Books like Half A King
30 fantasy books to read after Half A King, by Abercrombie, Joe, the closest match first.
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Shattered Sea book 1 Start here
1. Half A King
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same series
- Same author
Reading a new Abercrombie book is just like going to a fancy restaurant, it doesn't happen very often, but when it does, you relish every moment of the experience. Half...
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Shattered Sea book 2
2. Half The World
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same series
- Same author
Fifteen-year-old girl soldier Thorn learns the ways of war in the king's army while falling in love for the first time. By the New York Times best-selling author of Half...
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Shattered Sea book 3
3. Half A War
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same series
- Same author
"New York Times "bestselling author Joe Abercrombie delivers the stunning conclusion to the epic fantasy trilogy that began with "Half a King, "praised by George R. R. Martin as "a...
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Shattered Sea book 2
4. Half The World
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same series
- Same author
Abercrombie kicked off his Shattered Sea series with the award-winning Half a King, but his second novel approaches true mastery. Half the World picks up many years after the first,...
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Shattered Sea book 3
5. Half A War
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same series
- Same author
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BUZZFEED AND THE INDEPENDENT • New York Times bestselling author Joe Abercrombie delivers the stunning conclusion to the epic fantasy...
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First Law World book 1 Start here
6. The Blade Itself
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same author
- 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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Milkweed Triptych book 1 Start here
7. 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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First Law World book 4
8. Best Served Cold
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same author
Monza Murcatto is out for blood. Known as the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Styria, she is betrayed by her employer and left for dead....
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First Law World book 5
9. The Heroes
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same author
The title is a bit tongue-in-cheek, as Abercrombie himself describes it this way: "Three men. One battle. No heroes." It was designed to be a standalone novel, but is set...
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Elric book 1 Start here
10. Elric Of Melniboné
by Moorcock, Michael
- On the same lists
Elric is the famed albino sorcerer and wielder of Stormbringer, a sentient sword that confers power upon its wielder. All for the totally-reasonable price of being fed souls. Needless to...
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Low Town book 1 Start here
11. 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 Demonata book 1 Start here
12. 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
13. 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
14. 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
15. 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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The Traitor Son Cycle book 1 Start here
16. 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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A Land Fit For Heroes book 1 Start here
17. The Steel Remains
by Morgan, Richard K.
- On the same lists
An incredibly dark and gritty epic fantasy that embodies the reaction to shiny fantasy stories. It subverts most traditional fantasy tropes.
This book is a thoroughly grimdark adventure, following a world-weary PTSD sufferer on his quest to save the world he doesn't much care for. It's messy, gross, intense, brooding and...
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A Song Of Ice And Fire book 1 Start here
18. 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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19. Legend
by Gemmell, David
- On the same lists
Drawing heavily on the culture of the ancient Norsemen, Gemmell takes familiar archetypes and crafts them into a well-told tale of sacrifice and dying well. Druss and his once-possessed axe...
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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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Grim Company book 1 Start here
22. The Grim Company
by Scull, Luke
- On the same lists
With 'grim' in the title, it's not hard to guess that this book is clearly camped in the grimdark sub-genre, and it hits all the right beats for gritty, amoral...
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The Acts Of Caine book 1 Start here
23. 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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24. 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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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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Gentleman Bastards book 1 Start here
26. The Lies Of Locke Lamora
by Lynch, Scott
- On the same lists
Not all Grimdark lacks humor. This series blends the darkness of Grimdark Fantasy with some lighter, comedic moments.
There's so much about this wonderful series that's right. From a thrilling Robin Hood caper story (think a magical Oceans 11), compelling and complex characters, deep and expansive world-building, fascinating...
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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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Raven's Shadow book 1 Start here
29. Blood Song
by Ryan, Anthony
- On the same lists
One of the best fantasy novels in recent times, Blood Song also happens to have many school-like elements. Left as a child at the gates of the Sixth Order, Vaelin...
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The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever book 1 Start here
30. Lord Foul's Bane
by Donaldson, Stephen R.
- On the same lists
Epic Fantasy that's also very High Fantasy. Features an antihero hero.
Lord Foul's Bane begins the epic Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, a series in which a leprosy-stricken man in the real world is transported to a stereotypical fantasy world....
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 Half A King.
The shortlist
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