Books like Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn
30 fantasy books to read after Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn, by Williams, Tad, the closest match first.
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Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn book 1 Start here
1. Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn
by Williams, Tad
- Same series
- Same author
Epic fantasy with attention to characters and details.
Tad Williams' series was the source of inspiration for many of the titles on the listand some outside of it. Authors like R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, and more all cite...
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Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn book 3
2. To Green Angel Tower
by Williams, Tad
- Same series
- Same author
In the final book of the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy, the newly knighted Simon is fighting to defend the town of refugees that has grown up around the Stone...
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Shadowmarch book 1 Start here
3. Shadowmarch
by Williams, Tad
- Same author
- 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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4. 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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5. 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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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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The Swans' War book 1 Start here
9. The Swan's War
by Russell, Sean
- On the same lists
A beautiful and deftly woven fantasy tale that rings strong with a lot of the elements that make Lord of the Rings so captivating.Why might you want to read this?...
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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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Otherland book 1 Start here
11. Otherland
by Williams, Tad
- Same author
This one has been around for a long while now and pre-dates the whole LitRPG movement. However, as the premise of the story takes place partly in a massive, realistic...
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Bobby Dollar book 1 Start here
12. Dirty Streets Of Heaven
by Williams, Tad
- Same author
This one by Tad Williams, a master at writing well plotted, rich fantasy tales.This is his second foray into urban fantasy territory (first being War of the Flowers - another...
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13. 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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14. The Splintered Sun
by Williams, Tad
- Same author
Three hundred years before The Dragonbone Chair, the old king of Hernystir is dying, warlords are seizing land and factions are fighting over the succession. Flann Alderwood, a bandit leader,...
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15. 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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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. 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
19. 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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20. 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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21. 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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Bobby Dollar book 2
22. Happy Hour In Hell
by Williams, Tad
- Same author
I’ve been told to go to Hell more times than I can count. But this time I’m actually going. My name’s Bobby Dollar, sometimes known as Doloriel, and of course,...
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Bobby Dollar book 3
23. Sleeping Late For Judgment Day
by Williams, Tad
- Same author
Tad Williams has been doing some good stuff in the Urban fantasy subgenre the past couple years. His Bobby Dollar novels are a refreshing addition to the genre and a...
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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 Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn.
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