Books like Snake Agent
30 fantasy books to read after Snake Agent, by Williams, Liz, the closest match first.
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The Detective Inspector Chen book 2
1. The Demon And The City
by Williams, Liz
- Same series
- Same author
When Detective Inspector Chen goes on holiday, his demonic partner Zhu Irzh finds himself alone in Singapore Three. The missing body of a brutally murdered socialite and the strange experiments...
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The Detective Inspector Chen book 3
2. Precious Dragon
by Williams, Liz
- Same series
- Same author
"Dark, gorgeous...feels authentically Chinese and it works like a charm." --Washington Post Book World on A Case of Two Cities Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department is...
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The Detective Inspector Chen book 4
3. The Shadow Pavilion
by Williams, Liz
- Same series
- Same author
'Brilliant' -Publishers Weekly Starred Review The legendary Judge Dee Renjie investigates a high-profile murder case in this intriguing companion novel to Inspector Chen and the Private Kitchen Murder set in...
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The Detective Inspector Chen book 5
4. The Iron Khan
by Williams, Liz
- Same series
- Same author
A supernatural mystery set in Singapore featuring a "detective whose beat reaches to the fringes of Heaven and Hell," by the author of Snake Agent (Booklist). No mortal has ever...
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5. 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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6. Braided Path
by Wooding, Chris
- On the same lists
Heavily influenced by Asia, the Braided Path is a long, but very rewarding read. It’s loosely categorized as Young Adult, but a read through this series had me seriously questioning...
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7. 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
8. 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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9. 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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10. 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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11. Paper Mage
by Cutter, Leah R.
- On the same lists
An exotic historical fantasy heavily influenced by Chinese with some well-developed world. What’s quite interesting about this novel is that the characters reflect Chinese/Eastern values as opposed to the usual...
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12. The Paladin
by Cherryh, C. J.
- On the same lists
A fantasy based in an oriental world. The emperor’s son’s former tutor flees after the death of his master to escape the killing spree of the new regent. Several years...
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Crossroads book 1 Start here
13. Spirit Gate
by Elliott, Kate
- On the same lists
There is a distinct Asian flavor to this trilogy (called Crossroads). True to Kate Elliot form, there’s quite a bit of attention to world-building and plenty of strong characters. While...
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14. The Prince Of Shadows
by Clair, Jennifer St.
- On the same lists
I like to call this the Wheel of Time set in a fantastical China which about sums up this series. Overall, the series that integrates an impressive amount of Chinese...
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Moshui book 1 Start here
15. Dragon In Chains
by Fox, Daniel
- On the same lists
An interesting book that’s quite recent. It’s set in an alternate Chinese fantasy landscape which includes emperors in exile, dragons, monks, and magical stones. The pace is slow, but the...
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16. The Assassins Of Tamurin
by Tower, S. D.
- On the same lists
At the age of eleven a girl is cast out from her village and begins her training as an assassin. Politics, romance, and magic weave a new kind of coming of age story.
This one reminded me a bit like Across the Nightingale Floor, but with less special affects; it’s more of a subtle, character driven story. The setting is an invented pseudo...
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Detective Inspector Chen book 2
17. The Demon And The City
by Williams, Liz
- Same author
The second Detective Inspector Chen novel (after Snake Agent) returns us to Singapore Three. A mysterious murder sends Chen and his demonic partner Zhu Irzh on the trail of a...
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Detective Inspector Chen book 3
18. Precious Dragon
by Williams, Liz
- Same author
The spell-casting detective and his demonic partner go to Hell on a fact-finding mission in this "pleasantly suspenseful . . . fantastical mystery" (Publishers Weekly). For years, the embarrassing secret...
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Detective Inspector Chen book 5
19. The Iron Khan
by Williams, Liz
- Same author
The second Detective Inspector Chen novel traverses a wildly imaginative landscape based on Chinese mythology, with humans mingling with demons, Celestials and the deceased. When rich girl Deveth Sardai turns...
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Twenty Palaces book 1 Start here
20. Child Of Fire
by Connolly, Harry
- On the same lists
I quite liked this one. I think it's probably the best next It’s dark, gritty, and it dose new things in the genre. Yes, it’s got some of the elements...
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Eon book 1 Start here
21. Eon
by Goodman, Alison
- On the same lists
Features a dragon theme. Complex characters and relationships make this a compelling read. The author really plays around with gender identity issues here, but does so in a way that's...
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Initiate Brother book 1 Start here
22. The Initiate Brother
by Russell, Sean
- On the same lists
An epic fantasy featuring a martial artist monk as a hero. Set in a mythical alternate china.
This duology has flown under the radar in the fantasy world, which is a shame - it’s perhaps one of the richest fantasy tales out there, made all the more...
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23. 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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Tales Of The Otori book 1 Start here
24. Across The Nightingale Floor
by Hearn, Lian
- On the same lists
Historical Fantasy set in a fictional feudal Japan, this series follows a young warrior who seeks to avenge is adoptive father and escape the legacy of his biological father.
Assassin fantasy set in a distinctly Japanese milieu. This one’s got everything you want in a good martial arts fantasy tale: ninja assassins, samurai warriors, beautiful princesses, evil lords, deadly...
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Bobby Dollar book 1 Start here
25. 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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Under Heaven book 1 Start here
26. Under Heaven
by Kay, Guy Gavriel
- On the same lists
An alternate ancient china told with the majesty of one of fantasy's best wordsmiths.
On paper, this is the perfect setup for a grand fantasy novel: Guy Gavriel Kay (Tigana, The Fionavar Tapestry, Lions of Al-Rassan) applies his considerable literary talent to crafting an...
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27. 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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28. Long Price Quartet
by Abraham, Daniel
- On the same lists
Western settings. Farm boys. Spoilt rich kids. Often, coming of age fantasy hits you over the head with unsubtle interactions and world-building. Abraham's Long Price Quartet does not fit into...
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29. 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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30. 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...
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 Snake Agent.
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