Series

Books like The Darkness: 9 series to read next

The Darkness is epic fantasy and 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.

The Darkness is 6 books, 1999–2004.

The The Darkness page →Narrow this list →

World of Ice and Fire
Malazan
The Poppy War
The Acacia Trilogy
The City (Gemmell)
The Powder Mage
The Circle of the World
The Riftwar
Black Wolves Trilogy

World of Ice and FireUniverse

universe19 books1980

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

“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 →

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 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 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 →

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 →

The Circle of the WorldUniverse

universe29 books2006

Grimdark.

“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 →

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 →

Black Wolves TrilogySeries

seriesKate Elliott1 book2015

About redemption.

“SOME CHOICES CAN NEVER BE UNDONE.He lost his honor long ago.”
from the catalogue description of Black Wolves

Start with Black Wolves →

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 Darkness?: World of Ice and Fire — the closest match to The Darkness on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with The Darkness?: Into the Darkness. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for The Darkness.
How big is The Darkness?: The Darkness is 6 books, 1999–2004.

Books like The Darkness: 9 series to read next

Read next in The Darkness

Why these

Questions readers ask

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