This past Sunday was the first in several weeks without a new episode of Game of Thrones, and if you’re like me you’re hoping to fill that direwolf-shaped void in your life. Don’t worry–we’re here to help. WLN libraries have plenty of fantasy novels full of political intrigue, mythical creatures, and engaging characters struggling to survive in a strange world.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Kvothe is a legendary magician who is a hero or a villain, depending on who you talk to. The Name of the Wind, the first book in The Kingkiller Chronicle, is coming-of-age novel that follows Kvothe from his childhood in a traveling troupe, to his time as a student at a storied school of magic, and eventually as a fugitive accused of regicide.
The Name of the Wind is high fantasy at its best, full of daring deeds, great loves, fantastical creatures and a main character that you can’t get enough of.
The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.
The first book in a series, The Red Queen is a young adult novel that appeals to fantasy lovers of all ages.
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. The real-life War of the Roses inspired some of the events in Game of Thrones, and Philippa Gregory explores all the drama, action and romance of the War of the Roses through the White Queen’s eyes.
If you can’t get enough of The White Queen, Gregory has written seventeen other books in the Plantagenet and Tudor series.
Rat Queens by Kurtis J. Wiebe
A graphic novel might seem like an odd recommendation for Game of Thrones fans, but Rat Queens feels like it could be set in Westeros. The series follows a group of female mercenaries who go out on daring quests, fight magical creatures, and get in a few bar fights. Rat Queens will have you wishing Game of Thrones focused more on the sellswords and ne’er-do-wells of Westeros.