A few mind-boggling numbers from fantasy series and a contest giveaway

Fantasies, not all, but a lot, are designed to be big, sweeping adventures. The bigger and, er, sweepier, the better. But just how big have some of these epics grown? The answer – really, really, really big. Gabe Habash over at Publishers Weekly took a stroll through Robert Jordan’s never-ever ending The Wheel of Time and found out it currently clocks in at 11,308 total pages which equates to 4,012,859 total words! (I wonder how many of those words are “the”?) As Gabe also notes for comparison, GRRM’s A Song of Ice and Fire series (you might have heard of it, but maybe not, I don’t think it has vampires or zombies 🙂 is a mere 4,304 pages. A piffle. You can read the whole article here: http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxyz/?p=6069&utm_source=Publishers+Weekly%27s+PW+Daily&utm_campaign=f6a3175e8f-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email

My contribution to the genre of big sweepiness thus far, even when you include Ashes of a Black Frost not yet out, will probably be around 350,000 words all in, including the fine print on the back cover that lets you know a book about Iron Elves is, in fact, fiction.

If you want to see some folks who have done way more damage to trees than Konowa and the boys, check out this list compiled by Victor Stanciu at walkintomordor.com:

http://walkintomordor.com/the-longest-fantasy-series-and-why-we-read-them

So, the contest. Out of that massive list of huge fantasies (the sweeping is implied at this point) I’ve read exactly three of the series in their totality. If you can guess the three series I’ve read completely you will receive the complete Iron Elves series, in hardcover, signed by yours truly. In fact, I’ll pick three winners (randomly chosen) if more than one gets it right. Ashes isn’t out until October, but I’ll end the contest August 15 and announce the winners then (and you’ll get your signed copy of Ashes when it publishes). And to be sporting about it, you can submit three guesses. I’ll even give you a hint. It’s not Conan, Wheel of Time, A Song of Ice and Fire, or surprisingly, Discworld.

UPDATE! It was pointed out to me this is insanely hard, and um, yeah, you’re right. So, even if you guess and are wrong, you are still automatically entered to win a complete set of signed copies. If anyone does actually guess right I’ll come up with an even bigger prize.

So which three series could it be…

  1. blodeuedd83

    Perhaps too much to hope it is open worldwide but I still wanna guess 😀

    Ok…
    The Riftwar Cycle
    Belgariad/Mallorean
    LOTR

    Too hard! Lol, this is impossible to guess

    Reply
    • admin

      You’re right, I’ll have to change this a bit. OK, anyone who tries to guess is automatically entered to win one of the complete signed sets.

      Reply
      • blodeuedd83

        Ok so I can guess Lotr and HP is right and the third…

        The Death Gate Cycle 😉
        I really should give up after this 2nd try or I will keep on guessing until I have said everything on that list, lol

        Reply
      • blodeuedd83

        Ok so I can guess Lotr and HP is right and the third…

        The Death Gate Cycle 😉
        I really should give up after this 2nd try or I will keep on guessing until I have said everything on that list, lol

        Reply
      • blodeuedd83

        Ok so I can guess Lotr and HP is right and the third…

        The Death Gate Cycle 😉
        I really should give up after this 2nd try or I will keep on guessing until I have said everything on that list, lol

        Reply
      • blodeuedd83

        Ok so I can guess Lotr and HP is right and the third…

        The Death Gate Cycle 😉
        I really should give up after this 2nd try or I will keep on guessing until I have said everything on that list, lol

        Reply
      • blodeuedd83

        Ok so I can guess Lotr and HP is right and the third…

        The Death Gate Cycle 😉
        I really should give up after this 2nd try or I will keep on guessing until I have said everything on that list, lol

        Reply
  2. lanyn

    Wow, there’re a lot of series listed there! Okay, my three guesses:

    Lord of the Rings
    Earthsea Cycle
    Chronicles of Amber

    Reply
      • lanyn

        Hee… LOTR was the only one I was sure of.

        Hm… okay, try two: for the other two, how about:

        The Dark Tower
        Harry Potter

        The last a guess only because it has been surprising me lately as to how many people have actually read that whole series.

        Reply
        • admin

          I won’t confirm anymore until the 15th 🙂 Speaking of Dark Tower, though, they’ve been trying to make a movie, or a series of movies of that for a long time. Javier Bardem was tapped to play the lead at one point.

          Reply
  3. admin

    Re: do I win yet?

    You would think Discworld because I am an avowed Pratchett fan, but I have not read all 38. Probably 30 or so, but there’s a few I’ve yet to get to. Nonetheless, you are now entered 🙂

    Reply
  4. deve

    LOTR
    Chronicles of the Black Company
    Wars of Light and Shafow?

    At least my username gives away what I read!

    Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
    • admin

      Re: Guessing

      Two out of three 🙂 The Black Company is another I should check out. I’ve heard lots of good things about it, but haven’t read it yet.

      Reply
  5. deve

    Third time lucky?

    Okay, you said we can have three guesses and my “last guess” was actually only number two….so just in the nick of time…..

    Legends of the Raven
    LOTR
    Harry Potter.

    Phew. At least I have at worst a 1 in 5 chance I guess of being randomly chosen (limiting it to one entry per person…..!

    Reply

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