Hello Readers,
I originally completed this post in March 2020 and it has turned out to be one of my most popular blog posts. At the time I made the list below I had not read all the authors, I still haven’t read them all, but I have been able to get through a few more. So, I thought I would update the original post to include them.
Here it is, the original post, updated to include the additional authors on the list that I have now had the pleasure to read (and a few additional details).
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I know I harp on about Joe Abercrombie (JA) being my favourite author, and that’s because he is, but I have been trying to find some new favourite authors to add to the list. So, I put a call out through some of my groups on social media to find similar authors to JA, and this is what my contacts came back with:-
- Anthony Ryan
- Luke Scull
- Daniel Polansky
- Mark Lawrence
- Scott Lynch
- Brian McClellan
- Richard Kadrey
- Charlie Huston
- Peter Newman
- Ed McDonald
- Steven Erikson
- Jonathon French
- Brian Staveley
- Michael R Fletcher
- Richard Morgan
- Anna Smith Spark
- Stephen Donaldson
- A Z Anthony
- Glen Cook
- Jay Kristoff
I haven’t read all these authors yet, but I have added them to my list of authors to try. Of those I have checked out, I offer my opinions below:
Anthony Ryan – I love this author and have added him to my favourites. I read his novel ‘Blood Song’ and while I don’t get a JA vibe from his work, I really enjoyed the book. Anthony has his own style and tells a great story. I highly recommend checking him out.
Update: I have now read ‘The Waking Fire’. This is another great story with some interesting characters in an unforgiving world. I did enjoy this book, though my personal preference is for ‘Blood Song’.
Luke Scull – This is another great author that I have added to my list of favourites. I read his ‘Grim Company’ novel and I found his world and characters to be very similar to JA. In fact I constantly found myself thinking this guy is so like 9 fingers, or I love these Northmen. Luke does have a style of his own and tells a unique story that is interesting and pulled me through the book. I highly recommend giving him a go.
Daniel Polansky – I read the novel ‘She Who Waits’ by this author. I can’t say that I see any resemblance to JA other than the world is really gritty. I didn’t love this author, I enjoyed the book enough to finish it, but I doubt I will read anymore of his work. The world was not quite what I expected or wanted and it threw me off a little right from the start. If you like Grimdark that isn’t your typical medieval world, don’t discount this author. His style is sound, his characters are well rounded, and his writing is solid, his world just wasn’t what I was looking for and I don’t particularly like 1st person POV. If however you are chasing an author similar to JA, I’d give this one a miss.
Mark Lawrence – When I saw a copy of ‘Grey Sister’ at a local bookstore and grabbed it. I must say, I really enjoyed this book. The story is good, I liked the characters, and while the author’s style is different to J.A. it is still a good writing style. I do wish I had started with the first book in the series, but it didn’t stop me enjoying this title. There is plenty of magic, action, blood, and gore. What more could I ask for?
Scott Lynch –Scott was on my list for a long time having been recommended to me by a friend long before I put this list together. I picked up a copy of ‘The Lies of Loche Lamora’ with high expectations. I enjoyed the story, it had a solid plot with great characters, and a suitably gritty world. However, I was a little disappointed. It was too slow to get started for me and I didn’t love the author’s style. While I do think he is a sound fantasy author, he is no J.A. in my opinion.
Brian McClellan – I read ‘Wrath of Empire’ from this author, and I loved it so much that I have also added Brian to my list of favourite authors. I didn’t draw any similarities between his work and JA’s. Brian has his own style, a great world, great characters, and a good storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed his work and would definitely recommend him, just don’t expect his work to remind you of JA.
Richard Kadrey – I didn’t actually read this authors work, I picked up one of his books and read the first few pages. It didn’t grab me because it seemed to be more of a western world and I was after good old medieval fantasy. So, I can’t really make any comparisons to JA for this author, nor recommend/criticise his work.
Peter Newman – I tried to read ‘The Vagrant’ by this author and it’s the one book on my DNF list. I didn’t like the author’s style or the world the story was set in. I certainly wouldn’t compare this author to JA. I do not recommend reading this authors work if you’re looking for something similar to JA. I’m not saying don’t give him a try, I’m just saying this author isn’t for me and I can’t see any similarity to JA’s work. I do know people who have read and enjoyed this author, so make your own mind up on this one.
Ed McDonald – My first encounter with Ed’s writing was through is novel ‘Blackwing’. This is some real dark shit and a true ‘Grimdark’ work in my opinion. I loved it! If you have read many of my book reviews, you will know that I don’t like first person POV. This book is written in first person POV and I still loved it. Ed’s writing style differs from Abercrombie’s, but he is a great writer in his own right. If you like the Grimdark genre, I strongly recommend this author.
Steven Erikson – I selected ‘Gardens of the Moon’, the first book in ‘The Malazan Book of the Fallen’ series. I have to say, I absolutely loved this book! The author’s style is more from the old school fantasy in my opinion, and does not compare to J.A. But, he has certainly got what it takes to satisfy my fantasy cravings. I would recommend this author any day of the week.
Well, I’m still working through the list myself and this is as far as I’ve gotten. I’m keen to give Mark Lawrence, Scott Lynch, Steve Erikson, Brian Staveley and Ed McDonald a go. So I’ll probably prioritise these above the others, but hopefully I will find a few more gems on this list that will be added to my favourite authors list.
Happy Reading!
Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here.
