Series

Books like Kai Lung: 9 series to read next

Kai Lung is fantasy, set in east asia, whimsical in register. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

Kai Lung is 62 books, 1900–2019.

The Kai Lung page →Narrow this list →

Discworld
Narnia
Derkholm
Coloured Fairy Books
Howl's Castle
Earthsea
Fantastic (Greenberg Anthologies)
Kyralia series
Assistant to the Villain

DiscworldUniverse

universe84 books1983

Fantasy, funny in tone, set in secondary world.

“Death speaks IN SMALL CAPITALS and rides a horse called Binky.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Guards! Guards! →

NarniaUniverse

universe38 books1950

Portal fantasy.

“Once there is a wardrobe at the back of a spare room, and behind the fur coats the wood gives way to snow, and a lamp-post burns alone among the trees.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

DerkholmSeries

seriesDiana Wynne Jones2 books1998

Fantasy, whimsical in tone, about magic schools, set in secondary world.

“Year of the Griffin follows one of Derk's griffin children years later, enrolled at a chronically underfunded wizards' university with a band of misfit students.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Dark Lord of Derkholm →

Coloured Fairy BooksSeries

seriesAndrew Lang & Anatole France13 books1883

Fairy tale retelling.

“Compiled with his wife Leonora Blanche Lang, the series collects nearly 800 stories in all and did much to establish fairy tales as a respected part of children's literature, inspiring many later imitators.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Blue Fairy Book →

Howl's CastleSeries

seriesDiana Wynne Jones3 books1986

Adventurous in tone.

Start with Howl's Moving Castle →

EarthseaUniverse

universe19 books1964

Epic fantasy, about wizards.

“There is a lesson every wizard of Earthsea learns young: to know a thing's true name is to hold its whole being, and to speak it is to move the balance of the world.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Fantastic (Greenberg Anthologies)Series

seriesMartin H. Greenberg, Andre Norton, John Helfers, Kerrie Hughes, Lawrence Schimel, Mike Resnick, Rosalind M. Greenberg, Alexander Potter, A. R. Morlan, Brittiany A. Koren, Daniel M. Hoyt, John DeChancie, Larry Segriff & Russell Davis25 books1989

Fantasy.

Start with Horse Fantastic →

Kyralia seriesUniverse

universe8 books2001

Epic fantasy, about wizards.

“Once a year the magicians of Kyralia sweep the beggars out of the capital, and once a year the beggars throw stones.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Assistant to the VillainSeries

seriesHannah Nicole Maehrer4 books2023

Lighthearted in tone, about enemies to lovers.

“ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Assistant to the Villain →

Why these

No sales rank, no star ratings, no readers also bought.

Shared terms are not a promise that a book feels the same. Two series can be far-future political intrigue and read nothing alike — what the ranking can say is what they are about, and each card says which parts it shares.

Questions readers ask

What should I read after Kai Lung?: Discworld — the closest match to Kai Lung on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with Kai Lung?: The Wallet of Kai Lung. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for Kai Lung.
How big is Kai Lung?: Kai Lung is 62 books, 1900–2019.
Is Kai Lung finished?: Yes — 62 books, 1900–2019.

Books like Kai Lung: 9 series to read next

Read next in Kai Lung

Why these

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