The most recommended books about knights

Who picked these books? Meet our 106 experts.

106 authors created a book list connected to knights, and here are their favorite knight books.
When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

What type of knight book?

Loading...
Loading...
Shuffle

Book cover of Yvain: The Knight of the Lion

K. Woodman-Maynard Author Of The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation

From my list on graphic novel adaptations.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a graphic novelist and designer based in beautiful Minneapolis. I tend to be varied in my artistic style and medium, moving between comics, illustration, design, and occasionally animation. Having created a graphic novel adaptation of The Great Gatsby, I feel very passionate about the subject of graphic novel adaptations. One of the most important things is that there should be a compelling reason for it to be a graphic novel in the first place; the graphic novel should do something that a prose book cannot. For my adaptation, that was the visual depiction of metaphors, the ethereal character designs, and the lush jewel-colored watercolor. The books I recommended add to the original story in unique and compelling ways. 

K.'s book list on graphic novel adaptations

K. Woodman-Maynard Why did K. love this book?

Ideally, the style of art in a graphic novel should reflect the story being told. Yvain does a beautiful job of capturing this Arthurian myth set in the 12th century with drawings that feel appropriately medieval while the sketchy and gestural line art keep it from feeling heavy. Iā€™m a bit obsessed with the idea of the style matching the storyā€”I developed a whole new style and learned watercolor for The Great Gatsbyā€”which is probably why I appreciate it so much in Yvain.

By M.T. Anderson, Andrea Offermann (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Yvain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

In his first graphic novel, National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson turns to Arthurian lore, with captivating art by Andrea Offermann bringing the classic legend to life.

Eager for glory and heedless of others, Sir Yvain sets out from King Arthurā€™s court and defeats a local lord in battle, unknowingly intertwining his future with the lives of two compelling women: Lady Laudine, the beautiful widow of the fallen lord, and her sly maid Lunette. In a stunning visual interpretation of a 12th century epic poem by ChrĆ©tien de Troyes, readers are ā€” at first glance ā€” transported into aā€¦


Book cover of Eyewitness Knight: Explore the Lives of Medieval Mounted Warriors-from the Battlefield to the Banquet Table

Hope Carolle Author Of The Veil Between Worlds

From my list on surviving and thriving in Medieval England.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have loved books where the main character goes from his/her own ordinary existence into another world, with inspiration from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, who was a tutor in English Literature. Since I love history, thereā€™s nothing more fun for me than historical time travel, and I wonder how difficult it might be for a modern woman or man, well-versed in the history and literature of the time, to navigate the customs, etiquette, language, clothing, and politics in 1344. 

Hope's book list on surviving and thriving in Medieval England

Hope Carolle Why did Hope love this book?

Are you fascinated by knights in shining armor? This is the illustrated book for you.

Yes, itā€™s a book essentially for kids, but I found it incredibly useful for my research on everything from jousting to armory, from swords to riding armed on horseback. It also has a useful timeline in the back that gives useful dates from Charlemagneā€™s use of mounted warriors to the use of squires, crusades, tournaments, and the end of the era in the 1600s.

By Christopher Gravett,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Eyewitness Knight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Enter the world of chivalrous horseback warriors and learn what it takes to become a knight.

Eyewitness Knight follows the journey of a knight in making, from being a page or a squire at an early age undergoing rigorous training before making it to the ceremony of dubbing. With this book, you can learn what knights wore into battle, from heavy mail to plate armor and gauntlets. You will also enter a gallery of swords and other weapons that were an important part of a knightā€™s armory. 

Ride along with these warriors on their horses that were used not onlyā€¦


Book cover of The Eye of the World

Elizabeth Hrib Author Of Meet Me in a Mile

From Elizabeth's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Elizabeth's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Elizabeth Hrib Why did Elizabeth love this book?

I started watching The Wheel of Time on Amazon and immediately knew I needed to read this whole series. As expected of a lot of older, epic fantasies, it's a little slow at times, but I think this is going to be a 'trust the process' kind of experience. There's apparently fifteen books in the series, so I've got a long way to go. I've also read the prequel, New Spring, and I'm loving being able to add all this background info to my show-watching experience.

By Robert Jordan,

Why should I read it?

18 authors picked The Eye of the World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

When a vicious band of half-men, half beasts invade the Two Rivers seeking their master's enemy, Moiraine persuades Rand al'Thor and his friends to leave their home and enter a larger unimaginable world filled with dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light .

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheelā€¦


Book cover of Dragon Slippers

Eileen Troemel Author Of Marelo

From my list on dragons for all ages.

Why am I passionate about this?

Oh, Dragons. They have invaded my life. Theyā€™re in every room in my house ā€“ it gets crowded in the bathroom but there are a couple in there. They feature in my meditations and once I started reading fantasy, they feature in many of my books. Iā€™m always happy to look at a book with dragons in it. If I could turn into a dragon ā€“ I would. 

Eileen's book list on dragons for all ages

Eileen Troemel Why did Eileen love this book?

Hereā€™s another sacrifice for the girl to improve the family fortunes story. Creelā€™s aunt sets her up to be sacrificed to a dragon but no one really thinks a dragon will show up. When one does everything changes. Creel is stuck with an old brown dragon who doesnā€™t want to be bothered with fighting a dragon. Creel offers a trade ā€“ she wants something from his hoard to bring her good fortune. Again, we have a heroine who is tired of her life and seeks out her fortune in another way. I love the strong female lead and I love how clueless she is about something. I also enjoy the way the author breaks away from the typical tropes about princes

By Jessica Day George,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dragon Slippers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

This enchanting tale of dragons, betrayals, and the power of friendship is the first in a charming and thrilling series by New York Times bestselling author Jessica Day George.

Creel can't believe her aunt wants to sacrifice her to the local dragon. It's a ploy to lure a heroic knight so that he will fight the dragon, marry Creel out of chivalrous obligation, and lift the entire family out of poverty. Creel isn't worried. After all, nobody has seen a dragon in centuries.

But when the beast actually appears, Creel not only bargains with him for her life, she alsoā€¦


Book cover of First Test

Melissa Marr Author Of The Hidden Dragon

From my list on if you want to go on a magical adventure.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up on fairy tales and folklore in the Appalachian Mountains. Stories of adventure and dusty fairy tale books in my grandmotherā€™s attic were my entertainment. The library trips we took ā€œinto townā€ added to my reading. I discovered that the step from fairy tales to classics wasnā€™t as wide as folks argue. Years later, when I went off to college, I became an English major, then a graduate student, and then started teaching literature at college. From childhood to adulthood, magic and fiction were my life... which led to selling a book of my own. Over the last 17 years, Iā€™ve been writing fantasy.

Melissa's book list on if you want to go on a magical adventure

Melissa Marr Why did Melissa love this book?

Getting to become a knight? Yes, please!

Childhood me, adult me, mommy me, writer me, all version of me wanted adventureā€”and swords. Her books were treasured enough in my home that my (now-adult) daughter and I both had to buy replacement copies over the years.

I read Tammy Pierceā€™s books with my daughter in the years before I was published, never knowing that years later, Iā€™d be teaching sword fighting and chatting with Tammy herself about swords and books.

This recommendation is listing the one book, but itā€™s part of a whole set of connected series books.

This was our entry into a world of strong adventurous women, and honestly, Iā€™m not sure Iā€™d have ended up a writer if not for her writing.

By Tamora Pierce,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked First Test as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Kel will not allow this first test to be her last. Her adventure begins in the New York Times bestselling series from the fantasy author who is a legend herself: TAMORA PIERCE.
 
Keladry of Mindelan is the first girl who dares to take advantage of a new rule in Tortallā€”one that allows females to train for knighthood. After years in the Yamani Islands, she knows that women can be warriors, and now that sheā€™s returned home, Kel is determined to achieve her goal. She believes she is ready for the traditional hazing and grueling schedule of a page. But standingā€¦


Book cover of Don Quixote

Robert F. Barsky Author Of The Chomsky Effect: A Radical Works Beyond the Ivory Tower

From Robert's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Writer Professor of Humanities Borders Radicalist

Robert's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Robert F. Barsky Why did Robert love this book?

This classic text, one of the most well-known and oft-read books in the canon, was given fresh life with the recent translation by Edith Grossman. A story that is already mind-bendingly fun, dramatic, all-consuming, becomes veritably topical and current by virtue of Grossman's lively prose. So many people read the beginning of this story, or hear about the scene when Don Quixote attacks the windmills, but few venture further, and if they do, even fewer approach Book 2. That's a real pity. The story is hilarious, gripping, profound and engrossing from the first to the last page, and because the second book makes references back to the reception of Book 1, it's all the more enticing.

By Miguel De Cervantes, Edith Grossman (translator),

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked Don Quixote as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY HAROLD BLOOM. Widely regarded as the world's first modern novel, and one of the funniest and most tragic books ever written, Don Quixote chronicles the famous picaresque adventures of the noble knight-errant Don Quixote de La Mancha and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, as they travel through sixteenth-century Spain. Unless you read Spanish, you've never read Don Quixote.


Book cover of Raising Dragons

Christina Weigand Author Of Palace of the Twelve Pillars

From my list on dragons with a Christian message.

Why am I passionate about this?

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. Iā€™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 Godā€™s message. The dragons play a sentient, teaching, guiding role in the books they are featured in. That doesnā€™t mean there arenā€™t bad dragons to challenge the characters and the good dragons. 

Christina's book list on dragons with a Christian message

Christina Weigand Why did Christina love this book?

The first thing that drew me to Davisā€™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 Godā€™s world of 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. This book is for kids age 11, 12, 13, and 14.

What is this book about?

ā€œBryan Davis writes with the scope of Tolkien, the focus of Lewis, the grandeur of Verne, and most of all the heart of Christ.ā€ ā€•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 didnā€™t even know was being waged. Their newly formed friendship is tested and shaped as they are forced toā€¦


Book cover of Alanna

E. M. Leander Author Of Wren and the Tarnished Tiger

From my list on epic fantasy with adventure and romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve been in love with reading fantasy since I first learned how to read, and Iā€™ve been writing stories almost as long. As an adult, writing has become my hobby, my passion, my creative outlet, and my escape. Fantasy provides what no other genre does ā€“ to quote G. K. Chesterton, ā€œFairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.ā€ I hope you enjoy all of the books on this list ā€“ they are full of adventure, romance, and, most importantly, magic. 

E. M.'s book list on epic fantasy with adventure and romance

E. M. Leander Why did E. M. love this book?

One of my all-time favorite fantasy novels, and the one that got me hooked on fantasy as a girl ā€“ Alanna is the ultimate scrappy heroine and I dreamed of being her when I was growing up.

Alanna has a black cat companion, which may or may not have influenced me to adopt a black cat as an adult.

At the time I read it, Iā€™d never heard of a woman wanting to be a knight before ā€“ Alanna helped me realize that all glass ceilings can be shattered, and this remains one of the most re-read novels on my shelf. 

By Tamora Pierce,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Alanna as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 11, 12, 13, and 14.

What is this book about?

From Tamora Pierce, the first book in the Song of the Lioness Quartet, honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award.

ā€œFrom now on Iā€™m Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. Iā€™ll be a knight.ā€

In a time when girls are forbidden to be warriors, Alanna of Trebond wants nothing more than to be a knight of the realm of Tortall. So she finds a way to switch places with her twin brother, Thom. Disguised as a boy, Alanna begins her training as a page at the palace of King Roald. But the road to knighthood, as she discovers, is notā€¦


Book cover of Pagan's Crusade

Wendy Orr Author Of Cuckoo's Flight

From my list on to bring history to life.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always been fascinated by history, and when I dreamed of being an author, imagined Iā€™d write historical fiction. However, it took many writing detours to arrive there. (Nimā€™s Island, by the way, has no basis in historical fact!). When I first imagined the story that led to the Minoan Wings trilogy, I fell in love with researching this era, which is particularly intriguing because there are virtually no written records. Visiting the ruins of a four-thousand-year-old town on Crete under the guidance of an archaeologist who had not only excavated there but had become passionately involved with my imaginary characters, was an absolute highlight of my life. 

Wendy's book list on to bring history to life

Wendy Orr Why did Wendy love this book?

I fell in love with the irrepressible Pagan as soon as I read this book. Itā€™s difficult to imagine that life with the Knights Templar at the time of the Crusades was highly amusing ā€“ but despite the wealth of knowledge and detail that informs this book, it is wry and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Who wouldnā€™t love Paganā€™s favorite curse: "Christ in a cream cheese sauceā€™?" 

By Catherine Jinks,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pagan's Crusade as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Wham! So here I am, standing in a sea of dirt, with a big mad Templar lobbing rocks at my head. Wham! Like some kind of martyr. Wham! He throws like a catapult.'All right, Pagan, that's enough.' (I should damn well think so.) 'Do you see what your problem is?'Wait - don't tell me. You are.It's twelfth-century Jerusalem, the time of the Crusades. Shrewd and scrappy Pagan has been plucked from the streets to work for Lord Roland, a Templar knight. Set against a background of mounting tension as Saladin's infidels close in on the Holy City, Pagan's Crusade isā€¦


Book cover of The Bark of the Bog Owl

Hosanna Emily Author Of The Torch Keepers

From my list on non-magical fantasy for truth seekers.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child, I roamed the forests and imagined I was on epic adventures to change the world with a sword, live epically, and be part of a Kingdom. I dove into stories like that, stories that whetted my appetite to see Truth discovered and the worldā€™s eyes opened to the beauty and purpose one has when following that Truth. As I followed Jesus and fell in love with Him, He guided me to create those stories, and I love writing beautiful words in novels, poems, and childrenā€™s books. I hope you become a dreamer again and believe thereā€™s a Kingdom thatā€™s calling.

Hosanna's book list on non-magical fantasy for truth seekers

Hosanna Emily Why did Hosanna love this book?

The Bark of the Bog Owl satisfied my urging desire for adventure and a mission for a higher calling as a pre-teen reader! The fast-paced escapades were so realistic I wanted to search my own forest home for mystical creatures to befriend and go on adventures with. As I dreamed of belonging to a greater kingdom, this book was a taste of that fulfillment. Even as an adult reader, I go back to this series to re-realize that life is a purposeful adventure with God, and the truth within has stuck with me over the years.

By Jonathan Rogers,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Bark of the Bog Owl as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

Courage and a heart for adventure drive twelve-year-old shepherd boy Aidan Errolson. When the bark of the bog owl echoes from the forest across his fatherā€™s well-tended pastures, Aidan dreams of wild places still untamed and quests not yet pursued.

Aidanā€™s life changes forever on the day Bayard the Truthspeaker arrives at Longleaf with an astonishing pronouncement: it is Aidanā€™s destiny to be the Wilderking, who will ascend to the throne from Corenwaldā€™s wildest places. Only the Wilderking can balance his peopleā€™s civilizing impulses with the wildness that gives Corenwald its vitality. But not just yet. Many trials and adventuresā€¦


Book cover of Yvain: The Knight of the Lion
Book cover of Eyewitness Knight: Explore the Lives of Medieval Mounted Warriors-from the Battlefield to the Banquet Table
Book cover of The Eye of the World

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,720

readers submitted
so far, will you?