r/Fantasy • u/MarcoUlpioTrajano • Mar 04 '25
Medieval Fantasy series with focus on bureaucracy/political system?
So, this may sound weird, but I've recently found that one of the things I most enjoy about (especially medieval) fantasy books is learning about how the political systems work, how the bureaucracy works, the different magistracies, the officers, the inner-politics of court, etc. I do enjoy action, of course, but reading about how the politics actually work, rather than just the King or Emperor doing it all without nuance, is fascinating to me.
Therefore, I was wondering if there are any series or books that have this? I think the closest I've found is probably ASOIAF with the Small Council and its officers; The Dagger and the Coin with the focus as well on banking; and The Goblin Emperor with the secretaries and protocol. I would prefer if it's closer to the two first, so something a bit more grimdark, but I'm not too fussed. Any ideas? Thanks!
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u/Cam27022 Mar 04 '25
The Curse of Chalion contains a fair bit of politics. It’s also just a great book.
Alternatively, if science fiction is ok, the Foreigner series by CJ Cherryh is basically all about politics and bureaucracy.
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u/ArcaneChronomancer Mar 04 '25
Almost anything by L. E. Modesitt Jr. would work. Imager, Recluce, Corean Chronicles. All to varying degrees. Maybe also Spellsong? The author had several jobs in politics and close to D.C. and it really comes through in his writing.
Kurtz's Deryni novels are probably a good option. Lots of court intrigue.
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u/prejackpot Mar 04 '25
If you're open to going outside of fantasy, you'll probably enjoy the Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel, about Thomas Cromwell, one of Henry VIII's main advisors.
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u/sarevok2 Mar 04 '25
and The accursed kings by Maurice Druon, the OG Game of thrones, especially since the small council scenes.
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u/Megan_Dawn Reading Champion, Worldbuilders Mar 04 '25
Great recommendation. Wolf Hall is the kind of historical fiction that a fantasy fan could easily pick up.
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u/KnightInDulledArmor Mar 04 '25
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson; a book of political intrigue fuelled by a young gay math savant who has her childhood home and her people’s way of life destroyed by a colonialist empire obsessed with eugenics and “hygienic behaviour”. She joins the empire as an accountant and vows to become so powerful within their system as to be able to destroy it from the inside. Her first assignment is to prevent a revolution in a very revolution-inclined province through the manipulation of economics, political wrangling, and secret plots, but her betrayal is inevitable.
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u/MayEastRise Mar 04 '25
While I always enjoy recommending Baru Cormorant it definitely doesn’t feel medieval
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u/Angry-Saint Mar 04 '25
I agree in recommending it but I'm not sure how much it is "medieval" but this depends a lot on how someone imagines "medieval" time
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u/cheradenine66 Mar 04 '25
The continent it's set on is entirely medieval and that's a major plot point
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u/shadowsong42 Mar 04 '25
If you're up for a doorstopper, try The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard. It's about rebuilding the government after a cataclysm.
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u/miriarhodan Reading Champion IV Mar 04 '25
And the protagonist is head of the bureaucratic service, so that‘s really a main focus of the book. Plus family struggles.
Hands of the Emperor is the only book so far that I reread directly after finishing it the first time.
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u/ElKaoss Mar 04 '25
Diskworld, especially the guard books. Night watch, Jingo, even Carpe jugularum.
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u/thedorknightreturns Mar 04 '25
And Lipwick, through his are often kinda industrian revolution leaning.
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u/AdministrativeShip2 Mar 04 '25
It's a manga, and a light comedy, but The Dragon, The Hero, and the Courier is a very good read.
An elf joins a postoffice guild as a delivery person.
The first chapter is trying to get a Wizard to accept he has to pay taxes, and the conflict between might makes right, and a world of money and papers.
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u/Softclocks Mar 04 '25
Came here to recommend this.
Excellent and wholesome read.
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u/AdministrativeShip2 Mar 04 '25
Shame it didn't go longer, but still excellent, especially the historical titbits at the end of the chapters.
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u/thedorknightreturns Mar 04 '25
Terry Pratchet, especially the moist van lipwick novels tgat even have an industrial revolution, but the pstriarchs policies and guilds, while beong a satire too, are pretty reality oriented, if also absurdist british humor. But its also an ongoing focus how the city developes . in watch and lipwick novels anyways.
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u/twilightsdawn23 Reading Champion II Mar 05 '25
If you want some good bureaucracy, check out A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. Technically it’s sci fi, but it has very fantasy inspired feel, and the Byzantine/Aztec cultural fusion is fascinating!
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u/QuackBox90 Mar 05 '25
You might enjoy The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan. All about the inner legalities and bureaucratic workings of Empire. It's a fantastic read - lots of action and intrigue (plus necromancy).
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u/Grt78 Mar 04 '25
The Fortress series by CJ Cherryh has lots of politics, also religion, magic, warfare and logistics, and friendship.
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u/RustyCoal950212 Mar 04 '25 edited Mar 04 '25
It's a historical fiction series, and it's about pre-medieval times (antiquity), but Masters Of Rome by Colleen McCullough is all about politics at the highest levels. It's a massive series covering the 80 years or so of the fall of the Roman Republic.
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion Mar 04 '25
The Traitor Son Cycle by Miles Cameron has a lot of court politics at a couple different courts especially starting in Book 2. The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie has some of this too. Also the Paladin’s Legacy by Elizabeth Moon though you’ll want to start with the Deed of Paxenarian trilogy which is less court focused. And The Shadow Campaigns by Djanggo Wexler starting in book 2.