There is one series that every Tolkien fan should eventually read: Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea cycle. It’s leaner than LOTR—no thousand-page descriptions of empty plains—but it has the same weight. A young wizard named Ged learns that true power comes from knowing your own darkness. It’s spiritual, poetic, and surprisingly modern.
Fun fact: Le Guin openly pushed back against the "good vs. evil" binary of traditional fantasy. Her characters are balanced—like an elf who gets hangry. It’s a refreshing take on the genre Tolkien built.
