More like A Time for Grief

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EarthseaUniverse
universe19 books1964
About wizards.
“There is a lesson every wizard of Earthsea learns young: to know a thing's true name is to hold its whole being, and to speak it is to move the balance of the world.”
from the catalogue
Start with A Wizard of Earthsea →
includes Earthsea Cycle
Zimiamvian TrilogySeries
series4 books1922
completed
About court intrigue.
“Dissolution of the realm seems certain as alliances are formed and begin to intrigue against each other.”
from the catalogue
Start with Mistress of Mistresses →
Tolkien's legendariumUniverse
universe163 books1923
Fantasy, set in secondary world.
“Before the seas were bent and the mountains raised, there was Music — and from that Music came Arda, and in the west of Middle-earth the long defeat and stubborn hope of those who dwell there.”
from the catalogue
Start with The Fellowship of the Ring →
includes The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The History of Middle Earth, The Fall of Gondolin, The History of the Lord of the Rings
World of Ice and FireUniverse
universe19 books1980
Dark in tone.
“Winter is coming, and the men who forget it die first.”
from the catalogue
Start with A Game of Thrones →
includes A Song of Ice and Fire, Targaryen History
The Circle of the WorldUniverse
universe29 books2006
Grimdark.
“What sets it apart is the honesty of its cynicism — close, sardonic points of view, gallows humour, and a flat refusal to let anyone stay clean.”
from the catalogue
Start with The Blade Itself →
includes The First Law Trilogy, The Age of Madness
MalazanUniverse
universe36 books1999
Dark in tone.
“Pity the historian who tries to map this world; pity more the god who thinks he rules it.”
from the catalogue
Start with Gardens of the Moon →
includes Malazan Book of the Fallen, The Kharkanas Trilogy, Night of Knives, Path to Ascendancy, Witness Trilogy