8 Books Like The Cartographers to Read in 2026

If you loved The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd, chances are you were drawn to more than its mystery. The novel combines secret maps, family secrets, forgotten places, historical intrigue, magical realism, and a conspiracy hidden in plain sight.

Below is a list of 8 books like The Cartographers to read in 2026.

1. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

If you loved the secret codes, hidden knowledge, and intellectual mystery in The Cartographers, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is an excellent next read. Clay Jannon takes a job at an unusual bookstore where the customers and books seem connected to a centuries-old puzzle. What begins as a strange job quickly becomes an investigation involving ancient texts, secret societies, technology, and cryptography. Like The Cartographers, the novel transforms an ordinary object—in this case, a book—into something mysterious and potentially powerful. It is clever, playful, and perfect for readers who enjoy mysteries where curiosity leads characters into increasingly fascinating discoveries.

2. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

The Starless Sea is a wonderful choice for readers who loved the hidden worlds and mysterious discoveries of The Cartographers. Zachary Ezra Rawlins discovers a strange book containing a story from his own life, sending him on a journey toward a mysterious underground world filled with doors, stories, symbols, and secrets. Like Peng Shepherd’s novel, it creates the feeling that another reality exists just beneath the familiar one. Morgenstern’s writing is more dreamlike and lyrical, while The Cartographers leans more heavily into mystery and family drama. Still, both books celebrate exploration, storytelling, and the thrill of discovering something that was never meant to be found.

3. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

For readers who enjoyed the mysterious places, family secrets, and speculative elements of The Cartographers, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is an excellent recommendation. January Scaller discovers a strange book describing doors that connect different worlds, leading her to uncover secrets about her family and her own identity. Like The Cartographers, the story suggests that the world is larger and stranger than we initially believe. Harrow combines fantasy with emotional storytelling, making January’s search about much more than discovering magical doors. It becomes a journey toward understanding where she belongs. The result is imaginative, atmospheric, and especially appealing to readers who love hidden histories.

4. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Midnight Library offers a different kind of speculative mystery for readers who enjoyed the possibilities and alternate realities suggested by The Cartographers. Nora Seed discovers a mysterious library containing books that represent different versions of her life. Each choice creates another possible existence, allowing her to explore the lives she might have lived. Like The Cartographers, the novel challenges the idea that reality is fixed and straightforward. However, Haig focuses more heavily on regret, identity, choices, and personal meaning than on conspiracy or historical mystery. It is an accessible, emotional choice for readers who want a thought-provoking story about the infinite possibilities hidden within a single life.

5. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Piranesi is ideal for readers who enjoyed the exploration, mysterious geography, and questions about reality in The Cartographers. Its protagonist lives inside an enormous house filled with endless rooms, statues, staircases, and waterways. He carefully documents his surroundings, believing he understands the strange world around him. Gradually, however, he discovers clues suggesting that his knowledge is incomplete. Like The Cartographers, the novel makes the act of documenting a mysterious place central to understanding it. Clarke’s story is quieter and more philosophical, focusing on memory, identity, perception, and reality. It is atmospheric, strange, and deeply immersive—a perfect choice for readers who enjoy mysteries that unfold gradually.

6. The Book of M by Peng Shepherd

If The Cartographers introduced you to Peng Shepherd’s writing, The Book of M is a natural book to read next. The story begins with a bizarre phenomenon: people around the world start losing their shadows, followed by their memories. What initially seems mysterious becomes a much larger exploration of memory, identity, love, and survival. Although its plot is very different from The Cartographers, the two novels share Shepherd’s fascination with extraordinary concepts and their consequences for ordinary people. Both stories combine speculative ideas with emotional relationships and questions about what makes us who we are. For readers who particularly enjoyed Shepherd’s imaginative world-building, this is an especially worthwhile follow-up.

7. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

If your favorite part of The Cartographers was the connection between the present and secrets buried in the past, The Lost Apothecary is worth picking up. The novel moves between eighteenth-century London and the present day. In the historical storyline, an apothecary secretly sells poisons to women seeking revenge. Centuries later, a discovery connects a modern woman to this forgotten history. Like The Cartographers, the story uses an object and clues from the past to uncover a much larger secret. Its focus is more strongly historical and character-driven, but the gradual revelation of hidden stories makes it appealing to readers who enjoy mysteries spanning generations.

8. The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

The Book of Doors is an excellent choice for readers who loved the mysterious objects, secret knowledge, and impossible geography in The Cartographers. After a mysterious book falls into Cassie’s possession, she discovers that it has the power to open doors to places anywhere in the world. But the book is not the only one of its kind, and dangerous people want it. Like The Cartographers, the story begins with an unusual object and gradually expands into a much larger mystery involving hidden powers and dangerous secrets. It combines fantasy, thriller elements, and emotional relationships, making it especially appealing to readers who enjoy discovering that ordinary objects can conceal extraordinary possibilities.

Conclusion

The best books like The Cartographers do not simply copy its plot. Instead, they recreate the feeling that makes the novel so memorable: the realization that the world contains secrets hiding just beneath the surface.