8 Gritty Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Like A Game of Thrones

Just as Martin drew upon actual historical events such as the War of Roses to structure some of his plotlines in A Game of Thrones, Erikson too drew upon his vast knowledge in archaeology and anthropology to create the intricately plotted universe in his ten-volume Malazan Book of the Fallen series. 

While the first five books are relatively self-contained, the latter books focus on many of the supporting characters and related events, adding to the rich texture of his grimdark world, populated by gods, humans, mages and many kinds of magical creatures. Initially conceived of as a high fantasy setting for a table-top role-playing game by Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont and then turned into a movie script, it finally took off when Erikson presented the story in the form of books. And unlike A Game of Thrones, the series concluded in 2011 with the publication of The Crippled God, which neatly wraps up the grand narrative. 

While you’re waiting for the long-awaited Game of Thrones sequel, you can still revisit the world of Westeros in the prequel, Fire & Blood that details the bloodstained history of the Targaryen dynasty. Martin employs a different narrative tactic here—telling the story in the form of a dry historical account, drawing attention to the unreliability of record-keepers as well as to the recurring patterns of how history often repeats itself, as a result of greed and ambition. Moreover, Fire & Blood has also been adapted as a hit TV series, The House of the Dragon, already through its third season, that in many ways improves upon A Game of Thrones, and has among other things, plenty of dragons.

If you’re craving some violent battles, epic action sequences, dinosaurs and your favorite characters dying absolutely gruesome deaths, check out Victor Milan’s The Dinosaur Lords. Martin himself endorses the series, describing it as a cross between “Jurassic Park and A Game of Thrones." The story unfolds in a sprawling world called “Paradise” where humans and other animals such as dogs, cats, ferrets and horses, live side by side, but dinosaurs reign supreme. Filled with dynastic rivalries and political intrigue and dinosaurs being used as weapons of war, The Dinosaur Lords will surely thrill and dazzle readers of epic fantasy.  

If you’re in the mood for something lighter without compromising on the courtly intrigue, you’ll love this underrated gem of a YA novel, Summers at Castle Auburn. It tells the story of Coriel, a bastard daughter of a nobleman who spends the summers at the palace with her half-sister and slowly realizes all the subtle scheming going around her, permeating every aspect of courtly life, including romantic relationships. Carefully plotted and satisfactorily resolved, Summers at Castle Auburn has that delicious dreamlike quality to it and is guaranteed to get you out of a reading slump. 

Dave Duncan’s epic fantasy, Portal of a Thousand Worlds unfolds in nineteenth-century China, and is similarly packed with murder, mayhem, treason and deadly romance, following several interweaving plot threads and multiple characters making their way in an unjust and corrupt world. And despite its dark themes, the prose bristles with humor and wit, making for an entertaining and engrossing read. 

Glen Cook’s acclaimed dark fantasy series, The Chronicles of the Black Company, follows the titular mercenary unit across forty years, through multiple secondary worlds. Cook strikes a delicate balance between small moments of humor and plenty of violence, unfolding the story from a soldier’s perspective, and probing into questions of morality, brotherhood, duty and service. And if you’ve enjoyed this one, you could also check out The Lightbringer series by Brent Week and Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law trilogy. 

If you love gritty tales of scheming and rebellion, along with vivid worldbuilding in the science fiction vein, Ashley Poston’s Heart of Iron is definitely worth checking out. It follows seventeen-year-old Ana, an outlaw desperately searching for a way to fix her illegal robot, even as she and her accomplices are pursued by agents of the empire. Fast-paced and exciting, the book does a good job of balancing the space shenanigans with some fluff. 

Finally, those in the mood for a hard fantasy grimdark trilogy should definitely check out Seth Dickinson’s The Masquerade books. Expanded from a short story, Traitor Baru Cormorant is a tightly-written anti-colonial tale, following the exploits of Baru who is determined to take down the Empire from within—no matter the price to her own heart. It has one of the most plot-relevant slow-burn sapphic romances I’ve ever read. Philosophical and intricate with Machiavellian power politics going on every page, Traitor Baru Cormorant is a powerfully rewarding read.