Books like 'Belfagor: A Tale (1840)'
Readers who enjoyed Belfagor: A Tale (1840) by Niccolò Machiavelli also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy supernatural classics early-modern humor university politics myths demons
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The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 78 ratingsThe story takes the form of a series of letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, a junior "tempter" named Wormwood, so as to advise him on methods of securing the damnation of a British man, known only as "the Patient".Screwtape holds an administrative post in the bureaucracy ("Lowerarchy") of Hell, and acts as a mentor to Wormwood, the inexperienced tempter... -
![The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm]()
The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 68 ratingsOriginally titled Children’s and Household Tales, The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales contains the essential bedtime stories for children worldwide for the better part of two centuries. The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, were German linguists and cultural researchers who gathered legendary folklore and aimed to collect the stories exactly as they heard them...Categorized as:
classics humor literary-fiction myths retellings action-adventure animals anthologies -
![King of Gods Book V by Fast Food Restaurant]()
King of Gods Book V by Fast Food Restaurant
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAfter taking a mission to search for traces of factions from other countries, Zhao Feng finds himself back in his hometown. He visits his old family and helps them deal with a little predicament, then meets with the Broken Moon Clan disciple who reported the mission...Categorized as:
literary-fiction myths retellings adult ancient-china ancient-civilization book epic -
![Midlife Magic & Medusa by Meredith Carlisle]()
Midlife Magic & Medusa by Meredith Carlisle
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAlex has barely strapped on her magical training wheels when a gorgon slithers into town! Medusa isn’t just seeking asylum, either. She expects Alex’s help in breaking her own family’s infamous curse.Old hatred runs deep in creatures with such long memories, and keeping the entire town from going after Medusa with their own torches and pitchforks may prove impossible... -
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![The Classic Fairy Tales by Maria Tatar]()
The Classic Fairy Tales by Maria Tatar
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThis Norton Critical Edition collects forty-four fairy tales, from the fifth century to the present. The Classic Fairy Tales focuses on six tale types: "Little Red Riding Hood," "Beauty and the Beast," "Snow White," "Cinderella," "Bluebeard," and "Hansel and Gretel," and presents multicultural variants and sophisticated literary rescriptings...Categorized as:
classics literary-fiction myths retellings university anthologies children children-books -
![The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton]()
The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsVirginia Hamilton (1936-2002), a giant in the world of children's literature, was the first African-American woman to win a Newbery Medal and the first children's book author to be awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant... -
![The Journey to the West, Volume 1 by Wu Cheng'en]()
The Journey to the West, Volume 1 by Wu Cheng'en
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFirst published in 1592, The Journey to the West, volume I, comprises the first twenty-five chapters of Anthony C. Yu's four-volume translation of Hsi-yu Chi, one of the most beloved classics of Chinese literature...Categorized as:
classics early-modern humor literary-fiction myths retellings university action-adventure -
![Tales from Ovid by Ovid]()
Tales from Ovid by Ovid
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsWhen Michael Hofmann and James Lasdun's ground-breaking anthology After Ovid (also Faber) was published in 1995, Hughes's three contributions to the collective effort were nominated by most critics as outstanding...Categorized as:
classics literary-fiction myths retellings university 20th-century adult ancient-civilization -
![The Deliverer by Linda Rios Brook]()
The Deliverer by Linda Rios Brook
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAncient language expert Samantha Yale returns to translate a new batch of scrolls written by the fallen angel from Lucifer’s Flood. Samantha Yale has taken on a daunting translation project. A set of scrolls, delivered by a man she knows nothing about, tells a fascinating and frightening tale of what went on behind the scenes of biblical history... -
![A Confederate General from Big Sur / Dreaming of Babylon / The Hawkline Monster by Richard Brautigan]()
A Confederate General from Big Sur / Dreaming of Babylon / The Hawkline Monster by Richard Brautigan
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsRichard Brautigan was the author of ten novels, including a contemporary classic, Trout Fishing in America, nine volumes of poetry, and a collection of stories.Here are three Brautigan novels--A Confederate General from Big Sur, Dreaming of Babylon and The Hawkline Monster--reissues in a one-volume omnibus edition... -
![The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales by Chris Baldick]()
The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales by Chris Baldick
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBrimming with tales of terror, suspense, and the uncanny, this work offers the first collection devoted to the Gothic genre. Each story contains the common elements of the gothic tale--a warped sense of time, a claustrophobic setting, a link to archaic modes of thought, and the impression of a descent into disintegration... -
![The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Joan Aiken]()
The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Joan Aiken
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis is the first complete collection of Joan Aiken’s beloved Armitage stories—and it includes four new, unpublished stories. After Mrs. Armitage makes a wish, the Armitage family has “interesting and unusual” experiences every Monday (and the occasional Tuesday)... -
![A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend and Folklore by W.B. Yeats, Lady Augusta Gregory]()
A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend and Folklore by W.B. Yeats, Lady Augusta Gregory
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTwo milestones of folklore by giants of the Irish Renaissance: Yeats's anthology of magical Irish tales and Lady Gregory's retelling of the myth of Ireland's national hero. B&W illus... -
![Great Tales of Horror by H.P. Lovecraft]()
Great Tales of Horror by H.P. Lovecraft
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsH.P Lovecraft: Great Tales of Horror features twenty of horror master H.P... -
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![The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You by Dorothy Bryant]()
The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You by Dorothy Bryant
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPart love story, part utopian fantasy, part spiritual fable, The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You is "a beautiful, symbolic journey of the soul" (Berkeley Monthly). Into the world of the Ata comes a desperate man, running from a fast life of fame and fortune, drugs and crime. He is led by the kin of Ata on a spiritual journey that, sooner or later, we all must take... -
![The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain]()
The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsrelates the adventures of Satan, the sinless nephew of the biblical Satan, in Eseldorf, an Austrian village in the year 1702. Twain wrote this version between November 1897 and September 1900. "Eseldorf" is German for "Assville" or "Donkeytown"... -
![Legends of Valor by Brendan Lehane]()
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![Journey to the West (Monkey King) by Wu Cheng'en, Gene Luen Yang]()
Journey to the West (Monkey King) by Wu Cheng'en, Gene Luen Yang
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOne of China's Four Great Classical Novels, Monkey King was written anonymously during the Ming dynasty and is most commonly attributed to Wu Cheng'en, the son of a silk-shop clerk from east China... -
![The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales by Patrick K. Ford]()
The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales by Patrick K. Ford
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe title Mabinogi refers to the first four stories in this collection of tales from Welsh tradition. They are best known as the "Four Branches of the Mabinogi," and comprise the tales of Pwyll, Branwen, Manawydan, and Math. The remaining stories also spring from the same tree, and together they form a collection that comprises the core of the ancient Welsh mythological cycle...Categorized as:
classics literary-fiction myths retellings university adult ancient-civilization arthurian -
![Fancies and Goodnights by John Collier, Ray Bradbury]()
Fancies and Goodnights by John Collier, Ray Bradbury
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsJohn Collier's edgy, sardonic tales are works of rare wit, curious insight, and scary implication. They stand out as one of the pinnacles in the critically neglected but perennially popular tradition of weird writing that includes E.T.A. Hoffmann and Charles Dickens as well as more recent masters like Jorge Luis Borges and Roald Dahl... -
![Cobweb Empire by Vera Nazarian]()
Cobweb Empire by Vera Nazarian
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn a world where no one can die, she alone can kill... Cobweb Empire (Cobweb Bride Trilogy #2) is the second book of the intricate epic fantasy flavored by Renaissance history and the romantic myth of Persephone, about death's ultimatum to the world... -
![Warrior Bronze by Michelle Paver]()
Warrior Bronze by Michelle Paver
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsMichelle Paver's superb Bronze Age epic reaches its dramatic, spine-tingling conclusion.Hylas and Pirra return to Akea for their final confrontation with their arch-enemies, the Crows. They must recover the dagger of Koronos if they are to end the warriors' brutal rule... -
![The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson, Jesse L. Byock]()
The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson, Jesse L. Byock
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 25 ratings'What was the beginning, or how did things start? What was there before?' The Prose Edda is the most renowned of all works of Scandinavian literature and our most extensive source for Norse mythology...Categorized as:
classics literary-fiction myths retellings university action-adventure adult ancient-civilization -
![The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri, Volume 2: Purgatorio by Dante Alighieri]()
The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri, Volume 2: Purgatorio by Dante Alighieri
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsEdition bilingue... -
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![Mules And Men by Zora Neale Hurston]()
Mules And Men by Zora Neale Hurston
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsMules and Men is a treasury of black America's folklore as collected by a famous storyteller and anthropologist who grew up hearing the songs and sermons, sayings and tall tales that have formed an oral history of the South since the time of slavery... -
![Euripides IV: Rhesus / The Suppliant Women / Orestes / Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides]()
Euripides IV: Rhesus / The Suppliant Women / Orestes / Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsIn nine paperback volumes, the Grene and Lattimore editions offer the most comprehensive selection of the Greek tragedies available in English. Over the years these authoritative, critically acclaimed editions have been the preferred choice of over three million readers for personal libraries and individual study as well as for classroom use...Categorized as:
classics literary-fiction myths retellings adult ancient-civilization anthologies drama -
![The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges, Margarita Guerrero]()
The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges, Margarita Guerrero
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsIn a perfect pairing of talent, this volume blends twenty illustrations by Peter S.' with Jorge Luis Borges' 1957 compilation of 116 "strange creatures conceived through time and space by the human imagination," from dragons and centaurs to Lewis Carroll's Cheshire Cat and the Morlocks of H. G. Wells' The Time Machine... -
![The Arabian Nights by Anonymous]()
The Arabian Nights by Anonymous
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsThis volume reproduces the 1932 Modern Library edition, for which Bennett A. Cerf chose the most famous and representative stories from Sir Richard F. Burton's multivolume translation, and includes Burton's extensive and acclaimed explanatory notes...Categorized as:
classics literary-fiction myths retellings university action-adventure anthologies audiobook -
![Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained by John Milton]()
Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained by John Milton
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsMilton's Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny...Categorized as:
classics demons early-modern literary-fiction myths retellings university action-adventure -
![Inferno by Dante Alighieri, Anthony Esolen]()
Inferno by Dante Alighieri, Anthony Esolen
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsOf the great poets, Dante is one of the most elusive and therefore one of the most difficult to adequately render into English verse. In the Inferno, Dante not only judges sin but strives to understand it so that the reader can as well...Categorized as:
classics demons literary-fiction myths politics retellings university action-adventure -
![The Revolt of the Angels by Anatole France]()
The Revolt of the Angels by Anatole France
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNobel Prize laureate Anatole France's The Revolt of the Angels, often considered his most profound novel, tells the story of Arcade, the guardian angel of Maurice d'Esparvieu, who falls in love and joins the revolutionary movement of angels. Originally published in 1914... -
![Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling]()
Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe public has, perhaps, a right to be made acquainted with the title under which I, an unknown writer, come forward as the translator of a difficult Chinese work. In the spring of 1867 I began the study of Chinese at H.B.M...Categorized as:
classics early-modern literary-fiction myths university adult ancient-china ancient-civilization -
![The Angel Knights by Mary Ting]()
The Angel Knights by Mary Ting
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSpin-Off to Crossroads Saga - Prequel to The Chosen Knights.Can be read as stand-aloneMichael and Claudia’s decision to move back to Crossroads was to keep their children safe, but they can’t escape who they are. Their children, Zachary and Lucia, were destined to be demon hunters—Venators... -
![The Buddha and the Terrorist by Satish Kumar, Thomas Moore]()
The Buddha and the Terrorist by Satish Kumar, Thomas Moore
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“A challenging story, beautifully written, most pertinent and relevant to our time.” —Deepak Chopra Not every book will change your life, but any book can. Not every discussion will make a difference, but a conversation can change the world... -
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![Mythologies by W.B. Yeats]()
Mythologies by W.B. Yeats
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBanshees and faeries, demons and curses, village ghosts and mystic poets work their Gaelic magic in this enthralling collection of supernatural tales from the pen of William Butler Yeats... -
![Cuchulain of Muirthemne: the Story of the Men of the Red Branch of Ulster by Lady Augusta Gregory]()
Cuchulain of Muirthemne: the Story of the Men of the Red Branch of Ulster by Lady Augusta Gregory
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMy Dear Friends, When I began to gather these stories together, it is of you I was thinking, that you would like to have them and to be reading them... -
![Tales of Suspense by Edgar Allan Poe]()
Tales of Suspense by Edgar Allan Poe
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTales of Suspense - Edgar Allen Poe - Illustrations by: Steve Salerno - THE WORLD'S BEST READING - The Reader's Digest Association...Categorized as:
classics early-modern literary-fiction adult anthologies audiobook fiction historical -
![Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont]()
Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBeauty and the Beast is a traditional French fairy tale. This version was written by Marie Le Prince de Beaumont in 1756. It tells of the Beast winning the love and respect of Beauty by the strength of his virtue. This is a simple, but very powerful story...Categorized as:
classics literary-fiction myths retellings university action-adventure audiobook book -
![Beauty and the Beast "Annotated Edition" by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont]()
Beauty and the Beast "Annotated Edition" by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBeauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale in which an ugly beast must earn the true love of a beautiful girl to free him from the spell of an evil fairy. The first published version was written by French author Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in the middle 18th century... -
![A Russian reader "Viy": Vocabulary in English, Explanatory notes in English, Essay in English (illustrated, annotated) by Nikolai Gogol, Лев Дуров]()
A Russian reader "Viy": Vocabulary in English, Explanatory notes in English, Essay in English (illustrated, annotated) by Nikolai Gogol, Лев Дуров
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 27 ratings*Illustrated, Annotated, Includes Vocabulary in English, Explanatory notes in English, Essay in English. A Russian reader with Explanatory notes in English. “Вий” Николая Гоголя. На русском языке... -
![Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Poems and Other Writings by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]()
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Poems and Other Writings by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNo American writer of the 19th century was more universally enjoyed and admired than Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. His works were extraordinary bestsellers for their era, achieving fame both here and abroad. Now, for the first time in over 25 years. Poems and Other Writings offers a full-scale literary portrait of America's greatest popular poet... -
![Anima Rising by Christopher Moore]()
Anima Rising by Christopher Moore
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore comes a hilariously deranged tale of a mad scientist, a famous painter, and an undead woman’s electrifying journey of self-discovery.Vienna, 1911. Gustav Klimt, the most famous painter in the Austrian Empire, the darling of Viennese society, spots a woman’s nude body in the Danube canal...Categorized as:
humor myths literary-fiction retellings fantasy fiction historical-fiction audiobook -
![Theogony, Works and Days, Shield by Hesiod]()
Theogony, Works and Days, Shield by Hesiod
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHesiod belongs to the transitional period in Greek civilization between the oral tradition and the introduction of a written alphabet. His two major surviving works, the Theogony and the Works and Days, address the divine and the mundane, respectively. The Theogony traces the origins of the Greek gods and recounts the events surrounding the crowning of Zeus as their king...Categorized as:
classics literary-fiction myths retellings university adult ancient-civilization book -
![House Taken Over by Julio Cortázar]()
House Taken Over by Julio Cortázar
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"Casa Tomada" (English: "House Taken Over") is a 1946 short story by Argentine writer Julio Cortázar. It was originally published in Los anales de Buenos Aires, a literary magazine edited by Jorge Luis Borges, and later included in his volume of stories, Bestiario.It tells the story of a brother and sister living together in their ancestral home which is being "taken over" by unknown entities...Categorized as:
classics politics literary-fiction university fiction horror magical-realism fantasy -
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![Silverlock by John Myers Myers]()
Silverlock by John Myers Myers
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJoin an unlikely hero as he watches Moby-Dick sink the Pequod, dodges cannibals on Robinson Crusoe's island, raises a glass with Beowulf, and literally goes to Hell and back. This rollicking adventure begins with a shipwreck on an island where notable characters of literature, history, and folklore coexist — Hamlet and Oedipus, Don Quixote and Doctor Faustus, Becky Sharp and Daniel Boone... -
![Taliessin through Logres, The Region of the Summer Stars, and Arthurian Torso by Charles Williams, C.S. Lewis]()
Taliessin through Logres, The Region of the Summer Stars, and Arthurian Torso by Charles Williams, C.S. Lewis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOne of the most profound retellings of the Arthurian legend in the English language...When Taliessin through Logres was published in 1938, it received widespread critical acclaim. Alongside its partner companion The Region of the Summer Stars, it stands as one of the most profound and challenging works in Williams' body of work—and one of the most important to understanding him fully...Categorized as:
classics literary-fiction myths retellings adult ancient-civilization arthurian book -
![A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, Catherine Belsey]()
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, Catherine Belsey
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 81 ratingsShakespeare's intertwined love polygons begin to get complicated from the start--Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia but she only has eyes for Lysander. Bad news is, Hermia's father wants Demetrius for a son-in-law. On the outside is Helena, whose unreturned love burns hot for Demetrius...Categorized as:
classics early-modern humor literary-fiction myths university action-adventure audiobook -
![Lord Demon by Roger Zelazny, Jane Lindskold]()
Lord Demon by Roger Zelazny, Jane Lindskold
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe great wars between gods and demons began five millennia ago--and ended with the demons' crushing defeat and banishment from their homeland. The demon race would have surely perished in the empty dimension of their exile had they not found a secret conduit to a safe and hidden plane...called Earth... -
![Autumn Princess, Dragon Child by Lian Hearn]()
Autumn Princess, Dragon Child by Lian Hearn
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA self-assured warrior stumbles into a game of Go that turns fatal. An ambitious lord leaves his nephew for dead and seizes his lands. A stubborn father forces his son to give up his wife to his older brother. A powerful priest meddles in the succession to the Lotus Throne... -
![Lent by Jo Walton]()
Lent by Jo Walton
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award-winning Jo Walton comes Lent, a magical re-imagining of the man who remade fifteenth-century Florence—in all its astonishing strangenessYoung Girolamo’s life is a series of miracles.It’s a miracle that he can see demons, plain as day, and that he can cast them out with the force of his will...Categorized as:
demons literary-fiction myths politics retellings action-adventure adult alternate-history
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