Top 5 Books To Read if You Are A Fan Of 'The Lord Of The Rings'
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Making a list of books to read if you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings isn’t as easy as one would think. Do you write it based on the writing style? The worldbuilding? Does it have to have elves and dwarves? Dragons? There’s nearly a century of work to pull from, since Tolkien himself is often credited with giving birth to the fantasy genre we know today.
It might be best to consider each style and suggest books from there.
5. The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson)
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The writing style is hard to replicate. Tolkien wrote in a different time and a different world than we live in today. However, if you want that classic, deep narrative that feels as epic as his works, then I can’t think of any other works that exist today that exemplify that which Tolkien set out and made than Robert Jordan’s massive epic. The story spans 15 books, one of them being a prequel, and the average length of the books is 600 pages. It’s a massive undertaking, but in terms of the scope and grandiosity that so many come to associate with Tolkien, plus the classic good vs. evil story, you can’t go wrong with The Wheel of Time
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4. The Stormlight Archive (Brandon Sanderson)
Image Source: Gamespot
When it comes to worldbuilding, there’s a three-way tie for first place. Both are incomplete series, but they contain some of the deepest and thorough worldbuilding outside of Tolkien’s world. I don’t want to repeat, so I’ll have to keep Wheel of Time out of this one, so it falls to A Song of Ice and Fire and The Stormlight Archive, and given the broader, Avengers'-esque aspect to his universe, called the Cosmere, I have to hand this one to Brandon Sanderson. If you like badass legendary gear in MMOs and you like fantasy, you’ll love the world that Sanderson has created here.
3. The Gentlemen Bastards (Scott Lynch)
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Another incomplete series, but easily the most recommendable one in the fantasy genre. So far, there are three books, but a fourth one is apparently in the works. They’re thick like old-school turn-of-the-century fantasy books, full of detail and narrative to scratch that Tolkien itch. But the character chemistry, oh man, the chemistry. I have never come across characters that mesh and gel as organically as Locke Lamora and Jean. Their banter and inside jokes are fluid and draw you into the story and their lives better than any other series I’ve encountered.
2. Dungeon Crawler Carl (Matt Dinniman)
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I have to put this one in here because it’s a) blowing up TikTok, and b) it’s got everything a fantasy fan could want. Gaming. RPG elements. Magic. Dragons. Goblins. A talking cat. Everything. It’s a sub-genre called LitRPG, and it’s pretty niche, and not everything out there is great, but the popularity of Dinniman’s books could help elevate this genre. Humans get thrust into a dungeon and have to survive for the entertainment of the galactic viewing public. It even has achievements and a slightly deranged AI that has a foot fetish. Seriously, it’s some of the most fun I’ve had reading.
1. The Tales Of Pell (Kevin Hearne & Delilah Dawson)
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Speaking of fun, and keeping with the typical fantasy tropes that Tolkien started, you should check out The Tales of Pell series. It takes your typical tropes and pokes fun at them. Farm boy, that is the chosen one? Nope, they murk him in the first chapters. Beautiful women with bikini armor? Yup, but not what you think. Women with beards? Why not? It’s a well fleshed out world and full of Terry Pratchett-styled humor. They’re worthwhile additions to any fantasy lover’s bookshelf.
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