Books like 'The Illearth War'
Readers who enjoyed The Illearth War by Stephen R. Donaldson also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy action / adventure high fantasy dark fantasy horror 20th century other-world grim-dark historical
-
Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsGeralt is a witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent.This is a collection of short stories, following the adventures of the hit collection THE LAST WISH... -
![Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 62 ratingsThe New York Times bestselling series that inspired the international hit video game: The Witcher The Wizards Guild has been shattered by a coup and, in the uproar, Geralt was seriously injured. The Witcher is supposed to be a guardian of the innocent, a protector of those in need, a defender against powerful and dangerous monsters that prey on men in dark times...Categorized as:
dark epic grim-dark magic sword-sorcery violent-conflict 20th-century action-adventure -
![The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan]()
The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 69 ratingsThe seals of Shayol Ghul are weak now, and the Dark One reaches out. The Shadow is rising to cover humankind.In Tar Valon, Min sees portents of hideous doom. Will the White Tower itself be broken?In the Two Rivers, the Whitecloaks ride in pursuit of a man with golden eyes, and in pursuit of the Dragon Reborn... -
![Wizard and Glass by Stephen King]()
Wizard and Glass by Stephen King
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 65 ratingsRoland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Jake’s pet bumbler survive Blaine the Mono’s final crash, only to find themselves stranded in an alternate version of Topeka, Kansas, one that has been ravaged by the superflu virus. While following the deserted I-70 toward a distant glass palace, they hear the atonal squalling of a thinny, a place where the fabric of existence has almost entirely worn away... -
-
![The Tower of the Swallow by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
The Tower of the Swallow by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsThe world has fallen into war. Ciri, the child of prophecy, has vanished. Hunted by friends and foes alike, she has taken on the guise of a petty bandit and lives free for the first time in her life. But the net around her is closing. Geralt, the Witcher, has assembled a group of allies determined to rescue her. Both sides of the war have sent brutal mercenaries to hunt her down... -
![Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 71 ratingsGeralt is a witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent.This is a collection of short stories, following the adventures of the hit collection THE LAST WISH... -
![Magic's Price by Mercedes Lackey]()
Magic's Price by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsThe final chapter in Mercedes Lackey's spellbinding fantasy trilogy! The Herald-Mage, Vanyel, and his Companion, Yfandes, are alone responsible for saving the once-peaceful kingdom of Valdemar from the forces of a master who wields a dark, forbidding magic. And if either Vanyel or Yfandes falters, both Valdemar and its Herald-Mage must pay the ultimate price... -
![The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart]()
The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsArthur Pendragon is King! Unchallenged on the battlefield, he melds the country together in a time of promise. But sinister powers plot to destroy Camelot, and when the witch-queen Morgause -- Arthur's own half sister -- ensnares him in an incestuous liaison, a fatal web of love, betrayal, and bloody vengeance is woven...Categorized as:
classics epic historical magic sword-sorcery violent-conflict 20th-century action-adventure -
![Interesting Times: The Play by Stephen Briggs, Terry Pratchett]()
Interesting Times: The Play by Stephen Briggs, Terry Pratchett
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsA new stage adaptation of one of Pratchett's best-selling novelsThe Discworld's most inept wizard has been sent from Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork to the oppressive Agatean Empire to help some well-intentioned rebels overthrow the Emperor...Categorized as:
historical magic sword-sorcery violent-conflict 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book -
![The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 68 ratingsThe New York Times bestselling series that inspired the international hit video game: The Witcher Geralt is a witcher: guardian of the innocent; protector of those in need; a defender, in dark times, against some of the most frightening creatures of myth and legend. His task, now, is to protect Ciri... -
![The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 79 ratingsGeralt the Witcher—revered and hated—is a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good.. -
![Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan]()
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 67 ratingsIn this sequel to the phenomenal New York Times bestseller The Fires of Heaven, we plunge again into Robert Jordan's extraordinarily rich, totally unforgettable world:On the slopes of Shayol Ghul, the Myrddraal swords are forged, and the sky is not the sky of this world .. -
![The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 70 ratingsGeralt the Witcher—revered and hated—is a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good.. -
![The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe]()
The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAlternative cover editions for this ISBN exist here and here.Beneath the dying sun the disgraced torturer, Severian, at last comes to his place of exile - Thrax, the city of Windowless Rooms.But Severian's journey is not ended, and high in Earth's ancient mountains he draws closer to his destiny... -
-
![The White Rose by Glen Cook]()
The White Rose by Glen Cook
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsShe is the last hope of good in the war against the evil sorceress known as the Lady. From a secret base on the Plains of Fear, where even the Lady hesitates to go, the Black Company, once in service to the Lady, now fights to bring victory to the White Rose. But now an even greater evil threatens the world... -
![Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 74 ratingsThe New York Times bestselling series that inspired the international hit video game: The Witcher.For over a century, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves have lived together in relative peace. But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over, and now the races are fighting once again. The only good elf, it seems, is a dead elf... -
![Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay]()
Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsCrispin is a master mosaicist, creating beautiful art with colored stones and glass. Summoned to Sarantium by imperial request, he bears a Queen's secret mission, and a talisman from an alchemist...Categorized as:
epic historical magic 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
![Sabriel by Garth Nix]()
Sabriel by Garth Nix
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 76 ratingsSent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him... -
![Shadows Linger by Glen Cook]()
Shadows Linger by Glen Cook
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsMercenary soldiers in the service of the Lady, the Black Company stands against the rebels of the White Rose. They are tough men, proud of honoring their contracts. The Lady is evil, but so, too, are those who falsely profess to follow the White Rose, reincarnation of a centuries-dead heroine... -
![Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 48 ratingsThe Witcher returns in this action-packed sequel to The Tower of Swallows, in the New York Times bestselling series that inspired The Witcher video games. After walking through the portal in the Tower of Swallows while narrowly escaping death, Ciri finds herself in a completely different world... an Elven world. She is trapped with no way out... -
![Tales from Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin]()
Tales from Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsFive stories of Ursula K. Le Guin's world-renowned realm of Earthsea are collected in one volume. Featuring two classic stories, two original tales, and a brand-new novella, as well as new maps and a special essay on Earthsea's history, languages, literature, and magic...Categorized as:
classics epic historical magic sword-sorcery 20th-century 21st-century action-adventure -
![Swords Against Wizardry by Fritz Leiber]()
Swords Against Wizardry by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsFahrd and the Gray Mouser, master swordsmen, are determined to climb to the summit of Stardock, a dangerously steep mountain, in search of treasure... -
![A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan]()
A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 67 ratingsThe Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and go. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time... -
![The Swords of Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber]()
The Swords of Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsOne of them was a huge, brawny, full-bearded barbarian from the northlands of Nehwon. His name was Fafhrd, his weapon a broadsword. The other was a small, nimble man dressed all in gray. Men called him the Gray Mouser, and he carried both rapier and dirk. They were known throughout the city of Lankhmar as brawlers, cutpurses, and rogues... -
-
![The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft]()
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsThe Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) published by Arkham House posthumously in 1943 in the collection Beyond the Wall of Sleep. Begun probably in the autumn of 1926, it was completed on January 22, 1927 and was unpublished in his lifetime... -
![Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake]()
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsTitus Groan is seven years old. Lord and heir to the crumbling castle Gormenghast. A gothic labyrinth of roofs and turrets, cloisters and corridors, stairwells and dungeons, it is also the cobwebbed kingdom of Byzantine government and age-old rituals, a world primed to implode beneath the weight of centuries of intrigue, treachery, and death... -
![Swords Against Death by Fritz Leiber]()
Swords Against Death by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsIn the second instalment of this rousing series, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser journey from the ancient city of Lankhmar, searching for a little adventure and debauchery to ease their broken hearts. When a stranger challenges them to find and fight Death on the Bleak Shore, they battle demonic birds, living mountains, and evil monks on the way to their heroic fate... -
![A Man Rides Through by Stephen R. Donaldson]()
A Man Rides Through by Stephen R. Donaldson
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsIn The Mirror of Her Dreams, the dazzling first volume of Mordant's Need, New York Times bestselling author Stephen R. Donaldson introduced us to the richly imagined world of Mordant, where mirrors are magical portals into places of beauty and terror. Now, with A Man Rides Through, Donaldson brings the story of Terisa Morgan to an unforgettable conclusion.. -
![The Power That Preserves by Stephen R. Donaldson]()
The Power That Preserves by Stephen R. Donaldson
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 39 ratings"A trilogy of remarkable scope and sophistication."--Los Angeles TimesTwice before Thomas Covenant had been summoned to the strange otherworld where magic worked. Twice before he had been forced to join with the Lords of Revelstone in their war against Lord Foul, the ancient enemy of the Land.Now he was back--to a Land ravaged by the armies of Lord Foul. The Lords were besieged and helpless... -
![Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer by Tanith Lee]()
Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer by Tanith Lee
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsHow would it be if Snow White were the real villain & the wicked queen just a sadly maligned innocent? What if awakening the Sleeping Beauty should be the mistake of a lifetime--of several lifetimes? What if the famous folk tales were retold with an eye to more horrific possibilities?Only Tanith Lee could do justice to it...Categorized as:
classics dark historical magic 20th-century action-adventure anthologies dark-fantasy -
![Night's Master by Tanith Lee]()
Night's Master by Tanith Lee
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsNIGHT'S MASTER is the first book of the stunning arabesque high fantasy series Tales from the Flat Earth, which, in the manner of The One Thousand and One Nights, portrays an ancient world in mythic grandeur via connected tales... -
![Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien]()
Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsClassic hardback edition of this fascinating collection of stories, featuring Tolkien’s own painting of the dragon Glaurung on the cover, which continues the tales of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion and contains an alternative version of The Children of Hurin...Categorized as:
classics epic historical magic violent-conflict 20th-century action-adventure anthologies -
![The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien]()
The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 59 ratingsThis tale of Middle-earth's First Age, which appeared in incomplete forms in the posthumously published The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales , also edited by Tolkien's son, Christopher, only hinted at the depth and power of the tragic story of Túrin and Niënor, the children of Húrin, the lord of Dor-lómin, who achieved renown for having confronted Morgoth, who was the master of Sauron, the...Categorized as:
classics epic historical magic violent-conflict 20th-century 21st-century action-adventure -
![City of Bones by Martha Wells]()
City of Bones by Martha Wells
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsWhere once great galleons roamed the sea,sand ships now traverse the Great Waste,and a glittering chain of city-statesdots the desert that has no end... And the greatest city of them all is Charisat: Imperial seat and wonder of wonders, a great monolithic structure towering over the desert... -
-
![The Bellmaker by Brian Jacques]()
The Bellmaker by Brian Jacques
Rated: 3.98 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsVicious Foxwolf, Urgan Nagru--a fox who long ago discovered the body of a wolf and skinned it to wear as his own--is holding the young Mariel and Dandin captive. The pair are at the mercy of the evil despot and have only one hope of survival...Categorized as:
classics epic historical magic violent-conflict 20th-century action-adventure animals -
![The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams]()
The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsA war fueled by the powers of dark sorcery is about to engulf the peaceful land of Osten Ard—for Prester John, the High King, lies dying. And with his death, the Storm King, the undead ruler of the elf-like Sithi, seizes the chance to regain his lost realm through a pact with the newly ascended king... -
![Swords and Ice Magic by Fritz Leiber]()
Swords and Ice Magic by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsContents:· The Sadness of the Executioner · ss Flashing Swords! #1, ed... -
![The Road With No Return by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
The Road With No Return by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsA Fan Translation.In the heart of the Amell mountains, in the pass of Klamat, lives a monstrosity which terrorizes the surrounding villages: the Kotchei. Visenna, druidess of the Circle of Mayen and magician, is the only one who can defeat this dreadful creature. On the way, she helps Korin, a fearless warrior who ends up accompanying him on his mission... -
![The Dying Earth by Jack Vance]()
The Dying Earth by Jack Vance
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsSeekers of wisdom and beauty include lovely lost women, eccentric wizards and man-eating melancholy deodands. Twk-men ride dragonflies and trade information for salt. There are monsters and demons. Each being is morally ambiguous: the evil are charming, the good are dangerous... -
![The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King]()
The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsA kingdom is in turmoil as the old king dies, murdered by a strange and horrible poison. While the land of Delain mourns, the evil wizard Flagg, hatches an unscrupulous plot, which sees the King's eldest son Peter imprisoned for his father's murder, and the youngest son inherit the throne. Only Peter knows the truth about his own innocence and the evil that is Flagg... -
![Outcast of Redwall by Brian Jacques]()
Outcast of Redwall by Brian Jacques
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsAbandoned as an infant by his father, the evil warlord Swartt Sixclaw, Veil is raised by the kindhearted Bryony. Despite concerns from everyone at Redwall, Bryony is convinced that Veil's goodness will prevail. But when he commits a crime that is unforgivable, he is banished from the abbey forever...Categorized as:
classics epic historical sword-sorcery violent-conflict 20th-century action-adventure animals -
![The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson]()
The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsWith The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Stephen R. Donaldson changed the face of fantasy fiction forever. In The Mirror of Her Dreams, the astonishing first novel in the two-volume Mordant’s Need series, Donaldson shows us a world of wondrous beauty and seductive illusion, where mirrors hold the deadliest of magics and nothing is what it seems. . .Categorized as:
alternate-universe classics epic historical magic military other-world portal-travel -
![Deerskin by Robin McKinley]()
Deerskin by Robin McKinley
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAs Princess Lissla Lissar reaches womanhood, it is clear to all the kingdom that in her beauty she is the image of her dead mother, the queen. But this likeness forces her to flee from her father's lust and madness; and in the pain and horror of that flight she forgets who she is and what it is she flees from: forgets almost everything but the love and loyalty of her dog, Ash, who accompanies her... -
![Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake, Rupert Degas]()
Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake, Rupert Degas
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsStarts with the birth and ends with the first birthday celebrations of the heir to the grand, tradition-bound castle of Gormenghast. A grand miasma of doom and foreboding weaves over the sterile rituals of the castle. Villainous Steerpike seeks to exploit the gaps between the formal rituals and the emotional needs of the ruling family for his own profit... -
-
![Stormqueen! by Marion Zimmer Bradley]()
Stormqueen! by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe great epic of Darkover did not begin with the Terrans' arrival. For in those years, the power of the matrix was first learned--and misused in a power struggle that could have made Darkover a duplicate of Terra... -
![Darkover Landfall by Marion Zimmer Bradley]()
Darkover Landfall by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDarkover, planet of wonder, world of mystery, has been a favorite of science fiction readers for many years. For it is a truly alien sphere--a world of strange intelligences, of brooding skies beneath a ruddy sun, and of powers unknown to Earth. In this novel, Marion Zimmer Bradley tells of the original coming of the Earthmen, of the days when Darkover knew not humanity... -
![Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock]()
Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsElric of Melniboné is a requisite title in the hard fantasy canon, a book no fantasy fan should leave unread. Author Michael Moorcock, already a major player in science fiction, cemented his position in the fantasy pantheon with the five-book Elric saga, of which Elric of Melniboné is the first installment... -
![The Book of Lost Tales, Part One by J.R.R. Tolkien]()
The Book of Lost Tales, Part One by J.R.R. Tolkien
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe Book of Lost Tales 1 stands at the beginning of the entire conception of Middle-earth and Valinor. Embedded in English legend and English association, they were set in the narratve frame of a great westward voyage over the Ocean by a mariner named Eriol (or Ælfwine) to Tol Eressëa, the Lonely Isle, where Elves dwelt; from them he learned their true story, the Lost Tales of Elfinesse...Categorized as:
classics epic historical magic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure anthologies -
![The Silver Warriors by Michael Moorcock]()
The Silver Warriors by Michael Moorcock
Rated: 3.87 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe second novel in the History of John Daker, The Eternal Champion. Phoenix in Obsidian aka The Silver Warriors.Erekose made his choice, and fought against humanity. With them destroyed, he has no choice but to find solace with the Eldren.There is no rest for the Eternal Champion though, and again he changes, Urlik Skarsol is now Erekose and Erekose is Urlik, prince of the Southern Ice... -
![The Black Company by Glen Cook]()
The Black Company by Glen Cook
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsSome feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hard-bitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead. Until the prophesy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more. There must be a way for the Black Company to find her..
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.
