For fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, it can be hard to find anything that resonates the same energy as the wandering, lyrical tales of Tolkien’s writing. While fighting the urge to suggest anything else written by the literary icon, we’ve compiled a list of 5 books to pick up if you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Tristran Thorn will go any distance to win the heart of his beloved, Victoria Forester. Even hunt and retrieve a fallen star. When he crosses the ancient stone wall he discovers that not only has he entered the mythical land of Faerie, but nothing – not even the fallen star he seeks, is as it seems. Tristran faces unexpected obstacles, competition from others seeking to claim the star for their reasons, and challenges from the star herself. If he hopes to return to his village the same man he was when he left it, he has much to learn.
Laurus by Eugene Vodolazkin
Fifteenth-century Russia is ravaged by plague, and when a skilled young healer cannot find the remedy to save the one he loves most, guilt sets in as a blight of its own. He leaves behind his village, wandering a pestilence-ridden Europe with nothing to his name but his vast knowledge as a healer and the grief of his past. But this is no regular journey. As he wanders through foreign lands, he travels through the ages, meeting a wide range of people. He faces terrible hardships, the evils of man, and the bliss of following his spiritual path, but when he reaches Jerusalem, he discovers that he has yet to face his greatest challenge.
The Beginning Place by Ursula K. Le Guin
When Hugh Rogers tries to escape the mundanity of his day-to-day life, he never would have imagined encountering “the beginning place”. This magical gateway to Tembreabrezi takes him to an idyllic paradise, a land of eternal twilight. Irena Pannis discovered the beginning place over 7 years ago and has grown to love the peaceful magical creatures that dwell there. Her protectiveness leads her initially to resent and mistrust Hugh, but when darkness threatens to destroy the land they have both come to love, they find themselves on the same side of an epic journey.
The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker
Ragnvald Eysteinsson was raised his whole life knowing one day he would take his father’s place as chief of his familial lands. But when a betrayal at the hands of his greedy stepfather, Olaf, leaves him abandoned and left for dead, he sets himself on a journey of revenge – and rescue. His goals are threefold, reclaim his birthright, reunite with the woman he loves, and save his cherished sister Svanhild from the clutches of their cruel stepfather.
In their homeland, Svanhild has been betrothed by her stepfather to a man she could not be less interested in. Her duty to her family tells her she must make a prosperous marriage, but her heart dreams of seeing the world. Either way, she must sacrifice. Finding a way out of the hands of her beloved brother’s enemy, Svanhild must choose yet again between her loyalty to her family and her duty to herself.
The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington
Davian is a Gifted – a magic user descended from the followers of the old gods who were overthrown two decades ago. They are despised by society and only remotely accepted because they’ve agreed to have their powers vastly limited. But when Davian discovers that he’s not just a Gifted, but that he has the forbidden magic of the gods themselves, he and his two friends set a chain of events into motion that there’s no turning back from. Far away, a man whose destiny is linked to Davian’s wakes up without a memory of who he is. Worse, he wakes up in the woods, alone, covered in blood. In the north, a terrible enemy thought to have perished begins to stir. As their journey begins, fates will collide in ways they never could have imagined.
While these stories lack Hobbits, each is a peek into a wonderfully crafted, richly built fantastical world. Whether traveling Russia as a healer or awakening an ancient prophecy, these protagonists are in for life (and world) changing adventures.
Want to dive back into Middle Earth? Click here to check out Bookstr’s favorite LOTR quotes!
Looking for more fantasy recs? Click here for Bookstr’s favorite fantasy reads!
