It's hard to believe, but it has already been almost a year since Game of Thrones ended. The television show, that is. It has been 24 years since the first book in the series was released, and there is no word on when it will be completed. We are still desperately waiting for the last two installments in what Martin has said will be a seven-book series.
In the interim, we were treated to a seven-season television adaptation on HBO that eclipsed the storyline of the books. The writers of the show, working with Martin, had to imagine their own ending to the story. The series became one of the most-watched shows on television, winning plenty of awards and finding millions of fans all over the world.
So, if you're a big fan of Game of Thrones, now you don't have a completed series and the show is over. Sure, there's going to be a spin-off, but that's years away. So…what's next?
Sure, it might be the perfect time to dive back into the audiobook series—or perhaps experience them in audio for the very first time. It's still a sprawling, complex, unfinished masterpiece of love, politics, and betrayal. But if you're like us, you might’ve already read or listened to the series multiple times. It's time to branch out and find some new material to fill that dragon-shaped hole in your listening life.
That's where this list of 12 audiobooks like the A Song of Ice and Fire series comes in handy. Some are standalones, some are the start of an ongoing series, and others are the first in a completed series. Oh, and they're all excellent. And as Tyrion Lannister said, "... a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.”
Sorry to start off this list by teasing you with another fantastic unfinished series, but this one is just too good to resist. The Goblin Emperor is an excellent high-fantasy about Maia, the illegitimate half-goblin son of the King, who lives in exile outside the castle walls. When the King and his sons all die in a mysterious accident, Maia must take his place on the throne as the King's last living heir. There are going to be more audiobooks in this series, but it's not yet clear when that will happen.
Why Game of Thrones fans will enjoy it: Political intrigue and illegitimate heirs and kingdoms, oh my! Not to mention the King gets Robert Baratheon-ed.
Marlon James's brilliant new epic was being hailed as a modern fantasy classic before it was even released. This is a dark, genre-bending fantasy based on African mythology and history. It's about a mercenary named Tracker who is hired to find a boy who mysteriously disappeared three years ago. Joining him in his search is a group of unusual outsiders, who all have secrets of their own, including a shape-shifting leopard man. The audiobook, narrated by star performer Dion Graham, is the first of a trilogy; the other two installments are still forthcoming.
Why Game of Thrones fans will enjoy it: Long, winding journeys through ancient cities and forests, dangerous creatures and obstacles, and no shortage of violence.
Set in a time where there is not just the Stillness, this story takes place on a supercontinent where every Fifth Season, the world experiences catastrophic weather. This time, though, the sun has been blocked out by ash, and the planet is dying. And it may be the work of a powerful orogene (a person who can control the elements) because of his sorrow over the treatment of the world.
Why Game of Thrones fans will enjoy it: The fantastic world-building, plus the threat of the end of the world because of approaching weather.
This is the first of six stories in this classic fantasy series. It's about Ged, a powerful sorcerer, and the story of how he first started out as an apprentice. Ged caused all kinds of problems by toying around with his powers on the way to becoming the disciplined sorcerer he is now. Rob Inglis, who fantasy fans might recognize as the voice of the Lord of the Rings audiobooks, lends his voice to the first three entries in the series.
Why Game of Thrones fans will enjoy it: One word: dragons.
This is Mantel's celebrated trilogy about the real-life figure Thomas Cromwell, who served as the powerful minister and advisor to King Henry VIII (whose wives, as you may recall, had a hard time keeping their heads). The series has two Man Booker Awards to its name so far—and those accolades are well deserved.
Why Game of Thrones fans will enjoy it: Royal intrigue, greed, tyrannical rulers, and beheadings.
This powerful listen is set in post-apocalyptic Africa, where tribal wars still bloody the land. It is here in the dry sands of the desert that a young girl is born who will grow up to have a unique magic. But it is that same gift that also puts her in danger of losing her life.
Why Game of Thrones fans will enjoy it: It has a pretty ironclad endorsement: George R. R. Martin himself is a fan of this novel and is serving as executive producer on the upcoming screen adaptation.
This is another hugely popular series that hasn't had a new installment in a long while. Fans have been eagerly anticipating the final book in this trilogy, which is now being adapted for television by Lin Manuel Miranda. But it's worth picking up the first two audiobooks now. Like The Wizard of Earthsea, it tells the story of how one man became the most powerful wizard in the world, but this listen is fraught with more adult themes and situations.
Why Game of Thrones fans will enjoy it: It's a fantastic epic, with journeys and magic and strife.
This is an enormous epic fantasy, in part about a queen who refuses to marry, putting the royal bloodline in danger, and the assassination attempts on her life. There are also epic battles, political intrigue, and double-crossings.
Why Game of Thrones fans will enjoy it: Two words: talking dragons. Oh, and governmental discord.
Okay, this one may seem a little removed from the world of Game of Thrones, but hear us out. This series is about a terrible English upper-class family, their endless privilege, and all the problems that money can't fix. It's told through the life of Patrick Melrose, their self-loathing son, as he grows from age five to middle age.
Why Game of Thrones fans will enjoy it: This family has enough problems and such a monster of a father, they make the Lannisters look well-adjusted in comparison.
When people are looking for a Game of Thrones listen-alike, this audiobook is a top-of-the-line recommendation. It's a wildly fun high-fantasy about a skilled thief and his mercenary partner who offer to do dirty deeds for dirt cheap. But when the heist they're hired to carry out turns out to be a frame job for the murder of the king, they must figure out who is behind the plot before they lose their heads. Tim Gerard Reynolds, also known for the Red Rising series, gives a stellar performance in each edition of this audio series.
Why Game of Thrones fans will enjoy it: Sword play, regicide, and honor among thieves; an especially good choice for people whose favorite character in A Song of Ice and Fire is Bron.
This is an electrifying audiobook about a brutal world inspired by ancient Rome, where the citizens are at the mercy of the Empire. To save her brother's life, one young woman is willing to risk her own life to spy on the military academy for the rebel forces. But who can she really trust? This whole series is wickedly fun, and the fourth installment is out in December, so you won't have to wait too long for the conclusion. Plus, the audiobooks have multiple narrators, crafting a cast of characters that bring an extra element of life to the series.
Why Game of Thrones fans will enjoy it: Epic fighting, double-crossings, and lots of tyranny.
This is the first in an epic new trilogy that was pitched as Game-of-Thrones-meets-Gladiator. It's about one man who loses everything in the war that has been being fought for almost two hundred years. So he trains to become an unmerciful weapon of vengeance, turning himself into the greatest sword fighter to ever live, in order to get his revenge on the three who betrayed him.
Why Game of Thrones fans will enjoy it: Betrayal, sword-fights, dragons, and the whole Arya-like story about becoming an amazing sword fighter in order to stick your enemies with the pointy end.
Liberty Hardy is a Book Riot senior contributing editor and velocireader living in the great state of Maine with her three fur dragons, Millay, Farrokh, and Zevon, who hate to read.
