If you liked
Books like The Priory of the Orange Tree
by Samantha Shannon
The Priory of the Orange Tree is Samantha Shannon's standalone doorstop of a fantasy: warring courts, a hidden order of mages, a queer central romance and dragons on both sides of an old divide. Epic scope in a single volume. If you want more sprawling, ambitious fantasy, these are the reads.
The shortlist
What to read next
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.”
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.”
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.”
Fourth Wingby Rebecca Yarros
“Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 2023 review. Violet Sorrengail, a fragile scribe, is forced into the brutal dragon-riding war college. The first book of the Empyrean series and the romantasy novel that defined the 2023-2024 BookTok moment.”
Six of Crowsby Leigh Bardugo
“Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 2015 review. A crew of six outcasts attempts an impossible heist in the corrupt city of Ketterdam. The YA fantasy heist novel that defined the contemporary Grishaverse and made Bardugo the major YA fantasy writer of her generation.”
FAQ
Common questions about The Priory of the Orange Tree read-alikes
- I want another huge, immersive fantasy world.
- The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson launches the enormous Stormlight Archive, and Mistborn: The Final Empire is his tighter entry point. Both offer the deep, engineered world-building that makes Priory so immersive.
- I want the political scope and the dragons.
- A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin is the obvious pick for multi-court intrigue and ruthless politics, and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros brings dragons and romance with breakneck pacing. Both scratch different parts of the Priory itch.
- I want fantasy that is formally daring and angry.
- The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin builds its magic on the violence done to those who wield it and won three straight Hugos. More experimental than Priory, but it shares the ambition and the moral weight.
- I want a tighter ensemble fantasy.
- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo trades Priory's sprawl for a lean crew of dangerous misfits on an impossible heist. A good pick if you loved the characters more than the map.
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