Now then, dear reader, if you have journeyed through the vast and wondrous pages of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive, you know the peculiar ache that comes when the final page is turned. With Wind and Truth now complete and the next instalment some years distant, one finds oneself rather like a child who has eaten all the sweets and must wait an age for more.
Fear not! For there exist other magnificent tales waiting to sweep you away to realms equally grand. Allow me to be your guide through these enchanted lands.
The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
Here is the very series that brought many a reader to discover Sanderson himself, for it was he who completed this magnificent saga after Jordan’s passing. Fourteen volumes of pure wonder await you, following Rand al’Thor—a farm boy who learns he is destined to save the world, or perhaps destroy it.
The world-building is positively extraordinary, with a magic system wherein women called Aes Sedai channel power from an ancient source, whilst men who touch it risk madness. Epic in the truest sense, with thousands of characters across lands where prophecies whisper of battles yet to come.
Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
This, dear friends, is not a journey for the faint of heart—ten volumes of intricate plotting that span thousands of years, with an eclectic cast of characters navigating a world torn apart by wars and rebellions. Erikson, drawing upon twenty years as an anthropologist, has crafted something rather extraordinary.
Darker and grittier than Sanderson’s tales, certainly, but the ambition is breathtaking. Gods, mages, dragons, and all manner of creatures play out their fates across continents, with battle scenes among the most thrilling in all fantasy literature.
The Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks
Now here is a magic system that would make any Stormlight reader’s heart sing! Weeks employs chromaturgy, wherein light is transformed into a physical substance called luxin. Each colour possesses different properties, and those who wield this power are called drafters.
Five volumes of political intrigue, family drama, and spectacular magical warfare await. The Prism, the most powerful of all drafters, stands at the centre of a world teetering toward chaos. Intricate, vivid, and absolutely compelling.
The Gentleman Bastards by Scott Lynch
Should your heart long for rogues, underdogs, and impossible heists, then The Lies of Locke Lamora shall be your treasure. Set in a city resembling medieval Venice, we follow an orphan turned master con artist and his band of thieves known as the Gentleman Bastards.
George R.R. Martin declared it captured him from the first page. Patrick Rothfuss named it among his top five favourite books ever. Shorter than Sanderson’s tomes but absolutely crackling with wit and adventure.
The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
These novels helped birth the very term “grimdark” in fantasy circles. Dark, bloody, violent, and—quite unexpectedly—hilarious. Abercrombie presents a sprawling cast of morally ambiguous characters in a world on the brink of industrial revolution.
The Blade Itself begins a journey where battles are brutal, victories pyrrhic, and the very notion of heroism is delightfully complicated. If you appreciate the deeper themes woven through Sanderson’s work, Abercrombie offers something wonderfully challenging.
The Powder Mage Trilogy by Brian McClellan
Here is something delightfully different—a world where gunpowder and magic coexist in spectacular fashion. McClellan, a student of Sanderson himself, has crafted militarised wizards who literally consume gunpowder to fuel their battle magic.
Beginning with Promise of Blood, we witness a bloody royal coup, political intrigue, and a father-son hero duo with a most complicated relationship. Sanderson himself praised it as innovative and enjoyable in every moment.
Codex Alera by Jim Butcher
The origin of this series is utterly charming—Butcher wrote it to win an argument, given the prompts of “the Lost Roman Legion” and “Pokémon.” The result? Six volumes of magnificent adventure in a world where people bond with elementals called furies.
Young Tavi, uniquely without any furycrafting abilities, must navigate a society where power determines everything. Roman-inspired civilization meets elemental magic in an epic tale of the hero’s journey.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
From heist to coming-of-age story, Rothfuss presents Kvothe, the most notorious wizard his world has ever known, telling his own tale to a scribe. The prose is absolutely beautiful—first-person narrative handled with exceptional grace.
A word of gentle caution: this series remains unfinished, with readers waiting many years for the third volume. Yet the journey is so magnificent that countless readers consider the wait worthwhile.
Blood Song by Anthony Ryan
Vaelin Al Sorna was but ten years old when his father left him at the gates of the Sixth Order, to be trained as a warrior of the Faith. The story that unfolds is one of conflict, loyalty, and destiny.
Ryan frames his tale much as Rothfuss does—we meet our hero through the eyes of a historian, then journey back through memories of training, battle, and purpose. Named by Amazon as the best Science Fiction and Fantasy book of 2013.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
The American Tolkien, some call him, and with good reason. These novels gave us the world of Westeros, where summers span decades and winter may last a lifetime. Political realism dominates a world where supernatural power lurks at the margins.
Five volumes published thus far, with moral ambiguity pervading every page. The success or survival of any character is never assured—a storytelling approach that keeps one turning pages with breathless anticipation.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Though set among the stars rather than in medieval realms, Red Rising shares the epic scope and moral complexity that Stormlight readers adore. Darrow, a member of the lowest caste, infiltrates the ruling Golds to bring revolution.
Described as Ender’s Game meeting Game of Thrones, this series delivers spectacular action, complex characters, and a colour-coded society ripe for upheaval. Science fiction with the heart of fantasy.
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
The great Le Guin crafted this tale in 1968, giving us young Ged, a wizard who must confront a shadow he inadvertently released into the world. Here is the very origin of the wizard school concept that would later enchant millions.
Brief compared to modern epics, but profound in its Taoist perspective on balance, shadow, and light. Le Guin subverted every expectation, creating dark-skinned heroes in a genre that rarely featured them. Essential reading.
The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence
Jorg Ancrath is but thirteen when we meet him, and he is already a creature of vengeance and ambition. Lawrence presents a post-apocalyptic world disguised as medieval fantasy, where a young prince schemes to become emperor.
Dark and unflinching, this trilogy offers prose that cuts like a blade. Not for every reader, but those who appreciate complexity in their protagonists will find much to savour.
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
Here is political fantasy of the highest order—young Baru watches her homeland conquered by an empire, then determines to destroy that empire from within by becoming its most loyal servant. The tension is extraordinary.
Dickinson weaves economics and empire into a tale of sacrifice and strategy. If you appreciate the political machinations in Sanderson’s work, this shall satisfy most wonderfully.
The Shannara Series by Terry Brooks
For those desiring classic fantasy with an extensive world to explore, Terry Brooks offers decades of adventures in the Four Lands. The original trilogy follows the Ohmsford family as the last of the Druids calls upon them to battle ancient evils.
A new volume, Galaphile, arrives in 2025, beginning The First Druids of Shannara. Here is a universe to lose oneself in for many a happy reading hour.
Finding Your Next Adventure
The wait between Stormlight volumes need not be endured in emptiness, dear reader. Each of these magnificent series offers its own treasures—intricate magic systems, vast worlds, compelling characters, and adventures that shall keep your imagination soaring.
Whether you crave the epic scope of Malazan, the clever heists of the Gentleman Bastards, or the brutal honesty of the First Law, your next beloved series awaits. The only question remaining is: which shall you begin tonight?
