If you relished Fitz tiptoeing through Buckkeep’s treacherous politics—dodging Regal’s plots, trading secrets with Chade behind hidden panels, and risking everything to shield Kettricken while Verity is away—you’ll love the quiet, razor‑sharp maneuvering in The Goblin Emperor. Maia, thrust onto a throne he never expected to hold, must survive assassinations, backroom councils, and protocol traps with only a few loyal allies. It delivers that same tense, character-driven chess match you enjoyed while Fitz tried to outwit courtiers who smiled as they set the noose.

If your heart was in your throat when Fitz finally accepted his Wit-bond with Nighteyes—sharing thoughts, solace, and feral strength even as Burrich condemned it—you’ll likely be swept up by the partnership at the core of His Majesty’s Dragon. Captain Laurence’s life is upended when he bonds with the dragon Temeraire, forming a fierce, tender connection that reshapes his loyalties and future. That same sense of companionship as identity—so vital when Fitz leans on Nighteyes during Regal’s tightening noose—powers every page here.

If Fitz’s confiding, wounded narration drew you in—his private reckonings about the Skill’s destructive pull, his love for Molly he can’t quite keep, and the way he picks himself up after each betrayal—then The Name of the Wind offers a similarly intimate seat inside a brilliant, battered mind. Kvothe recounts his life with the same mix of vulnerability and razor wit, from brutal setbacks to hard-won craft, turning personal history into a spellbinding confession much like Fitz’s chronicle of Buckkeep’s darkest hours.

If you appreciated how Royal Assassin simmers—Fitz recovering, plotting with Chade by candlelight, guarding Kettricken while Regal’s noose tightens—The Curse of Chalion matches that patient, layered build. Cazaril returns to court a broken man and must navigate sanctified politics, quiet conspiracies, and burdensome duty without flashy magic to save him. Like Fitz shielding Verity’s line while the kingdom frays, Cazaril’s courage reveals itself in small, devastating choices that crescendo into a profound payoff.

If Fitz’s evolution gripped you—surviving torture, pushing the Skill past safe limits, and sacrificing peace for duty while Regal tightens his grip—then The Poppy War takes that arc to a brutal, riveting extreme. Rin claws her way from scorned outsider to devastating force, much as Fitz claws back from the brink to defend Kettricken and Verity’s hopes. Both stories ask what you’ll trade for power and country—and whether you can live with the answer.