Books like The Godless World
30 fantasy books to read after The Godless World, by Ruckley, Brian, the closest match first.
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The Godless World book 2
1. Bloodheir
by Ruckley, Brian
- Same series
- Same author
The world has fallen from its former state. The war between the clans of the Black Road and the True Bloods has spread. For Orisian, thane of the ruined Lannis...
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2. 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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3. The Incorruptibles
by Jacobs, John Horner
- On the same lists
This book is an odd mix of Western, Ancient Roman, steampunk, demons, elves and dwarves. It's a one of a kind book primarily just about the fates of a small...
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4. The Witcher
by Sapkowski, Andrzej
- On the same lists
Polish fantasy has come to North America and, judging from how awesome it is, here to stay.If you've played the fabulous 'Witcher' video games, you'll have some idea what this...
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The Dark Tower book 1 Start here
5. The Gunslinger
by King, Stephen
- On the same lists
For a fantasy-ish recommendation, which features a whole many worlds concept.
Roland, the world's last gunslinger, tracks an enigmatic Man in Black toward a forbidding dark tower, fighting forces both mortal and other-worldly on his quest
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6. A Cavern Of Black Ice
by Jones, J. V.
- On the same lists
The first in the Sword of Shadows series (which is still not yet complete with over 5 years since Jones published the last book) and a gritty, epic fantasy. Jones...
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7. Midnight Sun
by Wagner, Karl Edward
- On the same lists
Welcome to the world of Kane, perhaps the most complex characters in early Sword and Sorcery pulp. Wagner with his Kane stores together with Howard's Conan helped shaped the Sword...
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Instrumentalities Of The Night book 1 Start here
8. The Tyranny Of The Night
by Cook, Glen
- On the same lists
Another entry from the always awesome Glen Cook, a new almost mystical figure in the fantasy world with his genre defining work The Black Company which pretty much helped birth...
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Aeons' Gate book 1 Start here
9. Tome Of The Undergates
by Sykes, Sam
- On the same lists
Another one of those grimdarks that borrows heavily from the Joe Abercrombie style of it. But, perhaps a bit much of it. If you like your world bleak and dirty...
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10. Son Of The Morning
by Alder, Mark
- On the same lists
Wow, what a ride this novel was. Highly ambitious and imaginative, Son of Morning proves itself a player in the genre. The book is a blend of alternative history blended...
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11. The Sundering
by Carey, Jacqueline
- On the same lists
This series goes for the high style, flowery mythos of The Silmarillion but crossed with the more personal story of The Lord of the Rings. This is not just the...
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12. The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen
by Garner, Alan
- On the same lists
English mythology abounds in this; like Lord of the Rings, Weirdstone of Brisingamen is based heavily on English mythology, from which the tale draws inspiration. Both Lord of the Rings...
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13. Red Tide
by Turner, Marc
- On the same lists
Marc Turner stepped into the fantasy genre in 2015 with his first book, When the Heavens Fall, which was a good combination of high fantasy and grimdark. His second release,...
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14. The Forgetting Moon
by Durfee, Brian Lee
- On the same lists
The Forgetting Moon is the first book in The Five Warrior Angels by newcomer Brian Lee Durfee, and boy is it a fun ride. We all know the classic fantasy...
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15. Snakewood
by Selby, Adrian
- On the same lists
This book is about the retired members of a legendary band of mercenaries called 'Kailen's Twenty' being hunted down and murdered for reasons unknown. As such, the surviving members must...
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16. The Dragon's Legacy
by Wolf, Deborah A.
- On the same lists
This is a brand-new novel from a debut author, and is a great addition to the grimdark roster. The world is slowly dying, with fewer babies born every year, and...
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17. The First Law
by Abercrombie, Joe
- On the same lists
This series takes place in an epic fantasy world at war and contains gritty violence and realistic characters.
Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood. Unpredictable, compelling, wickedly funny,...
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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. 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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Low Town book 1 Start here
20. Low Town
by Polansky, Daniel
- On the same lists
Low Town (titled the Straight-Razor Cure in the UK), is the first instalment in the Low Town series, and is a noir detective mystery transplanted to a fantasy setting. The...
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21. Conan The Barbarian
by Howard, Robert E.
- On the same lists
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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The Vagrant book 1 Start here
22. The Vagrant
by Newman, Peter
- On the same lists
This book is about the titular vagrant, who is a mute, and his journey across a desolate, demon-ravaged world with a baby and a goat. It sounds pretty weird and...
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Farseer book 1 Start here
23. Assassin's Apprentice
by Hobb, Robin
- On the same lists
Several sets of linked trilogies and short stories of high fantasy set in the same world.
How could a story about the apprentice of an assassin not be grimdark? It couldn't, that's how. This first entry sparked off three trilogies about the one protagonist, which contain...
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24. 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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25. The Left Hand Of God
by Hoffman, Paul
- On the same lists
One of the more interesting series. The author takes the classic young prodigy destined to change the world conceit and plays around with it in some new ways. For one,...
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Shattered Sea book 1 Start here
26. Half A King
by Abercrombie, Joe
- 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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27. Skullsworn
by Staveley, Brian
- On the same lists
Most magic systems have a single source. In Earthsea, it’s words, Mistborn has metals, and so on. With his worldseries, Stavely does things a little differently. Magic users, known as...
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The Riftwar book 1 Start here
28. Magician
by Feist, Raymond
- On the same lists
Like David Eddings, Feist was one of the first fantasy novelists to have measurable commercial success – the kind that landed him on the bestseller list. It had a lasting...
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The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever book 1 Start here
29. 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
30. 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...
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 Godless World.
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