It’s A List: The Five Longest Books I’ve Ever Read
Big books can be really intimidating, but also very rewarding at the same time. As someone who tends to fly through books, I really appreciate a good, chunky tome because I can stay in the story longer - I don’t like that feeling when I start a book and I seems like it’s over way too soon. Also, longer novels tend to have deeper character development, a more fleshed out plot and a slower burn to explore all the themes the author is trying to convey. Now, I realize that bigger doesn’t always equate to better. I can think of a few massive books that I have happily DNFd. They know who they are. But let’s focus on the positive. Below are five of the longest books that I have ever read - which I also happen to love. To get at this list, I quickly did a web search to see what the longest books ever written were and if I had any of them on my shelves that I had read. I had five of the 20+ or so that were consistently mentioned. Without further ado, let’s dive in and talk about them:
To Green Angel Tower by Tad Williams
Word Count: 520,000+
This is the third book in the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn classic fantasy trilogy by Tad Williams. This book is so massive that the mass market editions are sold in two volumes. It is set in the fictional world of Osten Ard and follows an ordinary kitchen boy in this coming of age story as he gets caught up in the civil war that plagues the land following the death of the High King John Prester. This series is said to have inspired George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones and other modern fantasy series. I loved every minute I spent reading this story, and honestly, it wasn’t long enough. I don’t recall how long it took me to read this novel, but if I had to guess based on my normal speed, it probably took around two weeks.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Word Count: 560,000+
This book. It’s long and it’s a piece of classic literature, making for a more challenging read, but I finished this one right at 11 days. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy tells the story of the French invasion of Russia during the Napoleonic era. We follow several memorable characters throughout the novel and get to see how the war and its aftermath impact their lives. When I first picked up the book, I really thought I wouldn’t make it to the end. Trying to keep all the Russian names and nicknames straight was…difficult. However, within just 50 or so pages, I was sucked into the story. I loved this book so much that I definitely plan on reading it again.
The Stand by Stephen King
Word Count: 514,000+
I read this one so fast that I am not even sure how I managed to eat, sleep or take care of life’s other necessities while doing so. I read this book in just five days. That’s kind of stupid. At any rate, The Stand is a post apocalyptic story that follows the survivors of America as they form into factions to rebuild society and face off in an ultimate showdown of good versus evil. This book is wild and I can’t even do a synopsis justice. If you have read any Stephen King novels before, then you should know what to expect…
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Word Count: 480,000+
This beloved classic. I shouldn’t need to tell anyone what this book is about. I read The Lord of the Rings for the first time a couple of years ago after having multiple false starts. For some reason, every time I got to the Tom Bombadil parts, I just quit. No idea why…However, I finally picked up the book on audio (the version narrated by Andy Serkis) and was able to finally finish it. It felt like a huge personal accomplishment. I wasn’t sure I really loved it when I first completed it, but the more I think on it, the more I understand why Tolkien is considered the father of modern fantasy. It’s just a lovely story and I want to read it again one day.
It by Stephen King
Word Count: 435,000+
And for the final book, we have another Stephen King novel. I am shocked I even read this book because I hate clowns. Like, deeply and passionately - I hate them. Yet, I was on a Stephen King high at the time and determined to read all of his most well-known books. Enter, It. This story follows seven characters (alternating between a past and present timeline of their lives) as they are terrorized by Pennywise the clown in their small town of Derry, PA. I will say, I ultimately found this book to be more disturbing than it was scary, but I still paced myself on this one for the sake of my mental health. I read this one in just under two weeks.
So there you have it - the longest books I have ever read. Have you read any of these? Have you read any books longer than the ones on my list? If so, let me know about them in the comments section. As always, thank you for reading!
