# The War Shelf

> Military fantasy and science fiction: where to start and what to read next. Book recommendations for military fantasy, military science fiction, flintlock and pike-and-shot fantasy, grimdark and Warhammer. Every recommendation says who backs it (a book creator, a book site, readers on Goodreads or Reddit, an award, or "My pick" for books the site's author has read and recommends) and what is different about the book.

The site is run by Sandro Andreatta, a historian of late medieval and early modern warfare and author of The Witch Field, a military fantasy series set in a pike-and-shot world (coming 2027). Recommendations cannot be bought. 202 books are listed in total.

## Start here
- [Military Fantasy Books: Where to Start](https://thewarshelf.com/military-fantasy-books): The best military fantasy books, from The Black Company to Malazan and Powder Mage, sorted by what you want: soldiers, sieges, command or big wars.
- [Military Science Fiction Books: Where to Start](https://thewarshelf.com/military-science-fiction-books): The best military science fiction books, from Starship Troopers and The Forever War to Old Man's War and Honor Harrington, and where to start.
- [Flintlock Fantasy: The Complete Guide](https://thewarshelf.com/flintlock-fantasy): What flintlock fantasy is, where to start, and the best gunpowder fantasy books, from Promise of Blood to The Thousand Names, by a historian.
- [Pike-and-Shot Fantasy Books](https://thewarshelf.com/pike-and-shot-fantasy-books): Fantasy set in the age of pikes, muskets and the Thirty Years' War, and the history behind it, written by a historian of early modern warfare.
- [Grimdark Fantasy Books](https://thewarshelf.com/grimdark-fantasy-books): Grimdark fantasy books with soldiers, veterans and wars, from The Blade Itself to The Black Company, plus how real the darkness is next to history.
- [Warhammer 40K Books: Where to Start](https://thewarshelf.com/warhammer-40k-books): Which Warhammer 40,000 novel to read first: Eisenhorn, Gaunt's Ghosts, Ciaphas Cain and more, with how much you need to know about the setting.

## What to read next
- [Books Like Red Rising](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-red-rising): What to read after Red Rising: sci-fi and fantasy with brutal stakes and underdog heroes, each with who recommends it and how it differs.
- [Books Like The Poppy War](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-poppy-war): What to read after The Poppy War, and the real history behind R. F. Kuang's trilogy: the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Opium Wars.
- [Books Like The Will of the Many](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-will-of-the-many): What to read after James Islington's The Will of the Many: hidden-identity heroes, deadly schools and brutal hierarchies.
- [Books Like Powder Mage](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-powder-mage): What to read after Brian McClellan's Powder Mage, starting with the book McClellan himself recommends: muskets, generals and battlefield magic.
- [Books Like The Black Company](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-black-company): What to read after Glen Cook's The Black Company: mercenaries, compromised soldiers and dark sorcery, from Malazan to Kings of the Wyld.
- [Books Like The Tainted Cup](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-tainted-cup): What to read after Robert Jackson Bennett's The Tainted Cup: fantasy detectives, imperial investigators and strange murders.
- [Books Like Dungeon Crawler Carl](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-dungeon-crawler-carl): What to read after Dungeon Crawler Carl: LitRPG, funny and violent sci-fi and horror with jokes, each with who recommends it.
- [If You Like This Game or War Film, Read This Book](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-video-games-and-war-films): Books to read if you like Halo, Mass Effect, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Doom or Master and Commander, with what each book is and what to expect.

## More "books like" lists (from Sandro's research catalog)
- [All lists](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like)
- [Books Like The First Law](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-first-law): What to read after The First Law — original trilogy: 17 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like The Thousand Names](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-thousand-names): What to read after The Thousand Names: 9 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like The Shadow of the Gods](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-shadow-of-the-gods): What to read after The Shadow of the Gods: 9 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like The Dark Lands](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-dark-lands): What to read after The Dark Lands: 8 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like The Stormlight Archive](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-stormlight-archive): What to read after The Stormlight Archive: 8 books for readers who loved what book creators recommend next, each with why it fits and how it differs.
- [Books Like The Lies of Locke Lamora](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-lies-of-locke-lamora): What to read after The Lies of Locke Lamora: 7 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like Guns of the Dawn](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-guns-of-the-dawn): What to read after Guns of the Dawn: 7 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like Hawkwood’s Voyage](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-hawkwoods-voyage): What to read after Hawkwood’s Voyage: 7 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like The Red Knight](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-red-knight): What to read after The Red Knight: 7 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like The Deed of Paksenarrion](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-deed-of-paksenarrion): What to read after Sheepfarmer’s Daughter: 7 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-sixteen-ways-to-defend-a-walled-city): What to read after Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City: 7 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like The Heroes](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-heroes): What to read after The Heroes: 7 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like Temeraire](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-temeraire): What to read after His Majesty’s Dragon: 7 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like Orcs: First Blood](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-orcs-first-blood): What to read after Orcs: First Blood: 6 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like The Witcher](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-witcher): What to read after The Last Wish: 6 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like Dragonflight](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-dragonflight): What to read after Dragonflight: 6 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like The Ten Thousand](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-ten-thousand): What to read after The Ten Thousand: 6 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like Grave Empire](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-grave-empire): What to read after Grave Empire: 6 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like Blackhearts](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-blackhearts): What to read after Valnir’s Bane: 6 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like Kings of the Wyld](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-kings-of-the-wyld): What to read after Kings of the Wyld: 6 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like The Name of the Wind](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-name-of-the-wind): What to read after The Name of the Wind: 5 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like Gotrek and Felix](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-gotrek-and-felix): What to read after Trollslayer: 5 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like The Elven](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-elven): What to read after The Elven: 5 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like The Fifth Season](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-fifth-season): What to read after The Fifth Season: 5 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like Magician](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-magician): What to read after Magician: 5 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like Legend](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-legend): What to read after Legend: 5 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like Mistborn](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-mistborn): What to read after Mistborn: The Final Empire: 5 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.
- [Books Like The Alchemist of Souls](https://thewarshelf.com/books-like-the-alchemist-of-souls): What to read after The Alchemist of Souls: 5 books, each with why it fits, how it differs and who recommends it.

## Essays
- [What Flintlock Fantasy Books Get Right About Musket Warfare](https://thewarshelf.com/what-flintlock-fantasy-gets-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](https://thewarshelf.com/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](https://thewarshelf.com/poppy-war-history): 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](https://thewarshelf.com/red-rising-history): 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.

## Tools
- [Book finder](https://thewarshelf.com/quiz): pick a book you loved (276 starting books, from Red Rising and The Poppy War to Harry Potter and Fourth Wing), say what you loved about it, and get the next books with why they fit and how they differ.
- [All books](https://thewarshelf.com/books): every book on the site, A to Z, filterable by guide, "My pick" and indie.

## How the recommendations work
- Every recommendation names who backs it: Instagram, YouTube or TikTok book creators (linked to the post or video), book sites and reviews, readers on Goodreads or Reddit, awards, the book's own author, or "My pick" for books Sandro has read and recommends himself.
- Every card also says what is different about the book and where to start (first book, standalone, reading order).
- Sandro's own books are always labelled "By the author of this site" and never carry "My pick". Recommendations cannot be bought; any sponsored placement is marked "Sponsored".

## About
- [About the Author](https://thewarshelf.com/about): Sandro Andreatta, historian and author of The Witch Field.
- [For Authors](https://thewarshelf.com/for-authors): how authors can submit a book (free, no guarantee of a listing).
- [Full text for language models](https://thewarshelf.com/llms-full.txt)