The Fantasy 101 › Books Like

Books Like Barsoom

Burroughs, 1912 · #44 on the Epic Fantasy 101 Booklist · 82/120 · adapted for screen

Confederate veteran John Carter is transported to Mars, where he fights green Tharks and wins the hand of the princess Dejah Thoris.

Its strongest scores: genre standard and originality. The five books below have the closest scores across all eleven criteria.

If you liked Barsoom, read:

1. The Chronicles of Amber

   Zelazny, 1970 · #31 on the list · 86/120

   Corwin wakes in a hospital on Earth with no memory and discovers he is a prince of Amber, the one true world. His siblings are fighting over the throne.

   Close on mood, further reading, creative details, real-world blend.

2. World of Tiers

   Farmer, 1965 · #57 on the list · 78/120

   A man from Earth is pulled into a series of pocket universes built by godlike Lords. They play deadly games with their creations.

   Close on mood, theme, structure, further reading.

3. Dungeon Crawler Carl

   Dinniman, 2020 · #13 on the list · 95/120

   Alien showrunners demolish Earth, and the survivors must fight down through a televised dungeon. Carl, his ex's cat and his loot try to stay alive.

   Close on mood, structure, further reading, creative details.

4. The Old Kingdom

   Nix, 1995 · #24 on the list · 89/120

   Sabriel, daughter of the Abhorsen, crosses the Wall from her English-style boarding school into a land where the dead will not stay dead. She must walk into Death itself.

   Close on further reading, creative details, real-world blend, climax and fights.

5. Three Hearts and Three Lions

   Anderson, 1961 · #29 on the list · 87/120

   A Danish resistance fighter in 1943 is thrown into a world of Carolingian legend, where he is a hero he has forgotten.

   Close on mood, theme, structure, creative details.

How the scores work: each book is rated 1 to 10 on eleven criteria; real-world blend and climax and fights count double, for a maximum of 120. See the full Fantasy 101.