Books like The First Law
30 fantasy books to read after The First Law, by Abercrombie, Joe, the closest match first.
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The First Law Universe book 2
1. Before They Are Hanged
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same series
- Same author
Modern take on epic fantasy.
Superior Glokta has a problem. How can he defend a city surrounded by enemies and riddled with traitors, when his allies can by no means be trusted? Ancient secrets will...
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The First Law Universe book 3
2. The Last Argument Of Kings
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same series
- Same author
The end is coming. Logen Ninefingers might only have one more fight in him but it's going to be a big one. Battle rages across the North, the king of...
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Shattered Sea book 1 Start here
3. Half A King
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same author
- On the same lists
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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4. 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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First Law World book 1 Start here
5. The Blade Itself
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same author
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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First Law World book 4
6. 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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7. The Wheel Of Time
by Jordan, Robert
- On the same lists
This award winning magical realism novel creates a complex world that is literal and magical, that has a history of unrest, and chronicles human experience.
The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave...
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First Law World book 5
8. 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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Shattered Sea book 1 Start here
9. Half A King
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same author
If you don't know who Joe Abercrombie is, then shame on you. His other work is at the forefront of gritty fantasy (hint: you might spot him further down this...
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10. The First Law Trilogy
by Abercrombie, Joe
- Same author
A torturer, a barbarian and a vain nobleman are dragged into a war, the grim, darkly funny start of Abercrombie's First Law.
One of the best fantasy book series period and one of the best audiobook performances to boot. This is one of those rare reading performances by a master narrator where...
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11. The Long Price Quartet
by Abraham, Daniel
- On the same lists
This is NOT your standard epic fantasy. But oh man, there's a lot to love about this one. If you want to take a much needed break from the standard...
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The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever book 1 Start here
12. 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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A Land Fit For Heroes book 1 Start here
13. 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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The Book Of The New Sun book 1 Start here
14. 1981: The Shadow Of The Torturer
by Wolfe, Gene
- On the same lists
The sun has dimmed, the Earth is cooler and has been transformed in wondrous ways.
'The Shadow of the Torturer' is the first book in Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. Narrated by Severian, a member of the Guild of Torturers, the...
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15. 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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16. The Kingkiller Chronicle
by Rothfuss, Patrick
- On the same lists
The Name of the Wind is a stunning work of imagination and storytelling triumph and currently ranks very near the top of my Top 25 Best Fantasy List. I won't...
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17. The Chronicles Of The Unhewn Throne
by Staveley, Brian
- On the same lists
A new epic fantasy series that just hits pitch perfect notes. This is really one of the best new fantasy series to come out the past decade.There's royal siblings separated...
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18. The Barrow
by Smylie, Mark
- On the same lists
The Barrow was a 2014 release of pure, unadulterated grimdark with a cast of antiheroes. Vicious, action-packed, brutal with more bad language throne in than Eminem song. And did I...
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19. The Godless World
by Ruckley, Brian
- On the same lists
I would categorize this as the bastard child of Tolkien and Martin: it has some of the ancient lore and world-building mythos present in Tolkien crossed with the dark grittiness...
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20. Herald Of The Storm
by Ford, Richard
- On the same lists
A new author who pays some serious tribute to Abercrombie with his style of grimdark. Do read if you like depressing, action ridden fantasy with a cast of troubled heroes....
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The Chronicles Of The Black Company book 1 Start here
21. Black Company
by Cook, Glen
- On the same lists
This epic fantasy series is quite a bit different from your standard fantasy fare. If you want an epic military fantasy series where good and bad are not so clearly...
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22. The Killing Moon
by Jemisin, N. K.
- On the same lists
A series that's immensely well written and one that takes quite a few of the epic fantasy archetypes and runs away with them in a slightly new direction.Expect complex politics,...
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The Chronicles Of The Black Company book 1 Start here
23. 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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24. 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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Grim Company book 1 Start here
25. 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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26. Man Of His Word
by Duncan, Dave
- On the same lists
A beloved fantasy series by all who've read it, though few modern fantasy readers have read it. This is probably one of the best hidden epic fantasy gems out there...
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27. 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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28. The Traitor Son Cycle
by Cameron, Miles
- On the same lists
Epic fantasy meets medieval historical fiction.And about fucking time.No more cutting off heads with butter knives, riding days in full plate armor without feeling a scratch of discomfort, fighting for...
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The Acts Of Caine book 1 Start here
29. 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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30. Sword Of Shadows
by Jones, J. V.
- On the same lists
I can't say enough good things about this amazing fantasy series except that the author has gone completely AWOL and, as of 2015, looks like she's pretty much abandoned writing...
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 The First Law.
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