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minorsecond @lemmy.ml

What other fantasy should I read if I’m obsessed with Lord of the Rings?

I’ve been a huge fan of the movies since they first came out but didn’t read the books until the beginning of this year. I just wasn’t a reader until recently. I’ve been yearning for some more fantasy but haven’t been able to find anything similar. I tried The Silmarillion but it reads too much like a textbook to me.

What are some other great fantasy books that I might like?

24 comments

  • A neglected series is Riverworld by Philip Jose Farmer. There are five volumes that are a great read.

    All humanity is resurrected after death on the banks of a strange river. Each book deals with a real historical figure and the struggle to understand the mysteries of Riverworld. Each volume more or less follows characters from history (Richard Burton, Mark Twain, Cyrano de Bergerac and others) who embark on a journey to travel to the end of the River in order to solve the mystery of their resurrection. It's quite pulpy but very enjoyable.

  • The Kingkiller Chronicle trilogy by Patrick Rothfuss. It is not so much LotR becauseitt focuses on one main character. But it has a pretty clever and thoroughly thought out magic system and I for my part enjoyed the story. Link to openlibrary

    • Be aware that book 3 of this trilogy does not exist and has no chance to come out in the foreseeable future.

  • Most people can agree that LOTR is about "good vs evil" with high attention to details, which can be found in many other fantasy books.

    One thing that make me obsessed with LOTR that's way less common is Tolkien's approach with how to do good.

    In LOTR, it's not enough to claim "the end justifies the means", where Gandalf could use the ring to destroy Sauron and be a "good" leader. It's in the little things that goodness wins. There's a nice quote from Sam in one of the last chapters about it.

    In my opinion, Tolkien's witness of WWI made him aware that the "good" side would commit as much atrocities as the "bad" side in a war. That was something he learned from it, and tries to push in his stories.

    In that sense, i liked Wheel of Time. It starts in a Game of Thrones style, where the good guys work against each other because "the end justifies the means" (encouraged by infiltrated bad guys). To win, the good guys have to learn Tolkien's lesson, and make sure they don't cause harm when trying to achieve their goals. Also, it's very detailed and deep.

  • I’ve haven’t finished the series yet, but Legends of the First Empire series by Michael J Sullivan has given me really strong lord of the rings vibes.

  • The Shannara series by Terry Brooks has a reputation as being an homage to LotR, and they are quite enjoyable.

    If you want to try and branch out and give Urban Fantasy (magic, but more modern society) a try there’s a reason that the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher are super popular. The book Dead Beat was written as a mid-series introduction for new readers to the series because Sci-Fi had just come out with a TV series and the 1st few books are weaker because the author was super new to published writing.

    Magician: Apprentice & Magician: Master by Feist are great

    Long before there was Harry Potter, Ged from A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guinn was discovering he had magical talents and going to wizard school. It’s a beloved classic for a reason.

24 comments