Come now, dear reader, and let us speak of a particular longing—that ache which settles upon the heart after one has turned the final page of George R.R. Martin’s magnificent saga. You have wandered the halls of Winterfell and sailed the Narrow Sea; you have gasped at treacheries most foul and cheered for heroes most flawed. And now you find yourself quite wonderfully lost, searching for another world equally vast, equally dangerous, equally alive.
Fear not, for I shall be your guide through fifteen splendid realms, each one brimming with the very elements that made Westeros so deliciously treacherous. Herein you shall discover scheming nobles, morally grey champions, magic most ancient, and battles that shake the very foundations of kingdoms.
The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
If ever there was a series that understood the delicious darkness dwelling in Martin’s work, it is this one. Joe Abercrombie has crafted a world as morally complex and ruthless as the Seven Kingdoms themselves, populated by characters who would feel quite at home plotting beside Littlefinger or Cersei.
Meet the infamous Inquisitor Glokta, a tortured torturer whose sardonic inner thoughts shall make you laugh even as you squirm. There is Logen Ninefingers, a barbarian warrior haunted by his own terrible legend. These are not heroes in any traditional sense—they are wonderfully, terribly human.
The trilogy subverts every expectation of heroic fantasy whilst keeping you turning pages late into the night. Dark, bloody, violent, and unexpectedly hilarious, it is the polar opposite of farm-boy-saves-the-world tales.
The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
Here is a world of stone and storms, where tempests of incredible power sweep across the landscape with such frequency that they have shaped civilization itself. Trees retract their branches, animals hide in shells, and cities cling to sheltered valleys.
Brandon Sanderson’s massive epic follows Kaladin, a former soldier reduced to slavery who discovers powers most extraordinary; Dalinar, a warlord haunted by visions he cannot explain; and Shallan, whose scholarly pursuits mask dangerous secrets. Their stories interweave across a thousand pages of intricate worldbuilding.
The magic system involving Stormlight and the Knights Radiant is brilliantly conceived. Critics declare it stands alongside Martin’s work and Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time as essential fantasy reading.
The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
George R.R. Martin himself proclaimed Robin Hobb’s work “fantasy as it ought to be written,” and one understands why from the very first chapter. Begin with the Farseer Trilogy, where young Fitz—a royal bastard like our beloved Jon Snow—navigates the treacherous waters of court intrigue.
Fitz possesses two forbidden magics: the telepathic Skill and the socially despised Wit, which allows him to bond with animals. Adopted into the royal household, he trades his freedom for training as an assassin, serving a king whose schemes run deeper than the sea.
Hobb’s prose is dazzling, her characters so fully realized they seem to breathe. The villains drip with hatefulness; the heroes break your heart. This is intimate, character-driven fantasy of the highest order, spanning sixteen books across the Realm of the Elderlings.
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams
Here is a delightful secret: Martin himself has named this trilogy among his primary inspirations. When he read The Dragonbone Chair, he thought, “My god, they can do something with this form,” and was moved to write his own epic.
Tad Williams tells the tale of Simon, a castle scullion thrust into a world-spanning conflict between light and darkness. Readers have traced remarkable parallels—wall-climbing eavesdroppers who discover terrible secrets, young women navigating disguise and danger, ancient threats stirring in frozen northern wastes.
This is Tolkien-style fantasy reimagined with a darker, more modern sensibility. Williams crafted something special here, and understanding its influence illuminates Martin’s own masterwork beautifully.
The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Fourteen volumes of high fantasy await you here, one of the greatest epics ever conceived. In a world where women wield magic but men who touch such power go mad, Rand al’Thor and his companions are swept from their small village into a cosmic struggle between Light and Shadow.
Robert Jordan created worldbuilding “in a league of its own”—nations with distinct cultures, a detailed magic system, thousands of years of history. The prose is often beautiful, the characters beloved by millions.
Jordan passed away before completing his vision, but his extensive notes allowed Brandon Sanderson to craft a finale that many consider one of fantasy’s greatest endings. Be warned: the middle books can feel slow, but the destination rewards patience abundantly.
The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
Martin called this “the best epic fantasy I read,” praising Patrick Rothfuss as “bloody good.” The story follows Kvothe, now a humble innkeeper, as he recounts his legendary past to a traveling chronicler over three days.
From his childhood among traveling performers to his years at a university for magic, Kvothe’s tale unfolds with masterful prose that paints pictures upon the walls of your mind. This is a story within a story, where the gap between young Kvothe and his weary older self creates delicious tension.
Rothfuss is a craftsman of rare skill—his narrative voice authentic and transporting. Fans await the third volume with the same desperate patience shown by those waiting for Winds of Winter.
Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
Here is a challenge, dear reader, and a reward beyond measure. Ten volumes spanning multiple continents, featuring gods and mortals, armies and assassins, dragons and undead warriors. Steven Erikson, drawing on twenty years as an anthropologist, created something unprecedented.
The first book, Gardens of the Moon, throws you into the deep end without apology. Persist through the initial confusion, and you shall discover what fans call “a once-in-a-generation achievement.” Nothing is trivial here—every detail matters, connecting across thousands of pages.
This series is not plot-driven in the traditional sense; it rewards those who love vast scope and complex philosophy. Some swear it represents fantasy’s highest achievement; others find it impenetrable. If you crave ambition beyond measure, dive in.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Imagine a Venice-like fantasy city ruled by criminal nobility, where a gang of brilliant con artists called the Gentleman Bastards pull elaborate heists against the wealthy elite. Locke Lamora, their leader, is the infamous Thorn of Camorr—and his greatest scheme goes terribly wrong.
This is heist fiction wrapped in fantasy trappings, with dialogue sharp as stilettos and characters who become family before the final page. The dual timeline structure weaves young Locke’s training between present-day catastrophe, building tension magnificently.
Readers who adored Arya Stark’s cleverness shall find much to love here. Lynch writes with wit, intelligence, and a flair for both dark humor and genuine emotional stakes. Simply delicious.
The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski
Long before the television adaptation, Andrzej Sapkowski—called “the Polish Tolkien”—created Geralt of Rivia: a mutated monster hunter navigating a world of moral ambiguity. This is dark fantasy drawing from Slavic mythology, filled with creatures most folk have never encountered.
Geralt is wonderfully philosophical, engaging in profound discussions about morality whilst slaying beasts. The books serve simultaneously as adventure fiction and clever commentary on fantasy literature itself. Sapkowski’s prose is supremely clever, his characters unforgettable.
Begin with The Last Wish, a collection introducing this remarkable world. The series has won multiple awards and sold over thirty million copies—testament to its enduring appeal.
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
N.K. Jemisin achieved what no author had before: winning the Hugo Award for Best Novel three consecutive years, once for each volume of this trilogy. The Fifth Season introduces a world wracked by catastrophic seismic events, where those who control earthquakes are feared and enslaved.
The worldbuilding is masterful—a civilization that has survived countless apocalypses through brutal pragmatism. Jemisin’s exploration of oppression and survival cuts deep, her characters complex and compelling.
Some may find the second-person narration challenging; those who embrace it discover something revolutionary. This is fantasy that expands what the genre can accomplish, both technically and thematically.
The Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne
John Gwynne’s quartet earned comparison to Martin from its first pages, winning the Morningstar Award for Best Debut. In the Banished Lands, prophecy speaks of champions who shall lead the forces of light and darkness in a final reckoning.
Giants share this world with humans, alongside draigs and wolvens and wyrms. The lines between good and evil blur beautifully—characters make human choices in an ever-darkening landscape.
Gwynne excels at battle scenes rendered with technical precision, and his patient character development makes you care deeply before the action explodes. This is epic fantasy of the highest traditional order, executed brilliantly.
Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne by Brian Staveley
An emperor is murdered, and his three children—scattered across the continent—must uncover the conspiracy whilst developing their own extraordinary abilities. Kaden trains with enigmatic monks, Valyn joins elite soldiers who ride giant hawks into battle, and Adare navigates deadly court intrigue.
Library Journal compared this directly to Martin’s work, praising its complex world of politics, ancient secrets, and magic that is scorned and persecuted. The magic system is wonderfully original—users draw power from unique “wells” that might be anything from sunlight to diamonds.
This trilogy offers epic fantasy with sharp modern sensibilities, its prose tight as leather wrapped around a sword’s hilt.
The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu
Ken Liu invented the term “silkpunk” for this criminally underrated series—technology built from bamboo, silk, and paper rather than metal and steam. His reimagining of China’s Han Dynasty founding earned praise as “an ambitious, astonishing, and sublime work.”
Two heroes drive this epic: charming bandit Kuni Garu and stern warrior Mata Zyndu. They begin as friends overthrowing tyranny, then become rivals with opposing visions for the world they’ve freed. Gods interfere, silk-draped airships fill the skies, and politics prove deadlier than swords.
Like Martin, Liu explores what empire truly entails—its birth, its costs, its corruptions. Patient readers who embrace the sweeping style shall find one of modern fantasy’s greatest achievements.
The Accursed Kings by Maurice Druon
Martin called this “the original game of thrones”—and indeed, this historical fiction series inspired his own epic. Maurice Druon chronicles fourteenth-century France, where King Philip the Fair brings a curse upon his family after destroying the Knights Templar.
Over seven volumes, succession crises multiply, treacheries compound, and the path toward the Hundred Years’ War becomes inevitable. There are no dragons here, but the scheming, scandal, and betrayal rival anything in Westeros.
This is French history rendered with novelistic brilliance—Druon praised as France’s finest historical novelist since Alexandre Dumas. If you love the intrigue of King’s Landing, here is its very foundation.
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
A peasant girl steals her dead brother’s identity and his fate of greatness, rising from monastery novice to revolutionary leader in this reimagining of the Ming Dynasty’s founding. Shelley Parker-Chan’s debut topped the Sunday Times Bestseller List and won multiple British Fantasy Awards.
The worldbuilding draws from Chinese history, the characters are wonderfully complex, and reviewers declared the scheming makes A Song of Ice and Fire “look like child’s play.” This is historical fantasy with a sharp modern edge, exploring destiny and identity with genuine insight.
For readers seeking something fresh yet familiar—intrigue and ambition in an unfamiliar setting—this duology offers treasures aplenty.
Your Next Adventure Awaits
And so, dear reader, fifteen doors stand open before you, each leading to worlds as rich and dangerous as Westeros itself. Whether you crave the dark humor of Abercrombie, the intricate magic of Sanderson, the intimate tragedy of Hobb, or the historical grandeur of Druon, your next obsession awaits.
The longing you feel—that hunger for another world to lose yourself within—is not a burden but a gift. For it means you understand what fantasy at its finest can accomplish: transportation, transformation, the peculiar joy of caring desperately about people who never existed in places that never were.
Choose your next journey. Turn the first page. And remember: all the best stories are true, in the ways that matter most.
