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5 Complete Series to Read While You Wait for The Winds of Winter
It only took 24 hours to take the shine off the new year. By now, you all know that George R.R. Martin announced on his blog last week that The Winds of Winter, the much-anticipated sixth installment of A Song of Ice and Fire and the literal first thing on your list of potential genie wishes, will not be published (or even finished) before the sixth season of HBO’s Game of Thrones hits the air.
You’re probably a few steps into the mourning process by now. But, as Martin wrote, the book will be done when it’s done, and that’s all there is to it. Still, that doesn’t mean you need just sit on your hands while you wait. Obviously, the idea of committing to another series is painful, particularly if that series is yet unfinished, and could cause you double anguish. But good news! There are so many wonderful fantasy series that are—wait for it—already complete! Here are a few recommendations to get you through these barren times; you might be able to finish them before you feel the first chill of The Winds of Winter.
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The First Law series, by Joe Abercrombie
Abercrombie’s books offer heady draughts of the darkness and brutality that characterize Martin’s writing. Heck, among the main characters are a notorious barbarian and an Inquisition torturer. But there is a jovial gallows humor at work here that makes this trilogy, as well as three related standalone novels, an absolute delight. You know, for something with a lot of blood and such. Another bonus: there are fewer characters to keep track of, so you get to know them doubly well, which makes this saga of constant war a tangible pleasure.
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Abhorsen trilogy, by Garth Nix
This may be a bit of a cheat, because Nix has referred opaquely to another planned novel set in his Old Kingdom world, but there’s no cliffhanger standing between you and satisfaction, so Nix’s exemplary, immersive YA fantasy series makes the cut. The series starts strong from its premise: two abutting countries, one with modern technology and amenities and the other, a medieval kingdom that runneth over with magic of all sorts. The Abhorsen books’ greatest strength? Feisty, clever, imminently capable young women at their helm. Daenerys-approved.
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Acacia trilogy, by David Anthony Durham
Clocking in at a mere three books, Durham’s expansive look at an empire under siege is a weekend read relative to much of the genre, but rest assured, there’s nothing light and fluffy about the narrative. In Acacia, you find one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse fantasy worlds around, and the reasons for its turmoil are not conveniently cut-and-dry. The “whys” are as complex and intricate as the “hows,”which lends realism to the war brewing for this erstwhile idyllic empire.
The Dark Tower series, by Stephen King
There are few words that can fully describe King’s opus, but “seminal” comes pretty close. Part feudal fantasy, part western, part supernatural odyssey, the eight-volume series took its own winding path to completion (think 1982 to 2012), but it’s finished now, and the waiting can’t hurt you anymore. Fans of A Song of Ice and Fire will notice certain familiarities to make them feel at home, like all the unnatural stressors of a realm coming apart. This time, though, instead of Wights at the Wall, you’ve got vanishing cities and unruly time. Also, death. Lots of death.
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Discworld series, by Terry Pratchett
If you need a fully fleshed fantasy world that doesn’t weep at the brutality and cruelty of man, immerse yourself in Pratchett’s robust multiverse. Somehow, Discworld always manages to be an on-the-nose parody of the genre, while also one of its most faithful attendants. Depending on how the Winds blow, you could possibly finish all 41 novels and the plethora of tie-in works before you find out what Bran Stark’s up to.