I’m looking for books, preferably fantasy and more gritty(not YA) that are packed with action and epic set pieces, large scale. That gets you from action to action, with loveable characters and cinematic set pieces. Think Uncharted or Call of Duty campaigns but in books. Think John Wick.
The closest book and the reason I’m looking for recs right now is Red Rising series. You have memorable action and drama, twists, politics, military, wars! And the main character is loveable and weaves through all of these set pieces and it’s so awesome to see him so that.
I also love the concept of messing up the rules that other characters set. Not the rules that the author set, but for example, if the King feels at ease knowing you’ll first try to weaken him by attacking his docks or caravans, you go straight to capital with an crazy tactic and behead him! And during that you have cool blood pumping and high octane fights and twists!
Is there any series like this?
by MelkorS42
5 Comments
It sounds to me like you’re searching for a movie or an anime rather than a book, but give Galaxy of Thorns: Rise of the empress a shot, it’s packed to the brim and while its prose can be a bit amateurish in places it will most definitely satisfy your need for violence, tense moments and wars.
Um, have you read Brandon Sanderson? Just about anything he’s written, but you could try his Steelheart trilogy. Premise is: the world has superheroes but they are all evil.
I have to admit, space opera comes to mind, even if SciFi and not fantasy – something like Honor Harrington by David Weber might do it for ya.
And if we are talking space opera – The Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold rocks. Each book is a different kind of plot, some are political intrigue, some have space battles, some are murder mysteries… Bujold likes to mix up the subgenre but Miles is one of my favorite character, he’s a blast. Try The Warrior’s Apprentice to start there.
Your title brought me here with what I thought would be the perfect answer, until I read the “epic set pieces/large scale” prompt, but I’m throwing it out anyhow because it’s a book that reads like a movie (and really needs to be made into one) and is super fast paced. The MC is a kick-ass 11-year-old girl with a teddy bear. There’s crime/action/family/humor/violence – you name it, it has it. A blast to read.
[She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23361199-she-rides-shotgun?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=JkzCTctPB1&rank=1)
Matthew Reilly Ice Station (1st in the Scarecrow series)
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GLOBE,
Anarctica is the last unconquered continent, a murderous expanse of howling winds, blinding whiteouts and deadly crevasses. On one edge of Antarctica is Wilkes Station. Beneath Wilkes Station is the gate to hell itself…IN THE COLDEST PLACE ON EARTH, A team of U.S. divers, exploring three thousand feet beneath the ice shelf has vanished. Sending out an SOS, Wilkes draws a rapid deployment team of Marines-and someone else…THE HEAT IS ON…
First comes a horrific firefight. Then comes a plunge into a drowning pool filled with killer whales. Next comes the hard part, as a handful of survivors begin an electrifying, red-hot, non-stop battle of survival across the continent and against wave after wave of elite military assassins-who’ve all come for one thing: a secret buried deep beneath the ice.
Nightside, Green