Books like The Lord of the Rings

By J.R.R. Tolkien

For a dangerous world, loyalties tested over a long journey and power that carries a moral burden.

For a vast world and costly duty

Brandon Sanderson

Shares epic scope and the burden of protecting others, but follows several people confronting war and returning powers on a storm battered world.

The difference: More explicit magic rules and a larger cast across an expanding series.

N. K. Jemisin

Shares a journey through a threatened land, but centers a mother whose feared abilities connect her to the forces destroying it.

The difference: More graphic, formally demanding and focused on systemic oppression.

Robin Hobb

Shares loyalty tested by dangerous service, but concentrates on one royal outsider’s training, secret work and personal attachments.

The difference: A more intimate court story with less traveling fellowship.

Sources and book details

Collected’s editorial comparisons, informed by the descriptions and reading profiles.