Love The Tyranny of the Night? Readers share 100 books like The Tyranny of the Night...

By Glen Cook,

Here are 100 books that The Tyranny of the Night fans have personally recommended if you like The Tyranny of the Night. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Initiate

K.V. Johansen Author Of Blackdog

From my list on with gods as characters.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a Canadian writer with a degree in Mediaeval Studies. Even as a child, I wrote stories about characters who werenā€™t entirely human; they were also always people lurking on the edges of thingsā€”families, cultures, places, ways of being, even people existing only on the edges of becoming themselves. Those have always been where I found my stories and as an adult I havenā€™t lost this fascination and the need to tell such tales. Gods, assassins, devils, demons, shapeshifters, immortal wanderers, and ordinary people caught up in their history, vast, deep worlds, and complex charactersā€”thatā€™s what I do. 

K.V.'s book list on with gods as characters

K.V. Johansen Why did K.V. love this book?

A classic from the eighties, The Initiate is the start of the Time Master Trilogy. (Nothing to do with Doctor Who!) A powerful young sorcerer finds refuge among the Initiates, scholar-sorcerers who serve the seven gods of Order, but the seven outcast gods of Chaos, their ancient counterparts and enemies, claim Tarod for their own. Tarodā€™s journey into himself is a dark one. Politics, magic, friendships betrayed, and gods you really do not want to put any faith in or reliance on taking an active part in events as Chaos tries to take back control of the world it once ruled in a reign of terror. Iā€™ve loved this series and reread it I donā€™t know how many times. 

By Louise Cooper,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Initiate as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The seven gods of Order had ruled unchallenged for centuries, served by the adepts of the Circle in their bleak northern castle on the Star Peninsula. But for Tarod - the most enigmatic and formidable sorcerer in Circle's ranks - a darker affinity had begun to call. Threatening his beliefs, even his sanity, it rose unbidden from beyond time; an ancient and deadly adversary that could plunge the world into madness and chaos - and whose power might rival that of the gods themselves. And though Tarod's mind and heart were pledged to Order, his soul was another matter...


Book cover of The Stormcaller: Book One of the Twilight Reign

K.V. Johansen Author Of Blackdog

From my list on with gods as characters.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a Canadian writer with a degree in Mediaeval Studies. Even as a child, I wrote stories about characters who werenā€™t entirely human; they were also always people lurking on the edges of thingsā€”families, cultures, places, ways of being, even people existing only on the edges of becoming themselves. Those have always been where I found my stories and as an adult I havenā€™t lost this fascination and the need to tell such tales. Gods, assassins, devils, demons, shapeshifters, immortal wanderers, and ordinary people caught up in their history, vast, deep worlds, and complex charactersā€”thatā€™s what I do. 

K.V.'s book list on with gods as characters

K.V. Johansen Why did K.V. love this book?

The first book in The Twilight Reign starts off an epic fantasy series of war, loyalty, sacrifice, prophecy, and Gods with their own agendas, to whom their chosen champions are game-pieces to be used in a conflict in which mortals have only a partial understanding. The hero, Isak, is a young man born to be a violent warrior, a tool of prophesy and the Gods, but he never stops struggling to be more than what he was made, and to make himself master of his own fate. This is a satisfyingly rich fantasy world to plunge yourself into.

By Tom Lloyd,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Stormcaller as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a land ruled by prophecy and the whims of gods, a young man finds himself at the heart of a war he barely understands, wielding powers he may never be able to control. Isak is a white-eye, born bigger, more charismatic, and more powerful than normal men. But with that power comes an unpredictable temper and an inner rage he cannot always hide. Brought up as a wagon-brat, feared and despised by those around him, he dreams of a place in the army and a chance to live his own life. But when the call comes, it isn't toā€¦


Book cover of The Gates of Heaven

K.V. Johansen Author Of Blackdog

From my list on with gods as characters.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a Canadian writer with a degree in Mediaeval Studies. Even as a child, I wrote stories about characters who werenā€™t entirely human; they were also always people lurking on the edges of thingsā€”families, cultures, places, ways of being, even people existing only on the edges of becoming themselves. Those have always been where I found my stories and as an adult I havenā€™t lost this fascination and the need to tell such tales. Gods, assassins, devils, demons, shapeshifters, immortal wanderers, and ordinary people caught up in their history, vast, deep worlds, and complex charactersā€”thatā€™s what I do. 

K.V.'s book list on with gods as characters

K.V. Johansen Why did K.V. love this book?

The Gates of Heaven is book three of Seven Brothers, a four-book series, in which the presence and role of the gods become more and more apparent as the overarching story unfolds. Lleshoā€™s story starts off as what you might expect of a young prince in exile, sold into slavery as a pearl-diver, who escapes and sets out to find his scattered brothers. It doesnā€™t end up where you think, and this book is the point in the series where the story of gods and goddesses and dragons involved in human affairs really takes over as the main plotline, though the threads of it have been there from start. Mountains, grasslands, ancient cities, and their trade routesā€”this is an excellent silk road fantasy as well.

By Curt Benjamin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Gates of Heaven as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The evil sorcerer Markko has sworn to capture the last of Prince Llesho's brothers. If Markko succeeds, Llesho will not be able to save Thebin, or reopen the Gates of Heaven. As murder and dark magic threaten Llesho's alliances, he realizes his only chance lies in finding his brothers first. So begins a desperate hunt that will lead the prince from the slave market to a sea voyage fraught with perils, and an incredible discovery about the sorcerer who seems bent on his destruction.


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Book cover of The Ballad of Falling Rock

The Ballad of Falling Rock by Jordan Dotson,

Truth told, folks still ask if Saul Crabtree sold his soul for the perfect voice. If he sold it to angels or devils. A Bristol newspaper once asked: ā€œAre his love songs closer to heaven than dying?ā€ Others wonder how he wrote a song so sad, everyone who heard itā€¦

Book cover of Paladin of Souls

Adele Buck Author Of The Wedding Bait

From my list on people over 40 getting a happily ever after.

Why am I passionate about this?

I wrote my first romance with >40 characters in my mid-forties. It wasnā€™t like I never saw people of my age in the genre, but I have to say they were (and are) still rare, especially in traditionally published books. I love to see how people navigate what partnership looks like when people are established and their conflicts and experiences have changed. Elder care, relationships with adult children, fighting age-related stereotypes and discrimination: these are just a few of the nuances that set these types of books apart. But you still get that delicious well of emotion and the satisfaction of a happy ending. 

Adele's book list on people over 40 getting a happily ever after

Adele Buck Why did Adele love this book?

This is less a romance novel and more a high fantasy novel with romantic elements, but the romance subplot is exceedingly strong.

(I can highly recommend a mental fan-casting of either Arhys or Ilvin as Pedro Pascal, because heā€™d absolutely knock one of those roles out of the park if this was ever made into a miniseries).

Ista is over 40, a queen, a new grandmother, a recovered madwoman, andā€¦wait for itā€¦a living saint. Seeking to get away from the suffocating (yet loving) arms of her family, she goes on a pilgrimage (Road Trip!) with a group of younger people and ends up getting into multiple adventures and a more than near miss with outright war. Itā€™s an absolute romp and one of my all-time favorites.

By Lois McMaster Bujold,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Paladin of Souls as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Lois McMaster Bujold has won the Hugo award four times, and the Nebula award twice. This is her second epic fantasy and the sequel to Curse of Chalion.

The Golden General's curse has been lifted from the royal family and Cazaril can now rest easy and enjoy his new life with his bride Betriz.

However, life for Ista, the Dowager Royina has not improved. With the death of her mother, the Provincara, and with her surviving child Iselle now ruling Chalion from the Capital Cardegross, she is left without purpose. Her brother's family still think she's mad and aim toā€¦


Book cover of Climate Chaos: Lessons on Survival from Our Ancestors

Alessio Terzi Author Of Growth for Good: Reshaping Capitalism to Save Humanity from Climate Catastrophe

From my list on the relationship between the economy and nature.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an economist at the European Commission, Adjunct Professor in Paris, former fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and now a first-time author, I thrive at the intersection of academia, think-tanks, and policy-making. My academic soul leads me to seek answers to the big questions: what is economic growth and how does it relate to the success of civilization, to science and technology, to peopleā€™s wellbeing, and to nature. My practical focus leads me to draw the policy implications of all this for how we ought to fight climate change. My critics accuse me of being an optimist. I take it as a compliment: the future of humanity is in our hands.

Alessio's book list on the relationship between the economy and nature

Alessio Terzi Why did Alessio love this book?

Because the speed at which the atmosphere is warming is unprecedented in human history, we are prone to assume we are facing an unprecedented climatic challenge. However, this is not entirely true.

Archeologists Fagan and Durrani remind us that, at least locally, the climate has changed several times in the past, profoundly affecting the history of civilizations that were less advanced than ours. Some societies were able to deploy technical and social innovation to buffer environmental shocks. Others proved too rigid, slow and eventually collapsed.

To me the lesson is clear: history can be an important ally when charting the policy path ahead in a warming world. 

By Brian Fagan, Nadia Durrani,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Climate Chaos as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Human-made climate change may have begun in the last two hundred years, but our species has witnessed many eras of climate instability. The results have not always been pretty. From Ancient Egypt to Rome to the Maya, some of history's mightiest civilizations have been felled by pestilence and glacial melt and drought.

The challenges are no less great today. We face hurricanes and megafires and food shortages and more. But we have one powerful advantage as we face our current crisis: the past. Our knowledge of ancient climates has advanced tremendously in the last decade, to the point where weā€¦


Book cover of Mobility

Farah Ali Author Of The River, the Town

From my list on growing up in unusual ways.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always loved reading about individuals and the ways they behave in extraordinary or unusual circumstances. Stories that are about a person growing up and coming to an understanding that the world around them is deeply flawed, and that they themselves are patched-up, imperfect creatures, fascinate me. I find myself observing people and the words they say. Those are the kinds of stories I write, about regular people stumbling along and discovering some truths about themselves.

Farah's book list on growing up in unusual ways

Farah Ali Why did Farah love this book?

Bunny is an American teenager in Azerbaijan. Her father is a diplomat. She grows up in a world where oil is everything, listening to the language of the adults around her as some want their share of the profits reaped by this energy source while (a few) others point out the inequities in this industry and its potential long-term effects on the world.

What is fascinating as well is how she herself becomes part of this same world when she is an adult, almost as if she cannot help but be subsumed by the vast structure of the oil industry.

By Lydia Kiesling,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Mobility as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

ā€œA masterpiece of misdirection.ā€ ā€•Geraldine Brooks

ā€œMobility is a truly gripping coming-of-age story about navigating a world of corporate greed thatā€™s both laugh-out-loud funny and politically incisive.ā€ ā€•Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor

Bunny Glenn believes in climate change. But she also likes to get paid.

The year is 1998. The Soviet Union is dissolved, the Cold War is over, and Bunny Glenn is a lonely American teenager in Azerbaijan with her Foreign Service family. Through Bunnyā€™s bemused eyes, we watch global interests flock to her temporary backyard for Caspian oil and pipeline access, hearing rumbles of the expansionā€¦


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Book cover of A Tale of Stars and Shadow

A Tale of Stars and Shadow by Lisa Cassidy,

A corrupt kingdom. A rising darkness. Can a broken warrior save a world?

Mithranar is a country divided by ignorance and magic. Oppressed by their winged folk rulers, humans struggle to eke out an existence. Their only help comes from the mysterious Shadowhawk, a criminal who has evaded all attemptsā€¦

Book cover of The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations

Craig R. Roach Author Of Simply Electrifying

From my list on creative destruction leads to economic prosperity and national security.

Why am I passionate about this?

The essential feature of democratic capitalism is creative destructionā€“put simply, constant innovation in the products and services we produce and how we produce them. My book gives a history of electricity and demonstrates the wide-angle lens we must use to fully understand this sort of innovation. The books I recommend here are among the absolute best in this regard. Importantly, in Cold War II, China is challenging America with state capitalism and creative destruction is at the heart of the battle. I have a Ph.D. in Economics and founded a consulting company that assessed new technologies in the energy sector for over 30 years.

Craig's book list on creative destruction leads to economic prosperity and national security

Craig R. Roach Why did Craig love this book?

Yergin is a master at weaving together geopolitics, economics, science and technology, policy, and culture to teach us about the critical role energy plays in defining the world around us. He is one of the few experts who puts energy at the center of his work, and he uses his understanding of history to inform his interpretation of the present.

Among other things, this book reveals the role global climate change plays in geopolitics today and will play in the future, and it reveals fascinating insights into the emerging Cold War between China and America. The nations with the most innovative technology in the energy sector are poised to remain dominant world powers in the future.

By Daniel Yergin,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The New Map as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Wall Street Journal besteller and a USA Today Best Book of 2020

Named Energy Writer of the Year for The New Map by the American Energy Society

"A master class on how the world works." -NPR

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and global energy expert, Daniel Yergin offers a revelatory new account of how energy revolutions, climate battles, and geopolitics are mapping our future

The world is being shaken by the collision of energy, climate change, and the clashing power of nations in a time of global crisis. Out of this tumult is emerging a new map of energy and geopolitics.ā€¦


Book cover of All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis

Arushi Raina Author Of When Morning Comes

From my list on teens fighting for their future.

Why am I passionate about this?

Youth play such a significant role in the history of our struggles for justiceā€“and yet most teenagers I meet in the classroom have limited access to these important stories. These stories are more relevant than ever as we see current youth-led activism for #BlackLivesMatter and Youth4Climate Marches. When I talk to youth about historical youth-led protests, their eyes light upā€“they make these connections lightning fast and sayā€“why arenā€™t we being taught about things like this more in school?

Arushi's book list on teens fighting for their future

Arushi Raina Why did Arushi love this book?

This book, an anthology from women on the frontline of addressing Climate Change, is a must-read for our teams, including essays from a number of young women leading the charge, including Xiye Bastida Patrick and Alexandria VillaseƱor. The book is remarkable in how clear-sighted each writer/storyteller is and how each essay rings with hope.

By Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (editor), Katharine K. Wilkinson (editor),

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked All We Can Save as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NATIONAL BESTSELLER ā€¢ Provocative and illuminating essays from women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward.

ā€œA powerful read that fills one with, dare I say . . . hope?ā€ā€”The New York Times
 
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE

There is a renaissance blooming in the climate movement: leadership that is more characteristically feminine and more faithfully feminist, rooted in compassion, connection, creativity, and collaboration. While itā€™s clear that women and girls are vital voices and agents of change for this planet, theyā€¦


Book cover of The Discovery of Global Warming

Jeffrey Bennett Author Of A Global Warming Primer: Pathway to a Post-Global Warming Future

From my list on the science, consequences, and solutions to global warming.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an astronomer and educator (Ph.D. Astrophysics, University of Colorado), and Iā€™ve now been teaching about global warming for more than 40 years (in courses on astronomy, astrobiology, and mathematics). While itā€™s frustrating to see how little progress weā€™ve made in combatting the ongoing warming during this time, my background as an astronomer gives me a ā€œcosmic perspectiveā€ that reminds me that decades are not really so long, and that we still have time to act and to build a ā€œpost-global warming future.ā€ I hope my work can help inspire all of us to act while we still can for the benefit of all.

Jeffrey's book list on the science, consequences, and solutions to global warming

Jeffrey Bennett Why did Jeffrey love this book?

Iā€™ve known for a long time that scientific understanding of global warming has a long history, but I didnā€™t know very many of the details.

This book filled the gaps in my knowledge, and reminded me that while we still have a lot to learn, the basic science behind global warming has been known for more than a century. I also really appreciate the way this book describes some of the many efforts that have been undertaken to call attention to this issue ā€“ many dating back to decades before most people had ever heard of it.

By Spencer R. Weart,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Discovery of Global Warming as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The award-winning book is now revised and expanded.

In 2001 an international panel of distinguished climate scientists announced that the world was warming at a rate without precedent during at least the last ten millennia, and that warming was caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases from human activity. The story of how scientists reached that conclusion-by way of unexpected twists and turns-was the story Spencer Weart told in The Discovery of Global Warming. Now he brings his award-winning account up to date, revised throughout to reflect the latest science and with a new conclusion that shows how the scientificā€¦


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Book cover of Forsaking Home

Forsaking Home by I. Graham Smith,

Forsaking Home is a story about the life of a man who wants a better future for his children. He and his wife decide to join Earth's first off-world colony. This story is about risk takers and courageous settlers and what they would do for more freedom. 

Book cover of One Small Hop

Laura Shovan Author Of The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary

From my list on to inspire kid activists.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was a kid, I often felt powerless. I felt like adults made the decisions and children were often told to be ā€œseen and not heard.ā€ Then, when I was in high school, I went to a United Nations-sponsored summer camp where I met teens from around the world. My friends were refugees who had escaped from wars. They came from cities like Belfast, where they lived under the threat of political violence. Their experiences were so different from my own that their stories made a lasting impression on me. Ever since, I have loved reading and writing storiesā€“real and fictionalā€“about kids who are working to repair our world.

Laura's book list on to inspire kid activists

Laura Shovan Why did Laura love this book?

This middle-grade satire was one of my favorite reads of 2021! In the not-too-distant future, seventh-grader Ahab and his friends discover what just might be the last living bullfrog in the United States. Hoping to save the species, they decide not to give Alph the frog to authorities. Instead, the crew takes off on a not-quite legal bike trip to find a mate for Alph. In the process, author Madelyn Rosenberg shows us the world as it might be, if we donā€™t make an effort to save the climate. A bumbling environmental police force and indoor theme park/recreation center had me giggling, even as I got the message of this brilliant climate fiction novel.

By Madelyn Rosenberg,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One Small Hop as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Perfect for fans of Carl Hiaasen's classic Hoot, this humorous adventure story set in a not-so-distant future celebrates the important differences we can make with small, brave acts.

When Ahab and his friends find a bullfrog in their town -- a real, live bullfrog, possibly the last bullfrog in North America -- they have several options:A. Report it to the Environmental Police Force. Too bad everyone knows the agency is a joke.B. Leave it be. They're just a bunch of kids -- what if they hurt it by moving it?C. Find another real, live bullfrog on the black market. Convinceā€¦


Book cover of The Initiate
Book cover of The Stormcaller: Book One of the Twilight Reign
Book cover of The Gates of Heaven

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