Books like The Swan's War
30 fantasy books to read after The Swan's War, by Russell, Sean, the closest match first.
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The Swans' War book 2
1. The Isle Of Battle
by Russell, Sean
- Same series
- Same author
Epic high fantasy this good comes along only once in a while! Standing with the best of the field, Sean Russell's Swans' War series has enchanted readers and critics alike...
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The Swans' War book 3
2. The Shadow Roads
by Russell, Sean
- Same series
- Same author
After the King of Ayr died without naming an heir, a century of enmity destroyed the one kingdom, as the mighty families of the Renné and the Wills fought to...
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3. The Gentleman Bastards
by Lynch, Scott
- On the same lists
This starts off decidedly on a non-epic note: a band of thieves go about robbing the rich to...live lavishly and just because they can. There is not great evil to...
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4. Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant
by Donaldson, Stephen R.
- On the same lists
A fantasy tale that people love to love or love to hate -- there is very rarely any middle ground when it comes to Thomas Covenant. My recommendation is that...
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Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn book 2
5. Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn
by Williams, Tad
- On the same lists
There are writers who like to write pulp and there are some writers who like to write fiction. Williams is the latter. Memory, Sorrow, Thorn. This series has made pretty...
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6. The Dark Is Rising Sequence
by Cooper, Susan
- On the same lists
The setting is our world, but rooted in a mythological Celtic past.
One of the best YA epic fantasy series. Well-developed characters that are stereotypical but still exhibit a surprising amount of depth. A standard save-the-world plot, but one that still evokes...
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7. Guards Guards
by Pratchett, Terry
- On the same lists
The eighth novel of the Discworld series. A noble dragon, some magic, and a bit of mayhem make for an adventurous and humorous ride.
What best list would be complete without throwing on something funny: a book that fully critiques the very archetype carrying the story forward. If you were to toss in Terry...
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8. Earthsea Cycle
by Guin, Ursula K. Le
- On the same lists
Another fantasy series that crops up near the top of many best fantasy lists. Earthsea Cycle is a classic fantasy tale well done. While it doesn't rack up a sizable...
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Shadowmarch book 1 Start here
9. Shadowmarch
by Williams, Tad
- On the same lists
Epic fantasy has become so cheap it's now at the dime-a-dozen price range. Every author and wannabe-author is trying to pour out epics faster than beer at a Irish pub...
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10. Oath Of Empires Saga
by Harlan, Thomas
- On the same lists
This is epic fantasy with a face you've never seen before. The series centers on an alternative Rome where magic works. And like the real Rome, this Rome is a...
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11. 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...
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12. Imajica
by Barker, Clive
- On the same lists
Barker's vast, strange epic of rival worlds and a sorcerer's quest, horror on the scale of high fantasy.
You might also call this one The Lord of the Rings of horror books -- a somewhat apt description that describes what this is. It's not a book that will...
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13. 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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14. 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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15. Boreal Moon Trilogy
by May, Julian
- On the same lists
A High fantasy series that's never gotten the love it deserves. I read this series a few years ago and was thoroughly addicted. Lots of politics, fighting, strange magic, and...
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The Chronicles Of The Black Company book 1 Start here
16. 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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17. 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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18. 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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Moontide Magic Rise book 1 Start here
19. World Without End
by Russell, Sean
- Same author
Two centuries after the building of the elaborate Gothic cathedral in Kingsbridge, its prior finds himself at the center of a web of ambition and revenge that places the city...
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Moontide Magic Rise book 2
20. Sea Without A Shore
by Russell, Sean
- Same author
LEARY AND MUNDY RETURN in the RCN SERIES. #10 in the nationally best-selling Republic of Cinnabar Navy space adventure series. Cinnabar's chief spymaster is a mother also--and her son is...
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21. World Without End
by Russell, Sean
- Same author
Sean Russell writes books for people who like to read. Ponderous, slow, and often steeped in mystery, his worlds are rich with characterization and plot. His "Moontide and Magic" is...
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Initiate Brother book 1 Start here
22. The Initiate Brother
by Russell, Sean
- Same author
An epic fantasy featuring a martial artist monk as a hero. Set in a mythical alternate china.
This duology has flown under the radar in the fantasy world, which is a shame - it’s perhaps one of the richest fantasy tales out there, made all the more...
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Initiate Brother book 2
23. Gatherer Of Clouds
by Russell, Sean
- Same author
A young monk with extraordinary powers must save his empire from barabarian hordes poised at the border and ready to invade.
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24. 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 Death Gate Cycle book 1 Start here
25. Dragon Wing
by Weis, Margaret
- On the same lists
The Death Gate Cycle
The Death Gate Cycle has been praised endlessly for its world-building, so it’s no surprise that an incredible magic system backs it up. Humans are split into two races, the...
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26. 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...
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27. 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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28. 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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29. Abhorsen Trilogy
by Nix, Garth
- On the same lists
A dark epic fantasy tale about a girl who will go into the land of the dead to save her father. It's an exciting adventure that's also scary. Nix is...
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30. The Dagger And The Coin
by Abraham, Daniel
- On the same lists
Five books in now, this series is turning out to be one of the best in the genre. If you are expecting another sort of Wheel of Time or Stormlight...
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 Swan's War.
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