Books like 'The Bishop's Heir'
Readers who enjoyed The Bishop's Heir by Katherine Kurtz also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy high fantasy alternate history magic epic historical-fiction male-mc religion workplace
-
The Tiger's Time by Marc Alan Edelheit
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe fourth installment of the award-winning Chronicles of an Imperial Legionary Officer series is here! A nobleman from an infamous family, imperial legionary officer, and born fighter, Ben Stiger is trapped in the past and cut off from everything he has known. The World Gate is sealed behind him and Delvaris the man he traveled through time to save, is dead...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic action-adventure adult alternate-history anthologies audiobook -
Lost Legio IX by Marc Alan Edelheit
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsBestselling, award-winning author of STIGERS TIGERS, Marc Alan Edelheit, delivers a new action-packed fantasy epic filled with gods and magic. One of history’s greatest mysteries, the Ninth Imperial Legion guarding Rome’s northernmost frontier in Britannia disappeared around the year 122 AD. This is their story... -
First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsFor Gaius Octavian, life has been one long battle. Now, the end of all he fought for is close at hand. The brutal, dreaded Vord are on the march against Alera. And perhaps for the final time, Gaius Octavian and his legions must stand against the enemies of his people. And it will take all his intelligence, ingenuity, and furycraft to save their world from eternal darkness...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic male-mc action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book -
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsBy scheming and theft, the Thief of Eddis has become King of Attolia. Eugenides wanted the queen, not the crown, but he finds himself trapped in a web of his own making.Then he drags a naive young guard into the center of the political maelstrom. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king's caprice, but his contempt for Eugenides slowly turns to grudging respect...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic male-mc action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book -
-
Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 55 ratingsIn his acclaimed Codex Alera novels, bestselling author Jim Butcher has created a fascinating world in which the powerful forces of nature take physical form. For millennia, the people of Alera have used their unique bond with these elementals for protection. Now, as enemies become allies, and friends become bitter foes, a danger beyond reckoning looms. . . -
Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsThe power-hungry High Lord of Kalare has launched a rebellion against the aging First Lord, Gaius Sextus, who with the loyal forces of Alera must fight beside the unlikeliest of allies-the equally contentious High Lord of Aquitaine... -
The King's Traitor by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAgainst all odds, Owen Kiskaddon grew from frightened boy to confident youth to trusted officer in the court of Kingfountain—and watched its regent, Severn Argentine, grow ever more ruthless and power-mad. Robbed of his beloved protector, his noble mentor, and his true love, Owen has anticipated the day when the king he fears and reviles, yet loyally serves, will be toppled...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic male-mc action-adventure alternate-history arthurian audiobook -
Stiger by Marc Alan Edelheit
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe long awaited prequel to the Award Winning Chronicles of an Imperial Legionary Officer series that started with the bestselling military fantasy book Stiger’s Tigers. A nobleman from an infamous family, Ben Stiger finds himself freshly assigned to Third Legion, Seventh Company as a lowly lieutenant in the opening stages of war between the Empire and the Kingdom of the Rivan...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book -
Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. It's inhabited by the race that rose from the seed of angels, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt. Phèdre nó Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child. Her bond was purchased by a nobleman who recognized that she was pricked by Kushiel's dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one... -
The Tiger by Marc Alan Edelheit
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAbandoned and cut off from friendly lines, Stiger takes the fight to the enemy! A nobleman from an infamous family, imperial legionary officer, fighter, and a right proper bastard of a man…Captain Ben Stiger captured Castle Vrell and rid it of a minion of a dark god...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic action-adventure adult alternate-history anthologies audiobook -
The Outcasts by John Flanagan
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsFrom the author of the global phenomenon Ranger's Apprentice!They are outcasts. Hal, Stig, and the others - they are the boys the others want no part of. Skandians, as any reader of Ranger's Apprentice could tell you, are known for their size and strength. Not these boys. Yet that doesn't mean they don't have skills...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic male-mc action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book -
The Tiger's Fate by Marc Alan Edelheit
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratings2017 Gold Medal Winner for Best Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror E-Book Independent Publisher Book Awards The third installment of the award-winning Chronicles of an Imperial Legionary Officer series is here!A nobleman from an infamous family, imperial legionary officer, fighter and a right proper bastard of a man…Captain Ben Stiger has successfully thwarted the attack from an army of the...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic action-adventure adult alternate-history anthologies audiobook -
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 56 ratingsMore than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles... -
The Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe sequel to the critically acclaimed The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, The Words of Kings and Prophets is the powerful new historical fantasy novel by Shauna Lawless.Ireland, 1000 AD. Gormflaith is unhappily married to Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, and although a queen she struggles with her limited position... -
-
Kushiel's Mercy by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsHaving learned a lesson about thwarting the will of the gods, Imriel and Sidonie publicly confess their affair, only to see the country boil over in turmoil. Younger generations, infatuated by their heart-twisting, star-cross romance, defend the couple...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe angels -
The Thief's Daughter by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsA Wall Street Journal bestseller Owen Kiskaddon first came to the court of the formidable King Severn as a prisoner, winning favor with the stormy monarch by masquerading as a boy truly blessed by the Fountain...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic male-mc spirituality action-adventure alternate-history arthurian -
Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsMighty Kushiel, of rod and wealLate of the brazen portalsWith blood-tipp'd dart a wound unhealedPricks the eyen of chosen mortalsThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. The inhabiting race rose from the seed of angels and men, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.Phèdre nó Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic religion spirituality action-adventure alternate-history audiobook -
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction male-mc religion spirituality 20th-century action-adventure adult -
Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsMy blood beat hard in my veins and hammered in my ears, like the sound of bronze wings clashing. And I understand for the first time what it meant that Kushiel, the One God's punisher, had loved his charges too well...Imriel de la Courcel's blood parents are history's most reviled traitors, while his adoptive parents, Phèdre and Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic male-mc action-adventure adult alternate-history angels -
Sword in the Storm by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsFierce and proud, the Rigante dwell deep in the green mountain lands, worshiping the gods of air and water, and the spirits of the earth. Among them lives a warrior who bears the mark of fate. Born of the storm that slew his father, he is Connavar, and tales of his courage spread like wildfire...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic male-mc action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBased on the troubadour culture that rose in Provence during the High Middle Ages, this panoramic, absorbing novel beautifully creates an alternate version of the medieval world...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic male-mc 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history -
Lion of Macedon by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsOver and again, the aged seeress Tamis scried all the possible tomorrows. In every one, dark forces threatened Greece; terrible evil was poised to reenter the world. The future held only one hope: a half-caste Spartan boy, Parmenion. So Tamis made it her mission to see that Parmenion would before the deadliest warrior in the world -- no matter what the cost...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic action-adventure adult alternate-history ancient-civilization book -
Stiger's Tigers by Marc Alan Edelheit
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe empire has endured many centuries but is now threatened by multiple wars and a major rebellion in the South. A nobleman from an infamous family, imperial legionary officer, fighter and a right proper bastard of a man… Captain Ben Stiger finds himself reassigned from a crack legion to the rebellion simmering in the South... -
Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsImriel de la Courcel's blood parents are history's most reviled traitors, but his adoptive parents, the Comtesse Phèdre and the warrior-priest Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions.Stolen, tortured, and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood, third in line for the throne in a land that revels in art, beauty, and desire...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic male-mc action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
-
The Guns of Empire by Django Wexler
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsAs the “audacious and subversive”* Shadow Campaigns novels continue, the weather is growing warmer, but the frosty threat of Vordan’s enemies is only growing worse..Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic male-mc action-adventure adult alpha-mc alternate-history -
Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsThe Thrilling Sequel To Sailing To SarantiumBeckoned by the Emperor Valerius, Crispin, a renowned mosaicist, has arrived in the fabled city of Sarantium. Here he seeks to fulfill his artistic ambitions and his destiny high upon a dome that will become the emerror's magnificent sanctuary and legacy.But the beauty and solitude of his work cannot protect his from Sarantium's intrigue...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic religion spirituality 21st-century action-adventure adult -
The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsUther, the High King, has died, leaving the infant Mordred as his only heir. His uncle, the loyal and gifted warlord Arthur, now rules as caretaker for a country which has fallen into chaos - threats emerge from within the British kingdoms while vicious Saxon armies stand ready to invade...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history arthurian audiobook -
The Fell Sword by Miles Cameron
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsTHE RED KNIGHT was one of the most acclaimed fantasy debuts of 2012 - and now he rides again. Prepare for one epic battle...In The Fell Sword the Red Knight and his company go across the mountains to the Morea and Thrake - those are the kingdoms to the east of Alba - to put down what appears to be a local rebellion and proves to be larger...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic male-mc action-adventure adult alternate-history anti-hero -
Factotum by D.M. Cornish
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsRossamund Bookchild stands accused of not truly being a human at all, but of being a monster. Even the protection of Europe, the Branden Rose-the most feared and renowned monster-hunter in all the Half-Continent-might not be enough to save him. Powerful forces move against them both, intent on capturing Rossamund- whose existence some believe may hold the secret to perpetual youth...Categorized as:
epic magic action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book children-books coming-of-age -
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 89 ratingsLost in a new world, Lyra finds Will—a boy on the run, a murderer—a worthy and welcome ally. For this is a world where soul-eating Specters stalk the streets and witches share the skies with troops of angels.Each is searching—Lyra for the meaning of Dark Matter, Will for his missing father—but what they find instead is a deadly secret, a knife of untold power...Categorized as:
epic magic religion spirituality 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history alternate-universe -
Lamplighter by D.M. Cornish
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe eagerly awaited second book of the critically acclaimed trilogy! Orphan Rossamund Bookchild has been sworn into the Emperor's service his duty is to light the lamps along the Emperor's highways and protect travelers from the ferocious bogles that live in the wild... -
The Silver Hand by Stephen R. Lawhead
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe great king, Meldryn Mawr, is dead, and his kingdom lies in ruins. Treachery and brutality rule the land, and Albion is the scene of an epic struggle for the throne. Lewis Gillies returns as Llew, seeking the true meaning behind a mysterious prophecy - the making of a true king and the revealing of a long awaited champion: Silver Hand...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic spirituality action-adventure alternate-history arthurian audiobook -
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-fiction magic religion spirituality 20th-century action-adventure adult -
Dark Prince by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsThe chaos spirit had chosen the child Alexander to be its human host. But Parmenion, most powerful warrior of ancient Greece, had won a small victory over the darkness that sought to rule through Alexander. The boy's soul had not been destroyed by evil, but instead had merged with it -- and now Parmenion aided Alexander in the battle between light and dark that constantly raged within him...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic action-adventure adult alternate-history ancient-civilization book -
-
Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsI lean forward, pushing my body out past the battlements. The wind plucks at my cloak, buffets against me, as if it would carry me off in flight, just like the birds or the knight's soul. Let go, it cries, I will take you far, far away. I want to laugh at the exhilarating feeling, I will catch you, it whistles seductively.The convent has returned Sybella to a life that nearly drove her mad...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic religion spirituality abuse action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history -
The Dragons of Winter by James A. Owen
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Archipelago of Dreams is no more…but the battle to save it has just begun in the penultimate book in the acclaimed Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series.The Caretakers are at war. The Archipelago of Dreams has fallen to the Echthroi, and the link to the Summer Country has been lost...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic action-adventure alternate-history animals anthropomorphism arthurian -
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsThe Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel in the world. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of airships and steam engines, of unusual animals and mysterious machines...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book dystopia -
Heaven's Net Is Wide by Lian Hearn
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe new beginning — and the grand finale to — the beloved Tales of the Otori series.Heaven's Net Is Wide is the new first volume of the now complete Tales of the Otori — prequel to Across the Nightingale Floor, the book that first introduced Hearn's mythical, medieval Japanese world...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book children drama -
River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn his critically acclaimed novel Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay told a vivid and powerful story inspired by China’s Tang Dynasty...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book family -
Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsOnce there were great magicians born to the Maghuin Dhonn, the folk of the Brown Bear, the oldest tribe in Alba. But generations ago, the greatest of them all broke a sacred oath sworn in the name of all his people. Now only small gifts remain to them. Through her lineage, Moirin possesses such gifts—the ability to summon the twilight and conceal herself, and the skill to coax plants to grow...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic action-adventure alternate-history audiobook bisexuality book -
A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsInternational bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay's latest work is set in a world evoking early Renaissance Italy and offers an extraordinary cast of characters whose lives come together through destiny, love, and ambition. In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a maritime city, a man looks back on his youth and the people who shaped his life...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction male-mc action-adventure adult alternate-history assassins audiobook -
The Mageborn Traitor by Melanie Rawn
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe second volume of the Exiles series pits sister against sister in a battle of magic, power, and long-held family secretsFor generations, the Mage Guardians and the Lords of Malerris have waged a secret war against one another—and the world of Lenfell has paid the price... -
The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAfter spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history audiobook boarding-school -
Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsThe bestselling author of the groundbreaking novels Under Heaven and River of Stars, Guy Gavriel Kay is back with a new book, set in a world inspired by the conflicts and dramas of Renaissance Europe. Against this tumultuous backdrop the lives of men and women unfold on the borderlands—where empires and faiths collide...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction religion spirituality action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
-
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 81 ratingsWill is the bearer of the knife. Now, accompanied by angels, his task is to deliver that powerful, dangerous weapon to Lord Asriel - by the command of his dying father.But how can he go looking for Lord Asriel when Lyra is gone? Only with her help can he fathom the myriad plots and intrigues that beset him...Categorized as:
epic magic religion spirituality action-adventure alternate-history alternate-universe angels -
The Queen's Poisoner by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsKing Severn Argentine’s fearsome reputation precedes him: usurper of the throne, killer of rightful heirs, ruthless punisher of traitors. Attempting to depose him, the Duke of Kiskaddon gambles…and loses. Now the duke must atone by handing over his young son, Owen, as the king’s hostage. And should his loyalty falter again, the boy will pay with his life...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic male-mc action-adventure alternate-history assassins audiobook -
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsA masterful epic of magic, politics, war, and the power of love and hate — from the renowned author of The Fionavar Tapestry and Children of Earth and Sky.Tigana is the magical story of a beleaguered land struggling to be free. It is the tale of a people so cursed by the black sorcery of a cruel despotic king that even the name of their once-beautiful homeland cannot be spoken or remembered..Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book -
Sword of the Ronin by Travis Heermann
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn 13th-Century Japan, a land of ancient spirits, shapeshifting animals, and demons, Ken'ishi is a warrior without a master. Orphaned in infancy, he has only one link to his past - Silver Crane, his father's sword. When Silver Crane is stolen, Ken'ishi must go on a quest to recover his very identity. The crime lord known as Green Tiger holds the key to Ken'ishi's past...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure alternate-history book coming-of-age fiction high-fantasy -
The Steel Seraglio by Mike Carey, Linda Carey
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe sultan Bokhari Al-Bokhari of Bessa has 365 concubines - until a violent coup puts the city in the hands of the religious zealot Hakkim Mehdad. Hakkim has no use for the pleasures of the flesh: he condemns the women first to exile - and then to death. Cast into the desert, the concubines must rely on themselves and each other to escape from the new sultan's fanatical pursuit...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic 21st-century action-adventure adult alternate-history book -
How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It by K.J. Parker
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis is the story of how the City was saved, by Notker the professional liar, written down because eventually the truth always seeps through.The City may be under siege, but everyone still has to make a living. Take Notker, the acclaimed playwright, actor and impresario. Nobody works harder, even when he's not working...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction male-mc action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.