Epic

World Fantasy Award nominee 2013.

Edited by John Joseph Adams.

There is a sickness in the land. Prophets tell of the fall of empires, the rise of champions. Great beasts stir in vaults beneath the hills, beneath the waves. Armies mass. Gods walk. The world will be torn asunder.

Epic fantasy is storytelling at its biggest and best. From the creation myths and quest sagas of ancient times to the mega-popular fantasy novels of today, these are the stories that express our greatest hopes and fears, that create worlds so rich we long to return to them again and again, and that inspire us with their timeless values of courage and friendship in the face of ultimate evil — tales that transport us to the most ancient realms, and show us the most noble sacrifices, the most astonishing wonders.

Now acclaimed editor John Joseph Adams (Wastelands, The Living Dead) brings you the best tales set in the most popular settings of today’s leading authors of epic fantasy. Return again to lands you’ve loved, or visit magical new worlds. Victory against the coming darkness is never certain, but one thing’s for sure — your adventure will be epic.

Contents:

• Foreword by Brent Weeks
• “Homecoming” by Robin Hobb
• “The Word of Unbinding” by Ursula K. Le Guin
• “The Burning Man” by Tad Williams
• “As the Wheel Turns” by Aliette de Bodard
• “The Alchemist” by Paolo Bacigalupi
• “Sandmagic” by Orson Scott Card
• “The Road to Levinshir” by Patrick Rothfuss
• “Rysn” by Brandon Sanderson
• “While the Gods Laugh” by Michael Moorcock
• “Mother of All Russiya” by Melanie Rawn
• “Riding the Shore of the River of Death” by Kate Elliott
• “The Bound Man” by Mary Robinette Kowal
• “The Narcomancer” by N. K. Jemisin
• “Strife Lingers in Memory” by Carrie Vaughn
• “The Mad Apprentice” by Trudi Canavan
• “Otherling” by Juliet Marillier
• “The Mystery Knight” by George R. R. Martin