The Greatest Retellings of All Time

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
175 Metamorphoses Ovid 8 Roman Latin
446 Joseph and His Brothers Thomas Mann 1933 German German
985 Mythology Edith Hamilton 1942 American English
1395 The Mists of Avalon Marion Zimmer Bradley 1983 American English
1692 Till We Have Faces C. S. Lewis 1956 British English
2104 The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories Angela Carter 1979 British English
2350 Bulfinch's Mythology Thomas Bulfinch 1855 British English
2652 Circe Madeline Miller 2018 American English
2893 Silverlock John Myers Myers 1949 American English
3087 The Marriage Of Cadmus And Harmony Roberto Calasso 1988 Italian Italian
3405 The Great Indian Novel Shashi Tharoor 1989 Indian English
3891 Ella Enchanted Gail Carson Levine 1997 American English
4847 The World's Wife Carol Ann Duffy 1999 British English
6160 The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Howard Pyle 1883 American English
6469 The Lion and the Mouse Jerry Pinkney 2009 American English
6493 Moses, Man Of The Mountain Zora Neale Hurston 1939 American English
6508 Indigo Marina Warner 1992 British English
6877 The Green Knight Vera Chapman 1975 British English
6948 King Arthur's Daughter Vera Chapman 1976 British English
7181 Retold African American Folktales David Haynes 1996 American Unknown
7672 Cinder Marissa Meyer 2012 American English
7979 Spinning Silver Naomi Novik 2018 American English
8053 Neon Gods Katee Robert 2021 American English
8415 The Palace Of Illusions Chitra Banerjee Divakurni 2008 American English
8601 Beauties, Beasts And Enchantment Jack Zipes 1989 American English
8648 Spindle’s End Robin McKinley 2000 American English
8692 Wicked Gregory Maguire 1995 American English
8914 Spells Of Enchantment Jack Zipes 1991 American English
9282 Kurangaituku Whiti Hereaka 2022 New Zealander English
9661 The Story Of The Just Casper And Fair Annie Clemens Brentano German German
9860 The Red Tent Anita Diamant 1997 American English
10246 King Arthur And His Knights Of The Round Table Roger Lancelyn Green 1953 British English
10452 The Testament Of Mary Colm Toibin 2012 Irish English
10847 The Wrath & The Dawn Renée Ahdieh 2015 American English
11254 Tiger At The Gates Jean Giraudoux 1935 French French
11547 Idyls Of The King Alfred Tennyson 1859 British English
12473 Helen Of Troy, 1993 Maria Zoccola 2025 Unknown English
12476 I, Medusa Ayana Gray 2025 Unknown English
12492 Hemlock & Silver T. Kingfisher 2025 American English
12493 Black Woods Blue Sky Eowyn Ivey 2025 Unknown English
12558 Hansel And Gretel Stephen King, Maurice Sendak 2025 American English
12681 Audition For The Fox Martin Cahill 2025 Unknown English
13010 L'enchanteur René Barjavel 1984 French French
13069 The Earl That Got Away Diana Quincy 2025 Unknown English
13362 Tales from Shakespeare Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb 1807 British English
13716 Age Of Bronze Eric Shanower 2007 American English
14947 The Tain Thomas Kinsella 1969 Irish English
14985 Rumpelstiltskin Paul O. Zelinsky 1986 American English
14985 The Water Outlaws S. L. Huang 2023 Unknown English
14985 A Touch Of Darkness Scarlett St. Clair 2019 Unknown English
14985 The True Story Of The 3 Little Pigs Jon Scieszka 1989 American English
15721 Immortal Longings Chloe Gong 2023 Unknown English
15829 The Ill Made Knight T.H. White 1940 British English
17165 The Silence of the Girls Pat Barker 2018 British English
17165 Mythos Stephen Fry 2017 British English
17165 The Voyage Home Pat Barker 2024 British English
17165 Odyssey Stephen Fry 2024 Unknown English
17165 Dayspring Anthony Oliveira 2024 Unknown English
17165 Helen Of Troy Margaret George 2006 American English
17165 The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea Axie Oh 2022 Unknown English
17165 Thornhedge T. Kingfisher 2023 Unknown English
17165 Fruit Of The Dead Rachel Lyon 2024 Unknown English
17165 Masquerade O.O. Sangoyomi 2024 Unknown English
17165 The Witch's Heart Genevieve Gornichec 2021 American English
17165 The Scandalous Confessions Of Lydia Bennet, Witch Melinda Taub 2023 Unknown English
17165 Pride And Prejudice And Zombies Seth Grahame-Smith 2009 American English
17165 Heartless Marissa Meyer 2016 American English
17165 Lon Po Po Ed Young 1989 American English
17165 A Fate Inked In Blood Danielle L. Jensen 2023 Unknown English
17165 The Wicked Day Mary Stewart 1983 British English
17165 The Prince And The Pilgrim Mary Stewart 1995 British English
17165 The Sword Of Sunset Rosemary Sutcliff 1963 British English
17165 Beauty Sheri S. Tepper 1991 American English
17165 Vinegar Girl Anne Tyler 2016 American English
17165 The Forest Of Enchantments Chitra Divakaruni 2019 Indian English
17165 A True Novel Minae Mizumura 2002 Japanese Japanese
17165 Sweeney Astray Seamus Heaney 1983 Irish English
17165 Scion Of Ikshvaku Amish Tripathi 2015 Indian English
17165 Odyssee Stephen Fry British Unknown
17165 Sherwood Meagan Spooner 2019 American English
17165 Sita Amish Tripathi 2017 Indian English
17165 The Secret Of The Nagas Amish Tripathi 2011 Indian English
17165 Hooked McIntire, Emily 2021 Unknown English
17165 Outlaw Angus Donald 2009 British English