Are you a massive fan of The Legend of Zelda? Many of us grew up on the adventures of Link and Zelda and their various quests to save Hyrule. We spent more of our chore money renting Ocarina of Time from Blockbuster than we would care to think about. To this day, many still hold the series in high regard, and with the release of Breath of the Wild a few years ago and the upcoming releases of Hyrule Warrior: Age of Calamity and Breath of the Wild 2, Zelda hype is still prevalent. It also doesn’t hurt that the games are endlessly replayable. With the world in such chaos this year, what better way to relax than to enjoy another nostalgic playthrough of one of your favourite childhood games?

Naturally, when you love something, you try to find as many ways as possible to bring it into your life. So if you love playing Zelda, why not look for other Zelda-esque forms of entertainment to get your fix? While there is an official Legend of Zelda manga series written by Akira Himekawa (which is really fun), unlike many other popular video game series (I’m looking at you, Halo), there aren’t any official Zelda novelisations that you can pick up. However, the world of literature contains a hotbed of reads that give off a similar vibe as the beloved video game series, with stories featuring unexpected heroes, kingdoms under attack by a vicious evil, and a diverse cast of characters and creatures.

Here is a list of ten books/series that will give you real Zelda vibes:

The Traveler’s Gate series by Will Wight

This story follows a young man named Simon on a journey to destroy an evil Overlord. Simon has no idea what he’s doing and he has no magical powers or weapons to help him. While Link has some magic on his side, both of these stories feature a young hero thrust into a dangerous situation and led by a desire to overcome an evil villain.

The Runelords series by David Farland

This story features a young man on a journey to protect a princess, her royal family, and their world from an evil power. Change “young man” to “Link”, “princess” to “Zelda”, and “kingdom” to “Hyrule”, and you could have your very own Zelda novelisation.

The Belgariad series by David Eddings

A young man living a quiet life on a farm is thrown into a magical quest to protect the land from a dark evil, one that’s haunted him in his dreams for years. Sounds pretty similar to Ocarina of Time. This story also contains a rich history of the world its characters inhabit, which is something that the Legend of Zelda series has always done well.

The Green Rider series by Kristen Britain

A young woman witnesses the death of a messenger delivering a message of vital importance to the king. She takes up the mission with the help of a wise horse and a mythical sidekick (in this case, the ghost of the dead messenger). This series mixes Zelda vibes with a female protagonist, so anyone who has always wished for more Zelda in their Zelda games will probably find much to enjoy here.

The Riddle-Master series by Patricia A. McKillip

This story follows a man living in a world that’s magical history has been buried deep for centuries until mysterious things start to occur. This man also has a symbol ingrained on his forehead that seems to be leading him towards an unforeseen destiny, à la the Triforce piece Link finds marked on himself throughout the series.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Do we really have to explain this one? A young man living a quiet country life is thrust into a magical adventure to save the land from an evil entity, to put it simply. Quintessential Zelda vibes.

The Redwall series by Brian Jacques

This series has that same young-hero-lives-quiet-life-until-thrown-into-magical-adventure trope that many of these entries have, but this one is friendly for younger readers just as the Zelda series has always typically been friendly to younger gamers.

The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin

An enchanting tale of magic, fantastical creatures, and an evil that must be destroyed, this series also features an expansive world with unique and diverse lands for the reader to explore. If your favourite part of Zelda was always exploring the various lands within the world of the game, then this series is for you.

The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix

A young woman (along with her magical companions) embarks on a quest to discover what happened to her father and ends up finding out much about herself and the powers she holds. There’s also a lot of undead beings in this story, so if you’re a fan of ReDeads, Gibdos, and Poes, you might find much to like in this series, as well.

The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series by Tad Williams

A dark power threatens to overtake a peaceful land. An evil ruler aims to overthrow the king of said peaceful land. A young, lowly kitchen boy is sent on a quest that offers the only hope for survival for the threatened land. Much like The Hobbit, this story contains all of the essential elements of a good Zelda story.

Hopefully, this list has given you some reading options that will fill your days with the warm, nostalgic Zelda vibes we all deserve.

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 10 Books To Read If You Love ‘The Legend of Zelda’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
This is the obvious place to start, since the Wheel of Time series is kicking off soon as Amazon’s answer to HBO’s success with epic fantasy. A group of friends in a small town get launched into the wider world of magic, politics, and the ancient battle between good and evil when sorceress Moiraine arrives looking for the prophesied Dragon Reborn. Sprawling across a whopping 13 books, it can feel bloated and draggy at times, but also thrilling, intense, and brilliant. Jordan sadly passed away before he could complete the series, so the last books are written by Brandon Sanderson, who appears on this list in his own right as well.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Yes, it’s a single volume, but it’s a 900+ page single volume that spans continents, centuries, and a wide cast of characters. It has action, magic, politics, religion, battles, and dragon-riding, too. It takes inspiration from another English source: the legend of St. George and the Dragon, rather than the War of the Roses. But this isn’t the princess-rescuing tale you think you know; it’s a wild, complex, and sweetly sapphic epic.

A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons
If the intense politics and character-driven drama were your favourite parts of GoT, fear not, for the Chorus of Dragons series may be even more twisted and intense. The magic is also bigger, there are more dragons, and the march of the undead to do battle with the living happens every few years, not every few millennia. It’s like GoT on PCP.

Oh, and if you’re worried that this series will end up with a perpetually delayed finale just like G. R. R. Martin’s or Patrick Rothfuss’s, I wouldn’t fret too much. Lyons is an absolute powerhouse, and she’s released three of the five (massive) volumes in two years. Would someone please give this woman her own miniseries?

The Shadow by Lila Bowen aka Delilah Dawson
If all the crazy monsters, cults, magic, and sweeping vistas are what you like best about GoT, then try The Shadow series. It’s set in an alternate version of the American West, so you won’t have any of English or Tolkenian tropes. Instead there’s Rhett, a pansexual, biracial transman chosen by destiny to hunt monsters. Only, he’s a monster too, a shapeshifter who will have to learn to hold his own among human cowpokes and rangers as well as alchemists, dragons, Chupacabra, and—my personal favourite nightmare—something called the Cannibal Owl. Rhett’s found family is just as loyal (and just as persnickety) as the Starks, too.

The Broken Earth by N. K. Jemisin
As massive in skill as in scale, these books each won a Hugo for their brilliance. Shifting POV and delving far into the past to try to save the future, these books ask questions about systems of power and delve into the lives of those who have immense power—and immense lack thereof, too. If GoT leaves you wondering what’s happening to all the people who aren’t kings and khaleesis, or find the relentless endurance of its characters compelling, try this trilogy.

The Belgariad and The Malloreon by David and Leigh Eddings
GRRM is what happens to Tolkien in a grittier, less noble world. The Belgariad is what happens if Tolkien had a sense of humour. All the tropes like thief, sorcerer, barbarian, chosen one, etc. are represented and given wry twists, but it’s not really satire or Pratchett-esque absurdity. It’s serious fantasy without quite so much doom and gloom. These books are also classic 80s and 90s works, so parts might feel a little dated, but the bones are strong.

The Books of Pellinor by Allison Croggon
This is like LOTR if all the singing were the main point of everything. Bards are the magic-users in this world, and they use their power to bring healing, justice, and prosperity to the land. But darkness is now rising and evil is creeping into even the ranks of the Bards. If you want to see how people draw together to fight a much larger threat even while dealing with smaller, more immediate crises, these books will scratch that itch.

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
Sanderson doesn’t really write anything but epics, so honestly you could choose even a standalone novel of his, like Warbreaker or Elantris. It’s most fitting, though, to highlight his epic-to-incorporate-all-epics, which is a planned ten volumes, each of which are massive and complex. Sanderson is incredibly consistent, so know that you’ll get lots of great action and meticulous plotting that results in some great twists. He’s very chaste, though, so don’t expect anything at the level of twincest.

The Great Book of Amber by Roger Zelazny
Although four of Zelazny’s books equal one of Martin’s, I’d still say this hefty tome is worthy of inclusion on a list of epics. Corwin is one of nine brothers and seven sisters vying for the throne of Amber, the ultimate kingdom of which our world and all others are merely shadows. Playing with the concept of Platonic ideals, Corwin and his siblings can warp reality to bring it closer to the “ideal” realm. If you like the family drama and the swordfighting, here are the books for you. Also, there are a bunch of, ah, sibling relationships. Lannicest fans, I don’t really understand you but there you go.

The Dragaeran Books by Steven Brust
These books ask—and answer—the question of what happens if the hero of an epic is a thief and assassin rather than a noble chosen one. Vlad Taltos, minor mafioso, thief, for-hire killer and occasional witch, has a sword and a dragon.

He also has bills to pay, people to kill, and enemies to avoid. Good thing he also has some powerful friends. These books are perfect for anyone whose favourite character is Arya/A Girl, or who appreciates Littlefinger’s schemes. Vlad does become a reluctant do-gooder in later books despite his best efforts, drawn into not just the machinations of the gods and god-like sorcerers, but also the work of political organisers and social justice reformers that really put these books ahead of their time in some ways.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and is only meant to get you started. What other epics would you recommend? Tell us in the comments below!

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