The Bloodsworn Saga’s first entry The Shadow of the Gods was Snowlock Books bestselling title of 2025. And in 2026 John Gwynne has built himself a comfortable lead as the year’s bestselling author. Clearly, his work resonates with readers. If you’ve torn through The Bloodsworn Saga and are missing its blend of brutal combat, hard-won loyalty, and a world scarred by ancient powers, these four epic fantasy series will do the trick.
Lands of the Firstborn by Gareth Hanrahan
- Series Status: Completed (2023 - 2025)
- Number of Entries: 3
The Bloodsworn Saga runs on the bonds forged inside a warband. In the Lands of the Firstborn series Hanrahan explores what happens to those bonds once after the war has been won. Twenty years ago, Aelfric and his eight companions defeated the necromancer Lord Bone. Now Aelfric is old and slow. His companions have drifted apart. So when a new evil stirs in the city they liberated, he has to drag the old crew back together again. You’ll enjoy this series if the scale and hard-won violence of The Bloodsworn Saga.
The Bound and the Broken by Ryan Cahill
- Series Status: In Progress (Final entry in progress)
- Number of entries: 4 novels and 4 novellas
Calen, Dann, and Rist are three friends from a nowhere village about to sit their coming-of-age trial when strangers arrive carrying a secret that drags them into a centuries-old war. Calen's bond with a dragon (a connection unseen for four hundred years) echoes the sudden, world-tilting power that Tainted blood grants in The Bloodsworn Saga. Cahill fills his world with the same crowded pantheon of elves, dwarves, and giants. Yes, it's warmer and less bleak than Gwynne but you’ll recognize the story's stakes, scale, and loyalty.
Age of Wrath by Anthony Ryan
- Series Status: Completed
- Number of entries: 3
Age of Wrath is the closest match in structure to The Bloodsworn Saga with four braided points of view, a mysterious enemy surging out of the sea, and a kingdom that has to claw together an army out of slaves, scholars, and reformed killers. Felnir the Redtooth, a barbarian war-leader trying to outrun a bloody past, could walk straight out of the Bloodsworn's own mercenary crews. Ruhlin's transformation from slave to fighter has the same brutal, earned quality as Orka's or Varg's arcs. I should note: Ryan takes his time lighting the fuse in the first book, but the back half is full of betrayals and gut-punch reversals.
Drenai Saga by David Gemmell
- Series Status: Completed (1984 - 2004)
- Number of Entries: 11
The Drenai Saga is one of those series from the 80’s and 90's that have quietly influenced so many series. Before you berate me, I say “quietly” a little tongue-in-cheek. If you grew up reading the fantasy of the 80’s or are an avid fantasy fan you’ll find that understatement of the Drenai Saga’s importance borderline offensive. For that I apologize but it is the sad truth that several of the eleven series entries have fallen out of print.
That doesn't diminish the saga's importance or Gemmell's impact on the genre. It simply means we need to spread the word to new generations of readers. So dear reader, take this as a reason to strengthen your back catalog knowledge, read a great story, and learn why so many adore Druss the Legend. Enjoy the journey that begins with Legend and see how the Bloodsworn Saga continued and built on the thematic threads first woven forty years ago.