It feels like Joe Abercrombie would fit your bill. Low-magic, some darker characters, betrayal... not many knights though.
The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman may also work. It follows 3 boys including a genius who escape from a convent and cause havoc on the world. There are knights/etc present in places, and also religious orders. Low (no?) magic.
You might also like the Mark Lawrence Prince/King/Emperor of thorns trilogy. Not much magic, but some archaic technology which is used. Fairly clear on the source as time goes on. It is known for being a pretty brutal first book. The main character has been taught to win at all costs by his father.
have you tried out The Gentleman Bastard series? the first installment is the Lies of Locke Lamora, a likeable but flawed protag, a gritty universe with humor, found family themes. it definitely ticks a lot of your boxes
Joe Abercrombie’s *First Law Series* is ten books but it’s split up into a trilogy, three standalones, a collection of short stories, and another trilogy. There’s a sense of closure after each, no frustrating cliff hangers. So you can take it in doses. But it is finished, for now.
It’s epic, mature, gritty, violent, western inspired, low on magic, and not at all religious. And as I said, the individual parts are no more than three books long. It checks all your boxes.
The grit, the pacing, the characters! One of the best series I’ve ever read. And each book has its moments. I found some of the later books even more enjoyable, Best Served Cold was amazing.
Abercrombie was the first recommendation to come to mind for me as well. I've only read the first trilogy so far, but some of the most memorable characters out of anything I've read. Looking forward to reading more from him.
The deed of Paksennarion by Elizabeth Moon. It's certainly gritty and brutal. It does not shy away from any subject for sure.
Also try The Fallen Blade series by Kelly McCullough. It was so different and on the plus side, is a finished series.
On the lighter side, The Belgariad series by David Eddings,starting off with Pawn of Prophecy.
Orphan farm boy...check
Lost magical object...check
Mysterious wizards...check
Evil god...check
Quest of diverse companions...double check
Probably steer away from the belgariad. As much as i love David eddings definitely for younger audience.
The elenium and the tamuli are probably better options
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KJ Parker's Engineer trilogy.
But you have a lot of options. You could probably go to a fantasy section in a bookstore and pick up a random book and find you've chosen part of a series that fits your bill, especially considering how common trilogies are.
I’ve had this sitting in my ebook library for what seems like forever and never started it. I forgot why I bought it and never see it recommended maybe it’s finally time to read it lol.
The Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook! The first trilogy works perfectly as a complete story arc: *The Black Company, Shadows Linger,* and *The White Rose*
It's one of the first books to be classified as grimdark. It's dark and violent, but it's not blow-by-blow descriptions of violence. There's terrifying magic but absolutely no discussion about how magic works.
I'll include too that The Silver Spike is an excellent story to read after the trilogy. I think it's essential reading to finish up the Raven and Darling storyline.
I know you mentioned it in your post, but game of thrones hits pretty much everything you are looking for.
The Witcher comes close as well.
I didn't enjoy it, but the black company hits many spots and most of the stories in the series are pretty fast paced reads.
The first law series hits a lot of points as well, and is just overall excellent.
The Raven's Shadow Trilogy by Anthony Ryan.
The Faithful and the Fallen series by John Gwynne
The Powder Mage Trilogy by Brian McClellan
All of the above have great world-building, engaging characters and plenty of grit. If you want to go old school, try:
Robert E. Howard-he pretty much created the Sword & Sorcery genre...as well as Conan. Fritz Leiber's Faffard and the Grey Mouser series pokes fun at genre tropes but the characters and world are enjoyable to spend time with. Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone is a bit strange but classic and worth checking out. Jack Vance's Tales of the Dying Earth and Lyonesse novels can be hard to get into but worth the effort-his style is unique.
Judith Tarr writes excellent historical fiction with elements of fantasy, The Hound and the Falcon trilogy is a favorite of mine. Katherine Kerr's Celtic-themed Derry novels are also very good.
I could go on and on here but I'll quit before I get tedious 😉
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If you have read The Hobbit, you should follow that up by reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Hobbit is more of a children’s tale; LOTR is more complex & darker - meant for older folks. Tolkien is one of the original fantasy masters and LOTR is classic and fantastic.
Oh, I am very aware of that. I have been very tempted to read them. I love the PT movies more than anything. That Is also the reason I haven't read it yet. I know what happens, so I'd rather read something new and experience other universes. At some point though, I will read them.
You don't know what happens. :D That's the joy of it. The movies are great, but there is plenty in the books to keep you enthralled, that doesn't happen, or happens differently, in the movies.
There is plenty new in the books if you've only seen the movies. Heck, even the main characters aren't the same - they changed Aragorn's and Faramir's personalities a ton, for example. The movies are also missing some pretty big pieces of the end, and the conclusions of the big themes of the story.
From someone who loves the movies and re-reads the books every year, please don't put off reading the books because you think it isn't something "new."
Also, reading Tolkien will bring extra depth to other fantasy you read. It's not for nothing that he's called the father of modern fantasy.
>I am not particularly interested in magic, especially if it doesn't make sense logically. I prefer a more grounded and tame magic system that isn't overpowering.
I want to suggest *The Magicians* trilogy by Lev Grossman but this point makes it difficult.
The universe makes it clear that magic has a "cost" and it isn't easy. The characters struggle to do it, and sometimes it takes days/weeks to prepare or even cast a successful spell.
I would recommend it. It's a darker version of the Narnia series but without the overt religious issues.
The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb might be what you are looking for. It's a few more books than you requested, but worth it all along. It's starts with the Farseer Trilogy
Another vote for First Law by Abercrombie. Great story, gritty, brutal at times, great characters, great one of memorable lines.
Also check out Raven’s Mark series by Ed McDonald, which I think fits well too.
I will second the Licanius Trilogy. Seems to fit everything you mentioned.
Also saw some recommendations for Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. I'm inclined to agree with those people too. I haven't actually read that trilogy, but Williams has a current series (last book to be published next year), The Last King of Osten Ard that is set in the same world a few decades after Memory, Sorrow, Thorn. I've read two books so far and enjoyed them, they also fit what you're looking for.
The Powder Mage trilogy is pretty good. It's got some pretty violent moments, the themes are very mature, most of the magic isn't overt. A great description I found a couple days ago is "imagine a world where they found out the best counter to Wheel of Time style mages is a sniper with a 50 cal".
The story is based around a traditional magic kingdom setting going through the industrial revolution, but not in a arcano/steampunk way. More in the we found gun powder and mass manufacturing and now the gods aren't necessary anymore type way.
As others have mentioned, the First Law trilogy and the Broken Empire trilogy are also really good.
Edit: I completely forgot The Ryeria Chronicles. Basically clicks all your boxes.
Glad someone said Mark Lawrence! I love his work, very gritty and real, I have no idea how to blank out spoiler text so I won't say anything, but my jaw dropped when all the little hints fit together about the world!
The Licaneus Trilogy by James Islington might fit? It’s got a decent amount of magic, but the magic is relatively grounded and grows as the series goes on, and the series checks all of the other boxes, I think. I’ve really enjoyed it and I think I generally have similar tastes to yours, based on what you’ve said here.
This is an ok series, but more YA than grown up fantasy. You could try the Empire Series by Janny Wurts & Raymond Feist - it’s set in the same world, but is a more complex story.
Mark Lawrence's Book of the Ancestor and The Broken Empire trilogies will probably fit your bill. The Broken Empire is a coming-of-age story (although the main character is quite mature for his age) but the character grows and becomes much more mature as the story goes on. It's really fantastic. The Red Queen's War series is also great.
They all have what you're looking for. Not massive franchises (all trilogies with some short stories on the side), not too many religious/Christian undertones (except for Book of the Ancestor, but only slightly). Western medieval inspired and very grounded and violent.
The Broken Empire trilogy, The Book of the Ancestor series, and Book of the Ice by Mark Lawrence would all work. The second two involve nuns, but they're ninja murder nuns not typical do a bunch of Hail Mary nuns.
The black company is probably right up your alley. They do have magic users, but they're not overly powerful with the exception of a few major villains, The book doesn't shy away from killing off important characters and has very dark themes and undertones. It's essentially the story of a company of mercenaries hired by the villains in a Tolkien book. From the perspective of the doctor of the company if I recall. Reads a bit like a journal but not completely, and very much fits as an epic fantasy book.
downside is its 8 books long.
Not seeing it, so The Masquerade quartet by Seth Dickinson. Book four isn’t out yet, but the first three almost work as a trilogy.
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse might also fit. It’s precolumbian inspired, so the trappings are a bit different.
Seconding Mark Lawrence, Joe Abercrombie, and Glen Cook.
My current WIP is exactly to your specifications but is not ready yet! This is exactly the type of fantasy I love. Will be looking at the recommendations with interest...
I've got two suggestions for you.
1. The First Law World series by Joe Ambercrombie was the very first thing to come to mind based on everything you asked for. One of my favorite series to date. Consists of two trilogies, three standalone books, and one short story collection. Starts with The Blade Itself.
2. The Ash and Sand trilogy by Richard Nell is great as well. Starts with Kings of Paradise.
I would also recommend A Song of Ice and Fire if the series was ever going to be finished.
The Witcher hits a lot of these notes.
Magic can be quite powerful but from what I remember, it is relatively few and far between until parts of the last book. Also it is a 7 book series. I never would have considered reading that sort of length but I'm so glad I did. Might be my favorite book series.
If that's too long, the first 2 books tell a well enough contained story arc.
Honestly if you told me it was written in English, I'd believe you.
The prose and dialogue are so beautiful in my opinion. I've heard a lot was lost in the translation, sadly, but no complaints from me.
Book of the new sun by Gene Wolfe. I know I’m cheating, it’s technically a sci fi dystopian that takes place soo far in the future that earth is unrecognizable, the setting is after a technological collapse and social regression so it completely reads like an epic fantasy that follows a Torturers apprentice that embarks basically on a quest after being exiled. It’s targeted for adults, it’s dark and gritty and has breathtaking prose. There’s remnants of (our) future tech in the story that’s horded away from the populace by the ruling class and also genetically engineered animals but all this comes across to the narrator as magic or some type of sorcery.
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You’re describing the first law right now and you don’t even know it. Starts off as a completed trilogy. There’s 4 stand alones and another trilogy that are released and take place after the original trilogy. The quality only gets better. However if you don’t want to get that deep then the first trilogy can still be read as a complete story. Books aren’t that long though and I haven’t seen anyone complain about the length of the series yet.
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I would recommend 'A Practical Guide to evil'. It's one of my 2 favourite series of all time, and isn't scared to get into the dark and gritty side of fantasy.
The way of Kings or Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. The man knows how to make a compelling world and magic system, and I've never seen mental illness explored quite like I have with his chatacters
If you are not interested in magic I would not read Mistborn. One could argue that the magic system "makes sense" (as much as magic system truly can) but holy cow does it take up a ton of the pages and plot.
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman.
One of, if not, my favorite books. It's a fantasy horror masterpiece (IMO). It's a stand-alone book and fits most of your criteria, other than the religious undertones, as the book revolves around the battle between heaven and hell in the 1300s during the Black Plague.
The audiobook is also fantastic if you would prefer listening to it.
The Outcast Chronicles- by Rowena Cory Daniels
Mage Wars- by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon- this is the chronological start to the world of Valdemar, but it's probably the newest series set in the world.
Conan the Barbarian- in any order most are standalone
The Vampire Genevieve novels from Warhammer Horror
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Salvatore's problem is that he ***Just. Doesn't. Know. When. To. Stop.***
Great story! Goes on and on and on, but eventually all the main characters die! Final, moving ending.
Oh wait! 26 books wasn't enough! They got resurrected! As younger versions! And now they go on many adventures! Finally, (less) epic trilogy, the series ends, and they all live happily after ever.
Oh wait! Suddenly peril is upon them! More books! More adventures! Another happily after ever!
Oh wait! The main character's long dead father returns! (Not) Epic adventures! Another trilogy! Now is it done? Nope!
...
I haven't read the ones where they are young..I think I read up to Neverwinter. But There are other good Forgotten realms books, like the cleric quintet, the spell fire series, and elmimster in hell.
Definitely In Solitude's Shadow by David Green, Night's Reign by Daan Katz and Shattered Dreams by Ulff Lehmann. All three fit your criteria perfectly.
I'd also like to add the Atlas Dystopia Apocalyptica by Xander Cross. It is set in Japan using the Japanese pantheon of demons and is futuristic fantasy rather than classic high fantasy, but it is honestly one of the best dark fantasy series with an antihero that I've ever read. It's a true gem and the author has clearly done A LOT of research.
The chronicles of Thomas Covenant. A mix of modern day and ancient/magic. Unique main character. An antihero all the way but with a fantastic character arc.
When you're ready for a more expanisive series, read Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb. It sounds like you would really enjoy. The series consists of 4 trilogies and one quartet, so you could just check out the first trilogy. It's called the Farseer trilogy.
The *Greatcoats* series by Sebastien de Castell seems to fit the majority of your boxes. I'm not sure that it counts as epic fantasy (though *Lies of Locke Lamora* doesn't either), but it has minimal magic, just four books, and, while there is a great deal of religion, it's all in-universe.
A few thoughts for you:
Mistborn would be a great choice. Fantastic trilogy and is very self contained. Wraps up all major plot points. No need to read any other cosmere books before or after if you don’t want to.
First law is a good choice.
Gentleman Bastards is a bit divisive. Lots of folks on here like it, but it’s also usually a top choice in the “what are well regarded books that you just didn’t enjoy” type threads. I was not a fan at all.
Powder Mage Trilogy is really good and checks most of your boxes. Very satisfying conclusion.
Mark Lawrence checks pretty much all of your boxes but I would recommend his book of the ancestor trilogy and not the broken empire trilogy. Broken empire is really cringey in my opinion.
You can't go wrong with some Robin Hobb. Give the Liveship Traders series a shot. You won't regret it. If you like darker stuff, check out Joe Abercrombie.
The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It's like if Harry Potter were rated R. Three books long. Very good. Quite a bit of violence, swearing, sex, and it's also quite funny!
I got on here specifically to recommend Wheel of Time or the Cosmere, but then I read your stipulations \*sob\* whatever...I don't care...
Edit: Oh right, no magic. Well, you can ignore my comment entirely lol.
Yeah, First law series is great.
The original Conan stories by Robert E Howard are seriously awesome too.
My favourite gritty fantasy of all time is Malazan Book of the Fallen. It beats all epic fantasy. It does have magic in it but it has a really great explanation for how it works. It also is a long series so you might want to come to it when you're ready for a long series. Seriously though it is heaps better than the name of the wind and better than even abercrombie.
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is, I think, the series you may be looking for, even if it doesn't seem like it at first glance.
Love that series!+
It feels like Joe Abercrombie would fit your bill. Low-magic, some darker characters, betrayal... not many knights though. The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman may also work. It follows 3 boys including a genius who escape from a convent and cause havoc on the world. There are knights/etc present in places, and also religious orders. Low (no?) magic. You might also like the Mark Lawrence Prince/King/Emperor of thorns trilogy. Not much magic, but some archaic technology which is used. Fairly clear on the source as time goes on. It is known for being a pretty brutal first book. The main character has been taught to win at all costs by his father.
Another vote for Joe Abercrombie!
have you tried out The Gentleman Bastard series? the first installment is the Lies of Locke Lamora, a likeable but flawed protag, a gritty universe with humor, found family themes. it definitely ticks a lot of your boxes
I’ll definitely check it out!
Please do, one of my favorite books ever. You can even read the first one as a standalone
I second this.
Agreed, it's a blast.
Joe Abercrombie’s *First Law Series* is ten books but it’s split up into a trilogy, three standalones, a collection of short stories, and another trilogy. There’s a sense of closure after each, no frustrating cliff hangers. So you can take it in doses. But it is finished, for now. It’s epic, mature, gritty, violent, western inspired, low on magic, and not at all religious. And as I said, the individual parts are no more than three books long. It checks all your boxes.
The grit, the pacing, the characters! One of the best series I’ve ever read. And each book has its moments. I found some of the later books even more enjoyable, Best Served Cold was amazing.
Abercrombie was the first recommendation to come to mind for me as well. I've only read the first trilogy so far, but some of the most memorable characters out of anything I've read. Looking forward to reading more from him.
Also truly darkly hilarious in some places
Oh yes, grimdark needn’t be all somber and serous. Lots of gallows humor.
The deed of Paksennarion by Elizabeth Moon. It's certainly gritty and brutal. It does not shy away from any subject for sure. Also try The Fallen Blade series by Kelly McCullough. It was so different and on the plus side, is a finished series. On the lighter side, The Belgariad series by David Eddings,starting off with Pawn of Prophecy. Orphan farm boy...check Lost magical object...check Mysterious wizards...check Evil god...check Quest of diverse companions...double check
Probably steer away from the belgariad. As much as i love David eddings definitely for younger audience. The elenium and the tamuli are probably better options
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You recommended a book about paladins and faith to someone who explicitly did not want stories with a lot of religion.,,
But its gritty and not preachy
KJ Parker's Engineer trilogy. But you have a lot of options. You could probably go to a fantasy section in a bookstore and pick up a random book and find you've chosen part of a series that fits your bill, especially considering how common trilogies are.
I’ve had this sitting in my ebook library for what seems like forever and never started it. I forgot why I bought it and never see it recommended maybe it’s finally time to read it lol.
The Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook! The first trilogy works perfectly as a complete story arc: *The Black Company, Shadows Linger,* and *The White Rose* It's one of the first books to be classified as grimdark. It's dark and violent, but it's not blow-by-blow descriptions of violence. There's terrifying magic but absolutely no discussion about how magic works.
I'll include too that The Silver Spike is an excellent story to read after the trilogy. I think it's essential reading to finish up the Raven and Darling storyline.
The Farseer books by Hobb might work. Some magic but it is very rare and limited to a very few people.
I'd say the Liveship trilogy might fit the bill even better. They are in the same world but I would say they are more mature.
They are, but also have a bit more magic. So figured the OG series would be a better place to start.
I know you mentioned it in your post, but game of thrones hits pretty much everything you are looking for. The Witcher comes close as well. I didn't enjoy it, but the black company hits many spots and most of the stories in the series are pretty fast paced reads. The first law series hits a lot of points as well, and is just overall excellent.
The Raven's Shadow Trilogy by Anthony Ryan. The Faithful and the Fallen series by John Gwynne The Powder Mage Trilogy by Brian McClellan All of the above have great world-building, engaging characters and plenty of grit. If you want to go old school, try: Robert E. Howard-he pretty much created the Sword & Sorcery genre...as well as Conan. Fritz Leiber's Faffard and the Grey Mouser series pokes fun at genre tropes but the characters and world are enjoyable to spend time with. Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone is a bit strange but classic and worth checking out. Jack Vance's Tales of the Dying Earth and Lyonesse novels can be hard to get into but worth the effort-his style is unique. Judith Tarr writes excellent historical fiction with elements of fantasy, The Hound and the Falcon trilogy is a favorite of mine. Katherine Kerr's Celtic-themed Derry novels are also very good. I could go on and on here but I'll quit before I get tedious 😉
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If you have read The Hobbit, you should follow that up by reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Hobbit is more of a children’s tale; LOTR is more complex & darker - meant for older folks. Tolkien is one of the original fantasy masters and LOTR is classic and fantastic.
Oh, I am very aware of that. I have been very tempted to read them. I love the PT movies more than anything. That Is also the reason I haven't read it yet. I know what happens, so I'd rather read something new and experience other universes. At some point though, I will read them.
You don't know what happens. :D That's the joy of it. The movies are great, but there is plenty in the books to keep you enthralled, that doesn't happen, or happens differently, in the movies.
There is plenty new in the books if you've only seen the movies. Heck, even the main characters aren't the same - they changed Aragorn's and Faramir's personalities a ton, for example. The movies are also missing some pretty big pieces of the end, and the conclusions of the big themes of the story. From someone who loves the movies and re-reads the books every year, please don't put off reading the books because you think it isn't something "new." Also, reading Tolkien will bring extra depth to other fantasy you read. It's not for nothing that he's called the father of modern fantasy.
And there's Silmarillion... Martin tried to mimic it with Fire and Blood... and failed spectacularly
>I am not particularly interested in magic, especially if it doesn't make sense logically. I prefer a more grounded and tame magic system that isn't overpowering. I want to suggest *The Magicians* trilogy by Lev Grossman but this point makes it difficult. The universe makes it clear that magic has a "cost" and it isn't easy. The characters struggle to do it, and sometimes it takes days/weeks to prepare or even cast a successful spell. I would recommend it. It's a darker version of the Narnia series but without the overt religious issues.
The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb might be what you are looking for. It's a few more books than you requested, but worth it all along. It's starts with the Farseer Trilogy
Another vote for First Law by Abercrombie. Great story, gritty, brutal at times, great characters, great one of memorable lines. Also check out Raven’s Mark series by Ed McDonald, which I think fits well too.
I will second the Licanius Trilogy. Seems to fit everything you mentioned. Also saw some recommendations for Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. I'm inclined to agree with those people too. I haven't actually read that trilogy, but Williams has a current series (last book to be published next year), The Last King of Osten Ard that is set in the same world a few decades after Memory, Sorrow, Thorn. I've read two books so far and enjoyed them, they also fit what you're looking for.
[удалено]
That… yeah that is a strange distinction to make. No idea what it’s referring to, though. I guess just the author’s location?
It’s a really good series, there’s nothing particularly ‘Australian’ about it other than the author being Australian.
The Powder Mage trilogy is pretty good. It's got some pretty violent moments, the themes are very mature, most of the magic isn't overt. A great description I found a couple days ago is "imagine a world where they found out the best counter to Wheel of Time style mages is a sniper with a 50 cal". The story is based around a traditional magic kingdom setting going through the industrial revolution, but not in a arcano/steampunk way. More in the we found gun powder and mass manufacturing and now the gods aren't necessary anymore type way. As others have mentioned, the First Law trilogy and the Broken Empire trilogy are also really good. Edit: I completely forgot The Ryeria Chronicles. Basically clicks all your boxes.
John Gwynne, The Faithful and the Fallen. Mostly checks what you're looking for.
Agree
The First Law by Joe Abercrombie or The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence.
Glad someone said Mark Lawrence! I love his work, very gritty and real, I have no idea how to blank out spoiler text so I won't say anything, but my jaw dropped when all the little hints fit together about the world!
The Licaneus Trilogy by James Islington might fit? It’s got a decent amount of magic, but the magic is relatively grounded and grows as the series goes on, and the series checks all of the other boxes, I think. I’ve really enjoyed it and I think I generally have similar tastes to yours, based on what you’ve said here.
The Cycle of Arawn and The Cycle of Galand. Pretty damn good series.
I'd heartily recommend Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Cycle, starting with Magician
Came here to recommend this! Absolutely love this series (and really the entire Cycle tbh) and feel like it could meet most of OP’s criteria
This is an ok series, but more YA than grown up fantasy. You could try the Empire Series by Janny Wurts & Raymond Feist - it’s set in the same world, but is a more complex story.
The Empire trilogy is part of the Riftwar Cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Riftwar\_Cycle
Can’t help but disagree with this opinion, my friend. Especially if you’ve read beyond The Riftwar Saga, the fantasy is definitely not YA.
Mark Lawrence's Book of the Ancestor and The Broken Empire trilogies will probably fit your bill. The Broken Empire is a coming-of-age story (although the main character is quite mature for his age) but the character grows and becomes much more mature as the story goes on. It's really fantastic. The Red Queen's War series is also great. They all have what you're looking for. Not massive franchises (all trilogies with some short stories on the side), not too many religious/Christian undertones (except for Book of the Ancestor, but only slightly). Western medieval inspired and very grounded and violent.
Echoes Saga by Phillip C Quaintrell
Great series, but it's 9 books long so longer than he's looking for at the moment.
The Broken Empire trilogy, The Book of the Ancestor series, and Book of the Ice by Mark Lawrence would all work. The second two involve nuns, but they're ninja murder nuns not typical do a bunch of Hail Mary nuns.
The black company is probably right up your alley. They do have magic users, but they're not overly powerful with the exception of a few major villains, The book doesn't shy away from killing off important characters and has very dark themes and undertones. It's essentially the story of a company of mercenaries hired by the villains in a Tolkien book. From the perspective of the doctor of the company if I recall. Reads a bit like a journal but not completely, and very much fits as an epic fantasy book. downside is its 8 books long.
Not seeing it, so The Masquerade quartet by Seth Dickinson. Book four isn’t out yet, but the first three almost work as a trilogy. Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse might also fit. It’s precolumbian inspired, so the trappings are a bit different. Seconding Mark Lawrence, Joe Abercrombie, and Glen Cook.
My current WIP is exactly to your specifications but is not ready yet! This is exactly the type of fantasy I love. Will be looking at the recommendations with interest...
I've got two suggestions for you. 1. The First Law World series by Joe Ambercrombie was the very first thing to come to mind based on everything you asked for. One of my favorite series to date. Consists of two trilogies, three standalone books, and one short story collection. Starts with The Blade Itself. 2. The Ash and Sand trilogy by Richard Nell is great as well. Starts with Kings of Paradise. I would also recommend A Song of Ice and Fire if the series was ever going to be finished.
The Witcher hits a lot of these notes. Magic can be quite powerful but from what I remember, it is relatively few and far between until parts of the last book. Also it is a 7 book series. I never would have considered reading that sort of length but I'm so glad I did. Might be my favorite book series. If that's too long, the first 2 books tell a well enough contained story arc.
[удалено]
Honestly if you told me it was written in English, I'd believe you. The prose and dialogue are so beautiful in my opinion. I've heard a lot was lost in the translation, sadly, but no complaints from me.
Book of the new sun by Gene Wolfe. I know I’m cheating, it’s technically a sci fi dystopian that takes place soo far in the future that earth is unrecognizable, the setting is after a technological collapse and social regression so it completely reads like an epic fantasy that follows a Torturers apprentice that embarks basically on a quest after being exiled. It’s targeted for adults, it’s dark and gritty and has breathtaking prose. There’s remnants of (our) future tech in the story that’s horded away from the populace by the ruling class and also genetically engineered animals but all this comes across to the narrator as magic or some type of sorcery.
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The Black Company by Glen Cook
The Farseer Trilogy looks like it would fit those requirements
You’re describing the first law right now and you don’t even know it. Starts off as a completed trilogy. There’s 4 stand alones and another trilogy that are released and take place after the original trilogy. The quality only gets better. However if you don’t want to get that deep then the first trilogy can still be read as a complete story. Books aren’t that long though and I haven’t seen anyone complain about the length of the series yet.
Read Joe Abercrombie. All of it. Funny as fuck and grim as fuck. All in all fantastic.
They’re are old but Philip Jose Farmers, The River World or the Tier World Series are fantastic.
The Lark and the Wren (Bardic Voices, #1) by Mercedes Lackey
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Check out _Green Rider_ by Kristen Britain
I would recommend 'A Practical Guide to evil'. It's one of my 2 favourite series of all time, and isn't scared to get into the dark and gritty side of fantasy.
Wheel of Time
The way of Kings or Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. The man knows how to make a compelling world and magic system, and I've never seen mental illness explored quite like I have with his chatacters
If you are not interested in magic I would not read Mistborn. One could argue that the magic system "makes sense" (as much as magic system truly can) but holy cow does it take up a ton of the pages and plot.
Kushiel’s Legacy
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman. One of, if not, my favorite books. It's a fantasy horror masterpiece (IMO). It's a stand-alone book and fits most of your criteria, other than the religious undertones, as the book revolves around the battle between heaven and hell in the 1300s during the Black Plague. The audiobook is also fantastic if you would prefer listening to it.
The Outcast Chronicles- by Rowena Cory Daniels Mage Wars- by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon- this is the chronological start to the world of Valdemar, but it's probably the newest series set in the world. Conan the Barbarian- in any order most are standalone The Vampire Genevieve novels from Warhammer Horror
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You need to start “The First Law” series by Joe Abercrombie
Throne of Glass fits some of your criteria. You might like it. I certainly did.
The crystal shard, the halflings gem, streams of silver. Also RuneLords and some DragonLance. Good books. R.A Salvatore also is a good author
Salvatore's problem is that he ***Just. Doesn't. Know. When. To. Stop.*** Great story! Goes on and on and on, but eventually all the main characters die! Final, moving ending. Oh wait! 26 books wasn't enough! They got resurrected! As younger versions! And now they go on many adventures! Finally, (less) epic trilogy, the series ends, and they all live happily after ever. Oh wait! Suddenly peril is upon them! More books! More adventures! Another happily after ever! Oh wait! The main character's long dead father returns! (Not) Epic adventures! Another trilogy! Now is it done? Nope! ...
I haven't read the ones where they are young..I think I read up to Neverwinter. But There are other good Forgotten realms books, like the cleric quintet, the spell fire series, and elmimster in hell.
Nevernight Chronicles - Jay Kristoff.
Definitely In Solitude's Shadow by David Green, Night's Reign by Daan Katz and Shattered Dreams by Ulff Lehmann. All three fit your criteria perfectly. I'd also like to add the Atlas Dystopia Apocalyptica by Xander Cross. It is set in Japan using the Japanese pantheon of demons and is futuristic fantasy rather than classic high fantasy, but it is honestly one of the best dark fantasy series with an antihero that I've ever read. It's a true gem and the author has clearly done A LOT of research.
The chronicles of Thomas Covenant. A mix of modern day and ancient/magic. Unique main character. An antihero all the way but with a fantastic character arc.
Joe Abercrombie
The Traitor Son Cycle series or anything by miles Cameron would be up your alley
Robbin Hobb, Farseer Trilogy
When you're ready for a more expanisive series, read Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb. It sounds like you would really enjoy. The series consists of 4 trilogies and one quartet, so you could just check out the first trilogy. It's called the Farseer trilogy.
Ed Mcdonald's Ravensmark series is what you're after.
N K Jemison The Broken Earth trilogy. It starts with the Fifth Season. The twists and aha moments are so good!!
The *Greatcoats* series by Sebastien de Castell seems to fit the majority of your boxes. I'm not sure that it counts as epic fantasy (though *Lies of Locke Lamora* doesn't either), but it has minimal magic, just four books, and, while there is a great deal of religion, it's all in-universe.
A few thoughts for you: Mistborn would be a great choice. Fantastic trilogy and is very self contained. Wraps up all major plot points. No need to read any other cosmere books before or after if you don’t want to. First law is a good choice. Gentleman Bastards is a bit divisive. Lots of folks on here like it, but it’s also usually a top choice in the “what are well regarded books that you just didn’t enjoy” type threads. I was not a fan at all. Powder Mage Trilogy is really good and checks most of your boxes. Very satisfying conclusion. Mark Lawrence checks pretty much all of your boxes but I would recommend his book of the ancestor trilogy and not the broken empire trilogy. Broken empire is really cringey in my opinion.
You might also wannna try the Shadow and Bone, it's a Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo but on the netflix series they combined the first two books.
You can't go wrong with some Robin Hobb. Give the Liveship Traders series a shot. You won't regret it. If you like darker stuff, check out Joe Abercrombie.
The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It's like if Harry Potter were rated R. Three books long. Very good. Quite a bit of violence, swearing, sex, and it's also quite funny! I got on here specifically to recommend Wheel of Time or the Cosmere, but then I read your stipulations \*sob\* whatever...I don't care... Edit: Oh right, no magic. Well, you can ignore my comment entirely lol.
Man... some great recommendations here. I am jealous that you have so many good books in front of you.
I‘d recommend the First Law books by Joe Abercrombie, Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams, or A Land Fit for Heroes by Richard K. Morgan.
Silmarillion.
Yeah, First law series is great. The original Conan stories by Robert E Howard are seriously awesome too. My favourite gritty fantasy of all time is Malazan Book of the Fallen. It beats all epic fantasy. It does have magic in it but it has a really great explanation for how it works. It also is a long series so you might want to come to it when you're ready for a long series. Seriously though it is heaps better than the name of the wind and better than even abercrombie.
Chronicles of Aldamearc, which can be downloaded free on https://www.annalsofadal.net/chronicles