10 Authors like Patrick Rothfuss Known for Their Fantasy Worlds

Discover our list of the best authors like Patrick Rothfuss. Each one will take you on a fantasy exploration through their fantastic science-fiction worlds.

Patrick Rothfuss was born in Wisconsin and attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he studied English. While in school, he wrote forThe Pointer, the campus newspaper. After graduation, he taught part-time at the school. In 2002, he won the Writers of the Future competition with a short story entitled “The Road to Levenshir.” 

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Must-Read Authors like Patrick Rothfuss

1. Brandon Sanderson, 1947 -

Brandon Sanderson

Known for his Mistbornand* The Stormlight Archive* series, Brandon Sanderson writes high fantasy and science fiction novels. Born in Nebraska, Sanderson learned to love high fantasy as a teenager and tried writing his stories in high school. After graduating, he attended Brigham Young University. He majored in biochemistry but took two years off to work as a missionary.

When he returned to college, Sanderson switched his major to English literature. During college, he started writing, but only some of his early novels found publishers. Elantris, his sixth novel, was his first published work. It hit bookshelves in 2005. Just one year later, the firstMistborn book, Mistborn: The Final Empire, was published. In 2007, he published Defending Elysium, which won the UPC Since Fiction Award from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, and his abilities as a sci-fi writer were firmly established.

“You should try not to talk so much, friend. You’ll sound far less stupid that way.”

Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn: The Final Empire

2. Katherine Kurtz, 1944 -

Katherine Kurtz

Katherine Kurtz is an American fantasy writer who lives in Virginia. Born in Florida, she earned a scholarship to attend the University of Miami, where she majored in chemistry. She moved to UCLA for graduate school, where she studied medieval history. Kurtz debuted her writing career with Deryni Rising in 1970. This was the first book of a 16-book series of fantasy books written like historical fiction but within a fantasy world. While theDeryni series was her most famous, Kurtz also wrote theTemplar andAdept series.

The author spent over 20 years living in Ireland and has dual citizenship, but she eventually moved back to the United States. If you like to read more sci-fi books, you might be interested in exploring the best Edgar Rice Burroughs books).

“If fine words could not convince, often the persuasion of cold steel could.”

Katherine Kurtz, Deryni Rising

3. Steven Erikson, 1959 -

Steven Erikson

Steven Erikson is the pen name of Steve Rune Lundin, a Canadian author famous for the epic fantasy series entitled Malazan Book of the Fallen. The author grew up in Manitoba and lived in the UK as an adult, but now resides in Canada. He learned archaeology and anthropology as a young man but then attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

At the workshop, he wrote a thesis of short stories that earned him a grant to build the work into a novel for publication. This work was published in 1991. In 1999, he released Gardens of the Moon, the first book in the*Malazan *series. The book’s setting and plot came from a world created as a backdrop for a role-playing board game which turned into a movie script. When those didn’t sell, Erickson reworked the ideas into a book. It took a decade to find a publisher, but the book was a huge success. Over 3 million copies of the series have been sold since its introduction.

“Too many regrets. Lost chances—and with each one passing, the less human we all became, and the deeper into the nightmare of power we all sank.”

Steven Erikson, Gardens of the Moon

4. George R.R. Martin, 1948 -

George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin wrote the A Song of Ice and Fire series, which became the subject of*Game of Thrones**, the Emmy Award-winning HBO fantasy series. Martin was born in New Jersey and became an avid fan of Marvel comic books as a teen. After high school, Martin attended Northwestern University and majored in journalism. This reading greatly influenced his later writing.

As his love for comics grew, Martin became part of the earliest days of comic fandom, attending the world’s first Comic-Con in 1964. In 1965, he won an Alley Award for Best Fan Fiction for a superhero short story. In 1970 he started selling short stories professionally and won Hugo and Nebula awards for them. Later on, in 1977, he started writing full-time and published Dying of the Light, his first novel. A Game of Thrones, the first book in*A Song of Fire and Ice**, was published in 1996. This work made him a household name among fantasy book lovers. For more, see our guide on authors like George R.R. Martin).

“Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word.”

George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

5. Scott Lynch, 1978 -

Scott Lynch

Scott Lynch writes award-winning fantasy books. Born in Minnesota to an all-boy family, he grew up in Minneapolis. Lynch doesn’t share much about his childhood, but he became known as a fantasy writer after publishing The Lies of Locke Lamora, his first novel, in 2006. Before that, he worked many odd jobs, including working as a prep cook and dishwasher.

In 2007, his second book, Red Seas Under Red Skies, came out, followed by*The Republic of Thieves six years later. This collection became theGentleman Bastard Sequence *series. Interestingly, in addition to writing, Lynch is a trained and certified firefighter who worked for 11 years as an on-call firefighter. Are you looking for more fiction books to add to your reading list? You might want to

“There’s no freedom quite like the freedom of being constantly underestimated.”

Scott Lynch, The Lies of Locke Lamora

6. Orson Scott Card, 1951 -

Orson Scott Card

Orson Scott Card has written thrillers, horror books, fantasy, Biblical fiction, and historical fiction books, but it is his science fiction that he is best known for. Ender’s Gameand its sequel,* Speaker for the Dead*, both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making him the only author to win both awards two years in a row. Card attended the University of Utah and Brigham Young University and started writing science fiction novels in the 1980s. He has over 50 novels to his name and continues to write more.

In addition, he teaches English at Southern Virginia University and works as a judge of the Writers of the Future contest. Card’s first book, “Listen Mom and Dad,” Young Adults Look Back on Their Upbringing, is not a novel but rather a non-fiction book about raising children.Hot Sleep andA Planet Called Treason*, both published in 1979, were his first novels, but he never appreciated them and called them the work of an amateur.Ender’s Game allowed him to make a name for himself as an author.

“In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them… I destroy them.”

Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

7. Lemony Snicket, 1970 -

Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket is the pen name of Daniel Handler, an American author best known for the A Series of Unfortunate Events books. From a young age, he showed abilities at writing, winning the Connecticut Student Poet Prize in 1992. Under his own name, he published six works, including* The Basic Eight*and We Are Pirates.

In 1999 he started the A Series of Unfortunate Events with The Bad Beginning. It is a 13-book series, all published under the Lemony Snicket name. The books have sold over 65 million copies and served as the source material for a movie in 2004 and a television series from 2017 to 2019. Snicket serves as a character and the narrator in the story. After creating the character, Handler decided publishing the books under the narrator’s name would be fun, and Lemony Snicket’s legacy was born. Under the name, Snicket also published several follow-ups to theA Series of Unfortunate Events books and the four-book series* All the Wrong Questions.*

“In this book, not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle.”

Lemony Snicket, The Bad Beginning

8. Laura Gallego Garcia, 1977 -

Laura Gallego Garcia

Laura Gallego Garcia is a Spanish author who writes fantasy novels for young adults. A resident of Valencia, she holds a degree in Hispanic Philology from the University of Valencia. Her writing abilities showed up at an early age. Garcia started writing at age 11 with the lofty goal of writing a novel. The budding author ended up writing 13 books that never found a publisher. Garcia was tenacious, however, and in 1999 she published Finis Mundi, which won the El Barco de Vapor Prize. 

The Legend of the Wandering King won the award again three years later. Today, she has 27 young adult novels and several children’s stories. These works have been translated into 16 languages, including English, German, and French. 2012 she was awarded the National Children’s and Youth Literature Award.

“You cannot submit to the desert wind. You also can’t stop a woman who has already chosen a man.”

Laura Gallego Garcia, The Legend of the Wandering King

9. Anthony Ryan, 1970 -

Anthony Ryan

Anthony Ryan is a Scottish writer best known for the Raven’s Shadowand Raven’s Blade books. The first,Blood Song, was published in 2013. Initially a self-published work, he moved it to Penguin Books when they offered him a three-book deal.* Tower Lordand Queen of Firecame next to finish the trilogy. Ryan also wrote the Slab City Blues, Draconis Memoria,*and Seven Swords series.

His most recent projects are the Covenant of Steel books, which include the 2021 novelThe Pariah and the 2022 novel*The Martyr**. Before he started writing, Ryan worked as a researcher full-time and studied Medieval History in college. These two combined skills help him create realistic worlds in his fantasy novels. Ryan also spent some time working for the British Civil Service.

“War is always an adventure to those who’ve never seen it.”

Anthony Ryan, Blood Song

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between fantasy and science fiction?

Fantasy typically involves magical elements, supernatural creatures, and worlds that don’t follow our natural laws, while science fiction explores futuristic technology, space travel, and scientific concepts. Fantasy often looks backward to myth and legend, while sci-fi looks forward to possibilities.

What makes a great fantasy or science fiction book?

Great fantasy and sci-fi books feature well-developed worlds, consistent internal logic, compelling characters, and themes that resonate beyond the genre elements. They should transport readers while telling meaningful stories about human nature and society.

Are fantasy and science fiction books just escapism?

While fantasy and sci-fi can provide escapism, the best books in these genres use their settings to explore real-world themes, social issues, and human nature. They can offer fresh perspectives on familiar problems through their unique contexts.

Why should I read fantasy or science fiction?

Reading fantasy and sci-fi expands your imagination, introduces new ideas and perspectives, and can provide insights into human nature and society through different lenses. These genres often tackle complex themes in accessible and entertaining ways.

10. Tad Williams, 1957 -

Tad Williams

Tad Williams, born Robert Paul Tad Williams, writes fantasy and science fiction books. This California native never went to college and had many interesting jobs before becoming an author. These included working for Apple, founding his multi-media company, and selling shoes.

Williams started writing in his mid-20s. He told the publishers that he needed a replacement after his original copy was destroyed to get the publishers to look at his first manuscript. That book became Tailchaser’s Song, his first novel published in 1985. In 1992 he publishedChild of an Ancient City**, and then in 1994,Caliban’s Hour. After these books, he started writing series.Otherland is the most famous of his series, published between 1996 and 2001, beginning withCity of Golden Shadow*. Williams’s books are known for their complex and detailed fantasy worlds.

“But our own selves are like pearls, created by layer after layer of present laid over past until the original thing is completely hidden.”

Tad Williams, Tailchaser’s Song