Books like 'Return to Avalon'
Readers who enjoyed Return to Avalon by Jennifer Roberson, Dave Wolverton, Paul Edwin Zimmer, Eluki bes Shahar, Judith Tarr, Katharine Kerr, Kate Elliott, Dave Smeds, Jane Lindskold, C.J. Cherryh, Laura Resnick, Deborah Wheeler, Susan Shwartz, Charles de Lint, Lawrence Schimel, Melanie Rawn, Elisabeth Waters, Diana L. Paxson, Esther M. Friesner, Andre Norton, Karen Haber & Adrienne Martine-Barnes also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy dark fantasy horror myths arthurian historical-fiction paranormal magic religion
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Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. It's inhabited by the race that rose from the seed of angels, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt. Phèdre nó Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child. Her bond was purchased by a nobleman who recognized that she was pricked by Kushiel's dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic medieval myths paranormal religion spirituality action-adventure -
Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsGeralt is a witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent.This is a collection of short stories, following the adventures of the hit collection THE LAST WISH...Categorized as:
magic medieval myths paranormal witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure anthologies -
The Tower of the Swallow by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsThe world has fallen into war. Ciri, the child of prophecy, has vanished. Hunted by friends and foes alike, she has taken on the guise of a petty bandit and lives free for the first time in her life. But the net around her is closing. Geralt, the Witcher, has assembled a group of allies determined to rescue her. Both sides of the war have sent brutal mercenaries to hunt her down... -
Necropolis by Jordan L. Hawk
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsan alternate cover edition can be found hereIntroverted scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne has spent the last few months watching his lover, Griffin Flaherty, come to terms with the rejection of his adoptive family. So when an urgent telegram from Christine summons them to Egypt, Whyborne is reluctant to risk the fragile peace they’ve established...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic myths paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure adult alternate-history -
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Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 71 ratingsGeralt is a witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent.This is a collection of short stories, following the adventures of the hit collection THE LAST WISH...Categorized as:
magic medieval myths paranormal witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure anthologies -
The Spook's Blood by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsTime is running out for Thomas Ward. His final battle against the Fiend is drawing near, and the Spook's apprentice has never felt more alone in his task. Isolated and afraid, the Fiend is set to send the greatest of his servants against him - Siscoi, a Vampire God more ferocious than anything he has yet faced... -
Rage of the Fallen by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsA dangerous few months lie ahead--ones which some of us will be hard-pressed to survive.Thomas Ward has served as the Spook's apprentice for three years. He has battled boggarts, witches, demons, and even the devil himself. Tom has enemies: The Fiend stalks him, waiting for a moment of weakness. The terrifying Morrigan, goddess of witches, warned him never to step foot on her homeland, Ireland...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic myths paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure audiobook book -
For He Can Creep by Siobhan Carroll
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsA Tor.com original, Siobhan Carroll's For He Can Creep is a dark fantasy story of poetry, devilry, and cats in a battle of good vs. evil for the fate of humanity. Nineteenth century poet Christopher Smart has been committed to St. Luke's Hospital for Lunatics believing God has commissioned him to write The Divine Poem... -
The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsArthur Pendragon is King! Unchallenged on the battlefield, he melds the country together in a time of promise. But sinister powers plot to destroy Camelot, and when the witch-queen Morgause -- Arthur's own half sister -- ensnares him in an incestuous liaison, a fatal web of love, betrayal, and bloody vengeance is woven...Categorized as:
arthurian historical-fiction magic medieval myths paranormal witches-wizards 20th-century -
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom, Бром
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA spirited young Englishwoman, Abitha, arrives at a Puritan colony betrothed to a stranger – only to become quickly widowed when her husband dies under mysterious circumstances. All alone in this pious and patriarchal society, Abitha fights for what little freedom she can grasp onto, while trying to stay true to herself and her past... -
I Am Grimalkin by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsFrom the publisher:"I'm coming for you, and nothing living or dead can stop me."One witch is the most feared, the most ruthless, and the most deadly of all the witches in the county. If she hunts for you, she will find you. If you have crossed her, you don't stand a chance. She is the witch assassin, and her name is Grimalkin.Grimalkin's one alliance is with Tom Ward, the Spook's apprentice...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic myths paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure alpha-mc audiobook -
The Spook's Mistake by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsAs danger increases in the County, Tom is sent far north by his master to be trained by Bill Arkwright, another Spook. Arkwright lives in a haunted mill on the edge of a treacherous marsh and his training methods prove to be harsh and sometimes cruel. But he has toughened up many previous apprentices and now he must do the same for Tom and prepare him for the gravest dangers of his life...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic medieval myths paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure audiobook -
The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 68 ratingsThe New York Times bestselling series that inspired the international hit video game: The Witcher Geralt is a witcher: guardian of the innocent; protector of those in need; a defender, in dark times, against some of the most frightening creatures of myth and legend. His task, now, is to protect Ciri... -
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 79 ratingsGeralt the Witcher—revered and hated—is a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good..Categorized as:
magic medieval myths paranormal witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure anthologies -
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Fulcrum of Light by C.J. Aaron
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFreedom has come at a price.Stranded on the coast of an uncharted land, Ryl will be tested as the world outside the Palisades proves darker than within.With little to no direction save the cryptic information from a mysterious stranger, Ryl must rely on his new-found skills and place his trust in his new companion. Together they forge onward into the barren wastes of the Outlands... -
Autumn of the Grimoire by J.L. Vampa
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSome witches cast spells. Others slay kings.A mysterious Grimoire. A marriage full of dark secrets. A History sculpted by a quartet of ancient Sister witches.For three hundred years, Sister Autumn has incited wars, burnt villages, killed kings, and released plagues at the bidding of the Grimoire. Meanwhile, her Sister Winter, Sister Spring, and Sister Summer have brought forth only peace... -
The Spook's Sacrifice by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsAs the Spook's apprentice Tom's first duty is to protect the County from the dark. But now Mam needs his help in her homeland of Greece. One of the most dangerous of the old gods, the Ordeen, is about to return there, bringing slaughter and devastation. Meanwhile, the Devil himself is still loose and if he and the Ordeen join forces, a new age of darkness will descend...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic myths paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure audiobook book -
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 70 ratingsGeralt the Witcher—revered and hated—is a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good..Categorized as:
magic medieval myths paranormal witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure anthologies -
Attack of the Fiend by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 40 ratings"I see your future clearly. Your master will be dead, and you will be alone. It would be better if you had never been born."Thomas Ward is the apprentice for the local Spook, who banishes boggarts and drives away ghosts. But now a new danger is threatening Tom's world. The witches are rising and the three most powerful clans are uniting in order to conjure an unimaginable evil...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic medieval myths paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure audiobook -
Rise of the Huntress by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, have returned to the county after a long journey and a hard battle. But their troubles are far from over. Their home has been over-run by enemy soldiers.Tom, Alice and the Spook flee across the ocean to the island of Mona. It's on Mona that this small band fighting against the dark will face an old enemy grown terrifyingly powerful...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic medieval myths paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure audiobook -
The Spook's Revenge by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratings‘He’s the seventh son of a seventh son. His name is Thomas J. Ward and he’s my gift to the County. When he’s old enough we’ll send you word. Train him well. He’ll be the best apprentice you’ve ever had and he’ll also be your last.’These were the words of Tom's Mam to the county Spook some years ago... -
The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsOlivia Atwater returns to the world of Half a Soul with “a sharp and beautiful gothic romance” (Alix E. Harrow). Dive into The Witchwood Knot, and enjoy a dark faerie tale set in a magical version of Victorian England.The faeries of Witchwood Manor have stolen its young lord. His governess intends to steal him back.Victorian governess Winifred Hall knows a con when she sees one...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic paranormal witches-wizards myths europe british-isles united-kingdom -
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsIn a land threatened by treacherous war and beset by demons, royal dowager Ista, released from the curse of madness and manipulated by an untrustworthy god, is plunged into a desperate struggle to preserve the endangered souls of a realm... -
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 74 ratingsThe New York Times bestselling series that inspired the international hit video game: The Witcher.For over a century, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves have lived together in relative peace. But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over, and now the races are fighting once again. The only good elf, it seems, is a dead elf...Categorized as:
magic medieval myths paranormal witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure audiobook -
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Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsCrispin is a master mosaicist, creating beautiful art with colored stones and glass. Summoned to Sarantium by imperial request, he bears a Queen's secret mission, and a talisman from an alchemist...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic medieval paranormal religion spirituality 20th-century action-adventure -
Traitors' Fate by Andy Peloquin
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOne Death Changes Two Cities ForeverIlanna, Master of the Night Guild, has waged a war for eight years to cleanse her city of the rival criminal organization that nearly destroyed it... -
The Forgotten Witch by Jessica Dodge
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHelen Kent never dares to step outside her comfort zone. She lives a lonely mundane life in the city, grinding through her uninspiring marketing job. That is, until a spontaneous online purchase brings her to the little bay town of Oban, Scotland, where a 500-year-old cottage full of secrets and stories awaits her... -
Quest for the Secret Keeper by Victoria Laurie
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDelphi Keep is awash in activity, and for Ian, Theo, and Carl, their safe haven might be nearing its end. The Royal Navy has taken the keep to use as a hospital and the tunnels running under the keep and the castle are ideal to set up a central communications outpost for the approaching war...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic myths paranormal action-adventure book children children-books -
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsBorn into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path - one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier's life in the king's army... -
The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsR. S. Belcher’s debut novel, The Six-Gun Tarot, was enthusiastically greeted by critics and readers, who praised its wildly inventive mixture of dark fantasy, steampunk, and the Wild West. Now Belcher returns to Golgotha, Nevada, a bustling frontier town that hides more than its fair share of unnatural secrets.1870...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic myths paranormal action-adventure adult alternate-history angels -
Tribute at the Gates by C.J. Aaron
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCursed from birth. Forced into slavery. It's time to fight back.The blood of the Ancients is the most coveted ingredient in all of Damaris. The fabled elixir made from it grants those who drink it life that extends far beyond natural means.There is no higher honor in the kingdom then being granted the privilege of bidding for it... -
Night of the Soul Stealer by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsIt's going to be a long, hard, cruel winter. And there couldn't be a worse place to spend it than up on Anglezarke.Thomas Ward is the apprentice for the local Spook, who captures witches and drives away ghosts. As the weather gets colder and the nights draw in, the Spook receives an unexpected visitor...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic medieval myths paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure audiobook -
A Coven of Witches by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsBeware a girl in pointy shoesA girl wearing pointy shoes might be a witch. And the first thing a spook's apprentice learns is never, ever to trust a witch.In this bone-chilling collection of tales, you will learn exactly why that is, as you encounter:a fair and beautiful woman with green scales running down her spine . . . (John Gregory, set before book 1, book 0... -
I Am Alice by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsI must be brave.I must do what has to be done.I am Alice.Alice is the most powerful witch the county has ever seen. She may one day be the most evil. But Alice is also the best friend -and true love- of Tom Ward. Together they work to defeat the Fiend -the world's greatest evil- once and for all.They have nearly everything they need, all except a blade hidden in the Dark, the Fiend's domain... -
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Men and Monsters by Elena May
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe stakes have risen. For fifty years, Prince Vladimir has tolerated the Resistance, but now they threaten what he holds dear. The vicious vampire will no longer hold back. A plan he has been working on for decades will finally reveal itself and entangle everyone standing on the way.For the first time after the Nightfall, the Resistance holds a true bargaining chip...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic medieval myths paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure apocalyptic -
Curse of the Bane by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsNow it's the dark's turn to be afraid The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, deal with the dark. Together they rid the county of witches, ghosts, and boggarts. But now there's some unfinished business to attend to in Priestown...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic medieval myths paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure audiobook -
The Secrets Of Dr Taverner (Ash Tree Press Occult Detectives Library) by Dion Fortune
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOf the many authors who have turned their hands to the creation of 'supernatural sleuths', few have been so colourful, and as contradictory, as Dion Fortune...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic paranormal religion spirituality 20th-century adult anthologies -
Throne of Darkness by Douglas Nicholas
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPerfect for fans of Game of Thrones, this novel from acclaimed author Douglas Nicholas continues the gripping dark fantasy series that Kirkus Reviews describes as "a more profound Harry Potter for adults."It's 1215 in northwest England, and mystical Irish queen Maeve and her unlikely band of warriors must protect the region from a chilling fate...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic medieval paranormal witches-wizards action-adventure adult book -
Fae: The Realm of Twilight by Graham Austin-King
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Riven Wyrde Saga continues...The Wyrde is dead and gone, its protection passed into the ether. The fae have been loosed upon the world as they begin their wild hunt, a nightmare from fable and legend made flesh. At Hesk, in the heart of the Barren Isles, Ylsriss must confront a reality she never could have imagined when her son is stolen from her by the fae... -
The Chamber of Eternity by James E. Wisher
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThe road to immortality is a long one.With the empire secure, Otto turns his focus west.The first piece of The Immortality Engine lies across the ocean in Lord Colt’s Workshop.Complicating Otto’s mission, Eddred of Markane already in Colt’s Land trying to persuade them to help him defeat the empire... -
Jilo by J.D. Horn
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAged Mother Jilo is wise in the ways of magic…but once upon a time, she was just a girl.1950s Georgia: King Cotton has fallen. Savannah is known as the “beautiful woman with a dirty face,” its stately elegance faded by neglect, its soul withering from racial injustice and political corruption... -
The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratings"The City Beautiful is the haunting, queer Jewish historical thriller of my darkest dreams." —Dahlia Adler, creator of LGBTQ Reads and editor of That Way Madness LiesDeath lurks around every corner in this unforgettable Jewish historical fantasy about a city, a boy, and the shadows of the past that bind them both together. Chicago, 1893... -
She is the Darkness by Glen Cook
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe wind whines and howls with bitter breath. Lightning snarls and barks. Rage is an animate force upon the plain of glittering stone. Even shadows are afraid.At the heart of the plain stands a vast grey stronghold, unknown, older than any written memory. One ancient tower has collapsed across the fissure... -
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsThe dead of Loraille do not rest.Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic paranormal religion spirituality action-adventure audiobook book -
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Priestess of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Diana L. Paxson
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsLong-awaited final volume in the Avalon series by bestselling fantasy author, Marion Zimmer Bradley. As the Merlin of Britannia keeps his vigil atop the Tor of Avalon, Rian, the High Priestess of Avalon, dies giving birth to her fifth child. The girl, named Eilan with her mother's dying breath, takes life... -
The Sight by David Clement-Davies
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsIn the shadow of an abandoned castle, a wolf pack seeks shelter. The she-wolf's pups will not be able to survive the harsh Transylvanian winter. And they are being stalked by a lone wolf, Morgra, possessed of a mysterious and terrifying power known as the Sight...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic medieval myths paranormal action-adventure animals anthropomorphism -
Fatemarked by David Estes
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsAlternate Cover Edition of ASIN B01MTEK3NMThey are the fatemarked. Misunderstood. Worshipped. Hated. Murdered at birth. Their time to step into the light has come.An ancient prophecy foretold their coming, the chosen few who will bring peace to a land embroiled in a century of mistrust and war. When kings start dying, that hope and belief swiftly turns to fear... -
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman, Steve West
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 19 ratings[MP3CD audiobook format in vinyl case.] Another inventive novel of epic terror by the acclaimed author of Those Across the River In the darkest days of the Dark Ages, the people of France faced both the Black Plague and desperate gangs of men who wandered the depopulated countryside looting and raping. Tomas, a disgraced knight, is one of these men...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic medieval myths paranormal religion spirituality action-adventure -
The Erstwhile by Brian Catling
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn London and Germany, strange beings are reanimating themselves. They are the Erstwhile, the angels that failed to protect the Tree of Knowledge, and their reawakening will have major consequences. In Africa, the colonial town of Essenwald has fallen into disarray because the timber workforce has disappeared into the Vorrh. Now a team of specialists are dispatched to find them... -
Revelator by Daryl Gregory
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the acclaimed author of Spoonbenders comes the gripping tale of a family's mysterious religion, and the daughter who turns her back on their god. In 1933, nine-year-old Stella is left in the care of her grandmother, Motty, in the backwoods of Tennessee...
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