Fantastical Fiction:
Books for those who "don't read fantasy"

Seventh Son*
Orson Scott Card
Set in an alternate frontier America, this story mixes fantasy, folktale and historical figures as a young man discovers that his unique powers put him in the center of a battle between good and evil.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
The countdown to Armageddon has begun, but a motley group of characters are out to stop it in this humorous fantasy from two irreverent and imaginative authors.

Lord of the Silver Bow
David Gemmell
A wonderful and engrossing re-imagining of the Trojan War.

Across the Nightingale Floor*
Lian Hearn
A mythical, medieval Japan forms the backdrop for this intrigue-filled tale of revenge.

Lady of the Forest
Jennifer Roberson
A fanciful “prequel” to the story of Robin Hood and Maid Marian.

The Stars Dispose
Michaela Roessner
Historical detail, Italian cooking and magic converge in this fantasy  revolving around Catherine de Medici’s rise to power in the 16th Century.

The Crystal Cave*
Mary Stewart
Filled with historical details of 5th Century Britain, this is the story of Merlin’s early life. Stewart continues her classic and complex exploration of the Arthurian legend in subsequent books.

The Book of the Dun Cow
Walter Wangerin
An allegorical fantasy in which talking animals are all too human in their battle against evil.

Orphans of Chaos
John C. Wright
Five prodigy orphans, kept as prisoners at a British Boarding school, begin to suspect they are not entirely human.  One reviewer likened this tale to Harry Potter “with an adult twist.”

More Fantastical Fiction titles to try:

Adams, Richard – Watership Down
Armstrong, Kelley – Dime Store Magic*
Baum, L. Frank - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz*
Bradley, Marion Zimmer – The Mists of Avalon*
Bray, Libby – A Great and Terrible Beauty*

Brockmeier, Kevin – The Brief History of the Dead
Butcher, Jim – Storm Front*
David, James F. – Before the Cradle Falls
De Lint, Charles – Spirits in the Wires
Donaldson, Stephen R. – Lord Foul’s Bane*
Donohue, Keith – The Stolen Child
Elrod, P. N. – The Vampire Files: Volume 1*
Fforde, Jasper – The Eyre Affair*
Freer, Dave – A Mankind Witch
Gabaldon, Diana – Outlander*
Gaiman, Neil – American Gods
Goldman, William – The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of
True Love and High Adventure: The 'Good Parts' Version
Hamilton, Laurell K.  – A Stroke of Midnight*
Harris, Charlaine – Dead as a Doornail*
Huff, Tanya – Smoke and Shadows*
Keyes, J. Gregory – The Briar King*
Kotzwinkle, William – The Bear Went Over the Mountain
Lackey, Mercedes – Sacred Ground
Lawhead, Steve  – The Paradise War*
Le Guin, Ursula K. – The Lathe of Heaven
Lethem, Jonathan – Men and Cartoons: Stories
Link, Kelly – Magic for Beginners
Maguire, Gregory – Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Marillier, Juliet – Wolfskin
Martin, George R. R. – Game of Thrones*
McKinley, Robin - Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty & the Beast, 398.20944 MCK
McKillip, Patricia A. – Od Magic
Millet, Lydia – Oh Pure and Radiant Heart
Mitchell, David  - Cloud Atlas
Niffenegger, Audrey – The Time Traveler’s Wife
Palwick, Susan – The Necessary Beggar
Tolkien, J. R. R. – The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of the Lord of the Rings*
Ringo, John – Princess of Wands
Rowling, J. K. – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone*
Scarborough, Elizabeth Ann – The Godmother
Snyder, Maria V – Poison Study
White, T. H. – The Sword in the Stone*
Yolen, Jane – Briar Rose

*Part of a series

St. Charles Public Library

MCS
4/06