I've been craving a book or series to scratch the itch left by ASOIAF and more recently, HOTD: It's a world full of interesting, complex and layered characters coming into conflict with one another. All with their own motivations, histories, complexities and detailed characterisations driving an incredibly meticulous and interesting plot in an equally complex and well-realised world full of history and lore.
I'm looking for a book or book series, that can come close to what ASOIAF offers in this regard – complex and detailed characters driving a well written plot in a well-realised world (even if that world is ours). To be clear, It doesn't need to be Dark Fantasy or genre fiction at all. I'm open to any genre, even classic literature or non-fiction.
by fuckisyoudoin
3 Comments
I’m not sure what the acronyms stand for, but imo, a book that meets your criteria is Imajica by Clive Barker. Complex story lines and characters and very detailed worlds.
Dune! its that but in space.
it also skirts the line between fantasy and sci-fi a lot
_Dune_ is a great follow-up, as mentioned in another comment. The tone is very different from GOT, but the other boxes are all checked.
I’d also highly recommend _A Fire Upon the Deep,_ a sprawling space opera set in the _Zones of Thought_ universe, which feels a lot like GOT but weirder. It has several major plotlines unfolding in parallel, including one that is a political power struggle full of backstabbing and character drama — with the twist that it’s set on a planet where every “person” is composed of four or five separate rat/dog creatures who form a gestalt consciousness through psychic communication. Across the board, the lore is deep and strange, but it’s a very pleasant read in the moment.