Twice-Told Tales: 192 Top Retellings That Readers Love

Posted by Sharon on August 1, 2025


Did you know that the year 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen? Goodreads regulars in the U.K. can tell you—out in the English countryside, the whole year has been one long party.
 
Jane Austen is, of course, a major figure in English literature. But she’s also a key figure in a literary category known as retellings. Authors loooooove to retell Jane Austen stories, switching up narrative elements like genre, time and place, point of view, and undead status. In fact, you could make a pretty compelling argument that every enemies-to-lovers rom-com ever written is essentially a Jane Austen retelling.
 
Today’s collection—an uncommonly big one—is dedicated to the art of retellings. We’ve collected 192 (!) books from various genres, sorted instead by source material: Greek and Roman mythology, canonical classics, Arthurian legends, world folktales and fairy tales, the Bard. 
 
We’ve got old classics and brand-new specimens in the mix, plus a few authors who specialize in retellings. You’ll also find some intriguing genre juxtapositions on offer: 16th-century romance next to queer horror next to android sci-fi.
 
Click on the book cover images for more information about each title. You can also use the Want to Read button to assemble your digital shelf of retellings.

 

Retellings based on Greek and Roman mythology

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Retellings based on non-Greek and Roman mythology, folktales, and fairy tales

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Retellings based on Arthurian legends

 
 
 
 


Retellings based on Shakespeare's works

 
 
 
 
 
   


Retellings based on Jane Austen novels

 
 
 
 
 
 


Retellings based on other literary classics