So you have wandered through every shadowy corner of Camden Town with Alex Verus, witnessed his divination magic pierce through countless futures, and now find yourself bereft—the final page turned, the series complete. We know this ache rather well, for there exists a special brand of loneliness when one finishes a truly magnificent series.
Fear not, dear reader. We have traversed the vast libraries of urban fantasy to bring you tales equally bewitching—stories of hidden magical worlds, sardonic heroes, and cities that pulse with supernatural secrets.
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
No discussion of Alex Verus read-alikes would be complete without first acknowledging the series that Benedict Jacka himself has cited as inspiration. Harry Dresden operates as Chicago’s only professional wizard, advertising his services boldly in the phone book whilst battling everything from vampires to fallen angels.
Jim Butcher created a character so thoroughly entertaining that even he endorsed Alex Verus with the delightful observation that “Harry Dresden would like Alex Verus tremendously—and be a little nervous around him.” The series combines hard-boiled detective sensibilities with explosive magical combat, all filtered through Harry’s wonderfully self-deprecating narration.
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
If the specifically British flavour of Alex Verus captured your heart, then Peter Grant shall become your new favourite companion. This young London police constable stumbles into the supernatural when he encounters a ghost witness at a crime scene, subsequently becoming apprenticed to the last wizard in the Metropolitan Police.
The series has been praised as “the perfect blend of CSI and Harry Potter,” yet this description rather undersells its wit. Aaronovitch writes with such intimate knowledge of London’s geography and culture that the city itself becomes a character—much as Benedict Jacka accomplished with Camden Town.
The Felix Castor Series by Mike Carey
For those who relished the darker edges of Alex’s world, Felix Castor offers noir at its most deliciously grim. Castor works as a freelance exorcist in a London where the dead began rising around the millennium—not as shambling horrors, but as ghosts, demons, and various troublesome spirits requiring professional removal.
Mike Carey crafts prose that Richard Morgan once called “Shoestring meets Constantine,” and we find ourselves quite unable to improve upon that assessment. The moral greyness here runs deeper than in most urban fantasy, with Castor himself serving as an imperfect hero navigating genuinely disturbing supernatural territory.
The Nightside Series by Simon R. Green
John Taylor investigates cases in the Nightside—a secret heart of London where it remains perpetually three in the morning, where monsters walk freely, and where anything can be purchased for the right price. His singular gift allows him to find lost things, though what he discovers often wishes to remain hidden.
Jim Butcher himself praised this series, noting that “Simon Green’s Nightside is a macabre and thoroughly entertaining world.” The imagination on display here borders on the reckless, throwing together time travel, ancient gods, and apocalyptic threats with gleeful abandon.
October Daye by Seanan McGuire
Toby Daye operates as a changeling knight and sometime private investigator, navigating San Francisco’s hidden fae courts whilst solving supernatural mysteries. The series masterfully blends detective noir with Celtic fairy lore, creating something Tim Pratt called “one of the most successful blends of mystery and fantasy I’ve ever read.”
Those who appreciated Alex’s complex relationships with the magical community will find similar richness here. Toby exists as an outsider in fae society, looked down upon by purebloods—a status that shapes every interaction and investigation.
Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
Magic has returned to the world in devastating waves, transforming Atlanta into a landscape of crumbling skyscrapers and supernatural factions vying for power. Kate Daniels works as a mercenary, cleaning up magical problems whilst hiding secrets about her own terrifying heritage.
The writing team of Ilona Andrews (a husband-and-wife duo) crafts action sequences with remarkable precision, yet the true magic lies in Kate herself—”the perfect balance of strength, humour, and vulnerability.” The world-building here proves equally impressive, with vampires piloted like puppets by necromancers and werewolf clans operating under complex political structures.
Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne
Atticus O’Sullivan has survived for two thousand years as the world’s last Druid, currently hiding in Arizona whilst running a bookshop near the university campus. His quiet existence shatters when Celtic gods come calling, dragging him into conflicts spanning multiple pantheons.
Kevin Hearne plays magnificently with mythology, incorporating gods from Irish, Norse, Hindu, and countless other traditions into a seamless narrative. Many readers describe the series as “the Dresden Files with a dash of American Gods,” and his Irish wolfhound companion Oberon provides comic relief through telepathic commentary.
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
James Stark spent eleven years in Hell—not metaphorically, but as a literal gladiator in the infernal arena. He escapes to Los Angeles seeking revenge against the magicians who sent him there, armed with abilities no human should possess and an attitude considerably less than angelic.
William Gibson called this “an addictively satisfying, deeply amusing, dirty-ass masterpiece.” We find ourselves in complete agreement. Kadrey writes with punk rock energy, creating an antihero who makes even the darkest urban fantasy protagonists seem rather wholesome by comparison.
The Matthew Swift Series by Kate Griffin
Matthew Swift awakens in London two years after his death, resurrected through mysterious means and sharing his consciousness with entities called the blue electric angels. He must navigate a magical underworld whilst discovering who killed him—and why he has returned.
SFX magazine declared this “Neverwhere for the digital age,” and the comparison to Gaiman’s work proves apt. Griffin reimagines urban magic through a thoroughly modern lens, finding supernatural power in phone lines, graffiti, and the accumulated life force of a great city.
Twenty Palaces by Harry Connolly
Ray Lilly serves the Twenty Palace Society as a “wooden man”—essentially expendable muscle expected to die in service. His employers hunt supernatural predators that slip into our world, creatures so dangerous that entire towns may require elimination to stop them.
Publishers Weekly named Child of Fire to their top 100 books of 2009, and readers describe the series as “deep, intense, and Lovecraftian.” This represents urban fantasy at its darkest, stripped of romance and wit in favour of genuine horror and moral complexity.
Cal Leandros by Rob Thurman
Cal and Niko Leandros survive in New York City—one brother fully human, the other half-Auphe, descended from creatures of pure nightmare. The series follows their desperate efforts to stay alive whilst monsters that share Cal’s blood hunt them relentlessly.
The brotherly relationship here distinguishes the series from typical urban fantasy fare. Thurman creates genuine emotional stakes through their devotion to one another, whilst delivering what reviewers call “brutal werewolves and vampires—real predators” rather than the romanticised versions found elsewhere.
Secret Histories by Simon R. Green
Eddie Drood belongs to the family that secretly protects humanity from supernatural threats—think James Bond with enchanted armour and considerably stranger enemies. When Eddie gets framed for a crime he didn’t commit, he must navigate both mundane spy craft and magical conspiracy.
Green demonstrates his characteristic imagination here, creating a world where ancient families wage secret wars for humanity’s soul. Fans of Alex Verus will appreciate Eddie’s position as someone forced to work within powerful organisations whilst questioning their methods.
InCryptid by Seanan McGuire
The Price family protects cryptids—dragons, sasquatch, gorgons, and countless other beings—from extinction, having broken from an organisation that preferred extermination. Each book features different family members navigating supernatural dangers with scientific curiosity and considerable ammunition.
McGuire balances action with genuine warmth, creating a family readers genuinely wish to join. The worldbuilding proves remarkably thorough, with detailed cryptid biology and cultural practices that reward careful attention.
Finding Your Next Magical Obsession
Each series we have gathered shares something essential with Alex Verus—that particular alchemy of hidden worlds, complicated heroes, and magic woven through modern life. Whether you crave the British settings of Rivers of London and Felix Castor, the mythological scope of Iron Druid, or the pure darkness of Sandman Slim and Twenty Palaces, these books await your discovery.
We suggest beginning with whichever series most closely matches your favourite aspects of Alex Verus. Did you love the London setting? Start with Rivers of London or Felix Castor. The divination and magical politics? The Dresden Files delivers comparable depth. The darker moments? Sandman Slim shall not disappoint.
Happy reading, and may your own gift of foresight guide you to the right book.
