The Swan's War

A beautiful and deftly woven fantasy tale that rings strong with a lot of the elements that make Lord of the Rings so captivating.Why might you want to read this? Let's look at a little checklist: A mysterious landscape that's almost poetic. Check. A strong mythos of the world underlying the conversations, references, and history. Check. Magic is mysterious and rare. Check. The world is under threat by some unknown force. Check. Beautiful, lyrical prose. Check.This three-book series proves you don't need to have ten-thousand page books to tell a proper high fantasy tale.Â If you love reading epic fantasy with rich history and myth built into the story, complemented by beautiful language, pick this series up. You certainly won't go wrong reading it. Magic is very much a mystery in this series; part of the pleasure of reading this series is the sense of mystery and wonder. If you want to get lost in mysterious lands on a quest to save the land from an ancient evil, this should be your next series. It's epic fantasy that's got a lot of the familiar themes, but it's damn well written epic fantasy.

Books in The Swans' War Series (2)

Similar Recommendations

The Lord of the Ring

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

The Swan's War

The Swan's War trilogy seems both similar to yet different from Lord of the Rings. The mysterious and rare nature of magic is a trait shared by both books, as is the beautiful prose that seems half poetry, half fiction (though Russell's work is more "modern").

The Wizard of Earthsea

Also give Ursula Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea a try: the book has that sense of mystery and wonder that permeates The Swan's War.

Booklists having this book

Top 50 Best Epic Fantasy

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