There exists in the hearts of readers who have walked the streets of Chicago alongside Harry Dresden a peculiar sort of longing—the kind that settles in after the final page turns and one realizes that all the magic, wit, and wonderful danger must, for a time, end. If you find yourself among these devoted souls, searching for tales that capture that same delicious blend of supernatural peril and sardonic humor, then come along, dear reader. We have adventures to discover.
The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne
Beginning with Hounded, this series introduces us to Atticus O’Sullivan, who appears to be a tattooed young proprietor of an occult bookshop in Arizona. Appearances, however, are wonderfully deceiving—for Atticus is two thousand years old, the last of the Druids, and in possession of a magical sword that rather too many gods would like to claim. His Irish wolfhound, Oberon, communicates telepathically and harbors an abiding passion for sausages and French poodles. When Celtic deities come calling with murderous intent, Atticus must rely upon vampire lawyers, werewolf allies, and his considerable wit to survive.
The Alex Verus Series by Benedict Jacka
Fated opens the door to Alex Verus’s London, where a divination mage runs a modest magic shop while desperately avoiding the politics of Light and Dark councils. Alex cannot throw fireballs or summon storms—he simply sees the future, which proves rather more useful than one might expect. His dark past with a cruel master haunts him still, and trouble finds him with remarkable regularity. Jacka even tips his hat to a certain Chicago wizard in the opening pages, acknowledging the kinship between these tales of magical men who simply wish to be left alone.
The Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs
Moon Called introduces Mercedes Thompson, a mechanic who happens to transform into a coyote and was raised among werewolves in the Tri-Cities of Washington State. When a frightened young werewolf appears at her garage, Mercy’s quiet life unravels spectacularly. She navigates a world of pack politics, vampire intrigues, and fae mysteries with practical determination and rather less self-pity than her circumstances might warrant. The supernatural world unfolds in layers throughout the series, each revelation more intriguing than the last.
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Young Constable Peter Grant of the Metropolitan Police discovers magic quite by accident when he interviews a ghost at a crime scene. Rivers of London (titled Midnight Riot in America) follows his apprenticeship to the last wizard in England while investigating cases that blend police procedural with the genuinely uncanny. Aaronovitch knows London intimately, and his city breathes with history, humor, and hidden magic. The rivers themselves have goddesses, and they have opinions.
The October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire
October Daye—Toby to her friends—is a changeling, half-human and half-fae, working as a private investigator in San Francisco. Rosemary and Rue finds her returning to the world after fourteen years trapped in the form of a fish (a long and painful story), only to be bound by a dying curse to solve a murder. McGuire’s faerie courts are intricate and dangerous, her mysteries compelling, and Toby herself grows magnificently throughout a series that rewards devoted readers.
The Felix Castor Series by Mike Carey
In Mike Carey’s London, the dead began rising some years back—not violently, but persistently. Felix Castor makes his living as an exorcist, playing his tin whistle to send spirits on their way. The Devil You Know draws him into a museum haunting that proves far more sinister than advertised. Carey writes with extraordinary craft, his prose sharp as a blade and dark as a moonless night. This series offers Dresden’s noir sensibilities rendered in distinctly British tones.
The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison
Rachel Morgan is a witch, a bounty hunter, and perpetually in over her head. Dead Witch Walking establishes her partnership with a vampire named Ivy and a foul-mouthed pixie named Jenks as they navigate an alternate Cincinnati where supernatural beings have lived openly since a plague revealed their existence. Harrison balances action, humor, and genuine friendship with considerable skill, creating a world where magic and mayhem dance together delightfully.
The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews
In Magic Bites, we enter an Atlanta where magic and technology wage war, rising and falling in unpredictable waves. When magic surges, cars fail and spells ignite; when it ebbs, technology reigns and enchantments fade. Kate Daniels, a mercenary with a sharp sword and sharper tongue, investigates her guardian’s murder through territories claimed by shapeshifters and necromancers alike. The writing partnership of Ilona Andrews crafts action sequences that sing and a heroine who takes absolutely no nonsense.
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
James Stark spent eleven years in Hell—literally, as a gladiator in the arena of the damned. Sandman Slim chronicles his return to Los Angeles, armed with infernal weapons and an impressive talent for violence, seeking revenge on the magicians who sent him below. This is darker fare than Dresden, grittier and bloodier, but crackling with wit and imagination. Kadrey writes Los Angeles as a character unto itself, shadowy and magnificent.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Richard Mayhew’s life changes utterly when he stops to help a wounded young woman on a London street. Neverwhere draws him into London Below, a shadow city of forgotten people and impossible places, where an Earl holds court in a tube station and assassins named Croup and Vandemar pursue their prey with terrifying courtesy. Gaiman’s imagination transforms the familiar into the fantastical, and readers shall never view the Underground quite the same way again.
The Twenty Palaces Series by Harry Connolly
Ray Lilly serves the Twenty Palace Society as a “wooden man”—expendable, distrusted, and bound to a sorceress who would kill him if given sufficient reason. Child of Fire sends them to a small town where children are vanishing in flames and something ancient hungers for more. Connolly writes dark urban fantasy without romance or easy victories, and Jim Butcher himself has recommended this criminally underappreciated series. Ray is a working-class hero in a world of terrible magic.
The Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams
Bobby Dollar advocates for souls—arguing their cases before celestial judges when mortals die. The Dirty Streets of Heaven upends his existence when a soul goes missing entirely, and both Heaven and Hell want answers. Williams brings his considerable talents to urban fantasy, crafting a world where angels drink in dive bars and demons prove uncomfortably attractive. The mystery drives forward with noir intensity while theological questions lurk beneath the surface.
Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older
Carlos Delacruz exists between life and death, an agent of the New York Council of the Dead who remembers nothing of his former existence. Half-Resurrection Blues plunges him into a mystery involving other beings like himself—inbetweeners who should not exist. Older writes with rhythm and poetry, infusing his Brooklyn with Puerto Rican culture and supernatural intrigue. This series pulses with music, passion, and wonderfully original worldbuilding.
Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines
Isaac Vainio possesses a gift that book lovers shall envy tremendously: he can reach into any sufficiently beloved book and pull objects from its pages. Libriomancer sends this member of a secret order founded by Johannes Gutenberg himself into conflict with vampires emerging from various fictional sources. Hines crafts a love letter to reading itself, stuffed with references that delight and a magic system that enchants. His fire-spider companion eats candy and warms hearts.
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
Agent Fatma el-Sha’arawi investigates magical crimes in an alternate Cairo of 1912, where djinn walk openly and the supernatural has transformed society. A Master of Djinn presents a murder mystery wrapped in gorgeous worldbuilding, drawing from Arabian mythology with respect and imagination. Clark’s prose shimmers, his world intoxicates, and Fatma herself proves a worthy inheritor of the investigator’s mantle. This offers something genuinely fresh within the genre.
Your Next Adventure Awaits
Each of these tales captures some essence of what makes Jim Butcher’s work so beloved—whether the wisecracking detective navigating supernatural dangers, the intricate magic systems, or the fundamental decency of heroes who refuse to surrender. The shelves overflow with magic for those who know where to look.
Choose your next companion wisely, dear reader. The night grows dark, and adventures await those brave enough to turn the page.
