10 books like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

By J.R.R. Tolkien,

Here are 10 books that authors have personally recommended if you like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Shepherd is a community of 8,000+ authors sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Le Morte D'Arthur

By William Caxton, Sir Thomas Malory,

Book cover of Le Morte D'Arthur

Cory O'Brien Author Of Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: A No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology

From the list on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Who am I?

Cory O’Brien, author of such books as Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: a No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology, grew up reading myths and legends of all sorts, and turned that passion into a career with the advent of his extremely serious mythology website. He has always had a fondness for the Arthurian Legend in particular, ever since his father read him Howard Pyle’s King Arthur books as a child, and he realized he could use them as a moral justification for hitting other kids with big sticks.

Cory's book list on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Discover why each book is one of Cory's favorite books.

Why did Cory love this book?

If you’re interested in the Arthurian Legend, Thomas Mallory is a great place to start. He’s not the first guy to write about King Arthur and his knights (that honor is widely attributed to French poet Chrétien de Troyes), but he is possibly the first writer to collect all the scattered legends into one cohesive narrative. He’s also the only guy to do it while imprisoned for attempting to overthrow the government/having sex with another guy’s wife, at least as far as I know, and that passion for insurrection and adultery definitely shows through in his work. It’s a very old book, and as such the language can be a bit dense and meandering, but it’s also the basis for every other book on this list, and its age means you can read it for free through Project Gutenberg, so that’s a plus.

Le Morte D'Arthur

By William Caxton, Sir Thomas Malory,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Le Morte D'Arthur as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been…


Arthur Rex

By Thomas Berger,

Book cover of Arthur Rex: A Legendary Novel

Cory O'Brien Author Of Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: A No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology

From the list on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Who am I?

Cory O’Brien, author of such books as Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: a No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology, grew up reading myths and legends of all sorts, and turned that passion into a career with the advent of his extremely serious mythology website. He has always had a fondness for the Arthurian Legend in particular, ever since his father read him Howard Pyle’s King Arthur books as a child, and he realized he could use them as a moral justification for hitting other kids with big sticks.

Cory's book list on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Discover why each book is one of Cory's favorite books.

Why did Cory love this book?

Arthur Rex tells the same story as Le Morte D’Arthur, but in a radically different way. Where Mallory idolizes the knights and nobles of Arthur’s court, Thomas Berger paints them in the most unflattering light possible. Everyone is a cretin, a sex maniac, or both, and their backwards morals are used as clever mirrors of our own modern moral failings. Arthur Rex is probably the funniest version of the Arthurian Legend that I’ve read. It’s got its tongue firmly lodged in its cheek. Even so, the ending managed to make me cry, so props to Berger for capturing the full range of emotions with this one.

Arthur Rex

By Thomas Berger,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Arthur Rex as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Reinterpreting and expanding upon the Arthurian legend, the author begins to inject his own personality into the narrative, which constitutes a salute to the Age of Chivalry


The Mists of Avalon

By Marion Zimmer Bradley,

Book cover of The Mists of Avalon

Anne Echols Author Of A Tale of Two Maidens: A Medieval French Story of Fate, Adventure, and the Hundred Years' War

From the list on sweeping historical fiction by women.

Who am I?

Growing up in Richmond, Virginia, I was surrounded by history and imagined time travel to the past. Yet my history courses in school consisted mostly of dry facts that I was expected to memorize. I sought out historical fiction that got the facts right but more importantly, could transport me completely to another place and time. Inspired by high school teachers, I began to see myself as a writer. I was particularly interested in exploring women’s history. After co-authoring two nonfiction books, Between Pit and Pedestal: Women in the Middle Ages and An Annotated Index of Medieval Women, I began to write fictional stories of ordinary women from that period.

Anne's book list on sweeping historical fiction by women

Discover why each book is one of Anne's favorite books.

Why did Anne love this book?

I read The Mists of Avalon while on a backpacking trip in Hawaii. Thus the mists described so vividly in the novel are forever intertwined with the morning mists on the north shore of Kauai. 

Atmospheric and compelling are the first two words that come to mind in describing this novel. Stereotypes about women, such as Morgan le Fay (usually portrayed as a one-dimensional villainess) are completely dismantled.

Instead all of Bradley’s characters, both male and female, are as real as flesh and blood people, caught in a tumultuous time period.

Like Dances with Wolves, The Mists of Avalon spoke to me deeply about the sadness of a dominant culture completely suppressing a richer, older one that was much more in harmony with nature.

The Mists of Avalon

By Marion Zimmer Bradley,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked The Mists of Avalon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Here is the tragic tale of the rise and fall of Camelot - but seen through the eyes of Camelot's women: The devout Gwenhwyfar, Arthur's Queen; Vivane, High priestess of Avalon and the Lady of the Lake; above all, Morgaine, possessor of the sight, the wise, the wise-woman fated to bring ruin on them all...


Book cover of The Once and Future King

Blake Renworth Author Of The Exiled Seven

From the list on where the narrator speaks directly to the reader.

Who am I?

After reading The Princess Bride, I fell in love with William Goldman’s style of narration, with his frequent interjections, clarifications, and asides. The feel I got from the author speaking directly to me transformed simple third-person narration into engaging storytelling. From then on, I sought out books using this style and have built a small library in all genres deploying this unique voice. I’ve found it most common (and most effectively deployed) in fantasy, but there are also numerous examples elsewhere in the literary world.

Blake's book list on where the narrator speaks directly to the reader

Discover why each book is one of Blake's favorite books.

Why did Blake love this book?

Also a twist on a classic tale, The Once and Future King delves into Arthurian legends and forms the basis of many more recent interpretations in film and television.

Often speaking affectionately to the reader, White decidedly takes the role of a wizened elder recounting important stories of ages gone by to the younger generation.

The Once and Future King

By T. H. White,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked The Once and Future King as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Voyager Classics - timeless masterworks of science fiction and fantasy.

A beautiful clothbound edition of The Once and Future King, White's masterful retelling of the Arthurian legend.

T.H. White's masterful retelling of the Arthurian legend is an abiding classic. Here all five volumes that make up the story are published together in a single volume, as White himself always wished.

Here is King Arthur and his shining Camelot, beasts who talk and men who fly; knights, wizardry and war. It is the book of all things lost and wonderful and sad; the masterpiece of fantasy by which all others are…


The Sword and the Circle

By Rosemary Sutcliff,

Book cover of The Sword and the Circle: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Maggie Freeman Author Of Castles

From the list on the magic of castles.

Who am I?

I’m a writer of historical novels and primary literacy books, and a poet. I was born in Trinidad and live in London. So why am I writing about the magic of castles? I’ve loved visiting them since I was a child, when I’d run round them and imagine what had happened there. Back home, I’d immerse myself in reading legends and fairy stories—at bedtime, lying in my top bunk, I'd make up stories to entertain my sister in her bottom bunk. So it was natural to move on to writing fictionthe novel I’ve just completed is about King Canute. I’ve written primary literacy books for Collins, Oxford, and Ransom.

Maggie's book list on the magic of castles

Discover why each book is one of Maggie's favorite books.

Why did Maggie love this book?

This is a vivid, dramatic and well-paced version of the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It is set in a legendary time full of castles such as Tintagel, or as here: "Meanwhile Sir Lancelot had lain six days and six nights prisoned in the vault below Sir Meliagraunce’s castle, and every day there came a maiden who opened the trap and let food and drink down to him on the end of a silken cord. And every day she whispered to him, sweet and tempting…" I love the resonance of Sutcliff’s writing; rereading it just now, I couldn’t resist reading it out loud just for the beauty of the sound of the language—something I’m very conscious of because I write poetry.

The Sword and the Circle

By Rosemary Sutcliff,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Sword and the Circle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Rooted in folklore, medieval ideals of chivalry, and the last gallant strugglesof the British against the Saxon invaders, the legends of King Arthur have been told in song and story since the middle ages.

The Sword and the Circle tells of the birth of Arthur, the gift of Excalibur, the forming of the Round Table and the first noble quests of its knights until the arrival of Percival . . .


The Sword in the Stone

By T. H. White,

Book cover of The Sword in the Stone

David Long Author Of Survivors: Extraordinary Tales from the Wild and Beyond

From the list on adventure stories for young readers.

Who am I?

Although as an adult I very much prefer true-life adventures to fictional ones – it’s why I wrote Heroes and Rescue, as well as Survivors – many of the most enjoyable books I read as a child were fictional accounts of daring and danger, mostly if not entirely centred on children with whom I could identify. I found them inspiring and still do, and can’t help feeling that if after nearly 50 years I can still remember so many of the details – and, trust me, I really can - the authors of these five must really have known what they were up to. I really hope no one will be put off them because of their age because I feel they have genuinely stood the test of time.

David's book list on adventure stories for young readers

Discover why each book is one of David's favorite books.

Why did David love this book?

I love the medieval English setting, and the author clearly knew what he was talking about when it came to such energetic pursuits as archery, falconry, hunting, and jousting. The novel wasn’t terribly well-served by Disney’s cinematic retelling of it, but the idea of exploring King Arthur’s childhood is a fascinating one and the execution is terrific. The main character, Wart, is very well realised and White’s Merlyn is a brilliantly cunning and believable wizard.

The Sword in the Stone

By T. H. White,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Sword in the Stone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The extraordinary story of a boy called Wart - ignored by everyone except his tutor, Merlyn - who goes on to become King Arthur.

Collins Modern Classics are re-launched with gorgeous new covers bringing these timeless story to a new generation.

"Come, sword," said the Wart. He took hold of the handles with both hands, and strained against the stone... but nothing moved...

When the wizard Merlyn comes to tutor Sir Ector's sons, Kay and the Wart, studying suddenly becomes much more exciting. After all, who wouldn't enjoy being turned into a fish, or a badger, or a snake?

But…


Raising Dragons

By Bryan Davis,

Book cover of Raising Dragons

Christina Weigand Author Of Palace of the Twelve Pillars: Book One

From the list on dragons with a Christian message.

Who am I?

My faith is a driving force in my life. Writing and dragons are my passions after my family. When not writing I mentor young people in their own writing. I’ve taken several writing courses and continue to study and work on honing my craft. Dragons serve as messengers of God in my books. I studied dragon lore and found the dragons an excellent vehicle for sharing God’s message. The dragons play a sentient, teaching, guiding role in the books they are featured in. That doesn’t mean there aren’t bad dragons to challenge the characters and the good dragons. 

Christina's book list on dragons with a Christian message

Discover why each book is one of Christina's favorite books.

Why did Christina love this book?

The first thing that drew me to Davis’s books was that teen/dragons were the main characters. Throughout the series these teenagers with dragon abilities face many crises in faith as they battle the forces of evil. Another interesting twist is Davis used the story and characters from the King Arthur story. These characters help and hinder the teen in their efforts to save their dragon world and fight evil. The reader watches with bated breath as Billy and Bonnie fight to preserve a secret legacy and discover their place in God’s world of dragons.

Raising Dragons

By Bryan Davis,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Raising Dragons as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Bryan Davis writes with the scope of Tolkien, the focus of Lewis, the grandeur of Verne, and most of all the heart of Christ.” ―Jeremiah F., reader

A boy with fiery breath . . . a girl with dragon wings . . .

Outcasts Billy and Bonnie must come together to preserve a secret legacy more than a millennium in the making. They find their lives turned upside down when they are thrust into a war against evil, a war they didn’t even know was being waged. Their newly formed friendship is tested and shaped as they are forced to…


Book cover of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Chuck Redman Author Of A Cottonwood Stand: A Novel of Nebraska

From the list on fiction that is more hysterical than historical.

Who am I?

I’m an old lawyer, a writer, and now I’ve stumbled into acting, but reading, just plain old sitting on the couch and reading, has always been my personal slice of heaven. I was a history major but not a history buff like those folks that can rattle off dates or win $287,000 on Jeopardy. These stories from history can be told realistically, romantically, impressionistically, philosophically, and lots of other ways. But satirically is how stories capture and move me the most. Nothing stirs me or grows goosebumps on me as effectively as a story of hard times and hard-hearted people who deserve a bit of exposure from some well-aimed wit.

Chuck's book list on fiction that is more hysterical than historical

Discover why each book is one of Chuck's favorite books.

Why did Chuck love this book?

What can I say about A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court? Seriously, what can I say? I was just a young kid when I read it. I still have the book. But I don’t remember details or have anything insightful that I can say about it. But I do remember being highly entertained and digging the time travel idea. That plot device really caught my imagination and I just have this very vague memory of being transported back to those mythical days as if the book itself were a time portal.

I also remember feeling really at home with Twain’s tongue-in-cheek style of writing. He activated those little satire-loving circuits in my little juvenile brain.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

By Mark Twain,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this classic satiric novel, published in 1889, Hank Morgan, a supervisor in a Connecticut gun factory, falls unconscious after being whacked on the head. When he wakes up he finds himself in Britain in 528 — where he is immediately captured, hauled back to Camelot to be exhibited before the knights of King Arthur's Round Table, and sentenced to death. Things are not looking good.
But Hank is a quick-witted and enterprising fellow, and in the process of saving his life he turns himself into a celebrity of the highest magnitude. His Yankee ingenuity and knowledge of the world…


Blood Red Horse

By K.M. Grant,

Book cover of Blood Red Horse

C.J.R. Isely Author Of Ranger of Kings

From the list on action driven young adult fiction.

Who am I?

I’ve been more than lucky to live a life of adventure from the start. My family did things a little unusually – we lived on a boat, we bought a ranch, we trained (and I still train) horses, we traveled, and through it all, we read. My entire adventuring family always had books, even on that boat when we have very little space. We would all go to the main cabin at night and either escape to a new world in novel or, in my case quite often, a note book. I’ll be forever grateful for these experiences because it was adventure shaped who I am as an author and reader.

C.J.R.'s book list on action driven young adult fiction

Discover why each book is one of C.J.R.'s favorite books.

Why did C.J.R. love this book?

Though this book is historical fiction rather than fantasy, and I generally am a fantasy fan, K. M. Grant does wonders in this book. It takes place in King Richard’s crusades and, though the book spans several years, you never feel rushed or disconnected from the characters. It does not pick sides but rather has characters on both sides who come together, not in war, but in their love for a small blood-red stallion. As a huge history fan and an equestrian, this book combines medieval times and a knowledge of horses with a talent of weaving stories. It is superb! I cannot say enough about it.

Blood Red Horse

By K.M. Grant,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Blood Red Horse as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Will longs to be a knight, like his older brother Gavin. Then he could ride a charger, fight bravely in the Crusades for King Richard, and win the heart of a fair maiden. All he needs is a horse. And when he chooses one, he chooses well - a small chestnut stallion with a blaze on its forehead. There's something different about Hosanna - but Will doesn't know how important Hosanna will be to him, to his family, even to Saladin.

In the Holy Land, Will learns that being a knight is bloody, brutal and often terrifying. His father is…


Lady's Pursuit

By Hilari Bell,

Book cover of Lady's Pursuit

Rachanee Lumayno Author Of Heir of Amber and Fire

From the list on awesome fantasy you may not have heard of.

Who am I?

Fantasy is my favorite genre, and honestly, I’m pretty deep in it. Not only do I read a lot of fantasy, I also write fantasy novels. I’ve been an active TTRPG player for the last few years, even creating and running a few campaigns. In addition, I wrote a one-shot campaign set in the world of my fantasy series, the Gifted Lands, which people can get for free when they sign up for my newsletter on my website. So it’s safe to say, I like fantasy. :) If you check out any of these books, let me know what you think of them! 

Rachanee's book list on awesome fantasy you may not have heard of

Discover why each book is one of Rachanee's favorite books.

Why did Rachanee love this book?

Hilari Bell’s Knight and Rogue series is about Michael, a nobleman turned knight-errant, and his reluctant squire Fisk.

In Lady’s Pursuit, they work together one last time to save a damsel in distress, but it’s the relationship between the two men, with their different backgrounds and worldviews, that really make the book stand out.

Lady’s Pursuit is a satisfying conclusion to a fun and thoughtful series, and can be read alone (although I do recommend the whole series if you want more backstory).

Hilari Bell is my go-to author for mid-story twists—bad guys aren’t necessarily bad, they have strong reasons for their actions. Makes for a satisfying, thought-provoking read. 

Lady's Pursuit

By Hilari Bell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lady's Pursuit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Rescuing a damsel in distress should be the perfect job for a knight errant... Unfortunately this damsel is the liege heir’s mistress, and figuring out what happened to her will bring Michael into close contact with the court—the last thing an unredeemed man, who is dead to the law, needs. Not to mention that news of his ex-squire Fisk’s engagement might get back to Kathy’s father—which might be worse than a brush with the law! But the heir’s mistress is Kathy’s best friend, and it looks like she really has been kidnapped. Pursuing an abducted damsel across the realm, with…


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Interested in knights, King Arthur, and dragons?

8,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about knights, King Arthur, and dragons.

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