House of the Dragon, the long awaited prequel to Game of Thrones, hit our screens this year, and it was everything we needed after GoT ended. Intrigue, drama, betrayal and dragons! We loved it! We are big fantasy nerds over here at LitVox. So we couldn’t wait to put together recommendations to scratch the itch now that the first season is finished!
We’ve tried to balance our list between epic, winding series that will entertain you for years to come, and stories contained in only one book. This way you get everything you want without the agony of waiting for authors to finsh their series.
*cough George R. Martin cough*
Let us know if we missed any of your favourites, or books we absolutely have to read!
This book has dragons so really what else do we have to say?
But seriously, The Priory of the Orange Tree is a spectacular fantasy with everything a reader could need. A world on the brink of war, a leader without an heir, and an ancient enemy awakening.
The scope of the book is incredible. It overflows with detailed worldbuilding that draws the reader in. As a standalone novel, it is also a story that won’t demand years of commitment. Although you may come back to it year after year to reimmerse yourself in its story, characters and world.
The Name of the Wind is a beautifully written fantasy novel that hooks you in from the very first page. It follows Kvothe, who has assumed the identity of Kote, a gentle innkeeper. It tells the story of his incredible life as a magician, a dragon slayer, legend hunter, thief and assassin.
Unfortunately, The Name of the Wind is one of the unfinished series on our list. But don’t let that stop you! The worldbuilding is incredible and the characters are well-written.
Plus, waiting for the third book in the series will give you more practice while you wait for the next season of House of the Dragon.
Amoung Thieves has everything a fantasy fan could want! Betrayal, magic, humour, and characters who are morally grey and more interesting because of it!
Ryia ‘the Butcher’ Cautella is a thief, a scoundral, and the quickest blade in whatever city she is currently hiding in.
Because she is hiding from a deadly secret that she is desperately working towards freeing herself of. To do this, she sets out to complete one last, impossible job. With a crew of thieves, more likely to backstab her then help her, she plans a high-stakes heist. She has to steal an item from the Guildmaster. Who is not only the sovereign ruler of five kingdoms but the person Ryia is hiding from!
Although this story is a standalone, Kuhn had annouced there will be a second book released sometime in 2023, so if you love Ryia and her crew of misfits like we do, you have more to look forward to!
The best part of Prince of Thorns is that the series is finished. We kid!
Prince of Thorns is a spectacular novel that captures intrigue, anti-heros and dark secrets. Jorg Ancrath has gone from being a privileged royal child to becoming the Prince of Thorns, a brutal, ruthless leader of a gang of brutal, ruthless men. He may be only thirteen, but this is far from a YA book. Intending to find who is really in charge of his country, Jorg must return to his father’s castle and confront the horrors of his childhood.
With the ability to master the living and the dead, and a plan to become king by the time he’s fifteen, Jorg is a fascinating character you can’t help but root for. Especially as you learn more and more about the horrors of his past.
The beloved series that was finally finished in 2013, and now has a Prime adaptation, is well worth the read. With twenty books, it is a commitment, but if you’re a big fantasy lover, all that means is there is more story to consume.
The story begins, as any great fantasy story does, with a group of woud-be heroes fleeing their village after an attack by terrifying creatures. This leads them to discovering a world of magic, prophecy and ancient evil.
Locke Lamora is one of our favourite fantasy characters. Ever. Everyone has their favourites and he is definitely one of ours.
After being taken off the streets by a gifted con artist, Locke grows up to become the Thorn of Camorr, a legendary character who is rumoured to be able to beat anyone in a fight, rumoured to steal from the rich to give to the poor, and rumoured that he is part man and part myth.
Locke is none of those things; although he is a gifted thief. He keeps his spoils for himself and his Gentlemen Bastards, the men who help him pull off his cons. When they’re challenged by the mysterious Grey King, everything Locke holds dear will be caught in the balance.
With incredibly developed characters, and an astounding and fast moving plot, there is nothing here for fantasy lovers to dislike! It is part of a seven book arc which is unfinished so far, but it can absolutely be read as a standalone.
The first book in the series, Gardens of the Moon tells the stor of a neverending war, political games and infighting, and bloody confrontations across the Malazon empire. Even as the imperial legions long for peace, the gods themselves are stepping forward to throw their own brand of havoc into play.
This grand, sprawling fantasy series stretches over ten books that only grows better with rereads and hindsight. The reader is thrown into the world, the wars, the politics and the drama, and with more than ten POV’s to read, and hundred more names, it can seem daunting. But Erikson does an excpetional job of making each character distinct and memorable. And the best part is the ten book series is finished so you can go in knowing there is already an ending waiting for you!
We couldn’t make a list of book recommendations and not include the inspiration for the show itself!
Telling the history of the Targaryens, this story chronicles how their bloody rule came to be. Tense, dramatic and full of dramatic betrayals, this book will definitely fill the void until the next season is realeased!
