I realize that ‘The Chronicles of Amber’ is not a ‘single book’, but given todays standards of single novels being 6-7-800 pages long, I would say you could combine the 5 books into one novel and it would be a great standalone novel.
You don’t even need the sequel ‘book’ if you don’t want to.
I also like Tad William “TailChasers Song”, .
It would be even better because much of the repetition could be edited out.
I can’t fault Zelazny for writing in the style of his times. Five separate books undoubtedly brought in more money than a single fat novel would have, even if he could have found a publisher for it. (Nobody expected Dhalgren to succeed and it came along five years after the first Amber book in any case. Here’s a subject that could get contentious: is Dhalgren a fantasy?) I believe Amber was the first thing he wrote after quitting work to become a full-time writer and the theory at the time was that authors put out standalone novels as fast as possible. He wove the Amber books around a great many others. Nothing he ever did as a full-timer was quite as wonderful as he did in the 1960s, but they made much more money. A lesson is is there somewhere.
I really enjoy Tamsin by Peter Beagle.
I’ll just throw in some things that haven’t been mentioned that I gave 5 stars on Goodreads:
Spindle’s End, by Robin McKinley
Song for the Basilisk, by Patricia McKillip
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan Garner
The Hounds of the Morrigan, by Pat O’Shea
I have mixed feelings about it. It’s been quite a while, but as I recall my impression was that it was an interesting idea, well executed, used to tell a not-so-interesting story. I’m pleased to have read it, but have no impulse to read it again.
His times? Almost all genre fiction published now is intended to be a multi-book series; the stand-alone novel is a dying breed.
It is more historic than well written or even particularly good reading, but it is important.
As an author, I can tell you that publishers consider “talking animal” books, which this is, a type of fantasy. Also, the rabbits strategize and think about things in ways actual rabbits don’t.
It’s nominally the first of a trilogy, but I heartily agree that it is excellent on its own. I guess it’s my favorite book of all time, out of thousands I’ve read.
I’m here to nominate Drawing of the Dark, by Tim Powers. One of my favorite fantasy novels.
I took a class once in Fantasy Lit (just for fun), and Watership Down is one of the books we read. I agree it’s a great one.
For the record, another “talking animal” book we read was The Wind in the Willows, which I don’t think I’ve seen mentioned yet here.
It’s cool to see all the Tim Powers fans (I always thought he was kind of obscure), but I’d nominate On Stranger Tides as his best book
(I don’t think I’d call it the best standalone fantasy novel ever, though)
It has sequels: (The Moon of Gomrath and the recently-published Boneland)
My favourites:
The Giant Under the Snow and The House on the Brink - John Gordon
Kraken and Railsea - China Mieville
A Red Country and *The Heroes *- Joe Abercrombie (They’re set in the same world as the First Law trilogy, but stand alone)
Last Call > Anubis Gates > Declare > On Stranger Tides > The Stress of Her Regard > Drawing of the Dark
And not a bad book in that list. In fact they are all great and really IMHO the first four are almost tied with each other. Sadly Powers seems to have lost his mojo the last couple of times through, but at his best he was hard to top for excellent singletons.
They’re standalones? Cool. I have both books but haven’t read them (or even looked at the jackets). I thought they were series books. Abercrombie is someone I buy automatically.
It helps to have read his other books as some characters recur but its certainly not essential.
It’s Modern Fantasy not traditional fantasy but I would add The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump.
Little Big is an excellent choice IMO - you put that down and it is apparent that no one else could have written it, there is a uniquity to it that a book like Tigana, to pick a random example, does not possess.
Sitting alongside Little, Big in the top drawer of standalone fantasy is Peace, by Gene Wolfe. His first full length novel and maybe his best, which is some praise given the man’s achievements as a writer.
Peace is not widely read, though (as in far less people have read it than have read Little, Big, which means next to no one), so a bit obscure to be laying claim to the crown of best standalone fantasy book. Truly great writing though, I’m well overdue for a re-read on that one.
Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook.
Fantasy meets Hard Boiled Mystery.
I’ve not rread most of these, but I’d second American Gods.