Books like 'An Opening Act of Unspeakable Evil'
Readers who enjoyed An Opening Act of Unspeakable Evil by Jim Munroe also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy horror supernatural urban fantasy epistolary magical-realism myths low-fantasy retellings
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Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 70 ratingsPiranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant...Categorized as:
epistolary low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings 21st-century action-adventure adult -
![Jackalope Wives and Other Stories by T. Kingfisher]()
Jackalope Wives and Other Stories by T. Kingfisher
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWinner of the Nebula and WSFA Short Fiction Awards From award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes a collection of short stories, including "Jackalope Wives," "The Tomato Thief," "Pocosin," and many others. By turns funny, lyrical, angry and beautiful, this anthology includes two all-new stories, "Origin Story" and "Let Pass The Horses Black," appearing for the first time in print... -
![American Gods + Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman]()
American Gods + Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNewly updated and expanded with the author’s preferred text. A modern masterpiece from the multiple-award-winning master of innovative fiction, Neil Gaiman...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure adult anthologies audiobook -
![Circus by Cameron Jace]()
Circus by Cameron Jace
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLadies and gentlemen, boys and girls... There is a loose rabbit with a ticking bomb in the streets of the London. Come closer, you won'd believe your eyes... Alice & the Pillar follow a set of clues, meticulously weaved by the most mysterious Wonderland Monster of all. Here is the Maddest Show on Earth ... The Circus! Where Alice's most unexpected secret will be revealed... -
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![Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint]()
Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom World Fantasy Award-winning author Charles de Lint, a tale of love, courage, and the transforming power of imagination Isabelle Copley's visionary art frees ancient spirits. As the young student of the cruel, brilliant artist Vincent Rushkin, she discovered she could paint images so vividly real they brought her wildest fantasies to life...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure anthologies audiobook classics -
![A Radical Act of Free Magic by H.G. Parry]()
A Radical Act of Free Magic by H.G. Parry
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA tale of revolution and wonder in a world not quite like our own, A Radical Act of Free Magic is the conclusion to this genre-defying series of magic, war, and the struggle for freedom in the early modern world.The Concord has been broken, and a war of magic engulfs the world... -
![Kill All Angels: The Vicious Circuit, Book Three by Robert Brockway]()
Kill All Angels: The Vicious Circuit, Book Three by Robert Brockway
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe concluding volume in the humorous punk rock adventure that began with The Unnoticeables and The Empty Ones. After the events of the first two books of the Vicious Circle series, Carey and Randall reached LA during the early '80s punk scene, which was heavily mixed up with Chinatown... -
![The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction by Neil Gaiman, Marlon James]()
The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction by Neil Gaiman, Marlon James
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAn outstanding array—52 pieces in all—of selected fiction from the multiple-award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman, curated by his readers around the world, and introduced with a foreword by Booker Prize-winning author Marlon JamesSpanning Gaiman’s career to date, The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction is a captivating collection from one of the world’s most beloved...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings 21st-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook -
![Moonlight and Vines by Charles de Lint]()
Moonlight and Vines by Charles de Lint
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsReturn to NewfordFamiliar to Charles de Lint's ever-growing audience as the setting of the novels Moonheart, Forests of the Heart, The Onion Girl, and many others, Newford is the quintessential North American city, tough and streetwise on the surface and rich with hidden magic for those who can see...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings adult anthologies contemporary dark-fantasy -
![Styx & Stoned by Boone Brux]()
Styx & Stoned by Boone Brux
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLas Vegas! All expenses paid! Normally, a trip like that would be a dream come true for a widowed, mother of three, who just happens to be grim reaper. Here’s the thing though, situations rarely work out as I imagine they should. And usually not in my favor. This time isn’t any different... -
![Kiss Me When the Sun Goes Down by Lisa Olsen]()
Kiss Me When the Sun Goes Down by Lisa Olsen
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“I could rely on Bishop, I felt it in every fiber of my being. Only... I’d been wrong before.” Anja’s no longer the geeky newbie who couldn’t bite her way out of a paper bag. Since becoming Elder of the West, Anja stood up for what she believes in and found her place in vampire society... -
![Raven by Stacey Rourke]()
Raven by Stacey Rourke
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAn infamous love, destined nevermore, For death could not claim, the enchanting Lenore. Cursed by the malevolent spirit of the Headless Horseman, Ireland Crane ventures to Manhattan in search of a way to break her soul crushing bond. Instead, she discovers the lines between fact and fiction are blurring once more. Croaking ravens. Telltale hearts... -
![Weep, Woman, Weep by Maria DeBlassie]()
Weep, Woman, Weep by Maria DeBlassie
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA compelling gothic fairytale by bruja and award-winning writer Maria DeBlassie.The women of Sueño, New Mexico don’t know how to live a life without sorrows. That’s La Llorona’s doing. She roams the waterways looking for the next generation of girls to baptize, filling them with more tears than any woman should have to hold... -
![The Girl with No Face by M.H. Boroson]()
The Girl with No Face by M.H. Boroson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe adventures of Li-lin, a Daoist priestess with the unique ability to see the spirit world, continue in the thrilling follow-up to the critically-acclaimed historical urban fantasy The Girl with Ghost Eyes.It’s the end of the Nineteenth Century. San Francisco’s cobblestone streets are haunted, but Chinatown has an unlikely protector in a young Daoist priestess named Li-lin... -
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![Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs]()
Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsBefore Miss Peregrine gave them a home, the story of peculiars was written in the Tales. Wealthy cannibals who dine on the discarded limbs of peculiars. A fork-tongued princess. The origins of the first ymbryne...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings 21st-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook -
![Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint]()
Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsWelcome to Newford…Welcome to the music clubs, the waterfront, the alleyways where ancient myths and magic spill into the modern world. Come meet Jilly, painting wonders in the rough city streets; and Geordie, playing fiddle while he dreams of a ghost; and the Angel of Grasso Street gathering the fey and the wild and the poor and the lost...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings 20th-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook -
![Mistle Child by Ari Berk]()
Mistle Child by Ari Berk
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn life, in death: family remains. Silas Umber has finally come into his own as the Undertaker of Lichport when a mysterious invitation calls him beyond the marshes to Arvale, the ancestral manor of the Umbers... -
![Chapel of Ease by Alex Bledsoe]()
Chapel of Ease by Alex Bledsoe
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe latest installment in Alex Bledsoe's critically-acclaimed Tufa series that Kirkus Reviews calls "powerful, character-driven drama...a sheer delight." (starred review)When Matt Johanssen, a young New York actor, auditions for "Chapel of Ease," an off-Broadway musical, he is instantly charmed by Ray Parrish, the show's writer and composer... -
![City of the Snakes by D.B. Shan]()
City of the Snakes by D.B. Shan
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNew York Times bestselling novelist Darren Shan presents the final book in his The City series. For ten years Capac Raimi has ruled the City. Created by the first Cardinal to continue his legacy, Capac cannot be killed. Then Capac disappears. His trusted lieutenant, Ford Tasso, suspects the mysterious villacs, ancient and powerful Incan priests... -
![The Die of Death by Kenneth B. Andersen, Kenneth Bøgh Andersen]()
The Die of Death by Kenneth B. Andersen, Kenneth Bøgh Andersen
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPhilip's adventures as the Devil's apprentice have changed him—in a good way. Although he misses his friends in Hell, he has made new friends in life. But when the future of the underworld is threatened once again, Philip’s help is needed. Death's Die has been stolen and immortality is spreading across the globe... -
![Queen of the Dark Things by C. Robert Cargill]()
Queen of the Dark Things by C. Robert Cargill
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt is half a year since the wizard Colby lost his best friend to an army of fairies from the Limestone Kingdom, a realm of mystery and shadows beyond our own. But in vanquishing these creatures Colby sacrificed the anonymity that protected him. Now, word of his deeds has spread, and powerful enemies from the past - including one Colby considered a friend - have resurfaced to exact their revenge...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure audiobook book contemporary -
![The Glass God by Kate Griffin]()
The Glass God by Kate Griffin
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsSharon Li: apprentice shaman and community support officer for the magically inclined. It wasn't the career Sharon had in mind, but she's getting used to running Magicals Anonymous and learning how to Be One With The City.When the Midnight Mayor goes missing, leaving only a suspiciously innocent-looking umbrella behind him, Sharon finds herself promoted. Her first task: find the Midnight Mayor...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure adult book contemporary -
![Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho]()
Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsNineteen sparkling stories that weave between the lands of the living and the lands of the dead. Spirits Abroad is an expanded edition of Zen Cho’s Crawford Award winning debut collection with nine added stories including Hugo Award winner “If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again.” A Datin recalls her romance with an orang bunian... -
![Hell's Horizon by D.B. Shan, Darren Shan]()
Hell's Horizon by D.B. Shan, Darren Shan
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsWhen Al Jeery is seconded by The Cardinal from guard duties at Party Central to investigate the murder of a woman at a hotel he little suspects that the dead woman will turn out to be his girlfriend. Soon he is involved in a terrifying mystery... -
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![Tales From the Hinterland by Melissa Albert]()
Tales From the Hinterland by Melissa Albert
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA gorgeously illustrated collection of twelve fairy tales by the author of The Hazel Wood and The Night Country!Journey into the Hinterland, a brutal and beautiful world where a young woman spends a night with Death, brides are wed to a mysterious house in the trees, and an enchantress is killed twice―and still lives...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure anthologies audiobook children-books -
![Demon Road by Derek Landy]()
Demon Road by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe mind-blowing new supernatural thriller from bestselling author DEREK LANDY, creator of international sensation Skulduggery Pleasant.Full of Landy’s trademark wit, action and razor-sharp dialogue, DEMON ROAD kicks off with a shocking opener and never lets up the pace in an epic road-trip across the supernatural landscape of America...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure audiobook book children -
![The Witch’s Lens by Luanne G. Smith]()
The Witch’s Lens by Luanne G. Smith
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsAs World War I rages, there are evils—both living and dead—that only a witch can see in a spellbinding novel by the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of The Raven Spell.With her husband off fighting at World War I’s eastern front, Petra Kurková embraces her fleeting freedom, roaming the city at night with her camera...Categorized as:
magical-realism myths low-fantasy retellings fantasy historical-fiction paranormal fiction -
![The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z. Hossain]()
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... -
![Not Forgotten by Nancy Holder]()
Not Forgotten by Nancy Holder
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEven if it takes an eternity, he will make amends... BURNING BODIES A crime wave has swept the Los Angeles area, which under normal circumstances would be par for the course. But nothing links these particular victims except the cause of deaththeir bodies were burned from the inside out. Obviously supernatural forces are at work... -
![Always Forever by Mark Chadbourn]()
Always Forever by Mark Chadbourn
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe ancient gods of Celtic mythology have returned, and all that stands between them and complete domination are five flawed mortals The Eternal Conflict between the Light and Dark once again blackens the skies and blights the land. On one side stand the Tuatha de Danaan, golden-skinned and beautiful, filled with all the might of angels... -
![Grimstone by Brad Magnarella]()
Grimstone by Brad Magnarella
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGrimstone first appeared as Croft and Wesson in the 2017 multi-author box set Eight in the Chamber.Go West, Prof Croft!When my magical order assigns me to Grimstone, Colorado on a case, I’m in no hurry to pack my staff and spell books.The outlaw county is a far cry from my academic calling in New York City. And I’m being paired with junior wizard James Wesson... -
![The Blurred Lands by Ian W. Sainsbury]()
The Blurred Lands by Ian W. Sainsbury
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratings★★★★★"One of the most weird and wonderful books I've ever read!"★★★★★A fantastical, terrifying journey into a realm we prefer to believe doesn’t exist.In an abandoned cottage, John Aviemore faces a mystery that grows more unnerving every night. And he’s trapped there. Trapped in the place where worlds overlap.Trapped in the Blurred Lands... -
![The Shadow Pavilion by Liz Williams]()
The Shadow Pavilion by Liz Williams
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDetective Inspector Chen is back! The Snake Agent returns in The Shadow Pavilion, the fourth Detective Inspector Chen novel from Liz Williams. When Chen’s partner, the demon Seneschal Zhu Irzh, disappears, Chen must enlist all of his allies and assets in order to locate him...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure adult book contemporary -
![Music Box by Anya Allyn]()
Music Box by Anya Allyn
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe final terrifying story of The Dark Carousel series. As the day of Cassie's marriage to the centuries-old spirit, Balthazar, grows chillingly close, she finds a secret way to the high tower. The shadowy inhabitant of the tower has haunted her mind since her first day at the castle. In the tower, Cassie makes a shocking discovery, after which nothing can be the same... -
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![Dark Carnival by Nancy K. Duplechain]()
Dark Carnival by Nancy K. Duplechain
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"I noticed countless eyes following me. They belonged to shop-keeps closing up for the night, the homeless watching me from their makeshift beds, call girls pretending to wait for their next tricks on the corners, but all the while, wary of my every move. I didn’t belong here and they knew it... -
![Marco’s Pendulum by Thom Madley]()
Marco’s Pendulum by Thom Madley
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen Marco is dumped in Glastonbury to stay with his weird hippy grandparents for the summer, he's sure he's going to hate it. But he soon starts to recognise the magic of the place. With his mysterious new found talent for dowsing, Marco is quickly drawn into the dangerous struggle to protect the ancient mysticism of Glastonbury...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure alchemy arthurian book -
![A Bottle of Storm Clouds: Stories by Eliza Victoria]()
A Bottle of Storm Clouds: Stories by Eliza Victoria
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAward-winning author Eliza Victoria mixes magic with the mundane in this special concoction of 16 short stories. A girl meets a young man with the legs of a chicken. A boy is employed by a goddess running a pawnshop. A group of teenagers are trapped in an enchanted forest for 900 days. A man finds himself in an MRT station beyond Taft, a station that was not supposed to exist...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings anthologies children-books fiction graphic-violence -
![Sleeping in Flame by Jonathan Carroll]()
Sleeping in Flame by Jonathan Carroll
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWalker Easterling is a retired actor turned successful screenwriter living in the Vienna of strong coffee, fascinating friends, and mysterious cafes. When he falls in love with Maris York, a beautiful artist who creates cities, his life becomes alive in fantastic and unsettling ways... -
![Gallant by V.E. Schwab]()
Gallant by V.E. Schwab
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsEverything casts a shadow. Even the world we live in. And as with every shadow, there is a place where it must touch. A seam, where the shadow meets its source.Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home—to Gallant... -
![Spirits in the Wires by Charles de Lint]()
Spirits in the Wires by Charles de Lint
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAt a popular Newford online research and library Web site called the Wordwood, a mysterious crash occurs. Everyone visiting the site at the moment of the crash vanishes from where they were sitting in front of their computers. Christy Ridding's girlfriend Saskia disappears right before his eyes, along with countless others... -
![The Bread We Eat in Dreams by Catherynne M. Valente]()
The Bread We Eat in Dreams by Catherynne M. Valente
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSubterranean Press proudly presents a major new collection by one of the brightest stars in the literary firmament. Catherynne M. Valente, the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and other acclaimed novels, now brings readers a treasure trove of stories and poems in The Bread We Eat in Dreams...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure anthologies demons dragons -
![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:
magical-realism myths low-fantasy retellings fantasy fiction historical-fiction humor -
![Ironhand by Charlie Fletcher]()
Ironhand by Charlie Fletcher
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsGeorge makes a promise to Edie that anything and anyone trying to get her will have to get past him first. But George is unaware that high on the rooftops an unseen gargoyle is watching them hungrily. The thing on the roof knows that nothing is over, nothing is finished...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure audiobook book children -
![In Mercy, Rain by Seanan McGuire]()
In Mercy, Rain by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsJack Wolcott was only twelve years old when she and her twin sister Jill, descended the impossible staircase and found herself in the Moors, a world of drowned gods and repugnant royals... -
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![The Angel of Khan el-Khalili by P. Djèlí Clark]()
The Angel of Khan el-Khalili by P. Djèlí Clark
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA girl visits a bazaar in Cairo, seeking a favor from a mysterious angelic being.This story first appeared in the anthology Clockwork Cairo: Steampunk Tales of Egypt...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings alternate-history angels audiobook book -
![Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf]()
Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires meets Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this twisty, fresh take on a Southern gothic that follows a mysterious, charming bachelor as he makes his way into a small town, bringing a plague and the devil with him, from GMA Buzz Pick author Dana Elmendorf... -
![Kabu Kabu by Nnedi Okorafor, Alan Dean Foster]()
Kabu Kabu by Nnedi Okorafor, Alan Dean Foster
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsKabu Kabu - unregistered, illegal Nigerian taxis - generally get you where you need to go, but Nnedi Okorafor's Kabu Kabu takes the reader to exciting, fantastic, magical, occasionally dangerous, and always imaginative locations...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings 21st-century action-adventure adult afrofuturism -
![Falling in Love with Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson]()
Falling in Love with Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNalo Hopkinson (Brown Girl in the Ring, Skin Folk) has been widely hailed as a highly significant voice in Caribbean and American fiction...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings adult afrofuturism anthologies audiobook -
![A Child Across the Sky by Jonathan Carroll]()
A Child Across the Sky by Jonathan Carroll
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLibrarian's Note: this is an alternate cover edition for ISBN 071263441X / 9780712634410.Just as the the word "weird" has many implications and shades of meaning, so too does the latest--weird--work by this gifted and perplexing writer. As Carroll ( Bones of the Moon ; Sleeping in Flame ) himself says, "Life has a habit of turning dark corners... -
![Lammas Night by Katherine Kurtz]()
Lammas Night by Katherine Kurtz
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhat Magic Can Stop Adolf Hitler -- History's Most Evil Black Magician?Modern WarThe year is 1940. Hitler's Germany is about to employ the secret arts of evil witchcraft to destroy England...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings 20th-century adult alternate-history book
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