More like Fallen Empires

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World of Ice and FireUniverse
universe19 books1980
Epic fantasy.
“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
Epic fantasy.
“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 The Kharkanas Trilogy, Malazan Book of the Fallen, Night of Knives, Path to Ascendancy, Witness Trilogy
The DeepNovel
John Crowleystandalone novel1975
Epic fantasy.
Black Wolves TrilogySeries
series1 book2015
Epic fantasy, tense in tone, about redemption.
“SOME CHOICES CAN NEVER BE UNDONE.He lost his honor long ago.”
from the catalogue
Start with Black Wolves →
The Acacia TrilogySeries
series3 books2007
Epic fantasy.
“David Anthony Durham's trilogy, continuing through The Other Lands and The Sacred Band, follows the siblings as each confronts a different piece of the empire's hidden machinery.”
from the catalogue
Start with Acacia: The War with the Mein →