Universe

Books like Obsidian: 9 series to read next

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

Obsidian is 9 books across 3 series, 2003–2025.

“The High Magick of the Golden City is a discipline of ledgers and ritual — power earned by study, paid for in coin and labor, wielded by Mages who have long forgotten it was ever wild.”
from the catalogue description

The Obsidian page →Narrow this list →

The Riftwar
Tolkien's legendarium
Lord of the Isles
Sparhawk
Sword of Truth
Shannara
The Saga of Recluce
Earthsea
Kyralia series

The RiftwarUniverse

universe44 books1982

Epic fantasy and fantasy, set in secondary world.

“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 →

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 →

Lord of the IslesSeries

seriesDavid Drake10 books1997

Epic fantasy, adventurous in tone, about quests, set in secondary world.

“In 1997, Drake began his largest fantasy series, Lord of the Isles, using elements of Sumerian religion and medieval-era technology.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Lord of the Isles →

SparhawkUniverse

universe6 books1989

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

“Sir Sparhawk is not a young man, and he has little patience for the pageantry his order pretends to.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Sword of TruthUniverse

universe27 books1994

Epic fantasy and fantasy, set in secondary world.

“Truth is a blade, and it cuts the hand that grips it carelessly.”
from the catalogue description

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ShannaraUniverse

universe50 books1977

Epic fantasy and fantasy, set in secondary world.

“Long after the world we know has burned itself to slag in the Great Wars, the Four Lands rise green over the bones of the old age.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

The Saga of RecluceSeries

seriesL. E. Modesitt & Jr.48 books1991

Epic fantasy and fantasy, about wizards and political intrigue, set in secondary world.

“While exiled to Candar, Lerris meets his uncle Justen, and comes to understand his father's ulterior motives for sending him off.”
from the catalogue description of The Magic of Recluce
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with The Magic of Recluce →

EarthseaUniverse

universe19 books1964

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

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Kyralia seriesUniverse

universe8 books2001

Epic fantasy and fantasy, about wizards and political intrigue, set in secondary world.

“Once a year the magicians of Kyralia sweep the beggars out of the capital, and once a year the beggars throw stones.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

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 Obsidian?: The Riftwar — the closest match to Obsidian on what it is about, not on what sells.
How big is Obsidian?: Obsidian is 9 books across 3 series, 2003–2025.

Books like Obsidian: 9 series to read next

Read next in Obsidian

Why these

Questions readers ask

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