Books like 'The Madness of Herakles'
Readers who enjoyed The Madness of Herakles by Matt Larkin also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
horror myths sword-sorcery dark retellings
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The Sixth Strand by Melissa McPhail
10 ratings"The strands are as interwoven as the visible spectrum, yet upon closer inspection, one may be found to bind the rest."- Isabel van Gelderan, Epiphany's ProphetThe First Lord's game has reached a critical apex. For the first time in millennia, the teams are equally matched. The field itself holds a kind of equilibrium... -
Battleborne by Dave Willmarth
17 ratingsMax was a professional soldier, and extremely good at his job. Right up until it killed him.At the moment of his death, he meets Hildi the Valkyrie, and is given three options. Serve Odin in Valhalla as one of the Einherjar, fighting each day and celebrating each night until the battle of Ragnarok. Accept his death as final, and end his existence... -
Transcendence and Rebellion by Michael G. Manning
10 ratingsThe world is on the cusp of destruction as Mordecai’s power grows beyond the limits of his own control, yet most of the powers that rule the world are oblivious. The only hope of salvaging their civilization lies with his children, but they have been scattered and branded outlaws... -
Something Wicked by K.T. Davies
10 ratingsSomething Wicked is the third and final novel in the brilliant Chronicles of Breed.Miserable after the loss of (another) friend, and alone in a strange, new world, Breed is taken prisoner by a gang of undead thugs.Stripped of power, Breed is used as a bait dog in an arena where the only reward for surviving is the chance to die another day... -
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Kings of Heaven by Richard Nell
10 ratingsIn the final book of the Ash and Sand trilogy, Ruka, son of Beyla, faces the emperor of the world, yet even victory may not save his people…With the death of his ally, Farahi Alaku, Ruka ‘Godtongue’ is alone. Or not exactly… The island prince Kale Alaku now haunts his mind, rattling within his once peaceful ‘Grove’, promising revenge and growing every moment in power... -
The False Hero, Volume 3 by Michael Plymel
10 ratingsLutz and his companions have finally arrived at the eastern edge of the Orakian kingdom, just a few short days away from the elven lands. But he's not the only one who's made the trek east. Princess Lumina has deduced his destination and is hot on his trail... -
Grog III (The Ebon Blades Book 3) by RW Krpoun
6 ratingsProvine Sael and her weary band have put the great northern plains behind them, and are heading south into the Empire, winter quarters beckoning to them after a long, hard summer. But crossing the raid-torn northern frontier holds new problems and challenges as the little group re-enters an empire burdened by war and war's demands... -
Monster Girl Islands 13 by Logan Jacobs
6 ratingsBen and his growing empire of monster warrior women have celebrated yet another victory, but if they are going to win this war against the orcs, they need to change the game.And to do that will require Ben convincing twenty-six different dragons to join their cause and fight against the orcs.But first Ben has to make sure the Council of Dragons doesn’t kill him... -
Skulduggery 7 by Logan Jacobs
6 ratingsBuilding a Criminal EmpireFor the last several months, our whiskey business has expanded throughout the city like a virus, and we’ve gotten rich and powerful. The time to step out of the shadows, grab power, and make my mark on the world is now.Our enemies are lined up, and now it's time to knock them down like dominoes. Once the last one falls, we’ll own the city lock, stock, and barrel... -
Bottle Demon by Stephen Blackmoore
8 ratingsThe sixth book of this dark urban fantasy series follows necromancer Eric Carter through a world of vengeful gods and goddesses, mysterious murders, and restless ghosts.The Necromancer is dead. Long live the Necromancer... -
Alpha Ascendant by Arthur Stone
8 ratingsSome say these lands are the most dangerous in the entire North.The Grove is a perilous wound on the face of the planet, home to the most fearsome creatures in all of Rock. Death himself has trod these paths, leaving in his wake freakish mutants who still bear within themselves a piece of his morbid nature.The only thing more difficult than reaching the Grove is leaving it alive... -
Dungeon Cleaners Inc. by J.R. Saileri
8 ratingsDo you have what it takes?Lucas was just your typical guy slowly approaching his thirties. Due to the budget cuts in his company, he had been laid off, losing his job as a Project Manager and Team Leader. Just a common occurrence, not like it bothered him.But, he certainly didn't expect to get scouted by another company soon after... -
With Dagger and Song by Helen Scheuerer
8 ratingsAn empty crown. A perilous journey. Will she answer when darkness calls?Against all odds, Roh survived the harrowing Queen’s Tournament, but now something far deadlier awaits her: a formidable quest for the three magic birthstones of Saddoriel. The gems have been scattered across the realms – and only when Roh retrieves them can she take her place as queen... -
Solstice of the Drowned Empire by Frankie Diane Mallis
10 ratingsLord Rhyan Hart, Heir Apparent to the Arkasva, High Lord of Glemaria, Imperator to the North hates everything about his title. Its length, its pretentiousness, and the fact that it connects him directly to his father, the sadistic violent man he hates more than anyone in Lumeria... -
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Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett
12 ratingsThis book is well on its way to becoming a true children's classic. Early reviews of the story and the tickle me concept are creating a very positive reaction from everyone that reviews the book. The story is about a loveable rascal that has just flown in from Planet Tickle. His mission is to tickle any child who happens to follow along in this book... -
Circus by Cameron Jace
14 ratingsLadies and gentlemen, boys and girls... There is a loose rabbit with a ticking bomb in the streets of the London. Come closer, you won'd believe your eyes... Alice & the Pillar follow a set of clues, meticulously weaved by the most mysterious Wonderland Monster of all. Here is the Maddest Show on Earth ... The Circus! Where Alice's most unexpected secret will be revealed... -
Futures Grave by James T. Callum
6 ratingsEmbrace the flame’s rage or leave the future in ruins.The tutorial is over. The rules of Pyresouls have changed for the worse. Defeating the Burgon Beast should’ve been the end of it, but it was only the beginning.Beating the next boss monster that invades Earth will only stave off the Collapse, not prevent it. The future devoid of all life but a single Pyre proves that... -
Resurrected as a Drow by Logan Jacobs
6 ratingsMy name is Fynn Draven, and I used to be from this world.I think I might have died, but I can’t remember. All I know is that I woke up on an altar as a drow male, and the beautiful dark-elf priestesses said they begged their Spider Goddess for help.They ended up with me... -
Flight of Sorcery and Shadow by Meg Cowley
6 ratingsAedon's captivity is over when darkness descends upon the realm. The elf's only choices become escape or death—a far cry from his past fame and notoriety as a legendary thief. Lost, alone, and desperate to escape the deadly beasts now stalking him, he does not count on meeting Lief, a ranger of the woodland elves...and Aedon's natural worst enemy... -
The Kat Dubois Chronicles Vol 1: Books 1-3 by Lindsey Sparks
6 ratingsThe first three books in the Kat Dubois Chronicles bundled together! Three years ago, the gods abandoned us. We've been alone ever since. Kat Dubois is immortal, and she’s retired. She’s long since hung up her sword and left assassinating immortals to someone else...anyone else... -
Summoner 13 by Eric Vall
6 ratingsGryff has finally captured Miralea and Utuni, the two goddesses who wreaked havoc upon the Southern Continent. Now, it’s time to go home. Or … at least that was the plan. But after a surprise rift and a hurricane, Gryff finds himself stranded on an unknown island with his friends nowhere in sight... -
The Buried Goddess Saga: The Complete Series: by Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
6 ratingsGet the Buried Goddess Saga Boxset, featuring all six action-packed books in the bestselling series. Over 3,000 pages of adventure, magic, war, and a diverse cast of characters you won’t soon forget.★★★★★ "Compelling characters, spectacular world-building, jaw-dropping twists... -
Grog II: Book 2 of the Ebon Blades by RW Krpoun
6 ratingsThe Dusmen are invading, and nothing will stop Provine Sael from leading an investigation into the many questions about the northerner’s late start, and so Grog and Burk must march north as well. With the onset of the war, both sides have stripped the border of troops, and it may well be safe for the small band to slip into enemy territory and poke into odd corners in search of the truth... -
Towers of Acalia Volume III by Atlas Kane
6 ratingsAs my core continues to grow in power, so do the challenges of Acalia's fearsome towers.After crushing the Forest Tower and moving into a home big enough for me and my four companions, a period of relaxation feels much deserved.Fate has other plans for us.When troubling news arrives from the South, we will pack up our things and ride for adventure once again... -
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Unleashed Magic: A Wizard in Bremen Part 2 by Steve Higgs
6 ratingsNo one knows about them. No one is ready. The false gods are coming. In seven days, I have to surrender myself to a demon. That was what I agreed to. That was the price to rescue a teenage girl. What would you do with your last week? My plan to drink good whisky and relax got shot to hell within hours when the police, who hate me by the way, begged for my help... -
Dragon Born 3: The Shifter's Hoard by Dante King
6 ratingsIt’s been four months since I defeated Ivan Grozny, King of the Nightlords. He ran off with his tail tucked between his legs, and no one has seen anything of the Nightlords since.The Dragon’s Hoard has not remained idle. Two of my mates are days away from giving birth to my children, and I’ve been slowly expanding and perfecting my base while hunting interlopers... -
Werebear Barbarian King 2 by Eric Vall
6 ratingsNow that we’ve conquered the werewolves, my village is expanding by the day. Werecreatures of every species are flocking to live beside their new king, but the rogue wolves are still on the loose.My subjects won’t be safe until the last of our enemies are tracked down and taken out, but the further we travel, the stranger things become... -
Easy Meat (Foodstuffs #1) by Arthur Stone
8 ratingsWelcome to the challenge. You’re an absolute nobody here—nothing; a zero; a useless lump of meat filled with bones. You’re but a delicious morsel for your antagonists and those who got lucky at the start. The only goal you can have in your miserable existence is to kick the bucket as soon as possible... -
Alpha Zero by Arthur Stone
10 ratingsI should not exist.All children like me are stillborn, or die in infancy. Those who cannot grow stronger, die. No empty child has ever reached a year of age, yet I am now thirteen.It has been a long and miserable thirteen years, where the best I can manage to do is walk with difficulty. Sometimes, I cannot even manage that.My clan has paid dearly for every minute of my life... -
All-Knowing Novice by Kenneth Arant
10 ratingsKnowledge is power. Knowledge is safety. Knowledge is Happiness. But only if you can act on it...In spite of his best efforts, sixteen-year-old Taryn is an outcast. No one in the city will sully themselves by associating with a Clanless, and without someone to jumpstart his Eco core, he's unable to fulfill his dream of walking the path of a cultivator... -
Nightblade's Honor by Ryan Kirk
10 ratingsIn the riveting sequel to Nightblade’s Vengeance, the nightblades must choose a side, and the Kingdom will either rise again… or shatter into pieces.With the realm on the brink of war, the once-celebrated blades have become an easy target for the rage of its devastated citizens... -
From the Shadows of the Owl Queen's Court by Benedict Patrick
7 ratingsIf you value your life, stay out of the forest. As a captive of the Owl Queen’s Court, Nascha’s life has always been one knife’s edge away from disaster. But when she is threatened for nothing more than the colour of her hair, Nascha attempts the unthinkable: escape through the dreaded Magpie King’s forest... -
Mage Assassin by Logan Jacobs
6 ratingsTo kill a common man, use a blade.To kill a soldier, use a bow.To kill a mage, use stronger magic.To kill a fallen god? Well… I better figure out what to use soon.I’m a murder, a hired killer, an assassin with unheard of magic. I never asked to be a hero, but if I don’t stop this titan from destroying the kingdom, he will kill me, my family of assassins, and the two beautiful women that I love... -
The Ghosts Omnibus One by Jonathan Moeller
6 ratingsHere for the first time in one volume are the first four books of the internationally bestselling THE GHOSTS saga - CHILD OF THE GHOSTS, BLADE OF THE GHOSTS, GHOST IN THE FLAMES, and GHOST IN THE BLOOD. When her life is torn apart by sorcery and murder, young Caina Amalas joins the Ghosts, the legendary spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar... -
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Shadow of the Lantern Bearer by Chris R. Underwood
6 ratingsMagic is a disease. It spreads like a plague and drives the infected mad with power.Death is the only cure.Seventeen-year-old Kole Felmen is destined for a life spent executing infected sorcerers and disposing of their tainted remains.But his first execution ends in disaster... -
Those Brave, Foolish Souls from the City of Swords by Benedict Patrick
6 ratingsDon't draw your blade in the City of Swords, unless you're willing to kill… or ready to die.Young and filled with idealistic fervor, Arturo packs his blade and travels to the fabled City of Swords in the hopes of joining the dashing Bravadori. Yet upon arriving he discovers these masked vigilantes have more in common with brutal thugs than noble monster slayers... -
A Storm of Smoke and Flame by Marion Blackwood
6 ratingsWhat would you do to protect your home? Lie? Manipulate? Kill?War awaits across the sea. In order to ensure their survival, the Oncoming Storm and a band of misfits set sail for the land beyond the horizon... -
Absolution by N.H. Paxton, James A. Hunter
6 ratingsA Russian weapon engineer's work is never done. Not while the Imperial Legion marches. After dying, losing his soulmate twice, building elemental cannons, and knocking down more than metaphorical walls for the Crimson Alliance, Vlad is looking for a place to call his own: a crafting guild that will be able to produce the most overpowered loot the world of V.G.O. has ever seen... -
Forge of the Gods 2 by Simon Archer
6 ratingsIt's Cameron's second year as the only male demigod of his generation, and given that he’s the only male in a school full of women, well... things haven't gotten any easier.Still he’s been dealing with hot demigoddesses, and the ongoing quest to forge the Ultimate Weapon, on his path to becoming the world’s best blacksmith... -
Path of the Blood Phoenix by J.D. Astra, James A. Hunter
6 ratingsCan a single promise change the world?Even with the Crimson Alliance formed, Rowanheath taken, and Carrera dispatched, the onslaught never ends for Abby Hollander. Keeping the Spider Queen in check and handling water provisions was never what Abby wanted to do with her life, but it's what the war demands of her... -
Fierce as a Tiger Lily by Kendra Moreno
6 ratingsTo die is no adventure. . .Tiger Lily knows that better than anyone. Death and the Tribes of Neverland have an intimate relationship, if only because their magic feeds the deity. Tiger has always walked in the darkness, and as a Daughter, she calls Death a friend.But Neverland is in trouble and Tiger finds herself in the middle of darkness she knows and a new insanity she doesn't... -
Feral as a Cat by Kendra Moreno
8 ratingsWeapons don’t weep… Calypso is only trying to make it through life, raising her little brother and taking care of her ailing mom. She doesn’t have time for fairytales or pipe dreams, so when two men show up at her door talking about Wonderland, she sends them on their way... -
Fallen Sepulchre by J.D. Franx
8 ratingsWarning: 18+ Only. Contains scenes of an adult nature. Threatened by an Elloryan invasion reinforced by the Ancients, the sanctuary Ember and Max sought in DormaSai after Kael’s burial is at its end. A civil war rages in Cethos, and the threat of Wildland tribal attacks in the Blood Kingoms is imminent... -
Sleep and Spirit by Courtney Thorne
8 ratingsAs the only female born into a royal family in over four hundred years, freedom was never going to be an option.Gifted with the elements of all five kingdoms, Aurelia had never known a minute of peace. No Virium was ever meant to hold all five elements and now they war inside her, keeping her from rest... -
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Darkblade Outcast by Andy Peloquin
10 ratingsCan a killer escape the evil inside him?The Hunter has fled his home and the suffering left in his wake. Hoping to cleanse the stain of blood on his hands, he aids travelers beset by bandits only to discover those he saved are warrior clerics on a holy mission to kill him... -
Late as a Rabbit by Kendra Moreno
10 ratingsFollow the white rabbit. . .Tick.Jupiter only ever wanted an adventure, but she never should have gone searching for one. It finds her in the form of a white rabbit with silver eyes.Tock.When that same white rabbit turns out to be the White Rabbit from the story books, she can’t contain her curiosity. She follows him down the rabbit hole and drops right into Wonderland... -
The Sword Saint by C.F. Iggulden
12 ratingsTHE EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE BESTSELLING EMPIRE OF SALT SERIES. Cities have been broken. Empires have fallen. And darkness is coming. Success has drawn a cold gaze. A false king seeks dominion. His soldiers will bring desolation and despair to Darien. With treachery on all sides, the ancient capital looks set to fall. Yet within the walls of that great city, a small team gathers... -
Looking Glass by Cameron Jace
6 ratingsThe final installment in the bestselling series is here!The fate of Alice Wonder, Jack Diamonds, Fabiola, Cheshire, Lewis Carroll, the March Hare, and Constance will be revealed -- and of course Professor Carter Chrysalis Cocoon Pillar's mysterious intentions... -
The Bastard by Jack Porter
6 ratingsRule #1 - Make your own damn rules. I was a bit of a rogue, picking pockets and seducing women, without a care for the future. Now, with the aid of a beautiful enchantress and a pet rat dragon, I'm out for revenge. Trouble is, my target is one of the most powerful, ruthless men in the city. But what he doesn't know is that I'm no longer playing by his rules. I'm playing by my own... -
Orlind by Charlotte E. English
6 ratingsOrlind. Locked behind impassable mountains, buried under the weight of a vast - and terrible - history, the Seventh Realm has remained a mystery all the long ages through.Until now.For the Lokant sorcerers' power and might grows by the day - and all their thought is bent upon Orlind...
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