Epic Fantasy First Books & Standalones

Updated February 24, 2023
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Sorcerer to the crown
Cho, Zen
In this sparkling debut, magic and mayhem clash with the British elite... The Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers, one of the most respected organizations throughout all of England, has long been tasked with maintaining magic within His Majesty’s lands. But lately, the...
The hobbit, or, There and back again
Tolkien, J. R. R.
"In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit." So begins one of the most beloved and delightful tales in the English language. Set in the imaginary world of Middle-earth, at once a classic myth and a modern fairy tale, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is one of literature's most enduring and...
The city of brass
Chakraborty, S. A.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Library Journal | Vulture | The Verge | SYFYWire Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty, an imaginative alchemy of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings,...
The eye of the world
Jordan, Robert
The Wheel of Time is now an original series on Prime Video, starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine! A special hardcover edition of The Eye of the World, the first novel in Robert Jordan's #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, celebrating the 30th...
Assassin's apprentice
Hobb, Robin.
"Fantasy as it ought to be written . . . Robin Hobb's books are diamonds in a sea of zircons."--George R. R. Martin    Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father's gruff stableman. He is treated as an...
Ship of magic
Hobb, Robin.
The first book in a seafaring fantasy trilogy that George R. R. Martin has described as "even better than the Farseer Trilogy--I didn't think that was possible." Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships--rare vessels carved from...
Uprooted
Novik, Naomi
NEBULA AWARD WINNER * HUGO AWARD FINALIST * "If you want a fantasy with strong characters and brilliantly original variations on ancient stories, try Uprooted!"--Rick Riordan   "Breathtaking . . . a tale that is both elegantly grand and earthily humble, familiar as...
Over sea, under stone
Cooper, Susan
"I DID NOT KNOW THAT YOU CHILDREN WOULD BE THE ONES TO FIND IT. OR WHAT DANGER YOU WOULD BE PUTTING YOURSELVES IN." Throughout time, the forces of good and evil have battled continuously, maintaining the balance. Whenever evil forces grow too powerful, a champion of...
Elantris
Sanderson, Brandon
In 2005, Brandon Sanderson debuted with Elantris, an epic fantasy unlike any other then on the market. To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Tor is reissuing Elantris in a special edition, a fresh chance to introduce it to the myriad readers who have since become Sanderson fans.<...
Shades of milk and honey
Kowal, Mary Robinette
Shades of Milk and Honey is an intimate portrait of Jane Ellsworth, a woman ahead of her time in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality. But despite the prevalence of magic in everyday life, other aspects of Dorchester's society are...
The black prism
Weeks, Brent
In a world where magic is tightly controlled, the most powerful man in history must choose between his kingdom and his son in the first book in the epic NYT bestselling Lightbringer series. Guile is the Prism. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and...
The annotated Sword of Shannara
Brooks, Terry.
THE PHENOMENAL EPIC OF GOOD AND EVIL LIKE IT'S NEVER BEEN EXPERIENCED BEFORE nbsp; Thirty-five years ago, Terry Brooks brought to life a dazzling world in The Sword of Shannara. Nineteen more Shannara volumes would follow, making the series one of the most popular fantasy epics of all...
The fifth season
Jemisin, N. K.
At the end of the world, a woman must hide her secret power and find her kidnapped daughter in this "intricate and extraordinary" Hugo Award winning novel of power, oppression, and revolution. (The New York Times) This is the way the world ends. . .for the last time. ...
City of lies
Hawke, Sam
WINNER of the Ditmar Awards for Best Novel and Best New Talent, the Norma K Hemming Award, and the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel! Poison. Treachery. Ancient spirits. Sieges. The Poison Wars begin now, with City of Lies, a fabulous epic fantasy debut by Sam...
Gardens of the moon
Erikson, Steven.
Vast legions of gods, mages, humans, dragons and all manner of creatures play out the fate of the Malazan Empire in this first book in a major epic fantasy series from Steven Erikson. The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter...
The water dancer : a novel
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * From the National Book Award-winning author of Between the World and Me, a boldly conjured debut novel about a magical gift, a devastating loss, and an underground war for freedom. "This potent book about America's...
The gunslinger
King, Stephen
Eerie, dreamlike, set in a world that is weirdly related to our own, The Gunslinger introduces Roland Deschain of Gilead, of In-World that was, as he pursues his enigmatic antagonist to the mountains that separate the desert from the Western Sea. Roland is a solitary figure, perhaps accursed, who...
The lies of Locke Lamora
Lynch, Scott
Fantasy meets crime caper in the first book of a landmark, enduringly popular epic series about a roguish group of conmen, which George R. R. Martin has called "fresh, original, and engrossing . . . gorgeously realized." An orphan's life is harsh--and often short--in the...
The silvered
Huff, Tanya.
Winner of the 2013 Aurora Award! From the author of the bestselling Blood books, a brilliant new tale of shape-changers, mages, soothsayers,and a power-mad emperor. The Empire has declared war on the small, were-ruled kingdom of Aydori, capturing five...
Alanna : the first adventure
Pierce, Tamora
From Tamora Pierce, the first book in the Song of the Lioness Quartet, honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award. "From now on I'm Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I'll be a knight." In a time when girls are forbidden to be warriors, Alanna of Trebond wants...
Blood song
Ryan, Anthony.
From "a new master storyteller" comes the beginning of an epic fantasy saga of blood, honor, and destiny...   "The Sixth Order wields the sword of justice and smites the enemies of the Faith and the Realm." Vaelin Al Sorna was only a child of ten when...
The Goblin Emperor
Addison, Katherine.
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 sons in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only...
The poppy war
Kuang, R. F.
"I have no doubt this will end up being the best fantasy debut of the year [...] I have absolutely no doubt that [Kuang's] name will be up there with the likes of Robin Hobb and N.K. Jemisin." -- Booknest A Library Journal, Paste Magazine, Vulture, BookBub, and ENTROPY Best...
An ember in the ashes : a novel
Tahir, Sabaa.
BOOK ONE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES One of Time Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time One of Time Magazine's 100 Best YA Books of All Time Instant New York Times bestseller From #1 New York Times...
Huntress
Lo, Malinda.
Nature is out of balance in the human kingdom. The sun hasn't shone in years, and crops are failing. Worse yet, strange and hostile creatures have begun to appear. The people's survival hangs in the balance. To solve the crisis, the oracle stones are cast, and...
The priory of the orange tree
Shannon, Samantha
The New York Times bestselling "epic feminist fantasy perfect for fans of Game of Thrones" (Bustle). NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY: AMAZON (Top 100 Editors Picks and Science Fiction and Fantasy) * CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY * BOOKPAGE...
Kingdom of souls
Barron, Rena
A girl with no gifts must bargain for the power to fight her own mother's dark schemes--even if the price is her life. Crackling with dark magic, unspeakable betrayal, and daring twists you won't see coming, this explosive YA fantasy debut is a can't-miss, high-stakes epic perfect for fans...
The mirror empire
Hurley, Kameron.
An ambitious tale of magic, war, and parallel worlds that pushes the boundaries of epic fantasy-from a two-time Hugo Award winner On the eve of a recurring catastrophic event known to extinguish nations and reshape continents, a troubled orphan evades death and slavery to uncover...
The mists of Avalon
Bradley, Marion Zimmer.
In Marion Zimmer Bradley's masterpiece, we see the tumult and adventures of Camelot's court through the eyes of the women who bolstered the king's rise and schemed for his fall. From their childhoods through the ultimate fulfillment of their destinies, we follow these women and the diverse cast of...
Mistborn : the final empire
Sanderson, Brandon
Now with over 10 million copies sold, The Mistborn Series has the thrills of a heist story, the twistiness of political intrigue, and the epic scale of a landmark fantasy saga. For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in...
The way of kings
Sanderson, Brandon.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, Book One of the Stormlight Archive begins an incredible new saga of epic proportion. Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky...
The Jasmine throne
Suri, Tasha
WINNER OF THE WORLD FANTASY AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2021 BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, LIBRARY JOURNAL, BOOKLIST, AND THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY A ruthless princess and a powerful priestess come...
Stories of the Raksura. Volume one, The falling world & The tale of Indigo and Cloud
Wells, Martha
Nominated for the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Series Martha Wells returns to the Raksura with a pair of brand-new novellas! In "The Falling World," Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud Court, has traveled with Chime and Balm to another Raksuran court. When she...
The name of the wind
Rothfuss, Patrick
Discover #1 New York Times-bestselling Patrick Rothfuss' epic fantasy series, The Kingkiller Chronicle. "I just love the world of Patrick Rothfuss." --Lin-Manuel Miranda   OVER 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD! DAY ONE: THE NAME OF THE WIND ...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.