Books like 'Popes and Phantoms'
Readers who enjoyed Popes and Phantoms by John Whitbourn also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy alternate history action / adventure conspiracies medieval spirituality political-intrigue
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The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsBy scheming and theft, the Thief of Eddis has become King of Attolia. Eugenides wanted the queen, not the crown, but he finds himself trapped in a web of his own making.Then he drags a naive young guard into the center of the political maelstrom. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king's caprice, but his contempt for Eugenides slowly turns to grudging respect...Categorized as:
medieval political-intrigue action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book children disability -
Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 55 ratingsIn his acclaimed Codex Alera novels, bestselling author Jim Butcher has created a fascinating world in which the powerful forces of nature take physical form. For millennia, the people of Alera have used their unique bond with these elementals for protection. Now, as enemies become allies, and friends become bitter foes, a danger beyond reckoning looms. . .Categorized as:
medieval political-intrigue action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book coming-of-age epic -
Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsThe power-hungry High Lord of Kalare has launched a rebellion against the aging First Lord, Gaius Sextus, who with the loyal forces of Alera must fight beside the unlikeliest of allies-the equally contentious High Lord of Aquitaine...Categorized as:
medieval political-intrigue action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book coming-of-age epic -
Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. It's inhabited by the race that rose from the seed of angels, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt. Phèdre nó Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child. Her bond was purchased by a nobleman who recognized that she was pricked by Kushiel's dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one...Categorized as:
medieval political-intrigue spirituality action-adventure adult alpha-mc alternate-history angels -
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Queen of Ash and Iron by Melanie Karsak
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFated to lead a rebellion against Rome.Destined to become a legend.Britain, A.D. 47All at once, everything changes.The rebellion of the Northern Iceni under King Caturix results in dire consequences for Boudica. Without Aulus Plautius’s protection, Boudica must face the new, more severe Roman Governor Scapula...Categorized as:
spirituality historical-fiction fantasy war tragedy sword-sorcery action-adventure historical -
The Long Sword by Christian Cameron
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 13 ratings'One of the finest historical fiction writers in the world' Ben KanePisa, May 1364.Sir William Gold is looking forward to a lucrative career as a hired sword in the endless warring between Italy's city states. But when a message comes from the Grand Master of the Hospitaliers, William is forced to leave his dreams of fame and fortune behind him... -
A Journey of the Heart by Catherine M. Wilson
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsA Journey of the Heart Book II] shows the same strong storytelling ability of the first book. The language is still almost musical and wraps its sweet spell around you. Storylines that were just starting to grow in the first book are also very well developed here. Intrigue and conflict are fleshed out and take some surprising twists...Categorized as:
medieval action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history book coming-of-age female-author female-mc -
Warbound by Larry Correia
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsNew York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author's gritty urban fantasy set in an alternate noir 1930s. A tough P.I. battles an interdimensional monster that wants to suck magic power out of the world. Sequel to Hard Magic and Spellbound. Book Three in the Grimnoir Chronicles... -
Kushiel's Mercy by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsHaving learned a lesson about thwarting the will of the gods, Imriel and Sidonie publicly confess their affair, only to see the country boil over in turmoil. Younger generations, infatuated by their heart-twisting, star-cross romance, defend the couple... -
The Thief's Daughter by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsA Wall Street Journal bestseller Owen Kiskaddon first came to the court of the formidable King Severn as a prisoner, winning favor with the stormy monarch by masquerading as a boy truly blessed by the Fountain... -
Outcasts in Time by Sarah Woodbury
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJoin David and his friends and family for the next installment in the After Cilmeri series!Last we heard from David, he'd allowed George to abduct him at the behest of the CIA, for the stated purpose of forcing him to time travel between Earth Two and Avalon. Meanwhile, Lili and the refugees from Paris were floating down the River Seine, making for the English Channel...Categorized as:
medieval action-adventure alternate-history book fiction high-fantasy historical historical-fiction -
Legacy of Time by Sarah Woodbury
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSeptember 1297. David and his family and friends have come to Carew Castle in Wales to participate in a tournament in the spirit of King Arthur. Two years have passed since the events in Hidden in Time. Questions remain not only as to the whereabouts of the traitor, Bogo de Clare, who is still at large, but the relationship of David's family with Avalon... -
Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsMighty Kushiel, of rod and wealLate of the brazen portalsWith blood-tipp'd dart a wound unhealedPricks the eyen of chosen mortalsThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. The inhabiting race rose from the seed of angels and men, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.Phèdre nó Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child...Categorized as:
political-intrigue spirituality action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book dark dark-fantasy -
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings...Categorized as:
medieval spirituality 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book -
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Champions of Time by Sarah Woodbury
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsApril 1294. With David returned from Ireland and Anna from Avalon, the time has come to confront the traitors who sought to assassinate David and take his throne.But before that can happen, David is tested yet again by his inability to account for everything or everyone in his life--and especially the magic that surrounds him...Categorized as:
medieval action-adventure alternate-history book fiction high-fantasy historical historical-fiction -
Unbroken in Time by Sarah Woodbury
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn 1282, David and his sister Anna crashed through time to save the life of their father, the last Prince of Wales. Thirteen years later, David is a grown man--husband, father, and High King of Britain. He is also the Duke of Aquitaine, a fact which King Philip of France appears to resent...Categorized as:
medieval action-adventure alternate-history book fiction high-fantasy historical historical-fiction -
Apocalypse Redux, Book One by Jakob H. Greif
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe worst thing about the end of the world is we did it to ourselvesIsaac Thoma lived to see the last handful of survivors defeat the demonic champion. He is now alone, his past in ashes, the last and most powerful human on a blighted Earth. But what if he could go back?Hurled back in time, Isaac has one chance to change it all. A chance to warn humanity of their impending doom...Categorized as:
medieval political-intrigue europe scandinavia fantasy time-travel urban-fantasy litrpg -
Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsMy blood beat hard in my veins and hammered in my ears, like the sound of bronze wings clashing. And I understand for the first time what it meant that Kushiel, the One God's punisher, had loved his charges too well...Imriel de la Courcel's blood parents are history's most reviled traitors, while his adoptive parents, Phèdre and Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions...Categorized as:
medieval political-intrigue action-adventure adult alternate-history angels audiobook book -
Spellbound by Larry Correia
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsDark fantasy goes hardboiled in #2 of the hard-hitting Grimnoir Chronicles by the New York Times best-selling creator of Monster Hunter International... -
A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBased on the troubadour culture that rose in Provence during the High Middle Ages, this panoramic, absorbing novel beautifully creates an alternate version of the medieval world...Categorized as:
medieval political-intrigue 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book -
Bright We Burn by Kiersten White
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsHaunted by the sacrifices he made in Constantinople, Radu is called back to the new capital. Mehmed is building an empire, becoming the sultan his people need. But Mehmed has a secret: as emperor, he is more powerful than ever . . . and desperately lonely. Does this mean Radu can finally have more with Mehmed . .Categorized as:
medieval spirituality action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history anti-hero audiobook book -
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 48 ratingsRevengeWhen Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis, stole Hamiathes's Gift, the Queen of Attolia lost more than a mythical relic. She lost face. Everyone knew that Eudenides had outwitted and escaped her. To restore her reputation and reassert her power, the Queen of Attolia will go to any length and accept any help that is offered... she will risk her country to execute the perfect revenge...Categorized as:
medieval political-intrigue action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book children disability -
Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsImriel de la Courcel's blood parents are history's most reviled traitors, but his adoptive parents, the Comtesse Phèdre and the warrior-priest Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions.Stolen, tortured, and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood, third in line for the throne in a land that revels in art, beauty, and desire...Categorized as:
medieval political-intrigue action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book coming-of-age -
Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsThe Thrilling Sequel To Sailing To SarantiumBeckoned by the Emperor Valerius, Crispin, a renowned mosaicist, has arrived in the fabled city of Sarantium. Here he seeks to fulfill his artistic ambitions and his destiny high upon a dome that will become the emerror's magnificent sanctuary and legacy.But the beauty and solitude of his work cannot protect his from Sarantium's intrigue... -
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Сердце Пармы by Alexei Ivanov
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsАлексей Иванов - известнейший писатель и сценарист, автор бестселлеров "Золото бунта", "Географ глобус пропил", "Общага-на-Крови", "Блуда и МУДО". "Сердце Пармы", вероятно, самый известный роман писателя. Две могучие силы столкнулись на древней пермской земле. Православный Господь, именем которого творят свои дела люди великого князя Московского, и языческие боги вогулов, темные и пугающие...Categorized as:
medieval 21st-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book fairy-tale -
Baron of the Middle Counties by Ed Nelson
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsAn Engineer finds himself in an Alternate reality, Cornwall, in the year 715 A.D. He awakens in the body of a young Baron.A retired Lieutenant General, former head of the Army Corp of Engineers, lies dying at the age of ninety-two. Leading a full life, he is a decorated veteran of World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam.After a long illness, he lies dying... -
Φάκελος Ανάσταση by Og Mandino
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn front of eight million TV viewers, "The Greatest Mystery Writer in the World" bragged he could prove Christ was actually stolen from the tomb and never really rose from the dead . . . if he were given just one week back in ancient Jerusalem. That night author Matt Lawrence got his wish. A knock-out punch took him right out of this world and landed him in Biblical Judea in 26 A.D...Categorized as:
spirituality action-adventure adult alternate-history book christian fiction historical -
The Silver Hand by Stephen R. Lawhead
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe great king, Meldryn Mawr, is dead, and his kingdom lies in ruins. Treachery and brutality rule the land, and Albion is the scene of an epic struggle for the throne. Lewis Gillies returns as Llew, seeking the true meaning behind a mysterious prophecy - the making of a true king and the revealing of a long awaited champion: Silver Hand...Categorized as:
medieval spirituality action-adventure alternate-history arthurian audiobook book christian -
Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsCrispin is a master mosaicist, creating beautiful art with colored stones and glass. Summoned to Sarantium by imperial request, he bears a Queen's secret mission, and a talisman from an alchemist... -
The Invisible Chains - Part 3: Bonds of Blood by Andrew Ashling
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAnaxantis, prince of Ximerion.Not certain who he can trust, Anaxantis keeps recruiting and training troops, with dogged tenacity, to face the barbarian invasion... -
Byzantium by Stephen R. Lawhead
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsAlthough born to rule, Aidan lives as a scribe in a remote Irish Monastery on the far, wild edge of Christendom. Secure in work, contemplation, and dreams of the wider world, a miracle bursts into Aidan's quiet life...Categorized as:
medieval spirituality action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book christian epic -
Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsJacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of the Kushiel's Legacy series, delivers book two in her new lushly imagined trilogy featuring daughter of Alba, Moirin.Far from the land of her birth, Moirin sets out across Tatar territory to find Bao, the proud and virile Ch'in fighter who holds the missing half of her diadh-anam, the divine soul-spark of her mother's people...Categorized as:
medieval political-intrigue action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook bisexuality book -
Defender of Walls by Tanya Bird
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.Keep her inside. Keep her alive.Blake Suttone has a stomach full of grief and no food. A decade of famine has taken its toll on the splintered kingdom, but it is the merchants who suffer most. A wall stands between the hungry and the food, and the kingdom’s defenders stand guard atop it... -
Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsI lean forward, pushing my body out past the battlements. The wind plucks at my cloak, buffets against me, as if it would carry me off in flight, just like the birds or the knight's soul. Let go, it cries, I will take you far, far away. I want to laugh at the exhilarating feeling, I will catch you, it whistles seductively.The convent has returned Sybella to a life that nearly drove her mad... -
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Refuge for Masterminds by Kathleen Baldwin
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt’s 1814. Napoleon has escaped his imprisonment on Elba. Britain is at war on four fronts. And at Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, five young ladies are secretly being trained for a world of spies, diplomacy, and war…Napoleon’s invasion of England is underway and someone at Stranje House is sneaking information to his spies. Lady Jane Moore is determined to find out who it is... -
The Archer's Tale by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsFrom New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, now available in paperback—the first book in the Grail Series--a spellbinding tale of a young man, a fearless archer, who sets out wanting to avenge his family's honor and winds up on a quest for the Holy Grail...Categorized as:
medieval spirituality action-adventure adult alternate-history arthurian audiobook book -
Heaven's Net Is Wide by Lian Hearn
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe new beginning — and the grand finale to — the beloved Tales of the Otori series.Heaven's Net Is Wide is the new first volume of the now complete Tales of the Otori — prequel to Across the Nightingale Floor, the book that first introduced Hearn's mythical, medieval Japanese world... -
River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn his critically acclaimed novel Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay told a vivid and powerful story inspired by China’s Tang Dynasty... -
Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsOnce there were great magicians born to the Maghuin Dhonn, the folk of the Brown Bear, the oldest tribe in Alba. But generations ago, the greatest of them all broke a sacred oath sworn in the name of all his people. Now only small gifts remain to them. Through her lineage, Moirin possesses such gifts—the ability to summon the twilight and conceal herself, and the skill to coax plants to grow...Categorized as:
medieval political-intrigue action-adventure alternate-history audiobook bisexuality book dark -
A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsInternational bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay's latest work is set in a world evoking early Renaissance Italy and offers an extraordinary cast of characters whose lives come together through destiny, love, and ambition. In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a maritime city, a man looks back on his youth and the people who shaped his life...Categorized as:
medieval political-intrigue action-adventure adult alternate-history assassins audiobook book -
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...Categorized as:
conspiracies political-intrigue action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book dark -
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag by Oliver Bowden, Andrew Holmes
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsIt’s the Golden Age of Piracy — a time when greed, ambition, and corruption overcome all loyalties — and a brash young captain, Edward Kenway, is making his name known for being one of the greatest pirates of his time... -
Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsThe bestselling author of the groundbreaking novels Under Heaven and River of Stars, Guy Gavriel Kay is back with a new book, set in a world inspired by the conflicts and dramas of Renaissance Europe. Against this tumultuous backdrop the lives of men and women unfold on the borderlands—where empires and faiths collide... -
A Swift and Savage Tide by Chloe Neill
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsChloe Neill's bold, seafaring heroine Captain Kit Brightling sets sail for high seas and high sorcery in this swashbuckling fantasy series. Captain Kit Brightling is Aligned to the magic of the sea, which makes her an invaluable asset to the Saxon Isles and its monarch, Queen Charlotte... -
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The Queen's Poisoner by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsKing Severn Argentine’s fearsome reputation precedes him: usurper of the throne, killer of rightful heirs, ruthless punisher of traitors. Attempting to depose him, the Duke of Kiskaddon gambles…and loses. Now the duke must atone by handing over his young son, Owen, as the king’s hostage. And should his loyalty falter again, the boy will pay with his life...Categorized as:
medieval political-intrigue action-adventure alternate-history assassins audiobook book children -
Of Noble Family by Mary Robinette Kowal
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe final book of the acclaimed Glamourist Histories is the magical adventure that might result if Jane Austen walked on the darker side of the Regency...Jane and Vincent have finally gotten some much-needed rest after their adventures in Italy when Vincent receives word that his estranged father has passed away on one of his properties in the West Indies... -
Sword of the Ronin by Travis Heermann
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn 13th-Century Japan, a land of ancient spirits, shapeshifting animals, and demons, Ken'ishi is a warrior without a master. Orphaned in infancy, he has only one link to his past - Silver Crane, his father's sword. When Silver Crane is stolen, Ken'ishi must go on a quest to recover his very identity. The crime lord known as Green Tiger holds the key to Ken'ishi's past...Categorized as:
medieval action-adventure alternate-history book coming-of-age epic fiction high-fantasy -
Ironfoot by Dave Duncan
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMedieval magic, murder, and mayhem!It is 1164, and for a hundred years England has been ruled by the Normans. A young Saxon boy named Durwin, crippled by a childhood accident, had caught the eye of a Norman sage teaching at a rural school of magic. Realizing that the boy had promise, Durwin was made stable boy, and eventually allowed to attend classes... -
One King's Way by Harry Harrison, John Holm
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA craftsman, visionary, and warrior, Shef has risen from slavery to become king of a mighty Viking nation. But his growing kingdom menaces all of Europe, and he has made many powerful enemies.Chief among his enemies are the Knights of the Lance, a fanatical order of soldiers sworn to bring Shef down, no matter what the cost... -
Red, White, and Blood by Christopher Farnsworth
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe Presidential Campaign Trail, 2012: A political operative and a volunteer are brutally murdered while caught in a compromising position. Written in their blood on the wall of the crime scene: IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK.And with that, a centuries-old horror known only as the Boogeyman returns to taunt Nathaniel Cade, the President’s Vampire...Categorized as:
conspiracies political-intrigue action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book crime
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