Books like 'Cryptic'
Readers who enjoyed Cryptic by D.A. Chaney also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical horror monsters/creatures zombies post-apocalyptic
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Portal to Nova Roma: Venice by J.R. Mathews
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsAlexander and his growing legion have managed to escape Nova Roma and, more importantly, learned that the rest of the world may not be as ravaged and destroyed as they had all thought!Join them as they set sail for ancient Venice, the Queen of the Adriatic, to try to learn more about the wider world outside Nova Roma...Categorized as:
post-apocalyptic fantasy magic action-adventure ai high-fantasy alternate-history litrpg -
![Fairy’s Touch by Ella Summers]()
Fairy’s Touch by Ella Summers
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe games of gods play out upon the backbones of mortals. Leda Pierce has come a long way since she left her home on the frontier of civilization one year ago to join the Legion of Angels. She is a soldier in the gods’ army, has crossed swords with demons, and shares an apartment with her angel lover in New York... -
![The Fall of the House of Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard]()
The Fall of the House of Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsJohannes Cabal, a necromancer of some little infamy, has come into possession of a vital clue that may lead him to his ultimate goal: a cure for death. The path is vague, however, and certainly treacherous as it takes him into strange territories that, quite literally, no one has ever seen before...Categorized as:
zombies action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book comedy cosmic-horror -
![Red Runs the River (Life of the Dead) by Tony Urban]()
Red Runs the River (Life of the Dead) by Tony Urban
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThis is how the end begins. In the thrilling conclusion of the LIFE OF THE DEAD series, the men and women who survived the initial days of the zombie apocalypse are faced with new challenges and epic adventures and every decision is the difference between life and death... -
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![The Brothers Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard]()
The Brothers Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsHorst Cabal has risen from the dead. Again. Horst, the most affable vampire one is ever likely to meet, is resurrected by an occult conspiracy that wants him as a general in a monstrous army. Their plan: to create a country of horrors, a supernatural homeland. As Horst sees the lengths to which they are prepared to go and the evil they cultivate, he realizes that he cannot fight them alone...Categorized as:
zombies action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book comedy cosmic-horror -
![Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence]()
Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsKing Jorg Ancrath is twenty now—and king of seven nations. His goal—revenge against his father—has not yet been realized, and the demons that haunt him have only grown stronger. Yet no matter how tortured his path, he intends to take the next step in his upward climb. Jorg would be emperor. It is a position not to be gained by the sword but rather by vote...Categorized as:
post-apocalyptic action-adventure anti-hero apocalyptic audiobook book coming-of-age dark -
![Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day by Jonathan L. Howard]()
Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJohannes Cabal has faced down the undead, ghosts, monsters, and Satan himself. But before all that, he fought the terrifying Bonewind, a supernatural being that devours life itself, and he did it all without leaving his house. "Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day" was the story that first introduced the necromancer of some little infamy back in 2004... -
![Forbidden Honor by May Dawson]()
Forbidden Honor by May Dawson
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn my world, dragon shifters rule. Dragon shifters are always royals. They’re always male. They’re always assholes.An orphaned servant like me? Everyone assumes on first shift, I’ll turn into a squirrel.Instead, I grow wings. Breathe fire. Throw the world into chaos.No one wants a girl in the Royal Dragon Guard. So I’m disguised as a man and sent off to military training... -
![King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence]()
King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 53 ratingsThe second book in the Broken Empire series, Lawrence takes his young anti-hero one step closer to his grand ambition.To reach greatness you must step on bodies, and many brothers lie trodden in my wake...Categorized as:
post-apocalyptic action-adventure anti-hero apocalyptic audiobook book dark dark-fantasy -
![Emaculum by Roberto Calas]()
Emaculum by Roberto Calas
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe last mile is always the longest. The Scourge: Emaculum is the haunting conclusion to the Scourge trilogy. Sir Edward Dallingridge’s wife, the Lady Elizabeth, waits, once more, in St. Edmund’s Abbey. And to reach her, Edward must battle a king and save a queen, break an oath and make another... -
![The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey]()
The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWhen Dr. Warthrop goes hunting the "Holy Grail of Monstrumology" with his eager new assistant, Arkwright, he leaves Will Henry in New York. Finally, Will can enjoy something that always seemed out of reach: a normal life with a real family. But part of Will can't let go of Dr. Warthrop, and when Arkwright returns claiming that the doctor is dead, Will is devastated--and not convinced... -
![Fear Another Day by Baileigh Higgins]()
Fear Another Day by Baileigh Higgins
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe apocalypse has begun...Nadia, alone and frightened, runs not only from the infected but also the guilt that hounds her footsteps.Within her veins her she carries a secret, one that could change the course of humanity. Haunted by the death of his beloved, Logan wanders the highways in search of redemption. He stumbles upon Nadia and in saving her, he finds a measure of peace...Categorized as:
post-apocalyptic zombies action-adventure adult alternate-history apocalyptic audiobook book -
![Nostrum by Roberto Calas]()
Nostrum by Roberto Calas
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe journey north ended with The Scourge.The journey for a cure has just begun . . .S ir Edward Dallingridge survived his journey through the anarchy that is now England, leaving in his wake the bodies of mad lords, foul invaders, friends, and the risen dead. There was nothing on earth that could keep him from the woman he loves... -
![Ouroboros Ouzo by Jonathan L. Howard]()
Ouroboros Ouzo by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhat if you could see the future? What if the future could see YOU? Johannes Cabal, a necromancer of some little infamy, has discovered a way to give some insights into how he should conduct his future researches; by drinking a glass of the legendary "Ouroboros Ouzo." Rare and precious, the liquor is reputed to give a once in a lifetime glimpse into what may be... -
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![Vanity and Vampyres by Tilly Wallace]()
Vanity and Vampyres by Tilly Wallace
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBeing a reveller is such a drain... Someone is supping upon young noblemen and it's up to Hannah and Wycliff to investigate. If only they could agree on how the men are being drained of their life's blood... -
![The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett]()
The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsThe Skull Throne of Krasia stands empty. Built from the skulls of fallen generals and demon princes, it is a seat of honor and ancient, powerful magic, keeping the demon corelings at bay. From atop the throne, Ahmann Jardir was meant to conquer the known world, forging its isolated peoples into a unified army to rise up and end the demon war once and for all... -
![Exeunt Demon King by Jonathan L. Howard]()
Exeunt Demon King by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJohannes Cabal, a necromancer of some little infamy, has faced many horrors during his career, but in this tale he tells of an early encounter with something that horrified even him.Pantomime.A provincial theatre has seen a series of strange deaths. The young Cabal investigates, even though this requires him to don red tights, a curling moustache, and become... the Demon King... -
![House of Secrets by Darcy Coates]()
House of Secrets by Darcy Coates
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSophie and Joseph’s escape from Northwood is short-lived. The beast survived, and attached itself to Joseph’s young cousin, Elise. Garrett writes to beg for their help. Joseph and Sophie travel to meet him at Kensington, a long-abandoned mansion that overlooks a dead town.The house offers a small hope: its original owner had dedicated her life to researching the monster that possesses Elise... -
![The Trees by Percival Everett]()
The Trees by Percival Everett
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPercival Everett’s The Trees is a page-turner that opens with a series of brutal murders in the rural town of Money, Mississippi. When a pair of detectives from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation arrive, they meet expected resistance from the local sheriff, his deputy, the coroner, and a string of racist White townsfolk... -
![Contagious by Scott Sigler]()
Contagious by Scott Sigler
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the acclaimed author of "Infected" comes an epic and exhilarating story of humanity's secret battle against a horrific enemy. Across America, a mysterious pathogen transforms ordinary people into raging killers, psychopaths driven by a terrifying, alien agenda... -
![Ghost Summer by Tananarive Due]()
Ghost Summer by Tananarive Due
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhether weaving family life and history into dark fiction or writing speculative Afrofuturism, American Book Award winner and Essence bestselling author Tananarive Due’s work is both riveting and enlightening...Categorized as:
post-apocalyptic adult anthologies apocalyptic audiobook dark dystopia female-author -
![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... -
![Sky's End by Marc J. Gregson]()
Sky's End by Marc J. Gregson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAn instant New York Times bestseller with three starred reviews—now under development as a feature film franchise!Plummet into a kill-or-be-killed competition where a scrappy underdog hell-bent on revenge must battle colossal monstrosities and claw his way to the top in this fast-paced, breakout sensation from YA fantasy author Marc J Gregson...Categorized as:
post-apocalyptic fantasy young-adult dystopia fiction audiobook action-adventure high-fantasy -
![The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard by Robert E. Howard]()
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard by Robert E. Howard
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsHere are Howard’s greatest horror tales, all in their original, definitive versions. Some of Howard’s best-known characters–Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, and sailor Steve Costigan among them–roam the forbidding locales of the author’s fevered imagination, from the swamps and bayous of the Deep South to the fiend-haunted woods outside Paris to remote jungles in Africa... -
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![Cyrus LongBones and the Curse of the Sea Zombie by Jeremy Mathiesen]()
Cyrus LongBones and the Curse of the Sea Zombie by Jeremy Mathiesen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsStealing into forbidden territory, sixteen-year-old Cyrus LongBones discovers that his small island is in fact a giant, fossilized turtle shell. With his village’s obsession of working the earth, the skeleton collapses in on itself, killing Cyrus’ brother and destroying his village. Forced into action, Cyrus is the first of his kind to leave his land and sail out to sea in search of a new home... -
![The Raven by Jeremy Bishop]()
The Raven by Jeremy Bishop
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA battle to the death with six-hundred-year-old zombie Vikings in the frozen far North was just the beginning…Undercover activist Jane Harper and father-and-son whalers Jakob and Willem Olavson thought they sent the walking corpses to their graves for good, but the intelligent parasites controlling the dead flesh lived on to keep fighting—and infecting... -
![Of Flesh & Bone by Kathryn Ann Kingsley]()
Of Flesh & Bone by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNow that the Darkness has tasted her, it won't let Emma go.Robbed of her memories, Emma feels like a ghost trapped in her own body. She doesn't remember much, but she knows one thing--something happened to her in Arnsmouth. Whatever had happened to her had been terrible... -
![Of Grave & Glory by Kathryn Ann Kingsley]()
Of Grave & Glory by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEmma Mather is having trouble telling friend from foe…and being wrong about whether someone is her ally or her enemy could cost her more than just her life.The Candle has taken Gigi Gage as their prisoner, and Emma will do anything to save her friend from whatever torture Dr. Thaddeus Kirkbride is putting her through in the Arnsmouth Asylum... -
![Invasion: Zombie Apocalypse by M.D. Massey]()
Invasion: Zombie Apocalypse by M.D. Massey
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTHEM Invasion: Book Zero in the Scratch Sullivan Paranormal Post-Apocalyptic Action Novel Series...Aidan "Scratch" Sullivan is a former Army Ranger and Afghanistan War vet trying to achieve some semblance of normalcy while he deals with the psychological after-effects of two combat tours in the 'Stan...Categorized as:
post-apocalyptic zombies action-adventure adult alternate-history apocalyptic audiobook book -
![Manmade Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers]()
Manmade Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTsalagi should never have to live on human blood, but sometimes things just happen to sixteen-year-old girls. Making her YA debut, Cherokee writer Andrea L. Rogers takes her place as one of the most striking voices of the horror renaissance that has swept the last decade... -
![The Best of Richard Matheson by Richard Matheson]()
The Best of Richard Matheson by Richard Matheson
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe first career retrospective of terrifying stories by "one of the greatest writers of the 20th century" (Ray Bradbury), edited by award-winning author Victor LaValle.Among the greats of 20th-century horror and fantasy, few names stand above Richard Matheson... -
![Galvanism and Ghouls by Tilly Wallace]()
Galvanism and Ghouls by Tilly Wallace
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTogether beyond death... A new unnatural horror is about to rattle Hannah Miles' quiet existence, and it's not the short-tempered viscount prowling the hallways. Someone is creating a monster by stitching together pieces of different people. When a limb makes an escape attempt, Viscount Wycliff is called to investigate... -
![Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf]()
Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsZera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly... -
![Blackwing by Ed McDonald]()
Blackwing by Ed McDonald
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe republic faces annihilation, despite the vigilance of Galharrow's Blackwings. When a raven tattoo rips itself from his arm to deliver a desperate message, Galharrow and a mysterious noblewoman must investigate a long dead sorcerer's legacy...Categorized as:
post-apocalyptic action-adventure adult apocalyptic audiobook book dark dark-fantasy -
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![Soul Harvest by Sarah Hawke]()
Soul Harvest by Sarah Hawke
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAn ancient weapon. A tome of forbidden knowledge. A last, desperate hope to save an old friend.Duncan, Kithani, and Vess have survived a gruesome battle, but the war against the Riven horde is far from over. Even bolstered by their new abilities, they are impossibly outnumbered... -
![Johannes Cabal the Detective by Jonathan L. Howard]()
Johannes Cabal the Detective by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsJohannes Cabal is back -- a little older, a little wiser, but just as sharply funny, cuttingly sarcastic, and unexpectedly violent as ever. For necromancer Johannes Cabal, dealing with devils, demons and raising the dead is pretty much par for the course. But when his attempt to steal a rare book turns sour, he is faced by a far more terrifying entity -- politics... -
![Queen of Rot and Pain by Liv Zander]()
Queen of Rot and Pain by Liv Zander
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWorse than a god in rage... is a god in love. I punish lies and deceit, An eternal damnation of agony and pain. Yet, when it is my wife whose deception plagues me, I know what I must do. Shackle her soul to the lying, cold corpse that she is, Ensuring that she never escapes me. My wrath, My torture, My pain, And my pleasure. I am the King of Flesh and Bone, Every part of her I possess and own... -
![The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman]()
The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe secret is, vampires are real and I am one.The secret is, I’m stealing from you what is most truly yours and I’m not sorry—New York City in 1978 is a dirty, dangerous place to live. And die... -
![Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace]()
Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA lady never reveals the true extent of her decay... Hannah Miles lives a quiet existence, helping her parents conduct research into a most terrible affliction - until a gruesome murder during her best friend's engagement party pulls her from the shadows. With her specialist's knowledge and demure disposition, Hannah is requested to aid the investigation...Categorized as:
zombies action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book cozy fantasy-of-manners -
![Devils Unto Dust by Emma Berquist]()
Devils Unto Dust by Emma Berquist
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLife out here is hard. So you have to be harder.Willie has always survived. No matter what life in Glory, Texas, has thrown at her. The sickness that swept through the state and turned most living creatures into terrifying shakes. Her own mother succumbing to the disease. Her father disappearing into saloons and gambling and liquor. Willie survives... -
![No Mistakes (World of the Changed Book #1): LitRPG Series by Vasily Mahanenko]()
No Mistakes (World of the Changed Book #1): LitRPG Series by Vasily Mahanenko
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLet’s go! A new, ultramodern mobile game, and the release is just two days away. Be the best, save the planet! Who’s going to fight back the monster invasion if you don’t? Prerelease already available, no text alerts or payment required.World of the Changed completely modified human consciousness. The incredible graphics that worked even on the simplest of phones... -
![SNAFU: An Anthology of Military Horror by Geoff Brown, Amanda J. Spedding]()
SNAFU: An Anthology of Military Horror by Geoff Brown, Amanda J. Spedding
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWar is hell . . . Soldiers fight to survive. They fight each other, and they fight the demons inside. Sometimes, they fight real monsters. This book collects stories of ancient myths, time travelers, horrors in the old west . . . and the soldiers who fight them...Categorized as:
zombies action-adventure adult aliens alternate-history anthologies cosmic-horror fiction -
![Pigeons from Hell by Robert E. Howard]()
Pigeons from Hell by Robert E. Howard
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"Pigeons from Hell" is a horror short story by American writer Robert E. Howard, written in late 1934 and published posthumously by Weird Tales in 1938. The story title derives from an image present in many of Howard's grandmother's ghost stories, that of an old deserted plantation mansion haunted by ghostly pigeons... -
![Skin Medicine by Tim Curran]()
Skin Medicine by Tim Curran
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn unspeakable evil is stalking the territory. Civil war veteran and bounty hunter Tyler Cabe, who is tracking a merciless murderer, must find a way to battle something beyond the imagination of living man... -
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![I Am Legend and Other Stories by Richard Matheson]()
I Am Legend and Other Stories by Richard Matheson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsRobert Neville is the last living man on Earth...but he is not alone. Every other man, woman, and child on Earth has become a vampire, and they are all hungry for Neville's blood.By day, he is the hunter, stalking the sleeping undead through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for dawn...Categorized as:
post-apocalyptic zombies 20th-century action-adventure adult anthologies apocalyptic audiobook -
![This Year's Class Picture by Dan Simmons]()
This Year's Class Picture by Dan Simmons
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMs. Geiss is the most dedicated fourth-grade teacher imaginable...Categorized as:
post-apocalyptic zombies 20th-century action-adventure adult apocalyptic audiobook book -
![Uncanny Magazine Issue 10: May/June 2016 by Lynne M. Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas]()
Uncanny Magazine Issue 10: May/June 2016 by Lynne M. Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe May/June 2016 issue of Uncanny Magazine. Featuring new fiction by Seanan McGuire, Kat Howard, JY Yang, Alyssa Wong, and Haralambi Markov, reprinted fiction by Kameron Hurley, essays by Foz Meadows, Tanya DePass, Sarah Monette, and Stephanie Zvan, poetry by Beth Cato, M... -
![Deadman's Crossing by Joe R. Lansdale]()
Deadman's Crossing by Joe R. Lansdale
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDeadwood meets The Walking Dead in this wild and profane Western romp featuring zombies, werewolves, killer bees, and one pissed-off gun-slinging preacher.The Wild West has never seen the likes of Reverend Jebidiah Mercer, a hard man wielding a burning Bible and a bottle of whiskey in the battle between God and the Devil. Frankly, he's not sure he gives a damn who wins...Categorized as:
zombies 21st-century action-adventure adult anthologies apocalyptic cosmic-horror dark -
![The World Is Dead by Kim Paffenroth, Mark Onspaugh]()
The World Is Dead by Kim Paffenroth, Mark Onspaugh
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe end of the world has come and gone. The dead have risen, and they've won. No more rallying of the troops. No miracle cure or weapon. Just lots of dead people walking around. If the living dead won, what would the world be like? This collection of eighteen tales-including entries from David Wellington, Jack Ketchum, and Gary A. Braunbeck-take up the call to answer that question...Categorized as:
post-apocalyptic zombies action-adventure adult anthologies apocalyptic comedy dystopia -
![Dead Hope by Flint Maxwell]()
Dead Hope by Flint Maxwell
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsApocalypse. The End. Annihilation. Six months have passed since the chaos in Woodhaven, and though Jack Jupiter escaped, he couldn't stop the virus from ravaging the globe, nor could he stop the billions from turning into undead creatures that feast upon the living. Now, society is on its knees. And Jack's group continues on, traveling from city to city, looking for a place to call home...
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