13 Great Reads George R.R. Martin Thinks Deserve Your Time
George R.R. Martin does not exactly inspire the kind of reading list people approach casually.
A recommendation from him carries a certain weight, partly because the man clearly enjoys a world with sharp edges, big imagination, and enough complexity to keep a reader pleasantly trapped for hours.
That alone makes a list like this hard to ignore. A great Martin-approved read is unlikely to waste anyone’s time with thin ideas or forgettable characters.
Chances are better that it will pull you into strange kingdoms, moral messes, brilliant writing, or the kind of story that lingers in the brain long after the last page stops being polite and closes.
1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Few books have shaped modern fantasy the way Tolkien’s trilogy did. Hobbits, wizards, dark lords, and rings of power collide in a story so rich it practically has its own weather system.
Martin has openly called it a “great model” for epic fantasy, and you can feel Tolkien’s fingerprints all over Westeros.
What makes this trilogy legendary is how real everything feels. Every language and legend was carefully built from scratch.
If you’ve only seen the movies, trust us, the books hit completely different.
2. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
How does a man become a legend? Kvothe starts telling his own story, and suddenly you cannot put the book down.
Rothfuss writes with a rhythm that feels almost musical, pulling you deeper with every page.
Martin has praised this book enthusiastically, calling Rothfuss a master storyteller.
Kvothe is scrappy, brilliant, and often reckless in the most entertaining way possible. He’s basically the Tony Stark of fantasy worlds, except with a lute instead of a suit.
The magic system here is genuinely original, grounded in rules that feel logical yet wondrous.
3. Watership Down by Richard Adams
Surprised to see rabbits on a fantasy reading list? Richard Adams built an entire civilization of bunnies with their own language, mythology, and political drama.
Watership Down sounds adorable until you realize it’s actually a gripping survival epic that tackles themes of leadership and freedom.
Martin loves this book, and honestly, once you read it, you’ll understand why. These rabbits face challenges that feel genuinely terrifying.
Adams treats his furry heroes with complete seriousness, and that respect makes the story soar.
4. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Picture Ocean’s Eleven set in a grimy fantasy city run by crime lords and con artists. That’s basically Scott Lynch’s debut novel, and it is an absolute blast.
Locke Lamora is a thief with more tricks than a magician and more charm than should legally be allowed in one character.
Martin has championed this book enthusiastically, and readers worldwide agree it deserves every ounce of hype.
Lynch switches between Locke’s childhood and his present heists in a way that keeps you constantly guessing. Buckle in for one wild ride.
5. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Before Harry Potter packed his trunk for Hogwarts, a young wizard named Ged was already learning hard lessons at a school of magic in Ursula K. Le Guin’s groundbreaking world of Earthsea.
Published in 1968, this slim but powerful novel changed what fantasy storytelling could look like. Le Guin made the hero dark-skinned at a time when that was genuinely radical.
Martin admires Le Guin’s work deeply, and rightfully so. Ged’s journey isn’t just about magic spells, it’s about confronting your own shadow, literally.
6. The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Sequels rarely outshine their predecessors, but Rothfuss somehow pulls it off. The Wise Man’s Fear continues Kvothe’s first-person narration with even more danger and dazzling prose.
This is a big book, nearly a thousand pages, yet somehow it never drags. Every chapter feels essential.
Kvothe trains with a legendary warrior, navigates political courts, and still finds time to be magnificently troublesome.
Think of it as the Empire Strikes Back of the Kingkiller Chronicle: richer and full of jaw-dropping moments.
7. The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard
Long before superhero movies dominated summer, Robert E. Howard invented the ultimate action hero: Conan the Barbarian.
These stories, written in the 1930s, crackle with raw energy and pure adventure. Howard wrote Conan like someone who genuinely believed the Cimmerian was real, and that passion leaps off every page.
Martin has cited Howard as a major influence, praising the sheer visceral excitement these tales deliver. If you’ve never experienced these original stories, this collection is the perfect starting point.
8. Ivanhoe by Walter Scott
Knights, tournaments, outlaws, and crusades all collide in Walter Scott’s swashbuckling masterpiece from 1820.
Ivanhoe practically invented the medieval adventure novel, and it still reads with surprising momentum. Robin Hood even shows up as a supporting character, which is objectively the coolest cameo in literary history.
Martin has pointed to Ivanhoe as an early inspiration for his love of medieval settings and political intrigue. Scott was the first writer to make historical fiction feel genuinely cinematic.
9. The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
War gets the full Abercrombie treatment here: exhausting and occasionally darkly hilarious.
The Heroes takes place over three days of battle and packs in more character development than most novels manage in three hundred years. Nobody writes morally complicated warriors quite like Abercrombie.
Martin has praised Joe Abercrombie’s work enthusiastically, and The Heroes is arguably his sharpest standalone novel. Think Saving Private Ryan filtered through a grimy fantasy lens.
10. The Complete Lyonesse by Jack Vance
Jack Vance is one of fantasy’s best-kept secrets, and Martin wants everyone to know about him.
The Lyonesse trilogy is set in a mythical island kingdom just off the coast of Arthurian Britain, filled with eccentric wizards, cursed royalty, and Vance’s signature dry wit. Every sentence feels polished to a shine.
Where most fantasy writers pile on grim darkness, Vance brings elegance and a raised eyebrow. His humor is subtle and his worldbuilding is extraordinary.
11. The Iron King by Maurice Druon
Did you know Martin has literally called Maurice Druon’s Accursed Kings series the original Game of Thrones? High praise from the king of television drama himself.
The Iron King kicks off a seven-book saga about the real French royal family in the 1300s, complete with curses, betrayals, and spectacular political disasters.
History here is stranger and more gripping than any invented fiction. Druon wrote with cinematic flair and zero mercy for his characters.
Fans of political intrigue will feel immediately at home.
12. The Black Rose by Thomas B. Costain
Thirteenth-century England meets the court of Kublai Khan in this roaring historical adventure from 1945.
Thomas B. Costain sends his hero Walter of Gurnie from Oxford all the way to China and back, and every stop along the way is packed with romance and genuine historical detail.
It reads like a summer blockbuster in book form.
Martin has pointed to The Black Rose as a formative reading experience, and you can see why. Costain made history feel alive and accessible long before that was fashionable.
13. Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
Revenge stories are as old as storytelling itself, but Abercrombie puts a spectacular spin on the formula.
Monza Murcatto, a brilliant mercenary general, gets betrayed and left by the duke she served loyally. What follows is a darkly entertaining quest to repay every single person who wronged her. Scoreboard, indeed.
Though this is a standalone novel, it’s set in Abercrombie’s First Law world, so returning readers get extra treats. Martin has praised Abercrombie’s ability to write morally grey characters with genuine depth.
