Books like “A Game of Thrones”

What to read after “A Game of Thrones” by George R. R. Martin: a list matched by tropes, mood and atmosphere. Under each book you will see what it has in common.

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1
The Warded Man
Peter V. Brett · 2008
Similar atmosphere: “Grimdark”
- Grimdark
- Epic Fantasy
By day the world belongs to people; at night, demons rise from the ground. Three children, Arlen, Leesha and Rojer, grow up in the shadow of the wards that keep the corelings out, and each finds a different way to fight back.
2
Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman · 1984
From the same world: “Dragons” and “Epic Fantasy”
- Dragons
- Epic Fantasy
After five years apart, old friends meet again at the Inn of the Last Home as war spreads across Krynn. A plain staff, a cleric without faith and rumours of dragons pull them into a quest to recover the Disks of Mishakal, the lost teachings of the true gods, and to stand against the Dragon Highlords.
3
Gardens of the Moon
Steven Erikson · 1999
Similar atmosphere: “Grimdark”
- Grimdark
- Epic Fantasy
The Malazan Empire is closing on the last free city of Genabackis, and armies, assassins and mages are converging for the siege. Beneath the politics of empire, old powers are waking and settling debts of their own, while ordinary soldiers and thieves are caught between them.
4
The Black Company
Glen Cook · 1984
Similar atmosphere: “Grimdark”
The Black Company is a band of mercenaries who once served the light and now fight for one side in a war of dark powers. Croaker, the company's physician and annalist, records their grudging days, where the line between good and evil has blurred and surviving matters more than any truth.
5
The Dragonbone Chair
Tad Williams · 1988
From the same world: “Epic Fantasy”
Simon is a kitchen boy in the castle of the Hayholt, who dreams of heroes while the old king's health fails. When betrayal strikes, he flees into a country of trolls and swords, and the fate of Osten Ard falls into unlikely hands.
6
The Priory of the Orange Tree
Samantha Shannon · 2019
From the same world: “Dragons” and “Epic Fantasy”
- Dragons
- Epic Fantasy
In the East, the queen Sabran must keep the line of Berethnet alive to hold back the Nameless One. In the West, the mage Ead secretly guards her, and in the South a dragon rider's daughter grows up in hiding.
7
The Blade Itself
Joe Abercrombie · 2006
Similar atmosphere: “Grimdark”
Logen Ninefingers only wants to be left alone, but his past will not release him. Elsewhere a spoiled nobleman, a crippled inquisitor who tortures for the state, and an old magician are drawn into a conspiracy that could decide the fate of the Union itself.
8
The Court of Broken Knives
Anna Smith Spark · 2017
Similar atmosphere: “Grimdark”
In the dying empire of Sorlost, a ragged company of mercenaries is hired to kill the emperor. Among them is Marith, a young man hiding a noble name and a hunger for violence he cannot master. Their conspiracy drags the ancient city toward blood and fire.
9
The Shadow of the Gods
John Gwynne · 2021
Similar atmosphere: “Grimdark”
After the gods fell, their monstrous children and the warlike humans left behind inherited a harsh land. A thrall seeking freedom, a huntress avenging her family and a noblewoman with a company of mercenaries are drawn into a new age of blood and gods.
10
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
N. K. Jemisin · 2010
From the same world: “Epic Fantasy”
- Epic Fantasy
- Morally Grey Character
Yeine Darr is summoned from her northern homeland to the city of Sky, where she is named an heir to the Arameri throne after her mother's death. As she learns the rules of a court that keeps gods as servants, she finds that the contest for the succession is also a trap.
11
The Eye of the World
Robert Jordan · 1990
From the same world: “Epic Fantasy”
- Epic Fantasy
- Medieval Setting
Three young men from the village of Emond's Field are driven from home by monsters out of legend. Pursued by servants of the Dark One, they learn that one of them may be the Dragon Reborn, destined to save the world or break it.
12
The Rage of Dragons
Evan Winter · 2017
From the same world: “Dragons”
- Dragons
- Morally Grey Character
The Omehi have fought an unwinnable war for generations, where a rare few can call dragons or transform into killing giants. Giftless Tau plans to escape, until betrayal murders those he loves. To avenge them he trains to become the greatest swordsman alive, whatever it costs.