What to read next
What to Read While Waiting for The Winds of Winter: 8 Fantasy Series for Game of Thrones Fans
Eight complete main stories for when you miss Martin's scheming, battles and difficult people.
Where to start
Start with the part of Westeros you miss most
For messy people with dangerous jobs, start with The Blade Itself. For rebellions and arguments over who deserves to rule, try The Grace of Kings. I don't need another fantasy series to copy Martin scene for scene. I want a good reason to care about its people, and a main story I can finish. All eight choices below have that last part covered.
The wait for The Winds of Winter leaves plenty of room for another big fantasy story. But 'like Game of Thrones' can mean very different things. A reader who wants rival rulers plotting against each other may not want the same book as someone who misses the battles or the old secrets beyond the Wall.
I've split these choices by those interests. Each recommendation starts with book one, explains the connection to A Song of Ice and Fire, and gives you a reason it might not be your next read. The counts cover the main story named here, rather than every book in a shared world.
Choose a starting point
Eight series at a glance
Tap a title to jump to its recommendation. Every main story in this table is complete.
| Start with | Choose it for | Main story | What changes from Martin |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Blade Itself | Compromised characters, power and dark humor | The First Law: 3 books; original trilogy complete | A more concentrated starting cast, with a strong streak of dark humor. |
| The Dragonbone Chair | Dynastic conflict, ancient history and a large medieval world | Memory, Sorrow and Thorn: 3 novels; complete | A kitchen boy and an ancient supernatural enemy anchor the story. |
| Malice | Warring realms, divided loyalties and battles | The Faithful and the Fallen: 4 books; complete | Prophecy and a struggle between good and evil take a larger role. |
| Mistborn: The Final Empire | A rebel crew, secrets and plans to topple a ruler | Mistborn Era One: 3 books; complete | A heist and metal-based magic replace the competing royal houses. |
| The Grace of Kings | Rebellion, rival leaders and the politics of ruling | The Dandelion Dynasty: 4 books; complete | Island kingdoms, silk airships and a different approach to empire. |
| The Shadow of What Was Lost | Forbidden magic, old threats and tangled mysteries | The Licanius Trilogy: 3 books; complete | Fate and magical puzzles matter more than rival dynasties. |
| The Fifth Season | Power, oppression and survival after catastrophe | The Broken Earth: 3 books; complete | A mother searches for her daughter on a continent coming apart. |
| The Poppy War | Military ambition and the terrible uses of power | The Poppy War: 3 books; complete | Its war draws on twentieth-century Chinese history. Graphic atrocities. |
The eight starting books
Which fantasy series should you try next?
These aren't eight versions of Westeros. Some keep the politics close; others follow a different thread. Start with the one whose difference sounds welcome.
1
The Blade Itself
Joe Abercrombie · The First Law · 3 books; original trilogy complete
A barbarian trying to survive his own reputation, a noble officer with far too much confidence, and a torturer working for the state: that's a promising group when what you miss is Martin's uncomfortable company. Logen Ninefingers, Jezal dan Luthar and Glokta bring very different ambitions and grievances with them. I'm more interested in what people excuse in themselves than in finding another honorable hero, so this is my first stop for that side of Westeros.
Before you start: Go here for cruelty, ambition and dark humor. The starting cast is more concentrated than Martin's spread of rival families, and its damaged adults are a different draw from the Stark children trying to find their way. The original trilogy is finished, with more novels and stories elsewhere in the First Law world.
2
The Dragonbone Chair
Tad Williams · Memory, Sorrow and Thorn · 3 novels; complete
Simon is a kitchen boy at the Hayholt when a royal succession begins pulling Osten Ard apart. Civil war, old grievances and an ancient enemy make this a sensible next stop for someone who wants another kingdom with a long memory. Williams was an important influence on Martin, but the family conflict is my reason for including him here. The connection runs deeper than castles on a map.
Before you start: There is more of a traditional quest here, with Simon's coming of age and the threat of the Storm King alongside the struggle for the throne. That combination makes sense when you want a big medieval fantasy with a clearer quest to follow. Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is a complete original trilogy; later Osten Ard books are separate reading commitments.
3
Malice
John Gwynne · The Faithful and the Fallen · 4 books; complete
Corban wants to become a warrior. Around him, the Banished Lands are edging toward a conflict much bigger than the fighting he imagines, with rival powers, returning giants and signs of an old struggle between angels and demons. I like the starting point: a boy wants to protect his home, without yet knowing how much he may have to protect it from.
Before you start: This goes to the battles-and-loyalties crowd before the reader who mainly wants court maneuvering. Prophecy and the fight between good and evil are more central to this setup than they are to Martin's rival claims to a throne. You get four books in The Faithful and the Fallen, ending with Wrath. Gwynne has other stories in the Banished Lands, but those aren't required to finish this quartet.
4
Mistborn: The Final Empire
Brandon Sanderson · Mistborn Era One · 3 books; complete
Vin, a young thief, joins Kelsier's crew in a plan to overthrow the Lord Ruler. That gives you rebellion, hidden power and people taking an enormous risk together, but on a different scale from Westeros. I like Mistborn as a change of pace here: the heist gives the first book a clear shared goal, while Vin's difficulty trusting the crew gives the plan a personal cost.
Before you start: Choose this because you want more magic, not because you need another Lannister. Allomancy has explicit rules built around metals, and working out what those powers allow is part of the fun. The central story runs through The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages. Those three books form a complete arc; the later Mistborn eras and the wider Cosmere are optional next steps.
5
The Grace of Kings
Ken Liu · The Dandelion Dynasty · 4 books; complete
Kuni Garu, a bandit, and Mata Zyndu, the son of a deposed duke, join a rebellion against an emperor. Agreeing on an enemy is one thing; agreeing on how people should be ruled is another. That's the part I want more of after Martin: allies whose ideas about justice can pull them in different directions, with whole countries caught in the argument.
Before you start: Put this ahead of the others when politics is the main attraction. Dara's islands, silk airships and shapeshifting gods also offer a real change of setting from Westeros. Don't come just for another medieval court. The Dandelion Dynasty is four books long and complete, concluding with Speaking Bones.
6
The Shadow of What Was Lost
James Islington · The Licanius Trilogy · 3 books; complete
Davian belongs to the Gifted, people whose magic is restricted by laws left after a rebellion. Beyond those restrictions lies an older danger, and the past is far from settled. I can happily leave the courts behind for questions about who gets to use magic and who wrote the rules. Those are the secrets that make Licanius worth considering alongside Martin.
Before you start: Come for forbidden powers, fate and mysteries tied to an old war. The politics of King's Landing are a less useful comparison here than the sense that the accepted history leaves something out. The three-book Licanius story is complete, ending with The Light of All That Falls.
7
The Fifth Season
N. K. Jemisin · The Broken Earth · 3 books; complete
A continent suffers a catastrophe just as Essun's family is torn apart. Her search for her daughter takes place in a society that depends on, and oppresses, people with the power to affect the earth itself. The link to Martin is power reaching into ordinary lives: who gets protected, who gets used, and what survival asks of someone already hurt.
Before you start: I wouldn't choose this to recreate the atmosphere of a Westerosi castle. A mother's search and a struggle over dangerous abilities make it a much bigger departure than The Dragonbone Chair. That is its attraction when another throne dispute sounds too familiar. The Broken Earth is a finished trilogy. Be aware of child death and abuse alongside the wider disaster.
8
The Poppy War
R. F. Kuang · The Poppy War · 3 books; complete
Rin wins a place at an elite military academy, but escaping poverty puts her on a path toward war and a dangerous connection to divine power. Following that ambition into frightening territory is the reason to put this beside Martin. For me, the question of what someone might do with that much power is a stronger draw than another contest over who inherits it.
Before you start: The academy opening is no reason to expect a gentle school adventure. This military fantasy draws on twentieth-century Chinese history, rather than Martin's medieval dynastic struggles. Content warning: graphic war atrocities, genocide, sexual violence, torture and drug use. Liking dark fantasy isn't a reason to brush those aside. The Poppy War, The Dragon Republic and The Burning God form the complete trilogy.
Still choosing? Follow the thing you miss
My shortlist would come down to Abercrombie and Liu for two different reasons: people making excuses for themselves, or people arguing over power. Those aren't quite the same appetite. And there's no obligation to stay close to Martin if a rebel crew or a completely different world sounds better tonight.
The people and their bad decisions
Start with The Blade Itself for a barbarian, an officer and a torturer whose jobs and ambitions put them in dangerous company.
The alliances and rival rulers
The Grace of Kings puts two rebel allies with different ideas about ruling at the center of an imperial struggle.
A large medieval world
The Dragonbone Chair combines a royal succession with the history and supernatural threats of Osten Ard. For warfare and prophecy, try Malice instead.
Old secrets and magical questions
Choose Licanius for forbidden abilities and mysteries about the past. Choose Mistborn for a rebel plan whose magic has clear rules.
A bigger change from Westeros
The Fifth Season swaps dynastic rivalry for a mother's search through catastrophe. The Poppy War is the military option, but its content warnings matter more than any comparison to Martin.
Malice: warfare and prophecy · Mistborn: rebellion and metal-based magic · The Poppy War: military fantasy and content warnings
Returning to Martin instead?
Sometimes the answer is still Westeros. The five published main novels leave a lot to revisit, and the reading-order guide separates them from the histories and Dunk and Egg stories. My reviews of A Game of Thrones and A Dance with Dragons go into the appeal and the frustrations without asking you to bet on a publication date.
Sources
Sources for this guide
Author and publisher pages for the series and their starting books:
- Joe Abercrombie: The First Law books
- Tad Williams: Memory, Sorrow and Thorn
- John Gwynne: The Faithful and the Fallen
- Brandon Sanderson: the original Mistborn trilogy
- Ken Liu: The Dandelion Dynasty
- James Islington: The Licanius Trilogy
- N. K. Jemisin: The Broken Earth
- HarperCollins: the complete Poppy War trilogy
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