Stand alone novels - part one

What are stand alone novels?

Stand alone novels, in fantasy, are relatively rare. I understand, intuitively, why this is the case from a business perspective: more books in the same world, more money (even if it comes with additional costs).

This rarity might be explained also by reader’s behavior. At least, I know how I normally react to fantasy series: the longer the series, the more likely it is for me to be attracted to it.

With that premise, there are a few books and authors who dabble in the stand alone stories in fantasy. And it is great because, in the middle of long series, sometimes a reader needs a self-contained story! In fact, they tend to be my go-to (not exclusively) choice for a reset or a pick-me-up read. They allow me to pause on medium to long series and explore a world, characters and life that is self-contained in the story!

So let’s dive into this list (male centric) and hopefully it will inspire you to pick one or two of these books.

Guy Gavriel Kay

First and foremost, I want to recognize the author who I associate the most with stand alone fantasy: Guy Gavriel Kay. This author does not want to get caged in genre; yet fantasy readers will, sooner or later, come across his work and will want to read it. This is because his stories are whimsical and entertaining and because many modern fantasy authors are inspired by his ability to tell stories and his prose.

Guy Gavriel Kay wrote quite a few stand alone books; the only one that I read (so far, as I will probably dedicate 2024 to reading this catalogue!) is Tigana. This is a story of rebellion, filled with political intrigue and magic sprinkled all over it! He also wrote plenty more, including The Lions of Al-Rassan and A song for Arbonne.

Adrian Tchaikovsky

Another author who wrote at least two fantasy stand alone is Adrian Tchaikovsky. These days, I love his 10-book series the shadows of the Apt. Yet, I came across his work first and foremost through Guns of the Dawn, the story of Emily, conscripted in the army to fight a brutal war; and she is a really clever young woman who experiences the brutality of war first hand.

He also recently published City of Last Chances, the story of the city of Ilmar, and I have it but have not spent enough time just focusing on it.

Nicholas Eames

Also, Nicholas Eames. Now this could be a controversial pick as technically Kings of the Wild (that is the best example, next to Terry Pratchett, of humor in fantasy) is part of The Band series but the first one can be read alone and it is a self-contained story. And it was is good that it really developed instant fandom. It is the story of a band of warriors whose glory days are way past but they need to reunite one more time. Not only the humor is a significant part of this story but also the world building is a remarkable element of the story!

Two more books with similar titles!

There are also two books, that I love as stand alone books and are written by two very different authors and in different styles but they have similar titles (and I am often confused by them). One author is more recognized or recognizable in fantasy circles but they are both quite incredible.

Sebastien de Castell

Sebastien de Castell wrote The Malevolent Seven, a story about mages who are not being quite nice in a world where humans are mostly despicable beings and they deserve mostly hell. It is a story of good versus evil and its magic system is exceptionally well developed. My review here.

Cameron Johnston

Cameron Johnston wrote The Maleficent Seven, another place where human beings are horrible. This story also has a significant horror vibe and some of my favorite necromantic like powers. It also portrays truly crooked characters without redeeming factor and the ending is top notch for fantasy in general.

Coming up next

This is my first list of stand alone novels and each and everyone of them is truly remarkable. Coming up next in this stand alone novels, I will focus on women in fantasy writing stand alone novels and there are great authors here (from Katherine Addison, Naomi Novak and Jenny Wurts).

Feel free to comment down below with your suggestions on stand alone stories we should all explore!