5 Books Like 'Game of Thrones' to Fill the Post-Show Void

George R.R. Martin has called Druon’s Accursed King series “The original Game of Thrones.” The seven-book series, published between 1955 and 1977, is set during the reigns of the last five kings of the Capetian dynasty and the first two kings of the House of Valois in France. This first book begins as the French King Philip the Fair, already surrounded by scandal and intrigue, brings a curse upon his family when he persecutes the Knights Templar.

Acclaimed historical novelist Gregory’s 2009 work was the inspiration for the Starz miniseries The White Queen, and charts the extraordinary story of Elizabeth Woodville, a woman who rises from obscurity to become Queen of England, changing the course of history forever. Basically, it’s perfect for fans of GoT’s cutthroat fight for the Iron Throne.

Stephen King has called his eight-book Dark Tower series (written between 1998 and 2004) his masterpiece. The books follow Roland of Gilead: the Last Gunslinger, a loner on a journey into good and evil in a desolate world. Fusing Western fiction, fantasy, science fiction and horror, the novel follows Roland's trek through a vast desert in search of “the man in black.”

The first novel in the ongoing Kingkiller Chronicle series introduces protagonist Kvothe, a musician and adventurer who tells the story of his life (studying magic and seeking vengeance against the group that killed his family), from the tavern where he lives in self-imposed exile. Unconvinced? Take it from George R.R. Martin, who called it “The best epic fantasy I read last year…He’s bloody good, this Rothfuss guy.”

First published in 1968, Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea was the first of six Earthsea titles. In it we meet Ged, a sorcerer who, in his hunger for power and knowledge, tampered with secrets and unleashed a terrible shadow on the world. The series follows his quest to restore balance and undo the damage he caused.