Series

Books like The Prism Pentad: 9 series to read next

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

The Prism Pentad is 5 books, 1991–1993.

The The Prism Pentad page →Narrow this list →

World of Ice and Fire
Tolkien's legendarium
Malazan
Cosmere
Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever
The Song of Shattered Sands
Shannara
Sword of Truth
The Circle of the World

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 →

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 →

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 →

CosmereUniverse

universe54 books2005

Epic fantasy and fantasy, set in secondary world.

“Before the worlds, there was Adonalsium, and then there was not.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Final Empire →

Thomas Covenant the UnbelieverSeries

seriesStephen R. Donaldson11 books1977

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

Reading order →

The Song of Shattered SandsSeries

seriesBradley P. Beaulieu14 books2015

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

“Starting in 2015 with Twelve Kings in Sharakhai, the series was concluded in 2021 with A Desert Torn Asunder.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Of Sand and Malice Made →

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 →

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

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 →

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 Prism Pentad?: World of Ice and Fire — the closest match to The Prism Pentad on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with The Prism Pentad?: The Verdant Passage. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for The Prism Pentad.
How big is The Prism Pentad?: The Prism Pentad is 5 books, 1991–1993.

Books like The Prism Pentad: 9 series to read next

Read next in The Prism Pentad

Why these

Questions readers ask

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