cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/2911743
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin currently has the rating of 4.44 on Goodreads. The following books are standalones or first books in a series, as it would be unfair to compare it to the last book in a series, for example the fantastic ending to The Faithful and the Fallen series, Wrath, by John Gwynne, which has a Goodreads rating of 4.51.
Unsurprisingly, Brandon Sanderson features three times on this list! I can’t say I agree with any of these titles being “better”, but the all-knowing Goodreads reviewers might just have some interesting recommendations for A Song of Ice and Fire fans.
First of all, I hate clickbait titles that don’t tell you what the novels actually are. So I will.
As much as I rely on Goodreads to find new stuff to read - you can’t really rely on the rating system. It suffers from huge manipulation where a mediocre novel from a popular author will still get a great rating, and great novels from unknown authors totally fly under the radar.
As to our baseline, I try to avoid incomplete series. This is because Mr Jordan burnt me so bad waiting for each next novel to drop for a decade or so. So, I haven’t actually read Game of Thrones. At the rate Mr Martin is going I’m not certain I ever will. I won’t be able to say whether any of these titles are better, but I have read a lot of them:
Sword of Kaigen
This was an excellent novel, I believe I even called it my favourite novel of whatever year I read it. Apparently a tangent/spin off novel from another series he was working on. I had this book on the Kindle for about two years before I finally got around to reading it. Oh wow was it a lot of fun! I loved it. Of all the books on the list, this is the one that I would urge you to pick up and read.
Mistborn
This one should need no introduction. It’s a fantastic series, but everyone knows that. Unique and marvellous magic medium. Fantastic characters and setting. Even has an antagonist who was nuanced and relatable. Even with Mistborn, I was kept waiting far too long for the last Wax and Wayne novel.
Harry Potter series
Another one that everyone will know. If you haven’t read about the boy wizard by now, you’re probably not going to be convinced by me. I’ve read these novels several times, they truly are excellent. If you’ve read the first one and can’t see what all the fuss is about, I promise they do get better. The last two books are a masterclass of bringing all the threads of a series together.
Six of Crows
Haven’t read: waiting on the series to finish. I am keen though.
Tress of the Emerald Sea
Here’s a great example of what I was talking about. This is a good novel, I really enjoyed it. I don’t think it’s amazing though. I think the ratings of this one are inflated by how much we all love Mr. Sanderson. It’s a solid 4, I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone. But it’s nowhere near as good as Mistborn.
The Name of the Wind
Waiting for Kingkiller to finish before I read these. They looks great, though.
The Lord of the Rings
Literally the yardstick that all other fantasy is measured against. It’s hard to believe any fantasy reader might not have read these, but if sonehow you haven’t read these, I recommend you do so as soon as you can manage it.
The Fourth Wing
I don’t know these books. They look great though, I’ll be reading them as soon as book two is meant to drop next month. Half a million ratings for a novel that came out this year? I really should know of this book, not sure why I don’t. The cover doesn’t grab my attention, I’ve probably seen the title and it hasn’t grabbed my attention.
The Way of Kings
So many Brandon Sanderson readers love love love these books. I’m really looking forward to them. As soon as he finishes the series, I plan to be all over it.
The Will of the many
Another brand new series that hasn’t been finished. I can’t comment on these novels, but I really enjoyed The Licanius books by the same author. I gave all three of them 4 stars.
Thank you!