More like Troubled Waters

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World of Ice and FireUniverse
universe19 books1980
Epic fantasy and fantasy, about war.
“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
DuneUniverse
universe78 books1963
Space opera, set in far future and other star systems.
“The desert planet, where empire runs on a single substance: the spice melange, which folds space, prolongs life, and unlocks prescience, and which exists nowhere else in the known universe.”
from the catalogue
Start with Dune →
includes Dune, Dune Prequels, Heroes of Dune, Dune Sequels, Background of the Dune Universe
The Circle of the WorldUniverse
universe29 books2006
Grimdark and fantasy.
“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
The GapSeries
series5 books1990
Space opera, set in space and far future.
“Here, Donaldson gave a loose retelling of Wagner's Ring cycle.”
from the catalogue
Start with The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story →
The City (Gemmell)Series
series2 books2013
Epic fantasy and grimdark, about rebellion and revolution and war.
“Built up over the millennia, layer upon layer, the City is ancient and vast.”
from the catalogue
Start with The City →
GrishaverseUniverse
universe19 books2012
Fantasy.
“Saints are canonized here the way soldiers are buried elsewhere — quietly, and too often.”
from the catalogue
Start with Six of Crows →
includes Six of Crows, The Nikolai Duology, The Grisha