Non-European epic fantasy

[kate_nepveu]

Recommend to me, o LJ readers, non-European epic fantasy. Specifically, I'm looking for something that would answer the question, "Gosh, I liked the way The Lord of the Rings took elements and themes of existing mythologies and cultures and used them to give depth to a really epic fantasy story. What about something like that, but not using Northern Europe, or at least not principally using Northern Europe?"

I am aware of David Anthony Durham's Acacia (which I haven't read yet). And, I suppose, Jordan's Wheel of Time, though I'm not sure what I think of it in this regard (partly because I don't remember a lot about many of the societies). I am also aware of Bridge of Birds and The Orphan's Tales, but they are not epic fantasies. And I already have looked at 50books_poc's links and the Carl Brandon Society's reading lists.

What else—if anything?

ETA: I forgot, in print, please. (And good, though I thought that was implicit in "recommend.") And secondary-world fantasy, by analogy to LotR.

Comments

[kate_nepveu]

Indeed.

[montoya.livejournal.com]

More seriously, the problem with epic fantasy for me is that I read it all forever ago.

Sean Russell's Initiate Brother and sequel are definitely non-Western, and I remember them not being bad, but I literally remember nothing else.

[kate_nepveu]

Yeah, I've been seriously off epic fantasy for quite a while. Hence this post!

[tool-of-satan.livejournal.com]

I was just going to mention the Russell, except I don't remember that much about it (it's really one novel in two volumes IIRC) either. What I do remember is that he culture is a mash-up of various East Asian cultural bits. This might grate on some people, possibly including me if I were to re-read it. I don't remember how closely it hews to the epic fantasy mold.