“What are the best books Inspired by Shakespeare?” We looked at 180 of the top books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

As we mentioned in our “Best Books About Shakespeare” list, pretty much everything written these days can somehow be traced back to the man. His influence spans through every genre and decade, and honestly, this list could probably be expanded tenfold if we kept going. Our list includes both books inspired by Shakespeares writing and others that are retellings of his work.

The top 22 books, all appearing on three or more lists, are below with images, summaries, and links. The additional 158 titles, as well as the lists we used, can be found at the bottom of the page.

Happy Scrolling!

Top 22 Shakespeare Influenced Books

22 .) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Lists It Appears On:

• No Sweat Shakespeare
• Shakespear Online
• The Guardian

Aldous Huxley is rightly considered a prophetic genius and one of the most important literary and philosophical voices of the 20th Century, and Brave New World is his masterpiece. From the author of The Doors of Perception, Island, and countless other works of fiction, non-fiction, philosophy, and poetry, comes this powerful work of speculative fiction that has enthralled and terrified readers for generations. Brave New World remains absolutely relevant to this day as both a cautionary dystopian tale in the vein of the George Orwell classic 1984, and as thought-provoking, thoroughly satisfying entertainment.

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21 .) Enter Three Witches by Caroline B. Cooney

Lists It Appears On:

• Campus Guides
• EPL
• Bustle

“A fresh perspective on MACBETH from one of today’s foremost YA writers. Three girls witness the action of Shakespeare’s play firsthand — and their lives are forever changed because of it.

Lady Mary is a ward of Lord and Lady Macbeth whose life is forever changed when her father, Lord Cawdor, betrays the Scottish king — and is hanged as a traitor. In an instant, Mary has lost both her father and future. Now she’s trapped in a castle with a power-hungry couple who will do anything to get what they want — and are willing to crush anyone in their way. Including Mary. As the murderous events of Shakespeare’s play unfold around her, Mary must struggle to survive — and do what she can to prevent more deaths. But can a lone girl save lives when a legion of Scottish lords cannot?”

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20 .) Juliet by Anne Fortier

Lists It Appears On:

• Huffington Post
• EPL
• NYPL

When Julie Jacobs inherits a key to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy, she is told that it will lead her to an old family treasure. Soon she is launched on a winding and perilous journey into the history of her ancestor Giulietta, whose legendary love for a young man named Romeo rocked the foundations of medieval Siena. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families immortalized in Shakespeare’s unforgettable blood feud, she begins to realize that the notorious curse—“A plague on both your houses!”—is still at work, and that she is the next target. It seems that the only one who can save Julie from her fate is Romeo—but where is he?

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19 .) Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

Lists It Appears On:

• Barnes & Noble
• Barnes & Noble
• Bustle

“The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn’t take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn’t anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she’s fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she’s forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.”

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18 .) Ophelia by Lisa Klein

Lists It Appears On:

• Barnes & Noble
• Wikipedia
• Bustle

In this reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragedy, Ophelia must choose between her love for Hamlet and her own life. In a surprising twist, she devises a plan to escape from Elsinore forever . . . with one very dangerous secret. Sharp and literary, dark and romantic, this dramatic story holds readers in its grip until the final, heartrending scene.

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17 .) Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde

Lists It Appears On:

• Scottish Book Trust
• Bookish
• Bustle

The popularity of Jasper Fforde’s one-of-a-kind series of genre-bending blend of crime fiction, fantasy, and top-drawer literary entertainment builds with each new book. Now in the fourth installment, the resourceful literary detective Thursday Next returns to Swindon from the BookWorld accompanied by her son Friday and none other than the dithering Hamlet. But returning to SpecOps is no snap—as outlaw fictioner Yorrick Kaine plots for absolute power, the return of Swindon’s patron saint foretells doom, and, if that isn’t bad enough, The Merry Wives of Windsor is becoming entangled with Hamlet.

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16 .) Still Star-Crossed by Melinda Taub

Lists It Appears On:

• Campus Guides
• Barnes & Noble
• Bustle

“In fair Verona, enemies still walk the streets.
Two news hearts. Same two families.
The fight to the altar is about to happen.
All. Over. Again.

This homage to the classic Shakespearean tale of Romeo and Juliet will have readers pining for a star-crossed love of their very own.”

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15 .) The Dead Father’s Club by Matt Haig

Lists It Appears On:

• Scottish Book Trust
• Book Riot
• Flavorwire

A triumph of originality and humor, this clever novel by British author Matt Haig gives us Hamlet redux with an unforgettable voice all his own. When eleven-year-old Philip Noble is confronted by the ghost of his recently deceased father and asked to avenge his death, the boy finds himself in a thorny dilemma. Revenge, after all, is a tricky business-especially when Philip is already distracted by his girlfriend, school bullies, self-doubt, and all the other challenges of adolescence. Viewing the adult world through the eyes of a young boy, The Dead Fathers Club is a brilliant, quirky take on a classic tale.

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14 .) The Dogs of War by Frederick Forsyth

Lists It Appears On:

• No Sweat Shakespeare
• Shakespear Online
• The Guardian

“In a remote corner of the impoverished African republic of Zangaro lies Crystal Mountain. At certain times of the day, the mountain itself seems to glow with a strange light. Only the ruthless and untouchable tycoon Sir James Manson knows why: the mountain contains billions of dollars worth of the world’s most valuable mineral—platinum. And he wants it all.

To do so, he must first remove the unfriendly government currently in power and replace it with a puppet regime. Towards this end, Manson hires the deadly Cat Shannon and his team of mercenaries to do the dirty work. But he didn’t realize how bloody things were going to get. And when he betrays the mercenaries to a brutal fate, he doesn’t realize how far Shannon is willing to go for revenge…”

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13 .) The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer

Lists It Appears On:

• Book Riot
• EPL
• NYPL

Imprisoned for life aboard a zeppelin that floats high above a fantastic metropolis, greeting-card writer Harold Winslow pens his memoirs. His only companions are the disembodied voice of Miranda Taligent, the only woman he has ever loved, and the cryogenically frozen body of her father, Prospero, the genius and industrial magnate who drove her insane. As Harold heads toward a last desperate confrontation with Prospero to save Miranda’s life, he finds himself an unwitting participant in the creation of the greatest invention of them all: the perpetual motion machine. Beautifully written, stunningly imagined, and wickedly funny, Dexter Palmer’s The Dream of Perpetual Motion is a heartfelt meditation on the place of love in a world dominated by technology.

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12 .) The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson

Lists It Appears On:

• NY Times
• Shaksper
• Book Riot

“The Winter’s Tale is one of Shakespeare’s “late plays.” It tells the story of a king whose jealousy results in the banishment of his baby daughter and the death of his beautiful wife. His daughter is found and brought up by a shepherd on the Bohemian coast, but through a series of extraordinary events, father and daughter, and eventually mother too, are reunited.

In The Gap of Time, Jeanette Winterson’s cover version of The Winter’s Tale, we move from London, a city reeling after the 2008 financial crisis, to a storm-ravaged American city called New Bohemia. Her story is one of childhood friendship, money, status, technology and the elliptical nature of time. Written with energy and wit, this is a story of the consuming power of jealousy on the one hand, and redemption and the enduring love of a lost child on the other.”

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11 .) When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle

Lists It Appears On:

• Campus Guides
• Barnes & Noble
• Barnes & Noble

“Rosaline knows that she and Rob are destined to be together. Rose has been waiting for years for Rob to kiss her—and when he finally does, it’s perfect. But then Juliet moves back to town. Juliet, who used to be Rose’s best friend. Juliet, who now inexplicably hates her. Juliet, who is gorgeous, vindictive, and a little bit crazy…and who has set her sights on Rob. He doesn’t stand a chance.

Rose is devastated over losing Rob to Juliet. And when rumors start swirling about Juliet’s instability, her neediness, and her threats of suicide, Rose starts to fear not only for Rob’s heart, but also for his life. Because Shakespeare may have gotten the story wrong, but we all still know how it ends.”

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10 .) Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

Lists It Appears On:

• Barnes & Noble
• No Sweat Shakespeare
• Bookish

“Terry Pratchett’s fantasy classic Wyrd Sisters, a novel in the Discworld series, is the story of Granny Weatherwax, the most highly regarded non-leader a coven of non-social witches could ever have.

Generally, these loners don’t get involved in anything, mush less royal intrigue. but then there are those times they can’t help it. As Granny Weatherwax is about to discover, though, it’s a lot harder to stir up trouble in the castle than some theatrical types would have you think. Even when you’ve got a few unexpected spells up your sleeve.

Granny Weatherwax teams with two other witches — Nanny Ogg and Margat Garlick – as an unlikely alliance to save a prince and restore him to the throne of Lancre, in a tale that borrows — or is it parodies — some of William Shakespeare’s best-loved works.”

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9 .) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

Lists It Appears On:

• NY Times
• Bookish
• Bustle
• No Sweat Shakespeare

Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead is the fabulously inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the worm’s-eve view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare’s play. In Tom Stoppard’s best-known work, this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, where reality and illusion intermix, and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end.

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8 .) The Madness of Love by Katharine Davies

Lists It Appears On:

• Huffington Post
• Bookish
• NYPL
• Flavorwire

“With a sophistication and mischievousness remarkable for a first-time novelist, Katharine Davies takes inspiration from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and raises the curtain on the interconnecting lives and loves of an unforgettable cast of characters. By turns comic and moving, The Madness of Love is a deftly woven tale of mistaken identity, bold moves, and unrequited desires.

Valentina, a clerk in a London bookstore, is still reeling after her twin brother broke a childhood promise and ran off without her to exotic lands. When she cuts her hair, masquerades as a gardener to the melancholic Leo, and moves to the remote seaside town of Illerwick, she perplexes even herself.

Leo dreams of restoring his estate’s gardens to their former glory as a romantically naïve gesture toward the woman he’s loved all his life: Melody, an English teacher whose beauty bewitches many others. Melody rejects any attempt at capture; she is locked in a state of mourning over the suicide of her dear brother.”

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7 .) Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Lists It Appears On:

• Campus Guides
• The Daily Beast
• Bookish
• Book Riot

“R is having a no-life crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may occasionally eat people, but he’d rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization.

And then he meets a girl. “

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6 .) William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher

Lists It Appears On:

• Barnes & Noble
• Huffington Post
• Barnes & Noble
• The Daily Beast

“Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas’s epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. ’Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearstome Stormtroopers, signifying…pretty much everything.

Reimagined in glorious iambic pentameter—and complete with twenty gorgeous Elizabethan illustrations–William Shakespeare’s Star Wars will astound and edify Rebels and Imperials alike. Zounds! This is the book you’re looking for.”

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5 .) Wise Children by Angela Carter

Lists It Appears On:

• Scottish Book Trust
• The Daily Beast
• Flavorwire
• The Guardian

In their heyday on the vaudeville stages of the early twentieth century, Dora Chance and her twin sister, Nora―unacknowledged daughters of Sir Melchior Hazard, the greatest Shakespearean actor of his day―were known as the Lucky Chances, with private lives as colorful and erratic as their careers. But now, at age 75, Dora is typing up their life story, and it is a tale indeed that Angela Carter tells. A writer known for the richness of her imagination and wit as well as her feminist insights into matters large and small, she created in Wise Children an effervescent family saga that manages to celebrate the lore and magic of show business while also exploring the connections between parent and child, the transitory and the immortal, authenticity and falsehood.

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4 .) Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman

Lists It Appears On:

• Campus Guides
• Scottish Book Trust
• EPL
• Bookish
• NYPL

Geena can’t wait to spend summer vacation at the Triple Shot Betty coffee shop with her best friend, Amber, and her cousin, Hero. But Amber and Hero hate each other on sight, and Geena’s dreams of a girl-bonding summer fly out the window – then vanish entirely when a few cute (okay, drop-dead gorgeous) guys enter the picture. All is not what it seems, though, and in a story of mistaken identities, summer high jinks, and just enough romance, Geena and her friends learn that when Bettys unite, they can take on the most powerful force in their world: a hot guy.

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3 .) The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

Lists It Appears On:

• Book Riot
• EPL
• Huffington Post
• NYPL
• Wikipedia

“Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose remarkable gift for companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar’s lifelong friend and ally. Edgar seems poised to carry on his family’s traditions, but when catastrophe strikes, he finds his once-peaceful home engulfed in turmoil.

Forced to flee into the vast wilderness lying beyond the Sawtelle farm, Edgar comes of age in the wild, fighting for his survival and that of the three yearling dogs who accompany him, until the day he is forced to choose between leaving forever or returning home to confront the mysteries he has left unsolved.”

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2 .) Fool by Christopher Moore

Lists It Appears On:

• Barnes & Noble
• Book Riot
• Bookish
• EPL
• Flavorwire
• Huffington Post
• NYPL
• The Daily Beast

Fool—the bawdy and outrageous New York Times bestseller from the unstoppable Christopher Moore—is a hilarious new take on William Shakespeare’s King Lear…as seen through the eyes of the foolish liege’s clownish jester, Pocket.

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1 .) A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

Lists It Appears On:

• Book Riot
• Bookish
• EPL
• Huffington Post
• NY Times
• NYPL
• Scottish Book Trust
• The Daily Beast
• The Guardian

This powerful twentieth-century reimagining of Shakespeare’s King Lear centers on a wealthy Iowa farmer who decides to divide his farm between his three daughters. When the youngest objects, she is cut out of his will. This sets off a chain of events that brings dark truths to light and explodes long-suppressed emotions. Ambitiously conceived and stunningly written, A Thousand Acres takes on themes of truth, justice, love, and pride—and reveals the beautiful yet treacherous topography of humanity.

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The #22-180 Additional Shakespeare Influenced Books

17 Best Shakespeare Retelling Book Sources/Lists