Well, well, well, look what the bookwyrm dragged in! Haven’t seen a thirst for fantasy this big since a hobbit discovered an untapped keg of old Gaffer’s Famous Brew!
Alrighty, let’s kick things off with a clapback from the dawn of fantasy literature itself, *The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan*! Oh, man, this series is like A Song of Ice and Fire and The Lord of the Rings had a brainchild, but that child then decided to run off and join the circus…but in a good way!
Coming in at a whopping 14 books, it’s got all the high stakes, diverse characters, and intricate relationships you loved in Martin, with the meticulously crafted world building and epic scope of Tolkien to boot. That’s like having your cake and eating it too! You get ambushed by so many twists and turns in this series that it feels like riding a roller coaster in the dark!
Folks journey from one end of the world to the other (literally), learning to adapt and change in ways they never expected and all in the face of a looming, otherworldly darkness! And who knows, you might just appreciate the magic system here more than in the Witcher. It’s nothing worth ‘time’ travelling for, eh?
Next up, we leave the high soaring towers and embroidered robes for *The Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson*. This is the 24-hour all-you-can-eat buffet of fantasy, and yes, they even have shrimp! Erikson’s style is darker than Martin’s, more visceral, more “in your face”. If A Song of Ice and Fire is a marathon, then Malazan Book of the Fallen is an ultra-triathlon through the Himalayas, in the middle of winter, at night, and you’re wearing flip flops.
There are no hero’s journeys or dark lords here, nope. Instead, it’s military campaigns, immortal beings, and deities walking amongst us mere mortals. Maybe you’ve heard of ‘atmospheric’ tension? Here, my friend, you’ll experience ‘cosmic’ tension!
Our third suggestion is something a touch more light-hearted, albeit still features a brooding protagonist and complex world-building. It’s none other than *The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny*! They’re like if you put the Witcher’s good man Geralt through the Twilight Zone and set it to the tune of a hard-boiled detective noir!
Instead of inter-dimensional travel, we have inter-reality travel. Instead of mythical monsters, we have family members with god-like powers. Add to this a protagonist suffering amnesia like a gaunt hero straight outta Twilight, and voila! You’ve got the recipe for an irresistible page-turner!
Last but not least, crème de la crème, let’s navigate the starlit seas with *The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson*. Imagine the heart of Twilight, overtones of The Witcher, the vastness of The Lord of the Rings and the gut-wrenching moral complexity of A Song of Ice and Fire, all tossed together into one exotic cocktail! Bingo!
This series introduces you to honorable knights as they grapple with internal demons, ethereal realms, and a magic system that makes Hogwarts look like a pre-school! All the while, the storm is raging and the apocalypse looms, folks! Can hear the lightning crackle, eh?
So, to conclude this grand, fantasy expedition, I’d recommend you start with *The Wheel of Time*! Jordan’s series closely mirrors many of the elements you appreciate from the aforementioned reads whilst offering a unique charm of its own. It’s a flavorful blend of the complex character dynamics of Song of Ice and Fire, Tolkien’s high epic approach, the moral terrain navigated by the Witcher, and the exploration of personal struggle ‘somewhat’ like Twilight.
Just remember, though, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon…and there’s no shortage of “Eureka!” moments when you least expect ’em. It’s *time* to dive in, fantasy aficionado!
