Books like Night Watch
30 fantasy books to read after Night Watch, by Lukyanenko, Sergei, the closest match first.
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Watch book 2
1. Daywatch
by Lukyanenko, Sergei
- Same series
- Same author
The second book in the internationally bestselling Night Watch series—the powers of Darkness and the forces of Light grow closer to war. Tor the past one thousand years, the two...
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Watch book 3
2. Twilight Watch
by Lukyanenko, Sergei
- Same series
- Same author
The third book in Sergei Lukyanenko's dark and thrilling Night Watch series—a visionary blend of urban fantasY and riveting thriller, set in contemporary Moscow Night Watch and Day Watch revealed...
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Watch book 4
3. The Last Watch
by Lukyanenko, Sergei
- Same series
- Same author
The fourth novel in the blockbuster series from one of Russia's most popular authors, Last Watch returns us to the hyperimaginative world of Sergei Lukyanenko, where the endless battle between...
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Watch book 5
4. New Watch
by Lukyanenko, Sergei
- Same series
- Same author
Full of treachery and intrigue, the fifth volume in Sergei Lukyananko’s internationally bestselling Night Watch series—a mesmerizing blend of noir and urban fantasy, set in contemporary Moscow, that tells the...
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Watch book 1 Start here
5. The Night Watch
by Lukyanenko, Sergei
- Same series
- Same author
“[A] wonderful novel…Waters is almost Dickensian in her wealth of description and depth of character.”—Chicago Tribune Moving back through the 1940s, through air raids, blacked-out streets, illicit partying, and sexual...
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6. 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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7. 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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8. Night Watch
by Lukyanenko, Sergei
- Same author
The origin story of one of fantasy's move loved characters, Sam Vimes and arguably the best Pratchett book out of the entire Discworld canon. There is always an underlying rage...
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9. The Coldfire Trilogy
by Friedman, C.s.
- On the same lists
Influenced by Isaac Asimov, the magical force in these novels is derived from natural forces and governed by consistent rules, a force that humans must learn to control.
There are few things harder to control than emotion and this makes magic in The Cold Firetrilogy immensely difficult. The planet Erna is controlled by a force known as the...
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First Law World book 1 Start here
10. 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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The Dark Tower book 7
11. The Dark Tower
by King, Stephen
- On the same lists
The multiverse, parrellel universes, and a gun slinger that can save the multiverse. What more can you ask for? The Dark Tower is the single body of work that ties together every book ever created by King. Read it.
"The Dark Tower" is a series of books by Stephen King that blends elements of multiple genres, including horror, western, fantasy, and science fiction. The series follows the quest of...
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The Acts Of Caine book 1 Start here
12. 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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A Song Of Ice And Fire book 1 Start here
13. A Game Of Thrones
by Martin, George R. R.
- On the same lists
While Martin's epic contains a lot of brutality towards women, it also shows how women, surviving in a man's world, can use their cunning, charm, and looks to run the...
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The Vagrant book 1 Start here
14. 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 Chronicles Of The Black Company book 1 Start here
15. The Black Company
by Cook, Glen
- On the same lists
An elite mercenary unit is the focus of this series. It is a mix of fantasy, gritty realism, and military fiction. It is often cited as an inspiration for the Grimdark sub-genre.
In an era when fantasy was about honorable farm boys with magic swords and a noble destiny, Glen Cook said 'fuck that mess; let's have some amoral pricks doing bad...
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Dresden Files book 1 Start here
16. Storm Front
by Butcher, Jim
- On the same lists
A crime version of the Urban Fantasy sub-genre. Harry Dresden is a wizard and a private investigator
Harry Dresden is a wizard. He has decided to use his power to solve minor crimes to make a living, so he opens up his own private eye firm, the...
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17. The Prince Of Nothing
by Bakker, R. Scott
- On the same lists
In a world saturated by religious fanaticism, Maithanet, enigmatic spiritual leader of the Thousand Temples, declares a Holy War against the infidels. Ikurei Conphas, military genius and nephew to the...
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18. Skullsworn
by Staveley, Brian
- On the same lists
Most magic systems have a single source. In Earthsea, it’s words, Mistborn has metals, and so on. With his worldseries, Stavely does things a little differently. Magic users, known as...
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The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever book 1 Start here
19. 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....
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Gentleman Bastards book 1 Start here
20. 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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21. The Color Of Magic
by Pratchett, Terry
- On the same lists
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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22. The Incorruptibles
by Jacobs, John Horner
- On the same lists
This book is an odd mix of Western, Ancient Roman, steampunk, demons, elves and dwarves. It's a one of a kind book primarily just about the fates of a small...
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Thursday Next book 1 Start here
23. The Eyre Affair
by Fforde, Jasper
- On the same lists
Imagine an alternate world where the world of books and people collide. It does in this delightful series by Jasper Fforde. I could spend the next 10,000 words trying to...
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24. Lord Of The Rings
by Tolkien, J.r.r.
- On the same lists
Do I even need to discuss it? The father of modern fantasy, the recreation of the English myth, an apex of English literature; Lord of the Rings is more than...
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25. Assassin's Apprentice
by Hobb, Robin
- On the same lists
Hobb is one of the best characterization writers in the Fantasy genre. Her characters are vividly real, leaping out of the pages into our minds as living characters. She has...
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The Earthsea Cycle book 1 Start here
26. A Wizard Of Earthsea
by Guin, Ursula K. Le
- On the same lists
Today, Ursula K. Le Guin’s magic system may not sound exceptional. Like many, it uses the knowledge of true names to control elements, creatures, and even humans. Consider, however, that...
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The Red Queen's War book 1 Start here
27. 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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28. Fafhrd And The Gray Mouser
by Leiber, Fritz
- On the same lists
Often referred to as 'the greatest fantasy author you've never read' by some. And sadly true.But if you've read any modern sword and sorcery with dark themes, complex characters, strong...
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Manifest Delusions book 1 Start here
29. 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
30. 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...
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 Night Watch.
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