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
Paper Book
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 fifth season
Jemisin, N. K.
Paper Book
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. ...
The eye of the world
Jordan, Robert
Paper Book
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.
Paper Book
"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...
The city of brass
Chakraborty, S. A.
Paper Book
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,...
Ship of magic
Hobb, Robin.
Paper Book
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...
The hobbit, or, There and back again
Tolkien, J. R. R.
Paper Book
This edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic is illustrated with 48 paintings by noted artist Michael Hague. Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed...
Over sea, under stone
Cooper, Susan
Paper Book
The first volume of Susan Cooper's brilliant and absorbing fantasy series, The Dark Is Rising. On holiday in Cornwall, the three Drew children discover an ancient map in the attic of the house that they are staying in. They know immediately that it is special. It is even more...
Elantris
Sanderson, Brandon
Paper Book
Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten...
Shades of milk and honey
Kowal, Mary Robinette
Paper Book
The fantasy novel you've always wished Jane Austen had written Shades of Milk and Honeyis exactly what we could expect from Jane Austen if she had been a fantasy writer:Pride and PrejudicemeetsJonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It is an intimate...
The black prism
Weeks, Brent
Paper Book
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.
Paper Book
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...
City of lies
Hawke, Sam
Paper Book
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.
Paper Book
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 gunslinger
King, Stephen
Paper Book
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
Paper Book
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.
Paper Book
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
Paper Book
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.
Paper Book
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.
Paper Book
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.
Paper Book
"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.
Paper Book
BOOK ONE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES * One of Time Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy and 100 Best YA Books of All Time * People's Choice Award winner * Bustle's Best Young Adult Book "This novel is a harrowing, haunting reminder of what it means to be human...
The priory of the orange tree
Shannon, Samantha
Paper Book
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...
Huntress
Lo, Malinda.
Paper Book
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...
Kingdom of souls
Barron, Rena
Paper Book
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 water dancer : a novel
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
Paper Book
#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 mirror empire
Hurley, Kameron.
Paper Book
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.
Paper Book
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...
The way of kings
Sanderson, Brandon.
Paper Book
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...
Mistborn : the final empire
Sanderson, Brandon
Paper Book
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 Jasmine throne
Suri, Tasha
Paper Book
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
Paper Book
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
Paper Book
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 ...
Uprooted
Novik, Naomi
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE NEBULA AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL * Naomi Novik, author of the New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed Temeraire novels, introduces a bold new world rooted in folk stories and legends, as elemental as a Grimm fairy tale. HUGO AWARD FINALIST * NAMED...

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