Books like “The Crystal Cave”

What to read after “The Crystal Cave” by Mary Stewart: a list matched by tropes, mood and atmosphere. Under each book you will see what it has in common.

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1
The Once and Future King
T. H. White · 1958
Same genre: “Historical fantasy”
- Medieval Setting
- Wise Mentor
A boy called Wart is educated by the wizard Merlyn, who turns him into animals so he can learn what it is to be human. He grows into Arthur, king of a divided Britain, and tries to build an order that will outlive him.
2
The Mists of Avalon
Marion Zimmer Bradley · 1982
Same genre: “Historical fantasy”
- Medieval Setting
- Prophecy
The Arthurian legend is told through the women around the throne, above all Morgaine, a priestess of Avalon. As Britain turns to a new faith and a new king, she works to keep the old ways alive and watches the cost of a united kingdom.
3
The Dragonbone Chair
Tad Williams · 1988
Similar setting: “Medieval Setting”
Simon is a kitchen boy in the castle of the Hayholt, who dreams of heroes while the old king's health fails. When betrayal strikes, he flees into a country of trolls and swords, and the fate of Osten Ard falls into unlikely hands.
4
The Eye of the World
Robert Jordan · 1990
Similar setting: “Medieval Setting”
Three young men from the village of Emond's Field are driven from home by monsters out of legend. Pursued by servants of the Dark One, they learn that one of them may be the Dragon Reborn, destined to save the world or break it.
5
The Greatest Knight
Elizabeth Chadwick · 2005
Similar setting: “Medieval Setting”
- Medieval Setting
- Coming of Age
William Marshal, a landless younger son, wins renown on the tournament circuit of twelfth-century Europe. Sworn to kings and queens, he serves through rebellion and shifting alliances, and his loyalty is tested as often as his skill at arms.
6
Azincourt
Bernard Cornwell · 2008
Similar setting: “Medieval Setting”
- Medieval Setting
Outlawed archer Nicholas Hook joins Henry V's army as it invades France. Mired in a brutal siege and heavily outnumbered at Azincourt, he and his comrades face a battle that will decide the fate of a kingdom.
7
The Last Kingdom
Bernard Cornwell · 2004
Similar setting: “Medieval Setting”
- Medieval Setting
- Coming of Age
Raised by Vikings after they kill his father, the Saxon boy Uhtred must choose between the people who love him and the kingdom of his birth. As Alfred of Wessex battles the Danes, Uhtred becomes a warrior torn between two worlds.
8
Pawn of Prophecy
David Eddings · 1982
Shared in the plot: prophet, travel, drawn
Garion grows up on a quiet Sendarian farm, unaware of the forces watching him. When a mysterious storyteller and a royal sorceress arrive, he is drawn into a search for a stolen artefact, travelling with a company that hides its true purpose from him. The old prophecy of the Belgariad has begun to move.
9
The Pillars of the Earth
Ken Follett · 1989
Similar setting: “Medieval Setting”
- Medieval Setting
In twelfth-century England a stonemason named Tom Builder dreams of raising a great cathedral. Around its construction gather a cunning prior, a noblewoman and a ruthless lord whose ambitions and feuds shape the lives of an entire town.
10
World Without End
Ken Follett · 2007
Similar setting: “Medieval Setting”
- Medieval Setting
Two centuries after The Pillars of the Earth, four children in Kingsbridge witness a killing that binds their fates together. As plague sweeps the land, they struggle with love, ambition and the harsh rules of their age.
11
The Fellowship of the Ring
J. R. R. Tolkien · 1954
Similar plot moves: “Hidden Heir” and “Wise Mentor”
- Hidden Heir
- Wise Mentor
Frodo inherits a golden ring that is far more than it seems, and learns it is the master ring of the enemy Sauron. With a company of dwarves, elves, men and a hobbit gardener, he sets out to carry it to the only place where it can be destroyed.
12
The Sunne in Splendour
Sharon Kay Penman · 1982
Similar setting: “Medieval Setting”
- Medieval Setting
A retelling of the life of Richard III, from his boyhood in a divided England to his brief reign. Set against the Wars of the Roses, it follows the Yorkist claim to the throne, the loyalties that bind Richard, and the rumour and betrayal that surround his name.