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Quick answer: If you loved Erin Morgenstern, read Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, then Susanna Clarke's Piranesi and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, then John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things, and Neil Gaiman's Stardust, The Ocean at the End of the Lane and Neverwhere and Stephanie Garber's Caraval. All are lush, magical fantasy.
Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus is a fantasy about a duel between magicians. These picks share her dreamlike style.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Night Circus | Erin Morgenstern | Adult | readers who like atmosphere |
| Piranesi | Susanna Clarke | Adult | readers who like puzzles |
| Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell | Susanna Clarke | Adult | patient readers |
| The Book of Lost Things | John Connolly | Adult | readers who like dark fairy tales |
| Stardust | Neil Gaiman | Adult | readers who want a gentle fairy tale |
| The Ocean at the End of the Lane | Neil Gaiman | Adult | readers who like memory and dread |
| Caraval | Stephanie Garber | 13+ | romance and mystery fans |
| The Hazel Wood | Melissa Albert | Teen | dark fairy tales |
| Uprooted | Naomi Novik | Adult | readers who like fairy-tale fantasy |
| The Bear and the Nightingale | Katherine Arden | Adult | readers who like folklore |
| Spinning Silver | Naomi Novik | Adult | readers who like retellings |
| Neverwhere | Neil Gaiman | Adult | readers who like urban fantasy |
| Garden Spells | Sarah Addison Allen | Adult | Southern magic |
| The Invisible Library | Genevieve Cogman | Adult | readers who love books and magic |
| Six of Crows | Leigh Bardugo | 14+ | readers who like heists and ensemble casts |
1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Two magicians are bound in a contest in a mysterious circus. Lush, slow and enchanting.
Best for: readers who like atmosphere.
2. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
A man lives in a vast house of statues and tides and slowly learns the truth about his world. Strange, quiet and brilliant.
Best for: readers who like puzzles.
3. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Two magicians revive English magic during the Napoleonic wars. Long, dry-witted and rich.
Best for: patient readers.
4. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
David, a grieving boy, enters a world where fairy tales are twisted and dangerous. Dark and moving.
Best for: readers who like dark fairy tales.
5. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Tristran crosses the wall into the land of Faerie to retrieve a fallen star for the girl he loves. A fairy tale for adults, short and charming.
Best for: readers who want a gentle fairy tale.
6. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
A man returns to his childhood home and remembers a strange and terrifying summer. Short and haunting.
Best for: readers who like memory and dread.
7. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Scarlett and her sister enter a magical performance where the game is real and the stakes are high. Lush, dreamy and full of twists.
Best for: romance and mystery fans.
8. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
A girl searches for her mother in a world of dark stories. Eerie and sharp.
Best for: dark fairy tales.
9. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Agnieszka is taken by the Dragon, a wizard, to his tower, and discovers the Wood is a threat. A dark fairy tale with Polish roots.
Best for: readers who like fairy-tale fantasy.
10. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Vasilisa lives in medieval Russia and must protect her village from spirits. Rich, cold and atmospheric.
Best for: readers who like folklore.
11. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
A moneylender's daughter makes a deal with the ice kings of the Staryk. A reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin.
Best for: readers who like retellings.
12. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Richard Mayhew helps a hurt girl and falls into London Below, a hidden city under the city. Funny and creepy.
Best for: readers who like urban fantasy.
13. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
A family in a North Carolina town has a garden with magical plants. Gentle and charming, with no vampires.
Best for: Southern magic.
14. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
Irene, a spy for a library that exists between worlds, steals books from different realities. Fast and full of adventure.
Best for: readers who love books and magic.
15. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Kaz Brekker leads a team of misfits on an impossible heist in the city of Ketterdam. It has a diverse crew, banter, danger and twisty plotting.
Best for: readers who like heists and ensemble casts.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Erin Morgenstern: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Erin Morgenstern. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For magic, read Piranesi. For history, try Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. For stories, pick The Book of Lost Things.
Related: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Erin Morgenstern?
An American author.
What is her best-known book?
The Night Circus.
Where do I start?
With The Night Circus.
Which book here is best for readers who like heists and ensemble casts?
Try Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, which suits readers looking for readers who like heists and ensemble casts.