Here are 100 books that Isles of the Emberdark fans have personally recommended if you like Isles of the Emberdark. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Mistborn: The Final Empire

Trilip Schofield

From Trilip's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Unknown Author Why Trilip loves this book

Strongly plot driven, nicely wrapped up

By Brandon Sanderson ,

Why should I read it?

38 authors picked Mistborn as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

Brandon Sanderson - the international phenomenon who finished the Wheel of Time sequence - introduces a fantasy trilogy which overturns the expectations of readers and goes on to tell the epic story of evil overturned in a richly imagined world.

A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float down endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, labouring in the ash…


If you love Isles of the Emberdark...

Book cover of Child of Vanris

Child of Vanris by Nikki McCormack,

At five years old, Kasiel was found with the pointed ends of his ears cut off. Despite that brutal start, he’s lived twelve peaceful years with the man who took him in. Keeping his hair long over his mutilated ears helps him hide the fact that he is Vanrian, a…

Book cover of Dungeon Crawler Carl

Random Answer

From Random's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Unknown Author Why Random loves this book

A long answer would just rehash what everyone says. Bottom line it was my first foray into modern LitRPG (I think I may have read some really early LitRPG from before it being a thing...which I also really like...Quag Keep by Andre Norton back in the 70s maybe?) and turns out as a lifelong gamer (I've been playing RPGs since before DnD had editions) I really enjoy it. I have DCC to thank for turning me onto it.

By Matt Dinniman ,

Why should I read it?

115 authors picked Dungeon Crawler Carl as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The apocalypse will be televised!

A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible.

In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth—from Buckingham Palace to the tiniest of sheds—collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground.

The buildings and all the people inside have all been atomized and transformed into the dungeon: an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe.

Only a few dare venture inside. But once you're…


Book cover of He Who Fights with Monsters

patrick o.

From patrick's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Unknown Author Why patrick loves this book

World building is excellent, power levels scale, and captivating supporting characters. MC power set is my favorite in ARPGs.

By Shirtaloon , Travis Deverell ,

Why should I read it?

58 authors picked He Who Fights with Monsters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Jason wakes up in a mysterious world of magic and monsters.It’s not easy making the career jump from office-supplies-store middle manager to heroic interdimensional adventurer. At least, Jason tries to be heroic, but it's hard to be good when all your powers are evil.He’ll face off against cannibals, cultists, wizards, monsters...and that’s just on the first day. He’s going to need courage, he’s going to need wit, and he’s going to need some magic powers of his own. But first, he’s going to need pants.After cementing itself as one of the best-rated serial novels on Royal Road with an astonishing…


If you love Brandon Sanderson...

Book cover of The Shadow of the Eagle

The Shadow of the Eagle by Paula Weston,

The Shadow of the Eagle is a fresh take on epic fantasy that has all the trademarks of a Paula Weston novel: fast-paced action, immersive world-building, nuanced characters, and a slow-burn romance. It’s about the nature of loyalty, love, faith, and friendship.

The Shadow of the Eagle is the first…

Book cover of The Primal Hunter

Toby Davidson

From Toby's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Unknown Author Why Toby loves this book

Jake is just awesome. The world building is amazing and the battles are super intense. There are so many other reasons too. I love how the system works how skills work how powerful people get.

By Zogarth ,

Why should I read it?

65 authors picked The Primal Hunter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

On just another average day, Jake finds himself in a forest filled with monsters, dangers, and opportunity.... It was a day like any other when suddenly the world changed. The universe reached a threshold humanity didn’t even know existed, and it was time to finally be integrated into the vast multiverse. A place where power is the only thing anyone can truly rely on.Jake, a seemingly average office worker, finds himself thrust into this new world. Into a tutorial filled with dangers and opportunities.. His new reality should breed fear and concern. His fellow coworkers falter at every turn. Jake,…


Book cover of The Way of Kings

Benita J

From Benita's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Unknown Author Why Benita loves this book

I love love love Kaladin. He is probably my all time favorite character.

By Brandon Sanderson ,

Why should I read it?

26 authors picked The Way of Kings as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, Book One of the Stormlight Archive begins an incredible new saga of epic proportion.

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and…


Book cover of The Name of the Wind

D J McNulty Author Of Divine Tales of Doomed Outcasts

From my list on dark fantasy novels that feature characters who are as epic as their stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

I received the Dungeons and Dragons Basic Red Box as a kid, and I have been hooked on all things fantasy fiction since. It has become a part of my life so much that each character takes on a special importance for me. Some characters exist in worlds full of swords and magic, while others live in realms that are dirty, bleak, and on the brink of utter ruin. As a writer, I enjoy seeing the different perspectives these characters bring to fantasy settings. It makes them unique, each in their own way. Some want to right the wrongs of the worlds they reside in, while others don’t care if it all burns down around them.

D J's book list on dark fantasy novels that feature characters who are as epic as their stories

D J McNulty Why D J loves this book

I’ve read The Name of the Wind twice, and each time it feels like sitting down to hear a bard weave his life into song.

Kvothe isn’t perfect—he’s brilliant, arrogant, reckless—but that’s why I believe him. Rothfuss’s prose has a rhythm that lingers in my head like music. What struck me most wasn’t the magic or mystery, but the small human moments: playing the lute for coins, hungering for knowledge, fumbling through mistakes.

For me, it was less about answers and more about the act of telling one’s story, flaws and all.

By Patrick Rothfuss ,

Why should I read it?

31 authors picked The Name of the Wind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The lyrical fantasy masterpiece about stories, legends and how they change the world. The Name of the Wind is an absolute must-read for any fan of fantasy fiction.

'This is a magnificent book' Anne McCaffrey

'I was reminded of Ursula K. Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, and J. R. R. Tolkein, but never felt that Rothfuss was imitating anyone' THE TIMES

'I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University…


If you love Isles of the Emberdark...

Book cover of Who Gave Sleep and Who Has Taken It Away?

Who Gave Sleep and Who Has Taken It Away? by Carole McDonnell,

In the Malku universe, fae, merfolk, and humans live together in varying degrees of harmony. Over the millenia, through the use of fae magic, these humanoid groups have inter-married thus creating the faekind (humans with fae ancestry) and webbies (humans with merfolk ancestry.) The story takes place in the land…

Book cover of The Hobbit

paul18

From Paul's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Unknown Author Why Paul loves this book

A re-read for me, and always a wonderful return to one of the ur-books of the fantasy genre.

By J.R.R. Tolkien ,

Why should I read it?

54 authors picked The Hobbit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Special collector's film tie-in hardback of the best-selling classic, featuring the complete story with a sumptuous cover design inspired by THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY and brand new reproductions of all the drawings and maps by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End.

But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey 'there and back again'. They have a plot to raid…


Book cover of Skyward

Christian Hurst Author Of Lily Starling and the Voyage of the Salamander

From my list on flawed heroes who rewrite their own destinies.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a science fiction fan for as long as I can remember. As someone who never quite felt like I fit in, these stories became a kind of refuge and revelation for me. They taught me that being on the outside looking in can be its own kind of superpower—the ability to see the world differently, to question it, and to imagine something better. I’m drawn to characters who are flawed, searching, and human, because they remind me that courage and belonging are choices we make, not gifts we’re given. That’s the heart of every story I love and the kind I try to write.

Christian's book list on flawed heroes who rewrite their own destinies

Christian Hurst Why Christian loves this book

I’m not the biggest Sanderson fan. I like his books, but I don’t have a wing of my library dedicated to him. But Skyward in particular stands out to me. It’s a much more personal story.

Spensa is socially inept, misunderstood, and hot-headed. I loved that because I got to see her grow through struggle and failure like a regular person.

I’m not usually a fan of stories told in the first person either, but seeing the world through her eyes as she learned what courage actually means made the story impossible to put down. It reminded me that growth doesn’t come from destiny; it comes from persistence and the willingness to change, often at great cost.

This book made me cheer for someone who felt real in all the best and most frustrating ways.

By Brandon Sanderson ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Skyward as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Spensa's world has been under attack for hundreds of years. An alien race called the Krell leads onslaught after onslaught from the sky in a never-ending campaign to destroy humankind. Humanity's only defense is to take to their ships and fight the enemy in the skies. Pilots have become the heroes of what's left of the human race.

Spensa has always dreamed of being one of them; of soaring above Earth and proving her bravery. But her fate is intertwined with her father's - a pilot who was killed years ago when he abruptly deserted his team, placing Spensa's chances…


Book cover of A Game of Thrones

Steven M. Rubin Author Of The Unraveling of Michael Galler

From my list on books with masterclass dialogue.

Why am I passionate about this?

When we speak in real life, much of what we say out loud doesn't have any real meaning. But when authors write, each word a character says must convey meaning to drive the scene forward. The words must exhibit some form of information—emotion, advancement of an idea, or even be the action itself—otherwise, they're just wasted words on the page. The true challenge of writing dialogue is to convey as much as possible with as few words as possible. I love a book in which I'm yearning for specific characters to return just so I can hear the carefully crafted, intelligent, and tight words they employ when speaking, especially when two characters are verbally dueling.

Steven's book list on books with masterclass dialogue

Steven M. Rubin Why Steven loves this book

Forget the show, read the books.

This fantasy series reads like a medieval history lesson come to life. They live in a world where power is dispensed with decrees, armies, and combat. But the real battles are fought among the kingdoms with verbal confrontations.

Tyrion is the jewel of the series as the despised dwarf of one of the great noble houses who must use his wit and words as both weapons and armor to overcome his lack of stature. He doesn't compete where he is weak, but rather redefines the game where his opponent's strength is irrelevant.

"I have to be careful. Everything I say is a lie."

By George R. R. Martin ,

Why should I read it?

31 authors picked A Game of Thrones as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

HBO's hit series A GAME OF THRONES is based on George R R Martin's internationally bestselling series A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. A GAME OF THRONES is the first volume in the series.

'Completely immersive' Guardian

'When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground'

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

From the fertile south, where heat breeds conspiracy, to the vast and savage eastern lands, all the way to the frozen…


If you love Brandon Sanderson...

Book cover of Rise of the Veilbreaker

Rise of the Veilbreaker by Michael Schustereit,

Thomas never imagined wielding the ancient, sentient weapon, Nightshard. Facing betrayals, haunting memories, and divine adversaries as he races against time to thwart the chaos unleashed by the Lord of Tempests.

Nightshard unlocks incredible power, but with it comes dark whispers. Is he using the sword or is it using…

Book cover of The Eye of the World

Anderson W. Frost Author Of Thorns, Feathers & Bones

From my list on fantasy books to get completely lost in.

Why am I passionate about this?

I write stories where consequence comes first. I grew up immersed in Greek/Egyptian mythology and fairy tales, but I was always more drawn to the parts they left out. I wanted to know what daily life looked like for someone like Hercules, not just the story beats. Or what happens when the moral of the story isn’t learned. My passion lies in exploring the cost of power, the wounds we carry (that are often excluded from stories), and the myths we create to justify them. I believe the best fantasy doesn’t just help us escape the world, it helps us to look at ours differently.

Anderson's book list on fantasy books to get completely lost in

Anderson W. Frost Why Anderson loves this book

I can’t remember if I read WOT or GOT first… but this book was one of my entries into epic fantasy.

It begins with normal people trying to figure out something they can’t fully understand, and fearing being powerless in the face of what’s coming. Jordon really takes his time to slowly build the world, but even then, it feels like it is already established, and it is the reader who is new here.

What made it memorable was the way it balanced massive stakes with human fragility. It explores the theme that power isn’t always just a gift or a curse; it can be a burden that costs the wielders and those who are in orbit of it.

By Robert Jordan ,

Why should I read it?

21 authors picked The Eye of the World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

When a vicious band of half-men, half beasts invade the Two Rivers seeking their master's enemy, Moiraine persuades Rand al'Thor and his friends to leave their home and enter a larger unimaginable world filled with dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light .

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel…


Book cover of Mistborn: The Final Empire
Book cover of Dungeon Crawler Carl
Book cover of He Who Fights with Monsters

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