The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy of books written by J. R. R. Tolkien, who penned the series as a very small part of his enormous lexicon of histories, sagas, and developments contained in his own personal world, known as Middle-Earth. The series is famous for being adapted into some of the greatest movies ever made in the early 2000s, which posthumously cemented Tolkien’s legacy as one of the greatest writers in human history.
The books follow a group of unlikely heroes as they journey across the land to destroy a magical ring, one created by the servant of the universe’s ultimate evil, to weaken the shadow and prevent the world’s destruction. Though it might seem like a fantastical, whimsical story, much of it is based on Tolkien’s personal beliefs, especially his experience in the First World War, his love of his home of England, and how horrified he was at the world’s growing industrialization of rural areas. If you’ve already read the books or have seen the movies and are looking for something to fill the void they left behind, look no further, because Tolkien inspired a whole bunch of authors, and many books with similar themes have come out in the years since.
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‘The Anvil of the World’ (2003)
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The Anvil of the World is a seriously underrated entry into the high fantasy genre, written by the late Kage Baker. It is the first in a series known as the Lord Ermenwyr trilogy, but truth be told, it’s less of a series and more like three standalone books that take place in the same world and feature a few of the same characters. This ensures that if you don’t like the first, there’s no need to pursue it any further since it’s entirely self-contained.
Regardless, the book plays out like three smaller stories that fit an overarching story, following the journeys of Smith, a smuggler, and Lord Ermenwyr, a young mage. The book includes some steampunk elements and begins with Smith being assigned to take Lord Ermenwyr to a port city via train, and to protect him from the various factions trying to kill him. It sounds grim, but the book has a lot of brilliantly-written humor in it, and feels like a grand adventure through a vast and mysterious world inhabited by many wondrous creatures. It’s highly underrated, yet sure to be enjoyed by any Tolkien fan.
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‘A Wizard of Earthsea’ (1968)
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A Wizard of Earthsea, along with its five sequels that comprise the series, takes place on an island archipelago called Earthsea. Here, dragons and humans exist, with most, if not all, humans possessing innate magical talents, though some are obviously more skilled than others. Most of the people in the centre of the archipelago are the Hardic, who are dark-skinned and who see magic as a gift and an asset. In the East are the pale-skinned Kargish, who see magic as evil and frequently clash with the Hardics.
Like The Lord of the Rings, Earthsea obviously has some political undertones to it, portraying very real issues, yet painting them as a high fantasy story. It’s a story that shows how universal specific problems are, and that takes in a fully-fleshed-out world, much like Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, and the way it tackles real-world issues that Tolkien himself was passionate about. To this day, Earthsea is still seen as one of the most important and influential fantasy works ever made.
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‘Children of Blood and Bone’ (2018)
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Children of Blood and Bone is a YA novel and the first of the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy by Tomi Adeyemi. The books take place in the continent of Orïsha, a land resembling West Africa. Here, there exist two distinct types of people: the Divîners, a group of people who can use magic and turn into a more advanced version of themselves known as Maji, and the Kosidán, non-magical folk who have ripped magic out of the world and risen to rule the continent, condemning the Divîners to a life of poverty.
After years of oppression, a Divîner named Zélie, along with the Kosidán princess, Amari, is determined to restore magic to the world, ending the conflict between the two civilizations. Though the setting is wildly different from that of Tolkien, both Adeyemi and Tolkien have included some subtle political themes in their work, disguising real-world issues through the lens of high fantasy. They also have the same love of their ancestral homes, with the difference being that instead of England, Tomi Adeyemi has recreated Nigeria through a magical lens. It’s a fantastic adventure story made even more impressive by the fact that it is Adeyemi’s debut novel, and has become such a resounding success that a Children of Blood and Bone movie is set to be released in 2027.
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‘The Golden Door’ (2011)
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Australian author Emily Rodda, real name Jennifer Rowe, writes crime fiction for adults and fantasy for young adults, with a plethora of books at her back. There’s her acclaimed DeltoraQuest series, which was adapted into a Japanese anime and became very popular in the 90s and early 00s. Set in the same universe, there’s The Golden Door, the first in a trilogy. This trilogy takes place on the island of Dorne, in the hidden city of Weld, which is constantly improving its defenses, thickening and heightening its walls and not letting anybody beyond them.
Every year, the citizens of Weld become subject to attacks from Skimmers, large bat-like creatures that destroy homes and devour the people within. With no way out of the city, Weld’s mayor proposes an expedition to the outside world to find the source of the Skimmers and eliminate it. However, the only way out of the city is three magic doors of gold, silver, and wood. The story details the journey of a young boy named Rye, who travels beyond the walls in search of his missing brothers, who vanished during said expedition. The sweeping adventure of the story, combined with its dangerous beasts and its sinister villains, along with its clearly-defined evil at its heart, make it a different, yet remarkable choice for any Tolkien fan.
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‘The Eye of the World’ (1990)
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The Eye of the World is the first entry into the widely popular The Wheel of Time series, which has since been adapted into an Amazon Prime TV series. The first book (and most of the subsequent entries in the 15-novel long series) is written by the late Robert Jordan, whose work immediately drew comparisons to the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. This first novel is especially similar, centering on a magical individual known as an Aes Sedai named Moiraine Damodred, who arrives in the remote region of the Two Rivers, seeking the legendary Dragon Reborn, a chosen individual who is destined to either save the world from the clutches of the Dark One or to destroy it.
Though the series eventually morphs into its own distinct entity, this first book is ideal for Tolkien fans. It’s arguably also one of the best in the entire series, as it’s mostly about adventure, a distinct dark vs. light narrative, and a magical world. By far the best part about it, though, is that the first novel is fairly self-contained and doesn’t really leave any unanswered questions, which means anyone who didn’t enjoy it or doesn’t have the energy for 14 more books can easily put it down and walk away while still feeling satisfied.
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‘The Way of Kings’ (2010)
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Brandon Sanderson is the author responsible for finishing The Wheel of Time series after Robert Jordan’s untimely death. However, he also developed his own wide-reaching fantasy universe known as the Cosmere. Each series takes place on a different planet and has a different magic system at its core. The Way of Kings is the first in The Stormlight Archive series, which is often regarded as Sanderson’s finest work. It is set on the planet of Roshar, which is constantly plagued by powerful weather events known as highstorms. As a result, there is little to no flora since it is commonly uprooted by the storms, and any fauna is crustacean in nature so they can take shelter in their shells.
Amidst a war between humans and the crustacean Parshendi, a primitive evil begins to rise, prompting the resurrection of a once-lost order of magical warriors. The Way of Kings is an absolute monster of a novel at over 1200 pages, but it’s a thrilling ride from start to finish. Those who are fans of Middle-Earth’s deep and extensive lore, epic battles, stories of unlikely heroes, and the endless battle between good and evil will be sure to appreciate The Stormlight Archive. Even if the world is vastly different from Middle-Earth, it has many of the same themes and the same emotional impact that Tolkien put into his writing.
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‘Gardens of the Moon’ (1999)
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Gardens of the Moon is the very first novel taking place in the enormous universe of Steven Erikson‘s Malazan series, which eventually grew into numerous series and subseries all set within the same fascinating world. As one can imagine, this series of books has a heavy bit of lore behind it, with histories detailing fallen kingdoms, extensive wars, ancient artifacts and deities, and the nature of magic in the universe.
For those who have fallen in love with Tolkien’s life’s work, dedicated to creating an entirely new world with a long history, it is very easy to fall in love with Malazan, and especially with the first novel. This thrilling epic fantasy centers on a power struggle against the tyrannical Malazan Empire, and in 2000, it was nominated for a World Fantasy Award, a highly coveted honor. With the series still going strong and new developments in the overarching narrative always on the horizon, Malazan has found a dedicated fanbase and has drawn many comparisons to J. R. R. Tolkien.
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‘Rise of the Ranger’ (2017)
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For those who like the whole forlorn ranger aspect that is Aragorn II Elessar, there’s Rise of the Ranger, the first entry in The Echoes Saga, comprised of nine novels. This series contains a lot of similar themes to Middle-Earth, namely the rivalry between different races. In Middle-Earth, the dwarves and elves are always at each other’s throats, whereas in Rise of the Ranger, it’s humanity and the elves that have warred in the past, to the point where the elves have gone all but extinct.
And yet, humanity continues to squabble amongst themselves, totally unaware of the evil looming in the distance, with the world’s only hope being the eponymous ranger. The inspiration of J. R. R. Tolkien is made clear in this critically acclaimed series, harboring many of the same ideas and aspects of lore, so it’s a brilliant, more modern entry into the genre that no Middle-Earth fan is going to want to miss.
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‘Bored of the Rings’ (1969)
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For a little bit of a different read, there’s Bored of the Rings, a biting parody of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. This 150-page novel is super short, but covers much of the same bases, only with a much more humorous twist. It pokes fun at overused fantasy tropes, includes intentionally incorrect nomenclature based on real-world brand names, and deliberately makes things as ridiculous as possible for the sole purpose of having a laugh, as well as being a bit of a critique.
Not everyone wants to read something like this, and that’s totally okay. However, any die-hard fan of Tolkien should probably give this one a go, because it feels like an alternate version of a familiar story that’s laden with absurdist jokes. It’s considered one of the most brilliantly-written parodies of high fantasy, though it has, of course, garnered its fair share of haters. Love it or hate it, Bored of the Rings has definitely been an influential work.
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‘The King of Elfland’s Daughter’ (1924)
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If parody and satire isn’t your personal cup of tea, try The King of Elfland’s Daughter, a fantasy book written before Tolkien ever penned his debut novel. This forgotten fantasy novel is a short read, not requiring a whole lot of energy or commitment, and has served as one of Tolkien’s chief inspirations when he penned his vast and expansive Middle-Earth saga. Obviously, anything that inspired Tolkien is something that any die-hard fan of his should most definitely take a look at.
Story-wise, it’s about Lirazel, the daughter of the King of Elfland, as the name implies. She becomes the subject of a romantic pursuit on behalf of Alveric, the son of the Lord of the land of Erl. Unfortunately, though their love is strong, the two find themselves unable to assimilate into each other’s culture, prompting magical intervention. The King of Elfland’s Daughter is considered one of the pioneering members of the high fantasy genre and is one of the most influential fantasy novels ever written, and is an absolute must-read for any fan of Tolkien.
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