If you liked
Books like A Clash of Kings
by George R. R. Martin
A Clash of Kings widens the war: with the throne empty, five would-be kings tear Westeros apart while a red priestess whispers of prophecy. It is the George R. R. Martin book where the map really starts to burn. If you want more sprawling, ruthless epic fantasy, these are the reads.
The shortlist
What to read next
A Storm of Swordsby George R. R. Martin
“A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin 2000 review. The third Song of Ice and Fire novel and the structural series peak - the Red Wedding, the Purple Wedding, and the broader War of Five Kings reordering.”
A Game of Thronesby George R. R. Martin
“A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin 1996 review. The book that rewrote what epic fantasy was allowed to do. Westeros, the Iron Throne, the deaths nobody saw coming. Required reading.”
The Way of Kingsby Brandon Sanderson
“The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson 2010 review. On the storm-blasted continent of Roshar, an enslaved bridgeman, a disgraced scholar, and a young prince converge as the world races toward a forgotten war. The most ambitious epic fantasy debut since A Game of Thrones.”
Mistborn: The Final Empireby Brandon Sanderson
“Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson 2006 review. A street urchin named Vin discovers she can use magic by ingesting and burning metals, and a crew of thieves recruits her for the impossible: kill the immortal Lord Ruler.”
The Priory of the Orange Treeby Samantha Shannon
“The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 2019 review. A standalone epic fantasy across four kingdoms preparing for the return of a banished ancient dragon. Canonical contemporary literary epic fantasy.”
The Fifth Seasonby N. K. Jemisin
“The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin 2015 review. On a continent where seismic activity defines life, three women's stories converge as a fifth season begins. Hugo Best Novel 2016, the first volume of the Broken Earth trilogy, and the most important fantasy debut of the 2010s.”
FAQ
Common questions about A Clash of Kings read-alikes
- Should I keep going with the series?
- Yes, and A Storm of Swords is the payoff. Most readers rank it as the peak of the whole sequence, the book where the schemes set up in Clash detonate. Read it before you look anywhere else.
- I want epic fantasy that will actually be finished.
- Brandon Sanderson is the standard answer. The Way of Kings begins his enormous Stormlight Archive and Mistborn: The Final Empire is the tighter entry point. He is famous for delivering, which is not something anyone says about Westeros.
- I want the politics without the medieval European setting.
- The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin builds its power struggles around geologic apocalypse and won three straight Hugos. The Priory of the Orange Tree offers sprawling multi-court intrigue with dragons in a single standalone.
- How grim are these next to Martin?
- The Fifth Season is bleaker in places; Mistborn and The Priory of the Orange Tree pull back toward hope. None quite match the body count of a Martin wedding, if that is what you are steeling yourself for.
The original