Books like The Name of the Wind, according to Reddit

The read-alike list

Ranked by co-mention strength — how often each book shares a thread with The Name of the Wind, normalized so ubiquitous books don't dominate.

#1

The Eye of the World

Robert Jordan

A farm boy's village burns in one night, and the Aes Sedai who saves him says the Dark One marked him before he could walk.

33 shared threads · mixed

#2

A Game of Thrones

George R. R. Martin

A direwolf litter found beside a dead stag opens a decades-spanning war for the Iron Throne with no guaranteed survivors.

31 shared threads · mixed

#3

Gardens of the Moon

Steven Erikson

An empire quietly marks its own soldiers for death, and the gods are already choosing sides before the Bridgeburners find out.

37 shared threads · mixed

#4

The Way of Kings

Brandon Sanderson

A suicidal bridge slave assigned to the war camp's deadliest crew starts hearing storms answer when he gives orders.

26 shared threads · praised

#5

Mistborn: The Final Empire

Brandon Sanderson

A street thief gets recruited into a heist crew plotting to overthrow a god-emperor who has ruled unchallenged for a thousand years.

23 shared threads · mixed

#6

The Lord of the Rings

J. R. R. Tolkien

A gardener, a burglar's heir, and seven others walk a piece of jewelry to a volcano because destroying it is the only way to stop a war.

38 shared threads · mixed

#7

Red Rising

Pierce Brown

A miner's son fakes his way into the ruling class's brutal war-games academy to bring down the system that executed his wife.

43 shared threads · praised

#8

The Blade Itself

Joe Abercrombie

Nine-Fingers the barbarian just wants to survive one more winter, but a torturer's investigation and a prince's war have other plans.

23 shared threads · praised

#9

The Fifth Season

N. K. Jemisin

A woman searches a dying continent for the daughter her husband stole, while the world ends again on schedule.

40 shared threads · praised

#10

Dune

Frank Herbert

A duke's son survives his family's betrayal on a desert planet and becomes the prophet who leads its people to war.

69 shared threads · mixed

#11

Storm Front (The Dresden Files)

Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden, Chicago's only wizard listed in the phone book, takes a double-murder case that ordinary police work can't touch.

19 shared threads · mixed

#12

A Wizard of Earthsea

Ursula K. Le Guin

A prideful young mage summons a nameless shadow to prove his power, then spends years learning to face it instead of running.

31 shared threads · mixed

The overlap, in numbers

Where each pairing actually shows up. Click through for the full Reddit verdict on each book.

1. #1 The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan — 33 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
2. #2 A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin — 31 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
3. #3 Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson — 37 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
4. #4 The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson — 26 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
5. #5 Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson — 23 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
6. #6 The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien — 38 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
7. #7 Red Rising by Pierce Brown — 43 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
8. #8 The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie — 23 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
9. #9 The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin — 40 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
10. #10 Dune by Frank Herbert — 69 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
11. #11 Storm Front (The Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher — 19 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
12. #12 A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin — 31 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF