Universe

Books like The Obscure World: 9 series to read next

The Obscure World is fantasy, set in our world and contemporary. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

The Obscure World is 56 books across 11 series, 2017–2025.

“There is a world tucked just behind this one — the Obscure, where witches brew in back rooms, shifters run the night shift, vampires keep polite hours, and the fae never quite tell you the whole truth.”
from the catalogue description

The The Obscure World page →Narrow this list →

Discworld
Narnia
Five Children Universe
Enchanted Forest
Tales of the Frog Princess
Chrestomanci
Tolkien's legendarium
Magic Shop
Earthsea

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 →

Five Children UniverseSeries

seriesE. Nesbit, Helen Cresswell & Kate Saunders27 books1902

Set in early 20th century and british isles.

“Neither book is by Nesbit herself, and the two have no direct connection to each other beyond both drawing on her creation.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Return of the Psammead →

Enchanted ForestSeries

seriesPatricia C. Wrede7 books1985

About dragons.

“Patricia Collins Wrede is an American author of fantasy literature.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Dealing with Dragons →

Tales of the Frog PrincessSeries

seriesE. D. Baker9 books2002

Fairy tale retelling.

Start with The Frog Princess →

ChrestomanciSeries

seriesDiana Wynne Jones12 books1977

Set in parallel universe and british isles.

“Greenwillow Books published a US edition within the calendar year.”
from the catalogue description of Charmed Life
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Charmed Life →

Tolkien's legendariumUniverse

universe163 books1923

Fantasy, set in secondary world.

“Before the seas were bent and the mountains raised, there was Music — and from that Music came Arda, and in the west of Middle-earth the long defeat and stubborn hope of those who dwell there.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Magic ShopSeries

seriesBruce Coville7 books1982

“Bruce Coville's Magic Shop books each send a different kid into Mr. Elives's strange antique shop, where an ordinary-looking item turns out to carry real magic and consequences.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Monster's Ring →

EarthseaUniverse

universe19 books1964

Epic fantasy, reflective in tone, 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 →

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 The Obscure World?: Discworld — the closest match to The Obscure World on what it is about, not on what sells.
How big is The Obscure World?: The Obscure World is 56 books across 11 series, 2017–2025.

Books like The Obscure World: 9 series to read next

Read next in The Obscure World

Why these

Questions readers ask

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