Ammar Ibn Khairan and Captain Rodrigo Belmonte are famous warriors on opposite sides of a brewing war. But when each of them stumbles into a political mess, they find themselves exiled to the same city where they are hired as mercenaries.

An unlikely friendship develops in a single summer, but when Belmonte’s King marches south to retake the land conquered by Ammar’s people, they must decide what’s truly worth fighting for.

This one will gut you! Read my review here.

The Stormlight Archive is an incredible series and I highly recommend reading the whole thing. There are excellent duels (Szeth) in previous books, but several astonishingly excellent ones in the 4th.

Spearman, Windrunner, and idealist Kaladin faces off against 2 enemies – one who shares his sense of honor and enjoys their duels, and another cruelly neurotic enemy who is obsessively determined to end him.

This book also features the only compelling intellectual rivalry I’ve ever seen between two women. When the immortal Raboniel takes Queen Navani captive, they develop mutual respect for one another as they investigate properties of magic that could destroy them all.

Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu fight together to overthrow the emperor in a world inspired by China’s warring states period.

At first, they respect each other deeply—Kuni is the cunning, street-smart bandit who wins people over with charisma and adaptability, while Mata is the towering, idealistic warrior-noble obsessed with restoring honor and the old aristocratic order.

But their visions for the postwar world diverge completely, and they end up opposing one another ideologically and across the battlefield.

Caine (real name Hari Michaelson), is an Actor and warrior who travels to a brutal alternate reality called Overworld, livestreaming his adventures back to Earth. He’s skilled, vicious, and extremely pragmatic, but completely under the control of a dystopian caste-system only too happy to send him to die.

When his wife and fellow Actress goes missing in Overworld, his masters give him the chance to rescue her, but only if he’ll agree to assassin Ma’elKoth, a charismatic and terrifying mage Emperor. But Ma’elKolth gets to Caine first, and they have a history…

A group of ancient, magically powerful siblings vie for the throne at the heart of all universes after their father vanishes mysteriously. The siblings are all fixated on each other, sparring verbally, fuming about centuries old slights, setting traps, and chasing each other through universes of their own constructing.

Corwin is clever, funny, and out for revenge against his brother Eric, who has nearly killed him on several occasions. There are sword duels and strategic battles, but above all else, it is a mind game between these two brothers who are the only real 2 choices for the throne.

Honestly, despite this series being recommended by most hardcore fantasy readers, I have no idea what it’s about. The blurb mentions so many players and conflicts that the “main” plot always escapes me. It seems the driving force is Empress Laseen’s ruthless expansion, particularly her latest campaign against the free city of Darujhistan.

But the cast is massive, including imperial commanders, mages on various sides, assassins and thieves from feuding guilds, warriors, and gods. I’ve heard readers mention various characters that could be called rivals or nemeses. Since this series is known primarily for its sprawling, interconnected plot, I thought I’d stick it in the mind games category!

Anasûrimbor Kellhus, a monk-warrior-philosopher from a secretive, almost superhuman order, is intelligent, manipulative, and charismatic. Drusas Achamian is a weary, cynical sorcerer and spy for the Mandate School, burdened with prophetic dreams of an ancient apocalypse, guilt, and doubt.

Kellhus is playing chess on ten boards at once and Achamian knows it but can’t break free. This is more of a mind duel—one man is essentially conquering the other’s will while appearing to be his friend. It’s all the more tense because both are on the same side (for now), fighting in a massive holy war.

Field Marshal Tamas begins the book by orchestrating a coup, executing his king, and dismantling the monarchy’s ruling structures. This puts him in direct conflict with the Privileged, the elite sorcerers who were loyal to the king, who he continues to hunt down.

One of the surviving loyalist mages, Borbador, commands devastating sorcery, able to level battalions with a gesture. Tamas dominates military logistics, espionage, and large-scale troop movement. Their rivalry is played out mostly through military campaigns, political maneuvering, and indirect confrontations, which become more personal in later books.

Temrai, a cunning and ruthless Chief from the Plains, infiltrates Perimadeia, the Triple City, to learn how to conquer it through siege. Opposite him stands Bardas Loredan, a skilled fencer, and the surviving member of a legendary band of soldiers who killed Temrai’s family.

For the past 12 years Loredan has worked as a “lawyer,” representing clients in duels to the death. But his past comes back to haunt him as a curse tightens around him and Temrai sets his scheme into action.

In the Calderon Valley of Alera, young Tavi is the only boy without a fury—no elemental power to command wind, flame, or stone. When a surprise Marat invasion shatters the peace, Tavi must rely only on his resourcefulness to turn the tides of war.

In later books, Tavi encounters Varg, a towering Marat war leader—brutal, cunning, and sworn to the destruction of Alera. In Varg, he finds something unexpected: a gadara—an adversary whose skill, honor, and unflinching candor make him, in some ways, more reliable than Tavi’s supposed allies.

The Red Knight, Gabriel Muriens, the cocky captain of a mercenary company is hired to defend a nunnery against the Wild, a host of inhuman creatures. The Wild’s leader, the sorcerer Thorn, quickly becomes aware of the Red Knight’s presence and takes a personal interest in breaking him. The two face off in battles and political maneuvering, but do not come face-to-face until later books.

Ryo inGara’s clan, hunted and outnumbered by the invading Warlord Aras, leaves him behind as a “tuyo” – a scapegoat prize upon which their enemies can take revenge, in exchange for the clan’s safety. But Aras spares Ryo’s life and asks for his fealty, eager to understand the mentality of the Northern winter clans who have been raiding his southern villages. Beginning to suspect the influence of a dark sorcerer, Aras and Ryo must work together to prevent war between their peoples.

Mercenary commander Dennis Hartraft and Captain Asayaga, leader of an invading Tsurani force, have circled one another for years. But when a group of dark elves threatens to annihilate both war bands at the start of a brutal winter, they join together in an unlikely alliance. Filled with mistrust and plagued by cultural misunderstandings, the two groups are barely held together by the leaders’ grudging respect for one another.

Damien Vryce, a human priest from a technologically advanced but faith-driven society, and Gerald Tarrant, the infamous Hunter, an immortal being who is both monster and man, form an uneasy alliance of necessity, filled with ideological clashes and mutual manipulation.

Damien sees Tarrant as an abomination, while Tarrant sees Damien as naïve. Neither trusts the other’s motives, and each believes the other will betray him if given the chance, but they need the other’s skills as they and a small team set out to defeat a greater supernatural threat.

The demon Aziraphale and the angel Crowley spend thousands of years upon the earth, doing the work of Hell and Heaven respectively. But sometimes they bend the rules a little, giving each other a helping hand, and subtly subverting the agendas of each party. Over time, they form their own side, facing heaven and hell together to save the planet they both love. Each is the other’s only true friend. Not that they’d ever admit it!

Shadow mage and pirate prince, Arithon, would much rather ditch the politics to live as an itinerant bard. Proud and charismatic, Prince Lysaer longs to fulfill his duty to his people, but is devastated by his inability to develop his light magic. Half-brothers, Arithon and Lysaer are mortal enemies – until their father’s quest for vengeance casts them through a portal and into a world from which they cannot return.

Alone in a land where they are hunted for their bloodline, an immortal wizard takes them under his wing as the subjects of an ancient prophecy – only if they pair their shadow and light magic together can they overcome the mistwraith’s curse upon the land. But their ideological differences are far from over.

Corban and Nathair, crown prince of Tenebral, are being shaped by opposite sides of a much larger prophecy about the coming God-War — one foretold to pit the Bright Star (savior) against the Black Sun (destroyer).

The rivalry grows in the background through political moves, battlefield encounters, and each one’s conviction that they’re in the right. This one is a slow build, with the final showdown not happening till later books.

Mr. Gilbert Norrell is a reclusive, book-hoarding scholar who believes magic should be controlled, respectable, and kept in the hands of a few (preferably just himself).

Jonathan Strange is young, impulsive, and brilliant—more interested in exploring the wild, dangerous side of magic and bringing back the legendary “old ways” tied to the mysterious Raven King.

They start with mutual respect, but their differences in temperament and philosophy quickly lead to friction, and a dueling of egos and ideas.

Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.

I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!