Big, Chunky Fantasy or Scifi Stand Alones Wanted

[MorganM]

I'm looking for big chunkster fantasy or scifi stand alone recommendations.

[Pajamaman]

Dan Simmons. Just finished The Terror. Its a big book but I kept me gripped.

[Dazrin]

It might help if you could provide some of your preferences, but here are some good stand-alone or very short (and complete) series that I have enjoyed:

The Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
11/22/63 by Stephen King (contemporary but definitely a sci-fi or fantasy concept)
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

A couple two-book series that are really just one long story each:
Hyperion, Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Pandora's Star, Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton

[ZodWallop]

There's Stephen King's The Stand. The revised edition clocks in at 1,300 pages. The beginning of the book, the (apropos of the time) outbreak of a killer flu that wipes out most of humanity is pretty horrific. But King's goal was to write a modern day Lord of the Rings-style fantasy in contemporary USA and I think he did a good job of it.

A stand-alone fantasy I read decades ago is Villains By Necessity by Eve Forward. It's set after the end of a typical fantasy story where the heroes have won. An assassin, a thief, a sorceress, a dark knight and a druid set out to bring evil back into the world. It's tongue in cheek and not a masterpiece, but I enjoyed it.

For sci-fi, I liked Stephen Baxter and Arthur C. Clarke's The Light of Other Days. A novel where they introduce a new invention (a wormhole camera that lets you see anywhere on Earth and eventually into the past) and explores all the rippling changes that has on society.

I also enjoyed Poul Anderson's Brain Wave. Earth passes out of a magnetic field that suppressed intelligence for eons. It's short, but there is a lot to think about as you read.

[Greg Anos]

For the classics:

Stand On Zazibar - John Brunner
The Mote In God's Eye - Niven and Pournell
Stranger In A Strange Land - Heinlein
Dune - Frank Herbert

Look here for huge sort story collections:
Robert E. Howard
H.P. Lovecraft

Complete block series:

Narnia - C.S. Lewis
The Lensman Series (7 books, but ignore the first one (Triplantary))

[hildea]

Completed triology:

Mira Grant: Newsflesh (zombie pandemic and US presidental campaign)

Shaun and Georgia are orphans of the Rising, the cataclysmic event which left the world reeling in the aftermath of the zombie uprising. Adopted by the Masons and raised in the strange world of the post-Rising media, they’ve spent their lives chasing the next big story, the one that will allow them to break into the big leagues once and for all. Now, in Senator Peter Ryman’s run for the Presidency of the United States, they’ve finally found it.

All they have to do is survive until the election.

In a world filled with the constant threat of both the living and the living dead, it will be all that Shaun and Georgia can do to keep themselves in one piece. Accompanied by the rest of their blogging team, Senator Ryman’s staff, and a whole lot of caffeine, they might succeed…or they might finally answer the big question of their post-Rising world: When will you rise?

Feed is a dystopian political zombie thriller set in against the backdrop of a national political campaign.

[JSWolf]

A really good book is [B]Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand[/B].

On a May afternoon in 1943, an American military plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary sagas of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. As a boy, he had been a clever delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and stealing. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a supreme talent that carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when war came, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a sinking raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would respond to desperation with ingenuity, suffering with hope and humor, brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would hang on the fraying wire of his will.

Featuring more than one hundred photographs plus an exclusive interview with Zamperini, this breathtaking odyssey—also captured on film by director Angelina Jolie—is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the ability to endure against the unlikeliest of odds.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Pandora's Star, Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton

STRONGLY second this - a great advertisement for the portability and convenience of ebooks. The story was engaging and enjoyable, but the only reason I could see for it being two books was the bulk of the physical books

[ekbell]

From my library
Classic (very long fantasy) book Lord of the Rings.

The Classic (long) Horror Novel Dracula

Less Classic but very good fantasy The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

STRONGLY second this - a great advertisement for the portability and convenience of ebooks. The story was engaging and enjoyable, but the only reason I could see for it being two books was the bulk of the physical books

I will third this one.

[mewmartigan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I will third this one.

I will 4th this one (Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained) and I will also add Peter F. Hamilton's The Night's Dawn trilogy. 3 books, about 1,000 pages each.

Anathem by Neal Stephenson. Great story, stand alone, about 1,000 pages.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by mewmartigan

I will 4th this one (Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained) and I will also add Peter F. Hamilton's The Night's Dawn trilogy. 3 books, about 1,000 pages each.

Anathem by Neal Stephenson. Great story, stand alone, about 1,000 pages.

Another really good long book (standalone) is Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton. It's about 346,310 words.

[mewmartigan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Another really good long book (standalone) is Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton. It's about 346,310 words.

I agree on Great North Road...just didn't want a Hamilton overload, haha.

[Larla]

Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard

well over a 1000 pages.

I know most hate this book but I like it myself and have read it at least 3 times.

The movie, starring Travolta, has been considered by many as the worst movie ever made.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Larla

Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard

well over a 1000 pages.

I know most hate this book but I like it myself and have read it at least 3 times.

I am another who found it deplorable. It's an awful book. Don't read it. You'll hate it and you'll hate the fact that you could have read some good books instead.