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Quick answer: If you loved Tolkien, read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, then Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea, then Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising, and Terry Brooks's The Sword of Shannara and Christopher Paolini's Eragon. All are epic fantasy with deep worlds.
J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973) wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, which shaped modern fantasy. These picks offer similar worlds and quests.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hobbit | J.R.R. Tolkien | 9-14 | a classic dragon story |
| The Lord of the Rings | J.R.R. Tolkien | All ages | readers who want the source |
| A Wizard of Earthsea | Ursula K. Le Guin | All ages | readers who prefer shorter books |
| The Dark Is Rising | Susan Cooper | 10-14 | readers who like British folklore |
| The Sword of Shannara | Terry Brooks | Adult | readers who like classic quests |
| Eragon | Christopher Paolini | 12+ | older readers ready for long epics |
| Magician | Raymond E. Feist | Adult | readers who want a classic |
| The Blade Itself | Joe Abercrombie | Adult | readers who like grimdark |
| Lord Foul's Bane | Stephen R. Donaldson | Adult | readers who want an anti-hero |
| Wizard's First Rule | Terry Goodkind | Adult | the series opener |
| Gardens of the Moon | Steven Erikson | Adult | readers who want a deep series |
| The Warded Man | Peter V. Brett | Adult | the Demon Cycle start |
| The Winter King | Bernard Cornwell | Adult | Arthurian realism |
| The Last Unicorn | Peter S. Beagle | Adult | readers who want a classic |
| The Book of Three | Lloyd Alexander | 9-13 | readers who want a quest |
1. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins leaves his comfortable hole to join thirteen dwarves and the wizard Gandalf in reclaiming treasure guarded by the dragon Smaug. The original dragon quest and a good read-aloud.
Best for: a classic dragon story.
2. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The founding epic of modern fantasy. A quest to destroy the One Ring.
Best for: readers who want the source.
3. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Ged, a talented young wizard, unleashes a shadow. A short and wise classic.
Best for: readers who prefer shorter books.
4. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
Will Stanton learns he is the last of the Old Ones on his eleventh birthday. Atmospheric and mythic.
Best for: readers who like British folklore.
5. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
Shea Ommadon sets out to find a sword to defeat the Warlock Lord. A classic quest in the Tolkien tradition.
Best for: readers who like classic quests.
6. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
A farm boy finds a blue stone that hatches into the dragon Saphira and becomes a Dragon Rider in a war-torn land. It is longer and more serious, with a strong human-dragon bond.
Best for: older readers ready for long epics.
7. Magician by Raymond E. Feist
Pug, a boy at a castle, becomes a powerful magician as two worlds fight. A classic of epic fantasy.
Best for: readers who want a classic.
8. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Logen Ninefingers, Inquisitor Glokta and Captain Jezal begin a story of war and treachery. Grim and funny.
Best for: readers who like grimdark.
9. Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R. Donaldson
Thomas Covenant, a leper, finds himself in a magical Land. Dark and divisive, and a landmark of the genre.
Best for: readers who want an anti-hero.
10. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
The first Sword of Truth book. Richard meets Kahlan and the wizard Zedd. Start here if you are new.
Best for: the series opener.
11. Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
The first of The Malazan Book of the Fallen, a dense, epic series. Complex and ambitious.
Best for: readers who want a deep series.
12. The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett
Three young survivors learn to fight demons that rise at night. The best place to begin.
Best for: the Demon Cycle start.
13. The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
Arthur's story told as a gritty historical epic. Fast and vivid.
Best for: Arthurian realism.
14. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
A unicorn leaves her forest to find the others of her kind, with the help of a magician. Lyrical and bittersweet.
Best for: readers who want a classic.
15. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
Taran, a pig-keeper, becomes a hero in the land of Prydain. The first of a classic fantasy series.
Best for: readers who want a quest.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Tolkien: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Tolkien. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For classic fantasy, read A Wizard of Earthsea or The Dark Is Rising. For epic sagas, try The Sword of Shannara or Eragon. For more modern fantasy, pick The Name of the Wind or The Blade Itself.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was J.R.R. Tolkien?
An English writer and philologist (1892–1973).
Where do I start?
With The Hobbit.
What is Middle-earth?
Tolkien's invented world.