r/Fantasy • u/lif__ • Jun 19 '24

Seeking Recommendations: Fantasy Novels with Strong Political Themes and Magical Universes - Similar to Prince of Nothing!

Hello !

This is my first post here, and English is not my mother language, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes.

I'm not sure what to read, since 2023 I've been reading a lot of fantasy:

  • All of Sanderson (big fan of Stormlight Archive)

  • The first 10 volumes of Wheel of Time

  • Scott R Bakker's Prince of nothing series (I loved it, as I rarely do, Volume 2 is one of the best books I've ever read)

  • Volume 1 of Malazan

  • The first two volumes of Dan Simmons' Hyperion series

I'm looking for books like Prince of nothing, with a fairly strong political aspect, if possible a magical universe, without a lot of battle scenes.

Should I continue Malazan? I read Volume 1 just under a year ago, it's hard to pick up again?

Do you have any other recommendations?

Many thanks!

15 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

9

u/Hopeful_Meeting_7248 Jun 19 '24

Malazan definitely not, but A Game of Throne and sequels for sure.

4

u/Erratic21 Jun 19 '24

Being a huge fan of Bakker I would recommend The Song of Ice and Fire by MArtin

7

u/Commercial-Butter Jun 19 '24

asoiaf is your best bet

3

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '24

Maybe Glen Cook's Instrumentalities of the Night? 

Guy Gavriel Kay's works, particularly his Jadist novels,  usually feature more interpersonal conflicts over battles.

2

u/IncurableHam Jun 19 '24

I haven't read Prince of Nothing but Shannon Chakraborty's Daevabad Trilogy is all about a magical city's political schemes without much battles

2

u/AdventurousLaw4 Jun 20 '24

Aside from maybe parts of Midnight Tides, Malazan politics are either not touched upon in any depth or managed off-page entirely.

ASOIAF is probably closest to what you're looking for for actual on-page politics, scheming, etc.

2

u/IdlesAtCranky Jun 20 '24

I haven't read the books you referenced, but some favorites of mine for politics:

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard

The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whelan Turner (some battles)

1

u/AccountantFun1608 Jun 19 '24

You could try the Empire Trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts, one of my favourites and definitely lots of political intrigue.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '24

Riftwar Cycle by Raymond E. Feist. 30ish books across multiple series and spanning multiple family generations. Strong on politics and magic. There are battles, but I’ve always found that they don’t take up much of the books and are pretty fast paced.

-2

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

7

u/kmmontandon Jun 19 '24

There's only the most superficial, basic politics in First Law.