50 Books like The Long Ships

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

by J.R.R. Tolkien

A home-loving hobbit joins thirteen dwarves to steal back their mountain from a dragon.

4.30

4.5M+

🛡️ Reluctant Hero 🪙 Dragon Hoard 🫂 Found Family 🏡 Cozy Fantasy Energy 🗝️ Unlikely Thief

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again Summary

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again 88%

A home-loving hobbit joins thirteen dwarves to steal back their mountain from a dragon.

by J.R.R. Tolkien 1937

4.30

4.5M+ ratings

🛡️ Reluctant Hero 🪙 Dragon Hoard 🫂 Found Family 🏡 Cozy Fantasy Energy 🗝️ Unlikely Thief

The White Company

by Arthur Conan Doyle • 1891

A sheltered novice joins a legendary company of archers and follows an eccentric knight into war.

3.89

5k+

🛡️ Band Of Brothers 🗺️ Medieval Quest ⚔️ Chivalric Code 🌱 Coming Of Age 🏴‍☠️ Swashbuckling

The White Company 92%

A sheltered novice joins a legendary company of archers and follows an eccentric knight into war.

by Arthur Conan Doyle 1891

3.89

5k+ ratings

🛡️ Band Of Brothers 🗺️ Medieval Quest ⚔️ Chivalric Code 🌱 Coming Of Age 🏴‍☠️ Swashbuckling

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

by Jonas Jonasson • 2009

At a hundred, a man escapes his nursing home and accidentally steals a gangster's fortune.

3.82

306k+

🧳 Picaresque Adventure 😐 Deadpan Humor 🎲 Accidental Adventurer 🫂 Found Family 👴 Elderly Protagonist

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared Summary

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared 91%

At a hundred, a man escapes his nursing home and accidentally steals a gangster's fortune.

by Jonas Jonasson 2009

3.82

306k+ ratings

🧳 Picaresque Adventure 😐 Deadpan Humor 🎲 Accidental Adventurer 🫂 Found Family 👴 Elderly Protagonist

The Cross of Lead

by Avi • 2002

Falsely accused, a boy follows a giant juggler, his lead cross a secret worth a lordship.

3.65

28k+

🏰 Medieval Adventure 👑 Secret Noble Birth 🎪 Mentor Apprentice Bond 🏃 Outlaw On The Run ❤️ Found Family

The Cross of Lead 90%

Falsely accused, a boy follows a giant juggler, his lead cross a secret worth a lordship.

by Avi 2002

3.65

28k+ ratings

🏰 Medieval Adventure 👑 Secret Noble Birth 🎪 Mentor Apprentice Bond 🏃 Outlaw On The Run ❤️ Found Family

How to Be a Pirate

by Cressida Cowell • 2004

A clumsy Viking boy and his tiny dragon chase ancestral treasure into a deadly trap.

4.08

22k+

🪓 Viking Fantasy 🐉 Dragon Training 🐲 Boy And His Dragon 🗺️ Treasure Hunt 👑 Unlikely Heir

How to Be a Pirate 90%

A clumsy Viking boy and his tiny dragon chase ancestral treasure into a deadly trap.

by Cressida Cowell 2004

4.08

22k+ ratings

🪓 Viking Fantasy 🐉 Dragon Training 🐲 Boy And His Dragon 🗺️ Treasure Hunt 👑 Unlikely Heir

The Three Musketeers

by Alexandre Dumas • 1844

A young Gascon's sword earns him three friends, a queen's secret, and a cardinal's undying hatred.

4.10

349k+

🗡️ Swashbuckling 🖤 Found Family 👑 Royal Court Intrigue 💋 Femme Fatale 🎭 Cloak And Dagger

The Three Musketeers 89%

A young Gascon's sword earns him three friends, a queen's secret, and a cardinal's undying hatred.

by Alexandre Dumas 1844

4.10

349k+ ratings

🗡️ Swashbuckling 🖤 Found Family 👑 Royal Court Intrigue 💋 Femme Fatale 🎭 Cloak And Dagger

The Adventures of Robin Hood

by Roger Lancelyn Green • 1956

A nobleman outlawed at his wedding gathers rebels in Sherwood to fight a tyrant prince's rule.

4.07

15k+

🎵 Ballad Retelling 🏹 Outlaw Band 🦊 Trickster Hero 🎭 Disguised Identity 🤝 Loyal Companions

The Adventures of Robin Hood 89%

A nobleman outlawed at his wedding gathers rebels in Sherwood to fight a tyrant prince's rule.

by Roger Lancelyn Green 1956

4.07

15k+ ratings

🎵 Ballad Retelling 🏹 Outlaw Band 🦊 Trickster Hero 🎭 Disguised Identity 🤝 Loyal Companions

Sackett's Land

by Louis L'Amour • 1974

A farmer finds Roman gold, humiliates a nobleman, and flees England for an untamed new world.

4.16

15k+

🗡️ Elizabethan Adventure 🌲 Colonial Frontier 💰 Found Treasure 🤝 Band Of Misfits ⚔️ Noble Vs Commoner

Sackett's Land 89%

A farmer finds Roman gold, humiliates a nobleman, and flees England for an untamed new world.

by Louis L'Amour 1974

4.16

15k+ ratings

🗡️ Elizabethan Adventure 🌲 Colonial Frontier 💰 Found Treasure 🤝 Band Of Misfits ⚔️ Noble Vs Commoner

Pilgrims

by Matthew Kneale • 2020

A dozen pilgrims trek to Rome in 1289, each hiding a sin no shrine can cure.

3.80

911

🚶 Pilgrimage Narrative 🫂 Found Family 🎭 Hidden Identity 🌱 Unlikely Hero ✡️ Jewish Persecution

Pilgrims 89%

A dozen pilgrims trek to Rome in 1289, each hiding a sin no shrine can cure.

by Matthew Kneale 2020

3.80

911 ratings

🚶 Pilgrimage Narrative 🫂 Found Family 🎭 Hidden Identity 🌱 Unlikely Hero ✡️ Jewish Persecution

The Eagle of the Ninth

by Rosemary Sutcliff • 1954

A Roman centurion and freed gladiator search for the lost eagle of the vanished Ninth Legion.

3.94

12k+

🏛️ Roman Britain 🛡️ Quest For Honor 🤝 Cross-Cultural Bond 🏡 Found Family 🧱 Hadrian's Wall

The Eagle of the Ninth 89%

A Roman centurion and freed gladiator search for the lost eagle of the vanished Ninth Legion.

by Rosemary Sutcliff 1954

3.94

12k+ ratings

🏛️ Roman Britain 🛡️ Quest For Honor 🤝 Cross-Cultural Bond 🏡 Found Family 🧱 Hadrian's Wall

The Ruins of Gorlan

by John Flanagan • 2004

Rejected for knighthood, a boy joins the Rangers and faces a mission to stop monstrous assassins.

4.26

177k+

🏰 Low Magic Fantasy 🎯 Mentor Apprentice 🏹 Stealth Archery 🤝 Rivals To Friends 🖤 Found Family

The Ruins of Gorlan 89%

Rejected for knighthood, a boy joins the Rangers and faces a mission to stop monstrous assassins.

by John Flanagan 2004

4.26

177k+ ratings

🏰 Low Magic Fantasy 🎯 Mentor Apprentice 🏹 Stealth Archery 🤝 Rivals To Friends 🖤 Found Family

Tress of the Emerald Sea

by Brandon Sanderson • 2023

An ordinary girl braves an exploding ocean to rescue the boy she loves from a sorceress.

4.31

301k+

🌊 Nautical Fantasy 🫖 Cozy Fantasy 🗡️ Rescue Quest 👒 Ordinary Heroine 🐀 Transformation Curse

Tress of the Emerald Sea 89%

An ordinary girl braves an exploding ocean to rescue the boy she loves from a sorceress.

by Brandon Sanderson 2023

4.31

301k+ ratings

🌊 Nautical Fantasy 🫖 Cozy Fantasy 🗡️ Rescue Quest 👒 Ordinary Heroine 🐀 Transformation Curse

The Bronze Bow

by Elizabeth George Speare • 1961

Orphaned by Rome, a Galilean rebel swears vengeance. A carpenter tells him to forgive instead.

4.02

28k+

📖 Biblical Historical Fiction 🫂 Found Family 🤝 Humanizing The Enemy ⚔️ Avenger Arc 🕊️ Quietly Spiritual

The Bronze Bow 89%

Orphaned by Rome, a Galilean rebel swears vengeance. A carpenter tells him to forgive instead.

by Elizabeth George Speare 1961

4.02

28k+ ratings

📖 Biblical Historical Fiction 🫂 Found Family 🤝 Humanizing The Enemy ⚔️ Avenger Arc 🕊️ Quietly Spiritual

The Door in the Wall

by Marguerite de Angeli • 1949

Crippled and alone in plague-stricken London, a noble boy seeks a hidden path forward.

3.78

21k+

🌱 Coming Of Age 🏰 Medieval England 🦽 Disabled Protagonist 🦸 Unlikely Hero ⛪ Monastic Life

The Door in the Wall 89%

Crippled and alone in plague-stricken London, a noble boy seeks a hidden path forward.

by Marguerite de Angeli 1949

3.78

21k+ ratings

🌱 Coming Of Age 🏰 Medieval England 🦽 Disabled Protagonist 🦸 Unlikely Hero ⛪ Monastic Life

Robin Hood

by Alexandre Dumas • 2001

An orphan archer discovers his noble lineage and leads Sherwood's outlaws against a usurping baron.

3.97

19k+

🏹 Robin Hood Retold 🌿 Noble Outlaw 🎭 Secret Identity 🏰 Medieval England 🌳 Sherwood Forest

Robin Hood 89%

An orphan archer discovers his noble lineage and leads Sherwood's outlaws against a usurping baron.

by Alexandre Dumas 2001

3.97

19k+ ratings

🏹 Robin Hood Retold 🌿 Noble Outlaw 🎭 Secret Identity 🏰 Medieval England 🌳 Sherwood Forest

Master and Commander

by Patrick O'Brian • 1969

A new captain, a misfit crew, one aging sloop: glory or ruin in the Mediterranean.

4.07

64k+

🌊 Age Of Sail ⚔️ Napoleonic Era 🤝 Male Friendship 🚢 Found Family At Sea 💥 Naval Warfare

Master and Commander 89%

A new captain, a misfit crew, one aging sloop: glory or ruin in the Mediterranean.

by Patrick O'Brian 1969

4.07

64k+ ratings

🌊 Age Of Sail ⚔️ Napoleonic Era 🤝 Male Friendship 🚢 Found Family At Sea 💥 Naval Warfare

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson (6-Jul-2006) Paperback

by Per Petterson • 2003

He fled to the Norwegian woods to forget. A neighbor's face pulled him back to 1948.

3.81

38k+

🏔️ Norwegian Fiction 🕰️ Dual Timeline 👨‍👦 Absent Father 👦 Boyhood Friendship 🤫 Trauma And Silence

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson (6-Jul-2006) Paperback Summary

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson (6-Jul-2006) Paperback 89%

He fled to the Norwegian woods to forget. A neighbor's face pulled him back to 1948.

by Per Petterson 2003

3.81

38k+ ratings

🏔️ Norwegian Fiction 🕰️ Dual Timeline 👨‍👦 Absent Father 👦 Boyhood Friendship 🤫 Trauma And Silence

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

by Rick Riordan • 2017

Dead at sixteen, Magnus wakes in Valhalla: son of a god, with a wolf to bind.

4.52

4k+

🏙️ Modern Myth Quest 🌳 Norse Pantheon 🫂 Found Family 😬 Reluctant Hero 🧬 Godly Parentage

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Summary

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard 89%

Dead at sixteen, Magnus wakes in Valhalla: son of a god, with a wolf to bind.

by Rick Riordan 2017

4.52

4k+ ratings

🏙️ Modern Myth Quest 🌳 Norse Pantheon 🫂 Found Family 😬 Reluctant Hero 🧬 Godly Parentage

The Parthian

by Peter Darman • 2011

Taken as a Roman slave, a Parthian prince joins Spartacus's rebellion to fight his way home.

4.26

1k+

🏛️ Ancient World Epic ⚔️ Military Historical Fiction ⛓️ Slave Rebellion 👸 Warrior Princess 👑 Reluctant Leader

The Parthian 89%

Taken as a Roman slave, a Parthian prince joins Spartacus's rebellion to fight his way home.

by Peter Darman 2011

4.26

1k+ ratings

🏛️ Ancient World Epic ⚔️ Military Historical Fiction ⛓️ Slave Rebellion 👸 Warrior Princess 👑 Reluctant Leader

We, the Drowned

by Carsten Jensen • 2006

Generations of Danish sailors vanish into the sea, leaving widows to steer the town.

4.24

13k+

🚢 Maritime Saga 🏚️ Generational Saga 👤 Absent Fathers 🔄 Cycles Of Violence ⚓ Rites Of Passage

We, the Drowned 89%

Generations of Danish sailors vanish into the sea, leaving widows to steer the town.

by Carsten Jensen 2006

4.24

13k+ ratings

🚢 Maritime Saga 🏚️ Generational Saga 👤 Absent Fathers 🔄 Cycles Of Violence ⚓ Rites Of Passage

Kidnapped

by Robert Louis Stevenson • 2002

His uncle sells him. Shipwrecked with a Jacobite, he flees the Highlands for his stolen birthright.

3.79

69k+

🏔️ Highland Adventure 🏴 Jacobite Scotland 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🏃 On The Run 💔 Family Betrayal

Kidnapped 89%

His uncle sells him. Shipwrecked with a Jacobite, he flees the Highlands for his stolen birthright.

by Robert Louis Stevenson 2002

3.79

69k+ ratings

🏔️ Highland Adventure 🏴 Jacobite Scotland 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🏃 On The Run 💔 Family Betrayal

The Lincoln Highway

by Amor Towles • 2021

Two brothers aim for California. Two stowaways from a work farm demand New York instead.

4.22

316k+

🚗 Midcentury Road Trip 🇺🇸 1950s Americana 🧭 Coming-Of-Age Journey 🤝 Found Family 🕊️ Redemption Arc

The Lincoln Highway 89%

Two brothers aim for California. Two stowaways from a work farm demand New York instead.

by Amor Towles 2021

4.22

316k+ ratings

🚗 Midcentury Road Trip 🇺🇸 1950s Americana 🧭 Coming-Of-Age Journey 🤝 Found Family 🕊️ Redemption Arc

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

by Mackenzi Lee • 2017

After stealing a puzzle box, a lord flees 18th-century Europe with the friend he secretly loves.

4.02

146k+

🏳️‍🌈 Queer Historical Romance ❤️ Friends To Lovers 👥 Found Family 💰 Heist 🚫 Forbidden Love

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue Summary

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue 89%

After stealing a puzzle box, a lord flees 18th-century Europe with the friend he secretly loves.

by Mackenzi Lee 2017

4.02

146k+ ratings

🏳️‍🌈 Queer Historical Romance ❤️ Friends To Lovers 👥 Found Family 💰 Heist 🚫 Forbidden Love

Legend

by David Gemmell • 1994

When slavers take his wife, a legendary axeman's hunt leads to a city under siege.

4.26

36k+

🗡️ Heroic Fantasy 🪓 Aging Warrior 🏃 Vengeance Quest 🏰 Siege Warfare 🤝 Found Family

Legend 88%

When slavers take his wife, a legendary axeman's hunt leads to a city under siege.

by David Gemmell 1994

4.26

36k+ ratings

🗡️ Heroic Fantasy 🪓 Aging Warrior 🏃 Vengeance Quest 🏰 Siege Warfare 🤝 Found Family

Bookshops & Bonedust

by Travis Baldree • 2023

An injured orc warrior finds books, belonging, and a necromancer's secrets in a sleepy seaside town.

4.11

117k+

🏪 Cozy Bookshop 🤝 Found Family 💕 Sapphic Romance 🩹 Healing Journey 🏘️ Seaside Village

Bookshops & Bonedust 88%

An injured orc warrior finds books, belonging, and a necromancer's secrets in a sleepy seaside town.

by Travis Baldree 2023

4.11

117k+ ratings

🏪 Cozy Bookshop 🤝 Found Family 💕 Sapphic Romance 🩹 Healing Journey 🏘️ Seaside Village

The Road to Jerusalem

by Jan Guillou • 1998

A warrior-monk loves the wrong woman. The church exiles him to the Crusades for twenty years.

4.02

9k+

🗡️ Warrior Monk 💔 Forbidden Love 🏰 Family Saga 🛡️ Medieval Scandinavia ✝️ Crusader Epic

The Road to Jerusalem 91%

A warrior-monk loves the wrong woman. The church exiles him to the Crusades for twenty years.

by Jan Guillou 1998

4.02

9k+ ratings

🗡️ Warrior Monk 💔 Forbidden Love 🏰 Family Saga 🛡️ Medieval Scandinavia ✝️ Crusader Epic

The Last Kingdom

by Bernard Cornwell • 2006

King Alfred is dead; a Saxon warrior must defend the realm from Viking invaders, royal treachery.

4.27

115k+

🛡️ Viking Age Britain ⚖️ Dual Loyalties 🔀 Shifting Allegiances ⚔️ Shield Wall Combat 🔮 Prophetic Visions

The Last Kingdom 91%

King Alfred is dead; a Saxon warrior must defend the realm from Viking invaders, royal treachery.

by Bernard Cornwell 2006

4.27

115k+ ratings

🛡️ Viking Age Britain ⚖️ Dual Loyalties 🔀 Shifting Allegiances ⚔️ Shield Wall Combat 🔮 Prophetic Visions

Alaska by James A. Michener

by Steve Berry

For thirty thousand years, Alaska lures the desperate and the daring. The land always wins.

4.17

17k+

🏔️ Epic Historical Saga 🌲 Alaskan Wilderness ⛓️ Colonial Exploitation 💰 Gold Rush 🪓 Frontier Survival

Alaska by James A. Michener 88%

For thirty thousand years, Alaska lures the desperate and the daring. The land always wins.

by Steve Berry 1988

4.17

17k+ ratings

🏔️ Epic Historical Saga 🌲 Alaskan Wilderness ⛓️ Colonial Exploitation 💰 Gold Rush 🪓 Frontier Survival

Blackbeard

by Samuel Marquis • 2018

An educated gentleman builds a radical pirate democracy, daring the British Empire to crush it.

4.12

974

🏴‍☠️ Golden Age Piracy 📜 Revisionist Legend 🤝 Egalitarian Outlaws 👥 Unlikely Allies ⚔️ Swashbuckling Action

Blackbeard 88%

An educated gentleman builds a radical pirate democracy, daring the British Empire to crush it.

by Samuel Marquis 2018

4.12

974 ratings

🏴‍☠️ Golden Age Piracy 📜 Revisionist Legend 🤝 Egalitarian Outlaws 👥 Unlikely Allies ⚔️ Swashbuckling Action

Treasure Island

by Robert Louis Stevenson • 1882

A treasure map sends an innkeeper's son to sea with a crew plotting mutiny.

3.85

545k+

🏴‍☠️ Pirate Adventure 💰 Treasure Hunt ✨ Charming Rogue ⛵ Coming Of Age Voyage 🌊 Mutiny At Sea

Treasure Island 88%

A treasure map sends an innkeeper's son to sea with a crew plotting mutiny.

by Robert Louis Stevenson 1882

3.85

545k+ ratings

🏴‍☠️ Pirate Adventure 💰 Treasure Hunt ✨ Charming Rogue ⛵ Coming Of Age Voyage 🌊 Mutiny At Sea

The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams

by Daniel Nayeri • 2023

On the Silk Road, an orphan must outlast the killers chasing the storytelling merchant he loves.

3.96

3k+

🐪 Silk Road Adventure 🫂 Found Family 👦 Orphan Protagonist 🎭 Darkly Comic Quest 🏜️ Desert Survival

The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams Summary

The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams 88%

On the Silk Road, an orphan must outlast the killers chasing the storytelling merchant he loves.

by Daniel Nayeri 2023

3.96

3k+ ratings

🐪 Silk Road Adventure 🫂 Found Family 👦 Orphan Protagonist 🎭 Darkly Comic Quest 🏜️ Desert Survival

The Sword of Summer

by Rick Riordan • 2015

A homeless teen dies, enters Valhalla, and must find his father's sword before Ragnarok begins.

4.23

242k+

🪓 Norse Myth Adventure 💛 Found Family 😐 Reluctant Hero 🏚️ Homeless Protagonist 😏 Snarky Narrator

The Sword of Summer 88%

A homeless teen dies, enters Valhalla, and must find his father's sword before Ragnarok begins.

by Rick Riordan 2015

4.23

242k+ ratings

🪓 Norse Myth Adventure 💛 Found Family 😐 Reluctant Hero 🏚️ Homeless Protagonist 😏 Snarky Narrator

Spartacus

by Ben Kane • 2012

Betrayed into slavery, a Thracian gladiator raises an army and challenges Rome for freedom.

4.08

3k+

🏛️ Ancient Rome ⛓️ Slave Uprising 🤝 Found Family 👑 Reluctant Leader 💔 Love In Wartime

Spartacus 88%

Betrayed into slavery, a Thracian gladiator raises an army and challenges Rome for freedom.

by Ben Kane 2012

4.08

3k+ ratings

🏛️ Ancient Rome ⛓️ Slave Uprising 🤝 Found Family 👑 Reluctant Leader 💔 Love In Wartime

Tortilla Flat

by John Steinbeck • 1935

An inherited house turns band of paisanos into a Round Table, but duty cracks their bond.

3.83

64k+

🦊 Picaresque Novel 🫂 Found Family ⚔️ Arthurian Reimagining 🎭 Tragicomic 🌊 California Coast

Tortilla Flat 88%

An inherited house turns band of paisanos into a Round Table, but duty cracks their bond.

by John Steinbeck 1935

3.83

64k+ ratings

🦊 Picaresque Novel 🫂 Found Family ⚔️ Arthurian Reimagining 🎭 Tragicomic 🌊 California Coast

Big in Sweden

by Sally Franson • 2024

A drifting Minneapolis woman joins a Swedish genealogy show, chasing the family she never had.

3.22

3k+

🎥 Reality Tv Satire 🇸🇪 Scandinavian Setting 🫂 Found Family 🌳 Ancestral Discovery 🐟 Fish Out Of Water

Big in Sweden 88%

A drifting Minneapolis woman joins a Swedish genealogy show, chasing the family she never had.

by Sally Franson 2024

3.22

3k+ ratings

🎥 Reality Tv Satire 🇸🇪 Scandinavian Setting 🫂 Found Family 🌳 Ancestral Discovery 🐟 Fish Out Of Water

The Wolf in the Whale

by Jordanna Max Brodsky • 2019

An Inuk shaman, both man and woman, battles Viking invaders in a war of dying gods.

4.10

5k+

❄️ Arctic Survival 🌙 Genderfluid Protagonist 🪓 Viking Age Setting 🦅 Shamanic Journey ⚔️ Clash Of Mythologies

The Wolf in the Whale 88%

An Inuk shaman, both man and woman, battles Viking invaders in a war of dying gods.

by Jordanna Max Brodsky 2019

4.10

5k+ ratings

❄️ Arctic Survival 🌙 Genderfluid Protagonist 🪓 Viking Age Setting 🦅 Shamanic Journey ⚔️ Clash Of Mythologies

Gates of Fire

by Steven Pressfield • 1998

A dying Greek squire tells Xerxes why three hundred Spartans chose certain death at Thermopylae.

4.40

44k+

🏛️ Ancient Greece ⚔️ Spartan Warrior Culture 💪 Brutal Training 🤝 Warrior Brotherhood 🫀 Fear And Courage

Gates of Fire 88%

A dying Greek squire tells Xerxes why three hundred Spartans chose certain death at Thermopylae.

by Steven Pressfield 1998

4.40

44k+ ratings

🏛️ Ancient Greece ⚔️ Spartan Warrior Culture 💪 Brutal Training 🤝 Warrior Brotherhood 🫀 Fear And Courage

The Hobbit, Part One

by J.R.R. Tolkien • 1937

A wizard recruits a timid hobbit as burglar for thirteen dwarves marching on a dragon's mountain.

4.32

384k+

🗺️ Quest Fantasy 🐉 Dragon Hoard 🦶 Reluctant Hero 🧙 Wizard Mentor 💛 Found Family

The Hobbit, Part One 88%

A wizard recruits a timid hobbit as burglar for thirteen dwarves marching on a dragon's mountain.

by J.R.R. Tolkien 1937

4.32

384k+ ratings

🗺️ Quest Fantasy 🐉 Dragon Hoard 🦶 Reluctant Hero 🧙 Wizard Mentor 💛 Found Family

Journey to the River Sea

by Eva Ibbotson • 2001

An orphan arrives in the Amazon to cold guardians and a jungle boy fleeing his past.

4.19

18k+

🌿 Amazon Adventure 🧒 Orphan Protagonist 🤝 Found Family 🎭 Identity Swap 🕰️ Edwardian Era

Journey to the River Sea 88%

An orphan arrives in the Amazon to cold guardians and a jungle boy fleeing his past.

by Eva Ibbotson 2001

4.19

18k+ ratings

🌿 Amazon Adventure 🧒 Orphan Protagonist 🤝 Found Family 🎭 Identity Swap 🕰️ Edwardian Era

True Grit

by Charles Portis • 1968

A fourteen-year-old hires a one-eyed marshal to hunt her father's killer into the Indian Territory.

4.17

74k+

⚖️ Frontier Justice 🔍 Manhunt 👥 Unlikely Duo 😐 Deadpan Narrator 🏜️ Frontier Odyssey

True Grit 88%

A fourteen-year-old hires a one-eyed marshal to hunt her father's killer into the Indian Territory.

by Charles Portis 1968

4.17

74k+ ratings

⚖️ Frontier Justice 🔍 Manhunt 👥 Unlikely Duo 😐 Deadpan Narrator 🏜️ Frontier Odyssey

Great Circle

by Maggie Shipstead • 2021

A biplane over Montana: an orphan girl decides nothing will keep her from the sky.

4.09

84k+

🛩️ Female Aviator 📖 Epic Life Saga 👯 Twin Connection 🥃 Prohibition-Era 🔄 Self-Reinvention

Great Circle 88%

A biplane over Montana: an orphan girl decides nothing will keep her from the sky.

by Maggie Shipstead 2021

4.09

84k+ ratings

🛩️ Female Aviator 📖 Epic Life Saga 👯 Twin Connection 🥃 Prohibition-Era 🔄 Self-Reinvention

Words on Fire

by Jennifer A. Nielsen • 2019

A Lithuanian girl must smuggle banned books to save her culture after Cossacks arrest her parents.

4.28

15k+

📦 Book Smuggling 🚫 Forbidden Books 🇷🇺 Russian Occupation 🐛 Reluctant Hero 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

Words on Fire 88%

A Lithuanian girl must smuggle banned books to save her culture after Cossacks arrest her parents.

by Jennifer A. Nielsen 2019

4.28

15k+ ratings

📦 Book Smuggling 🚫 Forbidden Books 🇷🇺 Russian Occupation 🐛 Reluctant Hero 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

The Bartender's Tale

by Ivan Doig • 2012

A bartender raises his son in a Montana saloon where stories matter more than whiskey.

4.07

10k+

🍺 Saloon Life 🏘️ Eccentric Small Town 💔 Absent Mother 👨‍👦 Father-Son Bond 🎙️ Oral History

The Bartender's Tale 88%

A bartender raises his son in a Montana saloon where stories matter more than whiskey.

by Ivan Doig 2012

4.07

10k+ ratings

🍺 Saloon Life 🏘️ Eccentric Small Town 💔 Absent Mother 👨‍👦 Father-Son Bond 🎙️ Oral History

The Romantic

by William Boyd • 2022

An orphan's false name propels a life of war, romance, exploration, exile across the 19th century.

4.14

10k+

📖 Picaresque Novel 🎭 False Identity 🏝️ Exile 🖋️ Romantic Poets 💔 Doomed Romance

The Romantic 88%

An orphan's false name propels a life of war, romance, exploration, exile across the 19th century.

by William Boyd 2022

4.14

10k+ ratings

📖 Picaresque Novel 🎭 False Identity 🏝️ Exile 🖋️ Romantic Poets 💔 Doomed Romance

City of Thieves

by David Benioff • 2008

A Jewish boy and a deserter hunt wedding-cake eggs through starving Leningrad to stay alive.

4.30

170k+

🏚️ Besieged Leningrad 🎭 Darkly Comic War 🤝 Unlikely Wartime Duo 🪖 Siege Survival 🏔️ Partisan Resistance

City of Thieves 88%

A Jewish boy and a deserter hunt wedding-cake eggs through starving Leningrad to stay alive.

by David Benioff 2008

4.30

170k+ ratings

🏚️ Besieged Leningrad 🎭 Darkly Comic War 🤝 Unlikely Wartime Duo 🪖 Siege Survival 🏔️ Partisan Resistance

Hild

by Nicola Griffith • 2013

In Anglo-Saxon England, a girl sees the patterns others miss. The king calls it prophecy.

3.85

13k+

🌿 Anglo-Saxon England 👑 Court Intrigue 🖤 Sapphic Love 📜 Lyrical Historical 🔮 Seer Protagonist

Hild 88%

In Anglo-Saxon England, a girl sees the patterns others miss. The king calls it prophecy.

by Nicola Griffith 2013

3.85

13k+ ratings

🌿 Anglo-Saxon England 👑 Court Intrigue 🖤 Sapphic Love 📜 Lyrical Historical 🔮 Seer Protagonist

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

by Mark Twain • 1876

When Tom Sawyer witnesses a graveyard murder, his clever tongue must finally speak the truth.

3.92

1.0M+

🏘️ Small-Town Boyhood 😈 Boyhood Mischief 💰 Treasure Hunt 🏃 Running Away Adventure 😏 Satirical Small-Town

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 88%

When Tom Sawyer witnesses a graveyard murder, his clever tongue must finally speak the truth.

by Mark Twain 1876

3.92

1.0M+ ratings

🏘️ Small-Town Boyhood 😈 Boyhood Mischief 💰 Treasure Hunt 🏃 Running Away Adventure 😏 Satirical Small-Town

Hondo

by Louis L'Amour • 1953

A lone rider finds a woman and boy on a desert ranch as Apache warriors gather.

4.06

15k+

🐎 Classic Western 🏜️ Frontier Life 🤠 Lone Rider Hero 🖤 Found Family 🌵 Arizona Desert

Hondo 88%

A lone rider finds a woman and boy on a desert ranch as Apache warriors gather.

by Louis L'Amour 1953

4.06

15k+ ratings

🐎 Classic Western 🏜️ Frontier Life 🤠 Lone Rider Hero 🖤 Found Family 🌵 Arizona Desert

The Weaver and the Witch Queen

by Genevieve Gornichec • 2023

After a Viking raid enslaves her sister, a healer strikes a deadly bargain with a witch-queen.

3.84

10k+

🪓 Viking Fantasy 📜 Mythic Retelling 🤝 Sworn Sisters 💘 Enemies To Lovers 👑 Political Marriage

The Weaver and the Witch Queen 88%

After a Viking raid enslaves her sister, a healer strikes a deadly bargain with a witch-queen.

by Genevieve Gornichec 2023

3.84

10k+ ratings

🪓 Viking Fantasy 📜 Mythic Retelling 🤝 Sworn Sisters 💘 Enemies To Lovers 👑 Political Marriage

The Edge of Lost

by Kristina McMorris • 2015

A stolen name, a stranger's letter: an Irish orphan crosses an ocean to find his father.

4.06

19k+

📚 Immigrant Family Saga 🏠 Found Family ⚔️ Brotherly Rivalry 🎭 Adopted Identity 🔍 Secret Parentage

The Edge of Lost 88%

A stolen name, a stranger's letter: an Irish orphan crosses an ocean to find his father.

by Kristina McMorris 2015

4.06

19k+ ratings

📚 Immigrant Family Saga 🏠 Found Family ⚔️ Brotherly Rivalry 🎭 Adopted Identity 🔍 Secret Parentage

Compare Features	Free	Pro
📖 Read Summaries Read unlimited summaries. Free users get 3 per month
🎧 Listen to Summaries Listen to unlimited summaries in 40 languages	—
❤️ Unlimited Bookmarks Free users are limited to 4	—
📜 Unlimited History Free users are limited to 4	—
📥 Unlimited Downloads Free users are limited to 1	—

People love SoBrief

Join our global community of 600,000+ readers

★★★★★

This site is a total game-changer. I've been flying through book summaries like never before. Highly, highly recommend.

— Dave G

Worth my money and time, and really well made. I've never seen this quality of summaries on other websites. Very helpful!

— Em

Highly recommended!! Fantastic service. Perfect for those that want a little more than a teaser but not all the intricate details of a full audio book.

— Greg M