Books like 'The Warrior Returns'
Readers who enjoyed The Warrior Returns by Allan Cole also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy high fantasy 20th century sword-sorcery epic wlw romantic-love
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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...Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook dark dark-fantasy -
The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsHe was known as Druss. The Deathwalker. Though the blood of merciless butchers coursed through his veins, he had found a fragile peace through his love for beautiful, mystical Rowena. Then came the day when Druss returned to their village and found everyone dead--massacred by slavers who had stolen the women to sell for gold. Rowena was among the missing... -
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...Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book classics dark-fantasy -
Mistress of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist, Janny Wurts
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsThe world on the other side of the rift: Kelewan, a land seething with political intrigue and deadly conspiracies. Following the opulent panoply of Daughter Of The Empire and the dazzling pageantry of Servant Of The Empire comes the resounding conclusion to the Empire trilogy... -
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The Legend of Deathwalker by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsEnter a powerful realm of legend, dark sorcery, and conquest, where the mighty Drenai warrior Druss faces his most deadly opponent . . .Druss the Legend, the dark axman known as the Deathwalker, must join the warrior Talisman on a mission of blood and glory... -
Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsPursuing her dream to be a Harper of Pern, Menolly studies under the Masterharper learning that more is required than a facility with music and a clever way with words... -
Servant of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist, Janny Wurts
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsSecond in Feist & Wurts' wonderful epic trilogy -- one of the most successful fantasy collaborations of all time THE EMPIRE TRILOGY: BOOK II Nobody knows how to play the Game of the Council better than Mara of the Acoma... -
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...Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook dark dark-fantasy -
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 sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book -
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 sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book -
To Green Angel Tower by Tad Williams
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 49 ratingsAs the evil minions of the undead Sithi Storm King prepare for the kingdom-shattering culmination of their dark sorceries and King Elias is drawn ever deeper into their nightmarish, spell spun world, the loyal allies of Prince Josua desperately struggle to rally their forces at the Stone of Farewell...Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book classics coming-of-age -
The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 69 ratingsThe Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass. 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 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..Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook dark dark-fantasy -
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 ..Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book classics dark-fantasy -
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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..Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook dark dark-fantasy -
The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 51 ratingsThe Farseer trilogy continues the dramatic tale of piracy, serpents, love and magic. The Vestrit family's liveship, Vivacia, has been taken by the pirate king, Kennit. Held captive on board, Wintrow Vestrit finds himself competing with Kennit for Vivacia's love as the ship slowly acquires her own bloodlust... -
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 57 ratingsWizardwood, a sentient wood.The most precious commodity in the world.Like many other legendary wares, it comes only from the Rain River Wilds... -
Heir of Sea and Fire by Patricia A. McKillip
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSecond book in this fantasy trilogy; which also includes "The Riddle-Master of Hed" and "Harpist in the Wind...Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book classics female-author -
Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopaedia by David Day
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe first encyclopedic illustrated guide to the world of Middle Earth and the Undying Lands, this book brings together every important aspect of Tolkien's vast cosmology. More than five hundred alphabetical entries cover five major subject areas: history, geography, sociology, natural history and biography... -
The Halfling's Gem by R.A. Salvatore
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsRegis has fallen into the hands of the assassin Artemis Entreri, who is taking him to Calimport to deliver him into the clutches of the vile Pasha Pook. But Drizzt and Wulfgar are close on their heels, determined to save Regis from his own folly as much as from his powerful enemies...Categorized as:
epic romantic-love sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure anthologies assassins audiobook -
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... -
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... -
Legend by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsDruss, Captain of the Axe, was the stuff of legends. But even as the stories grew in the telling, Druss himself grew older. He turned his back on his own legend and retreated to a mountain lair to await his old enemy, death. Meanwhile, barbarian hordes were on the march. Nothing could stand in their way. Druss reluctantly agreed to come out of retirement... -
Song of the Wanderer by Bruce Coville
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsOne unicorn dwells on Earth.Hundreds fight in Luster.Their legends are recorded inThe Unicorn Chronicles.Book II: Song of the WandererCara must return to Earth to save her grandmother, the Wanderer. But to do so, Cara must first travel through the wilderness of Luster, land of the unicorns, full of unknown creatures and perilous adventure around every bend in the road... -
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The Atlas of Middle-Earth by Karen Wynn Fonstad
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsKaren Wynn Fonstad's THE ATLAS OF MIDDLE-EARTH is an essential volume that will enchant all Tolkien fans. Here is the definitive guide to the geography of Middle-earth, from its founding in the Elder Days through the Third Age, including the journeys of Bilbo, Frodo, and the Fellowship of the Ring...Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure anthologies classics female-author fiction -
The King Beyond the Gate by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsA century has passed since the heroic defence of Dros Delnoch. But the people of the Drenai face a new terror: a mad emperor kept in power by two forces of unsurpassed evil. The Joinings are werebeasts of awesome power. The Dark Templars are warrior-priests whose fighting skills are without equal. Against them, the Drenai face certain defeat... -
Cugel's Saga by Jack Vance
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsPity poor Cugel. Not for nothing is he known as the Clever, hero of a hundred mischiefs. But this time the Laughing Magician has triumphed - and Cugel is marooned, penniless, half a world from home. His return to Almery will be extended and exhausting. And Cugel has only his flamboyant resourceful cleverness to rely upon. A lesser mortal might quail, but Cugel...is Cugel... -
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... -
Time of the Twins by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsThe first title in the second Dragonlance novel trilogy is now being released for the first time ever in a trade hardcover edition. Featuring the stunning art and design that graced the cover of the paperback edition, this new version is a follow-up to the release of the Dragonlance novels Chronicles trilogy in hardcover in 2003...Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook christian classics -
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... -
The Search for Kä by Randall Garrett, Vicki Ann Heydron
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRikardon and Tarani, with Keeshah and his mate Yayshah, set off on their quest for the lost city of Ka to find the twin to Serkajon's sword and prove Tarani's claim to the throne of Eddarta. To locate the legendary city, Rikardon must meld once again with the mystic All-Mind and travel back in time to share the memories of the fabled King Zarek himself... -
Destiny's Conflict by Janny Wurts
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe long-awaited second book of the fourth story arc - Sword of the Canon - in the epic fantasy series, the Wars of Light and Shadow.Lysaer’s unstable integrity lies under threat of total downfall, and as his determined protector, Daliana will face the most frightening decision of her young life... -
Harpist in the Wind by Patricia A. McKillip
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsIn the midst of conflict and unrest the Prince of Hed solves the puzzle of his future when he learns to harp the wind, discovers who the shape changers are, and understands his own relationship to Deth, harpist of the wizard Ohm... -
Silverthorn by Raymond E. Feist
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsA poisoned bolt has struck down the Princess Anita on the day of her wedding to Prince Arutha of Krondor.To save his beloved, Arutha sets out in search of the mystic herb called Silverthorn that only grows in the dark and forbidding land of the Spellweavers... -
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Mossflower by Brian Jacques
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 53 ratingsThe thrilling prequel to "Redwall". The clever and greedy wildcat Tsarmina becomes ruler of all Mossflower Woods and is determined to govern the peaceful woodlanders with an iron paw. The brave mouse Martin and quick-talking mouse thief Gonff meet in the depths of Kotir Castle's dungeon. The two escape and resolve to end Tsarmina's tyrannical rule...Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure animals anthropomorphism audiobook book -
War of the Twins by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsOne hundred years have passed since the fiery Cataclysm that changed the face of Krynn forever. For one hundred years, the people of Krynn have struggled to survive.But for some, those one hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye.Catapulted forward in time by Raistlin's powerful magic, Caramon and Crysania find themselves aiding the mage's unholy quest to master the Queen of Darkness...Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook classics dragons -
Yendi by Steven Brust
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsVlad Taltos tells the story of his early days in the House Jhereg, how he found himself in a Jhereg war, and how he fell in love with the wonderful woman, Cawti, who killed him...Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure adult anti-hero assassins audiobook -
Wolf in Shadow by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe first book in David Gemmell's classic series of Jon Shannow novels... -
The Wicked Day by Mary Stewart
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsNow, the spellbinding, final chapter of King Arthur's reign, where Mordred, sired by incest and reared in secrecy, ingratiates himself at court, and sets in motion the Fates and the end of Arthur... -
The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsAkar Kessel, weak-willed apprentice mage, starts events that find a magical device, the crystal shard. Dwarf Bruenor rescues barbarian Wulfgar from the ruins of Ten-Towns, for 5 years of service - and friendship. With help from renegade dark elf Drizzt, Wulfgar becomes a warrior with brawn and brains...Categorized as:
epic romantic-love sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook children-books -
King of the Murgos by David Eddings
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsBeginning of the Quest...The infant son of Garion and Ce'Nedra had been foully kidnapped. Now they began the great quest to rescue the child, with the immortal Belgarath the Sorcerer, his daughter Polgara the Sorceress, and inevitably the little Drasnian, Silk. Guided by the Orb of the God Aldur, their way led through the foul swamps of Nyissa, then into the lands of the Murgos... -
Into the Labyrinth by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsHaplo, targeted for death by two assassins, and Alfred enter the terrifying Labyrinth, a prison maze guarded by fearsome creatures. Meanwhile, the Lord of the Nexus raises an army from the dead to attack the Tytans... -
The Seventh Gate by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsThe Seventh Gate is the thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. In this tale of treachery, power, and heroism, Alfred, Haplo, and Marit embark on a journey of death and discovery as they seek to enter the dreaded Seventh Gate... -
The Eyes of the Overworld by Jack Vance
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsScoundrel Cugel is sent far away, by a magician he has wronged, to retrieve magical lenses that reveal the Overworld. Goaded by a homesick monster magically attached to his liver, he journeys across wastelands home to Almery. With a cult group on a pilgrimage, he crosses the Silver Desert, and meets more danger and betrayal as he betrays others... -
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Rise of a Merchant Prince by Raymond E. Feist
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsA TALE OF WEALTH AND AMBITION IN A WORLD OF MURDER, MAGIC AND INTRIGUE.Roo Avery, recently returned from a harrowing brush with the armies of the Emerald Queen, is now free to choose his own destiny and his ultimate ambition is to become one of the richest and most powerful merchants in Midkemia... -
Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsAnother Turn, and the deadly silver Threads began falling again. So the bold dragonriders took to the air once more and their magnificent flying dragons swirled and swooped, belching flames that destroyed the shimmering strands before they reach the ground... -
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 sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book classics -
The Golden Fleece by Robert Graves
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAlong with I, Claudius, The Golden Fleece is considered one of Robert Graves's most exciting and transporting historical novels. The Golden Fleece was at one time the most sacred religious object of the ancient Greeks, and had been sent away as the result of a power struggle between the Greeks and earlier inhabitants of the Greek peninsula...Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure adult ancient-civilization audiobook book -
On Fortune's Wheel by Cynthia Voigt
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThere are some who say that the Lady Fortune has a wheel, and all men are fixed upon it. The wheel turns, and the men rise, or fall, with the turning of the wheel...Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure book children classics coming-of-age -
Conan of Cimmeria by Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsContents:9 · Introduction · L. Sprague de Camp · in 15 · The Curse of the Monolith [“Conan and the Cenotaph”] · L. Sprague de Camp & Lin Carter · ss Worlds of Fantasy #1 ’68 33 · The Bloodstained God · L. Sprague de Camp & Robert E. Howard · nv Tales of Conan, Gnome, 1955 53 · The Frost-Giant’s Daughter [revised from “Gods of the North”, The Fantasy Fan, Mar ’34] · Robert E...
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