epic fantasy
Dragons and quests
Epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literature characterized by sweeping scope, elaborate world-building, and high-stakes conflict—typically a struggle between good and evil that determines the fate of entire civilizations.
The narratives span multiple volumes and feature large casts of characters on quests through meticulously constructed secondary worlds with their own histories, magic systems, and mythologies.
Tolkien's *The Lord of the Rings* established the template: I've been reading epic fantasy since I discovered Tolkien in middle school.
- sorcererWielder of arcane power
- chosen oneProphesied special individual
- realmGoverned territory or sphere
- heroOne admired for courage
- questSeeking journey for something
chosen hero · magic system · sacrifice · redemption · destiny · prophecy · world-building · dragons · betrayal · villain · mythical creatures · Tolkien · kingdom · language creation · pantheon · spellcasting · sword · dark lord
- genresaction, comedy, detective fiction, horror, documentary
- fantasywizard, witch, magic, dragon, elf
- fictionfiction, novel, novels, novella, novellas
- fantasy fictionsword and sorcery, fairy tale, hero journey, magic system, dragon tale
- speculative fictionsci-fi, science fiction, dystopia, futurism, utopia
- book seriestrilogy, duology, tetralogy, pentalogy, saga
epic fantasyurban fantasy
Supernatural tales, modern settings
slice-of-life · kitchen sink realism · low fantasy · paranormal romance
epic fantasyliterary realism
Accurate portrayal of everyday life
naturalism · social realism · realistic fiction · documentary · nonfiction
epic fantasygrimdark
Cynical fantasy subgenre
comic fiction · satire · parody · absurdist fiction · deconstruction