Fantasy books are a popular genre today. With the release of several high profile fantasy books into movie format (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, His Dark Materials), more and more people are getting into fantasy. However, the fantasy genre can be daunting because of the sheer number of fantasy books out there. A lot of people want to know right off the bat what the best fantasy books are. If you are one of those people, keep reading for a list of the Top 5 Best Epic Fantasy Books.
1. A Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin
Undisputedly, this is one of the best fantasy series out in the market right now. A compelling cast of grey characters carry out the plotline in a quasi-12th century alternative history. With this series, you have a unique combination of fascinating characters, and interesting world, and a very strong plot. Characters are never safe from death and plot lines twist about themselves, always leaving the reader guessing the plot, but never correctly so. And the writing: crisp, sharp, witty, and beautiful. You won’t find any lazy prose here. So if you are looking for the best epic fantasy series here, read this series!
2. A Tale of Malazan Book of the Fallen (Steven Erikson)
Epic fantasy doesn’t get any bigger than this one folks. With a large story reminiscent of the Greek classics, characters that are neither good or evil, and massive ear shattering battles of men and magic so real that you can hear the clash of swords and the screams of dying horses. This series has it all. While this epic fantasy saga may not appeal to everyone, it’s well worth the read for those who can persist.
3. Patrick Rothfuss’s The Kingkiller Chronicle
One of the best fantasy debuts ever. No, this is not some sore of hyperbole. This is fact. A story about the rise of an obscure boy into something sung about in the halls of kingdoms, the name of the wind is something special. The premise may sound clich, but it’s anything but. Give this book a shot. I’ve yet to find a single person who has read this fantasy series disagree.
4. Robin Hobb’s The Farseer Trilogy
Farseer is one of the most emotionally powerful fantasy books in the genre. The characters are vivid and leap off the pages as real people. The plot, while starting off fairly slow, is strong, stretching across three books, slowly reeling you into the world. If you like emotionally driven fantasy, this (semi) epic fantasy is something you don’t want to miss.
5 Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time
This is one book you can’t miss. WOT is one of the most popular fantasy series ever written. Some people argue that WOT, along with J.R.R. Tolkien, helped shape fantasy into what it is today. While this may be an overstatement, it’s not overreaching to say that the Wheel of Time’s impact on the genre as a whole has been profound. With a tale that spans over 13 books (and still not completed) and a compelling mix of superb action, adventure, magic, politics, and kingdoms, the Wheel of Time is as epic and epic fantasy you will ever read.
These are some of the best epic fantasy series you will encounter. Judging books is like judging beauty — it’s all in the eye of the beholder. However, if you are looking for some compelling fantasy, you would do well do give these books a shot!
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Inkheart, a new fantasy adventure film released January 23rd start Brendan Fraser, Helen Mirren, and Paul Bettany. Grossing $3.7 million, it made the Top 10 list for its opening weekend. The film has done well since then and has been compared to the Harry Potter films. Just like the books written by J.K. Rowling, the film Inkheart is also based on a popular fantasy book series.
Yes, Inkheart was written in 2005 by Cornelia Funke and focuses on a man who has the ability to bring book characters to life when he reads about them. His daughter, Meggie, discovers his secret one night when a mysterious man named Dustfinger appears in the dark shadows of their garden. Meggie learns that when she was 3 years old her father (also known as Silvertongue) read to her from a book called Inkheart, a book about strange creatures set in medieval times. His reading released several characters into the real world: the evil Capricorn and his servant Basta, Capricorn’s pet martin Gwin, and Dustfinger, who also happens to be a fire eater. Unfortunately, when these characters were released Meggie’s mother Teresa disappeared into the Inkworld, the magical place that serves as the backdrop for Inkheart.
Dustfinger tells Mo that the evil Capricorn has sent his henchmen into the world to look for him. Mo has been running from Capricorn for years and decides that it’s best to take Meggie to live with her great aunt Elinor in Italy. Dustfinger decides to travel with them.
Capricorn, an evil and completely diabolical character has spent many years looking for Mo. Capricorn wants Mo to read an evil creature to life so he can use the creature to vanquish his enemies. Capricorn’s men are known to “spread fear like the Black Death, they push under doors and through mailboxes, they paint it on the walls and stable doors until it infects everything around it.”
The evil Capricorn is also looking for the author of Inkheart so he can force him to write a new, more diabolical ending to the book. Mo has been searching for the writer of Inkheart as well but he wants the author to write a new ending that will help him send Capricorn and Basta back into the Inkworld.
Capricorn is also looking for the person responsible for writing Inkheart so he can make him write a new and evil ending to the Inkheart story. In the meantime, Mo has spent years looking for a copy of Inkheart hoping that by reading it aloud a second time, he can send Capricorn and his henchmen back into Inkworld. He decides that finding the author of Inkheart is the best way to get rid of Capricorn - he’ll have the author write a story that removes Capricorn from the human world.
Surprisingly enough, even though Inkheart was written in 2005 Cornelia Funke asserts that it was written with Brendan Fraser in mind. When it was decided that the book would be made into a movie, she vehemently insisted that Brendan be cast as Mo. Although the studio wanted to cast a bigger actor in the role she held her ground; thus Brendan Fraser got the part. There’s word that the second book in the trilogy, Inkspell, will also be made into a film.
Inkheart is a well written action-adventure book that will appeal to both adults and teens. Cornelia Funke’s world building and character development are top notch and sure to attract more followers as the film’s popularity increases.