Books like Elric Of Melniboné
30 fantasy books to read after Elric Of Melniboné, by Moorcock, Michael, the closest match first.
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Elric book 1 Start here
1. Elric Of Melnibone
by Moorcock, Michael
- Same series
- Same author
The first of the Elric Saga, this novel is signficant because the protagonist is a magic user and a bit frail—not quite the typical Sword and Sorcery hero.
Elric is the prince of a dying race, a pale, morose champion of right, despite the cards stacked against him. He's a physical weakling who needs to take drugs and...
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Elric book 2
2. The Sailor On The Seas Of Fate
by Moorcock, Michael
- Same series
- Same author
Forced to flee his city of Melnibone, Elric and his sorcerous blade Stormbringer journey through barren hills to the edge of a black sea. Elric finds a dark ship and...
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Elric book 3
3. The Weird Of The White Wolf
by Moorcock, Michael
- Same series
- Same author
Now sword and man are one, and Elric and his blade Stormbringer must go forth through havoc and horror to carve out their destiny.
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Elric book 5
4. The Bane Of The Black Sword
by Moorcock, Michael
- Same series
- Same author
After much wandering and seeking Elric finally discovers the location of the sorcerer who had earlier inconvenienced him. A meeting of old friends and scattered brothers evolves into a union...
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Elric book 6
5. Stormbringer
by Moorcock, Michael
- Same series
- Same author
Elric of Melniboné has settled into married life in Karlaak with Zarozinia when demons summoned by the Lords of Chaos take her away. To follow them, he is forced to...
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6. Elric At The End Of Time
by Moorcock, Michael
- Same series
- Same author
In the title novella, a satire of the Elric stories, a distortion in time carries Elric away from his own age and drops him at the End of Time, among...
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Elric book 7
7. The Fortress Of The Pearl
by Moorcock, Michael
- Same series
- Same author
Elric is blackmailed into stealing a pearl which exists in the mind of a sleeping princess. To accomplish this, he must enter her dreams.
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Elric book 8
8. The Revenge Of The Rose
by Moorcock, Michael
- Same series
- Same author
Moorcock's newest, most captivating novel of Elric--the mad albino warrior with the vampiric Black Sword. Elric returns on the wings of a dragon to the ruined place of his birth,...
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The Demonata book 1 Start here
9. Lord Loss
by Shan, Darren
- On the same lists
This is the opening to a 10-book series for young adults, and holy shit is it heavy for something supposedly aimed at young people. It's urban dark fantasy rather than...
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The Red Queen's War book 1 Start here
10. Prince Of Fools
by Lawrence, Mark
- On the same lists
This first entry into the Red Queen's War trilogy is about a layabout, womanizing, alcoholic prince. He's also just funny enough not to think he's an utter bastard. Okay, he's...
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Manifest Delusions book 1 Start here
11. Beyond Redemption
by Fletcher, Michael R.
- On the same lists
In a world where belief defines reality, the world could be a paradise, right? Not in Fletcher's world of Manifest Delusions, where corpses line the streets and narcissists spawn false...
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The Crimson Empire book 1 Start here
12. A Crown For Cold Silver
by Marshall, Alex
- On the same lists
The Crimson Empire trilogy, of which there are two instalments published at the time of writing, is one of the best additions to darker fantasy in recent years. It's the...
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Low Town book 1 Start here
13. Low Town
by Polansky, Daniel
- On the same lists
Low Town (titled the Straight-Razor Cure in the UK), is the first instalment in the Low Town series, and is a gritty noir crime story that just happens to be...
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Shattered Sea book 1 Start here
14. Half A King
by Abercrombie, Joe
- On the same lists
If you don't know who Joe Abercrombie is, then shame on you. His other work is at the forefront of gritty fantasy (hint: you might spot him further down this...
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Milkweed Triptych book 1 Start here
15. Bitter Seeds
by Tregillis, Ian
- On the same lists
Bitter Seeds begins the Milkweed Triptych, a genre-bedning series set in an alternate version of WWII, where the Nazi's have created super-soldiers, and Britain responds by turning to warlocks and...
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16. Gods In Darkness: The Complete Novels Of Kane
by Wagner, Karl Edward
- On the same lists
Kane is a bloodthirsty warrior and cunning thinker, one of the first anti-heroes of sword-and-sorcery.
Kane is the original anti-hero, both a bloodthirsty warrior and a cunning intellectual, and in his stories he's more often than not one of the bad guys, but with a...
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17. The Spook's Apprentice
by Delaney, Joseph
- On the same lists
This book (and the rest of the Wardstone Chronicles) genuinely scared the absolute shit out of me when I first read it. It's the story of a young boy being...
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18. Neverwhere
by Gaiman, Neil
- On the same lists
Gaiman's work is perfect for anyone who's after stories with 'mundane' protagonists from the real world who are pulled into worlds of unsettling dark fantasy. His stories have worth not...
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First Law World book 1 Start here
19. The Blade Itself
by Abercrombie, Joe
- On the same lists
Abercrombie's work has become synonymous with the growing sub-genre of grimdark fantasy Naturally there's a lot of crossover between grimdark fantasy (which subverts the tropes of traditional heroic fantasy) and...
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Night Angel book 1 Start here
20. The Way Of Shadows
by Weeks, Brent
- On the same lists
With magically enhanced assassins, intrigue, and a conflicted protagonist, this trilogy is epic and personal.
The Night Angel trilogy is the story of a young, abused street-thief's transformation into a badass, magically-enhanced assassin. As one might expect from a story about learning to kill people...
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The Dark Tower book 1 Start here
21. The Gunslinger
by King, Stephen
- On the same lists
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba An impressive work of mythic magnitude that may turn out to be Stephen Kings greatest literary achievement...
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Low Town book 1 Start here
22. Low Town
by Polansky, Daniel
- On the same lists
Low Town (titled the Straight-Razor Cure in the UK), is the first instalment in the Low Town series, and is a noir detective mystery transplanted to a fantasy setting. The...
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The Vagrant book 1 Start here
23. The Vagrant
by Newman, Peter
- On the same lists
This book is about the titular vagrant, who is a mute, and his journey across a desolate, demon-ravaged world with a baby and a goat. It sounds pretty weird and...
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The Acts Of Caine book 1 Start here
24. Heroes Die
by Stover, Matthew Woodring
- On the same lists
A novel about two worlds that blends Science Fiction and Fantasy. An action packed adventure filled with real danger, sorcery, and a complex social system.
The Acts of Caine series takes adventure fantasy and drags it sixteen miles through the mud, and then tortures what's left. In a dystopian future, humanity has discovered a way...
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The Prince Of Nothing book 1 Start here
25. The Darkness That Comes Before
by Bakker, R. Scott
- On the same lists
This book and the Prince of Nothing trilogy, as well as the other books that follow, are so dark that you'll need a shower after reading them. And therapy. This...
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26. Malazan Book Of The Fallen
by Erikson, Steven
- On the same lists
A grand and epic series with a huge cast of characters with epic battles, sieges, mages, and carnage.
Steven Eriksen has been both lauded and criticized for his extreme detail, and that extends to his magic system. In Malazan, magic comes from warrens, a realm from which mages...
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27. The Demon Cycle
by Brett, Peter V.
- On the same lists
At night, Peter V. Brett’s world changes. Demons rise from the planet’s core, infused with supernatural powers and with a hunger for human flesh.Constant bombardment has knocked humans back into...
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28. Broken Empire / Red Queens War
by Lawrence, Mark
- On the same lists
The first in The Broken Empire series, this gritty and violent novel focuses on a single character, who is an anti-hero, with a very dark past.
Mark Lawrence doesn’t use an abundance of technical explanations and diagrams, but that doesn’t make his magic system any less interesting. In fact, it lets him focus on his astonishing...
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The Traitor Son Cycle book 1 Start here
29. The Red Knight
by Cameron, Miles
- On the same lists
The first in its series, this book introduces readers to a mysterious character who returns from a campaign and fights for money.
The Red Knight and the Traitor Son Cycle it begins are the most historically-accurate depictions of medieval-era warfare that I've ever read. In fact, if you want to continue enjoying...
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American Gods book 1 Start here
30. American Gods
by Gaiman, Neil
- On the same lists
In his novel, American Gods, Neil Gaiman ventures into the heart of contemporary America, juxtaposing the decline of America's 'Old Gods' with the rise of new 'deities' (e.g. technology, mass...
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