Books like 'The False Ascendant'
Readers who enjoyed The False Ascendant by Lorne Ryburn & caerulex also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy high fantasy supernatural horror military, war & conflict progression-fantasy litrpg necromancy lgbtq anti-hero
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Wrath by John Gwynne
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsEvents are coming to a climax in the Banished Lands, as the war reaches new heights. King Nathair has taken control of the fortress at Drassil and three of the Seven Treasures are in his possession. And together with Calidus and his ally Queen Rhin, Nathair will do anything to obtain the remaining Treasures. With all seven under his command, he can open a portal to the Otherworld... -
![Inseparable by Auryn Hadley]()
Inseparable by Auryn Hadley
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsDISASTER! THE BLACK BLADES DISBANDED, AN ALLIANCE IN TURMOIL... The intersecting worlds of the iliri, grauori, and men collide when an alliance is declared, and the humans renege. In the midst of offering an olive branch to other races, they seem secretly hellbent on destroying them all—and they begin by putting Sal on trial and disbanding the Black Blades... -
![Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie]()
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 69 ratingsSuperior Glokta has a problem. How do you defend a city surrounded by enemies and riddled with traitors, when your allies can by no means be trusted, and your predecessor vanished without a trace? It’s enough to make a torturer want to run – if he could even walk without a stick.Northmen have spilled over the border of Angland and are spreading fire and death across the frozen country... -
![Ruin by John Gwynne]()
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... -
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![Portal to Nova Roma: Venice by J.R. Mathews]()
Portal to Nova Roma: Venice by J.R. Mathews
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsAlexander and his growing legion have managed to escape Nova Roma and, more importantly, learned that the rest of the world may not be as ravaged and destroyed as they had all thought!Join them as they set sail for ancient Venice, the Queen of the Adriatic, to try to learn more about the wider world outside Nova Roma... -
![Queen of the Darkness by Anne Bishop]()
Queen of the Darkness by Anne Bishop
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsLibrarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ISBN 0451456734 here.Jaenelle Angelline now reigns as Queen-protector of the Shadow Realm. No longer will the corrupt Blood slaughter her people and defile her lands. But where one chapter ends, a final, unseen battle remains to be written, and Jaenelle must unleash the terrible power that is Witch to destroy her enemies once and for all... -
![Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
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:
dark epic heroic-fantasy magic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure anthologies -
![Kingdoms and Chaos by Kel Kade]()
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...Categorized as:
assassins dark epic magic political-intrigue sword-sorcery action-adventure audiobook -
![The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan]()
The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsThe hounds at our heels will soon know we are lionsTamas's invasion of Kez ends in disaster when a Kez counter-offensive leaves him cut off behind enemy lines with only a fraction of his army, no supplies, and no hope of reinforcements...Categorized as:
dark epic heroic-fantasy magic military political-intrigue sword-sorcery action-adventure -
![The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan]()
The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe capital has fallen...Field Marshal Tamas returns to his beloved country to find that for the first time in history, the capital city of Adro lies in the hands of a foreign invader. His son is missing, his allies are indistinguishable from his foes, and reinforcements are several weeks away.An army divided..Categorized as:
dark epic heroic-fantasy magic military political-intrigue sword-sorcery action-adventure -
![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... -
![Abhorsen by Garth Nix]()
Abhorsen by Garth Nix
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 68 ratingsThe Ninth was strong and fought with might But lone Orannis was put out of the light Broken in two and buried under hillForever to lie there, wishing us ill.So says the song. But Orannis, the Destroyer, is no longer buried under hill. It has been freed from its subterranean prison and now seeks to escape the silver hemispheres, the final barrier to the unleashing of its terrible powers... -
![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... -
![The Wheel of Osheim by Mark Lawrence]()
The Wheel of Osheim by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsFrom the international bestselling author of the Broken Empire Trilogy, the thrilling conclusion to the Red Queen’s War... Mark Lawrence’s “epic fantasy” (The Washington Post) continues as a reluctant prince returns from the bowels of Hell to engage in his greatest battle yet—among the living and the dead... -
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![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...Categorized as:
dark epic heroic-fantasy magic sword-sorcery 20th-century action-adventure anthologies -
![The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett]()
The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 68 ratingsAs darkness falls after sunset, the corelings rise—demons who possess supernatural powers and burn with a consuming hatred of humanity. For hundreds of years the demons have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards—symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile. It was not always this way... -
![The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett]()
The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 61 ratingsThe sun is setting on humanity. The night now belongs to voracious demons that prey upon a dwindling population forced to cower behind half-forgotten symbols of power. Legends tell of a Deliverer: a general who once bound all mankind into a single force that defeated the demons. But is the return of the Deliverer just another myth? Perhaps not... -
![Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence]()
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... -
![The Desert Prince by Peter V. Brett]()
The Desert Prince by Peter V. Brett
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA brand-new epic fantasy adventure set in the beloved world of the Demon Cycle, following a new generation of heroes, from New York Times bestselling author Peter V. Brett Fifteen years have passed since the end of the war with demons, creatures of darkness who have hunted the night and plagued humanity since time out of mind... -
![Boundless by R.A. Salvatore]()
Boundless by R.A. Salvatore
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis second book in New York Times bestselling author R. A. Salvatore’s all-new trilogy—full of swordplay, danger, and imaginative thrills—features one of fantasy’s most beloved and enduring characters, Drizzt Do’Urden.Split between time and two worlds, Zaknafein had always been conflicted... -
![The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang]()
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 78 ratingsWhen Rin aced the Keju — the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies — it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was... -
![The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett]()
The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 49 ratingsOn the night of the new moon, the demons rise in force, seeking the deaths of two men both of whom have the potential to become the fabled Deliverer, the man prophesied to reunite the scattered remnants of humanity in a final push to destroy the demon corelings once and for all... -
![The Shadowed Sun by N.K. Jemisin]()
The Shadowed Sun by N.K. Jemisin
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsGujaareh, the city of dreams, suffers under the imperial rule of the Kisuati Protectorate. A city where the only law was peace now knows violence and oppression. A mysterious and deadly plague now haunts the citizens of Gujaareh, dooming the infected to die screaming in their sleep. Someone must show them the way... -
![King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence]()
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... -
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![Ghost in the Throne by Jonathan Moeller]()
Ghost in the Throne by Jonathan Moeller
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCaina Amalas cheated death and escaped certain doom. So did her mortal enemy, the sorcerer Cassander Nilas. Now the city of Istarinmul teeters on the brink of civil war and sorcerous annihilation. Unless Caina summons all her bravery and cunning, Cassander's dark spell will kill millions of people. Starting with the people she loves.. -
![Needs of the Empire by Christopher Mitchell]()
Needs of the Empire by Christopher Mitchell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOn the run – againBranded an enemy by the Church and Emperor, Daphne Holdfast is forced to flee the Imperial City with her young daughter Karalyn, whose own mage powers are now beginning to reveal themselves.They intend to travel to Rahain, a land in turmoil following the devastating invasion and occupation by Alliance forces... -
![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... -
![City of Daggers by Scott Straughan]()
City of Daggers by Scott Straughan
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe lawless North is changing. The strongest bandits have begun claiming territory for themselves, and there is only so much to go around. The spectre of violence hangs heavy over the land. Daggerpoint is a hive of villainy and evil, ruled by no one. Thugs and murderers roam the streets, where anything is available for the right price, even the darkest of secrets and most dangerous of magics...Categorized as:
anti-hero assassins dark heroic-fantasy litrpg magic political-intrigue sword-sorcery -
![Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder]()
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... -
![Soldiers Live by Glen Cook]()
Soldiers Live by Glen Cook
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWhen sorcerers and demigods go to war, those wars are fought by mercenaries, "dog soldiers," grunts in the trenches. And the stories of those soldiers are the stories of Glen Cook's hugely popular "Black Company" novels. If the Joseph Heller of Catch-22 were to tell the story of The Lord of the Rings, it might read like the Black Company books. There is nothing else in fantasy like them... -
![Ancient Ruins by Benjamin Medrano]()
Ancient Ruins by Benjamin Medrano
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsNewly edited for clarity. Sistina awakened after millennia of dormancy, her memories in tatters and born anew. Residing in the ruins of an ancient city, she finds herself drawn into a war between two elven nations and the slaver kingdom of Kelvanis when she rescues a princess from slavery... -
![Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold]()
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsIn a land threatened by treacherous war and beset by demons, royal dowager Ista, released from the curse of madness and manipulated by an untrustworthy god, is plunged into a desperate struggle to preserve the endangered souls of a realm... -
![Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes]()
Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsDANICA SHARDAE IS an avian shapeshifter, and the golden hawk’s form in which she takes to the sky is as natural to her as the human one that graces her on land. The only thing more familiar to her is war: It has raged between her people and the serpiente for so long, no one can remember how the fighting began... -
![The Core by Peter V. Brett]()
The Core by Peter V. Brett
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsFor time out of mind, bloodthirsty demons have stalked the night, culling the human race to scattered remnants dependent on half-forgotten magics to protect them. Then two heroes arose—men as close as brothers, yet divided by bitter betrayal... -
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![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... -
![The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson]()
The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe war is over, but something is rotten in the state of Eidyn.With a ragged peace in place, demons burn farmlands, violent Reivers roam the wilds and plague has spread beyond the Black Meadows. The country is on its knees.In a society that fears and shuns him, Aranok is the first magically-skilled draoidh to be named King’s Envoy... -
![A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher]()
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 27 ratings2021 LODESTAR AWARD for BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOKFourteen-year-old Mona isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can’t control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt’s bakery making gingerbread men dance... -
![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... -
![A Veil of Spears by Bradley P. Beaulieu]()
A Veil of Spears by Bradley P. Beaulieu
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe third book in The Song of Shattered Sands series—an epic fantasy with a desert setting, filled with rich worldbuilding and pulse-pounding action.Since the Night of Endless Swords, a bloody battle the Kings of Sharakhai narrowly won, the kings have been hounding the rebels known as the Moonless Host... -
![Ghost in the Maze by Jonathan Moeller]()
Ghost in the Maze by Jonathan Moeller
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCaina Amalas is a Ghost circlemaster, leader of the Emperor's spies in Istarinmul. Yet the people of Istarinmul know her as the Balarigar, the daring master thief who challenged the corrupt lords and cruel princes of the city. And now Grand Master Callatas, the most powerful sorcerer of Istarinmul, wants her dead, and without allies Caina will not survive...Categorized as:
assassins dark epic magic military political-intrigue sword-sorcery action-adventure -
![A Bloody Road by Scott Straughan]()
A Bloody Road by Scott Straughan
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe war between savage bandit lords continues, and the stage is set for murder and betrayal. After his defeat in Daggerpoint, Werrick personally leads his forces into battle against Herad. The victor will be able to claim the vast North as their own and crown themselves its first king. While only a painful death awaits the loser and all who follow them...Categorized as:
anti-hero assassins dark heroic-fantasy litrpg magic political-intrigue sword-sorcery -
![War by Michelle West]()
War by Michelle West
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe eighth and final book in the epic fantasy House War series closes this chapter in a beloved world of magic and political intrigue, where new threats are stirring.When the Sleepers wake. Once, that phrase meant: never. The Sleepers were a myth, part of a story told to children... -
![Queen of the Night by Craig Schaefer]()
Queen of the Night by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt all ends here. It ends as Livia Serafini returns to her homeland with an army at her back, an exiled refugee turned ruthless conqueror, bringing war and witchcraft to any who dare stand in her way... -
![Prophet of the Dead by Richard Lee Byers]()
Prophet of the Dead by Richard Lee Byers
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe anticipated climax to a series that has been building in popularity, Richard Lee Byers is at his best working with tales of the undead. Prophet of the Dead fulfills on the promise of the title, giving fans a satisfying end to the current threats facing the Brotherhood of the Griffon... -
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![The Severed City by Christopher Mitchell]()
The Severed City by Christopher Mitchell
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt’s time for someone to pay. Killop has escaped the dungeons of the Rahain and fled into the mountains.All he desires is to begin his search for Daphne, but his people are crying out for a leader to free them from their chains of servitude... -
![The Spectral Blaze by Richard Lee Byers]()
The Spectral Blaze by Richard Lee Byers
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAoth and the Brotherhood of the Griffon have succeeded in rescuing Tchazzar, the lost king of Chessenta and a formidable red dragon, and are rewarded with a contract to aid in his war with a powerful dracolich... -
![The Pariah by Anthony Ryan]()
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsBorn into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path - one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier's life in the king's army... -
![The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett]()
The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsThe Skull Throne of Krasia stands empty. Built from the skulls of fallen generals and demon princes, it is a seat of honor and ancient, powerful magic, keeping the demon corelings at bay. From atop the throne, Ahmann Jardir was meant to conquer the known world, forging its isolated peoples into a unified army to rise up and end the demon war once and for all... -
![A Warrior's Penance by Davis Ashura]()
A Warrior's Penance by Davis Ashura
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe thunderous conclusion to the award-winning fantasy epic…Following Stronghold’s destruction, Rukh and Jessira lead the ragged remnants of the OutCastes on the long march to Ashoka. There, they seek sanctuary for her people, but in order to do so, they must overcome unyielding law that demands exile for all ghrinas... -
![The Black Shriving by Phil Tucker]()
The Black Shriving by Phil Tucker
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen invasion looms...After a harrowing battle Lady Kyferin and her stalwart followers have earned themselves a brief respite from Lord Laur's fury. They know, however, that the next assault will be impossible to resist. Their sole hope of survival lies in forging an alliance with the only force capable of resisting the empire's might: the Agerastian heretics themselves.But time is running out..
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