The Fantasy 101 › Books Like

Books Like Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit

Tolkien, 1937 · #1 on the Epic Fantasy 101 Booklist · 110/120 · adapted for screen

A hobbit is handed the One Ring and must carry it into the land of its maker to destroy it. The road runs through Moria, Rohan and Minas Tirith while the free peoples fight for time.

Mood10Theme9Structure9Further reading7Creative details10Real-world blend5Divine influence7Climax and fights10Epicness8Genre standard10Originality10

Its strongest scores: mood and creative details. The five books below have the closest scores across all eleven criteria.

If you liked Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit, read:

  1. Conan

    Howard, 1932 · #21 on the list · 91/120

    A Cimmerian barbarian cuts his way through the Hyborian Age as thief, pirate, mercenary and king.

    Close on mood, real-world blend, divine influence, climax and fights.

  2. Watership Down

    Adams, 1972 · #6 on the list · 100/120

    A handful of rabbits flee a doomed warren on a seer's warning and cross the Berkshire downs to found a new home. They must outwit the tyrant General Woundwort to survive.

    Close on mood, theme, structure, further reading.

  3. A Song of Ice and Fire

    Martin, 1996 · #14 on the list · 94/120

    Noble houses tear Westeros apart over the Iron Throne. Meanwhile an older threat gathers beyond the Wall in the north.

    Close on mood, theme, further reading, creative details.

  4. Thomas Covenant

    Donaldson, 1977 · #7 on the list · 100/120

    A leper from our world is pulled into the Land, where his illness is cured and the people hail him as a saviour. He refuses to believe any of it is real.

    Close on theme, further reading, divine influence, epicness.

  5. Dungeon Crawler Carl

    Dinniman, 2020 · #13 on the list · 95/120

    Alien showrunners demolish Earth, and the survivors must fight down through a televised dungeon. Carl, his ex's cat and his loot try to stay alive.

    Close on creative details, climax and fights, epicness, genre standard.

Featured pick

Acenes of Sparta: The Dragon Slayer

Manolis Tsongas, 2026 · #5 on the list · 101/120 · for adults and mature teens

A dragon is the real reason King Leonidas and his three hundred died at Thermopylae. Sixty-two years later the gods send a Spartan boy of the agoge to kill it. The book takes lessons from tragedy and the cost of sacrifice, as is the Greek way.

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How the scores work: each book is rated 1 to 10 on eleven criteria; real-world blend and climax and fights count double, for a maximum of 120. See the full Fantasy 101.