The success of HBO’s Game of Thrones has led to a number of avid readers rushing towards the books… to the point that a large number of friends have already read the to-date published 5, and are now desperate for more.

However, noting that Mr Martin is a notoriously slow writer (it took him 6 years between books 4 and 5, which was very frustrating for me particularly as the geographical splits of the books meant I needed to think back to Book 3, published (and read) 10 years before!), it might be some time before we get our hands on Book 6 (if at all… given constant fears by the fan-base that the author will “pull a Robert Jordan” (he who died before completing his Wheel of Time series) and leave the books unfinished.

Martin has claimed he will not let anyone else to finish his story, and if he doesn’t get to complete it, so be it (it’s rumoured that he has already told the TV show creators how the saga should end in case he meets his maker).

As such, a number of friends have asked me what other fantasy books I recommend… which is tricky as I’m not that much of a fantasy nerd as some people tend to believe (for instance, I’ve never read the Wheel of Time series, nor any of the Terry Brooks or Tad Williams fantasy epics… haven’t even read The Magician by Raymond Feist (yet… it’s on my list). So, take this advice with a grain of salt, as there is much out there that I haven’t found the time to get around to it.

In any case, here’s a couple of recommended reads for those waiting to The Winds of Winter.

Joe Abercrombie’s First Law Trilogy

     

Dark, gritty… very similar to ASoIF, yet unique in many ways. Highly recommended. There are a few stand-alone novels which are also very much worth a read.

Scott Lynch’s Gentlemen Bastards sequence

    

These books are fun. It reads more as heist movies than anything else, following the capers of a group of thieves, set in a fantasy world. Three books published so far, and looking very much forward to the next instalment.

Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicles

   

Fantasy at its finest. The story of a hero of legend, telling his tale to a biographer over the course of three days. First book was incredible; second, a bit muddled but still good… third, let’s hope for an awesome conclusion when it comes out.

Stephen King’s The Dark Tower

There’s no easy way to define the Dark Tower genre… is it a fantasy, or a Western, or a sci fi or a… actually not gonna bother. Let’s say it’s Epic Fantasy, to make it fit on this list. Because these books are epic in every sense of the words. It starts a bit slow, The Gunslinger being a good book, but not great… but then it just gets better and better. If you haven’t come across Roland from Gilead, you don’t know what you are missing.

There are a few other Fantasy series that you could try, such as Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series (the magic system is incredible), or Peter V Brett’s Demon Cycle (Brett wrote the first book on his blackberry during his commute, and it’s actually quite a fun read). But for now, those listed above are definitely my top recommendations beyond Game of Thrones. That might change… once I come across the next great fantasy series. Will keep you posted!