What fantasy books have you enjoyed that are still grounded in reality? I.e they don’t take place in a made up land, the magic is somewhat grounded in logic, etc. Something set in the last 250 years that involves paganism/nature worship is sort of what I’m thinking of, but any suggestions that sort of fit the mold are welcome.
by StinkyAndTheStain
41 Comments
Babel by R.F Kuang is amazing
Iron Druid maybe? Depends on how you think about magic I guess. The magic is firmly grounded and the mc is a Druid hiding out in modern Tempe AZ. Other planes of existence are part of the story later on but a lot of it is on regular Earth.
“Summerland”- Michael Chabon. Seriously, I am not a big baseball person, but the baseball theme with the mystical and fantastical characters just worked for me. It helps that Chabon is my favorite author.
{{A Discovery of Witches}}!
I loved the first two books (saving the third for later).
It’s basically about a witch and a vampire, but grounded in reality (both historical and present-day) and it hints at a scientific reasoning for the existence of magical creatures. The protagonist is a witch with a Phd who actually secretly explores that question. The academic setting is very strong in this one.
Here are some I will never stop recommending:
The Radiant Emperor duology by Shelley Parker-Chan
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Newford books by Charles De Lint. Try a short story collection like Tapping the Dream Tree or Dreams Underfoot
The Once and Future Witches maybe, also really enjoyed The Bear and the Nightingale which is based on Russian folklore
I just finished reading *Neverwhere,* which is great and set in modern day London.
I think The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden might fit here.
*Zoo City* by Lauren Beukes – takes place in modern(ish) Johannesburg. Fantasy premise is that basically every “bad person” winds up with an animal that grants them magic powers. Strange setup, but the book is otherwise a kind of realistic gritty detective mystery story. Very cool book.
*Fevre Dream* by GRR Martin – vampires in 1800s riverboat America. Maybe the best vampire book I’ve ever read.
I could also add plenty of China Mieville – *Perdido Street Station* and *Kraken* are both amazing books – the latter fits the bill more than the former, but Perdido is still written very naturalistically.
PS You’re looking, at least in part, for “urban fantasy”
Anarchie Deco is perfect for that but it only exists in German. But basically it takes place in the 1920s in Berlin and the main character is a physics PhD student who is researching the newly discovered magic. And then magic related crimes happen and she is recruited by the police to help solve them.
Ninth House and Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo. This is exactly the kind of fantasy I like too!
The Harry Dresden series
I just read Victory City by Salman Rushdie and loved this aspect of the book!
Most Matt Haig ‘Humans’ is my favorite.
The Bedlam Stacks, by Natasha Pulley!
You might enjoy the Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman. Also, Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman is a delight.
I don’t have specific book suggestions for you, but if you focus some searches around “low fantasy” and “magical realism” you’ll probably be on the right track.
Reminder, “low” fantasy is not a pejorative, it’s simply a genre subset that occurs in an otherwise ordinary world!
You’re likely looking for magical realism, and possibly urban fantasy.
The rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. The audio books are amazingly well narrated, too.
The Jinny At Finmory books by Patricia Leitch. Mostly they’re just normal real world stuff but two of the books in the series, Night of the Red Horse and Chestnut Gold, the protagonist is contacted by Old Ones and asked to do tasks for the supernatural world.
Also if you like fantasy books that are a mixture of fantasy and real world, you might want to check out the works of Peter S Beagle.
Otherland by Tad Williams. It’s a big fat series, but I love it.
While not set in the last 250 years I would recommend “A Gathering of Ravens” by Scott Oden. It’s set in medieval Europe and features elements of Norse mythology. The book genre can best described as fantasy/historical fiction.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children!
The Matthew Corbett series by Robert McCammon is great.
Also, Boy’s Life is the greatest novel I’ve ever read. And extremely grounded.
The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik. It’s a bit YA, but still really good!
{{A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik}}
I’d have to say that when I “discovered” Joe Abercrombie, my love of more realistic (I guess) style started to grow. I have read all of his books, and some are amazing stories in a fully realized world with interestingly flawed characters.
Graphic violence and he’s added graphic sex a few times. So, “if you’re easily offended yada yada yada”
Another vote for The Dresden Files
I recently read Louis Sacher’s Holes. It’s about a boy whose family is cursed by a fortune teller because a descendent accidentally broke a promise to her and stole her pig. It’s set in reality and quite comedic.
There’s also Toni Morrison’s Beloved if it counts, as it does features a ghost who eventually reincarnates. I like it better than Holes, but the psychological aspect does distort the narrative’s realism, even if it does help make for a riveting, poignant novel about the trauma of slavery.
Older, and a bit YA, but The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper have a similar feel to Jonathan Strange for me. Very British, full of folklore and a sense of magic in the landscape and throughout history. The second and third books in particular are super atmospheric.
Basically a lot of Neil gaiman
Fav is Ocean at the End of the Lane
Jade City by Fonda Lee reads like a crime drama.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley. If vampire/slayer fics are your jam, then definitely read this one. Fantastic world building.
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Oxford history department students who, slightly in the future, now have time travel with which to study history. I thought it was quite funny in places.
There’s a story in the same genre, Fire Watch, and other books that aren’t at all funny, like The Doomsday Book about the era of the Black Plague.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull is exactly what you’re looking for. Set in Minneapolis during the 1980’s, it’s very detailed about life in the city, the local art scene, fashion, etc. But all this collides with the Fae, very well-researched supernatural creatures who are planning a supernatural war for the soul of the city. 10/10.
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Any books by Ilona Andrews
“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V.E. Schwab has a charm to it that is reminiscent of “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell”.
Someone else mentioned Magical Realism and I think that was a good shout. “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon would be a good intro to the genre. “Like Water for Chocolate” by Laura Esquivel is another good option if you’re looking to explore Magical Realism further.
The Night Watch series of books by Sergei Lukyanenko are exactly what your post describes. They are set in modern day Moscow.
Kushiel’s Dart, Jacqueline Carey. I’ve recommended it multiple times on this sub because it’s eally such a wonderful, well-written story.