Books like Conan The Barbarian
30 fantasy books to read after Conan The Barbarian, by Howard, Robert E., the closest match first.
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1. The Bloody Crown Of Conan
by Howard, Robert E.
- Same series
- Same author
In his hugely influential and tempestuous career, Robert E. Howard created the genre that came to be known as sword and sorcery—and brought to life one of fantasy’s boldest and...
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2. The Conquering Sword Of Conan
by Howard, Robert E.
- Same series
- Same author
This volume completes the set of Howard's Conan stories with some of his finest work, including "Beyond the Black River" and "Red Nails" alongside rare early drafts and synopses.
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3. Conan
by Howard, Robert E.
- Same author
This series has been widely popular across multiple platforms, but it got its start in the pulps in the Sword and Sorcery sub-genre. These are fun, adventurous stories that feature a hero who is outside of the story's social structure.
The Conan books are classics that helped form the early fantasy genre during the 30's, and along with Karl Wagner's Kane books and Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series, Howard's...
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4. Almuric
by Howard, Robert E.
- Same author
The muscular hero of this novel is transported to the alien world Almuric and battles monsters.
Just one example from the prolific Robert E. Howard, this novel features plenty of fight scenes with some strange monsters and a hero who must continually escape.
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5. The Broken Sword
by Anderson, Poul
- On the same lists
Dark gritty fantasy the way it's meant to be: violent, brutal, mythical, and supremely well written. Much has been made about the recent grimdark movement, with much credit being given...
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6. Conan The Barbarian
by Howard, Robert E.
- Same author
When someone mentions Sword and Sorcery, what comes to mind is Conan the Barbarian, arguably the greatest representation of the genre. It’s true that the story of Conan has been...
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7. Conan Of Cimmeria
by Howard, Robert E.
- Same author
A 1969 collection of eight Conan tales, edited by L. Sprague de Camp, who also wrote the introduction: "The Curse of the Monolith", "The Blood-Stained God", "The Frost Giant's Daughter",...
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8. Conan The Freebooter
by Howard, Robert E.
- Same author
A 1968 collection of five tales of Conan, the barbarian adventurer of Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age, with an introduction by L. Sprague de Camp. It contains "Hawks Over Shem",...
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9. Conan The Wanderer
by Howard, Robert E.
- Same author
A 1968 collection of four Conan stories with an introduction, a map of the Hyborian Age and an essay by L. Sprague de Camp. "Black Tears", by de Camp and...
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The Monarchies Of God book 1 Start here
10. Hawkwood's Voyage
by Kearney, Paul
- On the same lists
One of the best undiscovered epic fantasy series out there a sort of A Song of Ice and Fire lite if you will. Yes, if you want to look at...
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11. The Princess And The Goblin
by Macdonald, George
- On the same lists
This classic is written in a similar manner as Brother's Grimm and is a magical fairy tale about an independent, yet innocent, eight-year-old princess who discovers that her mysterious great-grandmother...
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12. Weird Tales Magazine
by Krimes, Kurtis
- On the same lists
Weird Tales had a seminal impact on Fantasy and Science Fiction. First published in March 1923, it was a pulp magazine aimed at readers who would enjoy "the weird, the...
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13. Fafhrd And The Gray Mouser
by Leiber, Fritz
- On the same lists
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are the titular characters of a collection of sword-and-sorcery stories. Originally they were created as more human counterpoints to larger than life characters like Tarzan...
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14. The Broken Sword
by Anderson, Poul
- On the same lists
The Broken Sword tells the story of a human baby stolen at birth and raised by elves. It is a rock-solid bit of writing and a truly fantastic dark fantasy...
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15. The Call Of Cthulhu And Other Weird Stories
by Lovecraft, Howard Phillips
- On the same lists
Lovecraft's tales of cosmic dread, including the title story where something ancient sleeps beneath the sea.
This is one of those books that if you give any plot lines – you give away the story. Suffice it to say that this dark and enticing set of...
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16. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland & Through The Looking-glass
by Carroll, Lewis
- On the same lists
A story that needs no introduction! The classical tale of Alice, who falls down a rabbit hole and into Wonderland. Filled with nonsense rhymes, songs, and puns, this is a...
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17. Peter Pan
by Barrie, J. M.
- On the same lists
What can I say to introduce a character as renowned as Peter Pan? Originally Peter Pan was an ensemble character in "The Little White Bird". Eventually, Peter Pan grew up...
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18. Lud-in-the-mist
by Mirrlees, Hope
- On the same lists
Lud-in-the-Mist is one of the genuinely overlooked classics, a striking piece of fantasy that, for almost 100 years, has been ignored and forgotten. Amazingly, when reading it, you wouldn't realize...
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19. Beowulf
- On the same lists
Beowulf is the oldest surviving long poem, written by an anonymous poet. It is acknowledged as being one of the most important works in English literature. Beowulf tells the story...
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20. The Picture Of Dorian Gray
by Wilde, Oscar
- On the same lists
This cautionary tale of morals, psychology, and poetic justice has become one of the greatest fantasy and horror works in recent history. After a young man makes a Faustian wish,...
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21. A Midsummer Night's Dream
by Shakespeare, William
- On the same lists
Arguably Shakespeare's best-known comedy, A Midsummers Night's Dream contains a tremendous amount of fantasy, romance, and folly. The story concerns itself largely with four individuals who, while entwined in a...
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22. One Thousand And One Nights
- On the same lists
Aladin, Sinbad, Genies, Flying Carpets, Ali Baba… One Thousand and One Nights has left us with some enduring characters. The European version was first introduced (in French) in 1707. For...
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23. The Ship Of Ishtar
by Merritt, Abraham
- On the same lists
This thrilling adventure story is jammed with as much true fantasy as any other writers 3 book series. It's such a pity that this book is not praised more. The...
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24. The Complete Fairy Tales
by Macdonald, George
- On the same lists
If C.S. Lewis and Tolkien say that Macdonald is their master and that they build on his foundation in every story they write… The Complete Fairy Tales must be a...
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25. The Iliad / The Odyssey
by Homer,
- On the same lists
Gripping listeners and readers for more than 2 700 years, The Iliad is the story of the Trojan War and Achilles. Written by an author we call Homer, both books...
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26. Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales
by Grimm, Jacob
- On the same lists
First of all – I'm not talking about the Disney version here. I'm talking about the real Grimms Fairy Tales – filled with rape (Sleeping Beauty), murder (Pinocchio), self-mutilation (Cinderella)...
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27. Tigana
by Kay, Guy Gavriel
- On the same lists
Tigana is based on Renaissance Italy. Kay uses Italian politics to make the story seem plausible.
Tigana is both a sweeping epic and a look into human nature – flaws and all. The characters and plot exist in an area of grey where good and evil...
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Mythago Wood book 1 Start here
28. Mythago Wood
by Holdstock, Robert
- On the same lists
There are many novels and novellas in this cycle which take place in a forest that has been untouched since the last ice age. It is a labyrinth, a place of peril and living myths.
'Unique' is a vastly overused word. It has about as much meaning as Kim K's twitter feed. But in the case of Mythago Wood, it's warranted. Firstly, Holdstock tells the...
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The Last Unicorn book 1 Start here
29. The Last Unicorn
by Beagle, Peter S.
- On the same lists
The short sequel to The Last Unicorn and is the quest of a young girl who seeks to make her village safe from a mean griffon.
Told from the perspective of the unicorn herself, this novel is as much satire as it is fairytale. The journey begins when she overhears a conversation insinuating that the unicorns...
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30. Good Omens
by Gaiman, Neil
- On the same lists
A sushi-loving angel, a gearhead demon and Death as a gamer nerd. Do we even need to be a plot?Why it's on this listSometimes fantasy (and its audience) takes itself...
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