Series

Books like Earthen Contenders: 9 series to read next

Earthen Contenders is fantasy, set in secondary world. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

Earthen Contenders is 6 books, 2024–2025.

The Earthen Contenders page →Narrow this list →

Earthsea
World of Septimus Heap
Tolkien's legendarium
Tortall
Discworld
The Riftwar
Narnia
Howl's Castle
Pellinor

EarthseaUniverse

universe19 books1964

Epic fantasy, reflective in tone.

“There is a lesson every wizard of Earthsea learns young: to know a thing's true name is to hold its whole being, and to speak it is to move the balance of the world.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

World of Septimus HeapSeries

seriesAngie Sage12 books2005

Reading order →

Tolkien's legendariumUniverse

universe163 books1923

Fantasy, set in secondary world.

“Before the seas were bent and the mountains raised, there was Music — and from that Music came Arda, and in the west of Middle-earth the long defeat and stubborn hope of those who dwell there.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

TortallUniverse

universe25 books1983

“In Tortall she does it anyway — and earns the right the hard way, through bruises, cold mornings in the training yard, and the slow winning-over of people who swore she'd fail.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

DiscworldUniverse

universe84 books1983

Funny in tone.

“Death speaks IN SMALL CAPITALS and rides a horse called Binky.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Guards! Guards! →

The RiftwarUniverse

universe44 books1982

Epic fantasy.

“On the world of Midkemia a tear opens in the air itself, a rift hung between stars, and through it march the armies of an empire from another world entirely.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

NarniaUniverse

universe38 books1950

Portal fantasy.

“Once there is a wardrobe at the back of a spare room, and behind the fur coats the wood gives way to snow, and a lamp-post burns alone among the trees.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Howl's CastleSeries

seriesDiana Wynne Jones3 books1986

Whimsical in tone.

Start with Howl's Moving Castle →

PellinorSeries

seriesAlison Croggon5 books2002

Epic fantasy, about chosen one.

“Maerad has spent most of her life enslaved on a remote farm, until the wandering Bard Cadvan recognizes in her the Gift -- a rare and powerful magical ability -- and takes her from captivity into training.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Bone Queen →

Why these

No sales rank, no star ratings, no readers also bought.

Shared terms are not a promise that a book feels the same. Two series can be far-future political intrigue and read nothing alike — what the ranking can say is what they are about, and each card says which parts it shares.

Questions readers ask

What should I read after Earthen Contenders?: Earthsea — the closest match to Earthen Contenders on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with Earthen Contenders?: Unexpected Healer. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for Earthen Contenders.
How big is Earthen Contenders?: Earthen Contenders is 6 books, 2024–2025.

Books like Earthen Contenders: 9 series to read next

Read next in Earthen Contenders

Why these

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