Books like Ready Player One: A Novel
30 fantasy books to read after Ready Player One: A Novel, by Cline, Ernest, the closest match first.
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1. Opening Moves: The Gam3
by Yap, Cosimo
- On the same lists
An entertaining science fiction power up LITRPG that focuses on a grand galaxy-spanning video game where the in-game stakes have real world consequences to earth.The fate of the universe literally...
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2. The Last Unicorn
by Beagle, Peter S.
- On the same lists
A beautiful, beautiful tale that will haunt you for the rest of your life. It's a simple story with a hell of a lot of heart. There's a good reason...
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3. American Gods
by Gaiman, Neil
- On the same lists
Neil Gaiman is an ever-popular writer who's branched into cinema, comics, and books. Quite a few people will argue that Neverwhere or Stardust is better than American Gods, but I...
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4. The Hobbit
by Tolkien, J.r.r.
- On the same lists
An unforgettable story and a tale that never gets old. It's not as broad in scope as Lord of the Rings which is not really a standalone, nor does it...
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5. Good Omens
by Gaiman, Neil
- On the same lists
Fantasy has never been so clever or funny as it is in the brilliant Good Omens.Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimen form a super team and pen one of the funniest...
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6. 11/22/63
by King, Stephen
- On the same lists
The best Stephen King in a decade, and even a coin toss for his best work yet. King takes a well-known historical event, the Assassination of JFK, and does something...
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7. The Book Of Joby
by Ferrari, Mark J.
- On the same lists
Oh this is a clever one. The premise is that God and Satan make a bet, a bet they have made countless times. But this time, the cards are stacked...
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8. The Name Of The Wind
by Rothfuss, Patrick
- On the same lists
Kvothe is a legend, and the man who now runs a quiet inn under another name is not eager to talk about it. When a chronicler tracks him down, he...
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9. Lord Of The Flies
by Golding, William
- On the same lists
A plane carrying schoolboys crashes on an uninhabited Pacific island with no adults left alive. Ralph, who is elected leader after blowing a conch to gather the others, tries to...
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10. The Martian
by Weir, Andy
- On the same lists
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Brilliant . . . a celebration of human ingenuity [and] the purest example of real-science sci-fi for many years . . . utterly compelling.”—The...
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Chronicle Of The Fallers book 1 Start here
11. The Abyss Beyond Dreams
by Hamilton, Peter F.
- On the same lists
A self-proclaimed prophet is haunted by visions of a lost civilisation, and the Commonwealth's founder, Nigel Sheldon, goes to find out whether they come from the Void, the vast region...
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12. The Dark Defiles
by Morgan, Richard
- On the same lists
The Dark Defiles is best of the series. Morgan built a fascinating world, dirt and all, and populated it will heroes that were also real people. Morgan dissects the idea...
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13. The Rune Lords
by Farland, David
- On the same lists
From Publishers WeeklyThe breathless third installment of Farland's second Runelords quartet opens with the cliffhanger from 2007's Sons of the Oak: flameweaver wizard Fallion Orden, son of the Earth King,...
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14. The Aspect Emperor
by Bakker, R. Scott
- On the same lists
Exquisitely intelligent and beautifully written . . . this is fantasy with muscle and brains, rife with intrigue and admirable depth of character, set in a world laden with history...
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15. Butchers Bird
by Kadrey, Richard
- On the same lists
Wow, what a novel -- supremely rich of imagination. Kadrey is often compared to the likes of Neil Gaiman, but more of a blue color version of him. Kadrey tackles...
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16. God's Demon
by Barlowe, Wayne
- On the same lists
Heaven and Hell books are a semi-popular fantasy genre. My pick for one of the more exciting books is God's Demon by Wayne Barlowe. Lucifer, rather than being that despicable...
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17. The Terror
by Simmons, Dan
- On the same lists
Two Royal Navy ships trapped in the Arctic ice are stalked by something that is not the cold, a frightening historical novel.
Be prepared to be truly terrified with this book! If you've never read Dan Simmons before, you have sinned indeed. Simmons is one of the most talented writers on the...
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18. Deerskin
by Mckinley, Robin
- On the same lists
An author who writes mesmerizing fantasy stories with an almost lyrical, dreamlike style. Her prose is always outstanding, top notch and beautiful to read. Deerskin is perhaps her best, most...
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19. Swordspoint
by Kushner, Ellen
- On the same lists
A definitive example of the Fantasy of Manners sub-genre. This is a witty novel with plot twists, humor, and interesting characters.
Perhaps the quintessential definition of the 'fantasy of manners' subgenre (sometimes referred to as 'mannerpunk'). It's a book that brilliantly combines elements of court intrigue, unbridled human emotion, and sword...
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20. To Ride Hell's Chasm
by Wurts, Janny
- On the same lists
Wurts is one of the more underrated fantasy authors in the genre; she's written many book, but perhaps her most fun, most thrilling book is her stand alone To Ride...
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21. Mirror World
by Osadchuk, Alexey
- On the same lists
The closest you'll find to Shaman's Quest series -- also by a Russian author with an unpronounceable name. If you've ever read one of those news articles about prisoners in...
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Realm Of Arkon book 1 Start here
22. Realm Of Arkon
by Akella, G.
- On the same lists
Real of Arkon is basically the MMORPG Everquest meets Diablo video game made into an LITRPG. I would not recommend this book as your segway into the world of LITRPG,...
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23. The Phantom Server
by Livadny, Andrei
- On the same lists
For a Star Trek-style sci-fi RPG, give The Phantom Server series a go. Livadny is an actual Russian science fiction writer who decided to try his hand at LitRPG, unlike...
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24. The Dark Paladin
by Mahanenko, Vasily
- On the same lists
Most people know Vasily Mahanenko through his Way of the Shaman books, which are probably the most popular LITRPG on Amazon right now. His brand new series, Dark Paladin, however,...
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25. The Game Is Life
by Schott, Mr. Terry
- On the same lists
This one has a very Hunger Games feel to it -- that is, there's lots of drama, angst, romance, and betrayal between a few 20-undersomethings.And of course, there is a...
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26. Perimeter Defense
by Atamanov, Michael
- On the same lists
This one has a lot of empire building and grand strategy in it -- sort of like the main character stuck in a virtual Eve Online who's is responsible for...
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27. Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm
by Hunter, J. A.
- On the same lists
If you've read Play to Live (Alterworld), Viridian Gate Online feels somewhat similar especially to the early Alterworld books (after the 4th book, the entire series details). It' got a...
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28. The Dark Herbalist
by Atamanov, Michael
- On the same lists
Atamanov wrote one of the better LitRPG's with his science fiction Perimeter Defense series, which tells a grand strategy style tale that feels a bit like your are reading a...
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29. Eden's Gate: The Reborn
by Brody, Edward
- On the same lists
Another cross-into-a-game-world LitRPG and a new one (came out in 2017), but it's also one of the better reads and certainly better than most. It has a bit of an...
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30. The Folding Knife
by Parker, K. J.
- On the same lists
One of the more complex fantasy works on this list, The Folding Knife is another one of those epics that don't initially made the standard epic fantasy criteria until you...
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 Ready Player One: A Novel.
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