# The 18 Greatest Epic Fantasy Series of All Time

> Sprawling sagas of warring kingdoms, intricate magic systems, and decades-spanning quests stand shoulder to shoulder. Towering canon classics meet grimdark upstarts and beloved cult picks. Which series reigns supreme?

*By YPB Team · Published June 23, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-18-greatest-epic-fantasy-series-of-all-time*

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## Current results (3 votes)

1. **The Lord of the Rings** — 100% (3 votes · score 1000/1000)
   J.R.R. Tolkien's foundational saga of Middle-earth that defined the entire epic fantasy genre.
2. **The Broken Empire** — 0% (0 votes · score 642/1000)
   Mark Lawrence's dark trilogy following the ruthless, brilliant young prince Jorg Ancrath.
3. **A Song of Ice and Fire** — 0% (0 votes · score 494/1000)
   George R.R. Martin's sprawling, morally complex saga of warring noble houses that inspired Game of Thrones.
4. **Malazan Book of the Fallen** — 0% (0 votes · score 494/1000)
   Steven Erikson's vast, dense ten-book saga famed for its scale, ambiguity, and military epics.
5. **The Inheritance Cycle** — 0% (0 votes · score 494/1000)
   Christopher Paolini's bestselling dragon-rider saga that began with Eragon.
6. **His Dark Materials** — 0% (0 votes · score 428/1000)
   Philip Pullman's acclaimed trilogy of parallel worlds, daemons, and a war against authority.
7. **The Dark Tower** — 0% (0 votes · score 428/1000)
   Stephen King's genre-blending magnum opus following the gunslinger Roland's quest across worlds.
8. **The Earthsea Cycle** — 0% (0 votes · score 428/1000)
   Ursula K. Le Guin's poetic series of wizardry, balance, and coming of age in an island world.
9. **The First Law** — 0% (0 votes · score 428/1000)
   Joe Abercrombie's grim, cynical trilogy that helped define modern grimdark fantasy.
10. **The Wheel of Time** — 0% (0 votes · score 350/1000)
   Robert Jordan's fourteen-volume epic of prophecy, balance, and the rebirth of a savior.
11. **The Chronicles of Narnia** — 0% (0 votes · score 350/1000)
   C.S. Lewis's beloved seven-book series of children entering the magical land of Narnia.
12. **The Kingkiller Chronicle** — 0% (0 votes · score 350/1000)
   Patrick Rothfuss's lyrical tale of the legendary Kvothe recounting his own rise and fall.
13. **The Realm of the Elderlings** — 0% (0 votes · score 257/1000)
   Robin Hobb's interconnected sixteen-book saga celebrated for its assassins, dragons, and deep characters.
14. **The Stormlight Archive** — 0% (0 votes · score 257/1000)
   Brandon Sanderson's ongoing epic of knights, storms, and shattered oaths on the world of Roshar.
15. **The Witcher** — 0% (0 votes · score 143/1000)
   Andrzej Sapkowski's series following the monster-hunter Geralt of Rivia through a brutal Slavic-inspired world.
16. **Mistborn** — 0% (0 votes · score 143/1000)
   Brandon Sanderson's series built on a clever allomantic magic system and a heist against a god-emperor.
17. **The Riyria Revelations** — 0% (0 votes · score 143/1000)
   Michael J. Sullivan's fan-favorite saga following two charismatic thieves caught in a kingdom's intrigue.
18. **The Belgariad** — 0% (0 votes · score 143/1000)
   David Eddings's classic coming-of-age quest series beloved for its warmth and humor.

Tags: fantasy, books, fiction