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5 Fantasy Literary Series Where Every Book Is a Masterpiece
When it comes to writing long, epic fantasy sagas, it can be hard to maintain consistency. Just look at Robert Jordan‘s The Wheel of Time, for example. At 15 novels long, many fans consider books seven through 10 to be a major downturn in quality. Not that the books are bad; it’s just that they certainly don’t live up to the quality of the rest of the series.
Every so often, though, an author is able to hit the ground running and keep their pace until they hit the finish line. This rare breed of fantasy novel often winds up becoming a piece of literary history, skyrocketing in popularity to attract millions of fans. Though it’s not super common, it’s not impossible. These are the best fantasy book series in which every installment is a masterpiece, rare achievements in literature that somehow get more impressive with each passing day.
‘Malazan: Book of the Fallen’ (1999-2011)
Steven Erikson‘s broader Malazan universe is actually still ongoing, with numerous spin-offs and prequels coming out, some of which are even written by other authors. However, the main sequence of events, Malazan: Book of the Fallen, is very much over, and is widely considered the strong point of the entire series. This epic fantasy series is a massive anthology of 10 whopping volumes, all following a complex and dark narrative.
The story is set in the Malazan Empire, a realm that has expanded to cover the entirety of a continent. Now, the oppressive regime sets its sights on a continent across the sea, seeking to expand its borders through conquest. The Malazan series received critical acclaim, with each volume getting stellar reviews, some of them from other prestigious fantasy authors. Ten books is kind of a tall order when it comes to consistency, since it can be hard for a writer to maintain that momentum for over a decade, yet Erikson pulls it off flawlessly. The Malazan series is considered one of the greatest modern fantasy series, one that every fan should know.
The ‘Earthsea’ Cycle (1968-2018)
The Earthsea Cycle consists of six mainline novels, which came out between 1968 and 2001. This is a long time to wait between each book, of course, but at least it shows that Ursula K. Le Guin spent time and care on her beloved series. In any event, that’s not all the series has to offer: there are also several short stories to check out. The story is set on the titular planet of Earthsea, a flooded world that is mostly ocean, dotted only by a few island realms. Dragons roam the skies, and there is conflict between the human islands on the planet’s surface.
Earthsea is considered one of the most classic and quintessential fantasy series ever written, mostly because it feels so realistic. Even though it’s fiction, the empires and politics of Earthsea feel so real, almost like they could actually exist. Le Guin did very well fleshing out her cultures and her history, ensuring this series never gets boring. It’s perpetually fascinating, so much so that it wouldn’t be wrong to say that every single book in the series is a masterpiece of its own.
‘The Broken Empire’ Trilogy (2011-2013)
The Broken Empire Trilogy isn’t very long, but that only ensures it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Written by Mark Lawrence, the story is set in the eponymous Broken Empire, a shattered collection of realms encompassing Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia following a nuclear apocalypse. With the remnants of humanity reverted to the Dark Ages centuries after the bombs detonated, society has devolved into perpetual conflict. In what is today the Rhineland region, a young prince named Jorg Ancrath denies his father’s legacy and begins leading his own band of mercenaries across the wetlands of the Rhine.
Jorg is a self-described sociopath, cruel and callous, seeing his fellow mercenaries as nothing more than disposable pawns in a massive political game of chess. He commits horrific acts of violence just for fun and doesn’t seem at all capable of forming genuine friendships. While this makes him a morally reprehensible protagonist, it also makes him a fascinating read. As magical forces and strange beasts emerge from the wastelands, Jorg is only concerned with one thing: attaining as much power as humanly possible. This trilogy is the first in a broader universe that Lawrence created, which extends to some of his other books. However, this series is also his most consistent. Every single one of the books in the trilogy is so brilliantly written that it feels like a character study into the mind of a deeply disturbed and traumatized individual. It doesn’t glorify violence; rather, it explains why violence happens and paints a harrowing picture of how the search for power can often end in disaster.
The ‘Mistborn’ Saga (2006-)
Brandon Sanderson is known for his shared literary universe known as the Cosmere. The basic premise of the universe is that each series or stand-alone story is set on its own planet in the same galaxy, each one with a unique and highly complex magic system. Some of these series, like The Stormlight Archive, for example, are kind of up and down. While none of them are by any means bad, their quality can ebb and flow a bit. Mistborn, however, is not one of those series.
Mistborn is sort of the “main” sequence of the Cosmere, which is set to be one massive series comprised of four or five distinct eras. The first era is a Medieval urban fantasy set in the city of Luthadel, concerning the attempt to overthrow the Lord Ruler’s oppressive regime and prevent the coming end of the world. The second era is a steampunk story with a Western twist, which is mainly about stopping wars and putting criminals to justice. So far, there are two short stories, one novella, and seven mainline novels. Of the novels, all of them are masterpieces. Each era has its own distinct charm, sense of humour, and lovable cast of characters. The quality in this one is just top-notch at all times. It’ll be exciting to see what the remaining eras bring to the series.
‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy (1954-1955)
J. R. R. Tolkien‘s The Lord of the Rings trilogy became famous for a reason. Tolkien was known to have developed a sprawling extended universe and mythology, creating entire languages, thousands of years of history, and highly detailed maps, all centred on his fictitious world commonly known as Middle-Earth. The Lord of the Rings is but a small part of this impressive legendarium. The trilogy, as many already know thanks to the incredible films that came out in the early 2000s, is about a quest to destroy a magical ring to stop the spreading influence of the Dark Lord Sauron.
Each book in the trilogy is split into two parts: one following the hobbits on their quest to destroy the Ring, and another featuring Aragorn as he wages war against Sauron, in an effort to divert his attention away from the hobbits. Contained within these pages are cinematic battle sequences, heroic tales of love and sacrifice, and the fight for the greater good. There’s moral wisdom to be found, and a plethora of inspiring moments, which is why fantasy fans keep coming back to them over and over again. To call this trilogy a masterpiece would honestly be kind of an understatement.
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