Books like The Hammer of Thor

The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan reads as fast, adventurous. These 12 books share its genome — matched by how they actually read, not just their shelf label.

What The Hammer of Thor is like to read

A breezy, wisecracking Norse-mythology romp with a snarky teen narrator, quippy chapter titles, and an ensemble of misfit friends racing to recover Thor's missing hammer. The stakes are cosmic but the tone stays light and adventurous throughout. Best for: middle-grade and YA readers who loved Percy Jackson and want the same voice applied to Norse gods with an inclusive ensemble.

The Sword of Summer

Rick Riordan · 2015

A wisecracking first-person romp that drops a homeless Boston teen into Norse mythology at full sprint — short chapters, snappy banter, and a chosen-one arc that leans comic more than epic.

mildly eerieYA

The Battle of the Labyrinth

Rick Riordan · 2008

A propulsive, wisecracking quest through a shape-shifting underworld where the jokes land as often as the monsters do — breezy first-person Percy narration with real war-is-coming stakes building underneath.

mildly eerieYA

Dodger

Terry Pratchett · 2012

A picaresque romp through fantasy-tinged Victorian London that feels warm and funny even as it brushes up against real danger, with a scrappy, likable hero charming his way through encounters with historical figures.

mildly eerieYAcomplete story

Air Apparent (Xanth)

Piers Anthony · 2007

A pun-laden Xanth adventure following a young centaur's quest to resolve a magical weather crisis, blending Anthony's signature whimsy and accessible worldbuilding with mystery and community stakes.

complete storydeep cut

How to break a dragon's heart

Cressida Cowell · 2009

A comic, breezy Viking-and-dragon adventure narrated with childlike humor, where a forbidden love letter spirals into a rescue mission full of slapstick peril.

younger readersdeep cut

Secondhand Souls

Christopher Moore · 2015

A comic supernatural romp through San Francisco full of oddball characters, absurd body-swap humor, and death-industry whimsy, balancing goofy jokes with an undercurrent of genuine warmth.

mildly eeriedeep cut

Skulduggery Pleasant. Dark Days

Derek Landy · 2010

A fast, quippy urban-fantasy adventure where a teen sorcerer races to rescue her skeleton-detective mentor while old villains regroup.

YAdeep cut

Nettle & Bone

T. Kingfisher · 2022

A dark fairy-tale quest with an unlikely ensemble — an abused-sister revenge plot softened by the oddball companions (a gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a demon-chicken) who gather around Marra.

mildly eeriecomplete storydeep cut

Vainqueur the Dragon

Maxime J. Durand · 2019

Shares the vvoice thread

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

Matt Dinniman · 2023

A dark, wry dive into the eighth floor of an increasingly surreal dungeon where teams must hunt mythologically-grounded monsters to build combat decks before facing equally formidable adversaries.

deep cut