Books like 'Ptolemy's Gate'
Readers who enjoyed Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy urban fantasy action / adventure alternate history supernatural mystery comedy europe british-isles united-kingdom
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Murder Mittens by R.J. Blain
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBecoming a bounty hunter and taking on the call sign of Murder Mittens wasn’t Harri’s brightest move, but what’s a lynx to do with millions of debt while working a customer service gig? The scars deforming her face won’t remove themselves, and she’ll bag and tag every criminal in the United States to get rid of them if necessary... -
![The Fall of the House of Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard]()
The Fall of the House of Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsJohannes Cabal, a necromancer of some little infamy, has come into possession of a vital clue that may lead him to his ultimate goal: a cure for death. The path is vague, however, and certainly treacherous as it takes him into strange territories that, quite literally, no one has ever seen before...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor magic paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure adult alternate-history -
![The Delirium Brief by Charles Stross]()
The Delirium Brief by Charles Stross
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSomeone is dead set to air the spy agency’s dirty laundry in The Delirium Brief, the next installment to Charles Stross’ Hugo Award-winning comedic dark fantasy Laundry Files series!Bob Howard’s career in the Laundry, the secret British government agency dedicated to protecting the world from unspeakable horrors from beyond spacetime, has entailed high combat, brilliant hacking, ancient magic,... -
![The Brothers Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard]()
The Brothers Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsHorst Cabal has risen from the dead. Again. Horst, the most affable vampire one is ever likely to meet, is resurrected by an occult conspiracy that wants him as a general in a monstrous army. Their plan: to create a country of horrors, a supernatural homeland. As Horst sees the lengths to which they are prepared to go and the evil they cultivate, he realizes that he cannot fight them alone...Categorized as:
demons historical-fiction humor magic paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure adult -
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![The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud, Simon Jones]()
The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud, Simon Jones
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsIt is 950 B.C.E., and King Solomon rules Jerusalem with a steely hand; a hand on which gleams a magic ring of immense and unforgiving power. Solomon has just begun work on his marvelous temple, charging Khaba, a formidable magician in his royal court, to oversee its construction. The workforce is an ill-behaved bunch of demons, a particularly unruly djinni named Bartimaeus among them... -
![You Only Live Once by Heide Goody, Iain Grant]()
You Only Live Once by Heide Goody, Iain Grant
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe earth has been invaded by unfathomable terrors from another dimension and international governments are doing their best to pretend nothing is happening. But you can’t keep an alien invasion hidden forever. A Hollywood production company is filming in the city: a spy thriller blockbuster that will introduce the Venislarn monsters to the viewing public...Categorized as:
humor friendship historical-fiction paranormal fantasy urban-fantasy horror audiobook -
![The Apocalypse Codex by Charles Stross]()
The Apocalypse Codex by Charles Stross
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFor outstanding heroism in the field (despite himself), computational demonologist Bob Howard is on the fast track for promotion to management within the Laundry, the supersecret British government agency tasked with defending the realm from occult threats... -
![The Rhesus Chart by Charles Stross]()
The Rhesus Chart by Charles Stross
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsLONDON CAN DRAIN THE LIFE OUT OF YOU . . .Bob Howard is an intelligence agent working his way through the ranks of the top secret government agency known as 'the Laundry'. When occult powers threaten the realm, they'll be there to clean up the mess - and deal with the witnesses.There's one kind of threat that the Laundry has never come across in its many decades, and that's vampires... -
![The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross]()
The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsComputational demonologist Bob Howard catches up on filing in the Laundry archives when the top secret Fuller Memorandum vanishes - and his boss, suspected of stealing the file. Bob faces Russian agents, ancient demons, a maniacal death cult, and finding the missing memorandum before the world disappears next... -
![Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde]()
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsDetective Thursday Next has had her fill of her responsibilities as the Bellman in Jurisfiction. Packing up her son, Friday, Thursday returns to Swindon accompanied by none other than the dithering Danish prince Hamlet... -
![The Labyrinth Index by Charles Stross]()
The Labyrinth Index by Charles Stross
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe arrival of vast, alien, inhuman intelligences reshaped the landscape for human affairs across the world, and the United Kingdom is no exception. Things have changed in Britain since the dread elder god Nyarlathotep ascended to the rank of Prime Minister...Categorized as:
humor magic paranormal action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe apocalyptic -
![False Value by Ben Aaronovitch]()
False Value by Ben Aaronovitch
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsNow in hardcover, the eighth book of the bestselling Rivers of London urban fantasy series returns to the adventures of Peter Grant, detective and apprentice wizard, as he solves magical crimes in the city of London.Peter Grant is facing fatherhood, and an uncertain future, with equal amounts of panic and enthusiasm... -
![The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fforde]()
The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fforde
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe Mighty Shandar, the most powerful wizard the world has ever seen, returns to the Ununited Kingdoms. Clearly, he didn't solve the Dragon Problem, and must hand over his fee: eighteen dray-weights of gold...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship humor magic paranormal witches-wizards 21st-century -
![Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection by Ben Aaronovitch]()
Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection by Ben Aaronovitch
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsReturn to the world of Rivers of London in this first short story collection from #1 Sunday Times bestselling author, Ben Aaronovitch. Tales from the Folly is a carefully curated collection that gathers together previously published stories and brand new tales in the same place for the first time...Categorized as:
fae historical-fiction humor magic paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure adult -
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![The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor]()
The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling authors of Welcome to Night Vale and It Devours! and the creators of the hit podcast, comes a new novel set in the world of Night Vale and beyond.In the town of Night Vale, there’s a faceless old woman who secretly lives in everyone’s home, but no one knows how she got there or where she came from...until now...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor paranormal action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book comedy -
![The Fear Institute by Jonathan L. Howard]()
The Fear Institute by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsJohannes Cabal and his rather inexact powers of necromancy are back once more. This time, his talents are purchased by The Fear Institute as they hunt for the Phobic Animus - the embodiment of fear... -
![First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde]()
First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIt's been fourteen years since Thursday pegged out at the 1988 SuperHoop, and Friday is now a difficult sixteen year old. However, Thursday's got bigger problems. Sherlock Holmes is killed at the Reichenbach Falls and his series is stopped in its tracks. And before this can be corrected, Miss Marple dies suddenly in a car accident, bringing her series to a close as well... -
![From Hell with Love by Simon R. Green]()
From Hell with Love by Simon R. Green
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIt's no walk in the park for a Drood, a member of the family that has protected humanity from the things that go bump in the night for centuries. They aren't much liked by the creatures they kill, by ungrateful humans, or even by one another. Now their Matriarch is dead, and it's up to Eddie Drood, acting head of the family, to figure out whodunit... -
![The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde]()
The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsLong ago, magic began to fade, and the underemployed magicians of Kazam Mystical Arts Management have been forced to take any work their sixteen-year-old acting manager, Jennifer Strange, can scare up. But things are about to change. Magical power is finally on the rise, and King Snodd IV, of the Ununited Kingdoms knows that he who controls magic controls everything...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship humor magic paranormal witches-wizards 21st-century -
![The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud]()
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 68 ratingsNathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny... -
![Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia]()
Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsFive days after Owen Zastava Pitt pushed his insufferable boss out of a fourteenth story window, he woke up in the hospital with a scarred face, an unbelievable memory, and a job offer. It turns out that monsters are real. All the things from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there, waiting in the shadows. Officially secret, some of them are evil, and some are just hungry... -
![Spell or High Water by Scott Meyer]()
Spell or High Water by Scott Meyer
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsThe adventures of an American hacker in Medieval England continue as Martin Banks takes his next step on the journey toward mastering his reality-altering powers and fulfilling his destiny. A month has passed since Martin helped to defeat the evil programmer Jimmy, and things couldn’t be going better. Except for his love life, that is...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction humor magic paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure alternate-history -
![One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde]()
One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe newest tour de force from The New York Times bestselling author of Thursday Next and Shades of Grey. Jasper Fforde's exuberant return to the fantastical BookWorld opens during a time of great unrest. All-out Genre war is rumbling, and the BookWorld desperately needs a heroine like Thursday Next... -
![The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch]()
The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsTrier is famous for wine, Romans and for being Germany’s oldest city. So when a man is found dead with his body impossibly covered in a fungal rot, the local authorities know they are out of their depth.Fortunately this is Germany, where there are procedures for everything...Categorized as:
humor magic myths paranormal retellings witches-wizards 21st-century action-adventure -
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![The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton]()
The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsJust when you thought it was safe to go back into the teahouse...Miss Charlotte Pettifer belongs to a secret league of women skilled in the subtle arts. That is to say—although it must never be said—witchcraft. The League of Gentlewomen Witches strives to improve the world in small ways...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor magic paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure adult alternate-history -
![Down on the Farm by Charles Stross]()
Down on the Farm by Charles Stross
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn Charles Stross’s novel The Atrocity Archive and its sequels, the “Laundry” is a secret British agency responsible for keeping dark interdimensional entitities from destroying the cosmos and, not incidentally, the human race. The battles with creatures from beyond time are dangerous; however, it’s the subsequent bureaucratic paperwork that actually breaks men’s souls...Categorized as:
coming-of-age humor magic paranormal action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
![My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton]()
My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWelcome to Renaissance France, a place of poison and plots, of beauties and beasts, of mice and . . . queens?⠀⠀Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she's a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It's a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail.⠀⠀Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction humor magic paranormal retellings action-adventure -
![The Spy Who Haunted Me by Simon R. Green]()
The Spy Who Haunted Me by Simon R. Green
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWhen it comes to supernatural intrigue, nobody does it better than New York Times bestselling author Simon R. Green.Eddie Drood, at your service. For generations my family has been keeping humanity safe from the wicked, the nasty, and the generally not-nice inhuman predators who feed on people's fear and misery. No one kicks evil arse better than us Droods--especially yours truly... -
![Fool by Christopher Moore]()
Fool by Christopher Moore
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 48 ratings“Hilarious, always inventive, this is a book for all, especially uptight English teachers, bardolaters, and ministerial students.” —Dallas Morning NewsFool—the bawdy and outrageous New York Times bestseller from the unstoppable Christopher Moore—is a hilarious new take on William Shakespeare’s King Lear…as seen through the eyes of the foolish liege’s clownish jester, Pocket...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor magic paranormal retellings witches-wizards 21st-century action-adventure -
![Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer]()
Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsMartin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard...Categorized as:
children epic historical-fiction humor magic witches-wizards action-adventure alternate-history -
![A Night of Blacker Darkness: Being the Memoir of Frederick Whithers As Edited by Cecil G. Bagsworth III by Dan Wells]()
A Night of Blacker Darkness: Being the Memoir of Frederick Whithers As Edited by Cecil G. Bagsworth III by Dan Wells
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWrongly imprisoned, Frederick Whithers is desperate to commit the crime he's already being punished for: defrauding the bank out of a vast inheritance. He fakes his death to escape, but when he's seen climbing out of a coffin everyone assumes he's a vampire; when he shows none of the traditional vampire weaknesses, they decide he must be the most powerful vampire in the history of the world...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor paranormal action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book -
![The Annihilation Score by Charles Stross]()
The Annihilation Score by Charles Stross
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn this this science fiction spy thriller by Hugo Award winning writer Charles Stross, the Laundry - the British secret agency that fights supernatural threats - must team up with the police force, with one unfortunate secret agent caught in the middle.PLAYING WITH DANGERDr. Mo O'Brien is an intelligence agent at the top secret government agency known as 'the Laundry'... -
![The Concrete Jungle by Charles Stross]()
The Concrete Jungle by Charles Stross
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBob gets called out on account of a monster program called SATAN STARE, that ties back into some past work for the Laundry and others.He has to recruit, quickly, a pretty with it cop, and she helps him combat the beast, and the odd zombie... -
![Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson]()
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsAlcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians is the first adventure in a fantasy series for young readers by the #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson. The fast-paced and funny series is now available in deluxe hardcover editions illustrated by Hayley Lazo...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age epic humor magic paranormal action-adventure alternate-history -
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![Early Riser by Jasper Fforde]()
Early Riser by Jasper Fforde
Rated: 3.87 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsEvery Winter, the human population hibernates.During those bitterly cold four months, the nation is a snow-draped landscape of desolate loneliness, and devoid of human activity.Well, not quite... -
![Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith]()
Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith
Rated: 3.78 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the author of the New York Times bestselling Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, comes UNHOLY NIGHT, the next evolution in dark historical revisionism. They're an iconic part of history's most celebrated birth...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor magic myths paranormal retellings action-adventure alternate-history -
![The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde]()
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
Rated: 3.81 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsIn the good old days, magic was indispensable—it could both save a kingdom and clear a clogged drain. But now magic is fading: drain cleaner is cheaper than a spell, and magic carpets are used for pizza delivery. Fifteen-year-old foundling Jennifer Strange runs Kazam, an employment agency for magicians—but it’s hard to stay in business when magic is drying up...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship humor magic paranormal witches-wizards 21st-century -
![Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore]()
Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 28 ratings“Christopher Moore is a very sick man, in the very best sense of that word.”—Carl Hiassen“[Moore’s novels] deftly blend surreal, occult, and even science-fiction doings with laugh-out-loud satire of contemporary culture.”—Washington Post“If there’s a funnier writer out there, step forward.”—PlayboyAbsolutely nothing is sacred to Christopher Moore...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor magic paranormal 21st-century absurdism action-adventure adult -
![Zeus Is Dead: A Monstrously Inconvenient Adventure by Michael G. Munz]()
Zeus Is Dead: A Monstrously Inconvenient Adventure by Michael G. Munz
Rated: 3.73 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBronze Medalist: 2015 Readers' Favorite Book AwardsFinalist: 2015 Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards THE GODS ARE BACK. DID YOU MYTH THEM?You probably saw the press conference. Nine months ago, Zeus's murder catapulted the Greek gods back into our world. Now they revel in their new temples, casinos, and media empires—well, all except Apollo... -
![My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton]()
My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton
Rated: 3.61 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsWelcome to 1876 and a rootin’-tootin’ America bursting with gunslingers, outlaws, and garou.JANE (a genuine hero-eene)Calamity’s her name, and garou hunting’s her game—when she’s not starring in Wild Bill’s Traveling Show, that is. She reckons that if a girl wants to be a legend, she should just go ahead and be one... -
![Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith]()
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
Rated: 3.68 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsIndiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness.""My baby boy..." she whispers before dying.Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor paranormal retellings action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book
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