Books like 'xo Orpheus: Fifty New Myths'
Readers who enjoyed xo Orpheus: Fifty New Myths by Kate Bernheimer, Laura van den Berg, Ron Currie Jr., Anthony Marra, Dawn Raffel, Maile Meloy, Willy Vlautin, Gina Ochsner, Madeline Miller, Manuel Muñoz, Benjamin Percy, Edith Pearlman, Joy Williams, Georges-Olivier Châteaureynaud, Victor LaValle, Ben Loory, Elizabeth McCracken, Aurelie Sheehan, Max Gladstone, Sheila Heti, Kelly Braffet, Owen King, Sabina Murray, Zachary Mason, Michael Jeffrey Lee, Davis Schneiderman, Imad Rahman, Heidi Julavits, Karen Tei Yamashita, Peter Straub, Emma Straub, Kevin Wilson, Laird Hunt, Edward Carey, Manuela Draeger, Aamer Hussein, Kathryn Davis, Lutz Bassmann, Kit Reed, Ander Monson, Donaji Olmedo, Sigrid Nunez, Johanna Skibsrud, Brian W. Aldiss, Maile Chapman, Sarah Blackman, David B., Elanor Dymott, Shane Jones, Aimee Bender & Elizabeth Evans also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy urban fantasy myths retellings historical-fiction magical-realism fairy-tale literary-fiction magic
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Jackalope Wives and Other Stories by T. Kingfisher
12 ratingsWinner of the Nebula and WSFA Short Fiction Awards From award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes a collection of short stories, including "Jackalope Wives," "The Tomato Thief," "Pocosin," and many others. By turns funny, lyrical, angry and beautiful, this anthology includes two all-new stories, "Origin Story" and "Let Pass The Horses Black," appearing for the first time in print... -
Harry Potter - A History of Magic: The Book of the Exhibition by British Library
24 ratingsHarry Potter: A History of Magic is the official book of the exhibition, a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between Bloomsbury, J.K. Rowling and the brilliant curators of the British Library...Categorized as:
historical-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism myths retellings 21st-century audiobook -
The Conjurer by Luanne G. Smith
18 ratingsSidra didn’t murder her husband. Yet even a jinni can’t wish away a wrongful imprisonment. Determined to prove her innocence, she returns to her adopted home—a French village renowned for its perfume witches—with her friends Elena and Yvette by her side. Here is where Sidra’s true destiny awaits, but danger also lurks in the village’s narrow lanes... -
A Radical Act of Free Magic by H.G. Parry
8 ratingsA tale of revolution and wonder in a world not quite like our own, A Radical Act of Free Magic is the conclusion to this genre-defying series of magic, war, and the struggle for freedom in the early modern world.The Concord has been broken, and a war of magic engulfs the world...Categorized as:
historical-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism myths retellings alternate-history book -
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No Flying in the House by Betty Brock
16 ratingsA funny and fantastical novel about a young girl who makes a life-changing discovery about who she really is. Perfect for fans of The Tail of Emily Windsnap—or anyone who has wondered if they might have some magic in them.Most little girls have parents to take care of them, but not Annabel Tippens. She has Gloria, a tiny white dog who talks and wears a gold collar... -
The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker
20 ratingsChava is a golem, a woman made of clay, able to hear the thoughts and longings of the people around her and compelled by her nature to help them. Ahmad is a jinni, a perpetually restless and free-spirited creature of fire, imprisoned in the shape of a man...Categorized as:
fairy-tale historical-fiction literary-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism myths 20th-century -
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente
21 ratingsSeptember has longed to return to Fairyland after her first adventure there. And when she finally does, she learns that its inhabitants have been losing their shadows—and their magic—to the world of Fairyland Below. This underworld has a new ruler: Halloween, the Hollow Queen, who is September's shadow. And Halloween does not want to give Fairyland's shadows back...Categorized as:
fairy-tale historical-fiction humor magic magical-realism myths 21st-century action-adventure -
Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs
26 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...Categorized as:
fairy-tale historical-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism myths retellings 21st-century -
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
42 ratingsChava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic, created to be the wife of a man who dies at sea on the voyage from Poland. Chava is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York harbor in 1899...Categorized as:
fairy-tale historical-fiction literary-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism myths 21st-century -
Grimstone by Brad Magnarella
6 ratingsGrimstone first appeared as Croft and Wesson in the 2017 multi-author box set Eight in the Chamber.Go West, Prof Croft!When my magical order assigns me to Grimstone, Colorado on a case, I’m in no hurry to pack my staff and spell books.The outlaw county is a far cry from my academic calling in New York City. And I’m being paired with junior wizard James Wesson... -
Storm Breakers: Age Of Magic - A Kurtherian Gambit Series by P.T. Hylton, Michael Anderle
6 ratingsHow do you defeat a magician who can shape mountains? Abbey and her friends travel across the sea in search of Syd’s brother, a sailor captured by a warlord years ago. To find him, they’ll need the help of their greatest enemy, the Storm Caller Dahlia.When they arrive, they discover a land ruled by a new form of magic: the Way of Stone... -
Disenchanted by Kara Pleasants
6 ratingsAs a renowned wizard, Fitzwilliam Darcy thinks he is familiar with most of the spells, enchantments, and magic practised in the wizarding world. When he reluctantly joins his friend Bingley in Meryton, a small town not known for its magic, he is startled to stumble upon the rare gift possessed by Miss Elizabeth Bennet...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction magic retellings adult book cozy fantasy-of-manners -
Miss Percy's Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson
6 ratingsMiss Mildred Percy inherits a dragon. Ah, but we’ve already got ahead of ourselves…Miss Mildred Percy is a spinster. She does not dance, she has long stopped dreaming, and she certainly does not have adventures. That is, until her great uncle has the audacity to leave her an inheritance, one that includes a dragon’s egg... -
The Slip by C. Gockel
8 ratings~ The Continuation of the USA Today Bestselling Series ~ It's only been a few days since Veterinarian Amy Lewis escaped Asgard with the FBI's professional hacker, Bohdi Patel. The escape involved "borrowing" Odin's magical, world-walking, eight-legged, horse, Sleipnir. Now Odin wants Sleipnir back. FBI Director Steve Rogers doesn't want Odin getting anything he wants... -
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The Girl with No Face by M.H. Boroson
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...Categorized as:
historical-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure adult -
The Boy Who Lost Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente
16 ratingsWhen a young troll named Hawthorn is stolen from Fairyland by the Red Wind, he becomes a changeling – a human boy -- in the strange city of Chicago, a place no less bizarre and magical than Fairyland when seen through trollish eyes. Left with a human family, Hawthorn struggles with his troll nature and his changeling fate... -
The Time Garden by Edward Eager
18 ratings"Anything can happen when you have all the time in the world" says the frog-like Natterjack in old relative Mrs Whiton's thyme garden. Cousins Roger, Ann, Eliza and girl-crazy Jack ride for American rebels, bow to Queen Elizabeth I, and even rescue their own parents when they were children...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor low-fantasy magic magical-realism myths retellings 20th-century -
Billy the Kid and the Vampyres of Vegas by Michael Scott
18 ratingsYears before Sophie and Josh Newman met Nicholas Flamel, two legendary warriors fought together for the first time. Billy the Kid and Scathach the Shadow. Now that lost story can be told . . . Billy the Kid is immortal. And being immortal means following unpredictable paths...Categorized as:
historical-fiction low-fantasy magic myths retellings action-adventure book children -
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
41 ratingsIn a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.Then she finds a strange book... -
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
40 ratingsBeneath the kitchen floor is the world of the Borrowers -- Pod and Homily Clock and their daughter, Arrietty. In their tiny home, matchboxes double as roomy dressers and postage stamps hang on the walls like paintings. Whatever the Clocks need they simply "borrow" from the "human beans" who live above them. It's a comfortable life, but boring if you're a kid... -
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
6 ratingsFrom award-winning author Nghi Vo comes a dazzling new novel where immortality is just a casting call away.It was magic. In every world, it was a kind of magic.“No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.” Luli Wei is beautiful, talented, and desperate to be a star...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction magic magical-realism myths adult book coming-of-age -
Excalibur Rising: Book One of an Arthurian Saga by Eileen Enwright Hodgetts
6 ratingsA newscaster. A psychic. A legend brought to life…Marcus is losing his touch. The TV newscaster’s ratings are down and his job is on the line. So when he’s given the opportunity to leave Las Vegas and search for Excalibur, the missing artifact from one of the greatest legends ever written, he jumps at the chance. It doesn’t hurt that the mafia also gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse... -
Princess of Sparta by Penelope Haines
6 ratingsShe’s Helen of Troy’s older sister.She’s a Spartan Princess.She’s High Queen of Mycenae.Her name is Clytemnestra.In a world where women are submissive, she rules.In a world where wives are loyal, she is unfaithfulIn a world where honour and blood feuds abound she exacts the ultimate revenge...Categorized as:
historical-fiction myths retellings adult ancient-civilization book dark-academia female-mc -
Smoke City by Keith Rosson
6 ratingsMarvin Deitz has some serious problems. His mob-connected landlord is strong-arming him out of his storefront. His therapist has concerns about his stability. He’s compelled to volunteer at the local Children’s Hospital even though it breaks his heart every week.Oh, and he’s also the guilt-ridden reincarnation of Geoffroy Thérage, the French executioner who lit Joan of Arc’s pyre in 1431...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction low-fantasy magical-realism adult book fiction ghosts -
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Der weiße Wanderer by Ralf Isau
6 ratingsBorn in 1900, David Camden lived for 100 years, and this series of four fantasy novels uses his life to recount the achievements of the 20th century through fantasy worlds, ancient myths, sagas, and legends. Camden's life mission is to oppose The Twilight Circlepica de un hombre contra fuerzas antiguas y poderosas...Categorized as:
historical-fiction low-fantasy magic action-adventure book children children-books fiction -
Heart of Gold by Michael Pryor
8 ratingsAt a loss after finishing their end-of-year exams, Aubrey and George travel to the Gallian capital, Lutetia, where it so happens that the lovely Caroline is studying natural history...Categorized as:
historical-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism action-adventure book children-books fiction -
Spicy Little Curses by Laini Taylor
8 ratingsFrom the author of the astounding must-read novel Daughter of Smoke and Bone, comes a vividly imaginative short story, Spicy Little Curses (from the award-winning short story collection Lips Touch: Three Times). A demon and the ambassador to Hell tussle over the soul of a beautiful English girl in India. Matters become complicated when she falls in love and decides to test her curse... -
Love & Sleep by John Crowley
10 ratingsThe long-awaited new novel by one of the most important American authors of magical realism. In Aegypt Crowley opened the gates on a world of magic and mystery lying just beyond our own. In Love & Sleep, the second novel in a projected tetralogy, he renews his claim on the exalted territory of the imagination...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism adult book coming-of-age -
The Old Genie Hottabych: For children by Lazar Lagin
12 ratingsTale of Old Genie Hottabych Lazar Lagin - magical adventure of an ordinary boy Kostylkova Wolken and his friends after his release enchanted genie Hassan Abdurrahman ibn Khattab, that is, the Old Man Hottabych. Eccentric, but very good genie is Wolke, because he saved him from a long imprisonment in a jug... -
The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges, Margarita Guerrero
20 ratingsIn a perfect pairing of talent, this volume blends twenty illustrations by Peter S.' with Jorge Luis Borges' 1957 compilation of 116 "strange creatures conceived through time and space by the human imagination," from dragons and centaurs to Lewis Carroll's Cheshire Cat and the Morlocks of H. G. Wells' The Time Machine...Categorized as:
humor literary-fiction low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings 20th-century adult -
Christmas in Camelot by Mary Pope Osborne
21 ratingsMerlin's Missions are more detailed than regular Magic Tree House, fast-paced, detailed, easy to read. Jack and Annie quest to save Camelot. Beleaguered King Arthur learns that children and imagination really can make a difference...Categorized as:
historical-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure animals -
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
42 ratingsBy P.L. Travers, the author featured in the major motion picture, Saving Mr. Banks. From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed. It all starts when Mary Poppins is blown by the east wind onto the doorstep of the Banks house. She becomes a most unusual nanny to Jane, Michael, and the twins...Categorized as:
fairy-tale historical-fiction humor literary-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism retellings -
Dragon of the Red Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne
19 ratingsMerlin the magician will not eat or sleep or speak to anyone in Camelot. What can be done? The enchantress Morgan knows who to ask for help: young Jack and Annie of Frog Creek, Pennsylvania! The brother-and-sister team quickly head off in the magic tree house on another magical and historical adventure. Their mission: discover one of the four secrets of happiness...Categorized as:
historical-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure animals -
Earthquake in the Early Morning by Mary Pope Osborne
19 ratingsJack and Annie are all shaken up! The magic tree house whisks them back to California in 1906. As soon as they arrive, the famous San Francisco earhtquake hits the city. Chinese and English bilingual edition of Magic Tree House 24: Earthquake in the Early Morning...Categorized as:
historical-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism action-adventure audiobook book children -
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The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry
18 ratingsThe ultimate book-lover's fantasy, featuring a young scholar with the power to bring literary characters into the world, for fans of The Magicians, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, and The Invisible Library.For his entire life, Charley Sutherland has concealed a magical ability he can't quite control: he can bring characters from books into the real world...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor literary-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism myths retellings -
The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O'Shea
16 ratingsAn Ancient Manuscript...When ten-year-old Pidge finds the crumbling pages of an old manuscript in a second-hand bookshop in Galway, he unwittingly releases the serpent Olc-Glas--and the forces of good and evil gather to do battle. The Morrigan, Goddess of Death and Destruction, has set her evil heart on gaining Olc-Glas and adding its poison to her own, thereby casting her shadow over the world... -
The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant
16 ratingsThe first adventure in a spellbinding new magical world.'Wildly inventive . . . full of laugh-out-loud humour, enchanting magic and rebellious hope. I loved it' Catherine DoyleCordelia comes from a long line of magical milliners, who weave alchemy and enchantment into every hat...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor low-fantasy magic magical-realism action-adventure audiobook book -
Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
14 ratingsA mermaid haunts Adrianne's dreams . . . is she coming to warn her, save her, or drag her down into the depths of the briny sea forever?When Adrianne comes face-to-face with the mermaid of Windwaithe Island, of whom she has heard terrible stories all her life, she is convinced the mermaid means to take her younger sister... -
The Wendy by Erin Michelle Sky, Steven Brown
14 ratingsWhen the world doesn't wantyou to be who you are,you must become more yourselfthan you knew you could be.London. 1789. More than anything in the world, Wendy Darling wants to be the captain of a ship, but women aren't allowed in the Royal Navy...Categorized as:
fairy-tale historical-fiction humor magic myths retellings action-adventure adaptations -
Revelle by Lyssa Mia Smith
14 ratingsInspired by Moulin Rouge! and set on an island in a magical version of Prohibition-era New York, Revelle is a breathtaking YA stand-alone fantasy full of dazzling magic, romance, and mystery from debut author Lyssa Mia Smith.On the island of Charmant, magic flows like bootlegged champagne, and fantasies can be bought for the price of a gemstone... -
The Litany of Earth by Ruthanna Emrys
12 ratingsThe state took Aphra away from Innsmouth. They took her history, her home, her family, her god. They tried to take the sea. Now, years later, when she is just beginning to rebuild a life, an agent of that government intrudes on her life again, with an offer she wishes she could refuse. "The Litany of Earth" is a dark fantasy story inspired by the Lovecraft mythos... -
Lost Acre by Andrew Caldecott
12 ratingsWynter is here . . .Geryon Wynter has returned to Rotherweird and has not only taken over the town but is busy destroying the countrysiders' life too. Can our small band of heroes find a way to outwit a genius whose master plan is five centuries in the making? Watch this space . . -
Imagine by Jill Barnett
12 ratingsAfter years in prison for a murder he never committed, escaped convict Hank Wyatt knew how to survive. But he didn't know if he could last an hour marooned on a deserted tropical island with a beautiful blonde and three orphaned children. Now, looking out for number one doesn't seem to be enough ...San Francisco attorney Maggie Smith felt like having a good cry...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor magic action-adventure adult anti-hero book enemies-to-lovers -
The Wisdom of Madness by C.J. Archer
12 ratingsWith Alice determined to discover the truth about her past, and Seth determined to help her, the couple find themselves sucked into a world where nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted. On the run to escape a mad queen's wrath, and with an entire realm looking for them, tensions fray and friendships are tested... -
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Soldier of Sidon by Gene Wolfe
12 ratingsLatro forgets everything when he sleeps. Writing down his experiences every day and reading his journal anew each morning gives him a poignantly tenuous hold on himself, but his story's hold on readers is powerful indeed. The two previous novels, combined in Latro in the Mist (Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete) are generally considered classics of contemporary fantasy...Categorized as:
historical-fiction myths retellings 21st-century adult book fiction genetic-engineering -
Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejide
8 ratingsWith echoes of Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Yejidé’s novel explores a forgotten quadrant of Washington, DC, and the ghosts that haunt it.Nephthys Kinwell is a taxi driver of sorts in Washington, DC, ferrying ill-fated passengers in a haunted car: a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere with a ghost in the trunk...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction low-fantasy magical-realism myths retellings adult audiobook -
The Beast That Never Was by Caren J. Werlinger
8 ratingsWhat if Beauty was the Beast?Lise’s father is dead, and the life of plenty and freedom that she has known as the daughter of the King’s Huntsman is gone. She must now live a life of duty to her mother and sisters, helping them to cope in their altered circumstances. But where her mother would have her wed a childhood friend to secure their future, Lise knows that is not what she longs for... -
Gods of Manhattan II: Spirits in the Park by Scott Mebus
8 ratingsA month has passed since Mannahatta?the spirit city that coexists alongside Manhattan?was revealed to Rory, when an earthquake rocks New York. The island itself is attempting to shake off the Trap around Central Park, and only Rory has the power to open it before even greater catastrophe strikes. But centuries-old wounds must be healed before Rory turns the key...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic myths retellings action-adventure book children children-books -
Returning My Sister's Face and Other Far Eastern Tales of Whimsy and Malice by Eugie Foster
6 ratingsEnchantment, peril and romance pervade the shadowy Far East, from the elegant throne room of the emperor's palace to the humble teahouse of a peasant village...Categorized as:
fairy-tale historical-fiction myths retellings anthologies female-author fiction ghosts -
Marco’s Pendulum by Thom Madley
6 ratingsWhen Marco is dumped in Glastonbury to stay with his weird hippy grandparents for the summer, he's sure he's going to hate it. But he soon starts to recognise the magic of the place. With his mysterious new found talent for dowsing, Marco is quickly drawn into the dangerous struggle to protect the ancient mysticism of Glastonbury...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magic magical-realism myths retellings action-adventure alchemy arthurian
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