Spooky Fantasy! But Make It Haunting! Although traditional ghost stories are often categorized as “low fantasy” or “magical realism” by genre experts, many readers would prefer their spirits to linger in more captivating locations than the mundane Earth. How about ghosts inhabiting other worlds? That’s a fascinating concept! While not all these fantasy novels are set in imaginary realms, the eerie atmosphere of these books is certain to transport your imagination to different dimensions. Look beyond the veil and dive into the pages of these 10 top fantasy books featuring ghosts and spirits. Leave behind the constraints of life and let your spirit swim freely in the afterlife for a while!
The City of Brass
The City of Brassby S.A. Chakraborty follows Nahri, a scammer who exploits people’s interest in the afterlife. Although she claims her magic and fortune-telling are genuine while wandering the streets of 18th century Cairo, she is aware that she’s merely selling spiritual fake remedies. This changes when a spell she believed to be fake actually brings a real djinn, who reveals that she comes from a lineage of rulers from the legendary City of Brass. After traveling through the desert, Nahri arrives at Daevabad, an ancient city with long-standing spiritual conflicts. The spectral leaders of Daevabad won’t be happy about a new rival trying to take over their territory, but when it comes to claiming her heritage, Nahri is feeling particularly eager – that didn’t come out right.
Harrow The Ninth
The eerie follow-up to the goth lesbian necromancers in space epic that wasGideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir’s Harrow The Ninthcontinues where the first book ended. Composed almost entirely in the second person,Harrow The Ninth centers on the necromancer Harrow and her emotional struggles following the events at the end of the first novel. I won’t reveal any spoilers, but Harrow transitioned from solving murder mysteries in a space mansion with her sapphic rival who became something more to battling ghostly planets with Space Jesus. As a follower of The Emperor Undying, the eternal ruler of the universe, Harrow is tasked with assisting this immortal deity in confronting massive cosmic spirits known as Revelation Beasts. This is a far from conventional ghost story.
His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman takes place in a multiverse filled with various spirits! In a world that is almost similar to our own, where a teenage girl named Lyra Belacqua resides, every human has a shape-shifting spirit companion that represents their soul. When Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon discover a religious secret that a powerful church wants to hide, they travel through the multiverse to seek answers – and perhaps even destroy God. They encounter many types of spirits: angels, night ghasts, souls of the deceased, and soul-sucking Spectres that emerge from the space between universes. The last kind of spirit proves to be particularly challenging, as Lyra and Pantalaimon soon find out.
The Bear and the Nightingale
Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale is The Sixth SenseSet in Medieval Russia – somewhat. From a young age, the peasant girl Vasya has had the ability to see the spiritual world. As she grows older, she catches a glimpse of a spirit who is quite attractive. Although the frost demon Morozko is very handsome, he is also quite cold. However, Morozko’s icy demeanor is nothing compared to his brother Medved’s – a god of death who aims to plunge the world into eternal winter, similar to the White Walkers. Morozko and Vasya must overcome their mutual distrust in order to save both the mortal and spiritual worlds – and perhaps share a kiss along the way.
Under The Whispering Door
Under The Whispering Doorby TJ Klune is the tale of Wallace, who, like Hamlet, left his mortal life a bit sooner than planned. Now trapped in a mystical tea shop with a gentle reaper named Hugo, Wallace is informed that it’s time to cross over into the next realm. Even though he’s deceased, Wallace isn’t quite prepared, and he requests one more week in the world of the living. With seven days remaining, Wallace decides to do exactly what he spent his entire life avoiding:living. Once a cold and driven attorney, Wallace tries to remain as faint as a specter, before surrendering to death completely. If you’re seeking another emotional blow likeHouse in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune’s sequel novel delivers an emotional punch.
The Bone Doll’s Twin
A supernatural tale set in a realm of high fantasy,The Bone Doll’s Twinby Lynn Flewelling is a hidden gem of a chilling classic. Set in a realm where female heirs are eliminated to make royal succession easier, a tormented young woman named Tobin lives in disguise as a boy. Transformed into a male by a witch’s enchantment, Tobin is pursued by the vengeful ghost of her deceased brother, who sacrificed himself so she could carry on with her life. As intricate and dark asPan’s Labyrinth, The Bone Doll’s Twin It is a mix of horror novel, dark fantasy epic, and queer allegory – there’s a lot to interpret regarding Tobin’s gender identity conflicts influenced by magic. At least, that’s how I saw it.
The Ghost Bride
The Ghost Bridewritten by Yangsze Choo is a historical fantasy set in colonial Malaysia, where a family of once-wealthy aristocrats are trying to maintain their luxurious image. To manage their finances, they arrange for their daughter Li Lan to become a ghost bride for the deceased son of the affluent Lim family. A traditional ritual meant to calm a restless spirit, ghost marriages are uncommon – yet could provide Li Lan and her family with the security they desire. Things become increasinglyunstable as newlywed Li Lan starts making nightly trips into the Chinese afterlife. After accidentally entering a ghost city filled with the souls of her late husband, Li Lan comes across vengeful spirits that seek more than just her love.Beetlejuice afterlife bureaucracy meets Spirited Away danger, The Ghost Bridedemonstrates that even in death, a marriage requires effort.
Lockwood & Co
A signature element of eerie young adult fantasy,Lockwood & Co. by Johnathan Stroud is the tale of the people youshouldCall when there’s something unusual in the area. Ghost Busters? No, they’re just a group of inexperienced individuals. Ghost hunter Anthony Lockwood is among the top in his field, even though he himself cannot see spirits. In this different version of London, only children and young adults have the ability to perceive the otherworldly – a gift they typically lose by their twenties. When a skilled teenager named Lucy Carlyle arrives seeking work, Lockwood & Co. are quick to hire her. Her first task? To eliminate the haunting from one of London’s most haunted buildings by spending the night there and avoiding the potentially deadly outcomes. An underappreciated ghost hunting series,The Screaming Staircase Starts off with a loud impact – the “buried alive” type you’d experience from within a coffin.
A Wizard of Earthsea
Although not a conventional ghost story, Ursula K. Le Guin’sA Wizard of Earthseafeatures one of the most deep-seated specters in the realm of fantasy: an individual chased by his inner darkness. When young Ged departs from his island to attend a wizarding academy, he attempts to impress his peers with a prohibited spell, which inevitably and predictably goes wrong. A twisted entity from a supernatural dimension has now entered the world of Earthsea, and Ged is pursued across the vast archipelago that he considers his home. In essence, it’s a metaphor for facing one’s shadow self in a Jungian perspective, as Ged discovers that the most powerful wizards are not those who can perform the most intricate spells, but those who can maintain magical balance with the natural world. Unfortunately, he had to learn this the hard way.
A Stranger in Olondria
Sofia Samatar’s A Stranger In Olondria The tale follows Jevick, the son of a merchant, who travels to the far-off land of Olondria, where reading is considered sacred. While he’s selling his goods and enjoying himself as any responsible businessman would, his business trip takes an unexpected and unprofitable turn when he starts being haunted by the ghost of an illiterate peasant girl. To calm the girl’s restless spirit and free himself, Jevick must write the story of the deceased child. It’s challenging to focus on writing when you’re also caught in a spiritual struggle between two opposing Olondrian cults regarding the afterlife, but Jevick will have to learn to handle it—like any young CEO must. This is the debut novel from a poet,A Stranger In Olandria is a poetic reflection on the contrast between the narratives worth sharing and the tales the audience desires to listen to.
