Word Counts of Epic Fantasy Novels

[Overlord]

Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring: 187k
The Two Towers: 155k
The Return of the King: 131k
Total: 473k

Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
The Eye of the World: 305k
The Great Hunt: 267k
The Dragon Reborn: 251k
The Shadow Rising: 393k
The Fires of Heaven: 354k
Lord of Chaos: 389k
A Crown of Swords: 295k
The Path of Daggers: 226k
Winter's Heart: 238k
Crossroads of Twilight: 271k
Knife of Dreams: 315k
Total: 3M 304k (official count)

Stormlight Archives - Brandon Sanderson
The Way of Kings: 387k (official count)

A Song of Ice And Fire - George R. R. Martin
A Game of Thrones: 284k
A Clash of kings: 326k
A Storm of Swords: 404k
A Feast for Crows: 300k
Total: 1M 314k

Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson
Gardens of the Moon: 209k
Deadhouse Gates: 272k
Memories of Ice: 358k
House of Chains: 306k
Midnight Tides: 270k
The Bonehunters: 365k
Reaper's Gale: 386k
Toll the Hounds: 392k
Dust of Dreams: 382k
The Crippled God: 385k
Total: 3M 325k

The Dark Tower - Stephen King
The Gunslinger: 55k
The Drawing of the Three: 128k
The Waste Lands: 178k
Wizard and Glass: 264k
Wolves of the Calla: 251k
Song of Susannah: 131k
The Dark Tower: 288k
Total: 1M 295k

[pornokitsch]

That's fascinating!

[Overlord]

Demon Trilogy - Peter Brett
The Painted Man - 158,000.
The Demon Spear - 240,000.

King Killer Chronicles - Patrick Rothfuss
Name of the Wind - 259,000
Wise Man's Fear - 399,000.

Harry Potter Books
Philosopher’s Stone-77,325
Chamber of Secrets-84,799
Prisoner of Azkaban-106,821
Goblet of Fire-190,858
Order of the Phoenix257,154
Half Blood Prince-169,441
Deathly Hallows-198,227

Other Famous Books
Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe-36,363
The Hobbit-95,022
Moby Dick-206,052
Oliver Twist-155,960
Old Yeller-35,968
Anna Karenina-349,736
War and Peace-587,287
Jane Eyre-183,858
The Outsiders-48,523
Schindler’s List-134,710
The Red Badge of Courage-47,180
Gone with the Wind-418,053
The English Patient-82,370
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl-82,762
A Prayer for Owen Meany-236,061
Crime and Punishment-211,591
Treasure Island-66,950
Little Women (Books 1&2)-183,833
The Brothers Karamazov-364,153
Sense and Sensibility-119,394
Great Expectations-183,349
Watership Down-156,154
Ender’s Game-100,609
Moby Dick-206,052
A Separate Peace-56,787
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-30,644
Emma-155,887
The Wind in the Willows-58,428
The Hours-54,243
The Golden Compass-112,815
The Tenth Circle-114,779
My Sister’s Keeper-119,529
Crime & Punishment-211,591
A Tale of Two Cities-135,420
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea-138,138
White Teeth-169,389
Atonement-123,378
The Mouse and the Motorcycle-22,416
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn-109,571
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer-69,066
The Secret Garden – 80,398
The Grapes of Wrath-169,481
The Great Gatsby-47,094
One Hundred Years of Solitude-144,523
Memoirs of a Geisha-186,418
The Last of the Mohicans-145,469
Lord of the Flies-59,900
Cold Mountain-161,511
Cold Sassy Tree-145,265 F
The Color Purple-66,556
The Catcher in the Rye-73,404
The Joy Luck Club-91,419
Snow Falling on Cedars-138,098
1984-88,942
Black Beauty-59,635
Cold Mountain-161,511
Anne of Green Gables-97,364
Midnight’s Children-208,773
Brave New World-63,766
Gullivers Travels-107,349
A House for Mr. Biswas-198,901
All the Pretty Horses-99,277
A Suitable Boy-591,554(estimate)
The Yearling-128,886
White Fang-72,071
Wuthering Heights-107,945

[Moonshine]

May i ask where you got these from? They're great!

[Autumn2May]

Very cool! I guess it is a good thing I broke my story into two books, or it would be a 200K + novel.  And I guess that's pretty long.

[Zziz]

Awesome! I also happen to know that Brandon Sanderson's Elantris is 202k, though he told me recently that when he submitted it to publishers for the first time it was 250k.

[Overlord]

May i ask where you got these from? They're great!

Mainly from Authors Blogs / Amazon / Fantasy Review Blogs

[ChrisMB]

I am both the impressed, and slightly intimidated now.

[missoularedhead]

I know Tad William's series is long too…

[pornokitsch]

Kind of interested in the alternative - what great fantasy novels aren't super-long?

Historically, we know that Lovecraft, Howard, Smith, etc... all wrote their fantasies as short stories. And even in the modern era... Amber, Earthsea, Viriconium, Dying Earth... all short. Hell, I suspect that even Eddings had a lower word count in a 5 volume series than some of the modern guys do in 2 or 3.

Strange. Curious about the market forces behind looooong books (I kind of blame King & Tom Clancy for proving they're commercially viable).

[the_hound]

Interesting that the Harry Potter book where the least happens is also the longest!

[missoularedhead]

I think some of this 'growth' is a matter of economics and perceived value. I know I have a tough time paying the same for one book at 300 pages when I can get a similar price on a book that's twice or three times as long.  That's not to say shorter books aren't worth it, but dang.

[Overlord]

I think some of this 'growth' is a matter of economics and perceived value. I know I have a tough time paying the same for one book at 300 pages when I can get a similar price on a book that's twice or three times as long.  That's not to say shorter books aren't worth it, but dang.

True. I think soon though with Ebooks and Ereaders coming into play we will see less of a 'need' for books to look huge. If you look at the top sellers on the kindle the word counts don't tend to be as high as the word counts of actual books. Like you said, when you go into a shop you are more likely to buy say 'Name of the Wind' at £7.99 than 'Gunslinger' at £7.99 because it is 3/4 times as long... Online if you like Stephen King more than Patrick Rothfuss you would probably go for King because the size of the book is not viable... I dunno, just a thought...

I do think though 'long books' have become a kind of aspect of the fantasy genre that we look for... a long book seems to call out to us... maybe it's something of a challenge too? I don't know... hmm.

[Moonshine]

'Other Famous Books' in alphabetical order by Author:

Richard Adams - Watership Down - 156,154
Louisa May Alcott - Little Women (Books 1&2) - 183,833
Jane Austen - Emma - 155,887
Jane Austen - Sense and Sensibility - 119,394
Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre - 183,858
Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights - 107,945
Francis Hodgson Burnett - The Secret Garden – 80,398
Olive Ann Burns - Cold Sassy Tree - 145,265
Albert Camus - The Outsider - 48,523
Orson Scott Card - Ender’s Game - 100,609
Beverly Cleary - The Mouse and the Motorcycle - 22,416
John Fenimoor Cooper - The Last of the Mohicans - 145,469
Stephen Crane - The Red Badge of Courage - 47,180
Michael Cunningham - The Hours - 54,243
Roald Dahl - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - 30,644
Charles Dickens - Great Expectations - 183,349
Charles Dickens - Oliver Twist - 155,960
Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities - 135,420
Fyodor Dostoevsky - The Brothers Karamazov - 364,153
Fyodor Dostoevsky - Crime and Punishment - 211,591
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby - 47,094
Anne Frank - The Diary of a Young Girl - 82,762
Charles Frazier - Cold Mountain - 161,511
Steven Gipson - Old Yeller - 35,968
Arthur Golden - Memoirs of a Geisha - 186,418
William Golding - Lord of the Flies - 59,900
Kenneth Grahame - The Wind in the Willows - 58,428
David Guterson - Snow Falling on Cedars - 138,098
Aldous Huxley - Brave New World - 63,766
John Irving - A Prayer for Owen Meany - 236,061
Thomas Keneally - Schindler’s Ark - 134,710
C.S Lewis - Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - 36,363
Jack London - White Fang - 72,071
Cormac MacCarthy - All the Pretty Horses - 99,277
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - One Hundred Years of Solitude - 144,523
Ian McEwan - Atonement - 123,378
Herman Melville - Moby Dick - 206,052
Margaret Mitchell - Gone with the Wind - 418,053
L.M. Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables - 97,364
VS Naipuaul - A House for Mr. Biswas - 198,901
Michael Ondaatje - The English Patient - 82,370
George Orwell - 1984 - 88,942
Jodi Picoult - My Sister’s Keeper - 119,529
Jodi Picoult - The Tenth Circle - 114,779
Philip Pullman - The Northern Lights (The Golden Compass)-  112,815
Kinnan Rawlings - The Yearling - 128,886
Salmna Rushdie - Midnight’s Children - 208,773
J.D. Salinger - The Catcher in the Rye - 73,404
Vikram Seth - A Suitable Boy - 591,554(estimate)
Anna Sewell - Black Beauty - 59,635
Zadie Smith - White Teeth - 169,389
John Steinbeck - The Grapes of Wrath - 169,481
Robert Louis Stevenson - Treasure Island - 66,950
Jonathan Swift - Gullivers Travels - 107,349
Amy Tan - The Joy Luck Club - 91,419
J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit - 95,022
Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina - 349,736
Leo Tolstoy - War and Peace - 587,287
Mark Twain - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - 109,571
Mark Twain - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - 69,066
Jules Verne - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - 138,138
Alice Walker - The Colour Purple - 66,556

[quippley]

there's definitely a trend for modern fantasy (or novels in general) to be incredibly long. but i'm of the opinion that these longer books don't have better stories or more intricate plots, than older books.  they usually just pad the story with unnecessary description, dialogue and sometimes plot.