Remember when you finally finished the fourth Harry Potter book? You thought to yourself, “Wow, look at me finishing this behemoth! Bring it on, authors!” Remember that sense of accomplishment?

Well, if you want to recapture that feeling, look no further! Our topic today is MASSIVE books that are worth the effort it takes just to physically hold them.

So, what qualifies a book as “lengthy”, you ask? Well, my limited understanding of the publishing industry tells me that around 100,000 words is the standard for a novel. I don’t know about you, but most of the books I read are longer than 100,000 words. So let’s up the ante: I will only include books on this list that are more than 250,000 words, sound good? Proper doorstops.

Side note: I use e-book vendor Rakuten kobo whenever I’m looking up word counts (it fascinates me… I do it quite often, actually). Not sure how they count, but I’m willing to go with it.

This, then, is our inclusion criteria:
1. The book is 250,000 words or greater
2. I’ve read it, and I like it so much that I’ve read it again OR I plan on doing so
3. I will not include bound sets or short story anthologies. One hit wonders only (with one minor cheat)
4. I will TRY to vary the genres (okay, fine, half of these are fantasy, but they’re DIFFERENT types)

Let’s do it!

Six Enormous Books I Recommend

1. “My Precious”

I know what you’re thinking: I broke my rules already! But, since Tolkien viewed his writing as a singular work (not as three, which is how they were first published), and he wrote them all in one sitting, I think it is absolutely appropriate here.

In addition, I don’t think anyone should ever read just one part. I can’t think of another series or trilogy wherein that is the case. You can read the first Harry Potter book and stop. You can watch Star Wars and leave it there. But you can’t just read The Fellowship of the Ring.

If you haven’t read it, do yourself a favor and get on it. Tolkien was a genius, and The Lord of the Rings is one of the finest pieces of literature in existence. I could gush for this whole post, but I’ll spare you. Dust it off and crack it open.

2. Do You Hear the People Sing?

Not only is this one of the longest books I’ve read (my signet edition clocks in at 1463 pages), but it is also one of my top five reads of all time. I’ve read it cover to cover three times, and every single time I appreciate something new.

When I first read it in high school (for fun, obviously), I was enamored with Marius, Enjolras, and the students as they dreamt about and later fought for a brighter future. On later reads, I found myself really empathizing with Fantine who wasn’t ready for the real world and couldn’t escape the consequences. Yes, this is a gross underrepresentation of the plot, but I am making a point!

I love books like that. I also love the setting in a post-revolution France that was still trying to find its way. The historical detail is beyond rich, and I think some people don’t care for it, but I think it’s worth toughing it out. One of the greatest stories ever told.

3. “You Win, or You Die”

Despite my mixed feelings about the later entries in the series, not to mention the television show, I still whole-heartedly recommend the first rather substantial tome in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire.

Cue dramatically oversimplified plot summary:

In the first book, Lord Eddard Stark hears whispers of an ancient horror just as his old friend the King arrives with a request and a new position. The book follows a large cast of characters as the events unfold. I think this might have been the first book I read with different, labelled POVs alternating chapter to chapter? I could be wrong, but it seems so commonplace now.

It is very different from Tolkien, but I also think it’s a must-read for any fantasy fan. Martin is wordy, but he brings a gritty realism and truly epic scope to his world. Do I wish he spent more time with an editor? Sometimes, especially in the later books. But I can appreciate his work. He’s created a full-blown saga, and I have no idea how he will end it. I hope I get to find out!

In case you’re wondering, I’m Team Stannis all the way. The show did him dirty, and I’m still not over it.

4. History, Mystery, & Rebellion

This monstrosity was a stress-induced airport purchase in Glasgow. And boy, do I know how to pick ’em.

This is actually the seventh, and longest, entry in the Shardlake Series, but it’s the sort of series that you don’t really miss much by reading them out of order. I did go back and read some of the earlier (and shorter) entries, but I think my favorites are the gargantuan sixth and seventh volumes.

The story takes place in Tudor England after the death of Henry VIII. Lawyer Matthew Shardlake is sent to Norfolk to investigate the murder of a distant cousin of Henry’s daughter, Elizabeth (yes, that Elizabeth). Before long, Shardlake and his assistant are caught up in a popular rebellion.

The book definitely has the wise-mentor-plus-brash-young-mentee trope that I love. The mystery is engaging, and the historical backdrop (which really does take center stage as the novel progresses) is stunning. If you like historical mysteries and you want to try a big one, check it out!

5. “Two Magicians Shall Appear in England”

See? A whole other class of fantasy. This is another one that I get something different out of each time I read it. The first time, I was all about Jonathan Strange, and I didn’t have time for stuffy, bookish Mr. Norrell. Now, of course, I have a lot more symphathy for stuffy, socially-awkward Mr. Norrell and his books.

I got this as a gift presumably because it was marketed as “Harry Potter for adults.” Nope. Not even close. The only thing the two books have in common is that the titular characters are English. This is a VERY different book, and that’s a good thing!

This was the first fantasy I’d ever read in a setting that wasn’t medieval (I’ve since rectified this), and it blew me away. The book takes place during the Napoleonic Wars in an alternate England where magic has pretty much died out, until magicians Mr. Norrell and his apprentice Jonathan Strange appear on the scene.

The book is chalk full of interesting characters (some of whom are actual historical people), but the relationship between the two titular ones is by far the biggest draw (and something I think was captured rather well by the BBC adaptation). The magic is fascinating both as a scholarly subject and a practice skill. The tone is phenomenal, vacillating between whimsical and almost comically dry. The book is long and it is challenging, as it reads very scholarly at times with long (I mean LONG) footnotes. But it is definitely worth it.

6. “History Does Not Have to be Made by Nice People”

This is already one of my top reads for 2022. You all know I love Dan Jones, and this is no exception. It’s definitely his longest work thus far at around 600 pages of awesome. And really, when you think about it, how could any book spanning the entire Middle Ages be short? That’s a thousand years of history!

I really appreciate the way Jones presents a more global view here. Don’t get me wrong, this book is about Medieval Europe, but the author understands that western Europe didn’t exist in a vacuum. There is a lot of time and space devoted to the other great powers that shaped the western world, including Byzantium (and later the Turks), the Islamic Empire, and the Mongols.

Jones takes us from the dwindling of the Roman Empire all the way to the Protestant Reformation, and it’s quite the ride. As always, the history is engaging and well-written (and narrated by the author).

Honorable Mentions

• The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote
  Sometimes you just have to appreciate research. Each of these three volumes boasts around 500,000 words. For serious civil war buffs, but not something I think I’ll tackle again.
• The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  Definitely worth reading ALL of them, but not included here because it is really a collection of short stories.
• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
  A little too short for this list, but it makes up for length with challenge. Probably one of the best examples of rich history as the backdrop for a bookish mystery.
• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
  I really need to re-read this all in one sitting. I read this some in Spanish and some in English, and I remember it was very good and definitely worth the read, but I think I need to give it another go before I can review it fully.
• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
  Another sweeping epic, and one that everyone should read once, but I have yet to feel the need to pick it up again. Someday, probably.

There you go! Happy reading, and I’ll see you in four years when you’ve finished! If giant, heavy books aren’t your thing, don’t worry. You’ll be getting some treats in the coming weeks.

What long books do you recommend? Or, alternatively, do you have any short books that don’t need hundreds of thousands of words? Comment below!

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