Best of Fantasy Prisoners and Slaves

Posted on  12/01/2024 10:05:36

Slaves and prisoners make for the perfect underdogs in a good fantasy book. And who doesn't love a good underdog?! I certainly do.

Abused, humiliated, put through the wringer at times to the extremes, these characters usually have any reader rooting for them in no time at all. But if you go ahead and search for such a book on GoodReads or the web, you'll come up empty, apart from the occasional r/fantasy request. There are no lists of them at all.

Or, better said, there weren't any, until this one here. Because the MBC Bookdragons went on a hunt for prisoners and slaves on different bookish groups and platforms and gathered all the titles they could find.

As it turns out, books with slaves and prisoners as MCs are rather few on the fantasy market but still, we managed to put together a pretty good list that we are sharing below. 

A list full of memorable slave and prisoner MCs that might become your next favourite, if you give them a chance. This Corner of our MBC is dedicated to them. Hope you will cherish them just as much as we do! :)

A Best of Prisoners & Slaves List will be uploaded later, once the master lists for all the site pages have been done. Until then, please make yourselves at home, have a look at our bookish hoard and pick your poison. There's some pretty good stuff here, if I may say so myself.

Fantasy Books with Prisoners and Slaves as MCs - A Master List

Please note that it includes both trad and Indie books, as well as popular and less known ones. They are all neatly listed in an alphabetical order of the book title. 

Click on any of them and you'll be taken to the GoodReads page.

Before we begin, a special mention to one of my all-time favourites - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 

Because it feels like a fantasy, with the magic system being sheer anger and will. 

(Credit for this awesome and absolutely fitting description goes to Jackson Jacobs who left it on my rec request post in the Fantasy Faction FB group)

A 

Age of the Andinna Series by Kristen Banet

Along the Razor's Edge (The War Eternal, #1) by Rob J. Hayes

Annals of the Western Shore Series by Ursula K. Le Guin

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Aztec Series by Gary Jennings

B 

Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 by L. Ron Hubbard

Before She Ignites (Fallen Isles, #1) by Jodi Meadows

Birthgrave Series by Tanith Lee

Blackthorn & Grim Series by Juliet Marillier

Blood and Shadow (The Mage's Gift #1) by Robin Lythgoe

Blood Oath (Nathaniel Cade, #1) by Christopher Farnsworth

Blood of Vengeance (Battleborn Mage, #0.5) by Angel Haze

Broken Earth Series, The by N.K. Jemisin

Broken Empire Series, The by Mark Lawrence

Brute by Kim Fielding

C 

Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Captive Prince Series by C.S. Pacat

Children of the Black Sun Series by Jo Spurrier

Chronicles of the Warlands by Elizabeth Vaughan 

Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert A. Heinlein

Closed and Common Orbit, A (Wayfarers, #2) by Becky Chambers

Codex Alera Series by Jim Butcher

Conspiracy of Truths, A (The Tales of the Chants, #1) by Alexandra Rowland

Corruption (The Bureau, #1) by Kim Fielding

Crown of Stars Series by Kate Elliott

Curse of Chalion, The (World of the Five Gods, #1) by Lois McMaster Bujold

Cursed Soul Series, The by Lidiya Foxglove

Cyteen Series by C.J. Cherryh

D 

Dark Wizard (Bonds of Magic #1) by Jeffe Kennedy

Daughter of the Beast (The Vyshivka Trilogy, #1) by E.C. Greaves

Daughter of the Blood (The Black Jewels, #1) by Anne Bishop

Daughter of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce

Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #2) by Steven Erikson

Deverry Cycle Series by Katharine Kerr

Dragon's Blood (Pit Dragon Chronicles, #1) by Jane Yolen

Dragon Rift (Riders of Fire, #3) by Eileen Mueller

E 

Emperor's Soul, The by Brandon Sanderson

Empire Trilogy, The by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts

Encrypted (Forgotten Ages/Encrypted, #1) by Lindsay Buroker

Enslaved Chronicles Series, The by R.K. Thorne

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (Eon, #1) by Alison Goodman

Exile Series, The by Hal Emerson

Exo Series by Fonda Lee

F

Faded Sun Trilogy, The (The Faded Sun, #1-3) by C.J. Cherryh 

Farseer Trilogy, The by Robin Hobb 

First Law Series, The by Joe Abercrombie

G 

Gap Cycle Series, The by Stephen R. Donaldson

Gentleman Bastard Series by Scott Lynch

Gods and Slaves Series by Nicholas Bella

Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle, #2) by Jay Kristoff

Gor Series by John Norman

Greatcoats Series by Sebastien de Castell

H 

Hades' Daughter (The Troy Game, #1) by Sara Douglass

Half a King (Shattered Sea, #1) by Joe Abercrombie

Handmaid’s Tale, The by Margaret Atwood

Host, The (The Host, #1) by Stephenie Meyer

House of Chains (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #4) by Steven Erikson

I 

I Am a Barbarian by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Ill-Made Mute, The (The Bitterbynde, #1) by Cecilia Dart-Thornton

In the King's Hands Series by Sierra Knoxly

Interstellar Service & Discipline #1-3 by Morgan Hawke

Into the North by Amber Huxley

J 

Jewels of Smoky Quartz by Anat Eliraz

Joust (Dragon Jousters, #1) by Mercedes Lackey

Jurisdiction Series by Susan R. Matthews

K 

Killer of Men (Long War, #1) by Christian Cameron

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

L 

Land of the Burning Sands (Griffin Mage, #2) by Rachel Neumeier

Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks

Lighthouse Duet Series, The by Carol Berg 

Lion's Blood Series by Steven Barnes

Liveship Traders Series, The by Robin Hobb

M 

Magician (The Riftwar Saga, #1-2) by Raymond E. Feist

Maia by Richard Adams

Mankind Witch, A (Heirs of Alexandria, #1.5) by Dave Freer

Martin the Warrior (Redwall, #6) by Brian Jacques

Master of Whitestorm, The by Janny Wurts 

Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #5) by Steven Erikson

Mistborn Saga, The by Brandon Sanderson 

Morgaine Cycle Series, The by C.J. Cherryh 

Mortal Blade, The (Magelands Eternal Siege, #1) by Christopher Mitchell

N 

Nightrunner Series by Lynn Flewelling - in later books

Noire (Temple Maze, #1) by Anna Fury

O 

One Who Could Not Fly, The (The Wing Cycle, #1) by E.G. Stone

Origin (Corpus, #1) by Jessica Khoury

Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

P 

Pattern of Shadow & Light Series, A by Melissa McPhail - book 3 in particular

Penric and Desdemona by Lois McMaster Bujold

Phèdre's Trilogy by Jacqueline Carey

Poison Study Series by Maria V. Snyder

Prince of Shadow, The (Seven Brothers, #1) by Curt Benjamin 

Prison Healer Series, The by Lynette Noni 

Pykh Series by Eileen Glass

Q 

Quest of the Dreamwalker (Corthan Legacy #1) by Stacy Bennett

R 

Rage of Dragons, The (The Burning, #1) by Evan Winter 

Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown

Redeemed The (The Light of Darkness, #0.6) by Catrin Russell

Remnants of Filth: Yuwu (Novel) Vol. 1 (Remnants of Filth, #1) by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

Return to Nevèrÿon Series by Samuel R. Delany

Riehse Eshan Series by Adelaide Blaike

RingDancers Series by Jane S. Fancher

River God / Eagle in the Sky by Wilbur Smith

S 

Safehold Series by David Weber

Samaria Series by Sharon Shinn 

Sanctuary Duet, The Series by Carol Berg 

Sardonyx Net, The by Elizabeth A. Lynn 

Sassinak (Planet Pirates, #1) by Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Moon

Scottish Prisoner, The (Lord John Grey, #3) by Diana Gabaldon 

Second Apocalypse Series, The by R. Scott Bakker 

Sewing Princess, The (The Wordmage's Tales, #2) by Astrid V.J. 

Shadow Fall Series by Audrey Grey

Shards of Honour (Vorkosigan Saga, #1) by Lois McMaster Bujold

Shatter Me Series by Tahereh Mafi

Silent Tower, The (Windrose Chronicles, #1) by Barbara Hambly 

Song of the Beast by Carol Berg

Soul Eater Series by Pippa DaCosta

Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand by Samuel R. Delany, Carl Freedman

Steal the Dragon (Sianim, #2) by Patricia Briggs

Storm Siren Series by Mary Weber

Stormlight Archive Series, The by Brandon Sanderson

Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind

T 

Takeshi Kovacs Series by Richard K. Morgan

Thief, The (The Queen's Thief, #1) by Megan Whalen Turner

This Dark Alliance (The Curse of the Blessed, #1) by Renee Dugan

Threshold by Sara Douglass

Tide Child Series, The by R.J. Barker

Tower at the Edge of the World, The by Victoria Goddard

Transformation (Rai-Kirah #1) by Carol Berg

Trickster's Choice (Daughter of the Lioness, #1) by Tamora Pierce

Tuyo (Tuyo, #1) by Rachel Neumeier

U 

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

V

Voyage of Slaves (Castaways of the Flying Dutchman #3) by Brian Jacques

W 

War of Lost Hearts Series, The by Carissa Broadbent 

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

Well of Eida (The Fallen Kingdoms, #1) by K.B. Benson

Wheel of Time, The by Robert Jordan

Whitefire Crossing, The (Shattered Sigil, #1) by Courtney Schafer 

Winner's Trilogy, The by Marie Rutkoski

Y 

Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier