Best Epic & High Fantasy Books to Start With

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely venturing further than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure.

Two sisters—Vivenna and Siri—are princesses of Idris, a kingdom at the edge of war with Hallandren. When plans change, sheltered Siri is sent to marry the God King of Hallandren instead of her prepared sister. Both women become entangled in a world of gods, magic, and political machinations beyond their understanding.

Elantris was the magical city, home to beings who could perform feats of wonder. Then the magic failed. The city fell into ruin, its inhabitants transformed into shambling wrecks. Now Prince Raoden, struck by the Shaod, is thrown into Elantris to die—but instead he must find a way to restore both the city and himself.

'A storytelling assurance rare for a debut . . . Fans of Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson will find much to admire' Guardian AS DESTINY CALLS, A JOURNEY BEGINS It has been twenty years since the god-like Augurs were overthrown and killed. Now, those who once served them - the Gifted - are spared only because they have accepted the rebellion's Four Tenets, vastly limiting their own powers. As a young Gifted, Davian suffers the consequences of a war lost before he was even born. He and others like him are despised. But when Davian discovers he wields the forbidden powers of the Augurs, he sets in motion a chain of events that will change everything. To the west, a young man whose fate is intertwined with Davian's wakes up in the forest, covered in blood and with no memory of who he is . . . And in the far north, an ancient enemy long thought defeated, begins to stir. The Licanius trilogy: The Shadow of What Was Lost An Echo of Things to Come The Light of All That Falls 'Wonderful worldbuilding and terrific characters' Boingboing.net 'Will appeal to anybody looking for a coming-of-age fantasy tale with likeable characters and strong worldbuilding' Fantasy Faction 'Love the Wheel of Time? This is about to become your new favourite series' Barnes & Noble SF and Fantasy Blog

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, shamed for his parentage. When the emperor and his other sons are killed in an airship crash, Maia is suddenly the Emperor of the Elflands—and must navigate a court he knows nothing about, with no allies and a dozen enemies waiting for him to fail.

Prince Yarvi, second-born and half-handed, has no interest in ruling. But when his father and brother are murdered, he is thrust onto the throne—then betrayed into slavery. His path to freedom and revenge will teach him that to win you must be willing to use every tool at your disposal.

Clay Cooper and his band were once the greatest mercenary company in the world. Now middle-aged and out of shape, they must get the band back together for one last tour — not to play music, but to fight through a monster-filled wilderness to rescue their old leader's daughter from a city under siege.

One of fantasy’s finest next-generation storytellers continues to break new ground. Michael J. Sullivan’s trailblazing career began with the breakout success of his Riyria series: full-bodied, spellbinding fantasy adventures whose imaginative scope and sympathetic characters won a devoted readership and comparisons to fantasy masters Brandon Sanderson, Scott Lynch, and J.R.R. Tolkien himself. Now Age of Myth inaugurates an original five-book series. Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between humans and those they thought were gods changes forever. Now only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer; Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom; and Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people. The Age of Myth is over. The time of rebellion has begun. Magic, fantasy, and mythology collide in Michael J. Sullivan’s Legends of the First Empire series: AGE OF MYTH • AGE OF SWORDS • AGE OF WAR

'The Age of Kings is dead. And I have killed it.' Field Marshal Tamas's coup against his king sends corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine and brings bread to the starving. But it also provokes war in the Nine Nations, internal attacks by royalist fanatics and greedy scrambling for money and power by Tamas's supposed allies: the Church, workers' unions and mercenary forces. Stretched to his limit, Tamas relies heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be Tamas's estranged son, and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty will be tested to its limit. Now, amid the chaos, a whispered rumour is spreading. A rumour about omens of death and destruction. Just old peasant legends about the gods returning to walk the earth. No modern educated man believes that sort of thing ...But perhaps they should.

Azoth is a street urchin surviving in the slums of the city of Cenaria. He dreams of apprenticing to Durzo Blint, the city's most legendary assassin. To gain that apprenticeship, he must complete an impossible task—and in doing so, begin a journey that will cost him everything he cares about.

International bestselling author Mark Lawrence continues the bold new world of dark fantasy he created in the Broken Empire trilogy with the first book of the Red Queen's War... For all her reign the Red Queen has fought the long war, contested in secret, against the powers that stand behind nations, for higher stakes than land or gold. Her greatest weapon is The Silent Sister—unseen by most and unspoken of by all. The Red Queen’s grandson, Prince Jalan Kendeth—drinker, gambler, seducer of women—is one who can see The Silent Sister. Content with his role as a minor royal, Jal pretends that the hideous crone is not there. But war with the undead is coming, and the Red Queen has called on her family to defend the realm. Jal thinks that nothing that will affect him. He's wrong... After escaping a death trap set by the Silent Sister, Jal finds his fate magically intertwined with a fierce Norse warrior. As the two undertake a journey to undo the spell, encountering grave dangers, willing women, and an upstart prince named Jorg Ancrath along the way, Jalan gradually catches a glimmer of the truth: he and the Norseman are but pieces in a game—and the Red Queen controls the board.

Geralt of Rivia is a witcher. A cunning sorcerer, a ruthless assassin and a cold-blooded killer—yet caring and emotional at the same time. Contracted by village elders and nobles alike to hunt down the monsters that terrorise their lands, Geralt must use his mutant skills to survive in a world where being a monster is not always as straightforward as it seems.

'Robert Jackson Bennett deserves a huge audience' - Brent Weeks, New York Times bestselling author of The Black Prism In the city of stairs, nothing is as it seems. You've got to be careful when you're chasing a murderer through Bulikov, for the world is not as it should be in that city. When the gods were destroyed and all worship of them banned by the Polis, reality folded; now stairs lead to nowhere, alleyways have become portals to the past, and criminals disappear into thin air. The murder of Dr Efrem Pangyui, the Polis diplomat researching the Continent's past, has begun something and now whispers of an uprising flutter out from invisible corners. Only one woman may be willing to pursue the truth - but it is likely to cost her everything. 'Truly refreshing' - New York Times Book Review

On the frigid, isolated Kusanagi Peninsula, Misaki, the wife of a legendary warrior, has long hidden her own formidable past beneath the quiet routine of motherhood. For generations, her people, wielding devastating elemental magic as 'The Sword of Kaigen,' have served as the Empire's unbreakable shield against invaders. But when a modern, technologically advanced enemy threatens to shatter their ancient traditions and peaceful way of life, Misaki must confront the war brewing on the horizon. With her homeland and family on the line, she must decide if she can reclaim the formidable power she once possessed and fight for the world she knows.

Mia Corvere is barely sixteen years old when she is given a chance to train at a secret school for killers. She has spent years preparing for this, fueled by a thirst for revenge against the men who destroyed her family. But the Red Church is no place for the faint of heart—and the competition is deadly.

'Excellent . . . one of the most interesting and original fantasy worlds I've seen in years' ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY 'Brilliant' ROBIN HOBB, author of The Assassin's Apprentice ***Winner of the Robert Holdstock Award for Best Fantasy Novel*** TWO NATIONS AT WAR. A PRIZE BEYOND COMPARE. For generations, the Hundred Isles have built their ships from the bones of ancient dragons to fight an endless war. The dragons disappeared, but the battles for supremacy persisted. Now the first dragon in centuries has been spotted in far-off waters, and both sides see a chance to shift the balance of power in their favour. Because whoever catches it will win not only glory, but the war. A brilliantly imagined saga of honour, glory, and warfare, The Bone Ships starts an epic new trilogy from David Gemmell Award-nominated RJ Barker. 'A vividly realised high-seas epic that pulls you deep into its world and keeps you tangled there until the very last word' EVAN WINTER, author of The Rage of Dragons 'An epic tale of duty and obligation and honour, and what bravery really means . . . I can't recommend it enough' PETER MCLEAN, author of Priest of Bones 'A viciously exciting adventure. I loved every second of it' TASHA SURI, author of Empire of Sand 'Swashbuckling awesomeness . . . a fascinating world and a twisty plot, both rooted in characters I came to care about. A definite winner' JOHN GWYNNE, author of MALICE 'The Bone Ships has already built up plenty of anticipation - and with good reason ... Barker's previous series, the acclaimed The Wounded Kingdom Trilogy, was a powerhouse of gritty fantasy, and The Bone Ships promises to launch one of this season's greatest, grandest dragon sagas' NPR

In the city of Tevanne, merchants use scrived objects—artifacts imbued with magical sigils—to dominate trade and maintain power. Sancia Grado is a thief with a unique ability to communicate with scrived objects. When she steals something that could shatter the foundations of the entire world, she finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy far bigger than any heist.

A century has passed since the gods fought and drove themselves to extinction. Now only their bones remain, promising great power to those brave enough to seek them out. As whispers of war echo cross the land of Vigrið, fate follows in the footsteps of three warriors: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman pursuing battle fame and a thrall seeking vengeance among the mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn. All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, the Mistborn series is a heist story of political intrigue and magical, martial-arts action. Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Kelsier and Vin have passed into the realm of history and myth, and the world of Scadrial is on the verge of modernity. In the frontier lands known as the Roughs, the old magics are a crucial tool for those who establish order and justice. One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn, who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will. After twenty years in the Roughs, tragedy has driven Wax back to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties of the head of a noble house. But when a gang of Allomancers turn to train robbery and kidnapping, Wax will soon learn that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.

Marie Brennan begins a thrilling new fantasy series in A Natural History of Dragons, combining adventure with the inquisitive spirit of the Victorian Age. You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon's presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one's life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . . All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world's preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day. Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever. "Saturated with the joy and urgency of discovery and scientific curiosity." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) on A Natural History of Dragons An NPR Best Book of 2013 The Lady Trent Memoirs 1. A Natural History of Dragons 2. The Tropic of Serpents 3. Voyage of the Basilisk 4. In the Labyrinth of Drakes 5. Within the Sanctuary of Wings At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.