Fantastical Court Intrigue

Empires and kingdoms rise and fall. Immerse yourself in political and courtly intrigue within fantasy worlds.
Updated September 19, 2022
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
A Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martin
Paper Book
NOW THE ACCLAIMED HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONES--THE MASTERPIECE THAT BECAME A CULTURAL PHENOMENON   Here is the first book in the landmark series that has redefined imaginative fiction and become a modern masterpiece. A GAME OF THRONES  
Assassin's Apprentice
Robin Hobb
Paper Book
"Fantasy as it ought to be written . . . Robin Hobb's books are diamonds in a sea of zircons."--George R. R. Martin    Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father's gruff stableman. He is treated as an...
Mistborn: The Final Empire
Brandon Sanderson
Paper Book
Now with over 10 million copies sold, The Mistborn Series has the thrills of a heist story, the twistiness of political intrigue, and the epic scale of a landmark fantasy saga. For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in...
Graceling
Kristin Cashore
Paper Book
Discover the Graceling Realm in this unforgettable, award-winning novel from bestselling author Kristin Cashore. A New York Times bestseller * ALA Best Book for Young Adults * Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature Winner * Publishers Weekly, School Library...
Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas
Paper Book
The first book in New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas's sweeping fantasy saga - now available in hardcover with a new look to match the series! When magic has gone from the world, and a vicious king rules from his throne of glass, an assassin comes to the castle....
Red Queen
Victoria Aveyard
Paper Book
Start at the beginning with RED QUEEN, the first book in the thrilling #1 New York Times bestselling series! Red Queen, by #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard, is a sweeping tale of power, intrigue, and betrayal, perfect for fans of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones...
Elantris
Brandon Sanderson
Paper Book
Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten...
The Cruel Prince
Holly Black
Paper Book
By #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue. Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They...
An Ember in the Ashes
Sabaa Tahir
Paper Book
BOOK ONE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES * One of Time Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy and 100 Best YA Books of All Time * People's Choice Award winner * Bustle's Best Young Adult Book "This novel is a harrowing, haunting reminder of what it means to be human...
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
N. K. Jemisin
Paper Book
After her mother's mysterious death, a young woman is summoned to the floating city of Sky in order to claim a royal inheritance she never knew existed in the first book in this award-winning fantasy trilogy from the NYT bestselling author of The Fifth Season. Yeine...
Daughter of the Empire
Raymond E. Feist
Paper Book
The Priory of the Orange Tree
Samantha Shannon
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling "epic feminist fantasy perfect for fans of Game of Thrones" (Bustle). NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY: AMAZON (Top 100 Editors Picks and Science Fiction and Fantasy) * CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY * BOOKPAGE...
Grave Mercy
Robin LaFevers
Paper Book
Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf? Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed...
The City of Brass
S. A. Chakraborty
Paper Book
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Library Journal | Vulture | The Verge | SYFYWire Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty, an imaginative alchemy of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings,...
Prince of Thorns
Mark Lawrence
Paper Book
A stunning fantasy debut from a major new talent! When he was nine, he watched his mother and brother killed before him. By the time he was thirteen, he was the leader of a band of bloodthirsty thugs. By fifteen, he intends to be king... It's time for Prince Honorous...
The queen of the tearling
Johansen, Erika
Paper Book
"Call it The Hunger Games of Thrones. Erika Johansen's debut novel is a genre mashup: medieval fantasy meets dystopian future. . . . The setting, combined with Johansen's deft hand with character and plotting, really does work. . . . An addictive and enjoyable adventure. . . . The Tear is...
The False Prince
Jennifer A. Nielsen
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller The False Prince thrills with wild twists and turns, danger and deceit, and the revelation of hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.In a discontented kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a...
The Goblin Emperor
Katherine Addison
Paper Book
The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only...
The Queen of Attolia
Megan Whalen Turner
Paper Book
Discover and rediscover the world of the Queen's Thief, from the acclaimed novel The Thief to the thrilling, twenty-years-in-the-making conclusion, The Return of the Thief. The epic novels set in the world of the Queen's Thief can be read in any order. New York Times...
King of Scars
Leigh Bardugo
Paper Book
A 2020 LOCUS AWARD FINALIST! See the Grishaverse come to life on screen with the Netflix series, Shadow and Bone -- Season 2 streaming now! Discover what comes next for daring rogue Nikolai in King of Scars, the start of this captivating...
A Memory Called Empire
Arkady Martine
Paper Book
Winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel A Locus, and Nebula Award nominee for 2019An NPR Favorite Book of 2019 An Esquire Best Sci-Fi Book of All Time A Guardian Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of 2019 and "Not...
Sorcerer to the Crown
Zen Cho
Paper Book
In this sparkling debut, magic and mayhem clash with the British elite... The Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers, one of the most respected organizations throughout all of England, has long been tasked with maintaining magic within His Majesty’s lands. But lately, the...
The Grace of Kings
Ken Liu
Paper Book
One of the Time 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time Two men rebel together against tyranny--and then become rivals--in this first sweeping book of an epic fantasy series from Ken Liu, recipient of Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards. Wily, charming...
Jade City
Fonda Lee
Paper Book
In this World Fantasy Award-winning novel of magic and kungfu, four siblings battle rival clans for honor and power in an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis.  *Named one of TIME's Top 100 Fantasy Books Of All Time ​* World Fantasy Award for...
The Raven Tower
Ann Leckie
Paper Book
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 WORLD FANTASY AWARD Gods meddle in the fates of men, men play with the fates of gods, and a pretender must be cast down from the throne in this masterful first fantasy novel from Ann Leckie, New York Times...
Captive Prince
C. S. Pacat
Paper Book
Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos. But when his half-brother seizes power, Damien is captured, stripped of his identity and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave. For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his...
She Who Became the Sun
Shelley Parker-Chan
Paper Book
Two-time British Fantasy Award Winner Astounding Award Winner Lambda Literary Award Finalist Hugo Award Finalist Locus Award Finalist A Dragon Award Finalist Otherwise Award Finalist "Magnificent in every...
The Empress of Salt and Fortune
Nghi Vo
Paper Book
Winner of the 2020 Crawford Award! Winner of the 2021 Hugo Award! A Hugo Award-Winning Series! A 2021 Locus Award Finalist A 2021 Ignyte Award Finalist A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist A Book Riot Best Debut Fantasy of All...
The Ruin of Kings
Jenn Lyons
Paper Book
A Kirkus Best of Science Fiction and Fantasy pick for 2019!A Library Journal Best Book of 2019! An NPR Favorite Book of 2019! "Everything epic fantasy should be: rich, cruel, gorgeous, brilliant, enthralling and deeply, deeply satisfying. I...
The Bone Shard Daughter
Andrea Stewart
Paper Book
The Bone Shard Daughter is an unmissable debut from a major new voice in epic fantasy -- a stunning tale of magic, mystery, and revolution in which the former heir to the emperor will fight to reclaim her power and her place on the throne. ...
Raybearer
Jordan Ifueko
Paper Book
Fans of Sabaa Tahir and Tomi Adeyemi won't want to miss Raybearer, an instant New York Times bestselling fantasy from breakout YA sensation Jordan Ifueko!   Named one of the best books of the year by People magazine, Buzzfeed, New York...
A Brightness Long Ago
Guy Gavriel Kay
Paper Book
International bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay's latest work is set in a world evoking early Renaissance Italy and offers an extraordinary cast of characters whose lives come together through destiny, love, and ambition. In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a...
The Jasmine Throne
Tasha Suri
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE WORLD FANTASY AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2021 BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, LIBRARY JOURNAL, BOOKLIST, AND THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY A ruthless princess and a powerful priestess come...
The Queens of Innis Lear
Tessa Gratton
Paper Book
Dynasties battle for the crown in Tessa Gratton's debut adult epic fantasy,The Queens of Innis Lear. Three Queens. One crown. All out war. Gaela. Ruthless Commander. I am the rightful heir of Innis Lear. No more will I wait in the...
The Last Sun
K. D. Edwards
Paper Book
In this debut novel and series starter, the last member of a murdered House searches for a missing nobleman, and uncovers clues about his own tortured past. Rune Saint John, last child of the fallen Sun Court, is hired to search for Lady Judgment's missing son, Addam, on New Atlantis, the island...
An Illusion of Thieves
Cate Glass
Paper Book
A ragtag crew with forbidden magic must pull off an elaborate heist and stop a civil war in An Illusion of Thieves, a fantasy adventure from Cate Glass. In Cantagna, being a sorcerer is a death sentence. Romy escapes her hardscrabble upbringing when...
The Vanished Queen
Lisbeth Campbell
Paper Book
A stunning blend of vivid fantasy and political drama, The Vanished Queen is the timely story of a young resistance fighter working to overthrow a totalitarian ruler's regime of terror and lies. "[G]ripping...this is the novel the world needs now" (Kate Heartfield, Nebula Award finalist...
The Councillor
E. J. Beaton
Paper Book
This fantasy novel follows a scholar's quest to choose the next ruler of her nation amidst lies, conspiracy, and assassination When the death of Iron Queen Sarelin Brey fractures the realm of Elira, Lysande Prior, the palace scholar and the queen's closest friend, is appointed...
Castles in their bones
Sebastian, Laura
Paper Book
A spellbinding story of three princesses and the destiny they were born for: seduction, conquest, and the crown. Immerse yourself in the first book in a new fantasy trilogy from the author of the New York Times bestselling Ash Princess series.   "[A] page-turner that...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.