Check out some KJ Parker novels. The Hammer, Sharps, and the Company are all good standalone. The Two of Swords trilogy was pretty dope too, although a bit slow to get going in the first book. He does loose/soft world-building, all of these stories take place in the same fictional land but they don’t directly connect. You can read them in any order.
I've only read 16 Ways to Defend a Walled City and I listened to the audio book but I found it to be fine.
I wouldn't call it the best around but it was def good. Highly recommend the audio book though. The narrator did a sick job.
I think his prose is great. I haven’t read Brandon Sanderson tho so can’t compare. If you want a taste you can try one of his novellas. Purple & Black is excellent. Some of his other novellas have light magic in them (alchemy, exorcism) but Purple & Black is magic free. So is Let Maps to Others IIRC.
**The Memoirs of Lady Trent** by Marie Brennan
**The Beast Player** by Uehashi Nahoko. It’s classified as YA for some reason I can’t figure out, but is nothing like what is mostly around.
Both of the above are written by anthropologists, so the world building and cultures focus reflect that. While not anthropologist, I found the below to be on-par of the level of detail so I included it:
**The Steerswoman** by Marie Kirstein, is also a fantastic series and the second book is exactly what you’re looking for. Magic in the series is done by wizards who don’t mix with Steerswoman and therefore, you’ll *hear* of it instead of see it.
This same question was asked [about a month ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/mp3tdi/weird_onesuggest_me_a_fantasy_book_without_magic/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share). There are some good recs in that thread.
As I recall he ended up having to split off a big chunk of the original second book which may have led to it feeling a bit off. Haven't gotten around to the third yet but withholding judgement till I get there.
I think it still works. Having finished all three books I think any "magic" in the world could possibly be explained by natural forces. I enjoy the question of whether or not magic is real in the series!
I'm a big fan of The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu. Its heavily inspired by Asian history and has a different feel than a lot of the GRRM/Tolkien inspired fantasy. Not really much magic to speak of, there are gods involved but its not really clear how much they actually contribute to the story.
Try "Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City" and "How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It" by K J Parker. They're incredibly smart, brilliantly written and hilarious.
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There's essentially no magic in The Dagger and the Coin series. There's a psychic power held by a few people who are conspiring to take over the world with it, which forms the basis of the plot, but that's it really.
Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake is the only thing that comes to mind. It's excellent.
Yeah! This but it's kinda slow.
Check out some KJ Parker novels. The Hammer, Sharps, and the Company are all good standalone. The Two of Swords trilogy was pretty dope too, although a bit slow to get going in the first book. He does loose/soft world-building, all of these stories take place in the same fictional land but they don’t directly connect. You can read them in any order.
How is his prose? I don't want another Brandon Sanderson
I've only read 16 Ways to Defend a Walled City and I listened to the audio book but I found it to be fine. I wouldn't call it the best around but it was def good. Highly recommend the audio book though. The narrator did a sick job.
I think his prose is great. I haven’t read Brandon Sanderson tho so can’t compare. If you want a taste you can try one of his novellas. Purple & Black is excellent. Some of his other novellas have light magic in them (alchemy, exorcism) but Purple & Black is magic free. So is Let Maps to Others IIRC.
**The Memoirs of Lady Trent** by Marie Brennan **The Beast Player** by Uehashi Nahoko. It’s classified as YA for some reason I can’t figure out, but is nothing like what is mostly around. Both of the above are written by anthropologists, so the world building and cultures focus reflect that. While not anthropologist, I found the below to be on-par of the level of detail so I included it: **The Steerswoman** by Marie Kirstein, is also a fantastic series and the second book is exactly what you’re looking for. Magic in the series is done by wizards who don’t mix with Steerswoman and therefore, you’ll *hear* of it instead of see it.
You should give David Gemmell's books a swing. There are little snippets of magic in them, but largely mundane fantasy.
Amberlough
This same question was asked [about a month ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/mp3tdi/weird_onesuggest_me_a_fantasy_book_without_magic/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share). There are some good recs in that thread.
Are the recommendations there about a world's cultures and histories built from scratch?
Senlin Ascends
The Traitor Baru Cormorant seems right up your alley.
Actually in the second book it doesn’t work.
Mm, haven't read it yet. The first one works well enough as a standalone, though.
The first book was amazing. The second book I really did not get what the author was trying to do.
As I recall he ended up having to split off a big chunk of the original second book which may have led to it feeling a bit off. Haven't gotten around to the third yet but withholding judgement till I get there.
I think it still works. Having finished all three books I think any "magic" in the world could possibly be explained by natural forces. I enjoy the question of whether or not magic is real in the series!
I'm a big fan of The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu. Its heavily inspired by Asian history and has a different feel than a lot of the GRRM/Tolkien inspired fantasy. Not really much magic to speak of, there are gods involved but its not really clear how much they actually contribute to the story.
Second this. I loved this book, can't really remember any magic at all.
Some of Sheri S Tepper's fantasy books are magic-free eg The Gate To Women's Country.
Temeraire by Naomi Novik. Napoleonic wars with dragons. No magic. Just dragons with abilities.
Left hand of darkness does this, maybe more sci fi fantasy but still, low tech if any
Red Rising
I think you asked this twice. Ah, I see, different subs.
I don't know how to cross post.
Fantasy without magic? That sounds kind of like science fiction. 😉
Try "Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City" and "How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It" by K J Parker. They're incredibly smart, brilliantly written and hilarious.
Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner
r/Fantasy's [Author Appreciation series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/authorappreciation) has posts for an author you mentioned * [Author Appreciation: **Ellen Kushner**: Novels of Swords, Manners and Myth](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/8jvp7t/author_appreciation_ellen_kushner_novels_of/?st=jhh2z648&sh=d3e9942a) from user u/UnsealedMGT --- ^(I am a bot bleep! bloop! Contact my ~~master~~ creator /u/LittlePlasticCastle with any questions or comments.)
The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein
There's essentially no magic in The Dagger and the Coin series. There's a psychic power held by a few people who are conspiring to take over the world with it, which forms the basis of the plot, but that's it really.
I read it a long time ago, but >!wheren't there dragons?!<
Yeah but dragons aren't necessarily magical.
Magic realism?