Best Sword and Sorcery

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Best Sword and Sorcery

A listing of your favorite pulp stories from the classic Sword and Sorcery genre.
1
Swords and Deviltry (Fafhrd...

by 
 3.88 avg rating — 9,888 ratings
2
A Game of Thrones (A Song o...

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 4.45 avg rating — 1,662,681 ratings
3
The Coming of Conan the Cim...

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 4.15 avg rating — 10,504 ratings
4
Elric of Melniboné (The Elr...

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 3.89 avg rating — 20,726 ratings
5
Swords Against Death (Fafhr...

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 4.05 avg rating — 5,753 ratings
6
A Princess of Mars (Barsoom...

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 3.80 avg rating — 45,985 ratings
7
Stormbringer (The Elric Sag...

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 4.15 avg rating — 8,117 ratings
8
The Black Company (The Chro...

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 3.96 avg rating — 33,183 ratings
9
A Clash of Kings  (A Song o...

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 4.41 avg rating — 673,438 ratings
10
Tales of the Dying Earth

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 4.15 avg rating — 4,295 ratings
11
The Swords of Lankhmar (Faf...

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 4.09 avg rating — 2,746 ratings
12
Swords Against Wizardry (Fa...

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 4.10 avg rating — 3,574 ratings
13
Red Nails

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 4.06 avg rating — 1,492 ratings
14
The Chronicles of Amber (Th...

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 4.36 avg rating — 9,973 ratings
15
Swords & Dark Magic: The Ne...

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 3.72 avg rating — 1,131 ratings
16
Thieves' World (Thieves' Wo...

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 3.83 avg rating — 6,823 ratings
17
A Storm of Swords (A Song o...

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 4.54 avg rating — 577,568 ratings
18
Swords in the Mist (Fafhrd ...

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 4.07 avg rating — 3,814 ratings
19
Jirel of Joiry

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 3.77 avg rating — 893 ratings
20
A Feast for Crows (A Song o...

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 4.12 avg rating — 533,281 ratings
21
Black Gods Kiss

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 3.84 avg rating — 308 ratings
22
Swords and Ice Magic (Fafhr...

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2,441 ratings
23
The Gods of Mars (Barsoom #2)

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 3.86 avg rating — 14,376 ratings
24
The Knight and Knave of Swo...

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 3.87 avg rating — 1,686 ratings
25
The Dragonbone Chair (Memor...

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 3.96 avg rating — 54,009 ratings
26
The Riftwar Saga (The Riftw...

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 4.38 avg rating — 10,292 ratings
27
Kull: Exile of Atlantis

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 3.98 avg rating — 2,349 ratings
28
The Sword of Rhiannon

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 3.46 avg rating — 726 ratings
29
The Magicians' Guild (Black...

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 3.96 avg rating — 61,031 ratings
30
The Hour of the Dragon

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 4.11 avg rating — 3,603 ratings
30
Conan: People of the Black ...

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 4.20 avg rating — 916 ratings
32
Lord Foul's Bane (The Chron...

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 3.72 avg rating — 38,346 ratings
33
StarCrossed (Thief Errant, #1)

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 3.78 avg rating — 6,578 ratings
33
Son of Ereubus (Guardians o...

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 3.67 avg rating — 264 ratings
33
The Hidden Icon

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 3.92 avg rating — 118 ratings
36
A Mage Awakens: Book 3 of t...

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 4.85 avg rating — 20 ratings
37
Darkspell (Deverry, #2)

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 4.03 avg rating — 8,930 ratings
37
The Name of the Wind (The K...

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 4.55 avg rating — 549,515 ratings
39
Dragon Prince (Dragon Princ...

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 3.95 avg rating — 14,063 ratings
40
Death Angel's Shadow

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 4.25 avg rating — 696 ratings
41
Jhereg (Vlad Taltos, #1)

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 4.14 avg rating — 12,830 ratings
42
The Merchant and the Menace...

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 3.64 avg rating — 181 ratings
42
Born of Oak and Silver (The...

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 3.84 avg rating — 80 ratings
44
The Trees and the Night (Th...

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 3.94 avg rating — 94 ratings
45
Wrath of the Royals (The Da...

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 3.50 avg rating — 998 ratings
46
The Pool and the Pedestal (...

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 3.86 avg rating — 111 ratings
47
The Ladies of Mandrigyn (Su...

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 3.95 avg rating — 2,826 ratings
48
The Redemption of Althalus

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 3.82 avg rating — 13,824 ratings
49
The Woman Who Rides Like a ...

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 4.21 avg rating — 61,925 ratings
49
The Mirror and the Maelstro...

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 3.92 avg rating — 73 ratings
51
The Witches of Wenshar (Sun...

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 3.82 avg rating — 1,567 ratings
52
Magic's Pawn (Valdemar: Las...

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 4.21 avg rating — 22,068 ratings
53
Lioness Rampant (Song of th...

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 4.29 avg rating — 72,751 ratings
54
The Diamond Throne (The Ele...

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 3.95 avg rating — 29,759 ratings
55
Wizard's First Rule (Sword ...

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 4.13 avg rating — 205,611 ratings
56
Imaro

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 3.94 avg rating — 441 ratings
57
The Chronicles of Corum (Co...

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 4.03 avg rating — 1,538 ratings
58
The Vanishing Tower (The El...

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 3.97 avg rating — 7,818 ratings
59
Sword and Sorceress

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 3.99 avg rating — 2,551 ratings
60
Tales of Nevèrÿon (Return t...

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 3.88 avg rating — 1,105 ratings
60
The Hungering Saga Complete...

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 3.72 avg rating — 928 ratings
60
Rurik Of The Demonwatch: Ri...

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it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings
60
Immortal Fantasy

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 4.71 avg rating — 7 ratings
64
Kings of the North (The Lif...

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 3.61 avg rating — 61 ratings
64
The Phoenix on the Sword

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 3.95 avg rating — 675 ratings
66
The Rise of Malbeck (Cavali...

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 4.04 avg rating — 101 ratings
66
The Cavalier (Cavalier Tril...

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 4.02 avg rating — 181 ratings
68
The Gilded Chain

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 3.89 avg rating — 2,953 ratings
69
Magic's Promise (Valdemar: ...

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 4.21 avg rating — 18,059 ratings
70
Daggerspell (Deverry, #1)

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 3.89 avg rating — 13,167 ratings
70
Magic's Price (Valdemar: La...

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 4.27 avg rating — 18,630 ratings
72
The Oathbound (Valdemar: Vo...

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 4.09 avg rating — 12,504 ratings
72
The Hammer and the Blade (E...

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 3.76 avg rating — 1,822 ratings
74
Gossamyr (Changelings, #2)

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 3.37 avg rating — 182 ratings
74
The Dark Hand of Magic (Sun...

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 3.80 avg rating — 1,336 ratings
74
Queen of the Black Coast

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 3.98 avg rating — 508 ratings
74
Oathbreakers (Valdemar: Vow...

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 4.17 avg rating — 13,945 ratings
78
This Crooked Way (Morlock A...

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 3.95 avg rating — 279 ratings
79
Hawkmistress! (Darkover, #6)

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4,005 ratings
80
Mystic and Rider (Twelve Ho...

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 4.08 avg rating — 8,745 ratings
81
Slaves To The Empowered: Vo...

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 4.73 avg rating — 11 ratings
81
The Kinshield Legacy (The K...

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 3.64 avg rating — 2,411 ratings
81
Dirge for a Necromancer

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 3.31 avg rating — 13 ratings
81
The Wizards and the Warriors

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 3.71 avg rating — 610 ratings
81
A Sword For Hire (The Silen...

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 3.94 avg rating — 32 ratings
81
Guiding The Blue Flame Swor...

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 3.78 avg rating — 18 ratings
81
Blackbirds and Sparrows (Ch...

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 10 ratings
81
Dragons of Autumn Twilight ...

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 3.99 avg rating — 96,958 ratings
81
Luckbane (Otherworld #1)

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 4.11 avg rating — 36 ratings
81
Two Merchants and a Thief (...

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 4.50 avg rating — 6 ratings
81
The Morrigan: Raven Heart

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 4.29 avg rating — 14 ratings
81
The Leopard Vanguard (Leopa...

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 4.01 avg rating — 145 ratings
81
Wielder of the Flame (Legac...

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 65 ratings
81
The Jewel in the Skull (His...

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 3.84 avg rating — 2,847 ratings
81
Chasing Shadows (The Deyari...

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it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 6 ratings
81
Gods & Proxies

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 4.40 avg rating — 5 ratings
81
The First Chronicle Of Hire...

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it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings
81
Dionna's Warrior (Dragon Or...

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 4.04 avg rating — 271 ratings
99
Blood of Adoria (Guardians ...

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 4.18 avg rating — 51 ratings
99
The Swords of Night and Day...

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 4.30 avg rating — 7,164 ratings
151 books · 201 voters · list created October 12th, 2009 by Chad (votes) .
Tags: fantasypulpsorcerysword
13 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Chad95 books
71 friends
Greyweather2627 books
72 friends
Cheryl1543 books
3 friends
Liane675 books
14 friends
Jeremiah200 books
26 friends
Daniel26 books
0 friends
Phoenixfalls851 books
52 friends
Jonathan786 books
6 friends

More voters…


COMMENTS (showing 1-7 of 7) (7 new)

dateDown arrow    newest »

message 1: by Greyweather (new)
GreyweatherA Song of Ice and Fire isn't Sword and Sorcery, it's Epic Fantasy (sometimes called High Fantasy).
reply | flag *
message 2: by Jonathan (new)
Jonathan MadisonDitto for the Riftwar Saga by Feist
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message 3: by Shannon (new)
Shannon LewisPer the above comments and furthermore the books on this list which are actually Heroic/High/Epic Fantasy

@ The Dragonbone Chair The Dragonbone Chair (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #1)
@ The Daggerspell series
@ The Darkover Series
@ Vlad Taltos Series
@ Twelve Houses Series

Essentially Sword and Sorcery as a sub-genre is characterized in its most simple form as stories which replicate the qualities of the sword and sandal genre while adding otherworldly elements.
The Sword and Sandal genre is that genre of historical and biblical epics such as Taras Bulba, Spartacus, Samson and Delilah and The Ten Commandments etc.
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message 4: by Dearg (new)
Dearg GlasI agree... some of these things are not like the others!
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message 5: by Kevin (new)
KevinSome people truly have no idea what Sword and Sorcery is.

Unlike epic fantasy, sword and sorcery does not concern itself with world-endangering events; the stakes, rather, are far more personal. The danger to the hero is usually immediate rather than long term. Sword & Sorcery has a strong preference for fast-paced action tales rather than sweeping story arcs. That means there is (usually) no band of heroes facing off against dark lords that seek to destroy the world, but rather a lone hero on a personal quest of some sort.
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message 6: by Andrew (last edited Oct 31, 2013 01:07PM) (new)
Andrew ObrigewitschAnother list full of books that don't belong on it with idiots voting non genre books to the top of the list.
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message 7: by David (new)
DavidWhat a crap list. It's filled with just any kind of Fantasy. I'd love to see a real list of strictly Sword and Sorcery books.

Goodreads Lists are crap because anyone can add to them and no one is allowed to delete from them. Stupid Goodreads.
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