August 2025
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    If anyone else enjoys the Witcher series, and reads fanfiction, I just finished my fourth or fifth re-read of With a Conquering Air by inexplicifics on AO3 and I am desperate for something similar in novel form.

    For those who don’t know anything about the Witcher, WCA is basically the story of a very powerful race of non-humans who travel the continent and hunt monsters. They have been reviled and feared for centuries despite the services they provide for various stupid and discriminatory reasons, but they’re basically just People+. One day, one of these guys looks at a nearby king who also happens to be a huge asshole who’s committed various crimes against his people (which I won’t go into detail about). Long story short, after a lot of arguments, the Witchers decide that they’re made to kill monsters whether or not the monsters are human-shaped, so they defeat the king—and end up accidentally starting an empire headed by the most feared warlord the continent has ever seen, as they keep happening across terrible rulers and deposing of them.

    That’s all super cool and funny as background lore for this series, but what really draws me to it is the sense of bone-deep loyalty that the rest of the Witchers have for the one who ended up as warlord. I’ve always been a big fan of ideals like fealty and service towards a worthy person/cause, but I feel like that’s pretty unusual to find in fantasy novels where it’s more common to see a “me against the world” mindset.

    So, with all that in mind, is there anything that you lovely folks can recommend? Obviously intrigue and action is fine, but I really want something that can show off what happens when the system of nobility and knighthood goes right, even if it’s only a few of the characters. Thanks, friends!

    by IntelligentTea3868

    1 Comment

    1. Veridical_Perception on

      * Joe Abercrombier: The First Law series
      * Glen Cook: The Black Company series
      * Scott Lynch: The Gentlemen Bastards series

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