Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is Susanna Clarke’s debut novel. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke – 317,440 words Part of the beauty of Cloud Atlas is the sense of interconnectedness and perspective it offers on people and the human condition across different countries and centuries.
Epic books list full#
The structure is interesting because there is one full story in the middle of the book with half of the next story either side of it, then half of the next either side of this story, and so on… The stories span several centuries and all link together in profound and interesting ways. The novel is actually six different stories and each story is read or observed by the main character in the story next to it. The film adaptation of the same name was directed by the Wachowskis (the people behind The Matrix). The novel starts off with one of the most famous opening lines in literature: “Happy families are all alike every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” This is an epic story from one of the most celebrated writers of all time, so although it’s a very long read, there’s always the sense that the story is rich enough to justify its long length.Ĭloud Atlas, David Mitchell – 163,630 wordsĬloud Atlas is perhaps David Mitchell’s most famous book, and it won numerous awards when it was published in 2004. It is split into eight parts, and each part has a slightly different tone, especially the seventh part, which gives us all of Anna Karenina’s thoughts in a direct stream-of-consciousness. It is a complicated, tragic love story about the eponymous Anna Karenina and her love affair with Count Vronsky. In fact, in a Time Magazine poll in 2007, Anna Karenina was voted the greatest book ever written. It’s the perfect novel for anyone new to the Western genre.Īnna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy – 349,736 wordsĪnna Karenina is often considered to be Tolstoy’s finest work, surpassing even War and Peace. The prose is sublime, which ensures that this huge book moves along at a steady pace. The novel follows a band of men trying to get a huge herd of cattle from South Texas to Montana, battling snakes, bears, Native Americans, bandits, and the weather along the way. However, after only two or three pages in, you’ll notice the elegance of McMurtry’s prose and hopefully you’ll be able to imagine yourself spending several weeks with this Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel. At over 360 thousand words, it is the longest novel on this list. It’s difficult to sell Lonesome Dove to some readers as it is such a huge undertaking. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry – 365,712 words If you like your fiction to have a healthy dose of history, then Wolf Hall is the perfect holiday read for you. The novel won the Man Booker Prize when it was published in 2009 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest historical novels of all time. The novel follows the rise of Thomas Cromwell in Henry VIII’s court from 1500–1535. The book was hugely popular and has been adapted for stage and into a very successful BBC television series. Wolf Hall is one of Hilary Mantel’s most famous novels, and at almost 190 thousand words, it is her longest. At over 180 thousand words, it should definitely last the entire holiday. American Gods is an epic fantasy novel, but it’s also a road-trip story, as the main characters travel through the backroads of America. American Gods is a huge, sprawling epic that follows the main character, Shadow, as he discovers that there are many gods living in modern America and that they were brought over by the different European, Asian, and African settlers over the centuries.
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Epic books list series#
Fans of Neil Gaiman often cite American Gods as his greatest novel, others say that it will always play second fiddle to his graphic novel series Sandman.
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Epic books list tv#
So, read on to get help choosing a book to read on your next holiday.Īmerican Gods, Neil Gaiman – 183,222 wordsĪmerican Gods was published in 2001 and has recently been adapted into a hit TV series of the same name. This list contains the some of the longest books ever, but sheer length wasn’t enough to make it on this list these books are all highly acclaimed by readers and critics alike. It’s getting close to summer and many of you will be heading away to somewhere sunny for a week or two – and the readers among you are probably trying to work out which book or books you can bring that will last you your whole trip. We have so much to choose from in our reading glasses collection here at Foster Grant that we thought we should recommend some books to go along with them.