Books like Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, according to Reddit

The read-alike list

Ranked by co-mention strength — how often each book shares a thread with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, normalized so ubiquitous books don't dominate.

#1

Piranesi

Susanna Clarke

A man alone in an endless house of statues and tides slowly realizes he isn't who the House says he is.

77 shared threads · praised

#2

The Fifth Season

N. K. Jemisin

A woman searches a dying continent for the daughter her husband stole, while the world ends again on schedule.

57 shared threads · praised

#3

The Lord of the Rings

J. R. R. Tolkien

A gardener, a burglar's heir, and seven others walk a piece of jewelry to a volcano because destroying it is the only way to stop a war.

45 shared threads · mixed

#4

A Wizard of Earthsea

Ursula K. Le Guin

A prideful young mage summons a nameless shadow to prove his power, then spends years learning to face it instead of running.

39 shared threads · mixed

#5

Assassin's Apprentice

Robin Hobb

A bastard prince trained as an assassin narrates sixteen books of loss, loyalty, and one very long grudge against fate.

19 shared threads · praised

#6

The Night Circus

Erin Morgenstern

Two magicians raised as weapons fall in love inside a black-and-white circus that only opens at night — and neither controls the story anymore.

9 shared threads · mixed

#7

Mexican Gothic

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A socialite travels to a decaying Mexican estate to check on her cousin and finds a house that will not let anyone leave.

9 shared threads · praised

#8

Dune

Frank Herbert

A duke's son survives his family's betrayal on a desert planet and becomes the prophet who leads its people to war.

73 shared threads · mixed

#9

The Hobbit

J. R. R. Tolkien

A burglar with no interest in adventure gets talked into robbing a dragon by a wizard who never quite explains the plan.

20 shared threads · mixed

#10

Gardens of the Moon

Steven Erikson

An empire quietly marks its own soldiers for death, and the gods are already choosing sides before the Bridgeburners find out.

31 shared threads · mixed

#11

American Gods

Neil Gaiman

An ex-con drifter is hired as bodyguard to a con man who turns out to be a forgotten god recruiting for a war.

18 shared threads · mixed

#12

Uprooted

Naomi Novik

A village girl handed over to a reclusive wizard as tribute turns out to be the only one who can fight the corrupted Wood eating her valley.

10 shared threads · praised

The overlap, in numbers

Where each pairing actually shows up. Click through for the full Reddit verdict on each book.

1. #1 Piranesi by Susanna Clarke — 77 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
2. #2 The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin — 57 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
3. #3 The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien — 45 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
4. #4 A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin — 39 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
5. #5 Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb — 19 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
6. #6 The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern — 9 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
7. #7 Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia — 9 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
8. #8 Dune by Frank Herbert — 73 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
9. #9 The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien — 20 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
10. #10 Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson — 31 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
11. #11 American Gods by Neil Gaiman — 18 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF
12. #12 Uprooted by Naomi Novik — 10 shared threads , mostly in r/printSF