The most recommended books with prophecy

Who picked these books? Meet our 44 experts.

44 authors created a book list connected to prophecy, and here are their favorite prophecy books.
Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

What type of prophecy book?

Loading...
Loading...

Book cover of I Shall Return with Winter

Jamie Edmundson Author Of An Inheritance of Ash and Blood

From my list on dark characters, dark sorcery, or dark age history.

Why am I passionate about this?

I published my first book in 2017 and I’m currently working on book number 11. In that time, I’ve got to know some great indie authors and read some great indie fantasy. These five titles are a selection. I could easily have done this exercise ten times over with different authors and titles. But if you’re looking to see what indie fantasy has to offer, or simply searching for your next engrossing read, I think these will do the trick.

Jamie's book list on dark characters, dark sorcery, or dark age history

Jamie Edmundson Why did Jamie love this book?

CF Welburn writes beautifully, and this book is no exception.

We begin with a revenge plot, but this story takes us in unexpected directions. There is an air of mystery around Oben’s journey to take revenge on his Viking-inspired enemies – is he an agent of prophecy? How will his experiences change him, and those he meets?

Book cover of Dark Spirits

Cassandra Joy Author Of Death & Chaos

From my list on spicy paranormal romance you’ve never read.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always loved both the fantasy and romance genres. (CS Lewis may or may not be directly responsible.) Discovering paranormal romance was the best day of my life. Since then, many years ago, I’ve read thousands of PNR books, both popular and less well-known, and love sharing my favorites with anyone who will sit still for five seconds. I even worked on a degree in English Literature for a while before switching to a more “practical” major. Blah. Because of those years of analyzing why some books are truly loved, I know you’ll enjoy these titles as much as I do.

Cassandra's book list on spicy paranormal romance you’ve never read

Cassandra Joy Why did Cassandra love this book?

Jameson decided to make this series a slow-build harem. Each book shows just one of the lives of Alana as she does her best to fulfill an ancient prophecy that will determine the fate of the world.

I’m not sure what I love more: Jameson’s structure for the series, Alana’s sweet but sassy personality, or each of Alana’s guys as we get an in-depth look at each of their lives. (And why they’re all perfect for Alana.)

While the first four books can be read as standalone MF books, I don’t recommend it. Because the fifth book is when they’ll all come together in the same timeline and finally fulfill the prophecy. We hope.

I love absolutely everything about this series. Don’t skip it.

MF (for now): Witch, Vampire

By N.A. Jameson,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

It’s the summer before my senior year in college and I had a plan.

Move to Atlantic City.

Bartender at the most popular bar in town.

The plan did not include vampires.

It did not include falling for my ridiculously hot boss, who happens to be one.

Nor did it include an ancient prophecy supposedly about my sister and I.

No, this was not the plan. Yet here I am expected to take my “rightful” place and save the world.

I just wanted to be a bartender. How is this my life?

Dark Spirits is an adult dark paranormal romance.…


Book cover of Christmas Charms

Michelle Douglas Author Of Waking Up Married to the Billionaire

From my list on Christmas romances to make you happy sigh.

Why am I passionate about this?

What I love about Christmas is that it’s the time of the year when anything feels possible. Need a miracle? Then close your eyes and make a wish. Who knows, it might just come true. Christmas is the time when we go above and beyond, when we dare to take risks. Maybe it’s because at Christmastime we take stock of what we value most in our lives…and if something is missing, then maybe it’s time to fight for it. Christmas romances are my addiction of choice. Everything matters more at Christmas, and that makes a Christmas romance all that’s best of what’s merry and bright. 

Michelle's book list on Christmas romances to make you happy sigh

Michelle Douglas Why did Michelle love this book?

Ashley who is heading home for Christmas, meets a mysterious woman on a train, and wakes up wearing an antique charm bracelet.

Once home, Ashley keeps running into her former high school boyfriend, hot firefighter Aidan. If you love small town romances (and I do) then you’ll love Ashley’s hometown which is full of community spirit, family and friends and hot chocolate, and holiday traditions. Ashley soon realizes that each charm indicates an event that happens in real life.

It all adds up to the feeling that Ashley and Aidan are meant to be. Sweetly adorable and utterly charming.

By Teri Wilson,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

*One of the BEST ROMANCE NOVELS OF 2020, Cosmopolitan Magazine*

“…literally a Hallmark movie in book form.”

She never dreamed her holiday would include her hometown, a dog, or a firefighter. But a mysterious charm bracelet predicted it all…

Ashley’s supposed to be having the Christmas of her dreams. After four years of working at an upscale jewelry store in Manhattan, she’s finally going to get a little velvet box of her own―from her boyfriend Jeremy, who’s taking her on a romantic trip to Paris. What could go wrong?

Well, everything.

Ashley heads home to Owl Lake instead, falling asleep…


Book cover of Darkstalker

Elana A. Mugdan Author Of Dragon Speaker

From my list on for people who love dragons as central characters.

Why am I passionate about this?

Dragons are my passion, I've lovingly been referred to as The World's Foremost Dragon Authority, and I've made it my mission to consume as much dragon media as I can. As someone who also loves science, I'm especially drawn to media that addresses draconic physiology, evolution, and culture. I can name every taxonomic family, genus, and species in the order Draconidae, and there's nothing I love more than sharing my dragon knowledge and stories with others!

Elana's book list on for people who love dragons as central characters

Elana A. Mugdan Why did Elana love this book?

Although this book is aimed at a younger audience, it's one of the most compelling villain origin stories I've ever read. It's a spinoff novel based on lore from the bestselling Wings of Fire series, but can be read as a standalone. It shows the early life of the titular dragon, Darkstalker, who becomes a deadly antagonist in the main novel series.

This was shockingly dark and graphic for a middle grade novel, but I loved that about it, too. Add in the fact that every character in this book is a dragon, and you have a recipe for success. Though the narrative voice reads a little young (hey, it is meant for young readers), Darkstalker's journey toward evil is realistic, poignant, and, at times, heartbreaking.

By Tui T. Sutherland,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In the SeaWing kingdom, a young prince learns he is an animus-capable of wonderful magic that comes with a terrible price. In the mind of a NightWing dragonet, a thousand futures unfold-and almost all of them, she knows, lead to disaster and destruction. And under three full moons and the watchful eyes of his NightWing mother and IceWing father, the most powerful dragon Pyrhhia will ever know is clawing his way out of his egg. Darkstalker, the dragon who will change the world forever.


Book cover of Prophecy

Katie Berry Author Of Claw

From my list on man-eating monsters.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a long-time lover of all things giant and monstrous, I can think of nothing better than kicking back with a gripping and exciting novel and reading about some sort of man-eating (or woman-eating) creature wreaking havoc. You know, the kind of story that makes you think twice about going into the ocean or wandering off into the foggy forest. And in that spirit, please find below my top five best monster novels, all personal favourites and hopefully ones you will enjoy checking out, if you haven’t already. 

Katie's book list on man-eating monsters

Katie Berry Why did Katie love this book?

A thoroughly enjoyable romp that is still relevant today, Prophecy is a story of mankind’s decimation of the environment and the disasters that can result from this neglect. It can be a little draggy at times, but with a monster mutant bear chowing down on everyone, it makes for an entertaining novel to while away the time on a camping trip, if you dare. I saw this first as a movie, starring Robert Foxworth and Armand Assante, and then read the novel shortly thereafter. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re a monster completist like me, and as always, great fun to see the film adaption of a story you’ve enjoyed and how it compares to what you imagined. 

By David Seltzer,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Book


Book cover of Everything Matters!

Bruce Borgos Author Of The Bitter Past

From my list on a protagonist who has extraordinary capabilities.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always loved peculiar heroes and heroines. Characters with strange gifts and an equal number of challenges. It started with Sherlock Holmes, whose mind fascinated me. As a child, I gravitated to the unnatural protagonist, Tarzan, in the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels and Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I was never a big fan of Superman, I preferred people who adapted quickly to new surroundings and could think on their feet. Once I began my writing career, I kept those protagonists in my mind. Four novels in, I do my best to capture their spirit and determination to overcome whatever lands in front of them.

Bruce's book list on a protagonist who has extraordinary capabilities

Bruce Borgos Why did Bruce love this book?

I loved this book because it’s one of the funniest books I’ve ever read, and its protagonist, Junior Thibodeau, knows something no one else knows. It’s a secret given to him in the womb: he knows when the world will end.

I was amazed at how Junior, knowing what he knows, searches for and ultimately finds love and some meaning in life. I laughed my way through a story about a world on the brink, and I’ve read it a bunch of times. Whenever I need really intelligent humor, this is the book I pick up! 

By Ron Currie,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Everything Matters! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Startlingly talented . . . he survives the inevitable, apt comparisons to Kurt Vonnegut and writes in a tenderly mordant voice all his own." -Janet Maslin, The New York Times

In this novel rich in character, Junior Thibodeau grows up in rural Maine in a time of Atari, baseball cards, pop Catholicism, and cocaine. He also knows something no one else knows-neither his exalted parents, nor his baseball-savant brother, nor the love of his life (she doesn't believe him anyway): The world will end when he is thirty-six. While Junior searches for meaning in a doomed world, his loved ones…


Book cover of Fool's Fate

Isabel Hoving Author Of The Dream Merchant

From my list on showing that our world is a wildly different place.

Why am I passionate about this?

My favorite books all show me that reality is much, much richer and stranger than it seems. And that is exactly what makes me write myself. Already as a child, I wanted the world to be different. I longed for the other, richer realities that were, I felt, just around the corner. So I started to travel, to Senegal and beyond, and learn about other people’s life experiences. When I became a researcher of world literature, it truly came home to me how one-sided my view of the world was. Ouch. Fortunately, there is a wealth of stories out there to tell us about everything we have been blind to. 

Isabel's book list on showing that our world is a wildly different place

Isabel Hoving Why did Isabel love this book?

There is so much to love, perhaps in the first place, the bond between tragic hero Fitz and the irresistible Fool. But even more moving is that the series shows you how deeply human beings can be bonded to non-human beings. The world is so much alive that even wood harbours intelligence; and even if human beings arrogantly fail to acknowledge it, there are more magnificent intelligent creatures around than human beings. This series makes me all the more aware of the broken beauty of our own nature, and the need to take good care of it.

By Robin Hobb,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The triumphant conclusion to our three thrilling fantasy series, from the author of the bestselling Farseer and Liveship traders trilogies.

The triumphant conclusion to the tale of the Farseers, in which kingdoms must stand or fall on the beat of a dragon's wings, or a Fool's heart.

A small and sadly untried coterie - the old assassin Chade, the serving-boy Thick, Prince Dutiful, and his reluctant Skillmaster, Fitz - sail towards the distant island of Aslevjal. There they must fulfil the Narcheska's challenge to her betrothed: to lay the head of the dragon Icefyre, whom legends tell is buried there…


Book cover of Belgarath the Sorcerer

Ronald A. Geobey Author Of Gods of Kiranis

From my list on sci-fi fantasy novels for immersive worldbuilding.

Why am I passionate about this?

While Dune, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica (1980s), and other SF staples laid the foundation for my love of SFF, I was also reading about the universe from a young age. Along came Star Trek: The Next Generation in the ‘90s and the stage was set. Completing Bachelor’s Degrees in Ancient History & Archaeology; Religions & Theology; and a PhD in Near and Middle Eastern Studies copper-fastened my passion for the ancient world and the history of religion, and along with reading historical fiction and fantasy, everything merged into the almost allegorical universe you’ll find in Kiranis. Lovers of all the above will find something here.

Ronald's book list on sci-fi fantasy novels for immersive worldbuilding

Ronald A. Geobey Why did Ronald love this book?

You want epic—you got epic! Belgarath becomes the disciple of the god, Aldur, and struggles to learn not only magic, but humility. Belgarath the Sorcerer is a late book in Eddings’ epic series, and if I recall correctly, it should be read after The Belgariad and The Mallorean (both of which are 5-book sequences). I’m pretty sure that reading about these hugely powerful gods and their disciples seeped into the developing inspiration for Kiranis, with its gods and prophets and grand schemes. There’s something deeply welcoming about this book, which is in 1st person as Belgarath tells his tale, especially following everything that happened in the preceding 10-book cycle. This is my favourite Eddings character, and he is more alive than those you might think were the central ones. From this book, I learned that true character development is an evolutionary process, and you just have to be patient…

By David Eddings, Leigh Eddings,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The life story of Belgararth the Sorcerer: his own account of the great struggle that went before the Belgariad and the Malloreon, when gods stills walked the land.

Here is the full epic story of Belgarath, the great sorcerer learned in the Will and the Word on whom the fate of the world depends. Only Belgarath can tell of those near-forgotten times when Gods still walked the land: he is the Ancient One, the Old Wolf, his God Aldur's first and most-favoured disciple. Using powers learned over the centuries Belgarath himself records the story of conflict between two mortally opposed…


Book cover of Ratscalibur

Joan Marie Galat Author Of Mortimer: Rat Race to Space

From my list on children’s stories with rat or mouse adventures.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since writing a middle-grade novel about a lab rat living on the International Space Station, I was curious to see how other authors tackled the challenge of creating stories about talking rats and mice. After all, these rodents are not generally popular in real life. What exciting approaches did others use to get past this dilemma? I wanted to see how they balanced the ideal—being true to the nature of a species—while constructing original characters in challenging situations. Analyzing how other writers succeed is always useful.

Joan's book list on children’s stories with rat or mouse adventures

Joan Marie Galat Why did Joan love this book?

Ratscalibur reveals what happens when a ragician turns grade seven student—Joey—into a rat. Joey becomes Ratscalibur when he pulls a spork from a dehydrated scone. The other rats are convinced he can help save their kingdom but Joey is not so confident. Still, if he wants the chance to become a boy again, he must help the rodents fight their devious enemies. Rich in humor, this book’s charm also comes from illuminating a character who is quite certain he’s not meant to be a hero. This novel is full of original twists that will keep readers turning pages.

By Josh Lieb,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ratscalibur 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?

From the New York Times bestselling author of I Am A Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President

“A witty mash-up of favorite fantasy motifs.”—New York Times Book Review

“Ratscalibur is funny, it’s scary, and it’s sweet, like life. But it has talking rats and magic, so it’s better than life.”—Jimmy Fallon

“Full of clever dialogue and hilarious puns...Don’t be surprised if this novel achieves best-seller status.” —Booklist

“The only way I could’ve liked this more is if I were eleven.”—Ira Glass

“A charming take on an old favorite.”—Publishers Weekly
 

When Joey is bitten by…


Book cover of So This Is Ever After

Jane Buehler Author Of The Ocean Girl

From Jane's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Storyteller Introvert Romantic Norm avoider Backyard birdwatcher

Jane's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Jane Buehler Why did Jane love this book?

This book is so much fun and so light-hearted. It’s a perfect example of cozy fantasy romance.

It starts at the moment when our group of heroes slay the evil overlord; instead of following the usual fantasy content of battles and enemy attacks, it follows the friends as they inexpertly struggle to run the country they just inherited by accident, all while the new king secretly pines for his best friend.

It’s quirky and delightful, and it helped me escape the darkness of the real world for a few hours each day.

By F.T. Lukens,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked So This Is Ever After as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Carry On meets Arthurian legend in this funny, subversive young adult fantasy about what happens after the chosen one wins the kingdom and has to get married to keep it...and to stay alive.

Arek hadn't thought much about what would happen after he completed the prophecy that said he was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler. So now that he's finally managed to (somewhat clumsily) behead the evil king (turns out magical swords yanked from bogs don't come pre-sharpened), he and his rag-tag group of quest companions are at a bit of a loss for…