Series

Books like Iron Elves: 9 series to read next

Iron Elves is epic fantasy, about war, set in secondary world, dark in register. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

Iron Elves is 3 books, 2008–2011.

“Even in this world, Konowa Swift Dragon, former commander of the Empire's elite Iron Elves, is anything but ordinary.”
from the catalogue description of A Darkness Forged in Fire

The Iron Elves page →Narrow this list →

World of Ice and Fire
Malazan
Tolkien's legendarium
The Poppy War
The Acacia Trilogy
Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever
Rigante
The Circle of the World
Shattered Sea

World of Ice and FireUniverse

universe19 books1980

About political intrigue.

“Winter is coming, and the men who forget it die first.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

MalazanUniverse

universe36 books1999

“Pity the historian who tries to map this world; pity more the god who thinks he rules it.”
from the catalogue description

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 →

The Poppy WarSeries

seriesR. F. Kuang4 books2018

Epic fantasy and fantasy, dark and tense in tone, about war, set in secondary world.

“The Poppy War follows Rin, a war orphan who tests into an elite military academy and discovers a talent for shamanic power tied to a pantheon of vengeful gods.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Poppy War →

The Acacia TrilogySeries

seriesDavid Anthony Durham3 books2007

About political intrigue.

“David Anthony Durham's trilogy, continuing through The Other Lands and The Sacred Band, follows the siblings as each confronts a different piece of the empire's hidden machinery.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Acacia: The War with the Mein →

Thomas Covenant the UnbelieverSeries

seriesStephen R. Donaldson11 books1977

Epic fantasy and fantasy, dark in tone, about quests, set in secondary world.

Reading order →

RiganteSeries

seriesDavid Gemmell4 books1998

Epic fantasy and fantasy, dark in tone, about war, set in secondary world.

“Fierce and proud, the Rigante dwell deep in the green mountain lands, worshiping the gods of air and water, and the spirits of the earth.”
from the catalogue description of Sword in the Storm

Start with Sword in the Storm →

The Circle of the WorldUniverse

universe29 books2006

Fantasy and grimdark, set in secondary world.

“What sets it apart is the honesty of its cynicism — close, sardonic points of view, gallows humour, and a flat refusal to let anyone stay clean.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Blade Itself →

Shattered SeaSeries

seriesJoe Abercrombie4 books2014

About coming of age.

“Yarvi, el hijo menor del rey, nació con una malformación en una mano que ha llevado a todo el mundo, incluso a su propio padre, a considerarlo «medio hombre».”
from the catalogue description of Half a King
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Half a King →

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 Iron Elves?: World of Ice and Fire — the closest match to Iron Elves on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with Iron Elves?: A Darkness Forged in Fire. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for Iron Elves.
How big is Iron Elves?: Iron Elves is 3 books, 2008–2011.

Books like Iron Elves: 9 series to read next

Read next in Iron Elves

Why these

Questions readers ask

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