My two favourite series of all time are definitely the Second Apocalypse and Sun Eater. This is mainly due to the scope of the world building (TSA wins out in this regard), philosophical aspects (both series are strong on this), the length of the series (enjoy having a large scope of work to savour) and the grimdark aspects covering an array of storylines.
Other series which I have enjoyed include (in no order):
- Game of Thrones
- Red Rising
- Dune
- Lord of the Rings
- Broken Empire trilogy
- Book of the New Sun
- Temeraire
- Richard Sharpe series (I know it’s historical fiction and slightly different to the above)
- All of Conn Iggulden’s work including the Caesar, Khan, War of the Roses, Nero and Athen series
I couldn’t seem to get my teeth into Malazan, Black Company or the Expanse. Got 2+ books into each of these and just didn’t find myself hooked.
Looking for any genre really (probably sci-fi/fantasy/historical fiction) that has a large, complete story, darker elements, some good rich prose and some philosophical aspects.
What do you guys think could be a next option? Thanks!