Your fantasy ranger reading list for 2023
If you’re like me, you love a good fantasy ranger story. Maybe you came by it honestly through admiration of Aragorn (or Legolas, who’s basically a ranger). Maybe you always play one in Dungeons & Dragons or games inspired by it. Or maybe the Ranger’s Apprentice series captivated your imagination.
However you arrived at it, a love for rangers comes with a problem: there’s just not enough good books about them.
Allow me to help you out! Below, I’ve collected five new series centered around fantasy rangers — plus one bonus series. Check them out and find your next great read!
The Echoes Saga by Philip C. Quaintrell
THE ECHOES OF FATE, A PROPHECY UTTERED UNTO THE WORLD A THOUSAND YEARS AGO, CANNOT BE DENIED…
Mankind has lorded over the land of Illian for a thousand years, building on the ruins left by the elves, as if it were their birthright. A thousand years is a long time for an immortal race to see the truth of things, a truth that has remained unsaid for a millennium - elves are superior. They are faster, stronger and connected to the magical realm in a way that man could never grasp. Illian should belong to them.
Unaware of the shadow that looms in the east, the six kingdoms of man are fractured, unallied, and clawing at each other’s gates for more power.
This isn’t just war set to ravage the land, but a slaughter - the world of man cannot hope to survive.
Thrown into the heart of this war is a man known by many names; an Outlander of the wilds, an assassin, a ranger. Asher was born a thousand years ago, to a life he doesn’t remember. Forty years of brutal training and killing for money has beaten the earliest years of his life away, leaving his ties to the oldest of evils a mystery to all…
The King’s Ranger by AC Cobble
A ranger’s duty. The rotten heart of a king. Rebellion spilled from the blood of family.
Rew, the King’s Ranger, accepted a role on the far edge of the realm to avoid the morass of intrigue and betrayal that bleeds from the heart of the kingdom. His only desire is to shoulder the burden he’s taken, to protect the village of Eastwatch, and to monitor the wilderness beyond.
When three youths are arrested for petty theft in the village and beg for his help, Rew’s oldest friend insists he take responsibility for them. By ties stronger than steel, Rew is forced onto a path he knows leads to chaos and death. Through a resurgence of monsters summoned in ages prior, war between the royal line, and back-stabbing treachery, the King’s Ranger will battle to grant the youths a life he never had a chance of.
But as they venture farther from the wilderness he calls home, Rew can feel the magical pull at the center of the kingdom, demanding he return to face his past and his family’s terrible legacy. Only he knows the secret of the king, and the risk it poses to the entire realm.
Ranger’s Magic by DB King
Ralnor Twicebane never thought he’d amount to much, particularly because of his half-human heritage. Living among full-blooded elves his entire life, he’s been spurned and looked down on.
And things take a turn for the worse when he discovers his heritage has cursed him with human magic.
But is it truly a curse? Magic, after all, could be useful among the Rangers who protect the borderlands. The Elf King seems to think so.
With a mission from the Elf King, Ralnor Twicebane becomes a Ranger, but his journey is only just beginning...
The Silvan Saga by R.K. Lander
A fearless young warrior elf with a shrouded past. An implacable traitor to the throne. The path towards a destiny only a god foresaw.
A young immortal embarks on his first patrol as a Silvan novice warrior. As he learns to survive in a land plagued with Deviants and Sand Lords, unknown allies strive to protect him from dangers he has yet to understand.
As he enters the Deep Forest for the first time, the Silvan puts his martial skills to the test. But things don't go quite the way he planned when an arcane power begins to emerge.
Under the guidance of his captain and lieutenant, the Silvan battles to control his new gift, while stepping upon a path of revelations. His unanswered questions from childhood will be answered. Now, all he must do is trust the right people, and stay away from the wrong ones.
But where does that path lead? What is its final destination? Can the Silvan come to understand who he is - what he is? And if he can, will he ever accept his destiny?
A Ranger’s Tale by Marc Alan Edelheit
A dangerous mission. A war of the Gods. An epic destiny.
When elven rangers Eli’Far and Mae’Cara are dispatched to hunt down the dangerous criminal Mik’Las, the mission seems simple enough. Mik’Las has committed the unthinkable crimes of murder and kidnap, and though he’s a former ranger and skilled in the deadly arts, Eli is confident they will bring him to justice.
But after Mik’Las flees into the human kingdom of the Castol, Eli and Mae find their mission suddenly wrought with complications. Lord Edgun, an oppressive man grinding his people under the heel of his boot, has left its people desperate. Things grow even more complicated when the elves run into Jitanthra, a strange human girl being hunted by Edgun’s men, and who has connections to a mystical outcast, an elf currently imprisoned by Edgun.
Soon, Eli and Mae find themselves unexpectedly drawn into the middle of a rebellion, a struggle between gods, and the opening stages of the dreaded Last War.
You might also try my own fantasy ranger series, Ranger of the Titan Wilds. Check out the first book below.
Ranger of the Titan Wilds by J.D.L. Rosell
Betrayed. Hunted. Left for dead. But not even death itself can keep the last ranger from vengeance.
Leiyn “Firebrand” is no stranger to a fight. A brash ranger of the Titan Wilds, she takes up her bow to ward against the colossal spirit creatures known as titans, ever a threat to the colonies she has sworn to protect.
But no amount of skill can guard against treachery.
When tragedy strikes the rangers’ lodge, Leiyn vows to avenge the fallen. But if she is to succeed, she must embrace a power within her she has long denied.
Power to move mountains and rivers.
Power over life and death.
She did not choose this path, but Leiyn knows her duty. For if she fails, the legacy of the rangers dies with her—and all the Titan Wilds will fall into shadow.
The Last Ranger is an epic fantasy tale full of friendship, magic, resilience, vengeance, and wonder. If you enjoy archery, fantasy rangers, and small party adventures, then start this new journey with the first book in the Ranger of the Titan Wilds series.
Have some favorite ranger stories of your own? You can add them to the list on Goodreads! Visit it here.
Check back in the future for more lists like this geared toward other niches within high fantasy. I'll see you then!
- Josiah
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