Books like 'The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventeenth Annual Collection'
Readers who enjoyed The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventeenth Annual Collection by Ellen Datlow, Gavin J. Grant, Sara Maitland, M. Rickert, George Saunders, Vandana Singh, Lucius Shepard, Steve Rasnic Tem, Laird Barron, Neil Gaiman, Nathan Ballingrud, Dean Francis Alfar, Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin, Karen Joy Fowler, Brian Hodge, Richard Butner, Michael Swanwick, Patrick O'Leary, Adam Corbin Fusco, Thomas Canty, Marc Laidlaw, Philip Raines, Harvey Welles, Dale Bailey, Scott Emerson Bull, Megan Whalen Turner, Paul La Farge, Mike O'Driscoll, Jon Woodward, Paolo Bacigalupi, Edward Bryant, Kevin Brockmeier, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Dan Chaon, Glen Hirshberg, Theodora Goss, Karen Traviss, Shelley Jackson, Michael Marshall Smith, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Thomas Ligotti, Charles Vess, Maureen F. McHugh, Joan D. Vinge, Charles de Lint, James R. Frenkel, Kij Johnson & Peter Crowther also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy horror supernatural witches-wizards magical-realism retellings low-fantasy
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The Undead Uproar by Amanda M. Lee
14 ratingsCharlie Rhodes is living the high life … at least for her. She lucked into a new apartment, her boyfriend Jack is attentive and sweet, and she’s about to head to the Big Easy to hunt for zombies.Yes, a multitude of dreams are about to come true.Charlie has never been to New Orleans and she’s in awe of everything she sees... -
![Jackalope Wives and Other Stories by T. Kingfisher]()
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...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism retellings witches-wizards adult animals anthologies audiobook -
![Trickster Drift by Eden Robinson]()
Trickster Drift by Eden Robinson
16 ratingsFollowing the Scotiabank Giller Prize-shortlisted Son of a Trickster comes Trickster Drift, the second book in Eden Robinson's captivating Trickster trilogy.In an effort to keep all forms of magic at bay, Jared, 17, has quit drugs and drinking. But his troubles are not over: now he's being stalked by David, his mom's ex--a preppy, khaki-wearing psycho with a proclivity for rib-breaking...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism retellings witches-wizards audiobook book coming-of-age contemporary -
![What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch]()
What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch
18 ratingsGhost hunter, fox whisperer, troublemaker.It is the summer of 2013 and Abigail Kamara has been left to her own devices. This might, by those who know her, be considered a mistake. While her cousin, police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant, is off in the sticks, chasing unicorns, Abigail is chasing her own mystery... -
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![Chapter and Curse by Nancy Warren]()
Chapter and Curse by Nancy Warren
10 ratingsA quiet Irish village? Not so much!An ancient curse seems to be causing bad luck in the charming village of Ballydehag, Ireland—witch Quinn Callahan’s new home. When someone is murdered is it the curse? Or is there a very human murderer on the loose? Moving to a small Irish village was supposed to keep the middle-aged witch out of trouble. Yeah, that didn't happen... -
![American Gods + Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman]()
American Gods + Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
14 ratingsNewly updated and expanded with the author’s preferred text. A modern masterpiece from the multiple-award-winning master of innovative fiction, Neil Gaiman...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism retellings action-adventure adult anthologies audiobook classics -
![Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint]()
Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint
18 ratingsFrom World Fantasy Award-winning author Charles de Lint, a tale of love, courage, and the transforming power of imagination Isabelle Copley's visionary art frees ancient spirits. As the young student of the cruel, brilliant artist Vincent Rushkin, she discovered she could paint images so vividly real they brought her wildest fantasies to life...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism retellings action-adventure anthologies audiobook classics contemporary -
![A Radical Act of Free Magic by H.G. Parry]()
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:
low-fantasy magical-realism retellings witches-wizards alternate-history book dragons fiction -
![Get Witch Quick by Louisa West]()
Get Witch Quick by Louisa West
8 ratingsShe should have known better than to put all of her eggs in one basket.Rosemary Bell has begun a new life in Mosswood, Georgia. But when the town’s annual Easter Fair is ruined by a spell gone wrong, the townsfolk are hopping mad, and it could have grave consequences for her daughter Maggie...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism witches-wizards adult audiobook book family female-author -
![Moonlight and Vines by Charles de Lint]()
Moonlight and Vines by Charles de Lint
16 ratingsReturn to NewfordFamiliar to Charles de Lint's ever-growing audience as the setting of the novels Moonheart, Forests of the Heart, The Onion Girl, and many others, Newford is the quintessential North American city, tough and streetwise on the surface and rich with hidden magic for those who can see...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism retellings adult anthologies contemporary dark-fantasy fae -
![Grimstone by Brad Magnarella]()
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...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism retellings witches-wizards action-adventure adult audiobook book -
![Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho]()
Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho
6 ratingsNineteen sparkling stories that weave between the lands of the living and the lands of the dead. Spirits Abroad is an expanded edition of Zen Cho’s Crawford Award winning debut collection with nine added stories including Hugo Award winner “If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again.” A Datin recalls her romance with an orang bunian... -
![Rocks & Gravel by Catie Rhodes]()
Rocks & Gravel by Catie Rhodes
6 ratingsPeri Jean Mace knows ghosts create chaos in her life. She also knows the Mace Treasure spawns blood, death, and sorrow. They’re both trouble and she wants nothing to do with either one.When a ghost steals secrets about the cursed fortune, Peri Jean is dragged kicking and screaming into the dangerous world of the treasure and the people who hunt it... -
![Styx & Stoned by Boone Brux]()
Styx & Stoned by Boone Brux
6 ratingsLas Vegas! All expenses paid! Normally, a trip like that would be a dream come true for a widowed, mother of three, who just happens to be grim reaper. Here’s the thing though, situations rarely work out as I imagine they should. And usually not in my favor. This time isn’t any different... -
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![The Missing Librarian by Raven Snow]()
The Missing Librarian by Raven Snow
6 ratingsRowen Greensmith has been through a lot with her boyfriend, Eric Richardson. Greensmiths don’t have the best luck with men, but Rowen may prove the exception to that rule. She and Eric have stuck it out through thick and thin. No one is surprised when it looks like Eric is going to propose. Even so, it’s terrifying! Rowen isn’t sure if she’s wife material...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism witches-wizards action-adventure book cozy female-mc fiction -
![The Dog at the Door by Raven Snow]()
The Dog at the Door by Raven Snow
6 ratingsRowen Greensmith and her new husband have finally done it. They’ve moved out of the Greensmith home and into a house of their own. It’s the house of Rowen’s dreams, a place she fell in love with the moment she laid eyes on it. Things are going great. Lainswich is getting ready for their annual marathon. Her aunts are opening a New Age store... -
![Apex Magazine Issue 56, January 2014 by Sigrid Ellis, Ursula Vernon]()
Apex Magazine Issue 56, January 2014 by Sigrid Ellis, Ursula Vernon
8 ratingsApex Magazine is a monthly science fiction, fantasy, and horror magazine featuring original, mind-bending short fiction from many of the top pros of the field. New issues are released on the first Tuesday of every month. We are a 2013 Hugo Award nominee for Best Semiprozine! FICTION Pale Skin, Gray Eyes by Gene O'Neill Jackalope Wives by Ursula Vernon [pseudonym: T... -
![Witchcraft by Emma Mills]()
Witchcraft by Emma Mills
10 ratingsJess is no ordinary vampire. Protected by the Manchester vampire clan, and initiated by her family’s east coast American coven, she is sought after by every dark witch and warring vampire faction. Jess must fight if she wants to keep hold of her friends, her sanity and finally her existence... -
![Doomsday Match by Jeff Wheeler]()
Doomsday Match by Jeff Wheeler
18 ratingsA vacationing family becomes pawns in an ancient ritual designed to bring about a Mayan apocalypse in a riveting thriller by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler.A Mayan prophecy has waited for five centuries to be fulfilled. That time has come. Sacrifices will be made. Let the games begin... -
![Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.]()
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
18 ratingsA bold, clever, and sublimely sinister collection that dares to ask the question: “Are you ready to be un-settled?” Featuring stories by: Norris Black • Amber Blaeser-Wardzala • Phoenix Boudreau • Cherie Dimaline • Carson Faust • Kelli Jo Ford • Kate Hart • Shane Hawk • Brandon Hobson • Darcie Little Badger • Conley Lyons • Nick Medina • Tiffany Morris • Tommy Orange • Mona Susan Power • Marcie R... -
![This Strange Way of Dying: Stories of Magic, Desire and the Fantastic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia]()
This Strange Way of Dying: Stories of Magic, Desire and the Fantastic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
6 ratingsSpanning a variety of genres—fantasy, science fiction, horror—and time periods, Silvia Moreno-Garcia's exceptional debut collection features short stories infused with Mexican folklore yet firmly rooted in a reality that transforms as the fantastic erodes the rational...Categorized as:
magical-realism retellings witches-wizards adult aliens anthologies female-author fiction -
![Hexes and Exes by Raven Snow]()
Hexes and Exes by Raven Snow
6 ratingsThings have been going well for Rowen Greensmith. She’s moved back home with her family in Lainswich. She runs The Lainswich Inquirer— a surprisingly successful publication. She’s never been happier. Sure, her boyfriend Eric spends a lot of time away, but she still adores him. Sure, her family is still a lot to handle, but they’re still her favorite people in the world... -
![Smoke City by Keith Rosson]()
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... -
![Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone by Sequoia Nagamatsu]()
Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone by Sequoia Nagamatsu
6 ratings“You should be here; he’s simply magnificent.” These are the final words a biologist hears before his Margaret Mead-like wife dies at the hands of Godzilla. The words haunt him as he studies the Kaiju (Japan’s giant monsters) on an island reserve, attempting to understand the beauty his wife saw...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism adult anthologies fiction horror literary-fiction poc-mc -
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![Omulețul din perete by Marian Coman]()
Omulețul din perete by Marian Coman
6 ratingsȘi dacă ești doar un personaj în cartea altcuiva?Cala, o femeie superbă și misterioasă, în jurul căreia se învârtesc multe dintre poveștile din carte. Sevăn, un bătăuș get-beget dintr-un sat uitat de lume. Fifi, o bibliotecară care face o descoperire inedită. Tanti Teofana, o ghicitoare care ascunde tot soiul de enigme și comori... -
![Mistle Child by Ari Berk]()
Mistle Child by Ari Berk
6 ratingsIn life, in death: family remains. Silas Umber has finally come into his own as the Undertaker of Lichport when a mysterious invitation calls him beyond the marshes to Arvale, the ancestral manor of the Umbers... -
![Fantastic Tales: Visionary and Everyday by Italo Calvino]()
Fantastic Tales: Visionary and Everyday by Italo Calvino
8 ratingsCompiled by Italo Calvino, one of the essential writers of the twentieth century (and editor of the best-selling Italian Folktales), Fantastic Tales is a rich and wide-ranging collection of twenty-six classic, uncanny tales from the nineteenth century written by an intriguing panoply of European and American authors... -
![In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace]()
In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace
8 ratingsWhen a guest dies in the B&B she helps her aunts run, a young witch must rely on some good old-fashioned investigating to clear her aunt's name in this magical and charming new cozy mystery.For four hundred years, the Warren witches have used their magic to quietly help the citizens of the sleepy New England town of Evenfall thrive. There's never been a problem they couldn't handle...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism witches-wizards adult amateur-sleuth book contemporary cozy -
![Open House on Haunted Hill by John Wiswell]()
Open House on Haunted Hill by John Wiswell
8 ratingsAuthor’s Note: At the World Fantasy Convention in 2018, I went to dinner with some lovely people who let me babble about Horror. I read, watch, and play Horror every week, but I barely ever write it. Instead I tend to put Horror-y things back out as humorous stories or heartwarming stories... -
![The Bread We Eat in Dreams by Catherynne M. Valente]()
The Bread We Eat in Dreams by Catherynne M. Valente
10 ratingsSubterranean Press proudly presents a major new collection by one of the brightest stars in the literary firmament. Catherynne M. Valente, the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and other acclaimed novels, now brings readers a treasure trove of stories and poems in The Bread We Eat in Dreams...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism retellings witches-wizards action-adventure anthologies demons dragons -
![Fancies and Goodnights by John Collier, Ray Bradbury]()
Fancies and Goodnights by John Collier, Ray Bradbury
10 ratingsJohn Collier's edgy, sardonic tales are works of rare wit, curious insight, and scary implication. They stand out as one of the pinnacles in the critically neglected but perennially popular tradition of weird writing that includes E.T.A. Hoffmann and Charles Dickens as well as more recent masters like Jorge Luis Borges and Roald Dahl...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism 20th-century adult anthologies classics fiction historical -
![The Sea Priestess by Dion Fortune]()
The Sea Priestess by Dion Fortune
10 ratingsThe Sea Priestess is the highly acclaimed novel in which Dion Fortune introduces her most powerful fictional character, Vivien Le Fay Morgan a practicing initiate of the Hermetic Path... -
![Grandmother Spider: A Charlie Moon Mystery by James D. Doss]()
Grandmother Spider: A Charlie Moon Mystery by James D. Doss
10 ratingsA lawman with a hardy appetite for life and an unshakable faith in the explicable, Southern Ute Acting Chief of Police Charlie Moon is not prepared to accept a purely supernatural explanation for the recent strange events of April 1... -
![The Glass God by Kate Griffin]()
The Glass God by Kate Griffin
12 ratingsSharon Li: apprentice shaman and community support officer for the magically inclined. It wasn't the career Sharon had in mind, but she's getting used to running Magicals Anonymous and learning how to Be One With The City.When the Midnight Mayor goes missing, leaving only a suspiciously innocent-looking umbrella behind him, Sharon finds herself promoted. Her first task: find the Midnight Mayor...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism retellings witches-wizards action-adventure adult book contemporary -
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![Hell's Horizon by D.B. Shan, Darren Shan]()
Hell's Horizon by D.B. Shan, Darren Shan
12 ratingsWhen Al Jeery is seconded by The Cardinal from guard duties at Party Central to investigate the murder of a woman at a hotel he little suspects that the dead woman will turn out to be his girlfriend. Soon he is involved in a terrifying mystery... -
![Cinderella Dressed in Ashes by Cameron Jace]()
Cinderella Dressed in Ashes by Cameron Jace
12 ratingsLoki is controlled by the Queen through his Dreamhunter's Fleece, and he's now Snow White's enemy. No one's sure what the Queen of Sorrow wants to do next, and what her plans with Sorrow are.In another Dreamory, they learn who Cinderella really is, where she came from, her relationship with Snow, and what historical period she'd affected with what she calls the Forbidden Art...Categorized as:
retellings witches-wizards book fairy-tale fiction historical-fiction horror paranormal -
![Sleeping in Flame by Jonathan Carroll]()
Sleeping in Flame by Jonathan Carroll
14 ratingsWalker Easterling is a retired actor turned successful screenwriter living in the Vienna of strong coffee, fascinating friends, and mysterious cafes. When he falls in love with Maris York, a beautiful artist who creates cities, his life becomes alive in fantastic and unsettling ways... -
![Queen of the Dark Things by C. Robert Cargill]()
Queen of the Dark Things by C. Robert Cargill
14 ratingsIt is half a year since the wizard Colby lost his best friend to an army of fairies from the Limestone Kingdom, a realm of mystery and shadows beyond our own. But in vanquishing these creatures Colby sacrificed the anonymity that protected him. Now, word of his deeds has spread, and powerful enemies from the past - including one Colby considered a friend - have resurfaced to exact their revenge...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism retellings action-adventure audiobook book contemporary dark -
![The Eagle's Gift by Carlos Castaneda]()
The Eagle's Gift by Carlos Castaneda
16 ratingsCarlos Castaneda takes the reader into the very heart of sorcery, challenging both imagination and reason, shaking the very foundations of our belief in what is "natural" and "logical... -
![Jilo by J.D. Horn]()
Jilo by J.D. Horn
16 ratingsAged Mother Jilo is wise in the ways of magic…but once upon a time, she was just a girl.1950s Georgia: King Cotton has fallen. Savannah is known as the “beautiful woman with a dirty face,” its stately elegance faded by neglect, its soul withering from racial injustice and political corruption...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism witches-wizards audiobook black-mc book dark dark-fantasy -
![The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch]()
The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch
20 ratingsTrier is famous for wine, Romans and for being Germany’s oldest city. So when a man is found dead with his body impossibly covered in a fungal rot, the local authorities know they are out of their depth.Fortunately this is Germany, where there are procedures for everything... -
![Nightbooks by J.A. White]()
Nightbooks by J.A. White
18 ratingsA boy is imprisoned by a witch and must tell her a new scary story each night to stay alive. This thrilling contemporary fantasy from J. A. White, the acclaimed author of the Thickety series, brings to life the magic and craft of storytelling.Alex’s original hair-raising tales are the only thing keeping the witch Natacha happy, but soon he’ll run out of pages to read from and be trapped forever...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism retellings witches-wizards action-adventure audiobook book children -
![Tales From the Hinterland by Melissa Albert]()
Tales From the Hinterland by Melissa Albert
18 ratingsA gorgeously illustrated collection of twelve fairy tales by the author of The Hazel Wood and The Night Country!Journey into the Hinterland, a brutal and beautiful world where a young woman spends a night with Death, brides are wed to a mysterious house in the trees, and an enchantress is killed twice―and still lives... -
![The Threads of the Heart by Carole Martinez]()
The Threads of the Heart by Carole Martinez
12 ratingsThey say Frasquita knows magic, that she is a healer with occult powers, that perhaps she is a sorcerer. She does indeed possess a remarkable gift, one that has been passed down to the women in her family for generations... -
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![In the House of the Wicked by Thomas E. Sniegoski]()
In the House of the Wicked by Thomas E. Sniegoski
10 ratingsOnce he was known as the angel Remiel, but generations ago Boston PI Remy Chandler chose to renounce Heaven and live on Earth, where he found a secure place among us ordinary humans… Though he may appear human, Remy has always been able to rely on Remiel—the embodiment of his angelic nature—whenever the situation called for it... -
![The Lights Go Out in Lychford by Paul Cornell]()
The Lights Go Out in Lychford by Paul Cornell
10 ratingsBe careful what you wish for…The continuing tale in the award-nominated Witches of Lychford series, described by Seanan McGuire as “Beautifully written, perfectly cruel and ultimately kind”.The borders of Lychford are crumbling. Other realities threaten to seep into the otherwise quiet village, and the resident wise woman is struggling to remain wise...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism witches-wizards action-adventure adult audiobook book conspiracies -
![Last Stand in Lychford by Paul Cornell]()
Last Stand in Lychford by Paul Cornell
8 ratingsCelestial beings and human witches clash for the future of the human and fairy worlds in this exciting conclusion to the Witches of Lychford seriesThere are changes in the air, both in Lychford and in the land of fairy.The magical protections previously employed by the town are gone, and the forces of darkness are closing in – both figuratively and literally...Categorized as:
low-fantasy magical-realism witches-wizards action-adventure adult audiobook book contemporary -
![Snow White Learns Witchcraft by Theodora Goss, Jane Yolen]()
Snow White Learns Witchcraft by Theodora Goss, Jane Yolen
8 ratingsA young woman hunts for her wayward shadow at the school where she first learned magic—while another faces a test she never studied for as ice envelopes the world. The tasks assigned a bookish boy lead him to fateful encounters with lizards, owls, trolls and a feisty, sarcastic cat...Categorized as:
magical-realism retellings witches-wizards animals anthologies audiobook cats fairy-tale -
![Dark Carnival by Nancy K. Duplechain]()
Dark Carnival by Nancy K. Duplechain
8 ratings"I noticed countless eyes following me. They belonged to shop-keeps closing up for the night, the homeless watching me from their makeshift beds, call girls pretending to wait for their next tricks on the corners, but all the while, wary of my every move. I didn’t belong here and they knew it... -
![The Dragon Coin by Aiden James]()
The Dragon Coin by Aiden James
8 ratingsASIN B00DPVP5ME moved to the most recent edition with new title Immortal DragonFree of the threat of Viktor Kaslow, William Barrow (aka Judas Iscariot) is tantalizingly close to finally having the life he has dreamed of with Beatrice and Alistair. A life blessed with youthful optimism and renewed companionship—things he once feared were forever lost. But such optimism is short lived...
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