The Fantasy 101 › Books Like

Books Like The Face in the Frost

Bellairs, 1969 · #97 on the Epic Fantasy 101 Booklist · 61/120

Two wizards, the eccentric Prospero and his friend Roger Bacon, investigate a creeping evil that twists reality in their kingdoms.

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

If you liked The Face in the Frost, read:

1. 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, structure, further reading.

2. Low Town

   Polansky, 2011 · #98 on the list · 59/120

   Warden, a disgraced former agent who now deals drugs, hunts the killer of a child in the slums he controls.

   Close on mood, theme, structure, further reading.

3. The Engineer Trilogy

   Parker, 2005 · #82 on the list · 70/120

   Ieuan Vaatzes, an engineer exiled for one small improvement to a design, turns his skill with machines into a weapon of revenge against the city that cast him out.

   Close on mood, creative details, real-world blend, divine influence.

4. The Wounded Kingdom

   Barker, 2017 · #101 on the list · 54/120

   A young assassin in a plague-ridden kingdom learns the cost of her craft. She follows a killer whose secrets are bound to the kingdom's fate.

   Close on theme, structure, further reading, divine influence.

5. 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, structure, further reading, 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.