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
2103 The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories Angela Carter 1979 British English
2348 Bulfinch's Mythology Thomas Bulfinch 1855 British English
2651 Circe Madeline Miller 2018 American English
2892 Silverlock John Myers Myers 1949 American English
3086 The Marriage Of Cadmus And Harmony Roberto Calasso 1988 Italian Italian
3406 The Great Indian Novel Shashi Tharoor 1989 Indian English
3892 Ella Enchanted Gail Carson Levine 1997 American English
4846 The World's Wife Carol Ann Duffy 1999 British English
6157 The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Howard Pyle 1883 American English
6467 The Lion and the Mouse Jerry Pinkney 2009 American English
6491 Moses, Man Of The Mountain Zora Neale Hurston 1939 American English
6506 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
7180 Retold African American Folktales David Haynes 1996 American Unknown
7670 Cinder Marissa Meyer 2012 American English
7978 Spinning Silver Naomi Novik 2018 American English
8052 Neon Gods Katee Robert 2021 American English
8411 The Palace Of Illusions Chitra Banerjee Divakurni 2008 American English
8596 Beauties, Beasts And Enchantment Jack Zipes 1989 American English
8643 Spindle’s End Robin McKinley 2000 American English
8687 Wicked Gregory Maguire 1995 American English
8909 Spells Of Enchantment Jack Zipes 1991 American English
9277 Kurangaituku Whiti Hereaka 2022 New Zealander English
9656 The Story Of The Just Casper And Fair Annie Clemens Brentano German German
9855 The Red Tent Anita Diamant 1997 American English
10240 King Arthur And His Knights Of The Round Table Roger Lancelyn Green 1953 British English
10447 The Testament Of Mary Colm Toibin 2012 Irish English
10843 The Wrath & The Dawn Renée Ahdieh 2015 American English
11249 Tiger At The Gates Jean Giraudoux 1935 French French
11544 Idyls Of The King Alfred Tennyson 1859 British English
12471 Helen Of Troy, 1993 Maria Zoccola 2025 Unknown English
12474 I, Medusa Ayana Gray 2025 Unknown English
12490 Hemlock & Silver T. Kingfisher 2025 American English
12491 Black Woods Blue Sky Eowyn Ivey 2025 Unknown English
12556 Hansel And Gretel Stephen King, Maurice Sendak 2025 American English
12679 Audition For The Fox Martin Cahill 2025 Unknown English
13007 L'enchanteur René Barjavel 1984 French French
13066 The Earl That Got Away Diana Quincy 2025 Unknown English
13359 Tales from Shakespeare Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb 1807 British English
13715 Age Of Bronze Eric Shanower 2007 American English
14952 The Tain Thomas Kinsella 1969 Irish English
14983 Rumpelstiltskin Paul O. Zelinsky 1986 American English
14983 The Water Outlaws S. L. Huang 2023 Unknown English
14983 A Touch Of Darkness Scarlett St. Clair 2019 Unknown English
14983 The True Story Of The 3 Little Pigs Jon Scieszka 1989 American English
15713 Immortal Longings Chloe Gong 2023 Unknown English
15856 The Ill Made Knight T.H. White 1940 British English
17119 The Silence of the Girls Pat Barker 2018 British English
17119 Mythos Stephen Fry 2017 British English
17119 The Voyage Home Pat Barker 2024 British English
17119 Odyssey Stephen Fry 2024 Unknown English
17119 Dayspring Anthony Oliveira 2024 Unknown English
17119 Helen Of Troy Margaret George 2006 American English
17119 The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea Axie Oh 2022 Unknown English
17119 Thornhedge T. Kingfisher 2023 Unknown English
17119 Fruit Of The Dead Rachel Lyon 2024 Unknown English
17119 Masquerade O.O. Sangoyomi 2024 Unknown English
17119 The Witch's Heart Genevieve Gornichec 2021 American English
17119 The Scandalous Confessions Of Lydia Bennet, Witch Melinda Taub 2023 Unknown English
17119 Pride And Prejudice And Zombies Seth Grahame-Smith 2009 American English
17119 Heartless Marissa Meyer 2016 American English
17119 Lon Po Po Ed Young 1989 American English
17119 A Fate Inked In Blood Danielle L. Jensen 2023 Unknown English
17119 The Wicked Day Mary Stewart 1983 British English
17119 The Prince And The Pilgrim Mary Stewart 1995 British English
17119 The Sword Of Sunset Rosemary Sutcliff 1963 British English
17119 Beauty Sheri S. Tepper 1991 American English
17119 Vinegar Girl Anne Tyler 2016 American English
17119 The Forest Of Enchantments Chitra Divakaruni 2019 Indian English
17119 A True Novel Minae Mizumura 2002 Japanese Japanese
17119 Sweeney Astray Seamus Heaney 1983 Irish English
17119 Scion Of Ikshvaku Amish Tripathi 2015 Indian English
17119 Odyssee Stephen Fry British Unknown
17119 Sherwood Meagan Spooner 2019 American English
17119 Sita Amish Tripathi 2017 Indian English
17119 The Secret Of The Nagas Amish Tripathi 2011 Indian English
17119 Hooked McIntire, Emily 2021 Unknown English
17119 Outlaw Angus Donald 2009 British English