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The Best of Mythic Fiction
Mythic fiction is literature that is rooted in, inspired by, or that in some way draws from the tropes, themes and symbolism of myth, folklore, and fairy tales. What are your favorites?
Score
A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
| 1 |
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The Lord of the Rings (Middle Earth, #2-4)
by
4.53 avg rating — 692,781 ratings
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| 2 |
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The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
by
4.29 avg rating — 4,157,985 ratings
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| 3 |
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The Mists of Avalon (Avalon, #1)
by
4.13 avg rating — 208,940 ratings
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| 4 |
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Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)
by
Juliet Marillier (Goodreads Author)
4.28 avg rating — 67,373 ratings
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| 5 |
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The Chronicles of Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia, #1-7)
by
4.28 avg rating — 670,874 ratings
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| 6 |
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Stardust
by
Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author)
4.10 avg rating — 468,258 ratings
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| 7 |
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The Last Unicorn (The Last Unicorn, #1)
by
Peter S. Beagle (Goodreads Author)
4.16 avg rating — 114,627 ratings
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| 8 |
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American Gods
by
Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 957,903 ratings
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| 9 |
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The Princess Bride
by
4.27 avg rating — 915,610 ratings
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| 10 |
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Neverwhere (London Below, #1)
by
Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author)
4.17 avg rating — 544,809 ratings
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| 11 |
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The Silmarillion
by
4.02 avg rating — 306,573 ratings
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| 12 |
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Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
by
3.86 avg rating — 242,085 ratings
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| 13 |
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The Earthsea Trilogy (Earthsea Cycle, #1-3)
by
4.28 avg rating — 21,144 ratings
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| 14 |
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The Dark Is Rising (The Dark is Rising, #2)
by
Susan Cooper (Goodreads Author)
4.04 avg rating — 58,348 ratings
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| 15 |
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The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)
by
Rick Riordan (Goodreads Author)
4.31 avg rating — 3,162,792 ratings
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| 16 |
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Ella Enchanted (Ella Enchanted, #1)
by
Gail Carson Levine (Goodreads Author)
4.01 avg rating — 417,253 ratings
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| 17 |
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A Wrinkle in Time (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet, #1)
by
3.98 avg rating — 1,228,571 ratings
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| 18 |
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Till We Have Faces
by
4.19 avg rating — 73,095 ratings
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| 19 |
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Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast
by
4.05 avg rating — 81,162 ratings
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| 20 |
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The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
by
4.07 avg rating — 19,563 ratings
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| 21 |
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A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1)
by
4.01 avg rating — 330,758 ratings
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| 22 |
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The Hero and the Crown (Damar, #2)
by
4.21 avg rating — 54,144 ratings
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| 23 |
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Winter Rose (Winter Rose, #1)
by
3.86 avg rating — 7,478 ratings
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| 24 |
|
In the Night Garden (The Orphan's Tales, #1)
by
Catherynne M. Valente (Goodreads Author)
4.03 avg rating — 9,217 ratings
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| 25 |
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Siddhartha
by
4.07 avg rating — 801,635 ratings
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| 25 |
|
Wildwood Dancing (Wildwood, #1)
by
Juliet Marillier (Goodreads Author)
4.10 avg rating — 31,171 ratings
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| 27 |
|
War for the Oaks
by
Emma Bull (Goodreads Author)
4.01 avg rating — 10,512 ratings
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| 28 |
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The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain, #2)
by
4.12 avg rating — 65,368 ratings
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| 29 |
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Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wicked Years, #1)
by
3.54 avg rating — 606,838 ratings
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| 30 |
|
Outlander (Outlander, #1)
by
Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author)
4.26 avg rating — 1,089,939 ratings
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| 31 |
|
The Thief (The Queen's Thief, #1)
by
Megan Whalen Turner (Goodreads Author)
3.85 avg rating — 89,247 ratings
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| 32 |
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The Once and Future King
by
4.07 avg rating — 114,354 ratings
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| 33 |
|
The Wood Wife
by
4.20 avg rating — 3,497 ratings
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| 34 |
|
Anansi Boys
by
Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author)
4.04 avg rating — 226,742 ratings
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| 35 |
|
The Crystal Cave (Arthurian Saga, #1)
by
4.13 avg rating — 47,154 ratings
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| 36 |
|
The Time Traveler's Wife
by
Audrey Niffenegger (Goodreads Author)
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,813,060 ratings
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| 37 |
|
Chalice
by
3.83 avg rating — 15,244 ratings
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| 38 |
|
The Changeling Sea
by
4.09 avg rating — 5,760 ratings
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| 39 |
|
Sunshine
by
3.84 avg rating — 43,242 ratings
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| 40 |
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Tam Lin
by
3.84 avg rating — 5,769 ratings
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| 41 |
|
Like Water for Chocolate
by
3.95 avg rating — 374,133 ratings
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| 42 |
|
The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5)
by
Rick Riordan (Goodreads Author)
4.55 avg rating — 1,056,171 ratings
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| 43 |
|
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
by
4.26 avg rating — 779,698 ratings
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| 44 |
|
On a Pale Horse (Incarnations of Immortality #1)
by
4.13 avg rating — 40,431 ratings
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| 45 |
|
The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2)
by
Rick Riordan (Goodreads Author)
4.24 avg rating — 1,239,614 ratings
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| 46 |
|
The Iliad
by
3.91 avg rating — 470,821 ratings
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| 47 |
|
Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, #1)
by
3.86 avg rating — 552,539 ratings
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| 48 |
|
Deerskin
by
3.93 avg rating — 23,449 ratings
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| 49 |
|
Ombria in Shadow
by
3.99 avg rating — 5,057 ratings
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| 50 |
|
Chocolat (Chocolat, #1)
by
Joanne Harris (Goodreads Author)
3.96 avg rating — 127,622 ratings
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| 51 |
|
Alphabet of Thorn
by
4.09 avg rating — 5,999 ratings
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| 52 |
|
The Odyssey
by
3.81 avg rating — 1,114,362 ratings
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| 53 |
|
The Ivory and the Horn (Newford, #3)
by
Charles de Lint (Goodreads Author)
4.15 avg rating — 3,017 ratings
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| 54 |
|
The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3)
by
Rick Riordan (Goodreads Author)
4.37 avg rating — 1,114,117 ratings
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| 55 |
|
Jack of Kinrowan: Jack the Giant-Killer / Drink Down the Moon
by
Charles de Lint (Goodreads Author)
4.12 avg rating — 3,863 ratings
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| 56 |
|
Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales, #1)
by
Holly Black (Goodreads Author)
3.69 avg rating — 100,640 ratings
|
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| 57 |
|
Bearing an Hourglass (Incarnations of Immortality, #2)
by
3.96 avg rating — 23,406 ratings
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| 57 |
|
The King of Elfland's Daughter
by
3.82 avg rating — 8,198 ratings
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| 59 |
|
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)
by
Rick Riordan (Goodreads Author)
4.42 avg rating — 1,133,873 ratings
|
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| 60 |
|
In the Forests of Serre
by
3.97 avg rating — 3,643 ratings
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| 61 |
|
Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer
by
4.04 avg rating — 2,682 ratings
score: 891,
and
9 people voted
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| 61 |
|
The Dragonbone Chair (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #1)
by
Tad Williams (Goodreads Author)
3.97 avg rating — 73,158 ratings
|
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| 63 |
|
Cygnet (Cygnet, #1-2)
by
4.09 avg rating — 610 ratings
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| 64 |
|
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
by
3.54 avg rating — 61,174 ratings
score: 846,
and
9 people voted
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| 65 |
|
Firebird (Fairy Tales #1)
by
Mercedes Lackey (Goodreads Author)
3.86 avg rating — 6,352 ratings
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| 66 |
|
The Onion Girl (Newford, #8)
by
Charles de Lint (Goodreads Author)
4.17 avg rating — 7,913 ratings
score: 835,
and
9 people voted
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| 67 |
|
Little, Big
by
3.81 avg rating — 11,749 ratings
score: 834,
and
9 people voted
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| 68 |
|
Hawkmere
by
Marcus Attwater (Goodreads Author)
4.25 avg rating — 20 ratings
score: 832,
and
9 people voted
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| 69 |
|
The Owl Service
by
3.67 avg rating — 7,632 ratings
score: 827,
and
9 people voted
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| 70 |
|
Elfland (Aetherial Tales, #1)
by
Freda Warrington (Goodreads Author)
3.77 avg rating — 1,092 ratings
score: 793,
and
8 people voted
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| 71 |
|
The Fairy Godmother (Five Hundred Kingdoms, #1)
by
Mercedes Lackey (Goodreads Author)
3.99 avg rating — 19,065 ratings
score: 781,
and
9 people voted
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| 72 |
|
The Stolen Child
by
Keith Donohue (Goodreads Author)
3.73 avg rating — 11,580 ratings
score: 770,
and
7 people voted
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| 73 |
|
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
by
4.44 avg rating — 2,570,534 ratings
score: 768,
and
9 people voted
|
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| 74 |
|
Circe
by
Madeline Miller (Goodreads Author)
4.23 avg rating — 1,153,234 ratings
score: 751,
and
8 people voted
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| 75 |
|
The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain, #1)
by
3.98 avg rating — 80,531 ratings
score: 733,
and
9 people voted
|
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| 75 |
|
A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1)
by
Deborah Harkness (Goodreads Author)
4.02 avg rating — 514,659 ratings
score: 733,
and
8 people voted
|
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| 77 |
|
The Sleeper and the Spindle
by
Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author)
3.88 avg rating — 52,923 ratings
score: 719,
and
8 people voted
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| 78 |
|
His Dark Materials (His Dark Materials #1-3)
by
4.29 avg rating — 164,086 ratings
score: 706,
and
8 people voted
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| 79 |
|
A Gathering of Twine
by
4.26 avg rating — 293 ratings
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| 80 |
|
Titans, Humans, and the Beasts
by
Cristina M. Sburlea (Goodreads Author)
4.36 avg rating — 42 ratings
score: 695,
and
7 people voted
|
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| 81 |
|
Rose Daughter
by
3.79 avg rating — 21,246 ratings
score: 686,
and
8 people voted
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| 81 |
|
The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1)
by
Rick Riordan (Goodreads Author)
4.30 avg rating — 880,753 ratings
score: 686,
and
8 people voted
|
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| 83 |
|
Spindle's End
by
3.82 avg rating — 24,619 ratings
score: 681,
and
8 people voted
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| 84 |
|
The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories
by
3.87 avg rating — 21,917 ratings
score: 659,
and
8 people voted
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| 85 |
|
The King Must Die (Theseus, #1)
by
3.97 avg rating — 9,681 ratings
score: 657,
and
7 people voted
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| 86 |
|
Tapping the Dream Tree (Newford, #9)
by
Charles de Lint (Goodreads Author)
4.25 avg rating — 2,483 ratings
score: 641,
and
7 people voted
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| 87 |
|
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
by
Jessica Day George (Goodreads Author)
3.99 avg rating — 22,361 ratings
score: 634,
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7 people voted
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| 88 |
|
Snow White, Blood Red
by
3.72 avg rating — 6,914 ratings
score: 632,
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7 people voted
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| 89 |
|
A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Time Quintet, #3)
by
4.08 avg rating — 109,753 ratings
score: 622,
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7 people voted
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| 90 |
|
The Tower at Stony Wood
by
3.90 avg rating — 2,261 ratings
score: 618,
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7 people voted
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| 91 |
|
Stone of Farewell (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #2)
by
Tad Williams (Goodreads Author)
4.10 avg rating — 50,188 ratings
score: 609,
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7 people voted
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| 92 |
|
The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology
by
4.16 avg rating — 14,592 ratings
score: 602,
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7 people voted
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| 93 |
|
Little Red Riding Hood
by
Julie Mannino (Goodreads Author)
3.29 avg rating — 214 ratings
score: 600,
and
6 people voted
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| 94 |
|
Sword of Shadows (Shadow Series, #2)
by
C.N. Lesley (Goodreads Author)
4.45 avg rating — 84 ratings
score: 597,
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6 people voted
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| 95 |
|
The High King (The Chronicles of Prydain, #5)
by
4.24 avg rating — 55,340 ratings
score: 584,
and
7 people voted
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| 96 |
|
Gilded Lies (Midas #1)
by
Julie Mannino (Goodreads Author)
3.80 avg rating — 71 ratings
score: 582,
and
6 people voted
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| 97 |
|
The Grey King (The Dark is Rising, #4)
by
Susan Cooper (Goodreads Author)
4.16 avg rating — 39,442 ratings
score: 581,
and
7 people voted
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| 98 |
|
The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles (The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles, #1)
by
A.L. Butcher (Goodreads Author)
3.26 avg rating — 111 ratings
score: 577,
and
6 people voted
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| 99 |
|
In the Cities of Coin and Spice (The Orphan's Tales, #2)
by
Catherynne M. Valente (Goodreads Author)
4.39 avg rating — 2,944 ratings
score: 572,
and
6 people voted
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| 99 |
|
Thomas the Rhymer
by
Ellen Kushner (Goodreads Author)
3.88 avg rating — 3,699 ratings
score: 572,
and
7 people voted
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678 books ·
752 voters ·
list created August 24th, 2008
by Rora.
Comments Showing 1-7 of 7 (7 new)
date
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message 1:
by
Nicole
(new)
Jul 03, 2011 05:21PM
This is a very well crafted list. I found a many loved titles on it, and more that I believe I'd enjoy reading.
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I geuss I oughta read Daughter of the Forest, although it looks rather long.
Doubles on this list: Susan Cooper - The Dark Is Rising; and Ursula K. Le Guin - A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, #1)
Some great books included on this list! However, I need to point out the omission of Robert Holdstock's work. Particularly the Mythago wood books and the Merlin codex. One could also argue for the inclusion of Tim Power's 'Anubis Gates' and 'Drawing of the Dark'.
The Mists of Avalon is listed twice (#3 and #166). Is there a way to combine those entries?
Vicki wrote: "The Mists of Avalon is listed twice (#3 and #166). Is there a way to combine those entries?"I checked for duplicates (and the system found 5).
Regarding The Mists of Avalon, I haven't read the book myself but there is a librarian note saying:
librarian note for this author
(last edited by Cait at Jan 29, 2014 07:45PM)
Please use caution when combining Avalon books; there are two standard numberings plus two different splits on the Mists of Avalon novel
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