Books like Nation
30 fantasy books to read after Nation, by Pratchett, Terry, the closest match first.
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1. Codex Alera
by Butcher, Jim
- On the same lists
While some of the books on this list offer a fresh take on the classics, Jim Butcher creates something entirely new. It began on a writer's workshop board during an...
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Bloodsounder's Arc book 1 Start here
2. Scourge Of The Betrayer
by Salyards, Jeff
- On the same lists
This novel is dark fantasy down to the core, bringing a refreshing tone and plenty of room for development. It's told not from the eyes of the protagonist but the...
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Shattered Sea book 2
3. Half The World
by Abercrombie, Joe
- On the same lists
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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Nightrunner book 2
4. Stalking Darkness
by Flewelling, Lynn
- On the same lists
Flewelling's series takes place in the medieval country of Skala and presents a near-perfect sword and sorcery experience. It details the growth of Alec, saved from prison by Seregil, a...
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5. Seventh Son
by Card, Orson Scott
- On the same lists
This series is part Fantasy and part Alternate History and takes place after the American Revolutionary War. Supernatural powers are simply a part of life. The main character has tremendous powers.
Orson Scott Card is best known for his immensely popular Ender's Game series, but he hasn't just tried his hand at the sci-fi genre. Card markets Alvin Maker as a...
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6. The Cycle Of Fire
by Wurts, Janny
- On the same lists
The Cycle of Fire is another one of those classic series. The world is in danger, and three children are its only chance of survival. It's a popular plot line,...
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7. Magician
by Feist, Raymond E.
- On the same lists
It's really hard to go wrong with a good magician's apprentice story, but Raymond Feist manages to push beyond that with an epic scale and several new elements. Magician is...
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8. Song Of The Lioness
by Pierce, Tamora
- On the same lists
Tamora Pierce's Lioness series manages to touch on difficult issues without ever preaching them. Through Alanna, she explores both feminist and gender identity issues while weaving an epic story of...
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9. The Troupe
by Bennett, Robert Jackson
- On the same lists
Vaudeville: mad, mercenary, dreamy, and absurd, a world of clashing cultures and ferocious showmanship and wickedly delightful deceptions. But sixteen-year-old pianist George Carole has joined vaudeville for one reason only:...
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10. The Color Of Magic
by Pratchett, Terry
- 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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The Belgariad book 1 Start here
11. Pawn Of Prophecy
by Eddings, David
- On the same lists
There books that are great in their complexity and moral exploration, and ones that are amazing simply for the entertainment they provide. David Edding's Belgariad series falls into the second...
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Damar book 1 Start here
12. The Blue Sword
by Mckinley, Robin
- On the same lists
The original "strong heroine" fantasy author, McKinley broke new ground with her work in the 80's. Harry Crewe feels restless, insignificant, invisible. Until kelar, a kind of magical force handed...
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13. The Goblin Emperor
by Addison, Katherine
- On the same lists
This Hugo and Nebula nominee goes outside the realm of traditional fantasy in a blend of steampunk and dark magic. All too often, fantasy focuses on human protagonists, or half-elves/faeries....
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14. The Ice Dragon
by Martin, George R. R.
- On the same lists
Most of the world has heard of Game of Thrones by now, but R. R. Martin's book series is still overlooked in favor of the more accessible TV show. For...
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15. Harry Potter
by Rowling, J. K.
- On the same lists
Most of you will have read it already, some of you will be sick of it, but you can't do a coming of age list without mentioning it. Harry Potter...
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16. Chronicles Of The Unhewn Throne
by Staveley, Brian
- On the same lists
Staveley's Unhewn Throne series presents an intelligent mash-up of three simultaneous coming of age stories. Separated for eight years, three royal children must face the fallout of the Emperor's assassination...
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17. The Golden Compass
by Pullman, Philip
- On the same lists
His Dark Materials plunges you into an intriguing alternate universe that is both familiar, and strange. Imagine a world where we each have our own daemons (spirit animals) that are...
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18. The Light Fantastic
by Pratchett, Terry
- 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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19. Equal Rites
by Pratchett, Terry
- 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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20. Mort
by Pratchett, Terry
- 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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21. Sourcery
by Pratchett, Terry
- 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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22. Wyrd Sisters
by Pratchett, Terry
- Same author
Terry Pratchett’s fantasy classic Wyrd Sisters, a novel in the Discworld series, is the story of Granny Weatherwax, the most highly regarded non-leader a coven of non-social witches could ever...
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23. Pyramids
by Pratchett, Terry
- Same author
Pyramids is the seventh book in the award-winning comic fantasy Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. In Pyramids, you'll discover the tale of Teppic, a student at the Assassin’s Guild of...
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24. Guards! Guards!
by Pratchett, Terry
- Same author
Get to know all the members of the Lion Guard in this interactive book! Young readers will love peeking under 40 flaps to explore the Pride Lands with the Guard.
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25. Red Rising (not Magic, But Hunger Games Survival Meets School Setting With Some Fantasy Elements)
by Brown, Pierce
- On the same lists
Books in this sub-genre focus almost entirely on magic, but Red Rising stands in stark contrast to that. Part dystopia, part sci-fi fantasy, Red Risingfocuses on the story of a...
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26. Bartimaeus Sequence
by Stroud, Jonathan
- On the same lists
If you're fed up with books that take themselves too seriously, Jonathan Stroud's debut series is a great place to find a break. His style is of a casual, comedic...
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27. The Book Of Lost Things
by Connolly, John
- On the same lists
This book makes the list for its unique focus on psychology inside of the sub-genre. Connolly tells the story of a child so lost in books and darkness that he...
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Chronicles Of Narnia book 1 Start here
28. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe
by Lewis, C. S.
- On the same lists
At this point, there's very little to be said about Narnia that hasn't been put better already. But I have to justify this list somehow, so I may as well...
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Alex Verus book 1 Start here
29. Alex Verus
by Jacka, Benedict
- On the same lists
Alex Verus by Benedict Jacka A lot of the books on this list have a similarity. They may be in wildly different settings and various fantasy worlds, but most of...
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30. Long Price Quartet
by Abraham, Daniel
- On the same lists
Western settings. Farm boys. Spoilt rich kids. Often, coming of age fantasy hits you over the head with unsubtle interactions and world-building. Abraham's Long Price Quartet does not fit into...
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 Nation.
The shortlist
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