Books like 'The Lost Level'
Readers who enjoyed The Lost Level by Brian Keene also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy horror action / adventure dark fantasy pulp animals sword-planet sword-sorcery post-apocalyptic dark
-
Deadhouse Landing by Ian C. Esslemont
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAfter the disappointments of Li Heng, Dancer and Kellanved wash up on a small insignificant island named Malaz. Immediately, of course, Kellanved plans to take it over. To do so they join forces with a small band of Napans who have fled a civil war on their own home island... -
Overworld by Rohan M. Vider
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA magic apocalypse. Refugees from Earth. A new world. Elves, orcs, and dragons!Portals from Overworld have appeared on Earth, and beings intent on conscripting humanity into the mysterious Trials have invaded.Earth is doomed. Humanity has been exiled...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic sword-sorcery action-adventure apocalyptic audiobook book dark-fantasy -
Sylver Seeker by Kennit Kenway
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAfter fulfilling the duty all Arch Necromancers are tasked with, the last thing Sylver Sezari expected was to be reborn. He was usually the one reanimating dead things. How ironic. But reborn he was. And after crawling his way back into the land of the living, he finds himself a strange land, a strange time, and with a strange floating screen in front of his new face... -
Skulduggery 4 by Logan Jacobs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBuilding a Criminal EmpireLord of the Rings + Breaking Bad + The Sopranos = Skulduggery With each rival my syndicate eliminates two more appear, and they are out for blood. The assassin’s guild, the dwarven miners, and the elven overlords are all looking to put our heads on a pike... -
-
Magic-Scars by C.L. Schneider
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThey took it all: his will, his memories, his freedom, his magic. Imprisoned by his enemies, tortured and drugged to keep his magic suppressed, Ian Troy returns to a world as marred and broken as he is. Ravaged by the reign of her new High King, Draken of Langor, Mirra’kelan’s citizens live in fear. The Shinree, misled by Jem Reth’s promises, are no longer slaves, but they are far from free... -
Queen of the Night Guild by Andy Peloquin
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHer life burned to ashes. Her city under siege. She will sacrifice everything she has for bloody vengeance.Ilanna has lost everything: her friends, her home, her family, her dreams of freedom. All that remains is a burning desire to find the bastards who burned down her city and tried to kill her.But a traitor hides among the ranks of the Night Guild, poisoning her friends and allies with lies... -
Skulduggery 3 by Logan Jacobs
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBuilding a Criminal EmpireLord of the Rings + Breaking Bad + The Sopranos = Skulduggery The best part of being a human is everyone constantly underestimates you, and that means they never see it coming when your dagger plunges into their heart. Our business is growing, but so is our list of enemies... -
The Free Bastards by Jonathan French
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe long-awaited war has come in the sweeping conclusion to the Lot Lands trilogy--another irresistibly swashbuckling, swaggering, foul-mouthed fantasy.The long-awaited war has come in the sweeping conclusion to the Lot Lands trilogy--another irresistibly swashbuckling, swaggering, foul-mouthed fantasy... -
Idols Fall by Mike Shel
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“AT LONG LAST, EVEN GODS WILL KNOW REGRET…”Agnes Manteo now bears her father’s sentient Djao sword, along with a terrible revelation—the gods are charlatans, ancient sorcerers who draw their strength from the suffering of humanity. She and her Syraeic companions have but one duty: to track down those pretenders and end their reign of cruelty and lies, no matter the cost... -
The Core by Peter V. Brett
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsFor time out of mind, bloodthirsty demons have stalked the night, culling the human race to scattered remnants dependent on half-forgotten magics to protect them. Then two heroes arose—men as close as brothers, yet divided by bitter betrayal...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic sword-sorcery action-adventure adult audiobook book dark-fantasy -
Crowfall by Ed McDonald
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsCrowfall is a gritty epic fantasy for fans of Mark Lawrence, Scott Lynch and Daniel Polansky.'Dark, twisty and excellent . . . Grimdark with heart' Mark LawrenceA sorceress cataclysm has hit the Range, the final defensive line between the Republic and the immortal Deep Kings... -
Thief of the Night Guild by Andy Peloquin
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe impossible becomes inevitable with the fate of her loved ones hanging in the balance…A cunning thief of unrivaled ingenuity, Ilanna is determined to secure her freedom at any cost. No price is too high to break the shackles of the Night Guild's callous cruelty.With her future on the line, nothing will stand in her way, not even the most powerful man in Praamis, Duke Phonnis... -
The Gryphon's Lair by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe exciting follow-up book in the fantastical duology for ages 10-14 by NYT bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong.Rowan is now the Royal Monster Hunter, and her twin brother, Rhydd, is destined to be king. But her mother's cousin Heward is still determined that his children be the ones to inherit the titles, and will stop at nothing to show that Rowan and Rhydd are too immature to properly lead...Categorized as:
animals dark sword-sorcery action-adventure anthropomorphism audiobook book children -
Legacy of Light by Matthew Ward
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWarfare, myth and magic collide in Legacy of Light, the spectacular conclusion to Matthew Ward's acclaimed Legacy trilogy.For the first time in many years, the Tressian Republic and the Hadari Empire are at peace. But war never sleeps.In Tregard, Empress Melanna Saranal struggles to protect a throne won at great cost... -
-
Out of Space and Time: Volume 1 by Clark Ashton Smith
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFantasmagical voyages into alien landscapes!Incredible worlds, impossibly beautiful cities, and still more fantastic creatures-Forays into the unnameable beyond the tomb-Macabre and ghoulish tales of weird-heroic fantasy and sheer terror-Clark Ashton SmithNone strikes the note of cosmic horror as well as Clark Ashton Smith... -
The Door to Saturn by Clark Ashton Smith
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsPublished in chronological order, with extensive story and bibliographic notes, this series not only provides access to stories that have been out of print for years, but gives them a historical and social context. Series editors Scott Conners and Ronald S... -
The Pillars of Sand by Mark T. Barnes, Nick Podehl
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe epic conclusion of the Echoes of Empire trilogy.Prophecy declared that corrupt politician Corajidin would rule the Shrīanese Federation, even become its new Emperor and sinister magic has helped him defy death in order to do it. But his victory is not assured, thanks to clashing rival factions that hinder any attempts to unify the nation... -
Child of the Night Guild by Andy Peloquin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThey killed her family. They ripped apart her home. But to repay her debts, she'll have to sacrifice her innocence. Robbed of everything she loves, Viola mourns the sudden loss of her mother. Now burdened with an impossible debt to the Night Guild, she’s forced to train as a cunning thief... -
Hyperborea by Clark Ashton Smith
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsScience Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy... -
Academy of Outcasts by Larry Correia
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA brand new fantasy world from Larry Correia, bestselling author of Monster Hunter International! All Oz Carnavon ever wanted was to become a master mage. Except, to do so requires the natural gifts or wealth necessary to secure an appointment to one of the prestigious magical academies in the Core City at the center of the seven realms. Oz had neither... -
The Seven by Peter Newman
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsYears have passed since the Vagrant journeyed to the Shining City, Vesper in arm and Gamma’s sword in hand.Since then the world has changed. Vesper, following the footsteps of her father, journeyed to the breach and closed the tear between worlds, protecting the last of humanity, but also trapping the infernal horde and all those that fell to its corruptions: willing or otherwise...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic sword-sorcery action-adventure apocalyptic audiobook book cyberpunk -
Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsThe epic tale of Elric of Melnibone, albino prince of ruins, moves to it's awesome conclusion -with the whole of the natural and supernatural world in mighty conflict - the final conflict, Armageddon. Elric holds the key to the future: the new age which must follow the destruction.To turn that key he must sacrifice all that he loves and risk his very soul... -
The Thickety: The Whispering Trees by J.A. White, Moira Quirk
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe second book in J. A. White s critically acclaimed middle grade fantasy series continues the fantastical story of Kara and her journey into the Thickety.After Kara Westfall s village turns on her for practicing witchcraft, she and her brother Taff flee to the one place they know they won t be followed: the Thickety. Only this time the forest demon Sordyr is intent on keeping them there... -
The True Bastards by Jonathan French
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe sequel to The Grey Bastards--another irresistibly swashbuckling, swaggering, foul-mouthed adventure fantasy.Fetching was once the only female rider in the Lot Lands. Now she is the leader of her own hoof, a band of loyal half-orcs sworn to her command. But in the year since she took power, the True Bastards have struggled to survive... -
-
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsIn the luscious, dark sequel to One Dark Window, Elspeth must face the consequences of what she's wrought - perfect for readers of Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf and Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching.Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders... -
Aching God by Mike Shel
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 24 ratings“Closer, mortal. You are here, finally, to feed the Aching God…” The days of adventure are passed for Auric Manteo. Retired to the countryside and isolated with his scars and riches, he no longer delves into forbidden ruins seeking dark wisdom and treasure. But just as old nightmares begin plaguing his sleep, he receives an urgent summons back to that old life... -
Sin Eater by Mike Shel
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 20 ratings"I SHALL BAPTIZE YOU, SIR, AND MY BAPTISM WILL BURN YOUR FOLLY AND FLESH AWAY!"A year has passed since Auric Manteo descended into the haunted depths of a Djao ruin to return a lethal artifact, only to face down a bloodthirsty, imprisoned god. Now his daughter Agnes comes to bring him back to the capital with promises of hidden secrets finally revealed... -
Midnight Sun: The Complete Stories of Kane by Karl Edward Wagner
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMidnight Sun is the companion volume to Gods in Darkness, and collects all of the Kane short stories and poetry. The Complete Stories of Kane... -
Gods in Darkness: The Complete Novels of Kane by Karl Edward Wagner
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsKane An immortal, cursed to wander the Earth until he is destroyed by the violence that he himself has created. A warrior and statesman: As comfortable in the shadowy halls of courtly intrigue as he is on the bloody battlefields where those intrigue's inevitably play themselves out... -
Night Winds by Karl Edward Wagner
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsKANE - The Mystic Swordsman ranges Earth and Time to confront the demons of darknessWhere once the mighty Kane has passed, no one who lives forgets. Now, down the trail of past battles, Kane travels again. To the ruins of a devastated city peopled only with half-men and the waif they call their queen... -
Death Angel's Shadow by Karl Edward Wagner, Les Edwards
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsA quest that took Kane into forbidden wastelands, and tested his killer skills against the most brutal forces ever summoned against a single man. Kane knew he'd lost his strength, and perhaps his soul, when he entered the erotic web of the vampire. . . -
The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E. Howard
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWritten in the 1930s as a serial for Weird Tales, the famous pulp magazine, Hour of the Dragon is the only novel by Howard featuring his greatest creation, Conan the barbarian. This powerful novel of violent adventure has spawned many imitations in the genre over the years, including a series of best-selling paperbacks which, in imitation of Howard, continued the adventures of Conan... -
The Black Stranger and Other American Tales by Robert E. Howard
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRobert E. Howard is celebrated as the founding father of sword-and-sorcery, the creator of Conan of Cimmeria and Kull of Atlantis. The Black Stranger and Other American Tales demonstrates that in some of his most powerful heroic fantasy and horror stories, he also explored a New World older and more haunted than that which we’ve seen in textbooks or museum exhibits... -
Steel, Blood & Fire by Allan Batchelder
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTARMUN VYKERS His awestruck opponents call him The Reaper, an iron-willed man with no memory of his past, a ruthless champion who has risen to the level of death incarnate. But The Reaper has collected a legion of enemies as he cut a bloody swath through the greatest of heroes and villains. And these dogs have finally had their day, exacting a revenge both cruel and creative... -
-
Darkbeam Part I by Adrienne Woods
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEveryone in Paegeia knows that only one Rubicon dragon lives at a time.If more than one, they will destroy Paegeia and eventually the rest of the world as they crave that constant power for dominance.Blake Leaf is this era's Rubicon, and is destined for great things if his darkness can be won.Darkbeam Part 1 follows the story of the Rubicon and how he tries to keep his beast, the darkness, at bay... -
The Ruthless by Peter Newman
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsReturn to a world of crystal armour, savage wilderness, and corrupt dynasties in book two of The Deathless series.THE REBELFor years, Vasin Sapphire has been waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Now, as other Deathless families come under constant assault from the monsters that roam the Wild, that time has come...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic sword-sorcery action-adventure adult audiobook book dark-fantasy -
Underling Revenge by Craig Halloran
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAs Venir struggles to survive the wrath of the underlings, Fogle Boon the wizard and Mood the Blood Ranger continue the search for their missing comrade. But how will they find a man that completely disappeared from Bish without a trace? Back in the City of Bone, Melegal the thief is pushed to the limits under the thumb of the powerful Royal Lord Almen... -
The Warrior King by Michael Wallace
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMarching at the head of a vast army, the young ruler of the Free Kingdoms lays siege to the Dark Citadel, hoping to throw down the Dark Wizard before he can recover from the crushing defeat of the previous summer.But the Dark Wizard's weakness was only a feint, and he emerges from his citadel at the head of an unstoppable force of undead knights... -
An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat by Glen Cook
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Dread Empire, a gritty world of larger-than-life plots, nation-shattering conflict, maddening magic, strange creatures, and raw, flawed heroes, all shown through the filter of Glen Cook's inimitable war-correspondent prose... -
Unholy by Richard Lee Byers, Kevin Kraft
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsJoin heroes fighting the undead hordes!A powerful undead sorcerer reigns in Thay over a frightened people and hordes of undead. The mageocracy in exile, masters of no more than their beaten army, watch from distant shores as the new King of Thay prepares a great magical ritual--a ritual they cannot allow him to bring to completion... -
The Desert and the Blade by S.M. Stirling
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn his novels of the Change, New York Times bestselling author S.M. Stirling presents “a devastated, mystical world that will appeal to fans of traditional fantasy as well as post-apocalyptic SF... -
The White-Luck Warrior: The Aspect-Emperor Book Two by R. Scott Bakker
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsPraised by fans and critics worldwide, R. Scott Bakker has become one of the most celebrated new voices in fantasy literature. Now he returns with the long awaited White Luck Warrior—the chilling second book in the epic Aspect- Emperor series... -
The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsNew York Times-bestselling Tad Williams’ ground-breaking epic fantasy saga of Osten Ard begins an exciting new cycle! • Volume One of The Last King of Osten ArdThe Dragonbone Chair, the first volume of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, was published in hardcover in October, 1988, launching the series that was to become one of the seminal works of modern epic fantasy... -
Elric: Song of the Black Sword by Michael Moorcock
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsThe founders of modern literary fancy deserve their own place in the light. The Borealis Legends line is a tribute to the creators of the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres as we know them today... -
-
Swords Against Wizardry by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsFahrd and the Gray Mouser, master swordsmen, are determined to climb to the summit of Stardock, a dangerously steep mountain, in search of treasure... -
The Best of Robert E. Howard: Crimson Shadows (Volume 1) by Robert E. Howard
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsRobert E. Howard is one of the most famous and influential pulp authors of the twentieth century. Though largely known as the man who invented the sword-and-sorcery genre-and for his iconic hero Conan the Cimmerian-Howard also wrote horror tales, desert adventures, detective yarns, epic poetry, and more... -
The Swords of Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsOne of them was a huge, brawny, full-bearded barbarian from the northlands of Nehwon. His name was Fafhrd, his weapon a broadsword. The other was a small, nimble man dressed all in gray. Men called him the Gray Mouser, and he carried both rapier and dirk. They were known throughout the city of Lankhmar as brawlers, cutpurses, and rogues... -
Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsThe Church of Armes of the Light has battled the forces of Darkness for as long as anyone can remember. The great prophecy has foretold that a band of misfits, led by a high priestess will defeat the Dark Lord Darvezian, armed with their wits, the blessing of the Light and an artifact stolen from the merciless Spider Queen.Their journey will be long, hard and fraught with danger... -
Dark Crusade by Karl Edward Wagner
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsKANEThe Mystic Swordsman battles the prophet of an ancient cult of evil that began before the birth of Man.Out of the blackness of an almost forgotten past, the cruel cult of Sataki has come to life again. A daring outlaw, Orted, is its prophet. He draws thousands of converts to his Dark Crusade - TO DESTROY MANKIND... -
Swords in the Mist by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsIn Swords in the Mist, lean times in Lankhmar force brothers-in-arms Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser to part ways. Only after a joust of wits and swords do the friends join together again, stealing the ship the Black Treasurer and sailing round and through The Claws. Fighting sea kings, curses and seven-eyed wizards, the pair set out on their heroic wanderings through the wilds of Nehwon...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.