There are a lot of massive epic fantasy series out there. And many of them are simply great. They introduce us to complex and rich new worlds. And the experience we have with them can itself last for years because each series has multiple novels and some are still being added to. Here are the top Live24Cams five.
The Shannara series by Terry Brooks – There are currently twenty books in the Shannara series and they are roughly broken down into trilogies. It all began in 1977 with the release of the first book The Sword of Shannara. This series of books is often heralded as the rightful heir to the Lord of the Rings. I have to agree 🙂 I read the first book when it came out and fell in love with the series. The books all take place in Shannara but cover a lot of time and a lot of different characters. If you are considering an adventure into Shannara you should start with the first book of the first trilogy The Sword of Shannara. The second book is The Elfstones of Shannara which is currently being made into a major motion picture. The third book of the trilogy is The Wishsong of Shannara.
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan – This is a series of books that currently number eleven. The twelfth and final book is scheduled to be out in the Fall of 2009 and Robert Jordan passed away while working on it but he had done extensive interviews and work with Brandon Sanderson who will complete it for him. It’s a wonderful series of books and is extremely large! The page count of each book goes anywhere from 700 to 1100 pages. I personally devoured the first five books in the series one right after the other. After reading the first I ordered the second and so on right through the first five. Well written and very complex. Nice stuff but does get some criticism for tending to keep you hanging all the time (and for its massive page count). I would say this series is a bit more serious than the Shannara series. The First book is The Wheel of Time and the Second Book is The Great Hunt.
The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind – The first book in this series is Wizards First Rule. I have read the first three books in this series and thoroughly enjoyed them. I will get to the others eventually. The Very first book is just phenomenal. It was released in 1994 to much critical acclaim. You may want to get the box set of the first three novels. You are going to burn through the first one pretty quick. The Sword of Truth Books 1-3: Wizard’s First Rule,
Blood of the Fold, Stone of Tears are all masterfully crafted books.
