12 Fantasy Books With Labyrinths
Few things are as thrilling and unsettling as a labyrinth. Whether filled with twisting corridors, shifting walls, or riddles that defy logic, these magical mazes hold secrets, dangers, and hidden truths waiting to be unraveled. Some trap their wanderers in endless loops, while others offer a path to power—if the traveler is clever enough to find it.
From enchanted underground tunnels to surreal dreamscapes, these 12 fantasy books featuring labyrinths will lead you into worlds where getting lost is only the beginning. Ready to enter the maze?
1. Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro & Cornelia Funke
🌿 A Labyrinth Where Fairy Tales Turn Dark
In war-torn Spain, young Ofelia stumbles into an ancient labyrinth where a mysterious Faun offers her three tasks. But the deeper she ventures, the more she realizes that fairy tales are not as they seem—and neither is the world outside. This novelization of Guillermo del Toro’s haunting masterpiece brings the tale to life with even greater depth and emotion.
📖 Read if you love: Dark fairy tales, eerie creatures, and stories where reality and fantasy blur.
2. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
🏰 An Ancient Maze Hiding a Forgotten Secret
When archaeologist Alice Tanner stumbles upon a set of mysterious caves in France, she unknowingly unlocks a centuries-old secret tied to the Holy Grail. Meanwhile, in medieval times, a young woman named Alais fights to protect the labyrinth’s hidden knowledge. Two timelines, one mystery, and a maze that holds the key to it all.
📖 Read if you love: Historical fantasy, Grail mysteries, and time-spanning secrets.
3. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
📖 A House That Expands into an Endless Labyrinth
What if your house was bigger on the inside than the outside? When a family discovers that their home contains a shifting, ever-expanding labyrinth of dark corridors, they descend into a nightmarish puzzle of reality and madness. Told in a dizzying, unconventional format, this book is as much a literary maze as the one within its pages.
📖 Read if you love: Psychological horror, experimental storytelling, and mind-bending puzzles.
4. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
👑 A Palace That is Its Own Labyrinth
Murder. Betrayal. Secrets hidden behind gold-threaded curtains. Young half-goblin Maia unexpectedly inherits an empire but soon realizes that the palace is a labyrinth—not of stone, but of politics, hidden agendas, and deadly traps. In this beautifully written novel, the labyrinth is metaphorical, but no less treacherous.
📖 Read if you love: Court intrigue, underdog protagonists, and rich world-building.
5. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
📚 A Labyrinth of Books, Doors, and Forgotten Stories
A mysterious book leads Zachary Ezra Rawlins to a hidden underground world—a place of enchanted libraries, endless doors, and a labyrinth of stories that whisper secrets from the past. With dreamlike prose and rich symbolism, this is a maze of words, where every turn brings new mysteries and magic.
📖 Read if you love: Lyrical storytelling, hidden worlds, and books about books.
6. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
🔒 A Maze That Traps Its Victims in a Deadly Game
Thomas wakes up in the Glade, surrounded by other boys with no memory of his past. Outside the walls lies the ever-changing, deadly Maze, filled with monstrous creatures and shifting pathways. To escape, they must solve the Maze before it traps them forever.
📖 Read if you love: High-stakes survival, dystopian mystery, and heart-pounding action.
7. The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold
🌀 A Labyrinth of Dreams and Spirit Magic
In a land where spirits intertwine with mortal lives, a warrior must navigate both a physical and spiritual labyrinth to uncover a deadly secret tied to an ancient curse. The labyrinth in this book is not just stone—it is woven into dreams, magic, and destiny.
📖 Read if you love: Mythic fantasy, dreamscapes, and intricate world-building.
8. Unnatural Magic by C.M. Waggoner
🔮 A Maze Where Runes Hold the Key
In a world of structured magic and mysterious murders, a young woman’s knowledge of forbidden runes leads her into a hidden labyrinth where spells take shape, and reality warps at every turn. This novel is a twisting journey through logic, enchantment, and the unknown.
📖 Read if you love: Unique magic systems, clever protagonists, and labyrinthine mysteries.
9. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
🌀 A Maze of Legends and Lost Creatures
Sybel, a young woman raised among legendary beasts, must navigate a different kind of labyrinth—one of fate, power, and hidden desires. The creatures she calls to her side hold the key to an ancient puzzle, and unlocking it may change her world forever.
📖 Read if you love: Poetic fantasy, mythical creatures, and atmospheric storytelling.
10. The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
🕳️ A Labyrinth That Shouldn’t Exist
When a woman discovers a mysterious hole in the wall of her uncle’s museum, she finds a labyrinth of shifting corridors on the other side—one that leads to an eerie, otherworldly realm filled with terrifying secrets. Reality itself starts to warp, and the only way out may be through the very thing hunting her.
📖 Read if you love: Creepy fantasy, Lovecraftian horror, and unsettling cosmic mysteries.
11. Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
💀 A Maze of Magic, Death, and Self-Discovery
Alex, a bruja (witch) with immense power, accidentally banishes her entire family into Los Lagos, a dark realm filled with twisted labyrinths and supernatural beings. To save them, she must navigate the treacherous world, facing both real and personal demons.
📖 Read if you love: Latinx folklore, coming-of-age fantasy, and dangerous magical realms.
12. Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
🌆 A City That is Its Own Labyrinth
The sprawling city of New Crobuzon is a maze in itself, a labyrinth of twisted alleys, underground passages, and strange beings. When a scientist accidentally unleashes a nightmarish force, he must navigate the city’s deadly depths to stop it.
📖 Read if you love: Weird fantasy, urban nightmares, and worlds unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
🌀 Lost in the Maze? That’s the Point.
Labyrinths in fantasy aren’t just places—they’re symbols of transformation, challenges to be unraveled, and realms where the rules bend. Whether mystical, monstrous, or mind-bending, these labyrinthine stories promise adventure, peril, and the thrill of discovery.
💬 Which labyrinth would you dare to enter? Do you have a favorite book with a maze of magic, mystery, or madness? Let’s talk in the comments! ✨
