12 books with characters discovering new realms
Step through the portal, open the forbidden door, or whisper the incantation—these are the stories where other worlds awaken.
There’s something primal, something magnetic, about the idea of another realm—hidden just beneath our own or floating on the edge of imagination. These are not mere settings; they are living, breathing worlds that reshape the characters who dare to enter them. Whether stumbled upon by accident or sought out through desperate yearning, these new realms are doorways to wonder, terror, transformation—and truth.
Here are 12 unforgettable books where characters cross boundaries, break through veils, and discover realms that change everything.
1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Genre: Classic Fantasy
Four siblings step through an old wardrobe and into the snow-draped wonder of Narnia—a land cursed by eternal winter, where mythical beasts and deep magic reign. This timeless tale of bravery, betrayal, and redemption is the quintessential portal fantasy.
2. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
Kell is one of the last Travelers—magicians who can slip between parallel Londons: Red, Grey, White, and the long-lost Black. But crossing worlds comes with a price, and not all realms welcome visitors. Schwab crafts a vividly imagined multiverse pulsing with danger and intrigue.
3. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Genre: Dark Fantasy / Horror
When Coraline opens a mysterious door in her family’s new home, she finds a mirror-world where everything is eerily perfect… until the buttons come out. Gaiman’s modern fairytale is a spine-tingling journey through a dream turned nightmare.
4. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
Genre: Historical Fantasy
January Scaller finds a strange book that tells of doors—real doors—to other worlds. As her reality begins to unravel, she must decide whether to remain where she is or step into the stories that call to her soul. A lyrical love letter to stories, rebellion, and self-discovery.
5. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Richard Mayhew stumbles into London Below—a shadow realm beneath the city streets, filled with forgotten people, dangerous angels, and murderous markets. Gaiman weaves the mundane and the magical into an unforgettable underground epic.
6. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Genre: Fantasy / Dark Academia
Quentin Coldwater is accepted into a secretive college for magic, only to discover that the fantasy world he read about as a child—Fillory—is real. But unlike the storybooks, magic here is sharp, messy, and deeply personal. A raw, modern twist on portal fantasy.
7. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Genre: Fantasy
After being cursed by a spiteful witch, Sophie finds herself swept into the whirlwind life of the mysterious (and dramatic) wizard Howl. His castle—ever-shifting and filled with magical doors—becomes her gateway to a realm of wonder and whimsy.
8. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Genre: YA Fantasy
What if you could read a story aloud and bring its world into your own? Mo and his daughter Meggie have that gift—and that curse. When a villain from a dark fantasy novel escapes into the real world, their lives become tangled in magic and peril.
9. Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Genre: Fantasy / Gothic
Children who fall into other realms—fairylands, candy kingdoms, bone castles—eventually return to our world. At Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, they struggle to readjust… until one of them is murdered. A poignant exploration of belonging and loss wrapped in strange, eerie wonder.
10. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Epic Fantasy
In the war-torn land of Roshar, ancient magic and mythical orders resurface. With each revelation, characters like Kaladin and Shallan peel back the veil on hidden realms of power—realms that could change the fate of their shattered world. Vast, rich, and deeply immersive.
11. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Genre: Classic Fantasy
Chasing a white rabbit down a hole, Alice tumbles into a world of mad tea parties, vanishing cats, and nonsensical queens. Carroll’s surreal realm has captivated imaginations for generations—and reminds us that logic has no place in the truly magical.
12. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Genre: Fantasy / Whimsical Fiction
Linus Baker is sent to inspect an orphanage for magical children on a distant island, but what he finds is a realm unlike any he’s known—gentle, wild, and full of heart. This charming tale proves that sometimes, discovering a new realm means discovering a new version of yourself.
🗝 Final Thoughts
From hidden dimensions beneath the city to fairytale kingdoms behind wardrobes, these stories invite us to believe in what lies beyond the veil. They remind us that the world is far stranger—and more beautiful—than we ever imagined.
So go on. Open the door. The realm is waiting.
