If you liked
Books like A Darker Shade of Magic
Loved A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab? Here are 10 books with a similar appeal — drawn mostly from fantasy, ranked by how confidently we'd recommend them next.
Fantasy builds worlds you can live in. This list spans 1937–2020 and includes 10 marked as essential reading in fantasy.
10 books · ranked
-
1
Piranesi
A man lives alone in an endless house of statues and tides; a short, strange, haunting puzzle of a novel.
-
2
The Name of the Wind
A legendary figure tells the story of his own rise from orphan to arcanist; lyrical, immersive and beloved.
-
3
Mistborn: The Final Empire
A street thief joins a crew plotting to overthrow an immortal god-emperor, using a brilliantly worked magic of metals.
-
4
A Game of Thrones
Noble houses scheme for an iron throne while an ancient threat stirs in the north; ruthless, intricate epic fantasy.
-
5
Northern Lights
A girl and her animal soul-companion journey north into a war over the nature of the soul; thrilling and profound.
-
6
Guards! Guards!
A drunken night watch must stop a dragon and a conspiracy; warm, funny and secretly wise Discworld.
-
7
A Wizard of Earthsea
A gifted boy at a school of wizardry must face the darkness he unleashed; spare, wise coming-of-age fantasy.
-
8
The Lord of the Rings
A small hobbit carries a world-ending ring toward the only place it can be destroyed; the epic that defined the genre.
-
9
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Four children step through a wardrobe into a frozen magic kingdom; the gateway to Narnia.
-
10
The Hobbit
A comfortable hobbit is swept into an adventure with dwarves and a dragon; the cosy doorway into Middle-earth.