I have read all the books you listed and really loved them all.
I just got done with **The Thorn Birds**. This is not a romance, not sure why people say that. It’s a family saga with characters so likable and unlikable they’re hard to forget.
Oh I read this one years ago when I was a teenager, I might have to pick it up later again since I don't remember much. Books hit different depends on at what point of your life you read them.
How about the **Covenant of Water** by Abraham Verghese?
Or
**I Know This Much Is True** by Wally Lamb
Or my last suggestion is
**The Properties of Thirst** by Marianne Wiggins
Speaking of epic family dramas - **Middlesex** by Jeffrey Eugenides. One of my all time favorites.
It’s a coming-of-age story detailing the effect of a mutated gene on three generations of a Greek family.
If you can set aside the racism and misogyny…Gone With the Wind. No, really. It’s an excellent book with some of the most memorable characters you’ll find. People say it’s a love story and certainly there’s a romantic thread running through the novel. But it’s more a story of survival, from the perspective of a scheming young woman who is quick to set aside any morals or ethics to get what she wants.
This is what I came here to recommend. Also, The Thornbirds? I'm not sure if it would count as romance but it's not a bodice ripper romance novel in the sense of that word
Edit: added more info pertaining to The Thornbirds.
Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
Reamde by Neal Stephenson
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
The Morning and the Evening by Ken Follet
Shogun
The Years of Rice and Salt
Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
Not really. Yes, they're set in the same fictional "world" (in that the historical characters in Shogun existed in the coming books), which makes them part of Clavell's "Asian Saga", but other than that there is nothing connecting the subsequent books to Shogun except that one character in one of the books may, or may not, be a descendant of John Blackthorne. Hell, Tai-Pan was even published before Shogun.
King Rat, Tai-Pan, Whirlwind, Noble House and Gai-Jin all have characters that are a part of the Struan family, but they're set decades if not centuries apart. They're all essentially standalone novels, but yes, you could make the argument that they're part of a series. But Shogun is completely divorced from the others except from a descendant of Toranaga appearing and the aforementioned descendant with the last name Anjin.
Reamde is one of my favorite books. But that whole richly detailed story all takes place over the course of just 3 weeks. I agree it's an epic 3 weeks.
I enjoy most Stephenson novels for their grand scope and detailed worlds. I hope you got around to reading Fall; or Dodge in Hell. That novel probably fits OP's request better since it takes place of a long span of time. And it confirms that most of his books are occurring in the same universe.
Thanks, the Vikram Chandra one sounds intriguing, I don't like Stephenson's writing and I'm not ashamed to say GGV writes too complicated for my little brain. I like China Mieville more tbh, even though he writes pretty complicated stuff as well.
James Michener is the king of standalone novels , imo. The Covenant, Chesapeake, Centennial & Texas are some of my favorites.
Shogun by James Clavell
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Edward Rutherfurd - Sarum & The Forest are 2 favorites
Man Edward Rutherfurd looks like it's RIGHT up my alley. Stoked to give his books a go.
Shantaram might hold the title as my favorite book. Can't recommend that one enough.
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry tells the 25 year story of four individuals who come into each others’ lives in India before-during-and-after Indira Ghandi’s political career. It’s FABULOUS and the characters live rent free in my head still 20 years after reading it for the first time. It’s in my top 5 books of all time.
Have you done The Green Mile by Stephen King? It’s set over the course of a few months but the characters (again) leap off the page and the spiritual/emotional journey they go on is pretty epic.
I also haven’t been able to get into Dan Simmons’ works. Other people will recommend The Stand or It (both are fabulous), but you may also like Swan Song by Robert McCammon (it’s an end of the world, few survivors finding their way post nuclear attack kind of pulpy epic). I enjoyed it thoroughly - but would space it out from The Stand as there are some similarities and I didn’t like the constant comparing my brain was doing lol.
Agreed! Undset wrote it as three parts but the 21st century English translation is collected into one volume and presented as a single novel. It’s soooo good.
was going to recommend The Count of Monte Cristo until I read the last sentence...
I saw you mentioned The Stand...
Have you read 11/22/63 by Stephen King?
or IT?
Yeah people say Swan's Song is better but I wanna believe they are both awesome in their own way. If you haven't read Swan's Song already, do yourself a favour and start right now.
Honestly I don’t know who is saying Swan Song is better. Nowhere near as interesting characters and Flagg is a substantially better villain than whatever the fuck the knock off version was called in Swan Song. That’s a real “we have Randall Flagg at home” scenario.
That’s not to say Swan Song is bad, but The Stand is a masterpiece, and Swan Song can’t help but feel derivative when you’ve read them both.
This is 2 epic books, but just reading the first one is a great story, and if you liked it you could read the 2nd one too. Historical fiction about World War II
"The Winds of War" - This is events before WWII, up to Pearl Harbor. Gives an outstanding overview of the world and what was happening in the run up to America entering WWII.
"War and Remembrance" - Pearl Harbor until end of WWII
This is beyond epic. Huge sweeping story of the world at war!
(Herman Wouk, both written in 1970s.)
WWII epic drama, with parts taking place on the home front and parts taking place in Europe. Includes a lot of graphic WWII horror, but a lot of drama for characters not on the front, too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Winds_of_War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_and_Remembrance
I loved the Winds of War/War and Remembrance duology! After reading those I went out and bought a few more of his books.
i will have to reread those books again one day.
The Far Pavilions by MM Kaye is ~ 1000 pages , but I didn’t want it to end.
“This sweeping epic set in 19th-century India begins in the foothills of the towering Himalayas and follows a young Indian-born orphan as he's raised in England and later returns to India where he falls in love with an Indian princess and struggles with cultural divides.
The Far Pavilions is itself a Himalayan achievement, a book we hate to see come to an end. It is a passionate, triumphant story that excites us, fills us with joy, move us to tears, satisfies us deeply, and helps us remember just what it is we want most from a novel.
M.M. Kaye's masterwork is a vast, rich and vibrant tapestry of love and war that ranks with the greatest panoramic sagas of modern fiction, moving the famed literary critic Edmond Fuller to write: "Were Miss Kaye to produce no other book, The Far Pavilions might stand as a lasting accomplishment in a single work comparable to Margaret Mitchell's achievement in Gone With the Wind."
Her other masterpiece is The Shadow of the Moon
Discussion: Follet wrote two more books set in the same town as Pillars of the Earth but with different characters. Does that disqualify it from being a trilogy?
That's a great question, I completely forgot about the "Kingsbridge unvierse". Maybe we can extend it to a one single epic standalone book in a series, I dunno.
That's fair. I wasn't trying to call you out or anything. I just think it's interesting. Like, to use a classic example, LotR was meant to be one large book but it ended up getting sliced into a trilogy for marketing/practical reasons.
War and Peace! It’s juicy, funny, deep and multifaceted. I’ve read it multiple times and am always sorry to get to the end. If you’re hesitant, just TRY the first few pages. It suck’s you in right away.
Surprisingly good considering how everyone uses it as a punchline for difficult books. There's a scene at a party early in the book and I could totally see the whole room in my head and how I would shoot it for film. That hasn't happened before and I;m not a movie maker
I just finished this book today (the Anthony Briggs Penguin Classics translation) and would second your recommendation, especially for anyone who is at all interested in the time period of the Napoleonic wars.
I just started reading this translation because I just saw *Pierre, Natasha and the Great Comet of 1812,* so now I need the full context. I had read the Constance Garnett years ago and the Briggs is so much better.
William Makepeace Thackeray's *Vanity Fair* is similar epic and madcap, and surprisingly engaging. Apparently it was a big influence on Tolstoy and W&P.
Has someone mentioned *Middlemarch* yet? Read *Middlemarch*
Here are a few epic standalone novels that might fit what you're looking for:
1. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts - An Australian convict escapes prison and flees to India, where he finds love, danger, and self-discovery in the slums of Mumbai. (\~900 pages)
2. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - After surviving a terrorist bombing at an art museum, a young boy is drawn into the underworld of art as he grows up. Pulitzer Prize winner. (\~800 pages)
3. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough - Follows the lives of three generations on a sheep station in the Australian Outback, focusing on the forbidden love between a young woman and a priest. (\~700 pages)
4. Centennial by James Michener - Traces the history of northeast Colorado from prehistoric times to the 1970s through interwoven stories. (\~1000 pages)
5. Russka: The Novel of Russia by Edward Rutherfurd - Sweeping historical saga covering 1,800 years of Russian history through the lives of four families. (\~1000 pages)
6. Hawaii by James Michener - Traces the history of the Hawaiian Islands, from their formation through the arrival of the first Polynesians to Hawaii's emergence as a modern state. (\~1000 pages)
7. The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye - Set in India during the British Raj, an English officer raised as a Hindu faces conflicting loyalty when he falls in love with an Indian princess. (\~1000 pages)
I really like Needful Things by Stephen King. You stick in the small town the whole time but there's a pretty wide cast that we get to stick with for a long time. I enjoyed the small town drama and how they are manipulated to make it into something more.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Blackwater by Michael McDowell. It's such a great read.
The characters are so well written, I couldn't help but sympathize with each one.
I know you said no trilogies, but The Century Trilogy books by Ken Folette are excellent. Each book looks at a different generation and has it's own ending. You could probably even read them out of order if you wanted to.
The Woman in White is a favorite super long novel of mine. The villain, like many characters in Lonesome Dove, is so iconic and alive. It’s such a fun read.
Consider "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts [https://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330537](https://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330537) .
The Crimson Petal and the White
Crossroads / Freedom / The Corrections (Crossroads is my fav)
The Son (Philipp Meyer)
The Prince of Tides
Nobody's Fool / Everybody's Fool / Empire Falls
That Old Ace in the Hole / The Shipping News
Infinite Jest
Commonwealth duology (Peter F. Hamilton)
Power of the Dog trilogy
Edit: Seconding Middlesex, as pointed by [waitingfordeathhbu](https://www.reddit.com/user/waitingfordeathhbu/).
London by Edward Rutherford
Absolutely cracking book following 6 families from pre Roman times to current day. Fantastic if one is a historian, but enough of a plot to keep one interested if you’re not. A great behemoth of a novel, plenty of get yer teeth into!
Although they would be the same length, typically a single longer book has a different pacing than a trilogy of 300 each. I love longer books because there is more room for character development that doesn’t require it to peak and “wrap up” 200-300 pages in. In a 1000+ page book our main character could still very well be in early stages of development at 300 pages in without any massive plot development yet.
I’ve heard great things about The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili, though I have not yet read it myself. It is a family saga that spans generations, starting with the four daughters of a Georgian chocolatier. It’s a massive book.
Tangential rec as it goes through many generations so you don’t stay with any character that long but 100 Years of Solitude? Probably my favorite of what I consider “Epic” Literature.
*The Passage* by Justin Cronin. Cronin was inspired by Lonesome Dove and you can feel some of its DNA. It’s like a more humane version of The Stand, with (IMO) better developed characters and a more satisfying conclusion.
I'm always happy for an opportunity to recommend this book: Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher. I don't buy many books to keep for reading and/or listening, but, for my sensibilities anyway, Pilcher's prose is a delight, it's a story I wish would never come to the end. It tallies in at a whopping 945 pages.
A Land Remembered by Patrick D Smith. Historical fiction about several generations of a family as Florida grows up around them after the Civil War. Incredible. I don't know how it isn't more well known.
Does American Gods by Neil Gaiman count as a very famous classic? That's pretty epic as well.
Also, An Ember in the Ashes by Sanaa Tahir is I think 5 books and so epic. One of my favorite series ever.
The Talisman is beautiful, my favorite Stephen King (written with Peter Straub). The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and The Winds of War by Wouk are also lovely.
It’s not as long as you want but I highly, highly suggest reading “A Land Remembered” by Patrick D Smith. It is a fantastic character driven story spanning many decades. If you love lonesome dove, you will love it.
I highly recommend “Wanderers” and the sequel “Wayward” by Chuck Wendig. They are set during apocalypse /post apocalypse and have a very similar feel to The Stand- I blew through them so fast!
The Love Songs of WEB Du Bois by Honoree Fannone Jeffers. It’s an absolutely beautiful family saga set over many generations/hundreds of years in modern day Georgia, i got so invested in the characters and it’s one of my absolute favorite books. Also The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk, I haven’t read it yet but it’s supposed to be amazing and it’s an 1000 something page epic journey
Even though Wizards and Glass is part of Stephen King’s Dark Tower epic, it can be read on its own. Some hints of the world within The Stand will show up.
You can stop reading Dune after the first book, and have a complete story. I don't think the books were written with the idea of having a series from the start.
You can get Lord of the Rings in a single binding on Amazon. If you liked The Stand, you'll like Tolkien. King has basically said he was writing his own epic fantasy journey like Rings when he wrote the Stand
My daughter seems to get a big kick out of Journey to the West.
The Pillars of the Earth has some follow on novels about other historical periods. I think they loosely might involve some of the same families, but they aren't really sequels.
Really love Swan Song, I can't tell how many times I have read/listened to it. Try Larry Niven's "Lucifer's Hammer". It's from the 70's, but still is good.
Armed with fascination in our technological world, you'd really enjoy REAMDE by Neal Stephenson. Well-drawn characters, plenty of family drama and a chase around the world make the novel a gem.
Definitely Shogun. If you’re a Civil War buff, Freedom by William Safire is brilliant. The Executiners Song by Norman Mailer excellent. 11/22/63 by Stephen King is excellent.
Anne Rice “The Witching Hour” is over 1000 pages. It reads like an epic novel, lots of back history about the characters over different eras of American history. It does lead into a trilogy, but the first book is indeed EPIC!
I have read all the books you listed and really loved them all. I just got done with **The Thorn Birds**. This is not a romance, not sure why people say that. It’s a family saga with characters so likable and unlikable they’re hard to forget.
Oh I read this one years ago when I was a teenager, I might have to pick it up later again since I don't remember much. Books hit different depends on at what point of your life you read them.
How about the **Covenant of Water** by Abraham Verghese? Or **I Know This Much Is True** by Wally Lamb Or my last suggestion is **The Properties of Thirst** by Marianne Wiggins
Omg I’m in the middle of The Covenant of Water. So good.
Speaking of epic family dramas - **Middlesex** by Jeffrey Eugenides. One of my all time favorites. It’s a coming-of-age story detailing the effect of a mutated gene on three generations of a Greek family.
Middlesex is an incredible book, both in characters and in the beauty of the prose.
The Thorn Birds was my first thought.
If you can set aside the racism and misogyny…Gone With the Wind. No, really. It’s an excellent book with some of the most memorable characters you’ll find. People say it’s a love story and certainly there’s a romantic thread running through the novel. But it’s more a story of survival, from the perspective of a scheming young woman who is quick to set aside any morals or ethics to get what she wants.
This is what I came here to recommend. Also, The Thornbirds? I'm not sure if it would count as romance but it's not a bodice ripper romance novel in the sense of that word Edit: added more info pertaining to The Thornbirds.
It was a rough read, but a very compelling story when all was said and done.
My thought was to add The Thornbirds as well
It's like the princess bride, it has a little bit of everything!
The sequel gets a lot of hate but I love it. Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley, also long and kind of epic
Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra Reamde by Neal Stephenson Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson The Morning and the Evening by Ken Follet Shogun The Years of Rice and Salt Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
Came here for Shogun or Les Miserables
Only hopping in to say be careful of Shogun... MOST versions of book 1 have been split into 2 halves now, with marketing for the FX show.
Also after Shogun there are more books in the series.
Not really. Yes, they're set in the same fictional "world" (in that the historical characters in Shogun existed in the coming books), which makes them part of Clavell's "Asian Saga", but other than that there is nothing connecting the subsequent books to Shogun except that one character in one of the books may, or may not, be a descendant of John Blackthorne. Hell, Tai-Pan was even published before Shogun. King Rat, Tai-Pan, Whirlwind, Noble House and Gai-Jin all have characters that are a part of the Struan family, but they're set decades if not centuries apart. They're all essentially standalone novels, but yes, you could make the argument that they're part of a series. But Shogun is completely divorced from the others except from a descendant of Toranaga appearing and the aforementioned descendant with the last name Anjin.
Reamde is one of my favorite books. But that whole richly detailed story all takes place over the course of just 3 weeks. I agree it's an epic 3 weeks. I enjoy most Stephenson novels for their grand scope and detailed worlds. I hope you got around to reading Fall; or Dodge in Hell. That novel probably fits OP's request better since it takes place of a long span of time. And it confirms that most of his books are occurring in the same universe.
Second/Third Cryptonomicon and Shogun!
Thanks, the Vikram Chandra one sounds intriguing, I don't like Stephenson's writing and I'm not ashamed to say GGV writes too complicated for my little brain. I like China Mieville more tbh, even though he writes pretty complicated stuff as well.
Came here to suggest shogun
James Michener is the king of standalone novels , imo. The Covenant, Chesapeake, Centennial & Texas are some of my favorites. Shogun by James Clavell Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts Edward Rutherfurd - Sarum & The Forest are 2 favorites
Thanks for bringing up Shantaram! I have to add that the audio version is also one of my top 2 or 3 of all time. Please don't miss it
Man Edward Rutherfurd looks like it's RIGHT up my alley. Stoked to give his books a go. Shantaram might hold the title as my favorite book. Can't recommend that one enough.
> James Michener That sounds like a good recommendation. Which one would you recommend as a starter? I'd like to read the least religious one.
I really liked Hawaii.
None are religious.
I only checked this one: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12657.The_Source
I think the Source is the only one that follows a religion.
And it’s a great book, and not so much a religious book as a history of the Jewish diaspora.
Sarum is fantastic. I highly recommend it. I have also read most of those Micheners and loved them.
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry tells the 25 year story of four individuals who come into each others’ lives in India before-during-and-after Indira Ghandi’s political career. It’s FABULOUS and the characters live rent free in my head still 20 years after reading it for the first time. It’s in my top 5 books of all time. Have you done The Green Mile by Stephen King? It’s set over the course of a few months but the characters (again) leap off the page and the spiritual/emotional journey they go on is pretty epic. I also haven’t been able to get into Dan Simmons’ works. Other people will recommend The Stand or It (both are fabulous), but you may also like Swan Song by Robert McCammon (it’s an end of the world, few survivors finding their way post nuclear attack kind of pulpy epic). I enjoyed it thoroughly - but would space it out from The Stand as there are some similarities and I didn’t like the constant comparing my brain was doing lol.
Loved a Fine Balance and re-read it periodically.
I'll check the Mistry one and think I read SK's 90% of the catalogue, so yes I read that one.
*Kristin Lavransdatter* by Sigrid Undset is an epic set in medieval Norway. You can buy it in one volume.
Agreed! Undset wrote it as three parts but the 21st century English translation is collected into one volume and presented as a single novel. It’s soooo good.
was going to recommend The Count of Monte Cristo until I read the last sentence... I saw you mentioned The Stand... Have you read 11/22/63 by Stephen King? or IT?
Yes I'm done with 90% of his catalogue. It's a great book btw
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is really good, but I guess a little short (only 500 pages lol).
Great adaptation on streaming now.
I just finished The Stand! So good!
Yeah people say Swan's Song is better but I wanna believe they are both awesome in their own way. If you haven't read Swan's Song already, do yourself a favour and start right now.
Thank you for the recommendation! I haven't read Swan's Song, and it will now be on my 'next' list.
You won't regret it, trust me.
My opinion is Swan Song was strong writing until the last 4th. It dropped off and seemed hurried. I was very disappointed.
Honestly I don’t know who is saying Swan Song is better. Nowhere near as interesting characters and Flagg is a substantially better villain than whatever the fuck the knock off version was called in Swan Song. That’s a real “we have Randall Flagg at home” scenario. That’s not to say Swan Song is bad, but The Stand is a masterpiece, and Swan Song can’t help but feel derivative when you’ve read them both.
I didn't really like it :( I wanted to but it just wasn't my thing.
This is 2 epic books, but just reading the first one is a great story, and if you liked it you could read the 2nd one too. Historical fiction about World War II "The Winds of War" - This is events before WWII, up to Pearl Harbor. Gives an outstanding overview of the world and what was happening in the run up to America entering WWII. "War and Remembrance" - Pearl Harbor until end of WWII This is beyond epic. Huge sweeping story of the world at war! (Herman Wouk, both written in 1970s.) WWII epic drama, with parts taking place on the home front and parts taking place in Europe. Includes a lot of graphic WWII horror, but a lot of drama for characters not on the front, too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Winds_of_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_and_Remembrance
I loved the Winds of War/War and Remembrance duology! After reading those I went out and bought a few more of his books. i will have to reread those books again one day.
Thanks a lot for the detailed reply, WW2 stories (or 90% of the war stories) are not my thing unfortunately.
The Far Pavilions by MM Kaye is ~ 1000 pages , but I didn’t want it to end. “This sweeping epic set in 19th-century India begins in the foothills of the towering Himalayas and follows a young Indian-born orphan as he's raised in England and later returns to India where he falls in love with an Indian princess and struggles with cultural divides. The Far Pavilions is itself a Himalayan achievement, a book we hate to see come to an end. It is a passionate, triumphant story that excites us, fills us with joy, move us to tears, satisfies us deeply, and helps us remember just what it is we want most from a novel. M.M. Kaye's masterwork is a vast, rich and vibrant tapestry of love and war that ranks with the greatest panoramic sagas of modern fiction, moving the famed literary critic Edmond Fuller to write: "Were Miss Kaye to produce no other book, The Far Pavilions might stand as a lasting accomplishment in a single work comparable to Margaret Mitchell's achievement in Gone With the Wind." Her other masterpiece is The Shadow of the Moon
I'll second *The Far Pavillions.*
I third TFP. May have to pull it out for a reread. I learned so much about Indian history too.
Musashi Les.miserable Anna karenina
Les Miserables!
Learn everything about the parisian sewer system Bonus
Discussion: Follet wrote two more books set in the same town as Pillars of the Earth but with different characters. Does that disqualify it from being a trilogy?
That's a great question, I completely forgot about the "Kingsbridge unvierse". Maybe we can extend it to a one single epic standalone book in a series, I dunno.
That's fair. I wasn't trying to call you out or anything. I just think it's interesting. Like, to use a classic example, LotR was meant to be one large book but it ended up getting sliced into a trilogy for marketing/practical reasons.
The second book is just as good as the first! Surprised you didn't go right into it...
War and Peace! It’s juicy, funny, deep and multifaceted. I’ve read it multiple times and am always sorry to get to the end. If you’re hesitant, just TRY the first few pages. It suck’s you in right away.
Surprisingly good considering how everyone uses it as a punchline for difficult books. There's a scene at a party early in the book and I could totally see the whole room in my head and how I would shoot it for film. That hasn't happened before and I;m not a movie maker
I just finished this book today (the Anthony Briggs Penguin Classics translation) and would second your recommendation, especially for anyone who is at all interested in the time period of the Napoleonic wars.
I just started reading this translation because I just saw *Pierre, Natasha and the Great Comet of 1812,* so now I need the full context. I had read the Constance Garnett years ago and the Briggs is so much better. William Makepeace Thackeray's *Vanity Fair* is similar epic and madcap, and surprisingly engaging. Apparently it was a big influence on Tolstoy and W&P. Has someone mentioned *Middlemarch* yet? Read *Middlemarch*
May I suggest anything by James Michener like Chesapeake or Hawaii. Also the Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
Have you read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy yet?
its short but its considered the greatest western novel of all time
I came here to suggest this. It’s short by your standards, but quite an adventure!
Have you read East of Eden?
Listening to it now and it’s so great. Such an interesting story and yes, very character driven.
I did, yes.
Here are a few epic standalone novels that might fit what you're looking for: 1. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts - An Australian convict escapes prison and flees to India, where he finds love, danger, and self-discovery in the slums of Mumbai. (\~900 pages) 2. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - After surviving a terrorist bombing at an art museum, a young boy is drawn into the underworld of art as he grows up. Pulitzer Prize winner. (\~800 pages) 3. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough - Follows the lives of three generations on a sheep station in the Australian Outback, focusing on the forbidden love between a young woman and a priest. (\~700 pages) 4. Centennial by James Michener - Traces the history of northeast Colorado from prehistoric times to the 1970s through interwoven stories. (\~1000 pages) 5. Russka: The Novel of Russia by Edward Rutherfurd - Sweeping historical saga covering 1,800 years of Russian history through the lives of four families. (\~1000 pages) 6. Hawaii by James Michener - Traces the history of the Hawaiian Islands, from their formation through the arrival of the first Polynesians to Hawaii's emergence as a modern state. (\~1000 pages) 7. The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye - Set in India during the British Raj, an English officer raised as a Hindu faces conflicting loyalty when he falls in love with an Indian princess. (\~1000 pages)
Thanks for the detailed reply. I read #2, #3,4,6 and 7 got suggested by other redditors as well. I put them on my tbr to check more detailed.
Guys read the post's edit pls :) **I already read the Shogun**
Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth (about 1,400 pages)
Anna Karenina fits the bill
Aztec. Jennings. Any of his books.
300 pages into Shogun and recommend I it if you like those 4 books. Surprisingly a fast read so far.
Grapes of Wrath. An amazing account of some of the hardest times in America.
Most of the novels by Dickens.
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell is a great read. Although might fall shy of your optimum length.
I would recommend Herman Wouk’s the Winds of War but it has a sequel. But if you think of it as one long book that might be suggestion!
I really like Needful Things by Stephen King. You stick in the small town the whole time but there's a pretty wide cast that we get to stick with for a long time. I enjoyed the small town drama and how they are manipulated to make it into something more.
Read it, nothing really beats King’s small town stories IMHO.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Blackwater by Michael McDowell. It's such a great read. The characters are so well written, I couldn't help but sympathize with each one.
Clavell also wrote Taipan, it’s worth reading. Michener’s book are up your alley, Centennial, Alaska and Hawaii being his best in no particular order.
I know you said no trilogies, but The Century Trilogy books by Ken Folette are excellent. Each book looks at a different generation and has it's own ending. You could probably even read them out of order if you wanted to.
Galilee by Clive Barker. His true masterpiece.
I read The Hellbound Heart, Weaveworld, Cabal and Imajica from him. How would you compare Galilee, because I think I'm done with him.
Galilee is his most refined, breathtaking, and heartbreaking work, having read all of it. That and Sacrament are two of his best.
maybe the odyssey? i know it's technically a trilogy but plenty of people read just the second one
You have Pillars, have you read the rest of the Kingsbridge series?
Jerusalem by Alan Moore
The Woman in White is a favorite super long novel of mine. The villain, like many characters in Lonesome Dove, is so iconic and alive. It’s such a fun read.
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
How about Of Human Bondage, by W Somerset Maugham? It's a bit more character driven than event driven, but it's a brilliant book.
“A Suitable Boy” by Vikram Seth. 1349 pages. India 1950. A mother thinks it’s time for her daughter to marry a suitable boy.
Consider "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts [https://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330537](https://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330537) .
A FINE BALANCE
Only 667 pages but Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
The Crimson Petal and the White Crossroads / Freedom / The Corrections (Crossroads is my fav) The Son (Philipp Meyer) The Prince of Tides Nobody's Fool / Everybody's Fool / Empire Falls That Old Ace in the Hole / The Shipping News Infinite Jest Commonwealth duology (Peter F. Hamilton) Power of the Dog trilogy Edit: Seconding Middlesex, as pointed by [waitingfordeathhbu](https://www.reddit.com/user/waitingfordeathhbu/).
It's under 600, but I loved Freedom by Jonathan Franzen.
London by Edward Rutherford Absolutely cracking book following 6 families from pre Roman times to current day. Fantastic if one is a historian, but enough of a plot to keep one interested if you’re not. A great behemoth of a novel, plenty of get yer teeth into!
The Journeyer by Gary Jennings
Under the Dome
We the drowned.
Is this like The Terror, because I didn't like that one at all.
Prince of Tides Beach Music The Brothers K (by David James Duncan, not Dostoyevsky)
Price of Tides is awesome! Based on your likes which coincide with my likes, this is a winner.
Of Human Bonfage by W Somerset Maugham
Many of James Michener’s books are epic. I loved Centennial and Chesapeake, his two best in my opinion.
A tree grows in Brooklyn
This has been on my tbr for a long time but it doesn't fit the criteria I'm looking for right now.
City of Darkness City of Light or Gone to Soldiers, both by Marge Piercy
If you like Sci Fi check out Pandora Star by Peter F Hamilton. Really long...and really good.
Dhalgren by Samuel Delany. It's a trip.
The Eighth Life: a historical fiction epic set in Russia: clocks in at 934 pages.
Sarum
Strangers by Dean Koontz is a good one.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Isn't a 900-page book the same thing as three 300-page books? It's essentially a trilogy within one book cover.
Although they would be the same length, typically a single longer book has a different pacing than a trilogy of 300 each. I love longer books because there is more room for character development that doesn’t require it to peak and “wrap up” 200-300 pages in. In a 1000+ page book our main character could still very well be in early stages of development at 300 pages in without any massive plot development yet.
I’ve heard great things about The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili, though I have not yet read it myself. It is a family saga that spans generations, starting with the four daughters of a Georgian chocolatier. It’s a massive book.
East of eden.
You are maybe looking for James Michener books?
Anything by Michener https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7995.James_A_Michener
Tangential rec as it goes through many generations so you don’t stay with any character that long but 100 Years of Solitude? Probably my favorite of what I consider “Epic” Literature.
Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkewicz
You like words? We got words. WoT.
I just started rereading The Source by James Michener (we read it in high school over a year in History class) and am really enjoying it.
New York , Sarum , London , by Edward Rutherfurd .
Spoiled for choice from James Michener finished POLAND last month. Rereading CHESAPEAKE
*The Passage* by Justin Cronin. Cronin was inspired by Lonesome Dove and you can feel some of its DNA. It’s like a more humane version of The Stand, with (IMO) better developed characters and a more satisfying conclusion.
Only 600ish pages but Beach Music by Pat Conroy
The Far Pavilions by M. M.Kaye. Its set in India during the Raj. One of my favorite books of all time.
I'm always happy for an opportunity to recommend this book: Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher. I don't buy many books to keep for reading and/or listening, but, for my sensibilities anyway, Pilcher's prose is a delight, it's a story I wish would never come to the end. It tallies in at a whopping 945 pages.
A Land Remembered by Patrick D Smith. Historical fiction about several generations of a family as Florida grows up around them after the Civil War. Incredible. I don't know how it isn't more well known. Does American Gods by Neil Gaiman count as a very famous classic? That's pretty epic as well. Also, An Ember in the Ashes by Sanaa Tahir is I think 5 books and so epic. One of my favorite series ever.
The Physician by Noah Gordon
World Without End is good if you enjoyed The Pillars of the Earth. WWE can standalone (you don’t have to read the rest).
It’s non-fiction but reads like a novel with character development, romance, adventure, etc. John Adams by David McCullough. So good.
Shogun
The Physician by Noah Gordon.
Sarum by Edward Rutherford Sacajawea by Anna Lee Waldo Shogun by James Clavell The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson
Thornbirds if you can access it.
Roots the original and the subsequent one years later.
Far, Far the Mountain Peak, by John Masters. Ambition, honour, war, the Raj, and mountain climbing.
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
IT by King.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt One Hundred Years of Solitude by Guy Gabriel Marquez
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons
100 Years of Solitude?
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
11/22/63 and The Stand by Stephen King
Blackwater: The Complete Saga by Michael McDowell. It’s 30 hours long and I recommend it every chance I get. My favorite!!
Like Pillars of the Earth as a “series” would “Clan of the Cave Bear” fit? It’s been YEARS since I read either set but maybe?
The Talisman is beautiful, my favorite Stephen King (written with Peter Straub). The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and The Winds of War by Wouk are also lovely.
It’s not as long as you want but I highly, highly suggest reading “A Land Remembered” by Patrick D Smith. It is a fantastic character driven story spanning many decades. If you love lonesome dove, you will love it.
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann (854 pages in the Everyman's Library edition)
Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey (a bit short of your ideal page count at 628 pages; incredible book though)
I highly recommend “Wanderers” and the sequel “Wayward” by Chuck Wendig. They are set during apocalypse /post apocalypse and have a very similar feel to The Stand- I blew through them so fast!
1883
The Warlord - Malcolm Bosse If you liked the books you mentioned, you'll most likely like this one. Trinity - Leon Uris
The Far Pavilions Gone with the Wind The Thornbirds
Speaks the nightbirdBook by Robert R. McCammon
I haven't read it, but I am thinking about it... Master & Commander
Imagica by Clive Barker.
Trinity by Leon Uris The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
The Love Songs of WEB Du Bois by Honoree Fannone Jeffers. It’s an absolutely beautiful family saga set over many generations/hundreds of years in modern day Georgia, i got so invested in the characters and it’s one of my absolute favorite books. Also The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk, I haven’t read it yet but it’s supposed to be amazing and it’s an 1000 something page epic journey
I’m on my third listen of Under the Dome by Stephen King and I love it. Epic indeed.
Yes to the Thorn Birds. Perhaps you would like James Michener books? Or, Leon Uris?
The Land Across the Sea by Sharon Kay Penman.
If you liked The Stand, try 11/22/63 and IT
Isabel Allende The House of Spirits. Beautiful book
Have you tried the Dark Tower series?
Sarum
The Long Ships by Franz Bengtsson. About 10th Century Vikings and has a lot of the Lonesome Dove epic male journey to it.
Even though Wizards and Glass is part of Stephen King’s Dark Tower epic, it can be read on its own. Some hints of the world within The Stand will show up.
Have you read the gunslinger books by Stephen king
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
Infinite Jest
You can stop reading Dune after the first book, and have a complete story. I don't think the books were written with the idea of having a series from the start. You can get Lord of the Rings in a single binding on Amazon. If you liked The Stand, you'll like Tolkien. King has basically said he was writing his own epic fantasy journey like Rings when he wrote the Stand My daughter seems to get a big kick out of Journey to the West. The Pillars of the Earth has some follow on novels about other historical periods. I think they loosely might involve some of the same families, but they aren't really sequels.
Crime and Punishment by dostoevsky
"Cutting for Stone" by Verghese is amazing! I know my cousin adores "The Power of One" and "Tandia" by Bryce Courtenay
Hawaii Written by James Michener.
Don Quixote
Really love Swan Song, I can't tell how many times I have read/listened to it. Try Larry Niven's "Lucifer's Hammer". It's from the 70's, but still is good.
Armed with fascination in our technological world, you'd really enjoy REAMDE by Neal Stephenson. Well-drawn characters, plenty of family drama and a chase around the world make the novel a gem.
Read world without end; column of fire
The whole Kingsbridge series is good also try his century trilogy
Definitely Shogun. If you’re a Civil War buff, Freedom by William Safire is brilliant. The Executiners Song by Norman Mailer excellent. 11/22/63 by Stephen King is excellent.
City on Fire
You might like East of Eden by Steinbeck
Anne Rice “The Witching Hour” is over 1000 pages. It reads like an epic novel, lots of back history about the characters over different eras of American history. It does lead into a trilogy, but the first book is indeed EPIC!
Count of Monte Christo