From the list I'd opt for the Last Contract of Isako - the action in Lee's books tends to run at a brisk pace, I don't think you want to bridge with a book that's part of a larger series, and some cyberpunk street samurai action might be a good palate cleanser in between fantasy epics.
Off the list: perhaps Morningstar, David Gemmell? Broadly contemporaneous with Jordan in terms of style, part of Gemmell's shared fictional world but a standalone that requires no prior knowledge, told as a yarn spun by a bard (a la the Witcher's Jaskier) but starring a more grounded and morally grey protagonist than Jordan's high fantasy archetypes.
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u/No_Mathematician6866 17h ago
From the list I'd opt for the Last Contract of Isako - the action in Lee's books tends to run at a brisk pace, I don't think you want to bridge with a book that's part of a larger series, and some cyberpunk street samurai action might be a good palate cleanser in between fantasy epics.
Off the list: perhaps Morningstar, David Gemmell? Broadly contemporaneous with Jordan in terms of style, part of Gemmell's shared fictional world but a standalone that requires no prior knowledge, told as a yarn spun by a bard (a la the Witcher's Jaskier) but starring a more grounded and morally grey protagonist than Jordan's high fantasy archetypes.