Updated:

August 2020 – Gap Cycle, Donaldson

July 2020 – Upcoming Sanderson

12 January 2020 – Neal Asher & 8th Expanse

Jun 2019 – Tad Williams & latest Esslemont

11 December 2018 – Anniversaries – Uwe Johnson

27 November 2018 – Martin’s Fire and Blood

05 February 2018 – Tchaikovsky + Peake + Expanse 7

29 November 2017 – Deadhouse Landing (definitive)

16 November 2017 – Oathbringer

29 October 2017 – Deadhouse Landing, Esslemont (approx)

21 October 2017 – The Expanse 6th

14 October 2017 – Janny Wurts Destiny’s Conflict & Sanderson

When this post was originally written I used it just to track an handful of authors, then I kept adding stuff along the years. There’s no real order to this list, it simply grew in a haphazard way. The selection of authors also simply follows my curiosity and nothing else. The numbers are approximate and should omit indexes, appendices and stuff not directly belonging to the text itself.

To have an idea of a standard pagecount you can use this model:

100k = 250 pages

200k = 500 pages

400k = 1000 pages

(it’s 400 words on a single page, on average. Which is both a good overall average of a default layout being generally used and an easy calculation too)

Lord of the Rings – J. R. R. Tolkien

The Fellowship of the Ring: 186k

The Two Towers: 154k

The Return of the King: 130k

Total: 470k

Wheel of Time – Robert Jordan

The Eye of the World: 301k

The Great Hunt: 261k

The Dragon Reborn: 244k

The Shadow Rising: 386k

The Fires of Heaven: 346k

Lord of Chaos: 395k

A Crown of Swords: 289k

The Path of Daggers: 223k

Winter’s Heart: 239k

Crossroads of Twilight: 265k

Knife of Dreams: 314k

Total: 3M 263k

New Spring: 121k

Brandon Sanderson takeover

The Gathering Storm: 296k

Towers of Midnight: 325k

A Memory of Light: 355k

Total global: 4M 360k

Stormlight Archives – Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings: 380k

Words of Radiance: 400k

(Edgedancer): 39k (bridging novella)

Oathbringer: 450k (Nov 2017)

Rhythm of War: 450k (tentative, Nov 2020)

A Song of Ice And Fire – George R. R. Martin

Fire and Blood: 250k (not counted in total)

A Game of Thrones: 295k

A Clash of Kings: 322k

A Storm of Swords: 419k

A Feast for Crows: 298k

A Dance with Dragons: 415k

Total: 1M 749k

Malazan Cycle – Steven Erikson & Ian C. Esslemont

Malazan Book of the Fallen – Steven Erikson

Gardens of the Moon: 204k

Deadhouse Gates: 267k

Memories of Ice: 355k

House of Chains: 302k

Midnight Tides: 267k

The Bonehunters: 358k

Reaper’s Gale: 382k

Toll the Hounds: 389k

Dust of Dreams: 370k

The Crippled God: 380k

Total: 3M 274k

Kharkanas Trilogy – Steven Erikson

Forge of Darkness: 293k

Fall of Light: 356k

A Walk in Shadow: ? (stalled & postponed)

Bauchelain & Korbal Broach novellas – Steven Erikson

Blood Follows: 21k

The Lees of Laughter’s End: 23k

The Healthy Dead: 23k

Crack’d Pot Trail: 50k

The Wurms of Blearmouth: 41k

The Fiends of Nightmaria: 27k~ (April 2016)

Total novellas: 185k

Total Erikson: 4M 108k

Ian C. Esslemont:

Night of Knives: 86k

Return of the Crimson Guard: 275k

Stonewielder: 234k

Orb Sceptre Throne: 218k

Blood and Bone: 227k

Assail: 207k

Sub-series total: 1M 247k

Prelude Trilogy

Dancer’s Lament: 145k (25 Feb 2016)

Deadhouse Landing: 130k (Nov 2017)

Kellanved’s Reach: 112k

Total Esslemont: 1M 634k

Total global: 5M 742k

The Second Apocalypse – R. Scott Bakker

Prince of Nothing Trilogy

The Darkness that Comes Before: 175k

The Warrior-Prophet: 205k

The Thousandfold Thought: 139k

Total: 519k

The Aspect-Emperor Trilogy(?)

The Judging Eye: 151k

The White-Luck Warrior: 202k

The Great Ordeal: 160k

The Unholy Consult: 150k (225k total, 5k summary, 12k short stories, 58k glossary)

Total: 663k

Total cycle: 1M 182k

Solar Cycle – Gene Wolfe

The Book of the New Sun

Shadow and Claw: 195k

Sword and Citadel: 195k

The Urth of the New Sun: 117k

Total: 507k

The Book of the Long Sun

Litany of the Long Sun: 203k

Epiphany of the Long Sun: 259k

Total: 462k

The Book of the Short Sun

On Blue’s Waters: 128k

In Green’s Jungles: 123k

Return to the Whorl: 148k

Total: 399k

Total cycle: 1M 368k

The Acts of Caine – Matthew Stover

Heroes Die: 209k

Blade of Tyshalle: 289k

Caine Black Knife: 128k

Caine’s Law: 142k

Total: 768k

The First Law – Joe Abercrombie

The Blade Itself: 191k

Before They Are Hanged: 196k

Last Argument of Kings: 231k

Total: 618k

Best Served Cold: 225k

The Heroes: 201k

Red Country: 172k (official)

A Land Fit for Heroes(?) – Richard Morgan

The Steel Remains: 141k

The Cold Commands: 165k

The Dark Defiles: 243k

Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne – Brian Staveley

The Emperor’s Blades: 179k

The Providence of Fire: 228k

The Last Mortal Bond: 290k (March 2016)

The Moontide – David Hair

Mage’s Blood: 233k

Scarlet Tides: 220k

Unholy War: 264k

Ascendant’s Rite: 270k

Total: 987k

(Sunsurge Quarter) Upcoming

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever – Stephen R. Donaldson

The First Chronicles

Lord Foul’s Bane: 163k

The Illearth War: 177k

The Power That Preserves: 166k

Total: 506k

The Second Chronicles

The Wounded Land: 184k

The One Tree: 182k

White Gold Wielder: 182k

Total: 548k

The Last Chronicles

The Runes of the Earth: 231k

Fatal Revenant: 277k

Against All Things Ending: 263k

The Last Dark: 237k

Total: 1008k

Total Cycle: 2M 62k

The Gap Cycle – Stephen R. Donaldson

The Gap into Conflict: The Real Story: 44k

The Gap into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge: 139k

The Gap into Power: A Dark and Hungry God Arises: 164k

The Gap into Madness: Chaos and Order: 233k

The Gap into Ruin: This Day all Gods Die: 235k

Total Gap: 815k

The Wars of Light and Shadow – Janny Wurts

Curse of the Mistwraith: 226k

Ships of Merior: 200k

Warhost of Vastmark: 152k

Fugitive Prince: 214k

Grand Conspiracy: 228k

Peril’s Gate: 292k

Traitor’s Knot: 212k

Stormed Fortress: 239k

Initiate’s Trial: 243k

Destiny’s Conflict: 189k

Song of the Mysteries: ? (forthcoming 202X)

Total: 2M 195k

Memory, Sorrow and Thorn – Tad Williams

The Dragonborne Chair: 286k

Stone of Farewell: 264k

To Green Angel Tower: 522k

Total: 1M 72k

The Last King of Osten Ard

The Witchwood Crown: 338k

Empire of Grass: 305k

The Navigator’s Children: (forthcoming 202x)

Osten Ard Total: 1M 715k

Otherland – Tad Williams

City of Golden Shadow: 297k

River of Blue Fire: 258k

Mountain of Black Glass: 275k

Sea of Silver Light: 359k

Total: 1M 189k

Greater Foundation – Isaac Asimov

(ideal reading order, not chronological)

The Complete Robot: 191k

Caves of Steel: 70k

The Naked Sun: 67k

The Robots of Dawn: 140k

Robots and Empire: 139k

The Currents of Space: 69k

The Stars, Like Dust: 69k

Pebble in the Sky: 70k

Foundation: 66k

Foundation and Empire: 72k

Second Foundation: 70k

Foundation’s Edge: 134k

Foundation and Earth: 142k

Prelude to Foundation: 129k

Forward the Foundation: 120k

Total: 1M 548k

Dune – Frank Herbert

Dune: 188k

Dune Messiah: 60k

Children of Dune: 148k

God Emperor of Dune: 138k

Heretics of Dune: 164k

Chapterhouse Dune: 141k

Total: 839k

The Night’s Dawn Trilogy – Peter F. Hamilton

The Reality Dysfunction: 385k

The Neutronium Alchemist: 393k

The Naked God: 469k (!)

Total: 1M 247k

Polity Universe – Neal Asher

(chronological order)

Prador Moon: 63k

—

Shadow of the Scorpion: 92k

—

Gridlinked: 132k

The Line of Polity: 173k

Brass Man: 150k

Polity Agent: 150k

Line War: 152k

—

The Technician: 145k

—

The Soldier: 136k

The Warship: 137k

The Human: (forthcoming)

—

Dark Intelligence: 143k

War Factory: 161k

Infinity Engine: 166k

—

The Skinner: 151k

The Voyage of the Sable Keech: 158k

Orbus: 136k

—

Hilldiggers: 145k

Total Polity cycle: 2M 390k

The Expanse – James S. A. Corey

Leviathan Wakes: 166k

Caliban’s War: 171k

Abaddon’s Gate: 165k

Cibola Burn: 171k

Nemesis Games: 161k

Babylon’s Ashes: 167k

Persepolis Rising: 169k

Tiamat’s Wrath: 164k

Total: 1M 334k

Baroque+Crypto – Neal Stephenson

Cryptonomicon: 415k

Quicksilver: 390k

The Confusion: 348k

The System of the World: 387k

Total: 1M 540k

The Dark Tower – Stephen King

The Gunslinger: 55k

The Drawing of the Three: 123k

The Waste Lands: 173k

Wizard and Glass: 256k

Wolves of the Calla: 241k

Song of Susannah: 129k

The Dark Tower: 279k

Total: 1M 256k

The Realm of the Elderlings – Robin Hobb

The Farseer Trilogy

Assassin’s Apprentice: 157k

Royal Assassin: 260k

Assassin’s Quest: 339k

Total: 756k

Liveship Traders Trilogy

Ship of Magic: 310k

The Mad Ship: 310k

Ship of Destiny: 305k

Total: 925k

The Tawny Man Trilogy

Fool’s Errand: 239k

The Golden Fool: 255k

Fool’s Fate: 325k

Total: 819k

The Rain Wild Chronicles

Dragon Keeper: 179k

Dragon Haven: 180k

City of Dragons: 137k

Blood of Dragons: 169k

Total: 665k

The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy

Fool’s Assassin: 257k

Fool’s Quest: 292k

Assassin’s Fate: 357k

Total: 906k

Total cycle: 4M 61k

Shadows of the Apt – Adrian Tchaikovsky

Empire in Black and Gold: 190k (+30k short stories)

Dragonfly Falling: 209k

Blood of the Mantis: 132k

Salute the Dark: 140k

The Scarab Path: 218k

The Sea Watch: 215k

Heirs of the Blade: 200k

The Air War: 210k

War Master’s Gate: 214k (+18k short story)

Seal of the Worm: 196k

Total cycle: 1M 924k

Lymond + Niccolò – Dorothy Dunnett

The Game of Kings: 205k

Queens’ Play: 195k

The Disorderly Knights: 230k

Pawn in Frankincense: 232k

The Ringed Castle: 235k

Checkmate: 273k

Total Lymond: 1M 370k

Niccolò Rising: 224k

Spring of the Ram: 220k

Race of Scorpions: 244k

Scales of Gold: 223k

The Unicorn Hunt: 269k

To Lie with Lions: 264k

Caprice and Rondo: 242k

Gemini: 307k

Total Niccolò: 1M 993k

Total Lymond + Niccolò: 3M 363k

Outlander – Diana Gabaldon

Outlander: 305k

Dragonfly in Amber: 339k

Voyager: 382k

Drums of Autumn: 401k

The Fiery Cross: 502k

A Breath of Snow and Ashes: 501k

An Echo in the Bone: 402k

Written in My Own Heart’s Blood: 395k

Total: 3M 227k

Gormenghast Trilogy Mervyn Peake

– 466k (of which the last volume is 90k)

Ash: A Secret History – Mary Gentle

– 500k (of which 7k are notes)

Imajica – Clive Barker

– 354k

Infinite Jest – David Foster Wallace

– 545k (484k without notes)

William Gaddis

– The Recognitions: 419k

– JR: 344k

Parallel Stories – Peter Nadas

– 550k

Against the Day – Thomas Pynchon

– 443k

Jerusalem – Alan Moore

– 615k

Anniversaries – Uwe Johnson

– 660k (recent unabridged English translation)

Bottom’s Dream – Arno Schmidt

– 1M 325k (source) (not sure how accurate)

Italian Epic

OGA MAGOGA, cunto di Rizieri, di Orì e del Minatòtaro – Giuseppe Occhiato: 600k~

Chinese Classics

Dream of the Red Chamber/The Story of the Stone: 850k~ (rather inaccurate)

Romance of the Three Kingdoms: 700k~ (rather inaccurate)

Indian Epic

The Mahabharata: 2M 539k (free english version)