Books like Child Of Fire
28 fantasy books to read after Child Of Fire, by Connolly, Harry, the closest match first.
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Twenty Palaces book 2
1. Game Of Cages
by Connolly, Harry
- Same series
- Same author
A SECRET HIGH-STAKES AUCTION As a wealthy few gather to bid on a predator capable of destroying all life on earth, the sorcerers of the Twenty Palace Society mobilize to...
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Twenty Palaces book 3
2. Circle Of Enemies
by Connolly, Harry
- Same series
- Same author
Former car thief Ray Lilly is now the expendable grunt of a sorcerer responsible for destroying extradimensional predators summoned to our world by power-hungry magicians. Luckily, Ray has some magic...
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Bobby Dollar book 1 Start here
3. Dirty Streets Of Heaven
by Williams, Tad
- On the same lists
This one by Tad Williams, a master at writing well plotted, rich fantasy tales.This is his second foray into urban fantasy territory (first being War of the Flowers - another...
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4. The Devil You Know
by Carey, Mike
- On the same lists
Read Mike Carey's Felix Castor series for something just like Dresden in style and form, yet completely different. The blurb states it's 'every bit as good as Jim Butcher' and...
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Sandman Slim book 1 Start here
5. Sandman Slim
by Kadrey, Richard
- On the same lists
Of all the books on this list, Sandman Slim is probably the darkest and most brutal. But it's disturbingly good a story about a sort of Harry Dresden character who...
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6. Nightside
by Green, Simon R.
- On the same lists
A superb mix of suspense, humor, fantasy, horror, and romance. A blend of Raymond Chandler and Jim Butcher. This one is a detective noir along the lines of a Harry...
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7. Rivers Of London
by Aaronovitch, Ben
- On the same lists
Ah, detective urban fantasy but with a decidedly police procedural bent. If you like the idea of Dresden but hate the over-the-top, break all magical rules on a whim aspect...
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8. Libromancer
by Hines, Jim C.
- On the same lists
How to describe this one? It's kind of like Brandon Sanderson and Jim Butcher got it on in a library and this was their literary love child. There is really...
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9. The Blue Girl
by Lint, Charles De
- On the same lists
Charles de Lint is one of the founders of the Urban Fantasy movement - his influential works have helped shape the entire genre as a whole. And as one of...
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Asian book 1 Start here
10. King Rat
by Clavell, James
- On the same lists
This is perhaps not Mieville’s best work but it’s certainly the most “urban fantasy” of his novels. Typical of every Mieville novel, there’s a lot of weird stuff going on...
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11. Ariel
by Boyett, Steven R.
- On the same lists
Post-apocalyptic urban fantasy. The world has changed - the lights don’t work, cars are no longer functional and magical creatures now roam the landscape. The world is no longer the...
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12. Mortal Instruments
by Clare, Cassandra
- On the same lists
What Twilight really should have been. Think of this as a more adult, more complex vision of Twilight. Basically, on every single level, this series supersedes Twilight.
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The Detective Inspector Chen book 1 Start here
13. Snake Agent
by Williams, Liz
- On the same lists
A surprising cocktail of Chinese Fantasy, detective fiction, and science fiction that manages to still taste good. The novel is set in a futuristic China (future Shanghai) and incorporates high...
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Nightside book 1 Start here
14. Something From The Nightside
by Green, Simon R.
- On the same lists
An interesting concept. A dark gritty hidden part of London that functions as a sort of universal septic tank -- home to gods, demons, angles, humans, misfits and every sort...
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15. Garrett, P.i. Series
by Cook, Glen
- On the same lists
Gritty detective fantasy in a warzone - this is The Dresden Files before Dresden. Garrot PI has been vastly overshadowed by Cook’s The Black Company, but these are actually some...
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Iron Druid Chronicles book 1 Start here
16. Hounded
by Hearne, Kevin
- On the same lists
The Iron Druid Chronicles is one of those series you either really like or you are completely ambivalent about. I fall into the later category; for the most part, Hearne...
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17. Un Lun Dun
by Miéville, China
- On the same lists
This was Mieville’s first foray into YA fantasy and boy was it a good one; he manages to subvert the standard fantasy formula, giving the reader a story that’s both...
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Alex Verus book 1 Start here
18. Alex Verus
by Jacka, Benedict
- On the same lists
Alex Verus by Benedict Jacka A lot of the books on this list have a similarity. They may be in wildly different settings and various fantasy worlds, but most of...
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19. Fevre Dream
by Martin, George R. R.
- On the same lists
A lesser known novel by the Game of Thrones creator that is a fine example of a more mythic take on vampirism. Fevre Dream is a steamboat sailing up the antebellum Mississippi River, which just so happens to be carrying the lord of the vampire race. It is a blend of history and myth.
He writes stories where castration, rape, skull-crushing, and child sacrifice are parred for the course. So it should come as no surprise that George R.R. Martin conquered the sub-genre of...
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20. Neverwhere
by Gaiman, Neil
- On the same lists
An example of the crossover between Urban Fantasy and Crossworlds. An ordinary man is transported to a world of shadows and darkness and must make his way home.
Most (all?) of Gaiman’s works are urban fantasy. The crowd favorite is Neverwhere, which is an interesting take on the whole multiverse conceit found in science fiction. The premise is...
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21. Sookie Stackhouse
by Harris, Charlaine
- On the same lists
Vampire Fiction often falls into the Urban Fantasy sub-genre, and this series is a great example of how popular it has become.
For those who love Twilight, the next step should be to read the Sookie Stackhouse novels. The popular True Blood TV series was based on these novels, so if you...
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Dresden Files book 1 Start here
22. Storm Front
by Butcher, Jim
- On the same lists
A crime version of the Urban Fantasy sub-genre. Harry Dresden is a wizard and a private investigator
Harry Dresden is a wizard. He has decided to use his power to solve minor crimes to make a living, so he opens up his own private eye firm, the...
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Mythago Wood book 1 Start here
23. Mythago Wood
by Holdstock, Robert
- On the same lists
There are many novels and novellas in this cycle which take place in a forest that has been untouched since the last ice age. It is a labyrinth, a place of peril and living myths.
'Unique' is a vastly overused word. It has about as much meaning as Kim K's twitter feed. But in the case of Mythago Wood, it's warranted. Firstly, Holdstock tells the...
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24. War For The Oaks
by Bull, Emma
- On the same lists
What happens when a rock star is pulled into a supernatural conflict between good and evil? Well, let's head on over to Minneapolis of all places and find out
It was in the 80s that the subgenres of fantasy we know today started. One of these – urban fantasy – owes much of its development from War for the...
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25. The Anubis Gates
by Powers, Tim
- On the same lists
An award winning novel that has time travel, historical figures, Egyptian mythology, and 19th century England.
In creating this world, Powers borrowed ideas from all over the place. Mythology, Ancient Egyptian theology, quantum theory, and classical literature“ they're all used in The Anubis Gates. It's a...
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26. Harry Potter
by Rowling, J. K.
- On the same lists
This incredibly popular series is a story of an alternate world, a secret world of wizardy that exists within our own, but seems ever so vast.
Yes, everyone has probably read this. In fact, these these may have been the books that got you started reading fantasy in the first place. These books do make for...
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27. 2005: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
by Clarke, Susanna
- On the same lists
The revival of magic in an alternate Britain with two very different magicians and some fairies, too.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is an epic tale of the rebirth of magic in nineteenth-century England. Taking place among the regular historical occurrences of the time, the main difference...
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The Magicians book 1 Start here
28. The Magicians
by Grossman, Lev
- On the same lists
A prequel novel about a high school senior who is admitted to a school for gifted children, for a magical education in upstate New York. A typical quest story that turns dark. Things are not black and white in this world and the characters are psychologically rich.
School fantasy is often aimed at children, and it's very successful at hitting that market. It's much harder to appeal exclusively to adults, and that's where The Magicians shines. Rather...
Matches come from series and authors, from the lists the books share, and from the books readers open together. They are rebuilt every night. Back to Child Of Fire.
The shortlist
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