10 Really Long (and Good) Fantasy & Sci-Fi Books

August 19, 2025 Top Ten Tuesday 22

Bookwyrm's Hoard graphic: 10 Really Long (and Good) Fantasy & Sci-Fi Books. Background art shows red-bearded warrior with flowing hair, seated on a craggy hillside, looking out at the churning surf below. The sky is full of clouds, lit by the sun beyond.
Graphic: Top Ten Tuesday, www.thatartsyreadergirl.com

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. The meme was originally the brainchild of The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Books with a High Page Count.

Really Long SSF Books I Have Read and Loved (or liked enough to recommend)

I decided, rather arbitrarily, to classify the “high page count” in this week’s prompt as meaning 500 pages or more, based on the original format whenever possible (i.e., hardcover or paperback.) Since that still left me with well more than 10 books, I decided to limit my choices to fantasy and sci-fi. My list is ranked more-or-less in terms of my love/liking for the books, but it’s a pretty fluid ranking. As always, I’m sure I’ve left out some books I should have included, and I’ll kick myself when I see them on someone else’s list!

The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien) Taken as one book (as it was originally intended), this is the first really long novel I ever read, and it’s still one of my favorites. It’s arguably the single most influential fantasy novel of the 20th century, and it still holds up. Yes, I could wish for a few more women to grace its pages (or more than a few), but the few who do appear are strong and courageous: Galadriel, Eowyn, Arwen. To my mind, it’s also beautifully written, with prose that holds echoes of the Anglo-Saxon, Viking, and medieval British and French sagas. And the worldbuilding is superb, right down to the conlangs (constructed languages.) I’ve lost count of the number of times I have reread this book/series since I first discovered it at age 10 or 11, but it’s upwards of 20 times or more. (1216 pp, paperback)

The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss) Superlative storytelling, epic worldbuilding, and brilliant writing make the first book in the (still unfinished) Kingkiller Chronicles a must-read for fantasy fans. The Name of the Wind is a picaresque fantasy, narrated in first person by its hero (or antihero?), Kvothe, a brilliant young mage and trickster. At the heart of the book is Kvothe’s determination to avenge the deaths of his parents; there are clues throughout the novel that their deaths were only part of a much bigger story.) (Check out my rave review; I was blown away by this novel.) (662 pp, hardcover)

The Wise Man’s Fear (Patrick Rothfuss) continues the story of Kvothe, the gifted, driven, and sometimes reckless hero of The Name of the Wind. While this second book is perhaps a little bloated in comparison with the first, most of it is terrific; it’s so well written overall that one can forgive the author for the occasional minor lapse into the merely good. And the tantalizing clues to something much bigger continue to mount up, tying Kvothe’s story into the very myths and legends of his world. (A caveat for those who haven’t yet read these books, though: It has been 14 years since The Wise Man’s Fear was published, and we still don’t even have a date for book three. I happen to think they are worth reading anyway, but if you can’t stand loose ends, you may want to wait to see if Rothfuss ever gives us the conclusion.) (994 pp, hardcover)

A Discovery of Witches (Deborah Harkness) The first in the blockbuster, genre-blending All Souls trilogy (plus several sequels) about the forbidden relationship of a witch and a vampire, the search for a lost manuscript, and the enforced secrecy that protects witches, vampires, and daemons. It enthralled me the first time I read it, despite my uneasiness with some of vampire Matthew de Clermont’s actions. I reread the trilogy every few years, and always enjoy it… though I’m still uncomfortable with some of Matthew’s actions and Diana’s acceptance of them. (I gave this book a 5-star review, as well.) (592 pp, hardcover)

Shadow of Night (Deborah Harkness) The middle book in the All Souls trilogy takes place primarily in 17th-century (Elizabethan) England and Europe, with interspersed chapters in the present day. Diana and Matthew have traveled into the past to seek the Book of Life, the manuscript at the heart of the series; the trials they face bring them closer together. Meanwhile, in the present, the couple’s friends and relations gather at Matthew’s fortress home and begin to forge a resistance to the Covenant and Council. Ms. Harkness is a historian, and her depiction of Elizabethan London in particular is outstanding. (This book earned another 5-star review. In some ways, it’s my favorite in the trilogy, though I’ve never quite forgiven the author for not including Shakespeare among the famous historical people Diana meets.) (584 pp, hardcover)

The Book of Life (Deborah Harkness) The final book in the series answers most of the questions raised in the first two books (if not quite all), but definitely leaves room for sequels, of which there are two so far. I think it’s not quite as strong as the first two books, but it’s still a worthy conclusion to the trilogy. (And worth its 5-star review.) (564 pp, hardcover)

The Crystal Cave (Mary Stewart) The first in Stewart’s sweeping Arthurian saga, this book completely captivated me when I read it in my early teens. Stewart sets this tale of Merlin, and the subsequent novels chronicling King Arthur’s reign and fall, in the post-Roman Britain of history, rather than the fanciful medieval world of Chrétien de Troyes and Tomas Malory. I’ve probably read this novel and book two, The Hollow Hills, at least 4 or 5 times. (527 pp, hardcover)

The Redemption of Althalus (David and Leigh Eddings) There’s a certain amount of repetition in this novel due to the recursive time travel involved. Nonetheless I enjoyed this long, standalone fantasy enough to reread it several times. What really made it work for me is the engaging narrative voice of the main character, the thief Althalus, and the ways he changes for the better over time (and under the influence of a goddess) while still remaining fundamentally himself. (I gave it a 3.5 star review in 2017, mostly because the book would have benefited from a little editorial tightening. I tended to rate a bit tougher then; I’m a little freer with my 4 and 5 stars these days.) (726 pp, hardcover)

Green Rider (Kristen Britain) This novel kicks off the ongoing Green Rider series about Karigan, a young woman who unexpectedly finds herself taking on the task of a fallen Green Rider (king’s messengers and more.) The book follows her wild ride to the capitol and the events that follow. Karigan is a reluctant heroine in the first book, though she commits to the Green Riders more wholeheartedly in subsequent novels. It’s an immersive story, epic fantasy told mainly through the experience of one character (and a few others here and there), and quite good. (504 pp hardcover; later books are longer)

Dune (Frank Herbert) I have very mixed feelings about Dune. It’s an impressive feat of storytelling: the worldbuilding is excellent, the story carries you along, the characters are compelling, and the plot (not to mention the politics!) is complex. But I disliked a lot of the characters, and I certainly didn’t enjoy the brutality that a number of them exhibit. These days, Dune falls in the category of “really good, but also I don’t really want to read it again.” (That said, I did, in fact, read it more than once. At least twice in high school, and I think once in college. And the second and third books as well. But I haven’t wanted to pick it up since.) (507 pp, hardcover)

Really Long SFF Books I Want to Read Someday

In order by author’s last name:

  • The City of Brass (S. A. Chakraborty)
  • Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) (arguably not SFF, but it does involve time travel)
  • The Bright Sword (Lev Grossman)
  • Babel (R. F. Kuan)
  • Mistborn (Brandon Sanderson)
  • The Priory of the Orange Tree (Samantha Shannon)
  • The Faerie Queen (Edmund Spenser)

Books I Left Off the List

I left out the chunksters in a very well-known children’s fantasy series, not because I didn’t love them back in the day, but because I can no longer in good conscience recommend them due to the author’s strong public and financial support for an anti-trans group and anti-trans legislation. Given that I have a nonbinary adult child and several nonbinary and trans friends and relations, my rejection of the author’s stance is both personal and political.

Related Posts

22 Responses to “10 Really Long (and Good) Fantasy & Sci-Fi Books”

  2. Cassie @ The Bibliollama

    I really want to read The Crystal Cave – it’s on my shelf but it isn’t calling to me just yet. A Discovery of Witches was nearly on my list and I’m definitely due a re-read there!

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      I don’t think I reread A Discovery of Witches last year, so I probably will this year, then continue with the rest of the series. I’d like to refresh my memory before reading The Black Bird Oracle.

  3. Nicole @ BookWyrmKnits

    See, while I love The Lord of the Rings, I tend to consider it as three books instead of one. Taken as one big book though (as Tolkien intended), it’s definitely my favorite 500+ page book ever.

    I’ll have to agree to disagree with you on The Name of the Wind. I just couldn’t get into that one and DNFed it.

    The All Souls trilogy is still on my TBR, but I need to read it soon! So many friends (online and IRL) have suggested it to me that I need to see what you’re all talking about. 😀
    Nicole @ BookWyrmKnits recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday ~ Doorstopper BooksMy Profile

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Mentally, I also tend to think of LOTR as three books, too, because that’s how I first read it. But I have a single-volume leatherbound edition, and I knew Tolkien intended it as a single volume, so I decided that counted for today’s purposes. The reason it wasn’t initially published that way was that Britain was still experiencing post-war paper shortages in the 1950s, and in addition, the cost of printing (and purchasing) it as one book was deemed just too high. So the publisher convinced Tolkien to publish in three volumes.

      It took me a little while to get into The Name of the Wind, but once I did, I was hooked. I’m sure it helped that I listened to it in the car with Robin (by their choice) as I drove them to their community college classes (which they took as a high-school student)—a 45-minute drive each way. And Robin reassured me that I would understand what was going on in a while… which I did.

      A fun way to read A Discovery of WitchesK/i> is by reading it in real time. Basically you begin on Sept. 18, the same day the events in the book begin, and read the chapters that correspond to each day. (There are some days you don’t read at all, and other days when you read several chapters.) There’s a PDF calendar here

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Mentally, I also tend to think of LOTR as three books, too, because that’s how I first read it. But I have a single-volume leatherbound edition, and I knew Tolkien intended it as a single volume, so I decided that counted for today’s purposes. The reason it wasn’t initially published that way was that Britain was still experiencing post-war paper shortages in the 1950s, and in addition, the cost of printing (and purchasing) it as one book was deemed just too high. So the publisher convinced Tolkien to publish in three volumes.

      It took me a little while to get into The Name of the Wind, but once I did, I was hooked. I’m sure it helped that I listened to it in the car with Robin (by their choice) as I drove them to their community college classes (which they took as a high-school student)—a 45-minute drive each way. And Robin reassured me that I would understand what was going on in a while… which I did.

      A fun way to read A Discovery of WitchesK/i> is by reading it in real time. Basically you begin on Sept. 18, the same day the events in the book begin, and read the chapters that correspond to each day. (There are some days you don’t read at all, and other days when you read several chapters.) There’s a PDF calendar here

  7. Leslie @ Books Are The New Black

    I’m reading Dune next month!! I’m excited and nervous!

    I have read the Discovery of Witches series. They are chunky and I forgot about them. lol. Have you watched the show? I think I only watched the second series. I remember the last book leaving a lot of questions and wondered if she would do spin-offs.

  11. Dini @ dinipandareads

    Great list! Green Rider recently came on my TBR after a fellow book blogger said that it was one of her all-time favourite series. I’m very curious to see what it’s about cos I hadn’t heard about it beforehand. A Discovery of Witches was my first foray into I guess the paranormal romance genre back in 2012 when it was still so new. I remember loving and devouring it so quickly—it was lots of fun! Definitely feel like I need to re-read it to remember the finer details though, lol.
    Dini @ dinipandareads recently posted…#WWWWednesday: 20 August 2025My Profile

  13. Leah @ Leah's Books

    Great list – I love seeing all the fantasy reads, and these look like a best of list. I’ve only read the Harkness series from your list, but I absolutely adored them. Outlander was wonderful, and I can heartily suggest that one, but it does have a lot of violence in it, so beware since you mention that you don’t love behavior that is too brutal.

    I respect and completely agree with your note at the bottom about *a certain* hateful person who shall not be named – I haven’t thrown out the books I owned because they hold memories for me, but I took them off my shelves so they aren’t displayed and don’t recommend them. I’m more worried about NB and trans lives than I am about financially contributing to anti-trans activists.
    Leah @ Leah’s Books recently posted…Call Of The Owl Woman By K.M. HuberMy Profile

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Some of them would certainly make it onto a best-of list, but I’m not sure all of them would. I like The Redemption of Althalus, for instance, but it’s not in my top ten fantasies ever. It made this list on the basis of its length. I did enjoy rereading it this week, though!

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      504 pages in hardcover, 471 in mass market paperback! I enjoyed the first book; I’m not sure why I never made it through the second one. But I have the first four or five in hardcover, courtesy of library sales, so I will finish the series eventually.

  15. Katherine

    I think one of the reasons I’ve never been a big fantasy or sci fi reader is because so many of the books have such high page counts. For the last few years especially I’ve typically avoided 600pg or higher books. I’m trying to add more in by doing slow reads. There are some you’ve mentioned that are high up on my list so maybe some day!