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October 2026 EPIC-curean Fantasy
Mod
October 2026
Djeli Clark, P.
Harkaway, Nick
Lunde, Maja
Russell, Karen
qntm,
Kingfisher, T.
Zamyatin, Yevgeny
Wild, Oscar
Carey, M.R.
Bado, Chinaza
Liu, Ken
Ruiz Zafon, Carlos
Bardugo, Leigh
O'Keefe, Megan E.
Kaner, Hannah
Lafferty, Mur
Tesh, Emily
Yamamoto, Makana
Vaughan, Brian K.
Wang, M.L.
McConaghy, Charlotte
O'Neill, Molly
Oyebanji, Adam
Jones, Stephen Graham
Truelove, Barbara
Dinniman, Matt
Beauman, Ned
Leong, Julie
Marquez, Gabriel Garcia
Barnes, S.A.
Rambo, Cat
Caplan, Ariel
Wells, Martha
Greer, Sierra
Blackgoose, Moniquill
Okungbowa, Suyi Davies
Wilson, Lorraine
Hayes, Drew
Sangoyomi, O.O.
Zhao, Xiran Jay
Armfield, Julia
Enríquez, Mariana
Durst, Sarah Beth
Harpman, Jacqueline
Islington, James
Ruocchio, Christopher
Tchaikovsky, Adrian
Williams, Jen
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Mod
We’re ringing in the fall season with a feast for the ages. We have your call to adventure to gather rare and magical ingredients to craft a fantastically EPIC meal. The guest list is legendary; the stakes are high; the consequences delicious.
This October, your quest is to craft a fantasy EPIC-curean book list, but only one book will pass the threshold, gather enough allies, and win a coveted spot on the SFFBC bookshelf. Please nominate an epic fantasy book. We’re looking for books with sweeping world-building, large casts, and high stakes with far-reaching consequences.
--
Friend the mod account to get an update.)
Less than 24 hours left to vote on this month's polls!
Mod
Please nominate/second on the first line of your post
If the nomination/second is buried in a wall of chatter, it's hard to spot when tallying. Chatter is otherwise encouraged! :)
Make sure to include the word 'nominate' or 'second'
That's how we double check, by searching for those words.
If you switch your second, please also tell what you're switching from
So that we don't have to search the whole thread to see what you originally seconded.
Wait until the first tally is posted before you start seconding!
To give everyone a chance to nominate something :)
Mod
I would like to nominate a historical epic political fantasy by Katherine Kurtz: Deryni Rising (1976), the first in a very long series. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
I nominate Into the Darkness by Harry Turtledove. This is a retelling of World War II in a fantasy setting. Seven page Dramatis Personae, six volumes, many story arcs to cover almost every aspect of the war, and the stakes are the future of the world.
I nominate The Disfavored Hero by Jessica Amanda Salmonson. It's a fantasy retelling of the story of Tomoe Gozen a female Samurai. I read it years ago and really liked it
I will nominate The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu. A wuxia-inspired story about what happens when the Chosen One prophecy is wrong.
I nominate The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman
I'll nominate The Book of Fallen Leaves by A.S. Tamaki "The fates of gods and samurai converge in this Japanese-myth inspired epic fantasy masterpiece from debut author A. S. Tamaki.
Sen Hoshiakari, the exiled son of a traitor, is determined to restore his decimated clan to their former power at any cost. But when his path collides with that of Rui, a lowborn woman who once saved his life, he discovers his family ambitions may have paid a darker price than he ever knew. And as Onryō—vengeful demons—rise throughout the land again, demanding retribution for their slaughtered souls, he’s torn between loyalty to the family he’s searched for his entire life and the love of his closest friend.
Only now, his reunited family and their allied forces will stop at nothing in a blossoming civil war against the empire they once served, and the more they kill, the worse the demons will become. To save their world, Sen and Rui must join this conflict and find a way to forge peace—even if it means being cursed by the very gods who once protected them."
Mod
Nominations close on the 23rd
Nominated with seconds:
Nominated:
The Mask of Mirrors
Deryni Rising
Into the Darkness
The Disfavored Hero
The Art of Prophecy
The Eye of the Leviathan
The Blacktongue Thief
The Book of Fallen Leaves
You may now begin seconding.
Mod
I’m going to nominate: Grave Empire by Richard Swan.
In an empire on the verge of an industrial boom that runs on the magic of the afterlife, an ancient prophecy threatens collapse with a supernatural apocalypse.
Renata Rainier, low ranking ambassador, must seek out an enigmatic and vicious race of mermen for their knowledge of an arcane magic that could save them before it’s too late.
I already have a copy on y TBR stack so I second The Blacktongue Thief.
I nominate Tuyo, by Rachel Neumeier. Epic fantasy that has been previously nominated and is the start of a popular series. (Sorry I am on my phone and can’t do the link)
Mod
Nominations close on the 23rd
Nominated with seconds:
The Blacktongue Thief - 4
The Art of Prophecy - 3
The Book of Fallen Leaves - 2
The Mask of Mirrors - 1
Nominated:
Deryni Rising
Into the Darkness
The Disfavored Hero
The Eye of the Leviathan
Grave Empire
Tuyo
You may now begin seconding.
Mod
I thought about nominating it myself, so I'll also second Malice. :)
I thought about nominating The Art of Prophecy! So I'll second that :)
Mod
"Hey Bonnie, can you tell us what makes Titus Groan epic fantasy? Looking at Goodreads and other sources it looked like it fell more along the gothic fantasy realm.
Mod
Way of Kings is already on the shelf (https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...). Please feel free to nominate something else though!
Mod
Nominations close on the 23rd
Nominated with seconds:
The Blacktongue Thief - 4
The Art of Prophecy - 4
The Book of Fallen Leaves - 3
Malice - 3
—-
The Mask of Mirrors - 1
Grave Empire - 1
Tuyo - 1
Nominated:
Deryni Rising
Into the Darkness
The Disfavored Hero
The Eye of the Leviathan
You may now begin seconding.
Mod
Hi, I thought it had interesting world and lots of characters; and it was in this list:The Best Epic Fantasy Books recommended by Christopher Paolini
https://fivebooks.com/best-books/the-...
...
However after perusal I find that
a) Gormenghast is mostly called Gothic Fantasy and
b) Titus goes out into the wider world in the third book, not the first, which sounds more epic-y, and
c) Paolini is defining Epic a little differently: grandeur/large scope. :)
So I will withdraw it from this nom.
Hey Bonnie, can you tell us what makes Titus Groan epic fantasy? Looking at Goodreads and other sources it looked like it fell more along the gothic fantasy realm"
Here are ineligible authors alphabetically (chronologically in Message 2):Armfield, Julia
Bado, Chinaza
Bardugo, Leigh
Barnes, S.A.
Beauman, Ned
Blackgoose, Moniquill
Caplan, Ariel
Carey, M.R.
Dinniman, Matt
Djeli Clark, P.
Durst, Sarah Beth
Enríquez, Mariana
Greer, Sierra
Harkaway, Nick
Harpman, Jacqueline
Hayes, Drew
Islington, James
Jones, Stephen Graham
Kaner, Hannah
Kingfisher, T.
Lafferty, Mur
Leong, Julie
Liu, Ken
Lunde, Maja
Marquez, Gabriel Garcia
McConaghy, Charlotte
O'Keefe, Megan E.
O'Neill, Molly
Okungbowa, Suyi Davies
Oyebanji, Adam
qntm
Rambo, Cat
Ruiz Zafon, Carlos
Ruocchio, Christopher
Russell, Karen
Sangoyomi, O.O.
Tchaikovsky, Adrian
Tesh, Emily
Truelove, Barbara
Vaughan, Brian K.
Wang, M.L.
Wells, Martha
Wilde, Oscar
Williams, Jen
Wilson, Lorraine
Yamamoto, Makana
Zamyatin, Yevgeny
Zhao, Xiran Jay
I second Tuyo by Rachel Neumeier.I'm new in the group and actually joined to talk about a book I'm halfway through which is awesome and I see it is nominated for reading. Someone already seconded it but it seems like you can second even so. If that is wrong, please excuse me. I'm very eager to discuss that book. :-)
Tully wrote: "I second Tuyo by Rachel Neumeier.I'm new in the group and actually joined to talk about a book I'm halfway through which is awesome and I see it is nominated for ..."
Welcome Tully! Yes you can also second the book.
Mod
Nominations close on the 23rd
Nominated with seconds:
The Blacktongue Thief - 4
The Art of Prophecy - 4
The Book of Fallen Leaves - 3
Malice - 3
—-
The Mask of Mirrors - 2
Tuyo - 2
Grave Empire - 2
Nominated:
Deryni Rising
Into the Darkness
The Disfavored Hero
The Eye of the Leviathan
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Disfavored Hero (other topics)Saint Death's Daughter (other topics)
Grave Empire (other topics)
Tuyo (other topics)
Tuyo (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Rachel Neumeier (other topics)Rachel Neumeier (other topics)
Mervyn Peake (other topics)
Mervyn Peake (other topics)
John Gwynne (other topics)
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1. All members can make one nomination and one second. Members can not second their own nomination.
2. Nominations must be in the format [book link] by [author link] and should include a brief reason why the book is nominated for the theme.
3. Nominations must be books that are either first in a series or standalone, over 160 pages and not already on the group shelf.
4. Nominated books cannot be by authors we've read in the past 24 months (listed below).
5. Nominations may not include children's books or short fiction anthologies by multiple authors.
6. Authors may not nominate their own work.
Please note that specific themes may change one or more of the rules listed above.
At the end of nominations the 4 books with most seconds that meet the requirements will go into the poll. The polls will open on the first of the next month.
After each nomination period this thread will be closed and all further discussion about the nominated books will be on the poll. Before the start of the next month's nominations this thread will be cleared. The list of nominated books will be copied to a recommendations thread.
***The moderators' decision is final***