Picked by Felix Castor fans

Here are 4 books that Felix Castor fans have personally recommended once you finish the Felix Castor series. Book DNA is a community of authors and super-readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

Book cover of The Last Continent

Robin Brown Author Of Vampire Metropolis

From my list on fantasy with deadbeat losers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m tired of heroes, and I’ve forgotten what the good guys were fighting for, and if a dark lord wants to ravage the land in the name of Cthulu then they can get in line. I’m more interested in deadbeat losers. What is it really like to walk amongst the living but feel dead inside? How hard is it when you’re beaten before you’ve even begun? And in a world of losers, can one of them really change the world and make it a better place?

Robin's book list on fantasy with deadbeat losers

Robin Brown Why Robin loves this book

This is my favorite book. It’s funny and thoughtful, and I relate to the bedraggled hero in so many unfortunate ways. Rincewind is a wizard in name only (and only when wizard is spelled with two Z’s). He’s a bit hopeless at everything, we join him in the middle of a desert digging a pointless hole, and he is constantly struggling against forces that couldn’t care less about him. So unfortunate and so very, very relatable.

In truth, though, I could recommend any of the Discworld books. They proudly flaunt usual fantasy tropes and instead delve into the nitty-gritty of what it would really be like to live in a squalid city populated by self-important wizards, thieves with the correct documentation, and shadowy assassins for hire.

By Terry Pratchett ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A beautiful hardback edition of the classic Discworld novel

'Anything you do in the past changes the future. The tiniest little actions have huge consequences. You might tread on an ant now and it might entirely prevent someone from being born in the future.'

There's nothing like the issue of evolution to get under the skin of academics. Even if their field of expertise is magic rather than biology. With the best and most interfering minds of Unseen University somehow left in charge at a critical evolutionary turning point, the Discworld's last continent needs a saviour...

Who is this hero…


Book cover of Stormbreaker

Robin Brown Author Of Vampire Metropolis

From my list on fantasy with deadbeat losers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m tired of heroes, and I’ve forgotten what the good guys were fighting for, and if a dark lord wants to ravage the land in the name of Cthulu then they can get in line. I’m more interested in deadbeat losers. What is it really like to walk amongst the living but feel dead inside? How hard is it when you’re beaten before you’ve even begun? And in a world of losers, can one of them really change the world and make it a better place?

Robin's book list on fantasy with deadbeat losers

Robin Brown Why Robin loves this book

Oh dear, I’m cheating again. Sort of. This isn’t really fantasy, either. It’s an adventure for young adults featuring teenage spy Alex Rider. But I love it too much to care, and besides, cheating is cool, kids! But there’s a specific reason why I’m finishing this list with Stormbreaker. Despite its exciting action, the book is written as a relatable and grounded affair. Alex Rider is an ordinary kid with ordinary problems. He’s ginger, often lonely, underestimated, and regularly cast aside. He’s relatable and that’s why I loved the books.

The film adaptation is a ridiculous charade of impossible stunts starring an incredibly handsome blonde-haired model and it feels like someone threw up confetti over a story that actually meant something to me. Fifteen-year-old me was justified in throwing his popcorn at the screen.

By Anthony Horowitz ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Stormbreaker 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?

The first book in the number one bestselling Alex Rider series.

In the first book in the number one bestselling Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz, fourteen-year-old Alex is forcibly recruited into MI6. Armed with secret gadgets, he is sent to investigate Herod Sayle, a man who is offering state-of-the-art Stormbreaker computers to every school in the country. But the teenage spy soon finds himself in mortal danger.


Book cover of Sharpe's Eagle

Robin Brown Author Of Vampire Metropolis

From my list on fantasy with deadbeat losers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m tired of heroes, and I’ve forgotten what the good guys were fighting for, and if a dark lord wants to ravage the land in the name of Cthulu then they can get in line. I’m more interested in deadbeat losers. What is it really like to walk amongst the living but feel dead inside? How hard is it when you’re beaten before you’ve even begun? And in a world of losers, can one of them really change the world and make it a better place?

Robin's book list on fantasy with deadbeat losers

Robin Brown Why Robin loves this book

I am cheating here on two counts. Firstly, I’m not recommending a single book but actually TWENTY NINE books and counting! Secondly, it’s not strictly fantasy; however, when a lowly street orphan ends up featuring in every major battle from 1799 through to 1821 whilst also playing a pivotal role in each one, I reckon even Gandalf, after coming back from the dead and riding saddle-less for days on end would look at Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Sharpe and think “Hmm, bit far-fetched.”

But this is the reason why I love Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe books. Richard Sharpe is an outcast in his own army, a victim of bullying and constantly underestimated, only to battle through dirt and smoke to prove all the posh snobs wrong every time. Here’s to the thirtieth!

By Bernard Cornwell ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Sharpe's Eagle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Bernard Cornwell's action-packed series that captures the gritty texture of Napoleonic warfare--now beautifully repackaged

Captain Richard Sharpe prepares to lead his men against the army of Napoleon at Talavera in what will be the bloodiest battle of the war. After their cowardly loss of the regiment's colors, the men's resentment toward the upstart Sharpe turns to treachery, and Sharpe must fight to redeem the honor of his regiment.


Book cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Justin C. Davis Author Of The Deathly Shadow

From my list on where darkness stalks the edges of wonder.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been drawn to stories where light trembles on the edge of annihilation. The Deathly Shadow grew from that space—where broken people must still try, even when hope is an ember. I’m especially interested in how violence shapes children—their choices, their trust, and the way they carry themselves through a collapsing world. I strive to write characters with real emotional weight and a filmic sense of presence—where every gesture, glance, and silence means something. I believe the darkest stories, when told with care, can reveal what we most need to protect. This book explores the cost of survival—and whether love, memory, and courage are enough to challenge even the worst of endings.

Justin's book list on where darkness stalks the edges of wonder

Justin C. Davis Why Justin loves this book

This was the first book to truly wreck me in the best way.

The stakes felt so personal—the slow unraveling of safety, the sacrifices, the loss of innocence. It taught me how finales can be harrowing, heavy, and yet still hopeful. It’s a study in how to end a journey with weight and wonder.

By J.K. Rowling ,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 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?

It's time to PASS THE MAGIC ON - with brand new children's editions of the classic and internationally bestselling series The seventh and final book in the global phenomenon series that changed the world of books forever As he climbs into the sidecar of Hagrid's motorbike and takes to the skies, leaving Privet Drive for the last time, Harry Potter knows that Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters are not far behind. The protective charm that has kept Harry safe until now is now broken, but he cannot keep hiding. The Dark Lord is breathing fear into everything Harry loves,…