Military fantasy · Military science fiction · Flintlock · Grimdark
The War Shelf
Military fantasy and science fiction: where to start and what to read next.
Books about soldiers, sieges, generals and the wars around them, in fantasy and science fiction. Every recommendation on this site says who backs it: a book creator, a book site, readers, an award, or my own pick. Each one also tells you what's different, so you know what you're getting before you start.
Where to start
Six reading guides, each sorted by what you want from a war story.
Military Fantasy Books
The classics and where to begin, from The Black Company to Malazan.
Open the guide 02 · 28 booksMilitary Science Fiction Books
From Starship Troopers to Honor Harrington.
Open the guide 03 · 35 booksFlintlock Fantasy: The Complete Guide
Muskets, cannon and magic.
Open the guide 04 · 10 booksPike-and-Shot Fantasy Books
The age of pikes, early muskets and the Thirty Years' War.
Open the guide 05 · 23 booksGrimdark Fantasy Books
Soldiers and wars without the reassurance.
Open the guide 06 · 22 booksWarhammer 40K Books
Which Black Library novel to read first.
Open the guideWho backs each book
Treat the "Recommended by" line as the point of every card. It tells you why the book is here.
Instagram and YouTube creators, linked to the post or video itself.
Reviews, award lists and the Science Fiction Awards Database.
What readers on Goodreads and Reddit keep recommending next.
Books I have read and recommend myself. Never my own books.
What to read next
Finished a book you loved? Start here.
From my own shelf
A few of the 29 books marked "My pick" across the site.
Essays
The history behind the books, by a historian of early modern warfare.
What Flintlock Fantasy Books Get Right About Musket Warfare
A historian on how muskets and volleys really worked, and what flintlock fantasy like Powder Mage gets right about them.
Matchlock vs Flintlock
Matchlock vs flintlock explained: how each lock worked, when the flintlock took over, and why it matters for fantasy armies.
The History Behind The Poppy War
The real history behind R. F. Kuang's The Poppy War: the Second Sino-Japanese War, Nanjing, Unit 731 and the Opium Wars. Contains spoilers.
Where Red Rising Comes From
The history and ideas behind Pierce Brown's Red Rising: Plato's Republic, the Roman Republic, Antigone and the god of war, in Brown's own words.