We are in the midst of the Golden Age of fantasy literature and people are eagerly looking for more books like the Name of the Wind. There is a rising demand for stylized prose, puns, lengthy tomes offering the reader a long, rich, and deeply immersive experience, and clever, even unreliable narrators.
Patrick Rothfuss, and the publisher that took the risk to print and disseminate his work, are to be enthusiastically thanked for raising the level of awareness for this kind of fantasy novel. Though, just to be clear, I believe Rothfuss has hoodwinked the entire fantasy community and that the entire series is a mere a jest.
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| Black Leopard, Red Wolf | A Priory of the Orange Tree | The Prince of Thorns |
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9 Fantasy Books Similar to The Name of the Wind That You Overlooked
For the sake of comprehensiveness, I’ve included books like the Name of the Wind that are frequently mentioned and recommended across the various localities on the Internet.
Meet Scammander and Evander.
They’re not trying to save the world.
They’re trying to destroy it.
But first they must find a book.
The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb
These books, penned by Robin Hobb, have a lot in common with Rothfuss’s tome (and she reviewed The Name of the Wind on Amazon, no less). So this would be books such as:
Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Lynch’s characters are enjoyably snappy and could run circles around any character in Rothfuss’s novel. Readers of the Name of the Wind would enjoy the attention Lynch dedicates to constructing witty observations, conversations that are like an espresso filled fencing match, and well-wrought narration throughout.
The Prince of Nothing & Aspect-Emperor by R. Scott Bakker
In The Darkness that Comes Before, intrepid fantasy author R. Scott Bakker inagurates an exciting new fantasy saga. The series spans two trilogies, The Prince of Nothing and the Aspect-Emperor which will give you a lot of material to devour. Bakker writes on his blog that the only thing he is interested in subverting is simplicity (making him a perfect fit for reader looking for complex and lyrical fantasy books). I think all the readers who enjoyed books like The Name of the Wind will find something to enjoy in the works of R. Scott Bakker. He creates complex fantasy stuffed with equally complex characters and a world “deep enough for archaeological digs.”
First Law Series by Joe Abercrombie
Though this is often recommended, to my mind, readers who enjoyed Rothfuss’s novel may or may not really be enthralled by Joe Abercrombie. Abercrombie is pacey, witty, darkly skeptical, and his scenery is barren. Rothfuss is lyrical, demonstrative, and ironic but is not a skeptic, is not witty, and flushes his world with colors that are wholly impossible to create in a rough world (or probably universe at this point) like those found in Abercrombie’s texts. What the two have in common is their modernity, and that is why I think that those readers who enjoyed The Name of the Wind would also enjoy The Blade Itself.
The Magician & The Magician King by Lev Grossman
While Lev Grossman’s world isn’t as deeply built as Rothfuss’s (staying true and anchored to its postmodern heritage), it has all the learned gestures one would expect in a modern fantasy text.
Overfull with allusions to literature and pop-culture, The Magicians is like playing AD&D with some grad students from Yale. The characters are flawed, psychologically complex, and all gifted sorcerers and witches. Would Kvothe have gotten into the Physical Kids Club? Possibly, but I think he might have hung out with Penny a lot.
Read All of These?
If you have read all of these books like the name of the wind, then you might consider reading my novel which is beautiful like starlight and wild as summer lightning.
