Books like 'Excalibur'
Readers who enjoyed Excalibur by Bernard Cornwell also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy action / adventure 20th century alternate history military, war & conflict europe british-isles historical-fiction myths
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Enemy of God by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe balance of King Arthur's unified kingdom is threatened by Merlin's quest for the last of Britain's 13 Treasures; by the conflict between the ancient religion and the new Christianity; and by Britain's war with the Saxons. A master storyteller continues his retelling of the Arthurian legend... -
![Warbound by Larry Correia]()
Warbound by Larry Correia
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsNew York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author's gritty urban fantasy set in an alternate noir 1930s. A tough P.I. battles an interdimensional monster that wants to suck magic power out of the world. Sequel to Hard Magic and Spellbound. Book Three in the Grimnoir Chronicles... -
![The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay]()
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings... -
![A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay]()
A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBased on the troubadour culture that rose in Provence during the High Middle Ages, this panoramic, absorbing novel beautifully creates an alternate version of the medieval world... -
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![Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin]()
Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsThere would be blood. Blood for blood. Blood to pay. An entire world of it.For the resistance in the Third Reich, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun. Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military paranormal war 20th-century action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history -
![The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell]()
The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsUther, the High King, has died, leaving the infant Mordred as his only heir. His uncle, the loyal and gifted warlord Arthur, now rules as caretaker for a country which has fallen into chaos - threats emerge from within the British kingdoms while vicious Saxon armies stand ready to invade... -
![The Philosopher's War by Tom Miller]()
The Philosopher's War by Tom Miller
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe second book in the thrilling series that began with The Philosopher’s Flight finds Robert Canderelli Weekes as a rookie Rescue and Evacuation flier on the front lines of World War I in France. He came to save lives, but has no idea how far he’ll have to go to win the war... -
![Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin]()
Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsHer story begins on a train.The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s Ball in Tokyo... -
![Hard Magic by Larry Correia]()
Hard Magic by Larry Correia
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsJake Sullivan is a licensed Private Eye—with a seriously hardboiled attitude. He also possesses raw magical talent and the ability to make objects in his vicinity light as a feather or as heavy as depleted uranium, all with a magical thought. It's no wonder the G-men turn to Jake when they need someone to go after a suspected killer who's been knocking off banks in a magic-enhanced crime spree...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic paranormal war 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history -
![Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay]()
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsA masterful epic of magic, politics, war, and the power of love and hate — from the renowned author of The Fionavar Tapestry and Children of Earth and Sky.Tigana is the magical story of a beleaguered land struggling to be free. It is the tale of a people so cursed by the black sorcery of a cruel despotic king that even the name of their once-beautiful homeland cannot be spoken or remembered..Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic paranormal war 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history -
![The Royal Librarian by Daisy Wood]()
The Royal Librarian by Daisy Wood
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA royal palace. A closed book. A betrayal that will echo through generations…Windsor, 1940: War rages, and as bombs rain down across Britain, nowhere is safe: not even a royal palace.Secretly tasked with foiling a suspected plot, Sophie Klein is placed in the Royal Library at Windsor castle, where the princesses reside... -
![Midnight on the Marne by Sarah Adlakha]()
Midnight on the Marne by Sarah Adlakha
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSet during the heroism and heartbreak of World War I, and in an occupied France in an alternative timeline, Sarah Adlakha’s Midnight on the Marne explores the responsibilities love lays on us and the rippling impact of our choices.France, 1918. Nurse Marcelle Marchand has important secrets to keep... -
![The Coldest War by Ian Tregillis]()
The Coldest War by Ian Tregillis
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSomeone is killing Britain's warlocks.Twenty-two years after the Second World War, a precarious balance of power maintains the peace between Great Britain and the USSR. For decades, the warlocks have been all that stand between the British Empire and the Soviet Union-- a vast domain stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the shores of the English Channel...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism military paranormal war 20th-century action-adventure -
![Declare by Tim Powers]()
Declare by Tim Powers
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAs a young double agent infiltrating the Soviet spy network in Nazi-occupied Paris, Andrew Hale finds himself caught up in a secret, even more ruthless war. Two decades later, in 1963, he will be forced to confront again the nightmare that has haunted his adult life: a lethal unfinished operation code-named Declare...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism myths paranormal retellings war 20th-century -
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![Necessary Evil by Ian Tregillis]()
Necessary Evil by Ian Tregillis
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratings12 May 1940. Westminster, London, England: the early days of World War II.Again.Raybould Marsh, one of "our" Britain's best spies, has travelled to another Earth in a desperate attempt to save at least one timeline from the Cthulhu-like monsters who have been observing our species from space and have already destroyed Marsh's timeline...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military paranormal war 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history -
![Dark Passage by M.J. Putney]()
Dark Passage by M.J. Putney
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Irregulars return home to 1803 England safely, but their worldview has changed. Not only have their heroic efforts at Dunkirk given them pride and confidence but their dangerous mission has increased their magical powers... -
![Polostan by Neal Stephenson]()
Polostan by Neal Stephenson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe first installment in Neal Stephenson’s three-part Bomb Light cycle, Polostan follows the early life of the enigmatic Dawn Rae Bjornberg. Born in the American West to a clan of cowboy anarchists, Dawn is raised in Leningrad after the Russian Revolution by her Russian father, a party line Leninist who re-christens her Aurora... -
![Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey]()
Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsMercedes Lackey's magical Elemental Masters series recasts familiar fairy tales in a richly-imagined alternate Victorian worldEleanor Robinson’s life had shattered when Father volunteered for the Great War, leaving her alone with a woman he had just married...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings war 20th-century action-adventure -
![Sir Nigel by Arthur Conan Doyle]()
Sir Nigel by Arthur Conan Doyle
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSir Nigel is a historical novel set during the Hundred Years' War, by the British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Written in 1906, it is a fore-runner to Doyle's earlier novel The White Company, and describes the early life of that book's hero Sir Nigel Loring in the service of King Edward III at the start of the Hundred Years' War...Categorized as:
historical-fiction medieval war 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
![The Spy with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke]()
The Spy with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSiblings Ilse and Wolf hide a deep secret in their blood: with it, they can work magic. And the government just found out. Blackmailed into service during World War II, Ilse lends her magic to America's newest weapon, the atom bomb, while Wolf goes behind enemy lines to sabotage Germany’s nuclear program... -
![Tours of the Black Clock by Steve Erickson]()
Tours of the Black Clock by Steve Erickson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCutting a terrifying path from a Pennsylvania farm to the Europe of the 1930s, Banning Jainlight becomes the private pornographer of the world's most evil man. In a Vienna window, he glimpses the face of a lost erotic dream, and from there travels to the Twentieth Century's darkest corner to confront its shocked and secret conscience... -
![Panzer Soldier by Barry Sadler]()
Panzer Soldier by Barry Sadler
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA Panzer soldier for the brutal Third Reich, Casca becomes entrenched in Hitler's Nazi war machine and is forced to pit his credit as a soldier against his moral judgment of humanity. Sporting the honorable Knight's Cross and a silver tanker's badge, Casca leads the 1st SS Panzer Regiment against the hammering forces of Ivan, the throttlehold of Russia's military...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military war 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
![Westmark by Lloyd Alexander]()
Westmark by Lloyd Alexander
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen Theo agrees to print a traveling showman's pamphlet, he only thinks of the money it will bring in. Instead, it sets off a chain reaction that results in the smashing of the press and the murder of his master. Caught on the wrong side of the law, Theo must flee the city. Soon, he has teamed up with the traveling showman Count Las Bombas (who is actually a con artist) and his servant... -
![The Magicians of Caprona by Diana Wynne Jones]()
The Magicians of Caprona by Diana Wynne Jones
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsTonino is the only person in the famous Montana household who wasn't born with an instinct for creating spells, but he has other gifts. His ability to communicate with cats just might help defend the city of Caprona against a mysterious enchanter -- but only if Tonino can learn to cooperate with a girl from the hated Petrocchi family of spell-makers... -
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![The Drawing of the Dark by Tim Powers]()
The Drawing of the Dark by Tim Powers
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 30 ratings'The Drawing of the Dark is not only one of my favourite Tim Powers novels, it's simply one of my favourite novels. The seamless and seemingly effortless blend of action and humour, the wonderful characters, the rich settings, the brilliant plot - all of it is perfect' James P...Categorized as:
arthurian historical-fiction magic magical-realism medieval military myths retellings -
![Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson]()
Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe gathering forces of the Dark Powers threatened the world of man. The legions of Faery, aided by trolls, demons and the Wild Hunt itself, were poised to overthrow the realms of light.And alone against the armies of Chaos stood one man, the knight of Three Hearts and Three Lions... -
![The Philosopher's Flight by Tom Miller]()
The Philosopher's Flight by Tom Miller
Rated: 3.84 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsA thrilling debut from ER doctor turned novelist Tom Miller, The Philosopher’s Flight is an epic historical fantasy set in a World-War-I-era America where magic and science have blended into a single extraordinary art... -
![A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones]()
A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTime City — built far in the future on a patch of space outside time — holds the formidable task of overseeing history, yet it's starting to decay, crumble .... What does that say for the future of the world ... for the past ..Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic war 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book -
![Skandal by Lindsay Smith]()
Skandal by Lindsay Smith
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMy mind is mine alone. Life in Washington, D.C., is not the safe haven Yulia hoped for when she risked everything to flee Communist Russia. Her father is reckless and aloof, and Valentin is distant and haunted by his past. Her mother is being targeted by the CIA and the US government is suspicious of Yulia's allegiance...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military paranormal war 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history book -
![Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal]()
Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsGhost Talkers: a new novel from beloved fantasy author Mary Robinette Kowal featuring the mysterious spirit corps and their heroic work in World War I.Ginger Stuyvesant, an American heiress living in London during World War I, is engaged to Captain Benjamin Hartshorne, an intelligence officer. Ginger is a medium for the Spirit Corps, a special Spiritualist force...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism military paranormal war 20th-century action-adventure -
![Steadfast by Mercedes Lackey]()
Steadfast by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 3.85 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe new novel in Mercedes Lackey’s bestselling series of an alternative Edwardian Britain, where magic is real—and Elemental Masters are in control.Lionel Hawkins is a magician whose act is only partially sleight of hand. The rest is real magic. He’s an Elemental Magician with the power to persuade the Elementals of Air to help him create amazing illusions...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings war 20th-century abuse action-adventure -
![Johnny and the Bomb by Terry Pratchett]()
Johnny and the Bomb by Terry Pratchett
Rated: 3.84 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsTwelve-year-old Johnny Maxwell has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This has never been more true than when he finds himself in his hometown on May 21, 1941, over forty years before his birth!An accidental time traveler, Johnny knows his history. He knows England is at war, and he knows that on this day German bombs will fall on the town. It happened. It's history...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic paranormal war 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history audiobook -
![The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G.K. Chesterton]()
The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G.K. Chesterton
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsIn a London of the future, the drudgery of capitalism and bureaucracy have worn the human spirit down to the point where it can barely stand. When a pint-sized clerk named Auberon Quinn is randomly selected as head of state, he decides to turn London into a medieval carnival for his own amusement...Categorized as:
british-isles europe historical-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history -
![The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke]()
The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke
Rated: 3.78 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen sixteen-year-old Ellie Baum accidentally time-travels via red balloon to 1988 East Berlin, she’s caught up in a conspiracy of history and magic. She meets members of an underground guild in East Berlin who use balloons and magic to help people escape over the Wall—but even to the balloon makers, Ellie’s time travel is a mystery... -
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![Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey]()
Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsA brand-new Elemental Masters novel from the national bestselling author Mercedes Lackey. Richard Whitestone is an Elemental Earth Master. Blaming himself for the death of his beloved wife in childbirth, he has sworn never to set eyes on his daughter, Suzanne...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings war 20th-century action-adventure -
![Breach by W.L. Goodwater]()
Breach by W.L. Goodwater
Rated: 3.73 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe first novel in a new Cold War fantasy series, where the Berlin Wall is made entirely of magic. When a breach unexpectedly appears in the wall, spies from both sides swarm to the city as World War III threatens to spark.AFTER THE WAR, THE WALL BROUGHT AN UNEASY PEACE...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal war 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley]()
The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley
Rated: 3.81 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Robin McKinley's vivid retelling of the classic story of Robin Hood breathes contemporary life into these beloved adventures, with Marian taking a pivotal role as one of Robin's best archers...Categorized as:
historical-fiction medieval myths retellings war 20th-century action-adventure adaptations -
![The Midnight Front by David Mack]()
The Midnight Front by David Mack
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsOn the eve of World War Two, Nazi sorcerers come gunning for Cade but kill his family instead. His one path of vengeance is to become an apprentice of The Midnight Front—the Allies’ top-secret magickal warfare program—and become a sorcerer himself...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic military paranormal war 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card]()
Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsCome here to the magical America that might have beenand marvel as the tale of Alvin Maker unfolds. The seventh son of a seventh son is a boy of mysterious powers, and he is waking to the mysteries of the land and its own chosen people... -
![Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis]()
Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis
Rated: 3.72 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt's 1939. The Nazis have supermen, the British have demons, and one perfectly normal man gets caught in betweenRaybould Marsh is a British secret agent in the early days of the Second World War, haunted by something strange he saw on a mission during the Spanish Civil War: a German woman with wires going into her head who looked at him as if she knew him...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic military paranormal war 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney]()
Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney
Rated: 3.69 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAt sixteen, Lady Victoria Mansfield, youngest daughter of the earl and countess of Fairmount, is destined for a charmed life and her choice of mates worthy of her status. Then she makes a terrifying discovery that will ruin her life and disgrace her family forever. Tory's blood is tainted... by magic... -
![The King by Donald Barthelme]()
The King by Donald Barthelme
Rated: 3.61 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsIn The King, a retelling of Le Morte D'Arthur, Donald Barthelme moves the chivalrous Knights of the Round Table to the cruelty of the Second World War. Dunkirk has fallen, Europe is at the breaking point, Ezra Pound and Lord Haw-Haw are poisoning the radio waves, Mordred has fled to Nazi Germany, and King Arthur and his worshipful Knights are deep in the fighting...Categorized as:
arthurian historical-fiction magical-realism myths retellings war 20th-century action-adventure -
![Alvin Journeyman by Orson Scott Card]()
Alvin Journeyman by Orson Scott Card
Rated: 3.74 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAlvin Miller, a gifted seventh son of a seventh son, utilizes his skills as a Maker to help create a brighter future for America, but his task is further challenged by his ancient enemy, the Unmaker, who plots to end Alvin's life...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic magical-realism myths paranormal 20th-century action-adventure -
![Dracula vs. Hitler by Patrick Sheane Duncan]()
Dracula vs. Hitler by Patrick Sheane Duncan
Rated: 3.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA novel worthy of being called the true sequel to Bram Stoker s Dracula, and Patrick Sheane Duncan a writer rightfully deserving to be considered that author s successor. New York Journal of Books Ravaged by the Nazi Secret Service during World War II, Romanian resistance forces turn to one of their leaders, Professor Van Helsing for any way out...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal war 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
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![After the Downfall by Harry Turtledove]()
After the Downfall by Harry Turtledove
Rated: 3.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom Harry Turtledove, the master of alternate history, comes After the Downfall, a novel of magic, epic warfare, and desperate choices.1945: Russian troops have entered Berlin, and are engaged in a violent orgy of robbery, rape, and revenge... -
![Sekret by Lindsay Smith]()
Sekret by Lindsay Smith
Rated: 3.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAn empty mind is a safe mind. Yulia knows she must hide her thoughts and control her emotions to survive in Communist Russia. But if she sometimes manipulates the black market traders by reading their thoughts when she touches their skin, so what? Anything to help her survive...Categorized as:
europe historical-fiction magic paranormal war 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history -
![Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton]()
Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
Rated: 3.68 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsIt is 922 A.D. The refined Arab courtier Ibn Fadlan is accompanying a party of Viking warriors back to their home. He is appalled by their customs—the gratuitous sexuality of their women, their disregard for cleanliness, and their cold-blooded sacrifices... -
![The Last Days of New Paris by China Miéville]()
The Last Days of New Paris by China Miéville
Rated: 3.55 of 5 stars · 30 ratings"Beauty will be convulsive...."It's 1941. In the chaos of wartime Marseille, American engineer - and occult disciple - Jack Parsons stumbles onto a clandestine anti-Nazi group, including surrealist theorist André Breton. In the strange games of the dissident diplomats, exiled revolutionaries, and avant-garde artists, Parsons finds and channels hope...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal war 20th-century 21st-century action-adventure
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