Recommendations based on The Historianby Elizabeth Kostova

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Swan Thieves

    by Elizabeth Kostova
    A renowned psychiatrist unravels the mystery of a patient's obsession with painting swans.

    Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe, devoted to his profession and the painting hobby he loves, has a solitary but ordered life. When renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery ... (Goodreads)

  2. Stardust

    by Neil Gaiman
    A fantastical journey of discovery, romance and adventure in a magical world.

    On the outskirts of Wall, a small town in rural England, the Faerie Market is held every nine years on the other side of the wall dividing Faerie — a mystical realm of magic — from our world and for ... (Wikipedia)

  3. People of the Book

    by Geraldine Brooks
    A journey through time as an ancient book is discovered and its secrets revealed.

    The "complex and moving" ( The New Yorker ) novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks follows a rare manuscript through centuries of exile and war. Inspired by a true story, "People of the ... (Goodreads)

  4. A Discovery of Witches

    by Deborah Harkness
    An enchanted journey of forbidden love, as a witch and a vampire search for an ancient magical book.

    Book one of the, New York Times,-bestselling All Souls trilogy—"a wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of, Harry Potter, and, Twilight,” (,People,). Look for the hit TV series ... (Barnes & Noble)

  5. The Angel's Game

    by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
    A writer's journey through a supernatural world of secrets and lies.

    The Angel's Game is set in Barcelona in the 1920s and 1930s and follows a young writer, David Martin. In a once-abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, Martín makes his living by writing ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Kushiel's Dart

    by Jacqueline Carey
    A story of political intrigue, adventure, and forbidden love, set in a world of gods and mortals.

    The book follows Phèdre nó Delaunay's life from birth. She's born with a mote in her eye, which makes her appear inappropriate for service as a religious courtesan, but it is revealed that this is ... (Wikipedia)

  7. East of Eden

    by John Steinbeck
    Exploration of the timeless struggle between good and evil, set against a backdrop of a family saga.

    In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden “the first book,” and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas ... (Goodreads)

  8. Dragonfly in Amber

    by Diana Gabaldon
    Romantic adventure through history as two time travelers fight to change their destiny.

    Claire Randall has returned to her own time, where she has been living for 20 years with her husband Frank. Following his death, she brings her daughter, Brianna, to the home of the Randalls' old ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Inkheart

    by Cornelia Funke
    A young girl's journey to uncover the secrets of a magical book, and the power of books to shape our lives.

    12-year-old Meggie sees a stranger staring at her outside her window and tells her father, Mortimer (or Mo, as Meggie calls him) about it. Her father invites the stranger in, who introduces himself ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Smilla's Sense of Snow

    by Peter Høeg
    An Arctic investigator's journey to uncover the truth behind a child's mysterious death.

    Smilla Qaaviqaaq Jaspersen, 37-year-old product of the stormy union of a female Inuit hunter and a rich urban Danish physician, is a loner who struggles to live with her fractured heritage. Living ... (Wikipedia)

  11. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

    by Robin Sloan
    A young man's exploration of an unusual bookstore, unlocking a world of secrets.

    The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, but after a few days on the job, Clay ... (Goodreads)

  12. The Vampire Lestat

    by Anne Rice
    A vampire's exploration of his immortality and the secrets of the world of the undead.

    Set in the late 18th century to the late 1980s, the story follows the 200-year-long life of the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, and his rise from humble beginnings as impoverished nobility in the ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Duma Key

    by Stephen King
    A man moves to a remote island to recover from a traumatic accident and discovers his artistic talent has a dark power.

    Wealthy Minnesotan building-contractor Edgar Freemantle barely survives a severe work-site accident wherein his truck is crushed by a crane. Freemantle loses his right arm, and suffers severe head ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Soulless

    by Gail Carriger
    A Victorian England-set adventure featuring vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures.

    Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a ... (Goodreads)

  15. Neverwhere

    by Neil Gaiman
    A mysterious journey through a hidden realm of London, filled with danger and unexpected allies.

    Neverwhere is the story of Richard Mayhew and his trials and tribulations in London. At the start of the story, he is a young businessman, recently moved from Scotland and with a normal life ahead. ... (Wikipedia)

  16. The Masque of the Black Tulip

    by Lauren Willig
    A thrilling tale of espionage and romance set in 18th century Europe.

    Modern-day graduate student Eloise achieved the academic coup of the century when she unmasked one of history's greatest spies, the Pink Carnation, who saved England from Napoleon. But now she has a ... (Goodreads)

  17. Die Again

    by Tess Gerritsen
    A homicide detective races to solve a murder and uncover a dark conspiracy hidden within the city.

    The latest enthralling case in Tess Gerritsen's New York Times bestselling Rizzoli & Isles series, the blockbuster books behind the smash hit TNT series. Boston Detective Jane Rizzoli is on the case ... (Goodreads)

  18. The Witching Hour

    by Anne Rice
    A dark and mysterious tale of secret families and supernatural forces.

    From the author of the extraordinary Vampire Chronicles comes a huge, hypnotic novel of witchcraft and the occult through four centuries. Demonstrating, once again, her gift for spellbinding ... (Goodreads)

  19. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

    by Michael Chabon
    Two cousins create a comic book superhero and find success and adventure in 1940s New York.

    The novel begins in 1939 with the arrival of 19-year-old Josef "Joe" Kavalier as a refugee in New York City , where he comes to live with his 17-year-old cousin, Sammy Klayman. With the help of his ... (Wikipedia)

  20. Spinning Silver

    by Naomi Novik
    A young woman turns silver into gold and attracts the attention of a dangerous fae king. She must use her wits to outsmart him and save her kingdom.

    Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father's inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. ... (Goodreads)

  21. London

    by Edward Rutherfurd
    Historical novel tracing the 2000-year history of the English capital.

    Here is Edward Rutherfurd's classic novel of London, a glorious pageant spanning 2,000 years. He brings this vibrant city's long and noble history alive through the ever-shifting fortunes, fates, and ... (Goodreads)

  22. Kushiel's Chosen

    by Jacqueline Carey
    A courtesan embarks on a quest to save her homeland from a powerful, mysterious force.

    Mighty Kushiel, of rod and weal,Late of the brazen portals,With blood-tipp'd dart a wound unhealed,Pricks the eyen of chosen mortals The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and ... (Goodreads)

  23. Blood And Gold

    by Anne Rice
    A vampire's journey of revenge, ambition and desire for redemption.

    The book begins with an ancient vampire of Nordic descent awaking after being frozen in a block of ice for hundreds of years. The vampire, Thorne, meets Marius de Romanus and inquires about Marius' ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

    by John le Carré
    A retired spy is called back into action to uncover a mole in the British Secret Service.

    Control , chief of the Circus, suspects one of the five senior intelligence officers at the Circus to be a long-standing Soviet mole and assigns code names with the intention that should his agent ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Origin

    by Dan Brown
    An exploration of secret societies and history, uncovering dark secrets of the past.

    Edmond Kirsch, a billionaire philanthropist, computer scientist and futurist , as well as a strident atheist , attends a meeting in Catalonia ( Spain ) with Roman Catholic Bishop Antonio Valdespino, ... (Wikipedia)

  26. The Gargoyle

    by Andrew Davidson
    A modern day quest for redemption and love, interlaced with tales of medieval passion and horror.

    The Gargoyle follows two different time lines, one in the form of a story (or ‘memory’), and one in real time. In real time, an unnamed atheist and former hardcore porn star with a troubled childhood ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Uprooted

    by Naomi Novik
    A young woman's battle to save her home from a magical force, while uncovering secrets of her past.

    “Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human ... (Goodreads)

  28. Scientific Progress Goes "Boink"

    by Bill Watterson
    A humorous account of a boy's adventures as he tries to make sense of the world around him.

    In this collection, Calvin and his tiger-striped sidekick Hobbes are hilarious whether the two are simply lounging around philosophizing about the future of mankind or plotting their latest ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Dovekeepers

    by Alice Hoffman
    Four women living in a fort in ancient Israel tell their stories of survival and faith.

    According to the official trailer , Tagline: The trailer featured the tagline, "Their journey. Their passion. It all leads up to this. Take a stand." The adaptation garnered negative reviews: Keith ... (Wikipedia)

  30. The Other Boleyn Girl

    by Philippa Gregory
    A historical fiction recounting the rivalry between two sisters vying for the love of King Henry VIII.

    In 1521 England, Queen Catherine of Aragon's failure to provide King Henry VIII a male heir has strained their marriage. Thomas Boleyn and his brother-in-law Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, plan ... (Wikipedia)