Books like 'The Headless Bust: A Melancholy Meditation on the False Millennium'
Readers who enjoyed The Headless Bust: A Melancholy Meditation on the False Millennium by Edward Gorey also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy horror comedy dark fantasy mystery humor gothic dark magic parody
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Mortal Coil by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMeet Skulduggery Pleasant: detective, sorcerer, warrior.Oh yes. And dead.Skulduggery Pleasant is back, and reunited with his original head. But all is not well in the magical world – for one thing, foreign powers are conspiring to take over the Irish Sanctuary, and for another thing, Valkyrie has discovered she might be the sorceress set to destroy the world... -
Kingdom of the Wicked by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsThe seventh instalment in the biggest, funniest, most thrilling comedy-horror-adventure series in the universe…Magic is a disease.Across the land, normal people are suddenly developing wild and unstable powers. Infected by a rare strain of magic, they are unwittingly endangering their own lives and the lives of the people around them... -
Death Bringer by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsMeet Skulduggery Pleasant: detective, sorcerer, warrior.Oh yes. And dead.The Necromancers no longer need Valkyrie to be their Death Bringer, and that’s a Good Thing.There’s just one catch. There’s a reason the Necromancers don’t need her any more – because they’ve found their Death Bringer already, the person who will dissolve the doors between life and death... -
The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe third bone-breaking, belly-busting adventure in the series that puts the “funny” back in, um, funny series... -
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The Great Glowing Coils of the Universe by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsFrom the authors of the New York Times bestselling novel Welcome to Night Vale and the creators of the #1 international podcast of the same name, comes a collection of episodes from Season Two of their hit podcast, featuring a foreword by the authors, behind-the-scenes commentary, and original illustrations... -
Mostly Void, Partially Stars by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsFrom the authors of the New York Times bestselling novel Welcome to Night Vale and the creators of the #1 international podcast of the same name, comes a collection of episodes from Season One of their hit podcast, featuring an introduction by the authors, behind-the-scenes commentary, and original illustrations... -
Monster Hunter Nemesis by Larry Correia
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 32 ratings#5 in multiple New York Times bestseller Larry Correia's Monster Hunter series. Agent Franks of the U.S. Monster Control Bureau is a man of many parts—parts from other people, that is. Franks is nearly seven feet tall and all muscle. He's nearly indestructible. Plus he’s animated by a powerful alchemical substance and inhabited by a super-intelligent spirit more ancient than humanity itself... -
The Fall of the House of Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsJohannes Cabal, a necromancer of some little infamy, has come into possession of a vital clue that may lead him to his ultimate goal: a cure for death. The path is vague, however, and certainly treacherous as it takes him into strange territories that, quite literally, no one has ever seen before... -
Blood is Thicker by Orlando A. Sanchez
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA Broken Pact. An Ancient Enemy. A Bitter Betrayal. What does a vampire fear more than sunlight? The Cazadoras Sangrientas-Blood Hunters. Michiko Nakatomi has led the Dark Council for over a century, maintaining the uneasy truce between humanity and the supernatural. But when an ancient enemy returns the delicate balance is shattered and vampires start dying... -
Playing with Fire by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsSkulduggery and Valkyrie are facing a new enemy: Baron Vengeous, who is determined to bring back the terrifying Faceless Ones and is crafting an army of evil to help him. Added to that, Vengeous is about to enlist a new ally (if he can raise it from the dead): the horrible Grotesquery, a very unlikable monster of legend... -
The End of the World by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSkulduggery and Valkyrie are back, in an exclusive World Book Day novelette, set after the momentous events of Death Bringer…Hey, punks! Skulduggery and Valkyrie are about to make your day…15-year-old Ryan is running away from home, looking for escape and adventure. But unfortunately, sometimes people DO get what they wish for... -
Power Game by Brad Magnarella
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCreatures, conjurers, and … cosplay? Protect Sefu. On paper it looks simple. Only I have no idea who Sefu is, much less how to find him or her. And my magic’s not talking. But with demons on the hunt, and fiendish whispers of Sefu being some sort of ultimate weapon, failure could spell apocalypse... -
The Brothers Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsHorst Cabal has risen from the dead. Again. Horst, the most affable vampire one is ever likely to meet, is resurrected by an occult conspiracy that wants him as a general in a monstrous army. Their plan: to create a country of horrors, a supernatural homeland. As Horst sees the lengths to which they are prepared to go and the evil they cultivate, he realizes that he cannot fight them alone... -
Monster Hunter Legion by Larry Correia
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsMonster Hunter International might be the premier monster eradication company in the business, but they’ve got competition. When hunters from around the world gather in Las Vegas for a conference, a creature left over from a World War Two weapons experiment wakes up and goes on a rampage across the desert... -
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Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJohannes Cabal has faced down the undead, ghosts, monsters, and Satan himself. But before all that, he fought the terrifying Bonewind, a supernatural being that devours life itself, and he did it all without leaving his house. "Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day" was the story that first introduced the necromancer of some little infamy back in 2004... -
Lovecraft Unbound by Ellen Datlow, Dale Bailey
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe stories are legendary, the characters unforgettable, the world horrible and disturbing... -
Monster Hunter Vendetta by Larry Correia
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsOwen Pitt never met a gun he didn’t like, or a monster he couldn’t shoot. But now, the monsters are shooting back . . .Accountant turned professional monster hunter, Owen Zastava Pitt, managed to stop the nefarious Old One’s invasion plans last year, but as a result made an enemy out of one of the most powerful beings in the universe... -
Working for Bigfoot by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 33 ratings"B is for Bigfoot" takes place between Fool Moon and Grave Peril. "I Was a Teenage Bigfoot" takes place circa Deadbeat. "Bigfoot on Campus" takes place between Turn Coat and Changes.Chicago wizard-for-hire Harry Dresden is used to mysterious clients with long hair and legs up to here... -
Midnight by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsSkulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are back in their most gripping story yet, as book 11, Midnight, picks up where Resurrection left off – and runs.For years, Valkyrie Cain has struggled to keep her loved ones safe from harm, plunging into battle – time and time again – by Skulduggery Pleasant’s side, and always emerging triumphant... -
Wander by Orlando A. Sanchez
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsHe’s not the hero you want. He’s the monster you need. When a new strain of the deadly drug, Redrum creates UV resistant vampires, the streets of New York City are flooded with the mindless creatures searching for blood—human blood. The NYTF and Dark Council refuse to deal with menace and contact the Night Wardens expecting results. What they get is a dark mage with nothing to lose... -
Be Still My Vampire Heart by Kerrelyn Sparks
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsIf it was still beating. Angus MacKay has been undead for almost five hundred years and it's not often something, or someone, surprises him. Until Emma Wallace. The sight of this luscious agent from the CIA's elite Stake-Out team was enough to stop Angus in his tracks. But then he discovers that she's a vampire slayer, intent on killing the "monsters" who killed her parents... -
All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsToni Davis's Christmas wish list1. Springing my best friend from the psych ward.2. Living somewhere that doesn't have coffins in the basement. Occupied coffins.3. Finding Mr. Right. Please make him tall, dark, handsome, and alive.This Christmas isn't so merry for Toni... -
A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAll is not what it seems…In the murky London gloom, a knife-wielding gentleman named Jack prowls the midnight streets with his faithful watchdog Snuff – gathering together the grisly ingredients they will need for an upcoming ancient and unearthly rite. For soon after the death of the moon, black magic will summon the Elder Gods back into the world... -
What the Hell Did I Just Read by David Wong, Jason Pargin
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsNYT bestselling author Wong takes readers to a whole new level with his latest dark comic sci-fi thriller, set in the world of John Dies at the End and This Book is Full of SpidersDave, John and Amy recount what seems like a fairly straightforward tale of a shape-shifting creature from another dimension that is stealing children and brainwashing their parents, but it eventually becomes clear... -
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Night Rune by Brad Magnarella
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWhere to turn when all roads lead to ruin? Last night I barely escaped 1776 New York City – now I have to go back. My teammates are trapped in a time catch. Worse, the demon master Malphas is building a gateway there, one that could trigger a full-blown apocalypse. But returning will require new allies: a crabby goblin, a fae princess and former lover, and the demon-vampire Arnaud... -
Crushed by Eliza Crewe
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMeda's back. This time she has a friend. The battle is over; the choice has been made. Meda Melange has officially hung up her monstrous mantle and planted her feet firmly on the holy and righteous path of a Crusader-in-training. Or, at least, she’s willing to give it a shot. It helps that the Crusaders are the only thing standing between her and the demon hordes who want her dead... -
Upon Buried Embers by Kelly Cove
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI made a deal with him,only he made a deal with someone else.A Dark MF Captive Fantasy RomanceThere I was, being thrown into The Pit where my fate awaited.I was ready, prepared even.Accepting what was to come.But running into a Dragonbond and his clan was something I didn't expect.He says he has use for me, but I would rather be burned alive than be taken by him and their cruel ways... -
Blue Moon Rising by Simon R. Green
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsRupert didn't especially want to be a prince. And he certainly never asked to be the second son of a royal line that really didn't need a spare. So he was sent out to slay a dragon and prove himself-a quest straight out of legend... -
The Fear Institute by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsJohannes Cabal and his rather inexact powers of necromancy are back once more. This time, his talents are purchased by The Fear Institute as they hunt for the Phobic Animus - the embodiment of fear... -
Silver-Tongued Devil by Jaye Wells
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsNow that the threat of war has passed, Sabina Kane is ready to focus on the future. Her relationship with Adam Lazarus is getting stronger and she's helping her sister, Maisie, overcome the trauma of her captivity in New Orleans. Even Giguhl is managing to stay out of trouble thanks to the arrival of Pussy Willow and his new roller derby team... -
Johannes Cabal the Detective by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsJohannes Cabal is back -- a little older, a little wiser, but just as sharply funny, cuttingly sarcastic, and unexpectedly violent as ever. For necromancer Johannes Cabal, dealing with devils, demons and raising the dead is pretty much par for the course. But when his attempt to steal a rare book turns sour, he is faced by a far more terrifying entity -- politics... -
Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsFive days after Owen Zastava Pitt pushed his insufferable boss out of a fourteenth story window, he woke up in the hospital with a scarred face, an unbelievable memory, and a job offer. It turns out that monsters are real. All the things from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there, waiting in the shadows. Officially secret, some of them are evil, and some are just hungry... -
The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z. Hossain
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsWhen the djinn king Melek Ahmar wakes up after millennia of imprisoned slumber, he finds a world vastly different from what he remembers. Arrogant and bombastic, he comes down the mountain expecting an easy conquest: the wealthy, spectacular city state of Kathmandu, ruled by the all-knowing, all-seeing tyrant AI Karma... -
Smoke and Ashes by Tanya Huff
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis third novel in Tanya Huff's action-packed series features Tony Foster and the crew of "Darkest Night," a TV series about a vampire detective. This time they find themselves facing another supernatural menace, a Demonic Convergence... -
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I Knocked Up Satan's Daughter: A Demonic Romantic Comedy by Carlton Mellick III
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJonathan Vandervoo lives a carefree life in a house made of legos, spending his days building lego sculptures and his nights getting drunk with his only friend-an alcoholic sumo wrestler named Shoji. It's a pleasant life with no responsibility, until the day he meets Lici. She's a soul-sucking demon from hell with red skin, glowing eyes, a forked tongue, and pointy red devil horns.. -
Brother Odd by Dean Koontz
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsLoop me in, odd one.The words, spoken in the deep of night by a sleeping child, chill the young man watching over her. For this was a favorite phrase of Stormy Llewellyn, his lost love, and Stormy is dead, gone forever from this world. In the haunted halls of the isolated monastery where he had sought peace, Odd Thomas is stalking spirits of an infinitely darker nature... -
Equoid by Charles Stross
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe "Laundry" is Britain's super-secret agency devoted to protecting the realm from the supernatural horrors that menace it. Now Bob Howard, Laundry agent, must travel to the quiet English countryside to deal with an outbreak of one of the worst horrors imaginable. For, as it turns out, unicorns are real. They're also ravenous killers from beyond spacetime.. -
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 73 ratingsThe dead don't talk. I don't know why. But they do try to communicate, with a short-order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidant. Sometimes the silent souls who seek out Odd want justice. Occasionally their otherworldly tips help him prevent a crime. But this time it’s different... -
The Spy Who Haunted Me by Simon R. Green
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWhen it comes to supernatural intrigue, nobody does it better than New York Times bestselling author Simon R. Green.Eddie Drood, at your service. For generations my family has been keeping humanity safe from the wicked, the nasty, and the generally not-nice inhuman predators who feed on people's fear and misery. No one kicks evil arse better than us Droods--especially yours truly... -
Dance of Death by P.N. Elrod
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSeemingly invincible since his transformation into a vampire, Jonathan Barrett must admit his own weakness when he unexpectedly meets a four-year-old boy who strangely resembles him. Armed with a powerful weapon to use against him, his love for his son, Jonathan’s enemies have gained an advantage. The only hope for Jonathan and his child’s survival lies in the return of the mysterious Nora Jones... -
Death Masque by P.N. Elrod
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWith the Revolutionary War making itself felt in his Long Island home, Jonathan Barrett and his sister Elizabeth seek refuge on the distant shore of England. However, Jonathan has yet another reason to make the voyage: he is still searching for Nora, his lost love and the woman responsible for his recently discovered taste for blood... -
Death and the Maiden by P.N. Elrod
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThreatened by soldiers on the outside and turmoil on the inside, Jonathan Barrett valiantly fights to protect his family and the peace of the Barrett estate in this thrilling sequel to Red Death. Nearly consumed by his dark desires, Jonathan struggles to control his supernatural powers and his overwhelming thirst for blood while in the company of his immediate family and a scheming young cousin... -
Cracked by Eliza Crewe
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMeet Meda. She eats people.Well, technically, she eats their soul. But she totally promises to only go for people who deserve it. She’s special. It’s not her fault she enjoys it. She can’t help being a bad guy. Besides, what else can she do? Her mother was killed and it’s not like there are any other “soul-eaters” around to show her how to be different... -
The Hike by Drew Magary
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsFrom the author of The Postmortal, a fantasy saga unlike any you’ve read before, weaving elements of folk tale and video game into a riveting, unforgettable adventure of what a man will endure to return to his family When Ben, a suburban family man, takes a business trip to rural Pennsylvania, he decides to spend the afternoon before his dinner meeting on a short hike... -
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Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsIn this uproarious and clever debut, it's time to give the Devil his due. Johannes Cabal, a brilliant scientist and notorious snob, is single-mindedly obsessed in heart and soul with raising the dead. Well, perhaps not "soul" . . . He hastily sold his years ago in order to learn the laws of necromancy. But now, tormented by a dark secret, he travels to the fiery pits of Hell to retrieve it... -
The Infernals by John Connolly
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsSamuel Johnson is in trouble. Not only is he in love with the wrong girl, but the demon Mrs. Abernathy is seeking revenge on him for his part in foiling the invasion of Earth by the forces of evil. She wants to get her claws on Samuel, and when Samuel and his faithful dachshund, Boswell, are pulled through a portal into the dark realm, she gets her chance... -
Daemons Are Forever by Simon R. Green
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe name's Drood. Eddie Drood. Of the great and powerful Droods - the clan that's been watching mankind's back since we all first dropped out of trees - the group of hard-fighting, devilishly handsome arse kickers who take on the monsters of the world so you lot can go about your happy lives.During World War II, the Droods made a pact with some nasty buggers from another dimension... -
The Book With No Name by Anonymous
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDetective Miles Jensen is called to the lawless town of Santa Mondega to investigate a spate of murders. This would all be quite ordinary in those rough streets, except that Jensen is the Chief Detective of Supernatural Investigations... -
Blood Follows by Steven Erikson
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsAll is not well in Lamentable Moll. A sinister, diabolical killer stalks the port city's narrow, barrow-humped streets, and panic grips the citizens like a fever. Emancipor Reese is no exception, and indeed, with his legendary ill luck, it's worse for him than for most. Not only was his previous employer the unknown killer's latest victim, but Emancipor is out of work... -
The Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliott
Rated: 3.81 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"You have two days to pass your audition. You better pass it, feller. You’re joining the circus. Ain’t that the best news you ever got?"Delivered by a trio of psychotic clowns, this ultimatum plunges Jamie into the horrific alternate universe that is the centuries-old Pilo Family Circus, a borderline world between Hell and Earth from which humankind’s greatest tragedies have been perpetrated...
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