Books like 'Ex Libris: Stories of Librarians, Libraries, and Lore'
Readers who enjoyed Ex Libris: Stories of Librarians, Libraries, and Lore by Paula Guran, Ellen Klages, Kage Baker, Esther M. Friesner, Elizabeth Bear, Richard Bowes, Ruthanna Emrys, Norman Partridge, Ray Bradbury, Holly Black, Ken Liu, Kelly Link, Sarah Monette, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, A.C. Wise, Tansy Rayner Roberts, E. Saxey, Amal El-Mohtar, Scott Lynch, Robert Reed, Xia Jia, Gregory Benford, Jack McDevitt & Edoardo Albert also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy horror mystery supernatural action / adventure magic myths retellings
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City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsRevenge. It's something Sigrud je Harkvaldsson is very, very good at. Maybe the only thing. So when he learns that his oldest friend and ally, former Prime Minister Shara Komayd, has been assassinated, he knows exactly what to do — and that no mortal force can stop him from meting out the suffering Shara's killers deserve... -
![H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Collection with Accompanying Facts by H.P. Lovecraft]()
H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Collection with Accompanying Facts by H.P. Lovecraft
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsH. P. Lovecraft: The Complete Collection. Classed as one of the greatest American horror fiction writers of our time, you can now have H.P Lovecraft's work all in one kindle download (with easy navigation). Over 2,000 kindle pages long! (2,195) 62 Short Stories and 5 Novellas. This collection is unabridged, and appears as he first intended it. (And how the editors at the time first published it)... -
![The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo]()
The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 53 ratingsLove speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns. Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price... -
![Storm Moon Rising by T.J. Green]()
Storm Moon Rising by T.J. Green
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShifters are dying. It’s time to hunt.Wolf shifters fight hard, and play harder, and no one does this better than Maverick Hale, the Alpha of the Storm Moon Pack in London.However, when one of his team is found dead in his club, he needs answers—fast... -
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![Birth Of A Killer: The Saga Of Larten Crepsley Book One by Darren Shan]()
Birth Of A Killer: The Saga Of Larten Crepsley Book One by Darren Shan
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsIn the first of the four volumes in The Saga of Larten Crepsley, young Larten s life is thrown into chaos when his closest friend is murdered. Retreating from the world of humans, he finds refuge in the night-world of the vampire clan. He has the bravery, strength and skill to go far as a creature of the night, but he faces a number of troubling obstacles and setbacks... -
![Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro, Cornelia Funke]()
Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro, Cornelia Funke
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsFans of dark fairy-tales like The Hazel Wood and The Cruel Prince will relish this atmospheric and absorbing book based on Guillermo del Toro’s critically acclaimed movie... -
![The Master's Apprentice: A Retelling of the Faust Legend by Oliver Pötzsch]()
The Master's Apprentice: A Retelling of the Faust Legend by Oliver Pötzsch
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA young man’s destined quest becomes a dance with the devil in a mesmerizing retelling of the Faust legend by the bestselling author of the Hangman’s Daughter Tales series.It’s the fifteenth century and only heretics are curious about the universe.Germany, 1494. Born under a rare alignment of the stars, Johann Georg Gerlach, “the lucky one” to his mother—is fated for greatness... -
![I Am Grimalkin by Joseph Delaney]()
I Am Grimalkin by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsFrom the publisher:"I'm coming for you, and nothing living or dead can stop me."One witch is the most feared, the most ruthless, and the most deadly of all the witches in the county. If she hunts for you, she will find you. If you have crossed her, you don't stand a chance. She is the witch assassin, and her name is Grimalkin.Grimalkin's one alliance is with Tom Ward, the Spook's apprentice... -
![Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart]()
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsWhen the children of his village were struck with a mysterious illness, Number Ten Ox sought a wiseman to save them. He found master Li Kao, a scholar with a slight flaw in his character. Together, they set out to find the Great Root of Power, the only possible cure...Categorized as:
magic myths retellings 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history ancient-china -
![The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud, Simon Jones]()
The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud, Simon Jones
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsIt is 950 B.C.E., and King Solomon rules Jerusalem with a steely hand; a hand on which gleams a magic ring of immense and unforgiving power. Solomon has just begun work on his marvelous temple, charging Khaba, a formidable magician in his royal court, to oversee its construction. The workforce is an ill-behaved bunch of demons, a particularly unruly djinni named Bartimaeus among them...Categorized as:
magic myths retellings action-adventure alternate-history alternate-universe audiobook book -
![The Spook's Mistake by Joseph Delaney]()
The Spook's Mistake by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsAs danger increases in the County, Tom is sent far north by his master to be trained by Bill Arkwright, another Spook. Arkwright lives in a haunted mill on the edge of a treacherous marsh and his training methods prove to be harsh and sometimes cruel. But he has toughened up many previous apprentices and now he must do the same for Tom and prepare him for the gravest dangers of his life... -
![Ghost in the Mask by Jonathan Moeller]()
Ghost in the Mask by Jonathan Moeller
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCaina Amalas is a nightfighter of the Ghosts, the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar, and through cunning and valor she has cast down both proud lords and mighty sorcerers. But a power darker than any she has ever faced is awakening... -
![The Spook's Sacrifice by Joseph Delaney]()
The Spook's Sacrifice by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsAs the Spook's apprentice Tom's first duty is to protect the County from the dark. But now Mam needs his help in her homeland of Greece. One of the most dangerous of the old gods, the Ordeen, is about to return there, bringing slaughter and devastation. Meanwhile, the Devil himself is still loose and if he and the Ordeen join forces, a new age of darkness will descend... -
![Born of Hatred by Steve McHugh]()
Born of Hatred by Steve McHugh
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsThere was a time when Nathan Garrett was feared. When the mention of his name was enough to stop his enemies in their tracks. That time has long since passed.When Nathan’s friend asks for help investigating a pattern of horrific crimes, he reluctantly agrees. But his investigation leads to a serial killer who is something more, or less, than human, a creature of pure malevolence and hatred... -
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![Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier]()
Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsA brand new novel in the beloved world of Sevenwaters, a fantasy series that should appeal to "Lord of the Rings" fans (VOYA). The chieftains of Sevenwaters have long been custodians of a vast and mysterious forest. Human and Otherworld dwellers have existed there side by side, sharing a wary trust... -
![Root Magic by Eden Royce]()
Root Magic by Eden Royce
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA historical ghost story set in South Carolina in the 1960s—a tale of courage, friendship, and Black Girl Magic.It’s 1963, and things are changing for Jezebel Turner. Her beloved grandmother has just passed away. The local police deputy won’t stop harassing her family... -
![Attack of the Fiend by Joseph Delaney]()
Attack of the Fiend by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 40 ratings"I see your future clearly. Your master will be dead, and you will be alone. It would be better if you had never been born."Thomas Ward is the apprentice for the local Spook, who banishes boggarts and drives away ghosts. But now a new danger is threatening Tom's world. The witches are rising and the three most powerful clans are uniting in order to conjure an unimaginable evil... -
![City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett]()
City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsA generation ago, the city of Voortyashtan was the stronghold of the god of war and death, the birthplace of fearsome supernatural sentinels who killed and subjugated millions. Now, the city’s god is dead. The city itself lies in ruins. And to its new military occupiers, the once-powerful capital is a wasteland of sectarian violence and bloody uprisings... -
![The Spook's Revenge by Joseph Delaney]()
The Spook's Revenge by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratings‘He’s the seventh son of a seventh son. His name is Thomas J. Ward and he’s my gift to the County. When he’s old enough we’ll send you word. Train him well. He’ll be the best apprentice you’ve ever had and he’ll also be your last.’These were the words of Tom's Mam to the county Spook some years ago... -
![More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz]()
More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsAll those who enjoyed shuddering their way through Alvin Schwartz's first volume of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark will find a satisfyingly spooky sequel in this new collection of the macabre, the funny, and the fantastic... -
![Fear by Ronald Kelly]()
Fear by Ronald Kelly
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt was a legend in Fear County... a hideous, flesh-eating creature - part snake, part earthbound demon - that feasted on the blood of innocent children in the cold black heart of the Tennessee backwoods. But ten-year-old Jeb Sweeny knows the horrible stories are true. His best friend Mandy just up and disappeared... -
![Ghost in the Cowl by Jonathan Moeller]()
Ghost in the Cowl by Jonathan Moeller
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOverviewCaina Amalas was a nightfighter of the Ghosts, the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar, and through her boldness and cunning saved the Empire and the world from sorcerous annihilation.But the victory cost her everything.Now she is exiled and alone in the city of Istarinmul, far from her home and friends... -
![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... -
![The Son of the Morning by Jacob Peppers]()
The Son of the Morning by Jacob Peppers
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFifty years ago, the nightwalkers appeared, creatures of shadow and darkness, thirsting for blood and death. Thousands died and the kingdom of Entarna was brought to its knees. Then the Chosen came, six men and women endowed with powers by Amedan, the God of Fire and Light. The Chosen joined with the kingdom’s armies and together they managed to defeat the night’s creatures. At least for a time... -
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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... -
![Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher]()
Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsBryony and her sisters have come down in the world. Their merchant father died trying to reclaim his fortune and left them to eke out a living in a village far from their home in the city. But when Bryony is caught in a snowstorm and takes refuge in an abandoned manor, she stumbles into a house full of dark enchantments... -
![Deeplight by Frances Hardinge]()
Deeplight by Frances Hardinge
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea meets Frankenstein in this inventive YA fantasy from award-winning author Frances Hardinge The gods are dead. Fifty years ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. Nobody knows why. Now, even coin-sized scraps of dead god are worth a fortune because of the strange powers they're said to possess... -
![Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord by L.G. Estrella]()
Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord by L.G. Estrella
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsTwo necromancers, an army of golems, and a demon lord – it sounds like a recipe for trouble, and for Timmy, it definitely is. To earn his pardon and avoid horrible torture and/or gruesome execution, Timmy has to complete every mission the Council throws his way, most of which seem to involve extremely scary things trying to kill him. At least he’s got help – sort of... -
![Ghost in the Flames by Jonathan Moeller]()
Ghost in the Flames by Jonathan Moeller
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsCaina is now a Ghost nightfighter, with the cunning of an elite spy and the skill of a master assassin.But this time, it might take more than that to keep her alive.Caina has been sent to hunt a murderous pyromancer, a master of fiery sorcery, and she soon discovers that more is at stake than just a few murders. Because if she doesn't find the pyromancer soon, the entire world might burn... -
![The Hungry Dreaming by Craig Schaefer]()
The Hungry Dreaming by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe discovery of lost letters between Alexander Hamilton and George Washington, describing historical events that never happened, sends shockwaves through the academic world. Meanwhile, a citywide surveillance program is coming to New York on a groundswell of dirty money and dead bodies. To hard-nosed Brooklyn reporter Nell Bluth, the two mysteries couldn't be more different... -
![Ghost in the Blood by Jonathan Moeller]()
Ghost in the Blood by Jonathan Moeller
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCaina is a Ghost nightfighter, one of the Emperor’s elite spies and assassins, and few enemies of the Empire ever escape her cunning. Yet all Caina’s wit and skill might not be enough to save her from a terrible fate.Sent to hunt down a cruel slave trader, Caina encounters something far darker. An ancient evil, a thing of legend and terror... -
![Uprooted by Naomi Novik]()
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 83 ratings“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon... -
![Angel Fever by Ella Summers]()
Angel Fever by Ella Summers
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCadence Lightbringer has everything. The prestige and power that comes with being the Angel of Storm Castle. Her archangel husband and soulmate, Damiel Dragonsire, Master Interrogator in the Legion of Angels. And their son Nero, a miracle of magic, the first and only child of two angels.But the Legion’s mission to exterminate dark magic brings trouble to Cadence’s door... -
![Wyrde and Wicked by Charlotte E. English]()
Wyrde and Wicked by Charlotte E. English
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings‘When it comes to the Wyrde, there is no such thing as harmless. Every single one of us is a walking disaster.’ Winter has come to Werth Towers, and brought a deal of trouble with it. Not that any of it is the fault of Miss Gussie Werth. To be a one-woman catastrophe might be seen as a misfortune, but really, there can be no hope of a cure... -
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![The Truth of Shadows by Jacob Peppers]()
The Truth of Shadows by Jacob Peppers
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThree strangers chosen by the gods. A castle-servant who can bend fire and light to his will. A musician whose song can soothe even the wildest of hearts. And a nobleman with the gods’ own luck. Three strangers gifted with powers beyond that of normal mortals stand against the armies of shadow. But there are other gods, other powers lurking in the darkness, and they too will find their champions... -
![The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark]()
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsThe Haunting of Tram Car 015 returns to the alternate Cairo of Clark's short fiction, where humans live and work alongside otherworldly beings; the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities handles the issues that can arise between the magical and the mundane...Categorized as:
magic myths retellings 21st-century action-adventure adult afrofuturism alternate-history -
![Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence]()
Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsThe Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire dread her like no other. For all her reign, she has fought the long war, contested in secret, against the powers that stand behind nations, for higher stakes than land or gold. Her greatest weapon is The Silent Sister—unseen by most and unspoken of by all... -
![The Fear Institute by Jonathan L. Howard]()
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... -
![Slither by Joseph Delaney]()
Slither by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 19 ratings"My name is Slither, and before my tale is finished you'll find out why."The dark is full of terrifying creatures. And Tom Ward—the seventh son of a seventh son, and the Spook's last apprentice—hasn't seen all of them. Far from the county, one named Slither has lived for hundreds of years, hunting blood.But a dying father binds the monster to a bargain... -
![Declare by Tim Powers]()
Declare by Tim Powers
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAs a young double agent infiltrating the Soviet spy network in Nazi-occupied Paris, Andrew Hale finds himself caught up in a secret, even more ruthless war. Two decades later, in 1963, he will be forced to confront again the nightmare that has haunted his adult life: a lethal unfinished operation code-named Declare...Categorized as:
magic myths retellings 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
![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:
magic myths retellings fantasy historical-fiction paranormal fiction witches-wizards -
![The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm by Ellen Datlow, Holly Black]()
The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm by Ellen Datlow, Holly Black
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFaeries, or creatures like them, can be found in almost every culture the world over--benevolent and terrifying, charming and exasperating, shifting shape from country to country, story to story, and moment to moment... -
![A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark]()
A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsEgypt, 1912. In an alternate Cairo infused with the otherworldly, the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities investigate disturbances between the mortal and the (possibly) divine... -
![Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve by Mary Pope Osborne]()
Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve by Mary Pope Osborne
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe intrepid Jack and Annie are summoned once again to the fantasy realm of Camelot. There, Merlin the Magician tells them that the Stone of Destiny has been stolen. The answer to its disappearance lies within a haunted castle... -
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![Amulet Keepers by Michael Northrop]()
Amulet Keepers by Michael Northrop
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the team that brought you The 39 Clues and Spirit Animals comes a brand new epic Egyptian adventure!When Alex’s mother uses the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead to bring him back from the brink of death, she inadvertently summons a slew of other spirits from the underworld...Categorized as:
magic myths retellings action-adventure africa ancient-civilization animals audiobook -
![The Sign of the Nine by G.S. Denning]()
The Sign of the Nine by G.S. Denning
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“If you ever wondered how much better Sherlock would be if people could hurl hellfire at each other, well this one is for you.” Starburst Magazine on A Study in BrimstoneWarlock Holmes may have demons in his head, but now Dr. John Watson has a mummy in his bloodstream... -
![Death Rites by E.A. Copen]()
Death Rites by E.A. Copen
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAccused of murder. Hunted by gods. Low on ramen.After getting out of prison, necromancer and curio shop owner Lazarus Kerrigan has done his best to stay out of trouble. Unfortunately for him, fate has other plans.When a woman is found dead on his doorstep, Laz’s checkered past makes him the prime suspect, especially since he was the last person to see her alive... -
![The Dragon Coin by Aiden James]()
The Dragon Coin by Aiden James
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsASIN B00DPVP5ME moved to the most recent edition with new title Immortal DragonFree of the threat of Viktor Kaslow, William Barrow (aka Judas Iscariot) is tantalizingly close to finally having the life he has dreamed of with Beatrice and Alistair. A life blessed with youthful optimism and renewed companionship—things he once feared were forever lost. But such optimism is short lived... -
![The Elder Ice by David Hambling]()
The Elder Ice by David Hambling
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLovecraftian weird fiction set in 1920s London.In this atmospheric novella, ex-boxer Harry Stubbs is on the trail of a mysterious legacy. A polar explorer has died, leaving huge debts and hints of a priceless find. His informants seem to be talking in riddles, and Harry soon finds he isn't the only one on the trail -- and what he's looking for is as lethal as it is valuable... -
![Alice, the Player by A.W. Exley]()
Alice, the Player by A.W. Exley
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsElla and Alice are trying to forge a path with the men they love in a world reeling from the Great War and the influenza pandemic that left the countryside crawling with the undead. Then Alice goes missing without a trace, until the new vermin queen sends an invitation--Ella is welcome to try and rescue her friend before Elizabeth lets her subjects tear the housemaid apart...
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