book 9: Winter's Heart. 2000.
- Rebel Aiel have captured Perrin's wife, and Mat is a captive of another kind-to the energetic and affectionate Queen Tylin. Rand is in hiding with his lover Min, recovering from an assassin's failed attempt, while Elayne is gathering support for her bid for the throne.
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Book 10: Crossroads of Twilight. 2003.
- Mat flees Seanchan forces with a Seanchan princess he is fated to marry. Perrin struggles to reclaim his wife Faile from the Aiel forces that captured her. Meanwhile, the rebel Aes Sedai lay siege to the White Tower, while within it, loyal Sisters seek out evil Black Ajah members.
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Book 11: Knife of Dreams. 2005.
- Egwene al'Vere has been captured by the White Tower. All seems grim in her struggle to rejoin the fractured Aes Sedai, but Egwene may be playing a deeper game.
TheVoyage of the Jerle Shannara by Terry Brooks 3 books
Bringing the fantasy world created in his earlier novels into its more high-tech future, "The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara" combines familiar characters and plot elements with new and exciting settings and villians. The prodigiously talented Ohmsford family and their brooding Druid mentor, Walker Boh, make their regularly scheduled appearances. This time, however, they are pitted not against dark magic wraiths, but against an ancient artificial menace.
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Book 1: Ilse Witch. 2000.
- When a half-drowned Elven prince is found floating in the sea with a map in his possession, a race between Walker Boh, the last of the Druids, and his nemesis, the evil Ilse Witch, begins. Their objective is an ancient, mysterious magic that has long been lost, somewhere across the ocean.
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Book 2: Antrax. 2001.
- Walker Boh and his companions are trapped on an island ruled by an ancient artificial intelligence called Antrax. Walker wants to steal Antrax's secrets, but must engage in combat with the machine to do so. Meanwhile, young Bek Ohmsford must convince his sister of their shared past and keep her from destroying his friends.
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Book 3: Morgawr. 2002.
- The remnants of the questing party voyage home across the ocean. The Ilse Witch is comatose from her exposure to the magic of the Sword of Shannara, and her former mentor, the evil Morgawr, seeks to destroy the Witch and all who have befriended her.
The Tawny Man by Robin Hobb 3 books
The concluding trilogy to an earlier series, "The Tawny Man" reintroduces familiar characters and stretches them to their moral and physical limits. Hobb deals skillfully with emotional and ethical considerations often neglected in other tales of magic and questing of this nature. The characters in "The Tawny Man" are well-rounded, and their emotional anguish and joy are believable and moving. Action sequences are not lacking, and are always exciting and wickedly realistic.
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Book 1: Fool's Errand. 2002.
- FitzChivalry Farseer has lived in happy seclusion for nearly 15 years, raising his adopted son. When Prince Dutiful is endangered by his forbidden magic, Fitz is forced to return to court life to protect the heir to a throne he has always served faithfully.
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Book 2: Golden Fool. 2003.
- FitzChivalry Farseer's life is complicated by the misadventures of both his willful adopted son and Prince Dutiful, who is unhappily betrothed to a Princess from the Out Islands. Meanwhile, revelations about the Fool endanger Fitz's relationship with this old childhood friend.
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Book 3: Fool's Fate. 2004.
- FitzChivalry, the Fool, and Prince Dutiful undertake a dangerous quest to obtain the head of the frozen dragon Icefyre. This quest brings the Fool closer and closer to an old enemy and will finally end their quarrel, one way or another.
Compiled by Katy Tucker, April 2007.
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