Long Chronologies in Novels

[soulsinging]

The 2 SFF ones that occurred to me have been mentioned, Foundation (though I'd say only the first book) and The Silmarillion. Maybe also I, Robot, though it's a collection of short stories.

A non-SFF book would be Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. It tracks 2 siblings, one married to an African chief and the other captured and sent as a slave to America, and their various descendants over several generations. Very impressive and highly recommended.

 

[Bick]

World of Ptaavs and Protector, by Niven? Both cover large time spans, if memory serves, though they skip forward from one time to later time periods rather than cover the whole time.

The suggestions of The Silmarillion and Boat of a Million Years are both good.

 

[Extollager]

Maybe Vodolazkin’s The Aviator.

 

[Rodders]

Neal Asher's "Cowl" was a pretty interesting time travel novel that takes place in both the pre-historic past and the far future. Although it isn't "set" in any of those times

 

[Capricorn42]

Protector, by Larry Niven. The hero, an alien, leaves his home world around 33000 BC and arrives in our solar system in 2125 AD. The actual journey isn't described though.

 

[Narkalui]

Brian Aldiss' Helliconia Cycle - a trilogy that takes place over thousands of years

 

[BAYLOR]

The Casca the Enternal Mercenary series by Barry Sadler . Covers 2000 years.

 

[Ray Zdybrow]

"Space" by Stephen Baxter. It's a while since I read it but I do remember the story took place over hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

 

[nixie]

Raymond E Feist from Magician to Magician's End spans a few generations.

 

[Bick]

Hugh Walpole's Herries chronicle, runs from about 1725 at the start of Rogue Herries, through to the early 20th century by the end of Vanessa. And it tells the story of the Herries family without notably skipping any years in between really!

 

[saulfan]

Not a single novel per se but the 'Carey Family' cycle by Ronald Welch might be of interest.

12 books, following the lineage of a Welsh noble family.

Begins in 1187 with 'Knight Crusader'

Ends in 1917 with 'Tank Commander'

Accessible and very enjoyable reading.

Best Wishes,
David

 

[TomMazanec]

The Orion's Arm Universe Project sketches out the history of Humanity in the Galaxy for 106 centuries after the Apollo 11 landing...and every one of those centuries has something happen developing organically out of the previous century. Hard science fiction space opera.