Series

Books like The Ascension Cycle: 9 series to read next

The Ascension Cycle is epic fantasy, about rebellion and revolution and war, set in secondary world. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

The Ascension Cycle is 3 books, 2017–2023.

“In the cities, food shortages stir citizens to riots against the crown.”
from the catalogue description of Soul of the World

The The Ascension Cycle page →Narrow this list →

World of Ice and Fire
Malazan
Tolkien's legendarium
The Acacia Trilogy
The Poppy War
The Powder Mage
Crossroads (Kate Elliott)
Rigante
The City (Gemmell)

World of Ice and FireUniverse

universe19 books1980

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

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

Reading order →

MalazanUniverse

universe36 books1999

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

“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 Acacia TrilogySeries

seriesDavid Anthony Durham3 books2007

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

“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 →

The Poppy WarSeries

seriesR. F. Kuang4 books2018

Grimdark.

“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 Powder MageUniverse

universe19 books2013

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

“Load your powder, and pray your sorcery outruns their cannon.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Crossroads (Kate Elliott)Series

seriesKate Elliott4 books2006

Epic fantasy, about war, set in secondary world.

“From the first page readers will be swept up in the story of Mai and Captain Anji, as they become unwitting players in a conflict that began many years earlier, and which will shake the foundations of their land.”
from the catalogue description of Spirit Gate

Start with Spirit Gate →

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 City (Gemmell)Series

seriesStella Gemmell2 books2013

Grimdark, set in big city.

“Built up over the millennia, layer upon layer, the City is ancient and vast.”
from the catalogue description of The City

Start with The City →

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 The Ascension Cycle?: World of Ice and Fire — the closest match to The Ascension Cycle on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with The Ascension Cycle?: Soul of the World. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for The Ascension Cycle.
How big is The Ascension Cycle?: The Ascension Cycle is 3 books, 2017–2023.

Books like The Ascension Cycle: 9 series to read next

Read next in The Ascension Cycle

Why these

Questions readers ask

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