The Fantasy 101 › Books Like

Books Like The Princess Bride

Goldman, 1973 · #59 on the Epic Fantasy 101 Booklist · 77/120 · adapted for screen

Westley, the farm boy, sets out to rescue Buttercup from Prince Humperdinck. Fencing masters, giants and the Cliffs of Insanity lie in his way.

Its strongest scores: structure and creative details. The five books below have the closest scores across all eleven criteria.

If you liked The Princess Bride, read:

1. The Magic Goes Away

   Niven, 1978 · #78 on the list · 71/120

   Magic is a finite natural resource and it is running out. An aging sorcerer and his companions set out to steal power from the moon.

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

2. 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, theme, structure, further reading.

3. Oz

   Baum, 1900 · #73 on the list · 73/120

   A Kansas cyclone carries Dorothy to Oz. With a scarecrow, a tin woodman and a cowardly lion, she follows the yellow brick road to the Wizard.

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

4. Johannes Cabal

   J.L. Howard, 2009 · #87 on the list · 69/120

   A necromancer sold his soul for knowledge. To win it back, he has a year to collect a hundred souls, by running a demonic travelling carnival.

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

5. Bartimaeus

   Stroud, 2003 · #41 on the list · 84/120

   In an alternative London run by magicians, a boy summons a sardonic five-thousand-year-old djinni to settle a grudge. He sets a revolution in motion.

   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.