Series

Books like The Second Apocalypse: 9 series to read next

The Second Apocalypse is epic fantasy and grimdark, 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 Second Apocalypse is 11 books, 2003–2017.

The The Second Apocalypse page →Narrow this list →

Malazan
World of Ice and Fire
The Circle of the World
The Poppy War
Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever
Tolkien's legendarium
Between Earth and Sky
Grishaverse
The City (Gemmell)

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 →

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 →

The Circle of the WorldUniverse

universe29 books2006

Grimdark and fantasy, 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 →

The Poppy WarSeries

seriesR. F. Kuang4 books2018

Epic fantasy and grimdark, 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 →

Thomas Covenant the UnbelieverSeries

seriesStephen R. Donaldson11 books1977

About quests.

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 →

Between Earth and SkySeries

seriesRebecca Roanhorse3 books2020

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

“The winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.”
from the catalogue description of Black Sun
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Black Sun →

GrishaverseUniverse

universe19 books2012

“Saints are canonized here the way soldiers are buried elsewhere — quietly, and too often.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

The City (Gemmell)Series

seriesStella Gemmell2 books2013

About rebellion and revolution, 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 Second Apocalypse?: Malazan — the closest match to The Second Apocalypse on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with The Second Apocalypse?: The Knife of Many Hands. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for The Second Apocalypse.
How big is The Second Apocalypse?: The Second Apocalypse is 11 books, 2003–2017.

Books like The Second Apocalypse: 9 series to read next

Read next in The Second Apocalypse

Why these

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