More book suggestions for fantasy / urban fantasy?

[crimsonandclover]

I like big, thick series that are already finished. 1000+ pages / book in a 10-book series would be excellent. My requirement, though, is that the series needs to be complete.
I really like fantasy and have been getting into urban fantasy, and my favorite authors are Brandon Sanderson and Tad Williams. I've also read and liked Tolkein, Robert Jordan, GRR Martin (although I'm waiting until GoT is finished before continuing past the first book), Robin Hobb, Terry Goodkind, and Terry Brooks. Possibly others, but those are the ones that leap to mind. I've also read Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Twilight, and Divergent, and liked them to varying degrees, as well.
Urban fantasy I've read Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, Cat & Bones, Kate Daniels, Jaz Parks, Mercy Thompson, Kitty (something, right? The werewolf), and possibly others that aren't coming to mind.

Any suggestions? I know there are a few other fantasy readers on here!

[expatmama]

Ok, I am not a Fantasy fan, but I am the exception in my house, so I have tried many a Fantasy novel due to prodding, prying and also being stuck on family vacation in a foreign land and having read thru all of my lit stuff.

So my recommendations are tweaked towards a fantasy that non fantasy folks also like, but I LOVED Dan Simmons Hyperion trilogy. He later delved into historical fix (a guilty pleasure of mine) and I was thrilled (The Terror - an actual boat that got stuck in ice at the north pole was AMAZING) before he went off the deep end into right wing conspiracy theories and wrote the worst post-apocolyptic book I have ever read (it's name shall never be mentioned because I still love Simmons and want to forget it exists).

Hyperion, Return to Hyperion & Endimion are long and heavy books, but amazingly well crafted IMHO

[crimsonandclover]

I will check into those, thanks

[byebyebooze]

I go back and forth between fantasy and historical fiction, since I find they often have a lot in common. I'm going to recommend both. These are off the top of my head - if I charge my kindle, I can give a bigger list.

I finished Ken Follett's Century Trilogy not too long ago. It was pretty good! Obviously biased and political, but gave an interesting view of the reasons for and life during WW1, WW2, and The Cold War.

Fantasy series I like that (mostly) fit your description:
The First Law by Joseph Abercrombie (trilogy)
The Farseer/The Tawny Man by Robin Hobb (both trilogy) - there is another series that fits with this one too, but I cannot remember the name
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor (Alice in Wonderland based trilogy)
The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan (10 books in the series)

YA-ish fantasy:
The Maze Runner (trilogy)
Matched (trilogy)

[crimsonandclover]

I read Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth plus the sequel and liked them. Is the Century trilogy similar in the type of story?

I've read The Farseer and Tawny Man trilogy and am trying to get started with the other series - Rainwild? Wild something? Whatever, I know what you mean

I'll have to look into the John Flanagan one - it's one I've never head of - and maybe I'll finally get around to reserving The Maze Runner from my library for my kindle. (seriously, people, checking out library books on an ereader is like crack for the soul...)

[expatmama]

I liked Follet's Pillars of the Earth, and I liked the general premise of the first book of the Century trilogy, but I really wish Ken Follet would stop writing sex scenes. They are so bad, they almost make 50 shades look like a well written book and like the sex scenes in the Clan of the Cave Bear books like essential plot driving!

If you can stomach them, I think it is worth a read. I was listening to it as an audibook which made things just 10 times worse when read aloud by a middle aged sounding British man.

I think the NYTimes review summed it up well saying something like if Follett excised the sex scenes the novel would not lose anything and it would be a boon to the reader.

[crimsonandclover]

Haha! I will keep that in mind and possibly skim those parts

[byebyebooze]

The Century trilogy is similar to Pillars of the Earth. It's multiple POV and the same style of writing. There's actually some character overlap between these books though, which I like. The hundreds of years time difference in Pillars of the Earth made me sad.

And yes, skim the sex scenes. They are not sexy.

[seadragon2013]

I'm not great for series recs. The WoT scared me away from anything longer than a trilogy, with the exception of HP. I do love Raymond Feist's Magician series.

A few stand alone fantasy novels that have stuck with me, in case you haven't discovered them yet:

The Good Fairies of New York

A Canticle for Leibowitz

The Sparrow

As far as YA urban fantasy goes, I love everything I've read by Nancy Farmer.

For more traditional YA fantasy (and a few amazing, dark adult urban fantasy novels like Sunshine), Robin McKinley is amazing.

For historical sci fI/fantasy I love Connie Willis. I most recently retread Blackout and All Clear. I couldn't put them down.

[crimsonandclover]

Thanks for the suggestions, seadragon2013! I have Raymond Feist's Magician series up on my bookshelf and need to get around to taking them down and actually reading them.