The best epic science fiction fantasy novels for immersive worldbuilding

I was probably about 10, but I can still remember sneaking downstairs late at night to watch David Lynch’s 1984 version of Dune. It was dark and glorious and majestic—I was captivated. When I read the book later in life, I was first drawn in by the credibility ascribed to fictional texts created by Herbert, their themes and lessons setting the scene for what was to come. But Herbert’s methods of immersion were something I wasn’t prepared for—politics, religion, philosophy, and characters that held their dimensions with soliloquy as if they had stepped to one side of the stage. Baron Vladimir Harkonnen was the direct inspiration for Governor Ben-Hadad in my book, but more than that, the sheer scale and reach of Dune has never left me. Folding space, fleets of giant ships, thousands of fighters in a hostile environment…and, of course, the terrifying Shai-Hulud. Bless the maker.

I discovered the Pearl Saga (a trilogy) via Van Lustbader taking up the reins on Robert Ludlum’s Bourne novels. While I was reading these books, I was waiting to hear from Voyager (Harper Collins) regarding an epic fantasy novel I wrote, which featured in its climactic scenes a girl using crystals to trap a dragon in a cage-like device inside a mountain. There was a delay in the publication of the third book of the Pearl Saga, and when it came out, it featured a girl holding a ‘crystal’ before a dragon, and it was called The Cage of Nine Banestones. My heart sank, but it turned out that the delay was related to the death of Van Lustbader’s father.

The trilogy begun in ‘Ring’ is for some brooding and self-indulgent, but for me it was a triumph of worldbuilding and alien realia, with technology and sorcery vying for supremacy. These books explore the clash of culture and ‘othering’ as a practice of oppression. A warning, though: this is not an easy read, with scenes of sexual violence and a real sense of despair amongst the victims of the V’ornn occupation. If you can handle the darkness, though, this is an immersive Science Fantasy that will transport you to a fully visualised alien world.

A seeming tangent, I know, but bear with me…if you haven’t read King’s Dark Tower books, you are missing out on one of the most amazing works in modern literature. Just read the Foreword to The Gunslinger and you’ll get some idea of why I treasure the concept here—King left Roland of Gilead, in a world blending Tolkien and Clint Eastwood westerns, for many years before returning to the Dark Tower, but so much of his work continued to feature references to the Dark Tower universe. If you’ve seen the terrible movie that sacrilegiously condensed King’s magnum opus into a 90-minute disaster, please erase it from memory before immersing yourself into the most fantastic blend of horror and fantasy you’ll ever read. If, like me, you get your hands on the illustrated hardbacks that close the series, you’ll enjoy this even more.

This is my bible, the book I’ve read more times than any other. It’s three books in one—Wolf in Shadow, The Last Guardian, and Bloodstone. There’s clearly some direct inspiration here in relation to the mystical power source that keeps cropping up (no spoilers). Some things just get in your head and reintroduce themselves when you least expect it. Jon Shannow is my favourite literary creation, Gemmell my favourite author. Overall, heroic and epic fantasy has had the most influence on my writing style, but I’ve merged it with contemporary language and the vision of large-scale sci-fi. I learned a lot from reading Gemmell, and The Jerusalem Man’s post-apocalyptic setting sees the sharp-shooting anti-hero face darkly religious demagogues, mutated creatures, and insidious megalomaniacs. Shannow is a troubled soul trying to be good in a world of relentless evil, but Gemmell’s writing is sharper, less abstruse, and captivates you as the protagonist pushes back desperately against the nihilistic bent of his environment.

You want epic—you got epic! Belgarath becomes the disciple of the god, Aldur, and struggles to learn not only magic, but humility. Belgarath the Sorcerer is a late book in Eddings’ epic series, and if I recall correctly, it should be read after The Belgariad and The Mallorean (both of which are 5-book sequences). I’m pretty sure that reading about these hugely powerful gods and their disciples seeped into the developing inspiration for Kiranis, with its gods and prophets and grand schemes. There’s something deeply welcoming about this book, which is in 1st person as Belgarath tells his tale, especially following everything that happened in the preceding 10-book cycle. This is my favourite Eddings character, and he is more alive than those you might think were the central ones. From this book, I learned that true character development is an evolutionary process, and you just have to be patient – just keep writing, and eventually, you’ll meet them.