Books Like Lord of the Rings: 12 Epic Fantasy Series for Tolkien Fans

If you loved The Lord of the Rings for its epic scope, moral weight and sense of a world older than the story, start with The Wheel of Time, Memory, Sorrow and Thorn or A Wizard of Earthsea. For a different kind of spiritual depth, try Tales of Khayaal: Arön, a richly imagined fantasy shaped by Islamic spiritual concepts and diverse Muslim cultures.

Title	Author	Why it may appeal to Tolkien fans	Best for
The Wheel of Time	Robert Jordan, completed by Brandon Sanderson	Prophecy, fellowship and an ancient evil returning	A long, immersive saga
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn	Tad Williams	A young hero, old legends and a kingdom in peril	Classic quest fantasy
A Wizard of Earthsea	Ursula K. Le Guin	Dragons, true names and a mythic journey	Lyrical, thoughtful fantasy
The Stormlight Archive	Brandon Sanderson	Vast history, legendary orders and a world-spanning struggle	Big-world epic fantasy
The Riyria Revelations	Michael J. Sullivan	A memorable partnership, adventure and political intrigue	Fast-paced quests
The Farseer Trilogy	Robin Hobb	Inherited burdens, loyalty and a richly layered realm	Character-led fantasy
The Kingkiller Chronicle	Patrick Rothfuss	Myth, music and magic told through a legendary life	Lyrical storytelling
His Dark Materials	Philip Pullman	Parallel worlds, a dangerous authority and moral choices	Thoughtful, adventurous fantasy
The Broken Earth	N. K. Jemisin	A vivid world facing recurring catastrophe	Bold, challenging worldbuilding
The Priory of the Orange Tree	Samantha Shannon	Dragons, queens and an ancient threat	A standalone epic with a companion
The Faithful and the Fallen	John Gwynne	War, prophecy and a clear struggle against evil	Action-packed traditional fantasy
Tales of Khayaal: Arön	Rehan Khan and Peter Gould	A spiritual struggle, an ancient enemy and a distinctive world	Fantasy with spiritual themes

Twelve books and series to try after Tolkien

1. The Wheel of Time: Robert Jordan, completed by Brandon Sanderson

A young man’s life changes as an ancient evil returns, setting friends and allies on a journey shaped by prophecy. Like Tolkien, Jordan gives the quest a deep history and a large cast; unlike Middle-earth, this saga sprawls across many books and interwoven political storylines.

Read it if you loved the fellowship’s journey and want a world to live in for a long while.

2. Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, Tad Williams

Simon begins as a kitchen boy and is drawn into a kingdom’s upheaval, where old legends and a gathering danger prove more than stories. This series has the sweeping, old-world atmosphere Tolkien readers often seek, while making room for a slower coming-of-age tale.

Read it if you loved the ordinary beginnings of Bilbo and Frodo’s extraordinary journeys.

3. A Wizard of Earthsea: Ursula K. Le Guin

A young wizard’s pride unleashes a shadow he must confront, in a world of islands, dragons and the power of true names. Earthsea shares Tolkien’s mythic sense of consequence, but Le Guin’s prose is spare and her focus often turns inward, towards balance, responsibility and self-knowledge.

Read it if you loved Tolkien’s ancient-feeling magic and want a more contemplative adventure.

4. The Stormlight Archive: Brandon Sanderson

Beginning with The Way of Kings, this epic unfolds on a storm-lashed world with distinctive cultures, ancient orders and a looming conflict. Its immense history and layered cast may satisfy readers seeking the scope of Middle-earth, though its magic is more explicitly explained and its viewpoint shifts frequently.

Read it if you loved the sense that every landscape holds a deeper history.

5. The Riyria Revelations: Michael J. Sullivan

Swordsman Hadrian and thief Royce take on jobs that lead them into conspiracies, empires and quests far larger than they first appear. Their friendship gives the adventure a lively centre, with a brisker pace and more banter than Tolkien’s high, old-world style.

Read it if you loved a travelling company of companions, but want an especially nimble read.

6. The Farseer Trilogy: Robin Hobb

Fitz, a royal bastard trained as an assassin, grows up amid court politics, personal loyalties and forms of magic that carry emotional cost. Hobb offers the depth and moral seriousness many Tolkien readers value, but through a close, intimate character perspective rather than a broad fellowship narrative.

Read it if you loved the weight of duty and sacrifice, and want to stay close to one complicated hero.

7. The Kingkiller Chronicle: Patrick Rothfuss

Kvothe recounts the life behind his legendary reputation, in a story rich with music, myth, learning and magic. The pleasure here is less in a marching fellowship than in the pleasure of lore and a vividly voiced tale. The series remains unfinished: two main books have been published, with no confirmed date for the third.

Read it if you loved the songs and legends of Middle-earth and don’t mind waiting for a story to continue.

8. His Dark Materials: Philip Pullman

Lyra’s journey across parallel worlds brings her into conflict with powerful institutions and difficult questions of knowledge, freedom and responsibility. It shares Tolkien’s appetite for adventure and moral stakes, while taking a distinct approach to faith and authority.

Read it if you loved the journey into unfamiliar worlds and want fantasy that invites debate as well as wonder.

9. The Broken Earth: N. K. Jemisin

In a world repeatedly torn by catastrophic seasons, Essun searches for her daughter and tries to survive a society shaped by fear and oppression. This is not a Tolkien-style quest, but its carefully built world and profound stakes make it a compelling choice for readers ready for something formally and thematically different.

Read it if you loved intricate worldbuilding and want an epic that asks hard questions about power and survival.

10. The Priory of the Orange Tree: Samantha Shannon

This standalone epic brings together queens, dragons, knights and an ancient threat across several lands. Its scale and legendary dangers may feel familiar to Tolkien fans, while its romances and politics give the story a contemporary sensibility. A related prequel, A Day of Fallen Night, explores the same world.

Read it if you loved dragons and the fate of kingdoms, but would rather begin with a complete story.

11. The Faithful and the Fallen: John Gwynne

This action-forward series centres on a world under threat, where prophecies and loyalties shape a growing conflict between opposing forces. Its battles and clear moral stakes echo traditional epic fantasy, even as its own characters and world set it apart from Tolkien.

Read it if you loved the clash between good and evil and want a fast-moving, martial adventure.

12. Tales of Khayaal: Arön, Rehan Khan and Peter Gould

Book One of Tales of Khayaal, by writer and loremaster Rehan Khan and designer Peter Gould, takes place on Ikleel in its third epoch. Alifa, a medical assistant, becomes a Nurani Conduit wielding Kha as a comet signals the approaching Final Standing, and the possible return of Mörtan, the Corroder of Hearts. The world draws inspiration from Islamic spiritual concepts and diverse Muslim cultures; its imaginative foundations are distinctively its own.

One Goodreads reviewer describes it as “Assassin’s Creed meets Dune and The Lord of the Rings.” The novel also features human-drawn art and explores hope, moral struggle and redemption through high-stakes adventure.

Read it if you loved epic fantasy and want a spiritually grounded world shaped by a different cultural imagination.

Where to start

For a direct Tolkien-like journey, begin with The Wheel of Time or Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. For more inward, mythic fantasy, choose Earthsea. And if you’re curious about Islamic fantasy books with an original cosmology, you can start with Tales of Khayaal: Arön.

Welcome, seeker: read the free first five chapters of Book One, then back the crowdfund for Book Two, Tales of Khayaal: Cin, which ends on 30 December.

Frequently asked questions

What should I read after The Lord of the Rings?

For a sprawling quest and a richly imagined world, try The Wheel of Time. For a more concise, contemplative journey, choose A Wizard of Earthsea. If you want a new spiritual-fantasy setting, sample Tales of Khayaal: Arön.

What makes a fantasy series feel like Tolkien?

Readers often look for a world with a deep past, a journey that tests its characters, and moral choices with consequences beyond the self. No single book needs to copy Tolkien’s style: some recommendations here share the epic scale, while others offer a different kind of meaning or wonder.

Is Tales of Khayaal part of a series?

Yes. Tales of Khayaal: Arön is Book One, set in the Khaverse on the planet Ikleel. The creators plan a seven-book arc, but that does not mean seven books are already available: Book One is out, and Book Two, Cin, is being offered through the crowdfund.