{"id":18224,"date":"2013-01-14T06:30:45","date_gmt":"2013-01-13T17:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=18224"},"modified":"2013-01-12T18:29:15","modified_gmt":"2013-01-12T05:29:15","slug":"the-most-read-posts-of-on-anything-really-in-2012-my-favourite-epic-fantasy-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2013\/01\/14\/the-most-read-posts-of-on-anything-really-in-2012-my-favourite-epic-fantasy-series\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most-Read posts of \u201c\u2026on Anything, Really\u201d in 2012: My Favourite Epic Fantasy Series"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Introduction:<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">I promised you the 10 most-read posts of 2012 on <em>&#8220;&#8230;Anything, Really&#8221;<\/em>&#8212;albeit in &#8216;no particular order&#8217; except, of course, that which seems good to me&#8212;and here we are at the very end of that list, with <strong>&#8220;My Favourite Epic Fantasy Series&#8221;<\/strong>, which I posted in two parts at the end of last year.\u00a0 And very nice it is to know that a subject so dear to my heart is also of interest to <em>&#8220;&#8230;on Anything, Really&#8221;<\/em> followers. \ud83d\ude09<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Just for fun, I&#8217;ve combined the two posts into one. Enjoy!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">&#8212;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>&#8220;My Favourite Epic Fantasy Series<\/h2>\n<p>Tis the season\u2014well, for lists it seems, since everywhere I look a new one pops up. So I thought, why step to the beat of a different drum when you can get with the programme? <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-includes\/images\/smilies\/icon_wink.gif\" alt=\";-)\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t do any sort of reader\u2019s or writer\u2019s Top 10 of 2012 though, because I don\u2019t feel I\u2019ve stayed sufficiently up to date with new books out (although I do try my best, honest!)<\/p>\n<p>However (or should I type \u201choweverz\u201d: ponders\u2026) a few people have said to me:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cI don\u2019t normally read fantasy but I enjoyed your books <\/em>(HL: thank you!)<em> and would like to read more, so what would you recommend?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>and<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cI am new to epic but liked your books so\u2026 (again with the recommendations.)\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>So I\u2019m going to start with Epic Fantasy and list my Top 10 epic reads&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>[&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p>Notes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the list is in alphabetical order by author, so there is no preference implied by the order in which they appear<\/li>\n<li>I will post on standalone books as a separate topic.<\/li>\n<li>I am not including children\u2019s books: these are either adult or YA\/Crossover<\/li>\n<li>I have only included finished series, for obvious reasons<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So here goes:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2011\/04\/13\/more-thoughts-on-epic-fantasy\/morgaine-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4820\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-4820\" title=\"Morgaine\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Morgaine1-92x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"92\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Morgaine1-92x150.jpg 92w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Morgaine1.jpg 185w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 92px) 100vw, 92px\" \/><\/a>CJ Cherryh: The \u201cMorgaine\u201d series<\/h4>\n<p>\u2013 this series was my introduction to CJ Cherryh\u2019s work and I loved the epic feel of the world, its Nordic grimness, the mystery of the qhal, the hint of SF behind the \u201cgates\u201d, the complex layered plots, the soul-sucking sword and epic quest\u2014and Morgaine herself, the whole notion that an epic fantasy series could have a stern, resolute, super-heroine (my first.)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2012\/12\/13\/my-favourite-epic-fantasy-series\/gardens_of_the_moon\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17623\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Gardens_of_the_Moon\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Gardens_of_the_Moon-88x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"88\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Steven Erikson: The Malazan Book of the Fallen<\/h4>\n<p>I still recall the excitement I felt on first reading <strong><em>Gardens of the Moon<\/em><\/strong> (<strong>Book 1 of The Malazan Book of the Fallen<\/strong>): the ambition of the story, the scope of the world, the range of characters, so many of whom I loved\u2014Whiskeyjack and the Bridgeburners, the mage Tattersail, Anomander Rake\u2014as well as the complexity of the magic system. I\u2019m sure you\u2019re getting the picture\u2026 The series ran to 10 books, and although my enthusaism waned toward the end, overall I am still awed by Steven Erikson\u2019s achievement.<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2011\/05\/28\/six-great-heroines-of-sff-part-2\/empire-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-5699\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Empire\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Empire-91x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"91\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Raymond E Feist and Janny Wurts: The Empire Trilogy<\/h4>\n<p>Mara of the Acoma is one of my favourite Fantasy heroines: strong in herself, astute, and definitely a character who thinks outside the square\u2014it\u2019s the reason she survives. She is also neither a super warrior nor a super witch, which is possibly the thing I like about her the most\u2026 I also love this series\u2019 delving into the Kelewan side of the world Feist first began exploring in <strong><em>Magician<\/em><\/strong> and the fact that it is an essentially Asian inspired world\u2014adding just a little more diversity to the epic oeuvre.<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2011\/06\/13\/award-watch-the-gemmell-awards\/legend_book_cover\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6166\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Legend_Book_Cover\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Legend_Book_Cover-87x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"87\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>David Gemmell: The first Drenai trilogy (<em>Wayfarer, Legend<\/em>, &amp; <em>The King Beyond the Gate<\/em>)<\/h4>\n<p>I talked a lot about David Gemmell\u2019s influence on my love of epic when <strong><em>The Heir of Night<\/em><\/strong> won the <a href=\"http:\/\/gemmellaward.com\/profiles\/blogs\/david-gemmell-legend-award-winners-2012-announced\">Gemmell Morningstar Award<\/a> earlier this year, so I won\u2019t say too much more now, except that I have always really enjoyed his ability to write heroes who are still real people. He also excels at writing the \u201cband of brothers\u201d, exemplified in the friendship between Tenaka Khan and Ananais in <strong><em>The King Beyond the Gate<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2011\/04\/13\/more-thoughts-on-epic-fantasy\/silent-tower\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4809\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Silent Tower\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Silent-Tower-91x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"91\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Barbara Hambly: The Windrose Chronicles<\/h4>\n<p><strong>The Windrose Chronicles<\/strong> were not the first Barbara Hambly I read\u2014that was <strong><em>The Ladies of Mandrigyn<\/em><\/strong> and I was hooked\u2014but I feel that <strong>The Windrose Chronicles<\/strong> are the most complete of her series (for me) and also one of the most accomplished in terms of the world building and the diversity and complexity of the characters. I also like the crossover between our world and Ferryth via the Void, the 17th century tech world (Ferryth) and the tension between secular politics, religion and magic in that world.<\/p>\n<h4><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2011\/11\/04\/encountering-fantastic-worlds-part-2-continued\/ship_of_magic_cover\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9491\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-9491 alignright\" title=\"Ship_of_Magic_Cover\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Ship_of_Magic_Cover-91x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"91\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Ship_of_Magic_Cover-91x150.jpg 91w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Ship_of_Magic_Cover-182x300.jpg 182w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Ship_of_Magic_Cover.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 91px) 100vw, 91px\" \/><\/a>Robin Hobb: The Liveship Traders<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>I read Robin\u2019s <strong>Assassin<\/strong> series and enjoyed it very much, but I still remember first picking up <strong><em>Ship of Magic<\/em><\/strong> and realising it was about sentient ships: delight! Firstly because I have always loved ships and tales of the sea, and secondly because sentient ships seems such an SF idea and I loved finding it morphed into Fantasy. I also fell in love with the world of the Bingtown traders and the Rain Wild River, as well as having the fun of \u2018suspecting\u2019 that I was encountering an <strong>Assassin<\/strong> character in the new series\u2026 Although in fact I always enjoy the full diversity of characters in these books, from ships to sea serpents, Rain Wild traders to pirates.<\/p>\n<h4><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2011\/08\/19\/six-great-non-human-heroes-of-sff-part-two\/summertree2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-7617\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" title=\"summertree2\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/summertree2-96x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"96\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Guy Gavriel Kay: The Fionavar Tapestry<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>I resisted reading this series for a long time because I had been told it was a <strong><em>The Lord of the Rings<\/em><\/strong> (LoTR) \u201clookalike.\u201d Once I started reading, I realised that a novel can be \u201cin the style of\u201d LoTR, and even clearly LoTR influenced, and still very much have its own voice. For me, this is very true of the Fionavar trilogy, which finds both its feet and a distinctive \u201cvoice\u201d after the initial set up chapters (imho.) At any rate, I love the world inspired by Celtic mythology, the way the Arthurian cycle is woven into an otherworld Fantasy tale, and the poetry and power, magic and heroism, beauty and sorrow, of the story.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2012\/12\/14\/my-favourite-epic-fantasy-series-part-2\/daggerspell\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17663\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Daggerspell\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Daggerspell-92x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"92\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Katherine Kerr: the (first) Deverry Quartet <\/strong><em>(Daggerspell, Darkspell, Dawnspell\/The Bristling Wood, Dragonspell\/The Dragon Revenant)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Daggerspell<\/em><\/strong> is another book that made a huge impression on first reading, partly because it\u2019s a great story, again with lots of layers to the storytelling (are you noticing a trend from yesterday?) and four excellent main characters: Jill, Rhodry, Cullen, and Nevyn. I also loved Kerr\u2019s creation of a Celtic world, not just in terms of Celtic mythology, but because the cultural and political fabric of the world is based on Celtic models and how they might have evolved. I really enjoyed the magic of dweomer and the concept of wyrd or fate, the interweaving of past and present lives, and the way Kerr puts a distinctive spin on elves and dwarves in her Deverry world.<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2011\/07\/08\/six-great-heroes-of-epic-fantasy-part-1\/riddlemaster_of_hed_3\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6592\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" title=\"riddlemaster_of_hed_3\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/riddlemaster_of_hed_3-97x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"97\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Patricia McKillip: The Quest of the Riddlemaster trilogy<\/h4>\n<p>I always think of this as <strong><em>The Riddlemaster of Hed<\/em><\/strong> trilogy, since that is the name of the first book, which I read and adored\u2014yes, that is absolutely the right word\u2014because of everything about it: the characters, the wonderful world, the terror and mystery of the shapechangers, the backstories, the riddles, the names, and the sheer beauty of the writing. It ends on an amazing cliffhanger as well\u2014and then I had to wait years\u2014<em>years<\/em>, dear readers\u2014to read the second and third books. (This was nothing to do with the author, but something to do with the NZ market.) They were well worth waiting for though, and fortunately I got to read 2 (<strong><em>Heir of Sea and Fire<\/em><\/strong>) and 3 (<strong><em>Harpist in the Wind<\/em><\/strong>) one after the other. I have since read and loved many other Patricia McKillip books, but this series is \u201cstill my favourite.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2011\/07\/10\/six-great-heroes-of-epic-fantasy-part-2\/lotr-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6679\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"LoTR\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/LoTR.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"93\" height=\"140\" \/><\/a>JRR Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings<\/h4>\n<p>And last but never, ever, least\u2014yes, given the rest of the list I suspect you already knew it had to be <strong><em>The Lord of the Rings<\/em><\/strong>. I am a LoTR fan: I own up without reserve that I loved these stories when I first read them, that I have re-read them many times since, and I love them still. I love Tolkien\u2019s worldbuilding, his descriptions (yes, I do!) which I feel are part of what makes the world building so rich, the sheer epic scope of the story (and backstory) and also its sadness: it isn\u2019t an easy story, and as readers we are left with a profound sense of loss. I personally believe that is part of why the story endures: in addition to the adventure, the epic quest, and the bonds of friendship between the characters, the grief and loss speak to our humanity.<\/p>\n<p>Even if I didn\u2019t like though, I would probably still put it on this list, because when it comes to epic fantasy, <strong><em>The Lord of the Rings<\/em><\/strong>, more than other single book or series, defines the genre\u2014even if part of that definition is measured in terms of those who seek to defy its influence.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s it: my personal Top 10. <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-includes\/images\/smilies\/icon_smile.gif\" alt=\":)\" \/><\/p>\n<p>But but, but\u2026do I hear either cries of outrage or perturbed whispers to the effect that I have left out George RR Martin and the <strong>A Song of Ice and Fire<\/strong> series? The reason why is quite simple, dear readers: one of the list criteria was that the series had to be finished, and <strong>A Song of Ice and Fire<\/strong> is not.\u00a0 Because until a series is finished and every book read, one just cannot know what one\u2019s final opinion will be\u2014and so it really cannot be part of a \u201cbest series\u201d list.<\/p>\n<p>I duly note though, that I felt the need to explain ASOIAF\u2019s absence!&#8221; <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-includes\/images\/smilies\/icon_wink.gif\" alt=\";-)\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">To see the original post, including comments, please click <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2012\/12\/13\/my-favourite-epic-fantasy-series\/\"><span style=\"color: #003300;\">here<\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2012\/12\/14\/my-favourite-epic-fantasy-series-part-2\/\"><span style=\"color: #003300;\">here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction: I promised you the 10 most-read posts of 2012 on &#8220;&#8230;Anything, Really&#8221;&#8212;albeit in &#8216;no particular order&#8217; except, of course, that which seems good to me&#8212;and here we are at the very end of that list, with &#8220;My Favourite Epic Fantasy Series&#8221;, which I posted in two parts at the end of last year.\u00a0 And [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-epicfantasy","category-most-read-posts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18224"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18236,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18224\/revisions\/18236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}