18 Fantasy Books and Series for a Long Winter
On long winter nights, few things are as soothing as a giant cup of tea, a small mammal curled up at your feet, and a big ol’ fat book. For quality AND quantity, few genres do so well as fantasy. And let’s be honest, winter 20-21 will mean a lot of time at home for most of us. Here is a compilation of long, epic fantasy novels and series to sink your teeth into on those dark winter nights.
Note: this post contains affiliate links; don’t worry, I do not include links to things I wouldn’t recommend. To read more about my affiliate policy, go here.
Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden
Based on classic Russian folklore, this well-written three-part epic follows the bucolic young noblewoman Vasilisa Petrovna. One of the few people who can see and talk to the Russian household spirits (such as the domovoy and the vazila), Vasya is both feared and revered by her community. Vasya’s gift grows more complicated by her increasingly entangled relationship with the forces of winter. In her struggle to save her family, country, and all she loves, Vasya must call into question all she knows.
Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard
In Mare Barrow’s world, there are two types of people: silver-blooded, and red. Silvers are aristocrats with amazing abilities to command the elements, and all the wealth and power they’ve acquired with these abilities. Reds are the proletariat class - supposedly without these abilities - until red-blooded Mare finds out she has the power to command electricity. Suddenly, a Red from the slums is thrust straight into the center of palace intrigue and politics, and that’s only the beginning.
Vega Jane Series by David Baldacci
David Baldacci is better known for his political thrillers - but that’s no reason to skip over this series. This delightful YA series follows the teenage Vega Jane - a Finisher (skilled craftsperson) and orphan who has been told all her life not to leave her hometown of Wormwood. Outside the wall protecting their village is the Quag - a nasty, impenetrable place that they know very little about, save that it’s home to savage beasts. But one day, another Finisher goes over the wall. And leaves behind a map of the Quag.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
If you didn’t see this beauty buzzed about all over bookstagram last year, now is the time to read it! The first novel in an eventual series (pub date TBD) starts a bit slow, but once you make it through the first hundred pages, you will almost CERTAINLY stay up all night to finish it. When Alex Stern, a high school dropout, is offered a full-ride scholarship to Yale if she investigates their secret societies, the offer is too good to pass up. Little does she know the occult practices of the societies are more than just fun and games.
The Song of the Shattered Sands Trilogy by Bradley Beaulieu
A beautiful epic trilogy, these books are slightly shorter than many of the others mentioned on this list, but no less action-packed. 12 kings have ruled the majestic desert metropolis of Sharakhai for centuries, and their ruthless tactics ensure it stays that way. Çeda (pronounced CHAY-da) may be just a scrappy orphan, but when she dares venture out on the holy night of Beht Zha’ir, what she discovers threatens their entire way of life.
Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty
This incredible series is full of rich lore, stunning characters, dizzying politics, and most importantly, ancient magic. A pickpocket, an orphan, a drifter, living in Cairo in the 18th century, Nahri assumes she is a nothing, a nobody, and doomed to stay that way. Except for her preternaturally gifted abilities with medicine. One day, she accidentally calls forth a djinn and discovers that not only is she, too, a djinn, but she is the last surviving member of the most powerful djinn dynasty, and is whisked away to the secret magical city of Daevabad.
On a personal note: this is one of my favorite series of all time. If you read NOTHING ELSE on this list, READ. THIS.
The Gilded Wolves Series by Roshani Chokshi
A series set in the gleaming world of beaux arts Paris, the imagery and world-building will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. Magic shimmers on the surface of the most elite aristocratic families in France, and Severin Montagnet-Alarie knows that better than almost anyone. The mysterious Order of Babel proposes an alliance that could mean Severin will regain his rightful inheritance. So, he teams up with a colorful, magical crew to enter the dangerous, delicate world of high society.
Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon
A new classic, this sweeping fantasy-romance series has been turned into a hit TV show on Starz, but that doesn’t mean you should skip the books. Practical, yet curious Claire Randall is relieved to accompany her husband on a trip to Scotland in 1945. Fresh off of being a combat nurse in WWII, Claire is ready to finally have the life she wants with her husband. Until, by ancient druidic ritual, she is transported back in time to the 1700s, and her life is complicated by the introduction of the handsome outlaw noble, James Fraser. These books are thicc (we’re talking, each audiobook is over 30 hours thicc) so if you have a LOT of time to kill, look no further.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Full of possibility and hope, Neverwhere tells a tale of intrigue, magic, secrets, and belonging in the masterful way only Neil Gaiman can write. Packed with the folklore Gaiman trades in so masterfully, the reader’s attention is turned not to ancient gods, but to something far more ordinary: the London tube. It’s there that a mysterious girl named Door comes tumbling out into the direct path of the highly common Richard Mayhew, and sends him into a world more dangerous and awe-inspiring than he could ever imagine.
The Magicians Trilogy by Lev Grossman
Arrogant Quentin Coldwater’s ego is inflated when he’s admitted to a magical school - one he never even knew existed. You see, his genius is finally being realized, and his destiny falls into place. He and his fellow students embark on a four-year celebration of the talents, enormously pleased with themselves. But in a surprising twist, he realizes the Fillory, the magical kingdom he loved as a child, is real. And not only is it real, it’s not nearly so innocent as he’d imagined. Harry Potter meets Narnia in this darker, more adult answer to two of the most popular children’s series of all time.
All Souls Series by Deborah Harkness
Strong-willed, independent Diana Bishop is something of an anomaly: an American graduate student at Oxford University. She feels comfortably at home amongst the gothic spires and winding canals of Oxford, and no more so than in the library. One day, Diana discovers an ancient text titled Ashmole 782, (or perhaps we should say, it discovers her) and her world is thrown in a new direction, one she would doubt if she weren’t seeing it with her own eyes.
Full disclosure: I am personally not a huge fan of this series (it’s a little too Twilight for me), but it’s a favorite read of so many other bookworms that I’d feel guilty not bringing it to your attention.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
This book is about exactly what it sounds like: a night circus. Only, it’s less Barnum and Bailey and more magic and intrigue. The political underpinnings of Le Cirque des Reves follow two young, talented magicians, Celia and Marco, each vying for a top spot. But everything goes to pot when they fall in love with each other, and their world that was already hanging by a thread is now thrown into chaos.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Another point for eastern European folklore on this list, this one-off fantasy masterpiece explores what lies at the heart of a dark Wood. It is the time for all the 17 year old girls in the village to line up and for one of them to be chosen by the powerful wizard that rules and protects their land to choose his favorite, as he does every 10 years. The awkward, clumsy, unbecoming Agnieszka knows it will not be her. But then, it is. And she may just be the key to unlocking the secrets of the Wood.
The Numair Chronicles by Tamora Pierce
Tamora Pierce is a legendary author with a fantastic track record - and this series is no exception. At the Imperial University of Carthak, 3 students form a close friendship: Arram, the troublemaking superstar, Varice, a smart girl who seems to always be overlooked, and Ozborne, a prince, but not an heir. As their talents and power grow, a triangle appears - though not in the way you’d expect.
Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
This series has grown well beyond its original trilogy (into 8? books? I’m not sure?) but the first 3 books stand alone as an epic series of a world unraveling. In a world riddled with falling ash with its people barely struggling to survive, the tight-fisted, mysterious Lord Ruler is the only thing keeping the Final Empire, and the literal world, together. Except, that’s not how the Skaa, the slave class, see it. Desperate to use the potential of the Mistborn, people blessed with extraordinary power, to upend their world, half-skaa Kelsior takes it upon himself to set things right.
Shades of Magic Trilogy by V.E. Schwab
There are four parallel Londons: Grey, Red, White, and Black, and only a few people know about them: the monarch of each world, and the Antari, those with the ability to travel between worlds. Kell, an Antari smuggler from Red London gets more than he bargained for when a non-magical cutpurse from Grey London named Delilah Bard hitches a ride back, and throws his world into sharp relief.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
The matriarchal society of Inys has a problem: the queen is without a daughter. And that makes the most powerful person in Inys also the most vulnerable. This long (800+ pages) epic follows 3 women, each capable in their own way, in their struggle to both maintain and improve the places they love. There’s Tan, a trained dragon rider from across the dark sea. There’s Ead, a lady-in-waiting whose alliances with shifty mages are what’s keeping the queen alive and protected. And there’s the powerful and vulnereable Queen Sabran.
Similar Posts:
