Books like 'Crackpot Palace'
Readers who enjoyed Crackpot Palace by Jeffrey Ford also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary fantasy horror dark fantasy magical-realism vampires dark noir crime low-fantasy
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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... -
Dark Days by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsMeet Skulduggery Pleasant: detective, sorcerer, warrior.Oh yes. And dead.Skulduggery Pleasant is gone, sucked into a parallel dimension overrun by the Faceless Ones. If his bones haven’t already been turned to dust, chances are he’s insane, driven out of his mind by the horror of the ancient gods. There is no official, Sanctuary-approved rescue mission. There is no official plan to save him... -
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... -
Lies Ripped Open by Steve McHugh
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsOver a hundred years have passed since a group of violent killers went on the rampage, murdering innocent victims for fun. But even back then, sorcerer Nate Garrett, aka Hellequin, knew there was more to it than simple savage pleasure—souls were being stolen.Nate’s discovery of the souls’ use, and of those supporting the group’s plan, made him question everything he believed... -
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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... -
Angel Stakes by Mark Henwick
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"I was all the things I had ever done. All the things that had ever been done to me.But I chose my path and I will be all the things I could be too."The Athanate meet in Los Angeles, the city that feeds on dreams, leaving nothing but dust and nightmares. They must forge a new Assembly and reach a consensus before Emergence is forced on them... -
The Neon Boneyard by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsDaniel Faust has clawed his way from the gutter to a penthouse suite, carving a bloody swath across the Las Vegas underworld. He's buried his enemies and more than a few friends along the way. If there's one thing a modern-day sorcerer knows for certain, though, it's that the past never stays buried forever... -
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... -
The Astonishing Strande Brothers by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSome bonds are too strong to be broken. Even by death.“The Astonishing Strande Brothers” is a short story/extended epilogue that tells the tale of the reunion between Julian Strande and his long-lost brother Louis on a snowy holiday at the Strande Estate.It combines characters from both my Harrow Faire and Impossible Julian Strande series... -
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... -
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:
dark low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal 21st-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook -
The Cormorant by Chuck Wendig
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsMiriam is on the road again, having transitioned from "thief" to "killer".Hired by a wealthy businessman, she heads down to Florida to practice the one thing she's good at, but in her vision she sees him die by another's hand and on the wall written in blood is a message just for Miriam. She's expected.. -
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 paranormal vampires adult anthologies contemporary dark-fantasy -
Dying with Her Cheer Pants On by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDespite its humble origins, there is no more challenging or physically dangerous teen sport in the world than cheerleading. Cheerleaders are seriously injured and even killed at a higher rate than other high school sports. Their stunts are performed in skimpy uniforms without the benefit of proper safety equipment…and yet they love them, glittery eyeshadow, spirit bows, and all... -
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The Eye of the Moon by Anonymous
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFollowing a massive rampage that left the streets of Santa Mondega soaked with blood, the elusive supernatural serial killer known only as the Bourbon Kid is now himself being haunted. Hot on his heels are several vampire gangs, the Secret Service, a couple of werewolves, corrupt cops, and the Dark Lord himself, and none will rest until he is dead... -
A Plain-Dealing Villain by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsIt's hard to make a dishonest buck in Sin City, especially when a rogue FBI agent is gunning for your head. Flat broke and one step ahead of the law, Daniel Faust flees Vegas and lands in Chicago, where a risky heist promises to fill his pockets with cash... -
The Ivory and the Horn by Charles de Lint
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn the city of Newford, when the stars and the vibes are right, you can touch magic. Mermaids sing in the murky harbor, desert spirits crowd the night, and dreams are more real than waking. Charles de Lint began his chronicles of the extraordinary city of Newford in "Memory & Dream" and the short-story collection "Dreams Underfoot...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal action-adventure adult anthologies contemporary dark-fantasy -
Thicker Than Water by Mike Carey
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFelix Castor is a freelance exorcist, so dealing with the dead is his stock in trade. Between his private clients and some consulting for the Met, he thinks he's seen it all. But a late-night call out to a South London housing estate proves that he still has a few surprises left. After all, it's not every day you see your own name painted in blood at a a crime scene.But that's only the beginning... -
Angel Town by Lilith Saintcrow
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsJill Kismet is back from the grave in this explosive conclusion to Lilith Saintcrow's urban fantasy series. She wakes up in her own grave. She doesn't know who put her there, she doesn't know where she is, and she has no friends or family. She only knows two things: She has a job to do: cleansing the night of evil. And she knows her name. Jill Kismet... -
Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe third book in the bestselling Russian trilogy that is part fantasy, part vampire story, and part detective story, tells of an ancient race of humans who have supernatural powers and swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. In Twilight Watch, they face their greatest threat yet...Categorized as:
crime dark low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal vampires 21st-century action-adventure -
Dead Roses for a Blue Lady by Nancy A. Collins
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPreviously available only in an ultra-limited-edition hardcover, Dead Roses for a Blue Lady collects eight tales of Sanja Blue, all by the vampire/vampire-hunter's creator Nancy A. Collins. These tales include the hard-to-find "Vampire King of the Goth Chicks" and "Some Velvet Morning" along with tales original to this collection, such as "Knifepoint," "Tender Tigers" and "The None-such Horror... -
Matt Archer: Legend by Kendra C. Highley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen Matt Archer was fourteen, he was chosen—by a magic, spirit-inhabited knife—to hunt monsters with a special paranormal division of the Army. When he was fifteen, he was thrown into a global war the rest of the world didn’t know existed.Now Matt’s sixteen and the war has cost him more than he ever thought it would... -
Deep State by Christopher Farnsworth
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt’s been four years since a new president ascended to the White House. Zach Barrows has not seen Nathaniel Cade, the President’s Vampire, since being fired from his position as Cade’s handler and sent to a small, cramped office in a government building in Nebraska.Once, he and Cade fought a shadow war against the monsters, spies, and demons that threatened the United States... -
I’m Glad You’re Dead by Hunter Blain
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAfter helplessly witnessing the execution of his family, John is approached by a strange man that promises the power of revenge, for a price; his life for the ability to walk the mortal plane for eternity. Fast forward several hundred years where John finds himself with an unlikely ally, Father Thomes Philseep...Categorized as:
dark low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal vampires action-adventure adult audiobook -
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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:
dark low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal action-adventure audiobook book contemporary -
Glass Predator by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFor Harmony Black, practicing witch and government agent, defeating criminal masterminds and eliminating supernatural threats are all in a day’s work. She’s ready to fight, as long as she can count on her partner, Jessie Temple; her team at off-the-books special FBI unit Vigilant Lock; and her magic. But her latest case threatens it all... -
My Dead Body by Charlie Huston, Scott Brick
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsPrivate eye Joe Pitt has been in hiding since exposing the secret source of blood for half of Manhattans Vampyres. But now a Vampyre civil war threatens to drag the Clans into the sunlight once and for all. Then Joe is hired to find a missing girl who is carrying a baby that just might be the destiny of Vampyre-kind... -
Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsThe second in a blockbuster series of novels from Russia's most popular science fiction author, Day Watch brings us back into the hyperimaginative world of Sergei Lukyanenko and continues the dramatic battle between good and evil, light and dark, day and night...Categorized as:
crime dark low-fantasy paranormal vampires 20th-century 21st-century action-adventure -
Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsMiriam is trying. Really, she is.But this whole "settling down thing" that Louis has going for her just isn't working out. She lives on Long Beach Island all year around. Her home is a run-down double-wide trailer. She works at a grocery store as a check-out girl... -
Kill the Dead by Richard Kadrey
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsWhat do you do after you’ve crawled out of Hell to wreak bloody revenge? If you’re Stark you turn to bounty hunting, tracking and decimating whatever rogue monsters you’re paid to kill. Stark hates the work, but he needs the money, especially the big bucks Lucifer is offering. In town as an adviser on a biopic of his life, Lucifer needs protection, and he wants Stark as his bodyguard... -
The Living End by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsAs the FBI closes in on the Las Vegas underworld, Daniel Faust -- grifter, thief, and sorcerer -- isn't the only one feeling the heat. Half-demon racket boss Nicky Agnelli is fighting to hang onto his empire, leaving a trail of dead informants in his wake, while Daniel's ex-girlfriend Jennifer rallies her forces on the street and aims her sights at Nicky's crown... -
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 79 ratingsGalaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away... -
Full Throttle by Joe Hill
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA little door that opens to a world of fairy tale wonders becomes the blood-drenched stomping ground for a gang of hunters in “Faun.” A grief-stricken librarian climbs behind the wheel of an antique Bookmobile to deliver fresh reads to the dead in “Late Returns... -
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:
dark low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal vampires action-adventure audiobook book -
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Moonheart by Charles de Lint
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWhen Sara and Jamie discovered the seemingly ordinary artifacts, they sensed the pull of a dim and distant place. A world of mists and forests, of ancient magics, mythical beings, ageless bards...and restless evil...Categorized as:
dark low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal action-adventure audiobook book classics -
Last Call by Tim Powers
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsTwenty years ago Scott Crane abandoned his career as a professional poker player and went into hiding, after a weird high-stakes game played with Tarot cards. But now the cards - and the supernatural powers behind them - have found him again.Crane's father killed gangster Bugsy Siegel in 1948 to become the Fisher King, and to keep that power he is determined to kill his son...Categorized as:
crime dark low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal 20th-century action-adventure adult -
North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsNathan Ballingrud's Shirley Jackson Award winning debut collection is a shattering and luminous experience not to be missed by those who love to explore the darker parts of the human psyche. Monsters, real and imagined, external and internal, are the subject. They are us and we are them and Ballingrud's intense focus makes these stories incredibly intense and irresistible.These are love stories... -
Devil Said Bang by Richard Kadrey
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsRichard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim—aka James Stark—is, quite simply, one of the most outrageous uber-anti-heroes ever to kick serious butt on this or any other world or dimension... -
ReVamped by J.F. Lewis
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsREVIVED. REFRESHED. AND READY FOR REVENGEEric has lost his strip club, his Mustang, and even Marilyn, the elderly love of his (mortal) life. Even his body was obliterated. In short, they almost got him. But when you're a vampire, "almost" is a very important word... -
Dark Ladies: Conjure Wife/Our Lady of Darkness by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsConjure WifeWitchcraft. Norman Saylor considered it nothing but superstition, until he learned that his own wife was a practicing sorceress. Even still, he refuses to accept the truth that every woman knows...that in the secret occult warfare that governs our lives, witchcraft is a matter of life and death... -
The Darkest Heart by Nancy A. Collins
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSince exacting revenge on the vampire who introduced her to the world of the undead, Sonja Blue has grown bored with her existence. But it's a short-lived respite, for Sonja discovers that she is the target of another vampire hunter, a mortal named Jack Estes. As she tries to convince Jack that she is not like the others, Sonja grows attached to the mortal... -
The Memory Eater by Rebecca Mahoney
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA teenage girl must save her town from a memory-devouring monster in this piercing exploration of grief, trauma, and memory, from the author of The Valley and the Flood.For generations, a monster called the Memory Eater has lived in the caves of Whistler Beach, Maine, surviving off the unhappy memories of those who want to forget... -
Redemption Song by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsDaniel Faust, Las Vegas sorcerer and career criminal, has never pulled the trigger on an innocent man. When the infernal Prince Sitri challenges him to do just that, though, he can't walk away. His lover, Caitlin, is Sitri's right hand...and if Daniel refuses the job, he'll never see her again... -
Zero Sight by B. Justin Shier
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsMeet Dieter Resnick. Dieter is the sole child of an abusive single father, a perennial schoolyard brawler, and Ted Binion High's number one academic prospect. Dieter is terrified of staying poor. He has few friends and is absolutely obsessed with earning a college scholarship. He's also a latent mage--one of the few humans left that can bend the manaflows to their will.Too bad no one told him...Categorized as:
dark low-fantasy paranormal vampires action-adventure book coming-of-age contemporary -
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Aloha from Hell by Richard Kadrey
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsAll hail Sandman Slim, author Richard Kadrey’s ultra-extreme anti-hero and recent escapee from Lucifer’s overheated Underworld playground. In number three, Aloha from Hell, the ruthless avenger, a.k.a. Stark, finds himself trapped in the middle of a war between Heaven and Hell... -
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...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism paranormal adult book contemporary cyberpunk dark-fantasy -
Agents of Light and Darkness by Simon R. Green
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsThe New York Times bestselling author takes readers back to the Nightside.A quest for the Unholy Grail-the goblet from which Judas drank at the Last Supper-takes private eye John Taylor deep into the secret, magical heart of London...called the Nightside... -
Half the Blood of Brooklyn by Charlie Huston
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratings“One of the most remarkable prose stylists to emerge from the noir tradition in this century.”–Stephen King“Hard-boiled horror, pulp noir vampires, decaying urban souls– you’re gonna need a shower after this one. . . . [Huston] kicks down the door of horror... -
Red Knight Falling by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFresh from their victory over the Bogeyman, FBI agent Harmony Black and her team, Vigilant Lock, face a new type of threat: one from beyond the stars.They’d always heard the Red Knight was an urban legend: in 1954, three years before Sputnik launched, a mysterious satellite was sighted circling Earth, though no power on the planet had such technology... -
Every Last Drop by Charlie Huston
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIt’s like this: a series of bullet-riddled bad breaks has seen rogue Vampyre and terminal tough guy Joe Pitt go from PI for hire to Clan-connected enforcer to dead man walking in a New York minute...
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