Books About Stage Magicians & Illusionists
Stage magicians, rival illusionists and con artists who might be the real thing — think The Prestige. These stories play with what's trick and what's true.
This list collects 634 books tagged Magicians & Illusionists by 429 authors, published between 1609 and 2026. 19 are free to read and 7 have a free audiobook. Books are ranked by how many readers have shelved, rated or downloaded them.
Common tropes in Magicians & Illusionists
From Wikipedia
Magic is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It encompasses the subgenres of close-up magic and parlor magic, among others. It is to be distinguished from supernatural magic which are effects claimed to be created through supernatural means. It is one of the oldest performing arts in the world.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Name of the Wind
Patrick Rothfuss, Marc Simonetti

The Tempest
William Shakespeare

Howl's Moving Castle
Diana Wynne Jones
- FREE

Faust
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The Magician's Nephew
C. S. Lewis

The Wise Man’s Fear
Patrick Rothfuss
- FREE

The Sea Fairies
L. Frank Baum

The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern
- FREE🎧

The Patchwork Girl of Oz
L. Frank Baum

The Throne of Fire
Rick Riordan
![Cover of Works [37 Plays, 6 Poems, Sonnets]](https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/8779054-M.jpg?default=false)
Works [37 Plays, 6 Poems, Sonnets]
William Shakespeare

The Tales of Beedle the Bard
J. K. Rowling

Plays (36)
William Shakespeare
- FREE🎧

The Magician
William Somerset Maugham

Burya
William Shakespeare

Magician
Raymond E. Feist

Carry On
Rainbow Rowell

The Tempest or The Enchanted Island
William Shakespeare

The House with a Clock in Its Walls
John Bellairs

A Slow Regard of Silent Things
Patrick Rothfuss

The Atlas Six
Olivie Blake

Skulduggery Pleasant
Derek Landy, Tom Percival

White Night
Jim Butcher

Honest Illusions
Nora Roberts

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
Susanna Clarke

The Golem's Eye
Jonathan Stroud

The High King
Lloyd Alexander

Silverthorn
Raymond E. Feist

Dark Magic
Christine Feehan

The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus
Christopher Marlowe

Lirael Daughter of the Clayr
Garth Nix

The Magicians' Guild
Trudi Canavan

A Conjuring of Light
V. E. Schwab

Daughter of the Empire
Raymond E. Feist, Janny Wurts

The Lost Years of Merlin
Thomas A. Barron

The Novice
Trudi Canavan, Richard Aspel

Krondor
Raymond E. Feist

The 500 hats of Bartholomew Cubbins
Dr. Seuss

The Prestige
Christopher Priest

The Books of Magic
Neil Gaiman, John Bolton

The name of this book is secret (Secret series #1)
Pseudonymous Bosch

Rise of a Merchant Prince
Raymond E. Feist

The Immortalists
Chloe Benjamin

The Paper Magician
Charlie N. Holmberg

The Garden of Abdul Gasazi
Chris Van Allsburg

The Comedies (All's Well That Ends Well / As You Like It / Comedy of Errors / Love's Labour's Lost / Measure for Measure / Merchant of Venice / Merry Wives of Windsor / Midsummer Night's Dream / Much Ado About Nothing / Taming of the Shrew / Tempest / Twelfth Night / Two Gentlemen of Verona / Winter's Tale)
William Shakespeare

The Lives of Christopher Chant
Diana Wynne Jones

The Flight from the Enchanter
Iris Murdoch
Top Magicians & Illusionists authors
- William Shakespeare35 books
- Robert Asprin11 books
- Mercedes Lackey68 books
- Diana Wynne Jones24 books
- Raymond E. Feist20 books
- Trudi Canavan9 books
- Nora Roberts120 books
- L. E. Modesitt, Jr.22 books
- Bruce Coville22 books
- Jim C. Hines6 books
- Clayton Rawson5 books
- L. Frank Baum41 books
- Charlie N. Holmberg6 books
- Jenny Nimmo10 books
- Patricia C. Wrede11 books
- Elise Kova7 books
Related genres
Frequently asked questions
What are the most popular Magicians & Illusionists books?
By reader shelving on Open Library and downloads, the most popular include The Name of the Wind (2007), The Tempest (1611), Howl's Moving Castle (1986), Faust (1800) and The Magician's Nephew (1955).
Are there free Magicians & Illusionists books?
Yes — 19 magicians & illusionists titles are in the public domain and free to read, including Faust (1800), The Sea Fairies (1911) and The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913).