 | The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary, One Vol. Edition by J.R.R. Tolkien
Buy new: $13.60 / Used from: $2.16 Though not technically a series, The Lord of the Rings along with The Silmarillion and The Hobbit are some of the great works of fantasy ever. Tolkien set an unparalleled standard in storytelling and writing style.
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 | A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) by George R.R. Martin
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $5.97 The first of the great "A Song of Fire and Ice" fantasy series by George R. R. Martin. This is an epic tale that is strong on substance.
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 | Gardens of the Moon: Malazan Book of the Fallen 1 (Malazan Book of the Fallen) by Steven Erikson
Buy used from: $9.81 What a story. This opener to the Malazan series is quite the schizophrenic experience.
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 | The Dragon Reborn: Book Three of 'The Wheel of Time' by Robert Jordan
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $8.19 The "Wheel of Time" series might be the most famous of the great fantasy epics, outside of Tolkien. It is expansive and organic, filled with gritty and wondrous moments. This book (#3) is the best of the series.
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 | The Seventh Gate: A Death Gate Novel, Volume 7 (Death Gate Cycle) by Margaret Weis
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.39 One of the more interesting fantasy series.
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 | To Green Angel Tower, Book Three: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams
Buy new: $12.89 / Used from: $7.35 A somewhat older epic fantasy series, and quite a good one at that. Magic is not the rule, but the exception to the rule, making for a more enticing experience.
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 | The Dark Tower Boxed Set (Books 1-4)
Buy used from: $17.83 Stephen King's fantasy collection takes a unique and interesting take on the genre of fantasy. Quite a thrilling read. This boxed set comes with books 1-4. The other 3 are sold separately.
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 | Transformation (Rai Kirah) by Carol Berg
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $1.00 The first of the very good Rai Kirah trilogy. Also includes Revelation and Restoration in the series.
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 | The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, Day 1) by Patrick Rothfuss
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $3.49 New fantasy series that's worth mention here. Comes with high recommendations. I haven't read it yet, but all the hype I've seen suggests this will be a great series.
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 | Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition (Dune Chronicles, Book 1) by Frank Herbert
Buy new: $11.56 / Used from: $4.50 The opener to the long and celebrated Dune series. Don't miss this one. It's a classic for good reason.
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 | Lord Foul's Bane (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Book 1) by Stephen R. Donaldson
Buy new: $22.50 / Used from: $11.95 Opener to one of the best fantasy series.
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 | Furies Of Calderon (Codex Alera, Book 1) by Jim Butcher
Buy used from: $88.40 A terrific fantasy series. This is the first book and it is very good.
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 | The Sword of Truth, Boxed Set I, Books 1-3: Wizard's First Rule, Blood of the Fold ,Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
Buy new: $16.30 / Used from: $17.95 I don't really want to recommend the Sword of Truth series to anyone because the last several books lead to a horrible story conclusion. The first 5 books, however, are some of the best fantasy out there. You are not required, however, to exercise your mind much.
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 | Sapphire Rose (Elenium) by David Eddings
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01 The closing book to the "Elenium" trilogy, which is also linked strongly to the "Tamuli" trilogy. This series is very fun light fantasy that is more of religious and political satire than serious fantasy. The concepts used are nicely arranged, though, and you will enjoy these tales.
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 | The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain) by Lloyd Alexander
Buy new: $5.99 / Used from: $1.00 I haven't read in this series, but it comes highly recommended by some of my acquaintances as some of the best grand fantasy ever written. I'll have to make this purchase in the near future.
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 | The Elfstones of Shannara (The Sword of Shannara) by Terry Brooks
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01 The best of the books that makeup Terry Brooks well known Shannara stories. Shannara is not very indepth or complicated and it is best read at ages 11 through 16.
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 | The Summoner (Chronicles of the Necromancer, Book 1) by Gail Martin
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $2.75 Chronicles of the Necromancer could be great, or a flop. I haven't read it yet, but it is definitely on the dock. Of course, I'll update the info here when I've read the books, but it looks like a promising series. It is hard to go wrong with a title like "The Summoner" though.
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 | The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall (The Dragonriders of Pern) by Anne McCaffrey
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01 Can't have a list of great fantasy without including Anne McCaffrey's great "Dragonriders" of Pern series.
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 | The Conquering Sword of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 3) by Robert E. Howard
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $8.25 This is one of three collections of the Conan story by Robert E. Howard. Don't miss this one.
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 | The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One) by Joe Abercrombie
Buy new: $13.50 / Used from: $7.93 A delightful new series. Recommended.
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 | Acacia: Book One: The War With the Mein (Acacia) by David Anthony Durham
Buy new: $17.79 / Used from: $3.00 Another interesting new series beginner. Try it out.
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