Books like 'A Vaudeville of Devils'
Readers who enjoyed A Vaudeville of Devils by Robert Girardi also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy horror high fantasy 20th century magical-realism dark myths literary-fiction retellings
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Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsGeralt is a witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent.This is a collection of short stories, following the adventures of the hit collection THE LAST WISH... -
![The Tower of the Swallow by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
The Tower of the Swallow by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsThe world has fallen into war. Ciri, the child of prophecy, has vanished. Hunted by friends and foes alike, she has taken on the guise of a petty bandit and lives free for the first time in her life. But the net around her is closing. Geralt, the Witcher, has assembled a group of allies determined to rescue her. Both sides of the war have sent brutal mercenaries to hunt her down... -
![Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 71 ratingsGeralt is a witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent.This is a collection of short stories, following the adventures of the hit collection THE LAST WISH... -
![The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart]()
The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsArthur Pendragon is King! Unchallenged on the battlefield, he melds the country together in a time of promise. But sinister powers plot to destroy Camelot, and when the witch-queen Morgause -- Arthur's own half sister -- ensnares him in an incestuous liaison, a fatal web of love, betrayal, and bloody vengeance is woven...Categorized as:
literary-fiction myths retellings 20th-century action-adventure arthurian audiobook book -
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![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... -
![The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 68 ratingsThe New York Times bestselling series that inspired the international hit video game: The Witcher Geralt is a witcher: guardian of the innocent; protector of those in need; a defender, in dark times, against some of the most frightening creatures of myth and legend. His task, now, is to protect Ciri... -
![The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 79 ratingsGeralt the Witcher—revered and hated—is a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good..Categorized as:
dark myths retellings 20th-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook dark-fantasy -
![The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 70 ratingsGeralt the Witcher—revered and hated—is a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good..Categorized as:
dark myths retellings 20th-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook dark-fantasy -
![The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe]()
The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAlternative cover editions for this ISBN exist here and here.Beneath the dying sun the disgraced torturer, Severian, at last comes to his place of exile - Thrax, the city of Windowless Rooms.But Severian's journey is not ended, and high in Earth's ancient mountains he draws closer to his destiny...Categorized as:
dark literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult aliens apocalyptic audiobook -
![The White Rose by Glen Cook]()
The White Rose by Glen Cook
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsShe is the last hope of good in the war against the evil sorceress known as the Lady. From a secret base on the Plains of Fear, where even the Lady hesitates to go, the Black Company, once in service to the Lady, now fights to bring victory to the White Rose. But now an even greater evil threatens the world... -
![Wise Child by Monica Furlong]()
Wise Child by Monica Furlong
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsIn a remote Scottish village, nine-year-old Wise Child is taken in by Juniper, a healer and sorceress. Then Wise Child's mother, Maeve, a black witch, reappears. In choosing between Maeve and Juniper, Wise Child discovers the extent of her supernatural powers - and her true loyalties...Categorized as:
magical-realism myths retellings 20th-century action-adventure book children children-books -
![Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 74 ratingsThe New York Times bestselling series that inspired the international hit video game: The Witcher.For over a century, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves have lived together in relative peace. But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over, and now the races are fighting once again. The only good elf, it seems, is a dead elf... -
![Sabriel by Garth Nix]()
Sabriel by Garth Nix
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 76 ratingsSent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him... -
![Shadows Linger by Glen Cook]()
Shadows Linger by Glen Cook
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsMercenary soldiers in the service of the Lady, the Black Company stands against the rebels of the White Rose. They are tough men, proud of honoring their contracts. The Lady is evil, but so, too, are those who falsely profess to follow the White Rose, reincarnation of a centuries-dead heroine... -
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![Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 48 ratingsThe Witcher returns in this action-packed sequel to The Tower of Swallows, in the New York Times bestselling series that inspired The Witcher video games. After walking through the portal in the Tower of Swallows while narrowly escaping death, Ciri finds herself in a completely different world... an Elven world. She is trapped with no way out... -
![Zothique by Clark Ashton Smith]()
Zothique by Clark Ashton Smith
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTales of Zothique is a collection of fantasy short stories by Clark Ashton Smith, and edited by Lin Carter. It was first published in paperback by Ballantine Books as the sixteenth volume of its celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in June 1970. It was the first themed collection of Smith's works assembled by Carter for the series... -
![The Dark Eidolon and Other Fantasies by Clark Ashton Smith]()
The Dark Eidolon and Other Fantasies by Clark Ashton Smith
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA much-awaited collection of prose and poetry from one of the great cosmic masters of the supernatural Not just any fantasy, horror, and science fiction author could impress H. P. Lovecraft into calling him "perhaps unexcelled by any other writer, dead or living” or compel Fritz Lieber to employ the worthy term sui generis... -
![Death's Master by Tanith Lee]()
Death's Master by Tanith Lee
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsDeath's Master, winner of the August Derleth Award for Fantasy, is the second book of the stunning arabesque high fantasy series Tales from the Flat Earth, which, in the manner of the One Thousand and One Nights, portrays an ancient world in mythic grandeur via connected tales... -
![Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams]()
Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsThe second book in the trilogy that launched one of the most important fantasy writers of our time.It is a time of darkness, dread, and ultimate testing for the realm of Osten Ard, for the wild magic and terrifying minions of the undead Sithi ruler, Ineluki the Storm King, are spreading their seemingly undefeatable evil across the kingdom... -
![Tales from Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin]()
Tales from Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsFive stories of Ursula K. Le Guin's world-renowned realm of Earthsea are collected in one volume. Featuring two classic stories, two original tales, and a brand-new novella, as well as new maps and a special essay on Earthsea's history, languages, literature, and magic...Categorized as:
myths 20th-century 21st-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook children classics -
![Swords Against Wizardry by Fritz Leiber]()
Swords Against Wizardry by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsFahrd and the Gray Mouser, master swordsmen, are determined to climb to the summit of Stardock, a dangerously steep mountain, in search of treasure...Categorized as:
dark 20th-century action-adventure adult anthologies audiobook classics dark-fantasy -
![A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan]()
A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 67 ratingsThe Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and go. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time... -
![The Dragon Revenant by Katharine Kerr]()
The Dragon Revenant by Katharine Kerr
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsFor years the provinces of Deverry have been in turmoil; now the conflict escalates with the kidnapping of Rhodry Maelwaedd, heir to the throne of Aberwyn. Intent on rescuing him, his beloved Jill and the elven wizard Salamander infiltrate the distant land of Bardex, where Rhodry is held captive... -
![The Swords of Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber]()
The Swords of Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsOne of them was a huge, brawny, full-bearded barbarian from the northlands of Nehwon. His name was Fafhrd, his weapon a broadsword. The other was a small, nimble man dressed all in gray. Men called him the Gray Mouser, and he carried both rapier and dirk. They were known throughout the city of Lankhmar as brawlers, cutpurses, and rogues... -
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![The Mirror of Fate by T.A. Barron]()
The Mirror of Fate by T.A. Barron
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsWHAT THE MIRROR REFLECTS...Strange wickedness is rising up on the magical Isle of Fincayra. To save his homeland, and his destiny, Merlin is forced to travel to frightening places - both on the land and within himself. Joined by Hallia, the deer-woman he has grown to love, and by his own mischievous shadow, Merlin discovers a magical mirror that can alter anyone's fate... -
![Delusion's Master by Tanith Lee]()
Delusion's Master by Tanith Lee
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDelusion's Master is the third book of the stunning arabesque high fantasy series Tales from the Flat Earth, which, in the manner of The One Thousand and One Nights, portrays an ancient world in mythic grandeur via connected tales... -
![The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft]()
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsThe Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) published by Arkham House posthumously in 1943 in the collection Beyond the Wall of Sleep. Begun probably in the autumn of 1926, it was completed on January 22, 1927 and was unpublished in his lifetime...Categorized as:
dark literary-fiction myths retellings 20th-century action-adventure adult anthologies -
![Swords Against Death by Fritz Leiber]()
Swords Against Death by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsIn the second instalment of this rousing series, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser journey from the ancient city of Lankhmar, searching for a little adventure and debauchery to ease their broken hearts. When a stranger challenges them to find and fight Death on the Bleak Shore, they battle demonic birds, living mountains, and evil monks on the way to their heroic fate... -
![Time and the Gods by Lord Dunsany]()
Time and the Gods by Lord Dunsany
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis omnibus contains all the stories from Dunsany's earlier collections: Time and the Gods, The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories, A Dreamer's Tales, The Book of Wonder, The Last Book of Wonder, and The Gods of Pegāna...Categorized as:
literary-fiction myths retellings 20th-century adult anthologies classics cosmic-horror -
![The Power That Preserves by Stephen R. Donaldson]()
The Power That Preserves by Stephen R. Donaldson
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 39 ratings"A trilogy of remarkable scope and sophistication."--Los Angeles TimesTwice before Thomas Covenant had been summoned to the strange otherworld where magic worked. Twice before he had been forced to join with the Lords of Revelstone in their war against Lord Foul, the ancient enemy of the Land.Now he was back--to a Land ravaged by the armies of Lord Foul. The Lords were besieged and helpless...Categorized as:
dark 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-universe anti-hero audiobook book -
![Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer by Tanith Lee]()
Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer by Tanith Lee
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsHow would it be if Snow White were the real villain & the wicked queen just a sadly maligned innocent? What if awakening the Sleeping Beauty should be the mistake of a lifetime--of several lifetimes? What if the famous folk tales were retold with an eye to more horrific possibilities?Only Tanith Lee could do justice to it...Categorized as:
dark myths retellings 20th-century action-adventure anthologies classics dark-fantasy -
![In the Land of Time: And Other Fantasy Tales by Lord Dunsany]()
In the Land of Time: And Other Fantasy Tales by Lord Dunsany
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsA new edition of the Fantasy Tales that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P. Lovecraft A pioneer in the realm of imaginative literature, Lord Dunsany has gained a cult following for his influence on modern fantasy literature, including such authors as J.R.R. Tolkien and H. P. Lovecraft. This unique collection of short stories ranges over five decades of work...Categorized as:
literary-fiction myths retellings 20th-century adult anthologies classics cosmic-horror -
![The Illearth War by Stephen R. Donaldson]()
The Illearth War by Stephen R. Donaldson
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAfter scant days in his "real" world, Thomas Covenant found himself again summoned to the Land. There forty bitter years had passed, while Lord Foul, immortal enemy of the Land, moved to fulfill his prophecy of doom... -
![Night's Master by Tanith Lee]()
Night's Master by Tanith Lee
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsNIGHT'S MASTER is the first book of the stunning arabesque high fantasy series Tales from the Flat Earth, which, in the manner of The One Thousand and One Nights, portrays an ancient world in mythic grandeur via connected tales... -
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![The Charwoman's Shadow by Lord Dunsany]()
The Charwoman's Shadow by Lord Dunsany
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsAn old woman who spends her days scrubbing the floors might be an unlikely damsel in distress, but Lord Dunsany proves once again his mastery of the fantastical. The Charwoman's Shadow is a beautiful tale of a sorcerer's apprentice who discovers his master's nefarious usage of stolen shadows, and vows to save the charwoman from her slavery... -
![Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien]()
Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsClassic hardback edition of this fascinating collection of stories, featuring Tolkien’s own painting of the dragon Glaurung on the cover, which continues the tales of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion and contains an alternative version of The Children of Hurin...Categorized as:
myths 20th-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook classics dark-fantasy dragons -
![The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien]()
The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 59 ratingsThis tale of Middle-earth's First Age, which appeared in incomplete forms in the posthumously published The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales , also edited by Tolkien's son, Christopher, only hinted at the depth and power of the tragic story of Túrin and Niënor, the children of Húrin, the lord of Dor-lómin, who achieved renown for having confronted Morgoth, who was the master of Sauron, the...Categorized as:
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![The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams]()
The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsA war fueled by the powers of dark sorcery is about to engulf the peaceful land of Osten Ard—for Prester John, the High King, lies dying. And with his death, the Storm King, the undead ruler of the elf-like Sithi, seizes the chance to regain his lost realm through a pact with the newly ascended king... -
![Spell of Witchworld by Andre Norton]()
Spell of Witchworld by Andre Norton
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsElys and Elyn, born in the same hour, were of the blood of Estcarp though they lived as strangers in the High Hallack among the Dalesmen. Their mother, Mistress of the Powers, had bound their fate together with her necromancy... -
![The Book Of Wonder by Lord Dunsany]()
The Book Of Wonder by Lord Dunsany
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsThis scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages... -
![Swords and Ice Magic by Fritz Leiber]()
Swords and Ice Magic by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsContents:· The Sadness of the Executioner · ss Flashing Swords! #1, ed...Categorized as:
dark 20th-century action-adventure adult anthologies audiobook classics dark-fantasy -
![The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner]()
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWhen Colin and Susan are pursued by eerie creatures across Alderley Edge, they are saved by the Wizard. He takes them into the caves of Fundindelve, where he watches over the enchanted sleep of one hundred and forty knights. But the heart of the magic that binds them - Firefrost, also known as the Weirdstone of Brisingamen - has been lost...Categorized as:
magical-realism myths retellings 20th-century action-adventure arthurian audiobook book -
![The Dying Earth by Jack Vance]()
The Dying Earth by Jack Vance
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsSeekers of wisdom and beauty include lovely lost women, eccentric wizards and man-eating melancholy deodands. Twk-men ride dragonflies and trade information for salt. There are monsters and demons. Each being is morally ambiguous: the evil are charming, the good are dangerous... -
![Elidor by Alan Garner]()
Elidor by Alan Garner
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA mechanical street map, a deserted slum, a church in ruins, and a football. Four ordinary things lead the Watson children on an extraordinary adventure to a magical land called Elidor... -
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![Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde]()
Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsFifteen-year-old Alys is not a witch. But that doesn't matter—the villagers think she is and have staked her out on a hillside as a sacrifice to the local dragon. It's late, it's cold, and it's raining, and Alys can think of only one thing—revenge... -
![Deerskin by Robin McKinley]()
Deerskin by Robin McKinley
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAs Princess Lissla Lissar reaches womanhood, it is clear to all the kingdom that in her beauty she is the image of her dead mother, the queen. But this likeness forces her to flee from her father's lust and madness; and in the pain and horror of that flight she forgets who she is and what it is she flees from: forgets almost everything but the love and loyalty of her dog, Ash, who accompanies her... -
![Tales of Nevèrÿon by Samuel R. Delany]()
Tales of Nevèrÿon by Samuel R. Delany
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsIn his four-volume series Return to Nevèrÿon, Hugo and Nebula award-winner Samuel R. Delany appropriated the conceits of sword-and-sorcery fantasy to explore his characteristic themes of language, power, gender, and the nature of civilization. Wesleyan University Press has reissued the long-unavailable Nevèrÿon volumes in trade paperback... -
![Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake, Rupert Degas]()
Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake, Rupert Degas
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsStarts with the birth and ends with the first birthday celebrations of the heir to the grand, tradition-bound castle of Gormenghast. A grand miasma of doom and foreboding weaves over the sterile rituals of the castle. Villainous Steerpike seeks to exploit the gaps between the formal rituals and the emotional needs of the ruling family for his own profit...Categorized as:
dark literary-fiction magical-realism 20th-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook classics -
![Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson]()
Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe gathering forces of the Dark Powers threatened the world of man. The legions of Faery, aided by trolls, demons and the Wild Hunt itself, were poised to overthrow the realms of light.And alone against the armies of Chaos stood one man, the knight of Three Hearts and Three Lions...Categorized as:
dark myths retellings 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history arthurian -
![Black Thorn, White Rose by Ellen Datlow, Isabel Cole]()
Black Thorn, White Rose by Ellen Datlow, Isabel Cole
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsThe award-winning editors of Snow White, Blood Red return us to distinctly adult realms of myth and the fantastic -- with 18 wondrous works that cloak the magical fictions we heard at grandma's knee in mantles of darkness and dread...
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