I need epics.

[E-Unit]

You know the kind. Intricate plot, a huge cast of characters, long spans of time; something I can really sink my teeth into. I don't want to limit your suggestions by defining "epic" too rigidly, but one good indicator is length. The longer the better.

I mostly read fantasy, a genre which is brimming with epics, but I'll take any suggestions. Historical fiction seems to make good epics too.

So, any recommendations?

 

[savage_henry]

Try Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephanson. It is very good and quite long.

 

[Ell]

Have you tried Sho-Gun by James Clavell?

It's one of my all-time favourites. Set in feudal Japan when Europeans were trying to establish trade routes to the Far East. Fascinating look at the Samurai culture. It's followed by a number of other novels that carry on with subsequent generations of the original characters in Sho Gun.

Others:
It - by Stephen King
Hawaii - by James Michener
Sarum - by Edward Rutherford
Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

 

[Martin]

I'm quite sure I don't have to mention this one, but I'll do it nontheless:

'The Lord of the Rings' by J. R. R. Tolkien.

And an other one that popped into my mind just now:

'The Illuminatus trilogy' by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson.

Whoops, thought of another one:

'The Discovery of Heaven' by Harry Mulisch.

Enjoy...

Cheers, Martin