Around the World in 195 Fantasy Novels

Fantasy novels with settings directly inspired by or set in countries of our world!

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created by NikNikNikki

last updated August, 2026

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The Jasmine Throne - India A Winter’s Promise - France Black Sun - North American Indigenous The Poppy War - China Jade City - Hong Kong The Lowest Healer and the Highest Mage - Japan A Natural History of Dragons - England When They Burned the Butterfly - Singapore

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A Magical Girl Retires - South Korea

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Kalpa Imperial - Argentina

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The Inheritance of OrquĂ­dea Divina - Ecuador

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What a great list! Thank you for putting it together. Are you also count writers from different countries? Because I know a few more but are taking place mostly in a fantasy/unnamed world and I am not sure if they are inspired by the local mythology. Also, if you also count folklore based or magical realism, I also can add a few more :).

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Please do send your recommendations! I’m mostly including directly inspired by that author’s country or region of origin, which can include fantasy or magical realism! If there is a work in translation, I’m all about it!

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I tried to group them a little bit hoping to be easy to understand. Also, your list, if anything don't fit in, please don't add it.  So, as fantasy adult/YA, I have:

  • Carmila by Sheridan le Fanu for Ireland (one of the first vampire stories)
  • for Ireland as well, Dracula by Bram Stoker -and again for Ireland, the series Heart of the World by Col Buchanan - The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski for Poland -  Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton for Canada -  as well for Canada Seraphina series by Rachel Hartman
  • and for Canada a good part of Margaret Atwood books (for example, The Penelopiad) - A Necklace of Souls by R.L. Stedman for New Zealand  - Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan for Malaysia 
  • Vita Nostra series by Marina Dyachenko and Sergey Dyachenko for Ukraine Fantasy but middle grade: 
  • almost anything by Michael Ende for Germany (i liked Wunchpunch)
  • for Germany as well, Kay Meyer books (not all are translated to english, but most of them are)
  • for New Zealand  Linda McNabb books (i liked The seventh son)
  • as well for New Zealand, The Tea Dragon Society series by K ONeal
  • for Sweden Pax series by Asa Larsson and Ingela Korsell
  • for Finland The Moomins series by Tove Jansson
  • for Italy Mortina series by Barbara Cantini
  • for Italy as well, anything Geronimo Stilton - Doctor Proctor series by Jo Nesbo for Norway
  • Tara Duncan series by Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian for France Magical realism:
  • Maddemoiselle Christina by Mircea Eliade for Romania (folklore based) -for Romania as well The Blood Countess by Andrei Codrescu -Princess Bari by Hwang Sok-yong for South korea -Women without men by Shahrnush Parsipur for Iran -Book of nights by Sylvie Germain for France -for France as well One Thousand and One Ghosts by Alexandre Dumas
  • for Finland Mika Waltari books (most of them based on mythology, i liked The Etruscan a lot) 
  • for Turkey, most books by Elif Shafak (I recommend The bastard of Istanbul -translation from turkish - and Honor)
  • for Turkey as well My name is Red by Orhan Pamuk (Nobel prize winner)
  • The old man and the wolfs by Julia Kristeva for Bulgaria
  • for Bulgaria as well Time shelter by Gheorghi Gospodinov (Booker winner)
  • The confession of the lioness by Mia Couto for Mozambique
  • Death with interruptions by Jose Saramago for Portugal (also Nobel winner) -  most of Coelho for Brazil
  • for Chile almost anything by Isabel Allende (i think the best is The house of the spirits) 
  • for Colombia almost anything by Gabriel GarcĂ­a Márquez (also a Nobel winner) -  Spring Flowers, Spring Frost by Ismail Kadare for Albania (folklore inspired)
  • Three apples fell from the sky by Narine Abgaryan for Armenia
  • The fish child by LucĂ­a Puenzo for Argentina
  • The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov for Russia
  • The sand child by Tahar Ben Jelloun for Morocco
  • Zabor or the psalms by Kamel Daoud for Algeria - Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi for Iraq
  • The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka for Sri Lanka - The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo for Malaysia 
  • almost anything by Mario Vargas Llosa for Peru (also Nobel winner)
  • Before the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi for Japan -as well for Japan The Cat Who Saved Books by SĹŤsuke Natsukawa -The manuscript found in Saragossa by Jan Potocki for Poland If you also want to add manga, for Japan, there are a lot of good ones, like: Akatsuki no Yona, Sailor Moon, Death Note, Attack on Titans etc
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Amatka - Sweden The Spear Cuts Through Water - The Philippines

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