Closing in on the end of March and, finally, our first rec list of the year! Completely by accident, this follows on from our last one of cosy fantasy with something that’s almost entirely the opposite. Epic fantasy, in my mind, is characterised by lots of POVs, a story that spans multiple continents or countries, and also just a feeling. The stories feel epic, like a saga. So, with luck, these 10 books fit that remit!
A lot of these titles are available on Scribd, so if you want to check out that service but don’t have an account yet, use my invite code to get 2 months for free! (This also gives me one free month.)
The Black Coast
Mike Brooks
Goodreads
Rep: nonbinary mc, gay mc, bi/pan mc, lesbian side character, nonbinary side characters
CWs: gore, violence, amputation
Why Should I Read It?
When I think of epic fantasy, this is one of the first series that comes to mind. It’s a series that feels expansive and epic, with concurrent storylines going on that you don’t know exactly how they’ll intersect but you can’t wait to find out. Add onto that a vast cast of vibrant characters, and you basically have the perfect epic fantasy.
The Traitor Baru Cormorant
Seth Dickinson
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mc with hemilateral neglect, nonbinary mc, bi mc, bi side characters
CWs: homophobia
Why Should I Read It?
I’ve recced this one so many times that you should know the drill by now. While, initially, this seems like it doesn’t fit my definition of epic fantasy, as the series progresses, it grows and becomes more and more so. I mean, surely “lesbian infiltrates an empire in order to bring it down from the inside” is the definition of epic anyway?
The Unbroken
C. L. Clark
Goodreads
Rep: Black lesbian mc, bi mc with physical disability due to injury, lesbian & nonbinary characters
CWs: violence, gore, past attempted rape, threats of rape, torture
Why Should I Read It?
Still on the “lesbian takes down an empire” theme, if you haven’t read The Unbroken before now, it’s time to change that. It’s the perfect timing too, since the sequel has just come out. Get yourself ready to dive into a politically twisty fantasy, with antagonistic and reluctantly horny for one another main characters!
The Winged Histories
Sofia Samatar
Goodreads
Rep: sapphic mcs
Why Should I Read It?
I know I said all that about epic fantasies at the start, but this one is like an epic fantasy from a quieter perspective. If that makes sense. An epic fantasy from the point of view of the people who get lost within it, the ones who get swept along with the tide. Basically a quiet epic fantasy? Sort of? You’ll just have to read it to see what I mean.
Son of the Storm
Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Goodreads
Rep: Black cast, nonbinary li
CWs: gore, immolation, violence
Why Should I Read It?
If you have ever wondered what happened when a himbo main character, who is fundamentally good, faced off against his cunning, evil, sexy girlfriend (maybe you can tell my bias here), then Son of the Storm will answer (or at least start to) that question for you! That simplifies it a lot, true, but if you’re looking for a book that grapples with power and what access and lust for power does to people, this one’s for you.
Water Horse
Melissa Scott
Goodreads
Rep: bi mcs, gay mc, lesbian mcs
Why Should I Read It?
If I ever do a fantasy rec list that somehow doesn’t include a Melissa Scott book (barring the rare occasions where her books don’t fit the theme), please assume I have been abducted by aliens and my doppelganger is faking being me. Water Horse is her most recent fantasy release (another is coming this June, if anyone is excited as I am for that) and it’s about a fight to save a world that omens decree is about to be destroyed. It was one of my favourite books of 2021, so if there’s only one book on this list you read, pick this!
The Spear Cuts Through Water
Simon Jimenez
Goodreads
Rep: achillean mcs
CWs: gore, violence, cannibalism
Why Should I Read It?
It’s hard to quite describe this one. On the face of it, it’s simply a story about taking down a tyrant ruler, but there’s so many more dimensions to it. Quite literally. It’s one that, whatever I said to you about it, it wouldn’t come close to the truth of it. At its heart, though, is a story of redemption, forgiveness and falling in love.
The Raven Tower
Ann Leckie
Goodreads
Rep: bi transmasc mc
Why Should I Read It?
While perhaps not epic in scope, this is one of those books that feels epic. Part of that is, I think, the presence of an allseeing god as a narrator which gives you a sense of vastness to the tale. Not only that, it’s about losing a god’s favour, about a hidden dark history that might doom the world. Ann Leckie is one of my favourite authors and this is a good starting point for anyone who’s looking to try her books.
The Mirror Empire
Kameron Hurley
Goodreads
Rep: achillean mc, sapphic mc, genderfluid mc, nonbinary side character
CWs: gore, violence, rape, self harm
Why Should I Read It?
The Mirror Empire is a series with so many moving parts to it that it becomes a bit of a challenge to keep them all straight (ha) in your head. I mean this in a good way, of course. Don’t we all want to read books that require us to think? That challenge our preconceptions of what fantasy should be? This is definitely one of those.
The Bone Shard Daughter
Andrea Stewart
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mcs
Why Should I Read It?
Last but not least, The Bone Shard Daughter is a book of the most intricate worldbuilding, pieced together with care just like the bone shard creatures within it. The story will absorb you, leading you deeper in with more and more questions about just what is going on. With the final book in the series coming out this year, there’s no better time to pick these books up!
What would you rec?
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