Epic-Length Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Series

When Robert Jordan started writing The Wheel of Time, he intended it to be a trilogy. It ended up being 14 novels long, plus a prequel and three companion books, and Jordan sadly passed away before he could finish his story. Brandon Sanderson, no stranger to a long series himself, completed the arc with three final volumes. For many, The Wheel of Time is synonymous with long SFF, and it's easy to see why. It’s more than 4.3 million words long, and the unabridged audiobooks adds up to around 461 hours (that’s around 19 uninterrupted days!) 

The Wheel of Time of the title is the embodiment of the eternal loop of life, rotated by a magical force headed by a matriarchal order known as the Aiel. They await the arrival of a prophesized leader known as the Car'a'carn who will unite the warring clans of this world.

The late great Terry Pratchett helped to reshape comedy-fantasy with his laugh-out-loud satirical saga of Discworld, a vibrant and off-the-wall place where the earth is flat and rests atop four elephants standing on the back of a turtle who flies through space. Pratchett's ambitions were vast, creating parodies of classic fiction and mythology while satirizing real-world politics, culture, and institutions. All that and they were hilarious reads. When Pratchett passed away in 2015 following a battle with Alzheimer's, he left behind 41 novels, translated into 37 languages and with more than 80 million worldwide sales. The total word count is somewhere over 3.2 million words! 

Fans argue constantly about the ideal order in which to read the series. It’s not required to delve in chronologically. Find out your preferred character, whether it’s Death, Rincewind, the witches, or someone else, then explore Discworld at your own pace. The payoff is worth it.

When Terry Brooks announced earlier this year that he was handing over the reins to his Shannara series, it signalled the end of an era. This March, Brooks revealed that he would retire and that his most popular saga, currently 32 books long (plus short stories and one graphic novel, and a TV adaptation that ran for two seasons) would be continued by Delilah S. Dawson. It's a well-deserved end for an author who has been writing for well over five decades and helped to shape 20th century fantasy for legions of readers. Overall, Brooks wrote well over 4 million words, so he’s earned his retirement! 

The Shannara series is set in a post-apocalyptic world called the Four Lands, a futuristic alternate version of our planet where a nuclear holocaust has destroyed much of civilization. The surviving dregs of humanity have reverted to a pre-industrial way of life, one where magic has taken the place of science. 

One could argue that George R.R. Martin’s still-ongoing tale (with no new book in sight) is the most influential adult fantasy series since The Lord of the Rings. The wild success of the TV show made it one of the most obsessed-over stories of the 21^st century and its legacy is vast (with several prequels and spin-off shows in production on HBO.) Over 2 million words and counting (and hopefully we’ll get The Winds of Winter one of these days?!)

The saga of the Starks, Lannisters, Targaryens, and various warring dynasties of Westeros is now the stuff of pop culture default, but once upon a time, the books were simply a critically acclaimed fantasy series inspired by British history but with a dash of dragons. The fight for the iron throne may be ongoing but its origins remain gripping. 

This series might not be well known to readers outside of French-speaking countries. La Compagnie des glaces (literally translated to The Ice Company) is a series of 97 post-apocalyptic novels published between 1980 and 2005. It's been adapted into a TV series, a video game, and an anime. Unfortunately, only the first book was ever translated into English, so you’ll have to crack out your French dictionary to check out the dozens of sequels, all of which compiled total around 6 million words in length.

The Ice Company takes place in the future where a new Ice Age has taken over the planet. The remnants of humanity live in domed cities which are connected by cross-continent rail networks controlled by monopolistic corporations who have all but taken over control of the planet. 

When bestselling author Terry Goodkind died in 2020 at the age of 72, he left behnd a mighty legacy in the world of fantasy publishing. The Sword of Truth, his most enduring and beloved series, spanned 21 books plus six novellas and sold over 25 million copies worldwide. It was even adapted into a short-running TV series, Legend of the Seeker, created by Evil Dead and Spider-Man director Sam Raimi. This series is reported to be over 5.1 million words long.

The main hero of The Sword of Truth is Richard Cypher, whose life is changed forever after his father is killed and he becomes the Seeker of Truth, a champion of truth and justice in a divided world. Richard must fight to retain his values in the face of intense power battles and the invasion of the Imperial Order, which threatens to destroy everything he holds dear.

L. E. (Leland Exton) Modesitt Jr. has written over 80 novels, and 22 of them make up The Saga of Recluce, which he began writing in 1991 and is ongoing to this day. Two new releases are planned for 2025. So far, the Saga of the Recluce is estimated to be over 4.1 million words long.

The world of Recluce is one where all matter is aligned with the force or order or chaos. The Balance of life depends on these forces being equally matched, and a tilt in either direction would spell disaster for humans. There are those rare people with the power to manipulate these forces: white wizards control chaos and black mages can strengthen order. Over the course of two dozen books (and counting), the cultures of Recluce deal with this never-ending battle of forces, amid changing norms of politics, society, and power. The first book published in the series occurs near the end of the overall story, and the narrative jumps around the timeline from novel to novel.

For millions of readers, the Outlander saga is the pinnacle of time travel romance. Diana Gabaldon’s sprawling, ambitious, and wholeheartedly sensual story of love in the face of history has remained wildly popular for decades. The TV show, which is coming to an end very soon, only increased its visibility. The series is currently nine books long, plus several spin-offs focused on the character of Lord John Grey, and is estimated to be well over 3.6 million words long. Gabaldon is currently at work on a 10^th novel.

Gabaldon’s In the year 1945, English nurse Claire Randall goes to the Scottish Highlands for her honeymoon in the aftermath of the Second World War. After walking through a circle of standing stones, she finds herself flung into the past. Now, it's 1743. Scotland is in the midst of a war. And Claire, an outsider, is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a warrior whose love completely consumes her. The series follows Jamie and Claire as they fight to stay together through the changing face of the past, from Scotland to America.

For decades, Robin Hobb has been heralded as one of the great authors in modern fantasy. She counts the likes of George R.R. Martin among her fans and has won the Hugo Award and been nominated for three Nebulas. In 2021, she was given the Lifetime Achievement title from the World Fantasy Award. Of her million-selling books, it's the Realm of the Elderlings that has received the most adoration. The vast series concluded in 2017 and is somewhere in the realm of 3.8 million words long.

The Elderlings narrative unfolds over five separate series, each made up of three novels (although one is actually four books long.) The first arc, the Farseer trilogy, establishes the fictional realm of the Six Duchies and the character of FitzChivalry Farseer, the illegitimate son of a prince who is trained to be an assassin. Hobb's series takes inspiration from Arthurian mythology and is acclaimed for its portrayal of queer themes in a genre typically seen as excruciatingly straight.