Books like 'Forging the Sword'
Readers who enjoyed Forging the Sword by Hilari Bell also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy high fantasy action / adventure other worlds military, war & conflict magic epic war political-intrigue
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Magician: Master by Raymond E. Feist
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsHe held the fate of two worlds in his hands... Once he was an orphan called Pug, apprenticed to a sorcerer of the enchanted land of Midkemia.. Then he was captured and enslaved by the Tsurani, a strange, warlike race of invaders from another world.There, in the exotic Empire of Kelewan, he earned a new name--Milamber. He learned to tame the unnimagined powers that lay withing him... -
Sacrifice by K.M. Shea
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsSacrifice: the thrilling conclusion to the Snow Queen series! Rakel, once feared and exiled for possessing magic, is now hailed a hero. Leading resistance forces against the Chosen—an army of magic users that invaded her homeland—she is granted everything she has longed for: acceptance, a home, and the love of her friends. But the battle for her country has just begun... -
Pretense by Tara Grayce
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEssie and Farrendel are living their happily ever after…until Farrendel’s greatest secret leaks to the Escarlish press.With his reputation set to be forever ruined, they race to do damage control. Yet, an even greater danger lurks behind the leak, threatening more than just Farrendel’s reputation...Categorized as:
magic political-intrigue sword-sorcery war action-adventure assassins audiobook book -
Wayfarer's Keep by T.A. White
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsBranded a traitor by her people, Shea and her warlord—the fiercely dangerous Fallon—travel to the Pathfinders’ seat of power at her father’s request, hoping to form an alliance despite the distrust between them. It doesn’t take long before Shea and Fallon realize something is dangerously wrong in the place she once called home... -
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The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsVolume Four of the Book of the New Sun. Severian the Torturer continues his epic journey across the lands of Urth, a journey as fraught with peril as it is with wonder. Exiled from his guild he is an outcast, but his travels are woven with strange portents. The Claw of the Conciliator, relic of a prophet and promise of a new age, flames to life in his hands... -
Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 67 ratingsIn Wizard's First Rule, Richard Cypher's world was turned upside down. Once a simple woods guide, Richard was forced to become the Seeker of Truth, to save the world from the vile dominance of Darken Rahl, the most viciously savage and powerful wizard the world had ever seen... -
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 war action-adventure alternate-history arthurian audiobook -
Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 59 ratingsThere is an alternate cover edition here.As his beloved Kahlan lies close to death, Richard Rahl, who distrusts prophecy more than anyone, is confronted by a compelling vision - one that bears a terrible price. It would mean taking Kahlan away to safety while abandoning his people to a grim fate... -
Rhone by Kelly St. Clare
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHe’s leaving Glacium. Rhone has always been an outcast. Life in the castle may come with a soft bed and regular food, but that's the only difference he can see from the childhood he spent in the gutter. The assembly fear him. Rhone exists on the fringes of their friendship. He could have handled that yesterday...Categorized as:
sword-sorcery action-adventure alternate-universe book fiction high-fantasy historical humor -
Confessor by Terry Goodkind
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 47 ratingsDescending into darkness, about to be overwhelmed by evil, those people still free are powerless to stop the coming dawn of a savage new world, while Richard faces the guilt of knowing that he must let it happen. Alone, he must bear the weight of a sin he dare not confess to the one person he loves…and has lost... -
Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsEverything Richard Rahl has learned will be for naught as the ruthless Emperor Jagang returns with his vast legions...heralded by a mystical plague that kills innocents in the thousands.Richard must now challenge the undefeatable: the magic that thwarts magic, sealed away for three thousand years in the Temple of Winds... -
Sorceress of Darshiva by David Eddings
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsThe Endless Quest...Troubles and delays continued to mount as Garion, Belgarath, Polgara, and the company pursued Zandramas across the known world. Possessed by the Dark Destiny, she had stolen Garion's infant son for a ritual that would destroy all that men valued. She was always one step ahead, taunting and spying on them, flying over in the form of a great dragon... -
The Caller by Juliet Marillier
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsNeryn has made a long journey to perfect her skills as a Caller. She has learned the wisdom of water and of earth; she has journeyed to the remote isles of the west and the forbidding mountains of the north. Now, Neryn must travel in Alban's freezing winter to seek the mysterious White Lady, Guardian of Air...Categorized as:
epic espionage historical-fiction magic political-intrigue war action-adventure alpha-mc -
In Despair by Megan Derr
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsPrince Telmé Guldbrandsen has been groomed since childhood to become a Prince of the Blood and Commander of the Legion. He will be the youngest person to ever take the Blooding—if he can behave long enough to prove he can be trusted with the responsibility... -
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The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsSixteen when a baby is brought to her to raise, Sybel has grown up on Eld Mountain. Her only playmates are the creatures of a fantastic menagerie called there by wizardry. Sybel has cared nothing for humans, until the baby awakens emotions previously unknown to her. And when Coren--the man who brought this child--returns, Sybel's world is again turned upside down... -
Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsNEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Tamora Pierce returns to the magical world of Winding Circle.While visiting the God-King and the First Circle temple in Gyongxe, mages Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy are invited to visit the emperor's summer palace... -
Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodkind
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 59 ratingsThere is an alternate cover edition here.Richard comes to terms with his true identity as a War Wizard. The New World, and all the freedom of humankind, is under threat from the Imperial Order after he had brought down the barrier between the Old and New World. The Imperial Order has already sent delegations and armies into the New World... -
Heart of Ice by K.M. Shea
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsRakel, a princess by birth, has spent most of her life exiled on a barren mountain, despised because of her powerful snow magic. Though she longs to be accepted, she hides in her ice-castle and lives with the fear that her brother—the King—will one day order her execution... -
Guardians of the West by David Eddings
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsGarion has slain the evil God Torak and been crowned King of Riva. The Prophecy was fulfilled—or so it seemed. While the strange child Errand was growing up in the Vale of Aldur with Polgara and Durnik, showing only occasional flashes of inexplicable knowledge and power, Garion was learning to rule and to be the husband of his fiery little Queen Ce’Nedra. Eleven years passed... -
A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery by Curtis Craddock
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"A gripping tale of a woman who refuses to be defined by her physical and magical limitations, thwarting both assassins and all who see her as a pawn... -
Forest Born by Shannon Hale
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsRin is sure that something is wrong with her . . . something really bad.Something that is keeping her from feeling at home in the Forest homestead where she's lived all her life. Something that is keeping her from trusting herself with anyone at all.When her brother Razo returns from the city for a visit, she accompanies him to the palace, hoping that she can find peace away from home... -
The Paradise War by Stephen R. Lawhead
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsFrom the dreaming spires of Oxford, Lewis Gillies drives north to seek a mythical creature in a misty glen in Scotland. Expecting little more than a weekend diversion, Lewis finds himself in a mystical place where two worlds meet, in the time-between-times - and in the heart of a battle between good and evil... -
High Deryni by Katherine Kurtz
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsYoung Kelson Haldane has claimed his birthright and assumed the throne of Gwynedd. For the first time in centuries, a king of Deryni heritage, possessing extraordinary magical abilities, rules the realm.But the priesthood of the Eleven Kingdoms has held sway over the Crown for generations. They decried the Deryni as witches and heretics, drove them underground, and usurped control of the kingdom...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic sword-sorcery action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
The Illearth War by Stephen R. Donaldson
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAfter scant days in his "real" world, Thomas Covenant found himself again summoned to the Land. There forty bitter years had passed, while Lord Foul, immortal enemy of the Land, moved to fulfill his prophecy of doom...Categorized as:
epic magic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-universe audiobook -
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Chainfire by Terry Goodkind
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsWith Wizard's First Rule and seven subsequent masterpieces, Terry Goodkind has thrilled readers worldwide with the unique sweep of his storytelling. Now Goodkind returns with a new novel of Richard and Kahlan, the beginning of a sequence of three novels that will bring their epic story to its culmination.After being gravely injured in battle, Richard awakes to discover Kahlan missing... -
Soul of the Fire by Terry Goodkind
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsRichard Rahl has traveled far from his roots as a simple woods guide. Emperor of the D'Haran Empire, war wizard, the Seeker of Truth—none of these roles mean as much to him as his newest: husband to his beloved Kahlan Amnell, Mother Confessor of the Midlands.But their wedding is the key that unlocks a spell sealed away long ago in a faraway country... -
Ignite by Sara B. Larson
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsMurder, abductions, and forbidden romance abound in this thrilling sequel to Sara B. Larson's acclaimed YA debut, DEFY.Alexa remains by the newly crowned King Damian’s side as his guard, ever committed to helping him rebuild Antion and reclaim the hope of Antion's people, despite continuing to harbor a secret love for him...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic political-intrigue war action-adventure alpha-mc assassins audiobook -
The Doomfarers of Coramonde by Brian Daley
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMISSION to HELL Just yesterday, Sergeant Gil MacDonald and his APC crew had been fending off an ambush in a Viet Nam jungle. In the middle of the firefight, some kind of magic spell had transported them to this Fantasy Land complete with flying dragons, wizards, crazy castles, and dispossessed princes. They would stay trapped here forever unless they could rescue the sorceress Gabrielle... -
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsFor centuries, the kingdom of Iraden has been protected by the god known as the Raven. He watches over his territory from atop a tower in the powerful port of Vastai. His will is enacted through the Raven's Lease, a human ruler chosen by the god himself. His magic is sustained via the blood sacrifice that every Lease must offer. And under the Raven's watch, the city flourishes...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic sword-sorcery war 21st-century action-adventure audiobook -
Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe day the rains came was like any other, blistering air coating the canyon in a heavy stillness....Just as the rains come after ten long, dry years, a young wizard, Wayland North, appears, to whisk Sydelle Mirabil away from her desert village. North needs an assistant, and Sydelle is eager to see the country - and to join him on his quest to stop the war that surely will destroy her home... -
No Man Can Tame by Miranda Honfleur
Rated: 3.79 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsA human princess. A dark-elf prince. A kiss of fire and powder.After a failed courtship in an ally kingdom, twenty-one-year-old Princess Alessandra returns home to a land torn apart by mutual hatred between the humans and the dark-elves... -
The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA fantastical reimagining of the American West which draws its influence from steampunk, the American western tradition, and magical realismThe world is only half made...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic war action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
Naked Empire by Terry Goodkind
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 51 ratingsBeginning with Wizard's First Rule and continuing with six subsequent fantasy masterpieces, Terry Goodkind has thrilled and awed millions of readers worldwide. Now, in Naked Empire, Goodkind returns with a broad-canvas adventure of epic intrigue, violent conflict, and terrifying peril for the beautiful Kahlan Amnell and her husband, the heroic Richard Rahl, the Sword of Truth... -
Wings by J.C. Owens
Rated: 3.64 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsGenre: LGBT FantasyAnyar, a black-winged young guard, could only be accused of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He captures the attention of a commanding, beautiful white-winged prince of the enemy, Vanyae, and is swept away into the conflict between their peoples.Vanyae takes the incredible, black-winged beauty from his home and all he knows to a place of submission, of slavery... -
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The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine
Rated: 3.72 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsSixteen-year-old Elli was only a child when the Elders of Kupari chose her to succeed the Valtia, the queen who wields infinitely powerful ice and fire magic in service of her people...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic political-intrigue sword-sorcery war action-adventure bisexuality -
Acorna's Quest by Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Rated: 3.68 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThis follow-up to Anne McCaffrey's bestselling Acorna trails the unicorn girl across the galaxy as she searches for her mysterious home and lost people...Categorized as:
epic 20th-century action-adventure aliens audiobook book coming-of-age female-author
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