RECOMMENDED AND SIMILAR BOOKS
A Practical Guide to Sorcery
Similar Features:
1. Misunderstandings, Accidental Success, Weak Character believed to be Strong
2. Hard Magic System, Magic System Analysis, Magical School and Classes
3. Realistic Power Progression, non-OP Characters
4. Rational-Aspiring Characters, Everyone is a Realistically Unreliable Narrator
5. Worldbuilding
Title: Ciaphas Cain Series
Author: Sandy Mitchell
Book Genre and Premise: Set in the world of Warhammer 40k, Ciaphas Cain is a commissar of the Imperium, and eventually hailed as one of its greatest heroes.
Similar Features: Misunderstandings, Accidental Success, Weak Character believed to be Strong
Similarity Level: Medium
Reason for Recommendation: Cain is, by his own account quite average, and tries his best to avoid engaging in actual combat. Ironically, his unlikely successes have him named “Hero of the Imperium” and put in even more dangerous situations. While slightly different in flavor as Cain is more aware of the social aspects of being heroic and will purposefully laud himself, it bears distinct similarities to some of the Raven Queen’s own undeserved mythos.
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis
Read on Amazon: Ciaphus Cain
Title: Just a Bystander
Author: Aefraga
Book Genre and Premise: Budding arcanist Caden enrolls in the Academy, entering the same cohort as the legendary Chosen ones.
Similar Features: Hard Magic System, Magic System Analysis, Magical School and Classes
Similarity Level: Medium
Reason for Recommendation: Set at a magical school, there is a focus on exploring how the magic, and particularly prophecy, actually works. The main character is a hard worker, talented without being OP.
Recommended By: Azalea Ellis
Read for Free on Royal Road: Just a Bystander
Title: Arrogant Young Master Template A Variation 4
Author: LivingSpoon
Book Genre and Premise: LitRPG; Respectful Xianxia parody. The main character is reincarnated into the body of an Arrogant Young Master, and struggles to balance every move forward against the risk of death by Xianxia trope.
Similar Features: Misunderstandings, Accidental Success, Weak Character believed to be Strong.
Similarity Level: Medium Similarity
Reason for Recommendation: This is LivingSpoon’s debut web novel and has a strong start with excellent writing. It is unfinished, but worth the read.
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis
Read for free on Royal Road: Arrogant Young Master Template A Variation 4
Title: Mother of Learning
Author: Domagoj Kumaic
Book Genre and Premise: Mother of Learning is an online cult classic: a power progression fantasy with flavors of LitRPG and murder-mystery. Zorian is a skilled student at Cyoria’s magical academy, and finds himself stuck in a time loop after being murdered. His only option to escape is by using his extra time to learn, improve his skills, and unravel the mystery.
Similar Features: Realistic Power Progression, non-OP Characters, Hard Magic System, Magic System Analysis, Magical School and Classes
Similarity Level: Medium-High Similarity
Reason for Recommendation: Mother of Learning is one of the most interesting takes on the “time loop” trope that you’ll have the chance to read. Instead of being repetitive, it’s fascinating at every turn.
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis
Read at Amazon: Mother of Learning
Title: A Young Woman’s Political Record
Author: Jacobk
Book Genre and Premise: “With the war over and her military career in shambles, Tanya von Degurechaff has to forge a new path for herself. Fortunately, she finds an opportunity to get involved in the political scene. A safe, easy job has never been closer at hand. What could possibly go wrong?”
Similar Features: Misunderstandings, Accidental Success, Weak Character believed to be Strong.
Similarity Level: Medium Similarity
Reason for Recommendation: Tanya does her best not to be elected, and then to get herself deposed, but everything just leads to the people loving her more. Similar obliviousness levels to Siobhan, along with much accidental success and semi-worship.
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis
Read for free on Spacebattles.com: A Young Woman’s Political Record (Youjo Senki Fanfiction)
Title: Paranoid Mage
Author: Inadvisably Compelled
Book Genre and Premise: Urban fantasy and magical realism collide as Callum, a middle-aged man is forced to pull his head out of the sand and acknowledge that the supernatural exists and he is, indeed, a mage.
Similar Features: Rational-Aspiring Characters, Everyone is a Realistically Unreliable Narrator, Hard Magic System, Magic System Analysis,
Similarity Level: Low Similarity
Reason for Recommendation: Callum is a man who is set in his ways and has no interest in magic, but when the powers that be discover that he is a mage, they attempt to force him to bend to their rules: and Callum wants nothing to do with it. Well-developed world building, a solid plot, and a main character whose life goes to hell without plans.
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis
Read for free on Royal Road: The Paranoid Mage
Own your own copy on Amazon: The Paranoid Mage
Title: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
Author: Eliezer S. Yudkowsky, or LessWrong
Book Genre and Premise: Harry Potter fanfiction set in an alternate universe where Petunia married a biochemist, and Harry grew up reading science and science fiction. Then came the Hogwarts letter, and a world of intriguing new possibilities to exploit.
Similar Features: Rational-Aspiring Characters, Magic System Analysis
Similarity Level: Medium Similarity
Reason for Recommendation: This story is what got me interested in Rationality (in my books, Thaddeus calls it the Way) in the first place. They mix science with magic, and I think many people who enjoy my story would like this one. Give it a try, even if you have never read fanfiction before!
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis
Read for free on FanFiction.net: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
Title: Song of the Lioness
Author: Tamora Pierce
Book Genre and Premise: These fantasy books are set in a world of magic and wars between powerful kingdoms that are influenced by the gods themselves. They star Alanna, a girl who must disguise herself as a boy to pursue her dreams of knighthood and adventure, and turns into an accidental hero along the way.
Similar Features: Girl Disguised as Guy
Similarity Level: Low similarity.
Reason for Recommendation: These were my first introduction to the trope and I loved them. Pierce’s Circle of Magic Universe books are recommended for a different but more thoroughly explored magic system. And even more recommended, her Protector of the Small quartet. Pierce’s works are widely available at local libraries in the USA.
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis
Read the first book on Amazon: Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness
Title: Bloody Jack
Author: L.A. Meyer
Book Genre and Premise: “Life as a ship’s boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas. There’s only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret. This could be the adventure of her life–if only she doesn’t get caught. . . .”
Similar Features: Girl Disguised as Guy
Similarity Level: Low similarity
Reason for Recommendation: This series goes off the rails in later books, but the first one, and maybe a few after that, remain favorites.
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis
Link: Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer.
Title: Worth the Candle
Author: Alexander Wales
Book Genre and Premise: This LitRPG tale is the story of a Dungeon Master stuck in a world seemingly of his own creation. As Juniper tries to survive long enough to unravel the mystery of the world he’s stuck in, echoes of his own plots and ideas ripple through his surroundings.
Similar Features: Worldbuilding, Rational-Aspiring Characters, Everyone is a Realistically Unreliable Narrator, Hard Magic System, Magic System Analysis
Similarity Level: Medium Similarity
Reason for Recommendation: I love these ones. It might seem like a bog-standard LitRPG to start, but it is very much not. Very thoughtful characters, and an expansive, detailed magic system set within a fascinating world. The worldbuilding here has some similar feel to PGTS, with the references to history and other cultures.
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis
Read at Amazon: Worth the Candle by Alexander Wales
Title: Dark Skies
Author: Tigersight
Book Genre and Premise: An action-packed fantasy epic from the perspective of a broken war machine that lost its purpose for existence before the battle even began. After losing all of its meaning in life, the weapon must find a reason to survive, and might just have a chance at choosing its own fate.
“How should a broken weapon that knows nothing and can do nothing, live in a world of humans?”
Similar Features: Hard Magic System, Magic System Analysis, Exceptional Worldbuilding, Medieval Urban Fantasy
Similarity Level: Medium
Reason for Recommendation: “It’s a psychological story about deep trauma, urban fantasy in medival-esque setting, mildly dystopian society with a scientific method to learning magic.
Recommended by: 665
Read for free on Royal Road: Dark Skies by Tigersight
Title: Rigel Black Chronicles: The Pureblood Pretense
Author: murkybluematter
Book Genre and Premise: In this HP Fanfic, “Harriet Potter dreams of going to Hogwarts, but in an alternate universe where the school only accepts purebloods, the only way to reach her goal is to switch places with her pureblood cousin—the only problem? Her cousin is a boy. Alanna the Lioness meets HP.”
Similar Features: Magical School and Classes, Realistic Power Progression, Rational-Aspiring Characters, Girl Disguised as a Guy, Apprentice to Snarky Professor
Similarity Level: Medium-High
Reason for Recommendation: This series is often recommended by fans who have read both series because it bears some similarities to PGTS, despite being a fanfiction. In an alternate Harry Potter universe where Voldemort is in charge, it stars a magically gender-bending main character who is passionately driven to learn potions, but must disguise herself as a pureblooded boy to learn from Professor Snape at Hogwarts. The premise is based partially on Harry Potter, and partially on the story of Alanna the Lioness by Tamora Pierce, who is recommended above. Don’t skip this story because it’s a fanfic – if you enjoy magical worlds and workaholic protagonists with cranky mentors and accidental friendships with nobles, you’ll enjoy it!
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis, Dajoro, Red_Moon, Stef
Read for free on Fanfiction.net: The Pureblood Pretense
Title: Liches Get Stitches
Author: HJ Tolson
Book Genre and Premise: An absurdly entertaining fantasy meets horror novel with a splash of cozy mystery.
“Evil stirs in the forest of Downing, spreading blight across the ancient boughs. Busy with troubles of her own, Maud the village witch just wants to be left alone. Peace and quiet should be easy enough when you’re dead, right?
Wrong.
Reborn as a powerful lich, Maud is suddenly faced with the attentions of all the righteous heroes, holy clerics, and nosy neighbours of the realm. Now instead of whiling away the days in her garden with her cat and her knitting, Maud must figure out how much force is required to crush a man’s spine, the proper storage solution to keep a spoiling cadaver, and how best to display the remains of the fallen for maximum scare.”
Similar Features: Cozy Mystery, Absurdities, Magic, Worldbuilding
Similarity Level: Medium-Low
Reason for Recommendation: Four words: head bouquets & revenant geese.
Recommended by: Lya & Azalea Ellis
Read on Amazon: Liches Get Stitches
Title: The Kingkiller Chronicles: The Name of the Wind
Author: Patrick Rothfuss
Book Genre and Premise: This fantasy series is the story of an unusually gifted young man searching for meaning whose indomitable will allows him to grow into the most notorious wizard that his world has ever seen. Kvothe starts from nothing and risks everything to enter a legendary school of magic, and eventually ends up a fugitive, desperate to survive, after the murder of a king.
Similar Features: Hard Magic System, Magic System Analysis, Magical School and Classes, Expansive Worldbuilding
Similarity Level: Medium-High
Reason for Recommendation: Reason for Recommendation: “The similarities and inspiration from Rothfuss’ “The Name of the Wind” are pretty clear. Just pointing it out in case there’s some outlier around who hasn’t got yet to read this seminal book yet. Caveat: it’s part one of an infamously unfinished trilogy.”
Recommended by: JKlarinet & Cuthio
Read on Amazon: The Name of the Wind
Title: All Night Laundry
Author: Zachary Hall
Book Genre and Premise: “An interactive horror webcomic about time travel, dreams, and the problems with identifying monsters. It follows the story of Bina Miryala, a journalism student at McGill University in Montreal. One night in June she went to a laundromat and rather than cleaning the clothes she needed for class the following morning, she landed right in the middle of a supernatural mystery.”
Similar Features: Everyone is a Realistically Unreliable Narrator, as well as an analogue to “magic system analysis” in its own version of the setting.
Similarity Level: Medium-Low
Reason for Recommendation: The feel of this webcomic informed how I write some of the spooky stuff in PGTS.
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis
Read for free at All Night Laundry
Title: Lord of the Mysteries
Author: Cuttlefish That Loves Diving
Book Genre and Premise: “This fantasy novel stars Zhou Mingrui, who wakes up to find himself reincarnated as Klein Moretti in an alternate Victorian era universe filled with machinery, cannons, dreadnoughts, airships, and magic…
The Light continues to shine but mystery has never gone far. Follow Klein as he finds himself entangled with the Churches of the World—both orthodox and unorthodox—while he slowly develops newfound powers thanks to the Beyonder potions.”
Similar Features: Misunderstandings, Weak Character Believed to be Strong, Magic System Analysis, Everyone is a Realistically Unreliable Narrator, Excellent Worldbuilding
Similarity Level: Medium
Reason for Recommendation: This is often recommended by people who have read my books, and if you can get past what starts out as a very poor translation and never becomes truly amazing, the story is both epic and impactful. Like PGTS, I would guess that the author drew some inspiration from the SCP project.
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis
Read for free on Webnovel: Lord of the Mysteries
Title: Super Supportive
Author: Sleyca
Book Genre and Premise: This is a “progression sci-fi” with a slow burn and a focus and depth to the characters that isn’t often found in this genre. The protagonist, a teen boy named Alden, grows up and finds his place in a universe with Systems, superheroes, and alien wizards. This story flies by in the blink of an eye, and exceeds expectations in characterization, plot arcs, and intensive worldbuilding.
Similar Features: Realistic Power Progression, non-OP Characters, Magic System Analysis, “Magic” School analogue, Worldbuilding.
Similarity Level: Level: Low
Reason for Recommendation: This one is all the rage on RoyalRoad recently, and deservedly so. It made me care about the characters to the point that my heart rate would actually rise as I read, waiting for what was going to happen next.
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis
Read for free on Royal Road: Super Supportive
Title: This Venerable Demon is Grossly Unqualified
Author: Turniper
Book Genre and Premise: A multi-perspective Xiania story detailing the experience of a MC waking up in the body of a feared demonic sect master and no idea how to move forward with his cultivation. “They say the best way to learn something is to teach it. Unfortunately, that’s only true if the penalty for failing the test isn’t death. Fellow elders, disciples, dogs of the orthodoxy, everyone has expectations about who Hu Xin is. And Hu Xin doesn’t have any idea of what those expectations are, let alone how to satisfy them. And so, shielded by audacity and armed with bullshit, this newly venerable and grossly unqualified demon is making this shit up as he goes.”
Similar Features: Weak Character believed to be strong, Misunderstandings
Similarity Level: Medium-Low
Reason for Recommendation: In a similar vein to Arrogant Young Master Template A Variation 4, this story throws someone from our world into the body of a cultivator. He bullshits his way through trying to keep from being found out and murdered by the other members of his demonic sect, and along the way takes on some disciples.
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis
Read for free on Royal Road: This Venerable Demon is Grossly Unqualified
Title: Jackal Among Snakes
Author: Nemorosus
Book Genre: GameLit
Premise: “Argrave, the royal bastard of House Vasquer, went into his magic apprenticeship cruel and awkward, yet left it with a neat dignity and an acerbic wit. But beneath the veneer of self-assurance, the body’s new soul is wrestling with the dread of existence in a reality that once existed only in the pages of fantasy.
In the blink of an eye, a wiki editor’s deep and somewhat unhealthy understanding of a game becomes useful, usable knowledge when he inexplicably replaces the once-cruel royal bastard. Before he can start to push his frail body to use his deep understanding of the lore to handle the imminent apocalypse, or go off to stop an invasion, there’s a more personal task he needs to handle first.
His cousin has a knife in her hand and death in her eyes.”
Similar Features: Worldbuilding, Writing Style
Similarity Level: Medium-Low
Reason for Recommendation: I feel like the writing style is somewhat similar to PGTS (and others have commented the same.) I found that I thoroughly enjoyed the characters without feeling like they’re a caricature, which I’m often wary of in stories with a similar premise. It’s a big, epic world, and a long story. – Azalea
One of the appealing things about game lit has always been that “what if a gamer was in a video game” that acted like “real life” For a awhile now, I’ve thought Jackal Among Snakes (Jackal Among Snakes 4) is one of the best of these. It’s a game lit book that focuses on the book part, and not the game part. Reincarnated as a character (and not even the playable character!) the main character—the literal editor of the fan wiki—has to figure out how to save the game world. Because in this game, the hero could lose. -JKlarinet
Recommended by: Azalea Ellis &JKlarinet
Read on Amazon – free on Kindle Unlimited: Jackal Among Snakes
Title: Questland
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Book Genre and Premise: Science Fiction/Fantasy. “An eccentric billionaire has designed an island theme park where visitors will pay to go on realistic, high-tech adventures that resemble films and games made into synthetic flesh. In essence, well-to-do geeks will be able to live out [their] every fantasy. Dr. Addie Cox becomes enmeshed in a mad scheme to solve a murder and, ultimately, to play for much larger stakes. Meanwhile she must navigate the technological wizardry of the island, an otherworldly place where science and magic has been made wondrously, perilously real.” – NPR Review
Similar Features: Magic System Analysis, Worldbuilding
Similarity Level: Low
Reason for Recommendation: This is a wonderful sci-fi palate cleanser: it’s a book for people who love deep and intricate world building, action and theme parks gone horribly wrong – but it’s packed with humor, witty references and dialogue that keeps it lighter than you’d expect.
Recommended by: Stef
Read on Amazon: Questland
Title: Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch Trilogy)
Author: Anne Leckie
Book Genre and Premise: Sci Fi. “Once, she was the Justice of Toren—a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy. Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.”
Similar Features: Incredible Worldbuilding, Unique Perspectives on Gender
Similarity Level: Low
Reason for Recommendation: This trilogy is quite different from PGTS, but is just as addictive. It features a highly intelligent, endlessly driven protagonist – but instead of being set in a gaslamp fantasy world, it’s set in a future space opera. Instead of Siobhan’s all-consuming thirst for power, Breq will not rest until she’s avenged her crew. But, much like PGTS, your understanding of the mysteries in these worlds evolves as you read, and you can’t put the books down until you’re finished.
Recommended by: Stef
Read on Amazon: Ancillary Justice
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Seeds of Chaos
I would like to expand this page to have dozens of relevant recommendations, partially so I can read them myself!
If you know of a similar story, please help me out and leave it in the comment section using this format, and if it fits I will add it to the relevant section(s):
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