Books like 'Prayers in Steel'
Readers who enjoyed Prayers in Steel by Michael McClung also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy action / adventure supernatural military, war & conflict slavery witches-wizards subterranean low-fantasy war
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A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 94 ratingsOf the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of the sorceress who holds him in her thrall. Young Robb still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun... -
The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 51 ratingsA thousand years ago, two young lovers were betrayed—Alger Waterlow to his death, and Hanalea, Queen of the Fells, to a life without love.Now, once again, the Queendom of the Fells seems likely to shatter apart. For young queen Raisa ana’Marianna, maintaining peace even within her own castle walls is nearly impossible; tension between wizards and Clan has reached a fevered pitch... -
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:
coming-of-age epic medieval politics sword-sorcery war witches-wizards action-adventure -
The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsHan Alister thought he had already lost everyone he loved. But when he finds his friend Rebecca Morley near death in the Spirit Mountains, Han knows that nothing matters more than saving her... -
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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. . .Categorized as:
coming-of-age epic medieval politics sword-sorcery war witches-wizards action-adventure -
Ruin by John Gwynne
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsThe Banished Lands are engulfed in war and chaos. The cunning Queen Rhin has conquered the west and High King Nathair has the cauldron, most powerful of the seven treasures. At his back stands the scheming Calidus and a warband of the Kadoshim, dread demons of the Otherworld. They plan to bring Asroth and his host of the Fallen into the world of flesh, but to do so they need the seven treasures... -
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...Categorized as:
coming-of-age epic medieval politics sword-sorcery war witches-wizards action-adventure -
Dreams of Kell by Christopher Mitchell
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBack where it all began.Living quietly with her young children in Colsbury Castle, Karalyn Holdfast has found peace at last. With the Sextant of the Gods under her control, she is making up for lost time, while keeping a wary eye on events sweeping across the other worlds where members of the Holdfast family live... -
Battle Mage by Peter A. Flannery
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsAn infernal army on the march. An unholy demon at its head. The one person who can stop it is a weakling nobody trusts.Falco Dante knows only guilt. The son of a traitor, the sickly young man yearns to fight like the heroes of old. Instead, he earns further shame when he interrupts a dragon summoning, allowing a demon horde to destroy his village... -
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 medieval sword-sorcery war witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure anthologies -
Valor by John Gwynne
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe Banished Lands is torn by war as High King Nathair sweeps the land challenging all who oppose him in his holy crusade. Allied with the manipulative Queen Rhin of Cambren, there are few who can stand against them. But Rhin is playing her own games and has her eyes on a far greater prize.. -
Kingdoms and Chaos by Kel Kade
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsThe future of the Ashaiian haven, the newly founded Kingdom of Cael, is anything but secured. Rezkin must seek recognition from the King of Gendishen if his people are to maintain possession of their island home and the enchanted secret it contains. In an unexpected twist, events overtake Rezkin, and he is thrust into a frustrating adventure to seek a worthless prize... -
The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 74 ratingsThe Dragon Reborn—the leader long prophesied who will save the world, but in the saving destroy it; the savior who will run mad and kill all those dearest to him—is on the run from his destiny.Able to touch the One Power, but unable to control it, and with no one to teach him how—for no man has done it in three thousand years—Rand al'Thor knows only that he must face the Dark One...Categorized as:
coming-of-age epic medieval sword-sorcery war witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure -
Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 55 ratingsSent to Carthak as part of the Tortallan peace delegation, Daine finds herself in the middle of a sticky political situation. She doesn't like the Carthaki practice of keeping slaves, but it's not her place to say anything -- she's just there to heal the emperor's birds. It's extremely frustrating! What's more, her power has grown in a mysterious way... -
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The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 51 ratingsHaunted by the loss of his mother and sister, Han Alister journeys south to begin his schooling at Mystwerk House in Oden’s Ford. But leaving the Fells doesn’t mean that danger isn't far behind. Han is hunted every step of the way by the Bayars, a powerful wizarding family set on reclaiming the amulet Han stole from them. And Mystwerk House has dangers of its own... -
The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 74 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...Categorized as:
coming-of-age epic medieval sword-sorcery war 20th-century action-adventure audiobook -
Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsFor centuries, the people of Alera have relied on the power of the furies to protect them from outside invaders. But the gravest threat might be closer than they think.Tavi has escaped the Calderon Valley and the mysterious attack of the Marat on his homeland...Categorized as:
coming-of-age epic medieval politics sword-sorcery war witches-wizards action-adventure -
Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 69 ratingsA new queen has usurped the throne and is leading Cenaria into disaster. The country has become a broken realm with a threadbare army, little food and no hope. So Kylar Stern plans to reinstate his closest friend Logan as King, but can he really get away with murder?In the north, the Godking's death has thrown Khalidor into civil war... -
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... -
The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsThey have always scared him in the past — the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom... -
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 medieval sword-sorcery war witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure anthologies -
The Battlemage by Taran Matharu
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsThe epic conclusion to the New York Times–bestselling Summoner trilogy, by Taran Matharu!Fletcher and his friends fight for survival in the ether, where they pursue a mortally dangerous quest to rebuild their world and broker peace... -
By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsGranddaughter of the sorceress Kethry, daughter of a noble house, Kerowyn had been forced to run the family keep since her mother’s untimely death. Yet now at last her brother was preparing to wed, and when his bride became the lady of the keep, Kerowyn could return to her true enjoyments—training horses and hunting...Categorized as:
coming-of-age epic medieval sword-sorcery war witches-wizards action-adventure alpha-mc -
Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 69 ratingsThe second novel in the Night Angel trilogy, the breakneck epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Brent Weeks.Kylar Stern has rejected the assassin's life. The Godking's successful coup has left Kylar's master, Durzo, and his best friend, Logan, dead. He is starting over: new city, new friends, and new profession... -
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Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsKing Jorg Ancrath is twenty now—and king of seven nations. His goal—revenge against his father—has not yet been realized, and the demons that haunt him have only grown stronger. Yet no matter how tortured his path, he intends to take the next step in his upward climb. Jorg would be emperor. It is a position not to be gained by the sword but rather by vote...Categorized as:
coming-of-age epic medieval sword-sorcery war action-adventure anti-hero apocalyptic -
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsFifth century Britain is a country of chaos and division after the Roman withdrawal. This is the world of young Merlin, the illegitimate child of a South Wales princess who will not reveal to her son his father's true identity. Yet Merlin is an extraordinary child, aware at the earliest age that he possesses a great natural gift - the Sight...Categorized as:
coming-of-age epic medieval war witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure arthurian -
Court Duel by Sherwood Smith
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsThe evil king is dead, the war is over, and Meliara -- barefoot countess and reluctant heroine -- has been swept up into a different kind of battle in the dance halls and drawing rooms of the royal palace. Physical warfare is easy compared to the genteel skirmishes of the royal court... -
A Draw of Kings by Patrick W. Carr
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsTheir journey to Merakh should have made Errol and his companions heroes of the realm. Instead, much is changed on their return. In the wake of the king’s death, Duke Weir is ruling the country–and his intentions are to marry Adora to bring an heir... -
A Darkness At Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsA Darkness at Sethanon is the stunning climax to Raymond E. Feist's brilliant epic fantasy trilogy, the Riftwar Saga. Here be dragons and sorcery, swordplay, quests, pursuits, intrigues, stratagems, journeys to the darkest realms of the dead and titanic battles between the forces of good and darkest evil...Categorized as:
epic medieval sword-sorcery war witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure audiobook -
The Royal Succession by Maurice Druon
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHistorical series about 14th century France, the novels take place during the reigns of the last five Direct Capetian kings and the first two Valois kings, from Philip the Fair to John II. The plot revolves around the attempts of Robert of Artois to reclaim the county of Artois from his aunt Mahaut... -
Dragon on Top by G.A. Aiken
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsTry a little dragon tenderness. I am Glheanna the Decimator. I am a warrior. A soldier. I know no fear. No pain. No mercy. I do, however, know acute embarrassment! How could I not after getting dumped by a bastard dragon in front of my own troops? So I tuck tail and return to my cave, drowning my sorrows in ale—as is my family’s way... -
King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 53 ratingsThe second book in the Broken Empire series, Lawrence takes his young anti-hero one step closer to his grand ambition.To reach greatness you must step on bodies, and many brothers lie trodden in my wake... -
Der letzte Kampf by Rachel E. Carter
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsHe’s the Black Mage and she’s the traitor to the Crown.Ryiah’s world was shattered the night she discovered King Blayne’s nefarious plans. Now, she has to betray the one she loves most in order to save the realm from war... -
Hunter's Moon by D.A. Godwin
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA kingdom in peril. A prophecy set in motion... The Ceringion Reginum has invaded the Kingdom of Actondel. As armies clash in the east, Tormjere is conscripted and sent to train with the secretive King’s Rangers, but that training is cut short when he stumbles upon an attack on Kataria, Princess of Actondel... -
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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...Categorized as:
epic medieval politics sword-sorcery war witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure -
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 81 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 Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again...Categorized as:
coming-of-age epic medieval sword-sorcery war witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure -
Dragon Bonds by Ava Richardson
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Darkening has risen... Agathea Flamma and Sebastian Smith now face an overwhelming enemy. The rapid spread of the Darkening, a threat arising from the mists of legend, looms over the entire land. With both their families torn apart by the conflict and betrayal lurking around every corner, one mistake could doom the kingdom... -
Saint's Blood by Sebastien de Castell
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsHow do you kill a Saint? Falcio, Kest, and Brasti are about to find out, because someone has figured out a way to do it and they've started with a friend. The Dukes were already looking for ways out of their agreement to put Aline on the throne, but with the Saints turning up dead, rumours are spreading that the Gods themselves oppose her ascension... -
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 93 ratingsCrows will fight over a dead man's flesh, and kill each other for his eyes.Bloodthirsty, treacherous and cunning, the Lannisters are in power on the Iron Throne in the name of the boy-king Tommen. The war in the Seven Kingdoms has burned itself out, but in its bitter aftermath new conflicts spark to life.The Martells of Dorne and the Starks of Winterfell seek vengeance for their dead... -
Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsLaying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honoured for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos... -
Enchanters' End Game by David Eddings
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 62 ratingsTHE DRIVE OF PROPHECYThe quest was over. The Orb of Aldur was restored. And once again, with the crowning of Garion, there was a descendant of Riva Iron-grip to rule as Overlord of the West.But the Prophecy was unfulfilled. In the east, the evil God Torak was about to awaken and seek dominion. Somehow, Garion had to face the God, to kill or be killed...Categorized as:
coming-of-age epic medieval sword-sorcery war witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure -
Red Branch by Morgan Llywelyn
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn a land ruled by war and love and strange enchantments, Cuchulain -- torn between gentleness and violence, haunted by the croakings of a sinister raven -- fights for his honor and his homeland and discovers too late the trap that the gods have set for him in the fatal beauty of Deirdre and the brutal jealousy of King Conor...Categorized as:
epic sword-sorcery war action-adventure adult ancient-civilization book female-author -
Champion of the Scarlet Wolf, Book Two by Ginn Hale
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFive years after abandoning the Sagrada Acedemy, Elezar Grunito has become infamous in the sanctified circles of noble dueling rings for his brutal temper and lethal blade. Men and women of all ranks gather to cheer and jeer, none of them knowing Elezar’s true purpose. But a violent death outside the ring marks Elezar as a wanted man and sends him into hiding in the far northern wilds of Labara... -
The High Lord by Trudi Canavan
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 53 ratingsIn the city of Imardin, where those who wield magic wield power, a young street-girl, adopted by the Magician's Guild, finds herself at the centre of a terrible plot that may destroy the entire world...Sonea has learned much at the magicians' guild and the other novices now treat her with a grudging respect... -
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Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 75 ratingsIn the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher's forest sanctuary seeking help . . . and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence...Categorized as:
epic medieval sword-sorcery war witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure audiobook -
The Spirit War by Rachel Aaron
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsEli Monpress is vain. He's cocky. And he's a thief. But he's a thief who has just seen his bounty topped and he's not happy about it. The bounty topper, as it turns out, is his best friend, bodyguard, and master swordsman, Josef. Who has been keeping secrets from Eli...Categorized as:
epic medieval sword-sorcery war witches-wizards action-adventure anthropomorphism anti-hero -
The She-Wolf by Maurice Druon
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratings‘This was the original game of thrones’ George R.R. MartinCharles IV is now king of France and his sister is Edward II of England’s Queen. Having been imprisoned by Edward as leader of the rebellious English barons, Roger Mortimer escapes to France, where he joins the war against the English Aquitaine... -
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...Categorized as:
epic medieval sword-sorcery war witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure audiobook -
Dragon Storm by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsBorn with a secret power he must hide… Telryn “Trip” Yert has always been a little odd, with hunches that are too accurate to explain. Magic is feared and forbidden in Iskandia, so he’s struggled his whole life to hide his eccentricities. As a boy, he was forced to watch his mother’s execution. Her crime? Witchcraft... -
Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 59 ratingsA magnificent epic set against a history of seven thousand years of the struggles of Gods and Kings and men - of strange lands and events - of fate and a prophecy that must be fulfilled!THE BELGARIADIt had all begun with the theft of the Orb that had so long protected the West from the evil God Torak. Before that, Garion had been a simple farm boy...Categorized as:
coming-of-age epic medieval sword-sorcery war witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure
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