Books like Guards, Guards
21 fantasy books to read after Guards, Guards, by Pratchett, Terry, the closest match first.
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1. Men At Arms
by Pratchett, Terry
- Same series
- Same author
Captain Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork's Night Watch retires and leaves Captain Carrott in charge of the command. When a clown is murdered in Ankh-Morpork, it would appear that the...
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2. Carpe Jugulum
by Pratchett, Terry
- Same series
- Same author
This cleverly named comic fantasy novel from the 'Witches' subseries of the 'Discworld' novels, is an oddity amongst the dark, dangerous and terrible world of popular vampire novels today. This...
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3. Guards Guards
by Pratchett, Terry
- Same series
- Same author
The eighth novel of the Discworld series. A noble dragon, some magic, and a bit of mayhem make for an adventurous and humorous ride.
What best list would be complete without throwing on something funny: a book that fully critiques the very archetype carrying the story forward. If you were to toss in Terry...
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4. The Color Of Magic
by Pratchett, Terry
- Same series
- Same author
A huge series, these books are part of the Comic Fantasy sub-genre. It parodies and is influenced by canonical authors like Tolkien, Lovecraft, and Shakespeare in addition to folklore, mythology, and fairy tales.
What would a list of best fantasy books be without mentioning Terry? Not that Brooks dude who wrote an entire series about glowing pebbles. The other one. The funny one....
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5. The Light Fantastic
by Pratchett, Terry
- Same series
- Same author
The side-splitting sequel to The Color of Magic, The Light Fantastic by New York Times bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett takes readers on another offbeat journey with bumbling wizard Rincewind...
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6. Equal Rites
by Pratchett, Terry
- Same series
- Same author
Every world has its rules—even a flat onecarried by four elephants riding on a giant turtle. That's why a dying wizard is searching for an eighth son of an eighth...
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7. Mort
by Pratchett, Terry
- Same series
- Same author
New York Times bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett makes Death a central character in Mort, his fourth sojourn to Discworld, the fantasy cosmos where even the angel of darkness needs...
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8. Sourcery
by Pratchett, Terry
- Same series
- Same author
Sourcery, a hilarious mix of magic, mayhem, and Luggage, is the fifth book in Terry Pratchett's classic fantasy Discworld series. Rincewind, the legendarily inept wizard, has returned after falling off...
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Rain Wilds Chronicles book 1 Start here
9. The Dragon Keeper
by Hobb, Robin
- On the same lists
The first in the The Rain Wild Chronicles, a party of deformed dragons and their handlers are on a journey to a safe haven for the dragons.
Hobb’s Farseer trilogy incorporates a dragon theme into the mythos of the world, though dragons are not really a tangible presence in the day-to-day happenings of the book. Her not-quite-a-direct-sequel...
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Age Of Fire book 1 Start here
10. Dragon Champion
by Knight, E.e.
- On the same lists
Unlike the other entries on this list, Age of Fire actually stars dragons as the characters. It’s an interesting twist with the story being solely about dragons. This carries on...
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11. Dragon Weather
by Watt-evans, Lawrence
- On the same lists
One of the more interesting dragon tales out there. Arlian, a young boy, survives a dragon attack which destroys his entire village. Dragons, you see, are evil, heartless creatures that...
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12. Dragonsbane
by Barbara Hambly
- On the same lists
Barbara Hambley almost seems forgotten in most fantasy circles these days, being eclipsed by the new modern crowd of fantasy writers like Martin, Lynch, Erikson, and the like. But in...
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The Dragon Jousters book 1 Start here
13. Joust
by Lackey, Mercedes
- On the same lists
If you want a fresh (and more fantasy instead of sci-fi) update to the Pern series, you probably won’t find anything closer than Mercedes Lackey’s Dragon Jouster series. They are...
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14. The Iron Dragon's Daughter
by Swanwick, Michael
- On the same lists
This is a dark story about a girl who slaves in a dragon factory, building monsters that are part magical and part cybernetic.
Not a standard fantasy. This is one of those books that puts the onus on the readers to understand the story, characters, and setting. But if you put in the...
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Age Of Fire book 1 Start here
15. Dragon Champion By Ee
by Knight, E.e.
- On the same lists
The first book in the One of Age of Fire series told from a dragon's point of view, a dragon who just might be the last of his kind.
From the national bestselling and award-winning author of the Vampire Earth saga comes the first in a fantastic new series.
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Eon book 1 Start here
16. Eon
by Goodman, Alison
- On the same lists
Features a dragon theme. Complex characters and relationships make this a compelling read. The author really plays around with gender identity issues here, but does so in a way that's...
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17. Pern Series
by Mccaffrey, Anne
- On the same lists
This series explores the relationship between dragons and their riders in detail.
Dragonriders of Pern is the dragon rider series against which all dragon fantasies should be measured. McCaffrey weaves a believable, spellbinding tale of a world of men and dragons battling...
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18. 2004: Tooth And Claw
by Walton, Jo
- On the same lists
Different from other books in the Fantasy of Manners sub-genre in that the characters are dragons. It is a story about the death of a patriarch and love, money, and familial conflict.
The story opens with a moderately well-to-do family gathering at the deathbed of their father, and fighting over the inheritance - not his gold hoard, which has been divided equitably,...
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Temeraire book 1 Start here
19. His Majesty's Dragon
by Novik, Naomi
- On the same lists
This series explores a post-colonial world and both sides have their faults.
The Napoleonic Wars seem to be an especially fascinating era for writers; this series is the second on the list set in this time period at the turn of the...
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A Song Of Ice And Fire book 1 Start here
20. A Game Of Thrones
by Martin, George R. R.
- On the same lists
Noble houses scheme for a throne while an ancient winter gathers in the north, the epic that made grimdark mainstream.
Because, duh, it was going to be on here somewhere. I almost feel as if it isn't worth writing an entry on this one, because everyone knows it so well,...
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The Lord Of The Rings book 1 Start here
21. The Hobbit
by Tolkien, J.r.r.
- On the same lists
Smaug is the classic dragon figure lying under the mountain—a scary creature who keeps the dwarves from their home and who must be defeated.
The Hobbit is one of the most well-loved fantasy novels of all time. Written by J.R.R Tolkien as a bedtime story for his children, The Hobbit is a light-hearted tale,...
Matches come from series and authors, from the lists the books share, and from the books readers open together. They are rebuilt every night. Back to Guards, Guards.
The shortlist
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