Books like 'Deryni Checkmate'
Readers who enjoyed Deryni Checkmate by Katherine Kurtz also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy high fantasy alternate history action / adventure supernatural magic epic historical-fiction medieval
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The Way of the Hunter by Samer Rabadi
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCan Eight handle his biggest challenge yet? Civilization.He’s carved a home out in the wilderness, and met its inhabitants—killing some and making friends with others. Things are looking downright cozy, in a bushcraft kind of way, but there’s a village to the east with tools, resources, and new magic to learn. That’s all incredibly tempting when living among the wild things... -
First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsFor Gaius Octavian, life has been one long battle. Now, the end of all he fought for is close at hand. The brutal, dreaded Vord are on the march against Alera. And perhaps for the final time, Gaius Octavian and his legions must stand against the enemies of his people. And it will take all his intelligence, ingenuity, and furycraft to save their world from eternal darkness...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic medieval paranormal politics action-adventure alternate-history -
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsBy scheming and theft, the Thief of Eddis has become King of Attolia. Eugenides wanted the queen, not the crown, but he finds himself trapped in a web of his own making.Then he drags a naive young guard into the center of the political maelstrom. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king's caprice, but his contempt for Eugenides slowly turns to grudging respect...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic medieval paranormal politics action-adventure alternate-history -
Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 55 ratingsIn his acclaimed Codex Alera novels, bestselling author Jim Butcher has created a fascinating world in which the powerful forces of nature take physical form. For millennia, the people of Alera have used their unique bond with these elementals for protection. Now, as enemies become allies, and friends become bitter foes, a danger beyond reckoning looms. . .Categorized as:
epic magic medieval paranormal politics action-adventure alternate-history audiobook -
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Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsThe power-hungry High Lord of Kalare has launched a rebellion against the aging First Lord, Gaius Sextus, who with the loyal forces of Alera must fight beside the unlikeliest of allies-the equally contentious High Lord of Aquitaine...Categorized as:
epic magic medieval paranormal politics action-adventure alternate-history audiobook -
The King's Traitor by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAgainst all odds, Owen Kiskaddon grew from frightened boy to confident youth to trusted officer in the court of Kingfountain—and watched its regent, Severn Argentine, grow ever more ruthless and power-mad. Robbed of his beloved protector, his noble mentor, and his true love, Owen has anticipated the day when the king he fears and reviles, yet loyally serves, will be toppled...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic paranormal politics action-adventure alternate-history arthurian -
Portal to Nova Roma: Venice by J.R. Mathews
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsAlexander and his growing legion have managed to escape Nova Roma and, more importantly, learned that the rest of the world may not be as ravaged and destroyed as they had all thought!Join them as they set sail for ancient Venice, the Queen of the Adriatic, to try to learn more about the wider world outside Nova Roma... -
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... -
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 56 ratingsMore than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles... -
Kushiel's Mercy by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsHaving learned a lesson about thwarting the will of the gods, Imriel and Sidonie publicly confess their affair, only to see the country boil over in turmoil. Younger generations, infatuated by their heart-twisting, star-cross romance, defend the couple...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic medieval paranormal politics suspense action-adventure -
Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsMighty Kushiel, of rod and wealLate of the brazen portalsWith blood-tipp'd dart a wound unhealedPricks the eyen of chosen mortalsThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. The inhabiting race rose from the seed of angels and men, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.Phèdre nó Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic paranormal politics religion spirituality action-adventure -
Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsMy blood beat hard in my veins and hammered in my ears, like the sound of bronze wings clashing. And I understand for the first time what it meant that Kushiel, the One God's punisher, had loved his charges too well...Imriel de la Courcel's blood parents are history's most reviled traitors, while his adoptive parents, Phèdre and Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic medieval paranormal politics suspense action-adventure -
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 48 ratingsRevengeWhen Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis, stole Hamiathes's Gift, the Queen of Attolia lost more than a mythical relic. She lost face. Everyone knew that Eudenides had outwitted and escaped her. To restore her reputation and reassert her power, the Queen of Attolia will go to any length and accept any help that is offered... she will risk her country to execute the perfect revenge...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic medieval paranormal politics action-adventure alternate-history -
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsWhen the children of his village were struck with a mysterious illness, Number Ten Ox sought a wiseman to save them. He found master Li Kao, a scholar with a slight flaw in his character. Together, they set out to find the Great Root of Power, the only possible cure...Categorized as:
classics epic historical-fiction magic paranormal 20th-century action-adventure adult -
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The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsHis father and uncles are enchanters, his mother a powerful sorceress, yet nothing seems magical about Christopher Chant except his dreams. Night after night, he climbs through the formless Place Between and visits marvelous lands he calls the Almost Anywheres. Then Christopher discovers that he can bring real, solid things back from his dreams...Categorized as:
classics magic paranormal 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history animals audiobook -
Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsImriel de la Courcel's blood parents are history's most reviled traitors, but his adoptive parents, the Comtesse Phèdre and the warrior-priest Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions.Stolen, tortured, and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood, third in line for the throne in a land that revels in art, beauty, and desire...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic medieval paranormal politics suspense action-adventure -
Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsThe Thrilling Sequel To Sailing To SarantiumBeckoned by the Emperor Valerius, Crispin, a renowned mosaicist, has arrived in the fabled city of Sarantium. Here he seeks to fulfill his artistic ambitions and his destiny high upon a dome that will become the emerror's magnificent sanctuary and legacy.But the beauty and solitude of his work cannot protect his from Sarantium's intrigue...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic paranormal politics religion spirituality 21st-century -
Naamah's Blessing by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsReturning to Terre d'Ange, Moirin finds the royal family broken. Wracked by unrelenting grief at the loss of his wife, Queen Jehanne, King Daniel is unable to rule. Prince Thierry, leading an expedition to explore the deadly jungles of Terra Nova, is halfway across the world... -
The Other Merlin by Robyn Schneider
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWelcome to the great kingdom of Camelot. Prince Arthur’s a depressed botanist who would rather marry a library than a princess, Lancelot’s been demoted to castle guard after a terrible misunderstanding, and nothing is going according to plan... -
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 89 ratingsLost in a new world, Lyra finds Will—a boy on the run, a murderer—a worthy and welcome ally. For this is a world where soul-eating Specters stalk the streets and witches share the skies with troops of angels.Each is searching—Lyra for the meaning of Dark Matter, Will for his missing father—but what they find instead is a deadly secret, a knife of untold power... -
Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsIn Under Heaven, Kay tells a story of honor and power, this time in a setting that evokes the dazzling Tang Dynasty of eighth-century China. In recognition of his service to the Emperor of Kitai, Shen Tai has been sent a mysterious and dangerous gift: 250 Sardian horses. Wisely the gift comes with the stipulation that the horses must be claimed in person...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction paranormal politics 21st-century action-adventure adult alternate-history -
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... -
Immortal Swordslinger 4 by Dante King
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEthan Murphy lo Pashat has returned to Radiant Dragon, and everything seems normal until a mysterious monastery appears in Flametongue Valley. Guildmaster Xilarion sends Ethan and his friends to the monastery for a new kind of training that will unlock their most powerful forms of Augmenting so far... -
Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsJacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of the Kushiel's Legacy series, delivers book two in her new lushly imagined trilogy featuring daughter of Alba, Moirin.Far from the land of her birth, Moirin sets out across Tatar territory to find Bao, the proud and virile Ch'in fighter who holds the missing half of her diadh-anam, the divine soul-spark of her mother's people... -
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Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsI lean forward, pushing my body out past the battlements. The wind plucks at my cloak, buffets against me, as if it would carry me off in flight, just like the birds or the knight's soul. Let go, it cries, I will take you far, far away. I want to laugh at the exhilarating feeling, I will catch you, it whistles seductively.The convent has returned Sybella to a life that nearly drove her mad...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic medieval paranormal religion spirituality abuse action-adventure -
Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Bryn
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe ocean is uncontrollable and dangerous. But to the sirens who swim the warm island waters, it’s a home more than worth protecting from the humans and their steam-propelled ships. Between their hypnotic voices and the strength of their powerful tails, sirens have little to fear. That is, until the ruthless pirate captain, Kian, creates a device to cancel out their songs... -
The Celestial Globe by Marie Rutkoski
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAfter stealing her father’s eyes back from Prince Rodolfo, Petra Kronos lives in constant danger. She and her tin spider, Astrophil, end up hiding out in London, where she learns more about her magical abilities. London has its charms (like Petra’s attractive fencing master), but Petra needs to get back to Bohemia and her father...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book children children-books -
The First Step by Tao Wong
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsLong Wu Ying never expected to join a Sect or become a real cultivator. His days were spent studying, planting rice on the family farm and spending time with his friends. Fate, however, has different plans for Wu Ying and when the army arrives at his village, he and many other members of the village are conscripted... -
Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsOnce there were great magicians born to the Maghuin Dhonn, the folk of the Brown Bear, the oldest tribe in Alba. But generations ago, the greatest of them all broke a sacred oath sworn in the name of all his people. Now only small gifts remain to them. Through her lineage, Moirin possesses such gifts—the ability to summon the twilight and conceal herself, and the skill to coax plants to grow...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic medieval paranormal action-adventure alternate-history audiobook -
The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAfter spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic paranormal action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history audiobook -
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 81 ratingsWill is the bearer of the knife. Now, accompanied by angels, his task is to deliver that powerful, dangerous weapon to Lord Asriel - by the command of his dying father.But how can he go looking for Lord Asriel when Lyra is gone? Only with her help can he fathom the myriad plots and intrigues that beset him...Categorized as:
classics epic magic paranormal religion spirituality action-adventure alternate-history -
The Queen's Poisoner by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsKing Severn Argentine’s fearsome reputation precedes him: usurper of the throne, killer of rightful heirs, ruthless punisher of traitors. Attempting to depose him, the Duke of Kiskaddon gambles…and loses. Now the duke must atone by handing over his young son, Owen, as the king’s hostage. And should his loyalty falter again, the boy will pay with his life...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic medieval paranormal action-adventure alternate-history assassins -
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:
classics epic historical-fiction magic paranormal politics 20th-century action-adventure -
Sword of the Ronin by Travis Heermann
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn 13th-Century Japan, a land of ancient spirits, shapeshifting animals, and demons, Ken'ishi is a warrior without a master. Orphaned in infancy, he has only one link to his past - Silver Crane, his father's sword. When Silver Crane is stolen, Ken'ishi must go on a quest to recover his very identity. The crime lord known as Green Tiger holds the key to Ken'ishi's past...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction medieval action-adventure alternate-history book coming-of-age fiction -
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Immortal Swordslinger 2 by Dante King
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSent to a foreign land torn apart by strife, Ethan learns more powerful techniques, discovers new combination elements, and meets a siren princess...Categorized as:
epic action-adventure adult alternate-history ancient-china ancient-civilization audiobook book -
Flora's Dare by Ysabeau S. Wilce
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFlora Fyrdraaca wants nothing more than to be a ranger, and for that she must master the magickal—and dangerous—language of Gramatica. But before she can find the ideal teacher, her aspirations are put to the test...Categorized as:
epic magic paranormal 21st-century action-adventure alternate-history alternate-universe book -
Brilliance of the Moon by Lian Hearn
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA beautiful, haunting evocation of the medieval Japan of Lian Hearn's imagination, this thrilling follow-up to Grass for His Pillow and Across the Nightingale Floor delves deeper into the complex loyalties that bind its characters from birth...Categorized as:
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Grass for His Pillow by Lian Hearn
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsPraised for its epic scope and descriptive detail, Across the Nightingale Floor, the first book in the Tales of the Otori series, was an international bestseller and critical success, named by the London Times as "the most compelling novel to have been published this year... -
Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAnnith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic medieval paranormal action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history assassins -
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsSophos, under the guidance of yet another tutor, practices his swordplay and strategizes escape scenarios should his father's villa come under attack. How would he save his mother? His sisters? Himself? Could he reach the horses in time? Where would he go? But nothing prepares him for the day armed men, silent as thieves, swarm the villa courtyard ready to kill, to capture, to kidnap...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic medieval paranormal politics action-adventure alternate-history -
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsIn his black-walled fortress at Inuyama, the warlord Iida Sadamu surveys his famous nightingale floor. Constructed with exquisite skill, it sings at the tread of each human foot. No assassin can cross it unheard.The youth Takeo has been brought up in a remote mountain village among the Hidden, a reclusive and spiritual people who have taught him only the ways of peace... -
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 63 ratingsThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good... and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt. Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic paranormal politics action-adventure alternate-history angels -
Igniting Darkness by Robin LaFevers
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom New York Times best-selling author Robin LaFevers comes the follow up to “sharp and breathless” (Kirkus Reviews) historical fantasy Courting Darkness. Set in the world of the beloved His Fair Assassin series, this is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Game of Thrones...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic paranormal action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history assassins audiobook -
Eight Skilled Gentlemen by Barry Hughart
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsOnce again World Fantasy Award-winner Barry Hughart blends folklore and fantasy to create a work of enchantment set in an ancient China that never was…but should have been. Master Li and Number Ten Ox—heroes of Bridge of Birds and The Story of the Stone—return to solve the mystery of how and why respected mandarins are being mysteriously murdered...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic paranormal 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history -
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Monster Core 2 by Dante King
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“Now, we become adventurers. . .” Von Dominus continues to build Zagorath into a lair worthy of an evil overlord. When a new item brings another realm to his fingertips, it’s time the dungeon did a little diving of his own... -
Of Limited Loyalty by Michael A. Stackpole
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratings1767. In the three years since defeating the Tharyngians at Anvil Lake, The Crown Colonies of Mystria have prospered. Colonists, whether hunting for new land or the Promised Land of prophecy, have pushed beyond the bounds of charters granted by the Queen of Norisle. Some of these new communities have even had the temerity to tell the Crown they are no longer subject to its authorities...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure adult alternate-history book colonization -
Sanctuary by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsTHE LOST CITY OF THE DESERTKiron had achieved more than he had ever dreamed possible. On the back of his dragon, Avatre, he had crossed the vast desert and reached Alta, the kingdom of his birth. Once there, he had been accepted into the Jousters compound and had shared his most valuable secret: how to raise and tame dragons.But there was also a dark side to Kiron's life...Categorized as:
epic magic medieval paranormal action-adventure alternate-history anthologies audiobook -
Steles of the Sky by Elizabeth Bear
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsElizabeth Bear concludes her award-winning epic fantasy trilogyRe Temur, exiled heir to his grandfather’s Khaganate, has finally raised his banner and declared himself at war with his usurping uncle. With his companions—the Wizard Samarkar, the Cho-tse Hrahima, and the silent monk Brother Hsiung—he must make his way to Dragon Lake to gather his army of followers...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic paranormal action-adventure adult alternate-history animals -
The Palace of Lost Memories by C.J. Archer
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsFrom the author of the USA Today bestselling GLASS AND STEELE series comes this captivating new fantasy. The king's magnificent palace was built in a matter of weeks. No one saw the builders, no villagers are allowed beyond the gilded gate, and only one servant has ever left...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction magic paranormal action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book -
Cold Steel by Kate Elliott
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTrouble, treachery, and magic just won't stop plaguing Cat Barahal. The Master of the Wild Hunt has stolen her husband Andevai. The ruler of the Taino kingdom blames her for his mother's murder. The infamous General Camjiata insists she join his army to help defeat the cold mages who rule Europa. An enraged fire mage wants to kill her...
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