Whether they’re hoarding treasure, guarding princesses in towers, or being ridden into battle, us fantasy fans just can’t get enough of dragons. If House of the Dragon has left you craving more of the scaliest fantasy staple, here are five books to get you started—whatever your taste!
Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
Dragons. Art. Revolution.
Gyen Jebi isn’t a fighter, or a subversive. They just want to paint.
One day they’re jobless and desperate; the next, Jebi finds themself recruited by the Ministry of Armor to paint the mystical sigils that animate the occupying government’s automaton soldiers.
But when Jebi discovers the depths of the Razanei government’s horrifying crimes—and the awful source of the magical pigments they use—they find they can no longer stay out of politics.
What they can do is steal Arazi, the ministry’s mighty dragon automaton, and find a way to fight…
The Black Coast by Mike Brooks
War Dragons. Fearsome Raiders. A Daemonic Warlord on the Rise.
When the citizens of Black Keep see ships on the horizon, terror takes them because they know who is coming: for generations, the keep has been raided by the fearsome clanspeople of Tjakorsha. Saddling their war dragons, Black Keep’s warriors rush to defend their home only to discover that the clanspeople have not come to pillage at all. Driven from their own land by a daemonic despot who prophesises the end of the world, the raiders come in search of a new home . . .
Meanwhile the wider continent of Narida is lurching toward war. Black Keep is about to be caught in the crossfire – if only its new mismatched society can survive.
Silk Fire by Zabé Ellor
In the world-sized city of Jadzia, magic and ancient science merge into something dark and wondrous.
Koré’s life is consumed by power, politics, sex and vengeance, and as courtesan to the wealthy and powerful, he is privy to all manner of secrets. He knows meddling in politics is dangerous─still, he is willing to risk everything to stop his father from seizing the Imperial Throne of the War District. But Koré soon finds the corruption runs far deeper than just one man.
During a tryst in an ancient tomb─in the pursuit of political influence─Koré encounters a dying god, who imbues him with the powers of one of the city’s sacred dragons. Suddenly Koré finds himself a hunted man, threatened with becoming a pawn by whoever finds him first.
If the wrong person discovers his secret and lays claim to his powers they would plunge their world into war, unleash untold horrors and destroy the city─and the two people he has come to love.
Food of the Gods by Cassandra Khaw
Gods. Gore. Good Food.
By day, Rupert Wong—sorcerer, chef, former triad—prepares delicious meals of human flesh for a dynasty of ghouls in Kuala Lumpur; by night, he’s an administrator for the Ten Chinese Hells. It’s a living, of sorts.
When the Dragon of the South demands that Rupert investigate the murders of his daughter and her mortal husband, Rupert is caught in a war between gods that’s as bewildering as it is bloody.
If he’s going to survive, he’ll need to stay sharp, stay lucky, and always read the fine print…
Infernal by Mark de Jager
PART MAN. PART MONSTER. ALL VENGEANCE…
In the war-torn lands of Krandin, a kingdom fighting against the Worm King of the Penullin Empire and his dark magic, a stranger wakes, knowing only that his name is Stratus.
He possesses great strength and magic, but only fractured memories of his past, and a growing certainty that he is not, in fact, human.
As he explores this new world, disoriented, making few friends and many enemies, the battle for his mind will determine the fate of the world.