Robert Jordan remains one of epic fantasy’s defining authors. Through The Wheel of Time, he built a vast secondary world shaped by prophecy, cyclical time, layered magic, clashing nations, and a huge ensemble cast that grows across thousands of pages.
If what you loved most was Jordan’s sense of scale, gradual character development, political maneuvering, mythic stakes, and immersive world-building, the following authors are excellent next choices.
Brandon Sanderson is one of the clearest recommendations for Robert Jordan fans, both because he completed the final volumes of The Wheel of Time and because his own fiction delivers similarly ambitious fantasy on a massive scale.
His novel Mistborn: The Final Empire is a strong place to start. The setting is striking: ash falls from the sky, mist blankets the streets at night, and a godlike tyrant known as the Lord Ruler has held power for a thousand years.
The story follows Vin, a wary street thief, and Kelsier, a charismatic rebel who recruits her into a seemingly impossible plan to overthrow the empire. Sanderson’s trademark strength is systemized magic, and here Allomancy allows users to “burn” metals for specific powers, creating some of the most inventive action scenes in modern fantasy.
Readers who admired Jordan’s long-form plotting, interlocking mysteries, and escalating stakes will likely enjoy Sanderson’s clean prose, meticulous structure, and gift for delivering major revelations at exactly the right moment.
George R.R. Martin is a great fit for readers who were drawn to the political side of Robert Jordan’s storytelling. While Martin’s tone is darker and more brutal, he shares Jordan’s talent for managing large casts, competing factions, and world-shaping conflicts.
A Song of Ice and Fire begins with A Game of Thrones, a novel that introduces the Seven Kingdoms through a web of rival noble houses, fragile loyalties, hidden claims, and looming supernatural danger.
Instead of a straightforward struggle between good and evil, Martin emphasizes conflicting motives, flawed leaders, and the cost of ambition. The Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons, and Targaryens all pursue power under different banners, and every decision carries consequences.
If your favorite parts of Jordan involved court intrigue, uneasy alliances, shifting power centers, and the feeling that history itself is pressing in on the present, Martin offers a rich and compelling variation on those strengths.
J.R.R. Tolkien helped define modern fantasy, and readers who appreciate Robert Jordan’s grand sense of history will find much to admire in Tolkien’s work. His worlds feel ancient, textured, and lived-in, with languages, legends, and cultures that extend far beyond the immediate plot.
The Hobbit is the most accessible entry point. It follows Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving hobbit who is swept into an adventure with a band of dwarves seeking to reclaim their mountain home from the dragon Smaug.
Though lighter in tone than Jordan, the novel combines humor, danger, travel, and transformation in a way that remains enormously satisfying. Bilbo grows from a reluctant participant into a clever and quietly courageous hero.
For Jordan fans, Tolkien’s greatest appeal lies in the feeling that every road, ruin, and song belongs to a larger mythic world. If you enjoy fantasy that treats history and landscape as part of the story’s emotional power, Tolkien is essential.
Terry Goodkind’s work will appeal to readers who want another long-running fantasy series built around prophecy, dangerous magic, and a central hero drawn into a conflict far larger than he first understands.
Wizard’s First Rule, the opening novel in the Sword of Truth series, begins with Richard Cypher, a woods guide whose ordinary life is shattered when he meets Kahlan Amnell, a mysterious woman fleeing deadly enemies.
As Richard learns more about his identity and the wider struggle around him, the story expands into a larger confrontation involving ancient powers, tyrants, and moral tests. The novel mixes action, romance, dark magic, and a classic quest structure.
Jordan readers who enjoy chosen-one arcs, escalating revelations, and a broad, accessible style of epic fantasy may find Goodkind an entertaining next step.
Steven Erikson is ideal for Robert Jordan fans who want something even bigger, denser, and more demanding. His Malazan Book of the Fallen is one of fantasy’s most ambitious series, notable for its global scale, deep lore, military campaigns, divine interference, and philosophical weight.
The first book, Gardens of the Moon, drops readers into an empire at war, where assassins, mages, soldiers, nobles, and gods all shape events. Erikson does not pause to explain everything immediately, so the experience can feel overwhelming at first.
That complexity is also the reward. The series offers ancient civilizations, layered magic systems, tragic histories, and an immense cast whose storylines gradually connect in surprising ways.
If you loved Jordan because his world felt truly vast and because the story kept widening with every book, Erikson offers that same sense of scope—just with a steeper learning curve and a darker, more experimental style.
Patrick Rothfuss is a strong recommendation for Jordan readers who care as much about voice, atmosphere, and emotional texture as they do about plot. His work is less sprawling than Jordan’s, but it offers similarly immersive world-building and a careful attention to myth and storytelling.
The Kingkiller Chronicle begins with The Name of the Wind, which tells the life story of Kvothe, a gifted musician, student, and arcanist whose legend has grown far larger than the truth.
The novel moves through poverty, study, performance, rivalry, and mystery as Kvothe pursues knowledge and seeks answers about the Chandrian, shadowy beings linked to personal tragedy. Rothfuss’s prose is lyrical and deliberate, with a strong sense of rhythm and oral tradition.
Fans of Jordan’s love of legend, prophecy, and the distance between rumor and reality may find Rothfuss especially rewarding.
Raymond E. Feist is a classic choice for readers who enjoy expansive fantasy worlds, coming-of-age arcs, and magic tied to geopolitical conflict. His books often combine accessible storytelling with a large-scale sense of adventure.
Magician introduces Pug, an orphan who becomes an apprentice to a magician, and Tomas, his friend, as their lives are transformed by an invasion from another world.
What begins as a local tale broadens into a war spanning cultures, empires, and dimensions. Feist balances training, discovery, and personal growth with sieges, diplomacy, and world-threatening stakes.
Readers who liked Jordan’s ability to take young characters from provincial beginnings to world-changing importance will find Feist especially satisfying.
Joe Abercrombie suits readers who want a grittier, more cynical alternative to Robert Jordan while still keeping the pleasures of layered characterization and converging storylines.
The Blade Itself introduces several unforgettable figures: Logen Ninefingers, a battle-scarred barbarian trying and failing to escape his violent nature; Sand dan Glokta, a crippled torturer with one of fantasy’s sharpest narrative voices; and Jezal dan Luthar, a vain nobleman with little sense of the world beyond privilege.
Abercrombie excels at subverting heroic fantasy expectations without sacrificing momentum or entertainment. His world contains war, politics, old magic, and hidden agendas, but the real draw is the way his characters collide and change one another.
If you liked Jordan’s ensemble approach but want something darker, funnier, and more morally ambiguous, Abercrombie is an excellent pick.
R.A. Salvatore is a great recommendation for readers who love the adventurous side of fantasy: travel, battles, camaraderie, and memorable heroes. His books are generally faster-paced than Jordan’s, but they still provide strong world-building and a clear epic sensibility.
Forgotten Realms readers often begin with The Crystal Shard, which helped establish the popularity of Drizzt Do’Urden, a dark elf ranger who rejects the cruelty of his homeland and tries to live by a personal code of honor.
Set in Icewind Dale, the novel features barbarian tribes, powerful artifacts, dangerous magic, and a strong emphasis on loyalty and friendship. Salvatore is also famous for highly readable action scenes, especially sword combat.
Jordan fans who want a more direct, adventure-forward fantasy experience without losing the sense of a larger world should give Salvatore a try.
David Eddings is a natural recommendation for readers who enjoy classic quest fantasy, approachable prose, and strong group dynamics. His work shares with Robert Jordan a love of prophecy, destiny, and young protagonists gradually discovering their place in a larger design.
Pawn of Prophecy, the first book of The Belgariad, follows Garion, a farm boy whose simple upbringing is disrupted when he becomes entangled in an ancient conflict involving sorcerers, gods, and a stolen magical object.
The book’s charm comes from its traveling-companion structure, distinct personalities, and sense of momentum. As Garion moves through kingdoms and cultures, the world steadily expands around him.
If you liked the early Wheel of Time books for their blend of mystery, fellowship, and prophecy-driven adventure, Eddings offers that same welcoming classic-fantasy appeal.
Robin Hobb is one of the best choices for readers who most value Robert Jordan’s character work. Her fantasy tends to be more intimate in scope, but few authors match her emotional depth, psychological realism, or ability to make personal struggles feel epic.
In Assassin’s Apprentice, FitzChivalry Farseer, the illegitimate son of a prince, is taken into the royal household and trained in secrecy as an assassin. At the same time, he struggles with loyalty, isolation, and magical gifts that make him both useful and vulnerable.
Hobb’s strengths are subtlety and consequence. Relationships evolve slowly, wounds last, and political choices carry emotional as well as strategic costs.
If Jordan’s large-scale world held your attention but his characters kept you invested, Hobb is a superb author to read next.
Terry Brooks has long been one of the major names in commercial epic fantasy, and his work appeals to readers who enjoy heroic quests, ancient magic, and the broad sweep of good-versus-evil storytelling.
The Sword of Shannara follows Shea Ohmsford, whose quiet life is upended when he learns he may be the only one capable of wielding a powerful artifact against the Warlock Lord.
The novel features a classic fellowship structure, dangerous journeys across varied landscapes, and a gradually unfolding conflict tied to the history of the Four Lands. Brooks writes with a clear love for mythic adventure and high stakes.
Readers who responded to Jordan’s blend of tradition, prophecy, and escalating peril will likely find Brooks both familiar and enjoyable.
Tad Williams is especially worth reading if you like slow-building epic fantasy with deep history, careful pacing, and a strong sense of cultural detail. His influence on later fantasy authors is enormous, and many readers who love Jordan also connect strongly with Williams.
The Dragonbone Chair, the first book in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, begins with Simon, a kitchen boy whose ordinary life is swept aside as the kingdom descends into conflict and darker ancient powers begin to stir.
Williams excels at making his world feel old, layered, and politically unstable. His books take time to establish place and character, but that patience pays off in emotional resonance and a powerful sense of scale.
If your favorite part of Jordan was settling into a fully realized world and watching many threads gradually weave together, Williams should be high on your list.
Michael Moorcock offers something different from Robert Jordan, but he is fascinating for readers interested in fantasy history and in stories that deal with cosmic balance, fate, and recurring archetypes.
His Eternal Champion cycle links multiple heroes across realities, all connected to the struggle between Law and Chaos. One of the best-known entry points is Elric of Melniboné.
Elric is a striking contrast to many traditional fantasy heroes: frail, introspective, dependent on sorcery, and morally compromised. His black runeblade Stormbringer is one of fantasy’s most iconic weapons, and the novel’s tone is dreamlike, tragic, and strange.
Jordan readers who enjoy prophecy, cyclical themes, and the idea that heroes may be caught inside larger cosmic patterns may find Moorcock especially interesting.
Katherine Kurtz is an excellent choice for readers who appreciate Robert Jordan’s combination of political tension, structured magic, and dynastic conflict. Her work often brings a strong medieval atmosphere and a thoughtful focus on religion, legitimacy, and power.
Deryni Rising begins the Deryni saga in the kingdom of Gwynedd, where the magical Deryni are feared and distrusted by the human majority. Young King Kelson must secure his throne while navigating conspiracy, prejudice, and hidden sorcery.
Kurtz stands out for blending court politics with magical inheritance and ethical complexity. The result is fantasy that feels both intimate and historically grounded.
If you liked Jordan’s royal maneuvering, divided loyalties, and the tension between public authority and secret power, Kurtz is well worth exploring.
