Safe SCPs are the second most common class of SCPs on the SCP-Wiki. When I put together my list of the best SCPs, I read quite a few of them.
Safe SCPs are anomalies or anomalous objects which can easily and safely be contained. Their containment doesn’t require significant resources, or the anomaly requires a specific trigger. This, however, doesn’t mean that they can’t be dangerous.
While there’s a variety of Safe SCPs out there, their quality varies quite a lot. That’s why I put together a list of my favorite 26 Safe SCPs.
Notice: All articles cited here are licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Encyclopedia of Diseases is amongst the best Safe SCPs of Series II. It’s not the properties of the anomalous item that make it so interesting, but what happens during the various experimentation logs. Yet, it’s the ending that makes it truly great.
There are a lot of strange Safe SCPs on the SCP-Wiki, but Buried Giant is amongst the strangest. While the descriptions are weird enough, the interview makes it even weirder. After checking the author’s commentary on it, I realized there’s an entirely different level to this SCP, one that made me ponder about it.
This was one of the first true space SCPs I read and I loved it. The writing and the emotional impact in Harbinger are great. The one thing I loved the most about it, however, was the line: ‘One voice is small, but the difference between zero and one is as great as one and infinity.’ It’s truly one of the most fantastic and emotional Safe SCPs.
I don’t know why, but I’m a big fan of weird SCPs and Tunnel Slide is definitely weird. Its idea is silly, ridiculous even, but the way it’s described makes it not only creepy, and unsettling, but also mysterious. And yet, we never get an explanation. Instead, we’re left with the pure horror of the audio logs. For this reason alone, I consider it amongst the best Safe SCPs.
You might notice a trend here. Bag of Holding Potatoes is another bizarre Safe SCP. Now what’s so bad about a bag holding an infinite amount of potatoes? Well, if you read the exploration log and find out where all those potatoes come from, you will now. What I think made this one of the best Safe SCPs was the fantastically weird exploration log.
Trapped in a Game is amongst my absolute favorite Safe SCPs on the entire SCP-Wiki. At first, it seems like nothing more than a recording of the season opening game of 2010-2011. Yet, soon people notice strange things. While this description might not make it outstanding, you will notice just how great this Safe SCP is once you read its experimentation log.
RONALD REAGAN CUT UP WHILE TALKING is the second Safe SCP about a strange recording. The SCP details a speech by Ronald Reagan, but the further into the speech one gets, the more Ronald Reagan’s body gets torn apart and the topics of the speech deteriorates. Yet, there’s even more to this recording. Truly one of the weirdest and best Safe SCPs.
Anyone who loves books or libraries is sure to love this SCP. It essentially describes a weird, never-ending library containing books that were never seen before. Yet, the author wasn’t satisfied merely describing the place, but included descriptions of many of the books contained within it. Another of the most creative and best Safe SCPs.
There are many good Safe SCPs out there, but In the Court of Alagadda is definitely amongst my favorites. At first, it might appear as nothing but a simple door, but it’s soon discovered that it leads to the interdimensional city state of Alagadda. This city state is controlled by terrible, Lovecraftian entities. What makes this Safe SCP so great is the world-building, the descriptions of Alagadda and, of course, the Ambassador of Alagadda who was featured in SCP-701. In the Court of Alagadda might be one of the best Lovecraftian and Safe SCPs on the entire SCP-Wiki.
This Safe SCP is as different as it is creepy. It doesn’t concern itself so much with a secret itself, but why and how it’s hidden. Got A Secret, Can You Keep It? is an interesting spin on the trope that many small towns hide terrible secrets.
Here we have yet another one of the Safe SCPs who concern themselves with recordings. Yet this one’s different from the ones we have seen on this list before. It doesn’t concern itself with a strange recording, but the idea of being able to move inside a recording of a TV-Show or movie. This, however, is merely the beginning, as it’s revealed that one can go even deeper and enter other recordings shown in the one you’re currently in. It’s a fantastically creative idea, and the longer we read on, the strange and more unsettling things become. Truly one of the best Safe SCPs out there.
Safe SCPs might often appear less dangerous than others, but Lucibelle Perhacs is one of the most horrifying body horror SCPs on the entire SCP-Wiki. While needles are terrifying by themselves, this SCP makes things much, much worse. The descriptions serve to not only make you uncomfortable, but will make you cringe multiple times. It’s for this exact reason I love it so much. While many other Safe SCPs can be scary, this one takes things to an entirely different level.
While there are a lot of strange Safe SCPs out there, bzzip.exe might be amongst the strangest ones. It’s a great combination of comedy and bizarre, imaginative horror. The greatest thing about it, however, was the simpler and simpler summaries of Hamlet. They had me burst out laughing multiple times. Yet, in later parts, the tone changes entirely and what was once comedy turns into nothing short of horror.
THE FOUNDATION describes a board game created by Dr. Wonderteinment for the members of the SCP Foundation. While it’s more the description of a game and its rules, it’s quite a unique, interesting and enjoyable article. The most impressive part about this Safe SCP, however, is the effort that must’ve put into creating it. While it’s a bit of a different SCP, it’s still very worth reading.
SCP-3444 – She Took The Midnight Train Going Anywhere… by Tufto
At first, I wasn’t really sure what to do with this Safe SCP. It felt like it really wasn’t my cup of tea. Yet, it’s a long, ambitious, creative and most of all well-written piece like many of Tufto’s other SCPs. While it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting or looking for in an SCP, I can’t deny the effort that went into it. For those who are looking for a Safe SCP that’s different, and humorous, you’d do well to check it out.
Here we have another genuine horror SCP, but one that’s also rather bizarre. It combines the feeling of claustrophobia and being stuck with surreal and nightmarish imagery. The greatest part about it, however, were the dialogues. They were full of emotions, a feeling of futility and, of course, claustrophobia. Unearth is truly twisted and amongst the best Safe SCPs.
Do not stop reading this document is one of the most interesting Safe SCPs I came upon. At first, it showcases just how far people will go to keep themselves safe. What won me over, however, was the ending, which I thought was fantastically well-done.
[NUMBER RESERVED; AWAITING RESEARCHER] is amongst the most clever, but also longest Safe SCPs out there. While I think it was a bit long in parts, I can’t deny how much effort must’ve been put into it. Yet, once you figure out what’s really going on, you realize just how well this Safe SCP was put together. It’s definitely worth checking out.
Alexandria Eternal, as one might have guessed, is another Safe SCP concerning a library. Yet this library is special, for it holds a book about the life of every human being that ever existed. What I enjoyed the most about this SCP was that it wasn’t about a monster or a dangerous object, but just a mysterious place. Yet as we soon learn, the library has the potential to cause damage, as we can see from the many experimentation logs. Even more interesting, however, is that the library seems to be a living place, one that judges people and the deeds they commit. It’s truly amongst the greatest Safe SCPs out there.
When I first came to the SCP-Wiki, this was one of the first SCPs I read. Needless to say, I didn’t get what was going on. When I finally returned to it later, once I’d read a good chunk of other articles, I managed to put things together. Yet, as straightforward as the story appears at first, things can get a bit confusing. This doesn’t matter much, however, for the events depicted and the many references to other SCPs makes this a truly fantastic read. Why? is without a doubt one of the best Safe SCPs out there and an absolute delight for any fan of the SCP-Wiki.
Our Stolen Theory concerns itself with one of fiction’s most ambitious topics, time travel. The reason is simple: time travel is hard to do right, but Our Stolen Theory absolutely nails it. It’s one of the greatest Safe SCPs out there. The writing’s fantastic, and the story told is extremely interesting. Yet, the greatest thing about it are the characters, the science, and, of course, the emotions. Our Stolen Theory is without a doubt, one of the greatest SCPs on the entire SCP-Wiki.
I absolutely loved Made in Heaven. It’s far from your typical SCP and written more like a crime noir action story. It concerns itself with Everett Mann, who’s out to get revenge on Francis Fitzwilliams, the Administrator of the SCP Foundation. There are few Safe SCPS I enjoyed as much as this one, and I had an absolute blast reading it. It’s an exciting, enjoyable and most of all, wild ride. Don’t take it too serious, however.
There’s dumb, there’s ridiculous and DINOVLOGS! Is a prime example of the latter. It concerns itself with a YouTube channel titled “TheLifeOfRex” which depicts the life of a juvenile tyrannosaurus rex. Things don’t end here, however, for most of the SCP takes the form of a Zoom conference of a group of academics who discuss the YouTube channel’s various videos. DINOVLOGS is absolutely ridiculous, but without a doubt one of the funniest Safe SCPs on the Wiki.
This SCP details a strange document which was found on the Foundation servers. It talks about a certain room in the basement of a steel factory. In said room, a microcosm of flora and fauna exists. Soon enough, however, the factory’s higher-ups have a worker torch the entire room. Yet, after this incident, other rooms within the factory show similar properties. From this point onward, we follow this Safe SCP through various iterations detailing the continued escalation of things. Overall, Return. Return. Return. is a long, ambitious, but well put-together SCP.
This is the first of Rounderhouse’s two 001-proposals. While most of the other 001-proposals concern themselves with grand origin stories, this one tells about an ending. I found it to be quite the sad, melancholic piece, but also strangely beautiful. In MEMENTO MORI, we’re led from room to room and learn more about the people who comprised the overseer council and how the Foundation broke all of them. A truly fantastic 001-proposal and one of the best Safe SCPs.
The Scarlet King is a grand and artistic article that concerns itself with a variety of philosophical musings. It’s an incredibly well-written piece and showcases just how skilled a writer Tufto truly is. What I loved the most, however, was Tufto’s interpretation of the Scarlet King. It’s one of my absolute favorite 001-proposals and Safe SCPs.
When I scoured the SCP-Wiki to put together my list of the best SCPs of all time, I came upon a multitude of Euclid SCPs. They describe anomalies or anomalous objects which require more resources to be safely contained, but whose containment isn’t always reliable.
Euclid SCPs are the most common class on the SCP-Wiki. They describe a wide variety of anomalous objects, and newly discovered SCPs are usually presumed to fall into this group.
They also comprise objects which are autonomous, sentient or sapient because of their inherent unpredictability.
Overall, Euclid SCPs are massively popular, the biggest object class, and can vary widely in quality. That’s the reason I put together a list of my favorite 41 Euclid SCPs on the SCP-Wiki
Notice: All articles cited here are licensed under CC-BY-SA.
The “Living” Room is a great and bizarre, early Euclid SCP. However, it’s also strangely scary. An organic entity taking on the form of an actual room is scary enough, but there’s more to the object that makes it even scarier. It’s a fantastic and disturbing example of an early Euclid SCP done right.
Game Show of Death is another early Euclid SCP. It describes exactly that the title says, a bizarre and deadly game show which takes place at a certain abandoned warehouse. The games always center on a long, elaborate and most of all, dangerous obstacle course. While the idea isn’t the unique, it comes with enough odd details still make for an interesting read.
The Red Sea Object is amongst the most popular Euclid SCPs in Series I and remains a fan favorite to this day. The anomalous object isn’t too outstanding, or interesting, but the story told via the color tests is truly great. Yet, it’s quite a long, a very long read. While I thought some parts dragged on a little, it’s the end that makes this Euclid SCP truly fantastic and worth reading.
The Architect is amongst my absolute favorite Euclid SCPs of all time. While the anomalous object and its properties are interesting enough it’s the addendum that makes it truly stand out. Set in Kowloon Walled City, it describes a variety of explorations with the goal of finding The Architect. The descriptions of someone who’s traveling through ever-expanding labyrinthine and distorted rooms are nothing short of fantastic.
Before reading this Euclid SCP, one might wonder how dangerous a mass transit ticket can be. If you believe this SCP, it can bring forth a truly nightmarish and even deadly experience. While it’s another longer Euclid SCP, it’s amongst the best of Series I. I truly enjoyed the many outlandish details, the exploration logs and the ending of this Euclid SCP.
Euclid SCPs come in a variety of forms and genres. Series I is mostly known for its horror roots, so it’s not surprising it comprises a variety of terrifying and disturbing SCPs. Beautiful Babies is one of the most disturbing Euclid SCPs of all time. Everything described in it is truly horrifying, but what really drives the point home is the interview at the very end.
Body horror has always been a genre I truly enjoyed, and this Euclid SCP doesn’t disappoint. It’s amongst the most horrifying SCPs I’ve come upon. The descriptions are nothing short of terrifying, disturbing, and disgusting. Yet, it’s the ending, the single last line that makes everything in this Euclid SCP so much worse.
The Scripted nightclub is a terrific read. It’s one of the best Early Euclid SCPs. While I enjoyed the descriptions of the club itself, it’s the different scripts which are truly outstanding. The article provides us only three of them, but each one of them is fascinating and well-written. It remains one of my all-time favorite Euclid SCPs of Series I.
The Hanged King’s Tragedy is yet another fantastic early Euclid SCP. I really enjoyed the idea of the play and its details. What made it so much better, however, were the strange incidents reported during its performance. These are presented to us as incident reports. And who could forget the ominous figure of the Ambassador of Alagadda who we’ll meet again in another fantastic SCP-2264. Yet, even own its own, this Euclid SCP, serves to be a classic amongst Series I.
This Euclid SCP is another take on Admin Bright’s SCP-001 proposal, The Factory. In Bright’s proposal, The Factor is described as the origin of the SCP Foundation. This Euclid SCP, however, provides us with an entirely different take on the Factory. I enjoyed this SCP a lot more than Bright’s original. Each single part of this Euclid SCP is great, but once again, the ending makes it truly fantastic.
A Machine is as simple as classic Euclid SCPS go. There’s no grand or expansive story to be found here, no ambiguity. It’s merely the description of a dangerous and mysterious object. Where it truly shines, however, is during the interviews in the addendum. While this Euclid SCP might be simple, it does everything it does right and still holds up today.
To the Makers of Music is a fantastic Euclid SCP from Series II. It comes with a set of fantastic descriptions and quite a bit of interesting world-building. Where it stands out, however, is in its emotional ending. It truly impacted me.
UnLondon is an Euclid SCP describing a location, but a very fascinating one. I truly loved the strange city, its localities, the mystery surrounding it and the entities populating it. Yet, there are other implications about UnLondon that make this Euclid SCP so much more interesting. UnLondon is essentially an Orwellian nightmare, one I truly enjoyed for its extensive world-building and its many mysteries.
Came Back Haunted is not only one of the best Euclid SCPs of Series II but also one of the creepiest ones. It does everything that made early creepypasta such a widespread phenomenon on the internet. It’s nothing but pure horror and pure weirdness. We’re never provided an explanation about the mysterious events taking place, but there’s no need for it. It’s the mystery itself that makes it so much better and one of the best Euclid SCPs out there.
Hard science-fiction Euclid SCPs can be hit or miss, and this one’s full of scientific detail. Yet, it’s worth reading, if only for the descriptions of the Cradle of Life. There’s just something about the vivid descriptions, the talk of the scientists, and, of course, the ending. I truly enjoyed this Euclid SCP.
I’m usually not one for comedy SCPs, but if they are as weird as this one, I can’t help but love it. Escort and Officer is one of the most ridiculous Euclid SCPs I’ve come upon. It details two alien entities who came to be in Foundation custody. One’s a multi-limbed organism working as an escort, the other a metallic sphere, an officer sent to bring the escort to justice for her crime. As weird as this idea sounds, the interviews of the two entities reveal just how ridiculous an Euclid SCP can be. The ending had me at a loss for words, and I wasn’t sure if I should shake my head or laugh out loud.
The Way of All Flesh is amongst the best Euclid SCPs of Series III. It starts off by describing a strange man, or entity, who’s supposedly been alive for centuries. Soon enough, however, it moves in an entirely different direction. It’s this latter half that makes this Euclid SCP so great, especially the little twist hidden at the ending.
SCP-2132 – Most Dangerous Fighting Exhibition and Obstacle Resort by ahbonjour
Dangerous obstacle courses are always an interesting idea for an Euclid SCP, but the Most Dangerous Fighting Exhibition and Obstacle Resort takes things even further. While the test logs and different results were all quite interesting, what made this Euclid SCP so great was its ending. It showcases that the object’s origin might be of a much more sinister nature than originally thought.
The Demon La Hire and the Valley of Lust was one of the first djkaktus Euclid SCPs I read. While it’s clearly connected to his greater universe, it works well as a standalone, too. Once more, we learn just how far the Foundation will go to contain entities and the terrible things it will to do. While the entity is clearly terrifying, there are implications near the end that make this Euclid SPC even better.
The Great Hippo is back with another truly horrible Euclid SCP. The Laughing Man is truly the stuff of nightmares. Once more, we’re reminded that the SCP Foundation can be a truly horrible place. What I loved the most was the doctor viewing D-Class as nothing but irredeemable monsters. Yet because of this, he actually causes them to become that. A truly brilliant Euclid SCP.
There are some Euclid SCP who are weird, and then there’s Room Service. It’s amongst the most bizarre entries on the entire SCP-Wiki. While the room itself and the channels on TV are rather unsettling, there’s more to this Euclid SCP. Once you read the final addendum, you will learn what’s truly going on and just how bizarre this Euclid SCP is.
Cragglewood Park is another pure horror Euclid SCP, and I absolutely loved it. I’ve always been a fan of scenarios, including strange dreams, hidden memories and especially creepy amusement parks. Yet, while the park and its descriptions are great in themselves, it’s the implications near the end that make it truly fantastic.
Series III is full of bizarre Euclid SPCs and this is one of them. I don’t know why, but I always enjoyed articles that are as weird as they are mysterious and this one hits all the right buttons. It comes with some great descriptions and visuals and a truly creative idea for an anomalous object.
Here we have another one of djkaktus’ Euclid SCPs and it’s one of my absolute favorites on the SCP-Wiki. I won’t say anything more about this one, but I urge you to read it if you’re a fan of truly weird SCPs. It’s definitely amongst the best Euclid SCPs of Series III.
Read Reality tells the story of a paradoxical pocket dimension or a non-dimension as we come to learn while reading. When an experiment goes wrong, Dr. Scranton is transported and trapped in this same non-dimension. The greatest part of this Euclid SCP, however, is the logs. They tell us the story of a man lost, trapped and entirely alone and who’s slowly eroding both mentally and physically. It’s a tale that’s as sad as it’s disturbing. This Euclid SCP packs quite a punch and serves to be amongst the best of Series IV.
The Infinite Ikea remains one of the most popular Euclid SCPs of all time. I’ve always been a fan of extra-dimensional SCPs, and the Infinite IKEA is amongst the best of them. While I love the idea of being trapped in a world that’s nothing but a giant IKEA, the diary entries of someone trapped in this world make it truly great. This Euclid SCP is nothing short of creative and tells a fascinating story.
This Euclid SCP concerns an ominous counting station. While I love the idea itself, the descriptions and details added into the story make it truly great. We are presented with interviews, audio analysis, and incident logs. Each of these elements adds to the mystery surrounding the SCP and helps us to understand what it might be. It’s a fantastic Euclid SCP, but its ending elevates it to one of the greatest.
Indeterminate Source is a hard science-fiction SCP, and it presents an idea that’s as fantastic as it’s weird. This entire Euclid SCP centers on disorientation, twisted memories, and a confusing order of events. Yet, it also comes with some interesting, futuristic world-building. While this Euclid SCP might be a bit too confusing and heavy on scientific details, I believe it’s very worth reading.
While there are many horror SCPs on the SCP-Wiki, A Monster-Shaped Hole proves to be amongst the most original. It’s an Euclid SCP that centers on thoughts and imagination than an actual entity or monstrous creature. Yet, because of this reason, this shifted focus it’s one of the best Euclid SCPs out there.
There is No Canon is without a doubt one of the strangest Euclid SCPs out there. Reading it was one of the strangest experiences during my time on the SCP-Wiki and even now, I’m still wondering what’s going on in this article. While the answer to what this Euclid SCP is might not be clear, and it might remain another, unresolved mystery, it serves as a very intriguing read.
Everybody Else is a rather straightforward and simple Euclid SCP, but one I truly enjoyed. It presents us with a diversion from the usual SCP tropes, one that’s as fantastic as it’s creepy. Once again, however, it’s the interview logs that make it truly great, at least once you realize what’s truly going on.
SCP-3838 – Nomads of the 4th-Dimensional Steppe by Tufto
Nomads of the 4th Dimensional Steppe is an Euclid SCP by Tufto, who I believe to be amongst the best writers in terms of prose on the SCP-Wiki. This Euclid SCP doesn’t disappoint either and presents us with one of the most creative ideas I’ve come upon. It centers on tribes of nomads who all live in the same area, but not at the same time. Instead of dividing up the land, they’ve divided up time as living space. It’s an idea that’s as creative as it is weird, but of course, there’s more to this SCP.
Tufto presents us with yet another extremely well-written Euclid SCP. It centers on a mysterious observatory in which the body of Genghis Khan is supposedly entombed. The Observatory of Genghis Khan is so great bot for its mystery of the locality itself, but also the outstanding writing. Yet, the best part by far is its ending, which comes with one of the best final lines I’ve ever read on the SCP-Wiki.
This Euclid SCP is yet another format screw and written more like a tale than an actual SCP. If you’ve read SCP-231, you’ll remember procedure 110-montaku and know what this one’s all about. I won’t say too much, but it’s one of the most complex origin stories on the entire SCP-Wiki. While it’s, without a doubt, one of the most well-written Euclid SCPs in Series V, it can drag on a little. Yet, I still regard it as worth reading.
Such Black Light is another long, highly ambitious Euclid SCP. I love the overall idea and the many pieces of art presented throughout this article. While some parts can feel slightly overblown, this Euclid SCP makes up for it by its outstanding ending.
I’m usually not a big fan of the lolFoundation SCPs that were popular in the SCP-Wiki’s earlier days. Readings who are familiar with the SCP Foundation’s deeper law and its many characters will know just how complicated a character Jack Bright is. This Euclid SCP toys with the idea of what would happen if there’d be more than one Jack Bright and the chaos it would bring. That’s what happens in The Plurality of Jack Bright and it’s nothing short of hilarious.
This Euclid SCP is amongst the cleverest and interesting entries I’ve come upon on the entire SCP-Wiki. It concerns a planet that might or might not exist. Yet, this Euclid SCP is not the planet itself, but its observation and what it would mean. It’s an incredibly interesting concept to ponder one. Once more, however, what I think truly makes this Euclid SCP great is the ending and its last line.
This Euclid SCP is yet another one written by the great Tufto and is amongst the most well-written on the entire SCP-Wiki. It concerns a minor planet known as Lamplight, which is the most remote settlement created by any sentient creature in the entire multiverse. After its founding, this place became an enclave for writers and artists of all sorts. The greatest parts about Lamplight are the fascinating world-building, the descriptions of its localities and the heavy, melancholic atmosphere that hangs so heavy over the entire place. All these details are revealed to us via general descriptions but also by the reports of one Junior Researcher, Sofia Ramirez. There’s an overall pervading feeling of nihilism to this entire Euclid SCP, a feeling that artists and writers are often fascinated by death but also the unknown. Lamplight has always been one of my favorite SCPs on the entire SCP-Wiki and is an outstanding Euclid SCP.
Comedy SCPs are usually not my cup of tea, but this Euclid SCP is fantastic. It’s among the funniest, most ridiculous SCPs in all of Series VI. While it’s a short piece, I still laughed out loud multiple times about how ridiculous it was. It’s a fantastic, unique little Euclid SCP that everyone who’s looking for something a bit more lighthearted should read.
The SCP-Wiki had its humble beginnings as a collection of creepypasta, which was written as scientific articles. While the tone and general focus of the site has shifted and broadened over the years, one can still find quite a few true Horror SCPs. “Mama?” is one of them, and it’s amongst the most bizarre, disturbing and sad Euclid SCPs I’ve ever come upon. It’s a well-written article full of powerful emotions. The horror, however, and especially the ending, is sure to make you cringe. It’s one of the best horror SCPs I’ve come upon and one of the most disturbing Euclid SCPs of all time.
O5-13 by Captain Kirby was one 001-proposals I truly enjoyed. Many other 001-proposals comprise grand, high concepts, but Captain Kirby’s Proposal proves to be rather humorous. I loved everything about this Euclid SCP and I had an absolute blast reading.
While putting together my list of the best SCPs, I read a variety of SCPs, and also some who were neutralized SPCs.
Neutralized SCPs describe objects that have lost their unusual properties. This can happen in a variety of ways, including the destruction of the object, the object’s death or its disappearance from our plane of existence.
While an object’s destruction is often caused by accidents, there are also some which have been destroyed intentionally. This is often done by organizations opposed to the SCP Foundation or happens because of events beyond its influence.
While neutralized SCPs are amongst the rarest SCPs on the SCP-Wiki, some of them are very worth reading. That’s why I put together this short list of the best neutralized SCPs.
Notice: All articles cited here are licensed under CC-BY-SA.
The Song of Genesis is amongst the most interesting Series I and neutralized SCPs I’ve come upon. The song itself is a certain piece of music. Should you listen to it, a variety of things will happen. While it initially revitalizes you, the longer you listen, the stranger and more dangerous the song’s effects will become. The descriptions of these effects are both dangerous and disturbing. What makes this neutralized SCP great, however, is the interview that follows at the end.
The Rainbow Body is amongst the most complex articles on the entire SCP-Wiki. It comprises a variety of historical tie-ins, scientific details and even philosophical musings. While I enjoyed this article a lot and think many of its parts are outstanding, I feel it’s a tad bit too long. Yet, it’s amongst the most ambitious articles on the SCP-Wiki and a lot of effort was put into it by its author. For this reason alone, it’s worth reading and worth including in this list of the best neutralized SCPs.
The Blind Idiot is one of the few articles on the SCP-Wiki that succeeds in describing an alien entity. This neutralized SCP details what happens when said entity enters our universe. It’s an incredibly strange, but also fascinating article. The writing is perfect and both the description of the entity, but also the dialogues are nothing short of outstanding. While The Blind Idiot might be amongst the strangest neutralized SCPs, it’s also amongst the best articles on the entire SCP-Wiki.
Cousin Johnny, or SCP-2852, was never amongst my favorites. It was a collection of gore and body horror and nothing much else. Imago ties into it, but it’s also a vastly different and more complex piece with a lot of Christian tie-ins. What this neutralized SCP stands out for, however, is the Lovecraftian entity described in its latter half, and the well-written ending.
Here we have another format screw by The Great Hippo, one of the best writers on the entire SCP-Wiki. This entire neutralized SCP isn’t written as a normal article, but as a thriller noir told from the first person point of view. It’s an odd idea, but it’s just so well-written one can’t help but love it.
The True Empire is a neutralized SCP that ties into the idea of SCP-140 – An Incomplete Chronicle. The Daevite Empire is one of the most popular creations on the SCP-Wiki and is described as one of the most dangerous civilizations in history. SCP-6140 describes the events leading up to and after the eventual completion of the Chronicle. Nothing more should be said about this article other than that it’s amongst the very best neutralized SCPs.
Putting together a list of the best Jane Austen books might appear a simple task. Who doesn’t know such classics as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility or Persuasion?
Jane Austen was born in the late 18th century. She’s one of the most popular and celebrated writers of all time, and her works are cited as some of the finest examples of British literature.
Jane Austen
It’s regrettable to know that many of her works were originally published anonymously and brought her little success during her lifetime. Yet, in the decades following her death, they should influence the literary landscape like no other.
Jane Austen’s books are beautifully written, tell timeless stories and come with casts of unforgettable characters. They feature an array of themes, such as love, class difference, societal expectations, wealth and poverty, the value of family, but most of all, the role of women in society.
Her stories center on the domestic life of the landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. What made her works stand out and so influential, was that they were told from a female perspective. This was something unheard of in a, until now, male dominated world.
These female characters broke established traditions and remained beloved and celebrated to this day. While they are under strict social constraints, they showcase strength, wit, cleverness, bravery, and humor. They differ greatly from the meek and mild-mannered woman that were so common in literature at the time.
While Jane Austen is most known for her six major novels, I gave this list of the best Jane Austen books a wider focus and also include some of her lesser known works.
What better way to open this list of the best Jane Austen books than with one of her earliest works?
Love and Friendship was supposedly written when Jane Austen was still only a teenager, no older than fourteen, and to amuse her family.
It’s a satirical take on the romance novels so popular at the time.
The story’s told via a series of letters. They are exchanged between our two main characters. One is Laura, the other is her friend’s daughter, Marianne. In these letters, Laura tells Marianne about failing in love, but as a cautionary tale about the dangers of romance.
While it’s clearly an early work and not one of the best Jane Austen books, it’s still an interesting read for fans of Jane Austen. It’s always interesting to read the earlier works of popular writers and see their often humble beginnings.
Even more interesting, however, is that even this very early work already shows Jane Austen’s disdain for many romantic clichés.
It’s a novella which tells a darkly funny story, and is once again written as a series of letters between different characters.
It centers on the charming Susan Vernon, a beautiful widow in her thirties. She enjoys nothing more than to toy with men for her own entertainment. She’s known to get what she wants and uses her manipulative ways to seduce every man she meets.
After the death of her first husband, she’s in financial troubles and sets out to marry off her teenage daughter, Fredrica, and to find a better man for herself.
Eventually, Lady Susan captures the hearts of two men, the married Mr. Manwaring, and her sister-in-law’s brother, Reginald. Things get complicated, however, when Fredrica, too, falls for Reginald.
Lady Susan is rather rough when compared to Jane Austen’s later works. While it’s far from one of the best Jane Austen books, we can already see her satirical humor and her female characters who stray from the norm.
Yet, these aren’t the only elements shown here that should come to define her later works. Lady Susan shows her talent at creating humorous plots, love struck characters and male antagonists who are both hilarious and annoying.
The Beautiful Cassandra is a miniature novel comprising only twelve chapters. It was written as a dedication to her older sister, Cassandra.
It’s a parody of the melodramatic, sentimental and picaresque novels of the time.
The story centers on a young, mischievous woman named Cassandra, who sets off into the world to make her fortune.
The plot follows her as she sets out on a visit to London to have a perfect day. There she commits a series of slightly criminal but joyful acts, including stealing from shops and spying on the locals.
In the end, The Beautiful Cassandra is a short and lighthearted little tale.
Once again, this is an earlier work written during Jane Austen’s youth, but once more we can see many of her later elements at play here. It showcases the irony that should so define her work, a gift for parody, a sense for the absurd, but most of all, her growing talent as a writer.
The Beautiful Cassandra might not be an outstanding work, but I still think this miniature novel is an interesting addition to this list of the best Jane Austen books.
With Sanditon we’re moving away from Jane Austen’s juvenilia and move right to her last, but ultimately unfinished, novel. Jane Austen passed away at only forty-one-years old and finished only eleven chapters of Sanditon.
The story follows Mr. Parker. He has aspirations of developing the small fictional sea side town of Sanditon into a bustling seaside resort and a playground for those who want to be seen.
For this, he enlists the help of the wealthy widow, Lady Dunham.
While Sanditon was, unfortunately, never finished, it still features many of the elements so common in the best Jane Austen books. It features a colorful cast of characters, is full of social criticism, witty humor and pokes fun at society’s obsession with the next new thing.
Sanditon still makes for an interesting read for those who are interested in the works of Jane Austen and who are interested in reading more than her six major novels.
The Watsons is a novel Jane Austen supposedly began in 1803, but abandoned in the following year and never revised. It was only her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh who eventually published it as part of a biography titled A Memoir of Jane Austen.
It tells the story of Emma Watson, the daughter of a widowed clergyman. She’s been well educated and raised by her wealthy aunt.
Her life’s good, but when her aunt remarries, Emma is forced to return to her home. She now has to live with her father, brother and sisters.
From now on, it’s Emma’s task to find husbands for her unrefined and reckless sisters.
While The Watsons is yet another unfinished novel, I still included it in this list of the best Jane Austen books. It features many elements that make it worth reading, especially a strong female lead, class division, the contrast between poverty and wealth. It’s definitely worth reading for fans of Jane Austen’s books.
Northanger Abby was the first of Jane Austen’s six major novels. It was, however, the last of them to be ever published.
Northanger Abby is lighter than most of her other later novels. It’s fun, lively, but also full of drama. It’s seen as a satire of the gothic genre, so popular at the time and a coming-of-age story.
The novel’s story follows the naïve, seventeen-year-old Catherine Moreland, who thinks herself a heroine in training. She loves and is addicted to romantic, gothic novels.
She’s one of ten children, but the only one of her siblings invited on a trip to Bath along the Allen family. There she meets Henry Tilney, a young clergyman, and falls in love with him.
When Henry and his sister invite her to their family estate, Northanger Abby, she’s delighted to leave her dull home behind. Once there, her imagination runs wild, and she imagines herself in the center of one of the stories she loves so much. For she suspects that the old gothic mansion hides a nefarious secret.
Catherine is essentially a young woman who depends on fairy tales and novels to make sense of the world around her. While one can tell that Jane Austen’s fond of her, she doesn’t shy away from mocking her, making fun of her and laughing at her. She even addresses the reader to give satirical contemplations about the events at play.
As mentioned before, the gothic novel was extremely popular during Jane Austen’s times. These novels were full of dewy-eyed and slightly dim heroines who relied on man. It was these clichés that always filled Jane Austen with contempt and Northanger Abby was her own way of digging into the genre and poking fun at it.
Overall, Northanger Abby might be the weakest of Jane Austen’s major novels, but it’s still a delight to read and not a bad book. Especially for its humor and satirical elements.
Sense and Sensibility was the first of Jane Austen’s six major novels to be published.
While it was initially published anonymously, it has become a beloved classic and is now considered one of the best Jane Austen books.
The novel tells the coming-of-age story of the Dashwood sisters, Marianne and Elinor, and their search for love. However, it’s also a portrayal of deep sisterly love and solidarity.
The two sisters couldn’t be more different. Elinor, the older, relies on her head and is the responsible and sensible one. Marianne, on the other hand, relies on hear heart, and is of an emotional and impulsive character.
When their father dies, they fall into poverty, have to move out of the family home and are now forced to live in a small cottage.
Before long, they both fall in love, however both relationships are doomed to fail because of their respective characters. Elinor falls for a man who’s promised to another woman while Marianne falls for an unfitting suitor who eventually leaves her behind.
These failed romantic experiences force the sisters to reexamine their perspective. Marianne has to learn not to chase fairytale love while Elinor has to lead her guard down and learn to trust into her feelings.
Sense and Sensibility is a tale that explores the problems of how to handle one’s feelings in a society that values status above everything else and is governed by strict rules. It also shows the weight on women’s shoulders so common during the time of its writing and the hardship they go through to find a good husband to support their families.
Sense and Sensibility isn’t as refined in certain aspects and lacks the focus of other, later Jane Austen novels. Yet, one can tell that it’s here Jane Austen figured out her literary skills and started on her path of mastery.
That doesn’t mean Sense and Sensibility isn’t worth reading. It’s still a fantastic novel and amongst the best Jane Austen books.
Our next entry on this list of the best Jane Austen books isn’t a novel. Instead, it’s a collection of her letters which can be seen as an intimate biography. While many biographies on Jane Austen’s life exist, this collection of letters stands out in a variety of ways.
It sheds light on Jane Austen as a person, her family and her life. The letters are organized chronologically and full of researched annotations.
In these letters, we’re shown her witty and memorable tone of voice, but also get to know her deeper thoughts and ideas.
Jane Austen’s Letters is the perfect book for those who want to learn more about her as a writer and connect on a deeper level.
It’s always an interesting experience to read biographies, but this one’s much more personal than those of other writers and akin to works such as A Writer’s Diary by Virginia Woolf.
Jane Austen’s Letters is a delight for fans of Jane Austen but also for those who enjoy reading the biographies of writers.
Mansfield Park is Jane Austen’s third published novel. It’s her most controversial book and one that differs from the other best Jane Austen books.
It’s, overall, characterized by more mature themes. Mansfield Park’s focus isn’t on love, but on greed and recklessness. Yet, it’s still considered amongst the best coming-of-age stories of all time.
Mansfield Park centers on Fanny Price. At ten years old, she’s sent to live with her wealthy uncle and aunt, the Bertram’s, at their country estate, Mansfield Park.
Because of her impoverished upbringing, she’s mistreated not only by her uncle and aunt but also by three of her four cousins. It’s only the fourth, Edmund, who treats her kindly and who she eventually falls in love with.
Before long, however, the Crawford siblings, the sophisticated Henry and the vivacious Mary, move near the estate. While Henry flirts with two of Edmund’s sisters, Edmund himself starts a relationship with Mary. These events soon cause emotional upheaval for the Bertram family.
Mansfield Park stands out most for its heroine, Fanny, who differs from her other female protagonist. While they are usually witty, bright, desirable and know what they want, Fanny’s quite different. She stays in the shadows and quietly observes life. She’s of timid character, is silent, introverted and mouthy, but adheres to her own strict moral code. However, she’s much better at reading the people around her.
While this makes her a far more complex character and woman, many critics and even Jane Austen’s mother deemed her as too insipid.
Mansfield Park is, overall, a more serious and moral book, and one could even say a much darker book than the rest of her novels. It explores and questions what truly holds value. Is it money itself, or is it what we can do with it? Is it charm or is it goodness?
Emma is Jane Austen’s fourth published novel and another timeless coming-of-age story. For it, Jane Austen set out to create a character that no one but herself would very much like.
It’s by many critics considered a comedy of manners.
The titular character is Emma Woodhouse. She’s a spoiled young woman from the high society of Highbury. Not only is she beautiful and charming, she also thinks she knows what’s best for everyone around her. She’s also rich and has the freedom not to get married and promptly declares she never will.
Emma shows no interest in the romantic attraction given her, and instead believes herself a natural matchmaker. While she wants and believes she’s of help, she’s much too insensitive and causes chaos and misunderstandings.
Blinded by her desire to continue her matchmaking, she soon becomes entangled in a net of complicated relationships. When she makes an unforgiveable error, however, she risks even her own chance of true happiness.
This eventually forces Emma to look at herself and her own emotions. Before long, she has to realize just how naïve she is and what love means. Things get even more complicated for her when she develops feelings for her neighbor, Mr. Knightly.
The reason Emma deserves such a high place on the list of the best Jane Austen books is because of its heroine. While she starts out as an infuriating and unlikeable character, she eventually turns into one of Jane Austen’s most endearing and loveable. This is all because of Jane Austen’s skills in showcasing her thoughts and inner workings.
Overall, Emma’s adventures are nothing short of entertaining and Jane Austen wastes no time to poke fun at this unlikely heroin.
Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen’s most popular novel. Almost everyone, no matter if fan or not, has heard of it. It’s by many regarded as the best of all the Jane Austen books.
It’s a heartwarming, historical romance that is still enjoyed two centuries after it was written. Its popularity never waned. The book always remained in print and serves massively popular amongst modern readers.
Following countless adaptions for the big screen, the book has also been adapted in another, more bizarre way, a work titled Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
Our heroine is Elizabeth Bennet, or Lizzy, one of five daughters living in the Longbourn estate with their parents. Lizzy is headstrong, cynical, and witty and should become one of the most famous and beloved female characters of all time.
The novel’s plot revolves around the troubles of the five Bennett sisters and the pressure of the marriage market. Their future’s uncertain since their home is bequeathed to the closest male heir.
Things change when Mr. Bingly, a young, rich and eligible bachelor, arrives in the neighborhood. Jane, the oldest and most faultless of the Bennett sisters, soon begins a relationship with him.
Accompanying Mr. Bingly is the young, aloof and proud Mr. Darcy who’s immediately attracted to Lizzy. While Lizzy’s captivated by him, she’s also repulsed by his behavior.
Pride and Prejudice is essentially a story of enemies who become lovers. We follow them as they each have their pride humbled, overcome their prejudices, and finally fall in love.
Yet, the novel is also the story of the Bennett family. For not all is well, and eventually, Lydia Bennett’s behavior threatens the family’s reputation.
Pride and Prejudice comes with a biting sense of humor and features a cast of unforgettable characters. There’s, of course, our protagonist, Lizzy, but also Mr. Collins and the rest of the Bennett family. They have become one of literatures most believed family.
While many see Pride and Prejudice as a funny and witty romance novel, it has much more to offer. It showcases the social rules of the time and how to unravel them. It also explores the tensions between truths acknowledged by society and authentic human feelings.
Pride and Prejudice is without a doubt amongst the very best Jane Austen books, and by many, considered her best.
Persuasion was Jane Austen’s final novel and was only published posthumously by her brother Henry.
It features another one of Jane Austen’s most beloved heroines, Anne Elliot.
Over the course of her life, Jane Austen came to express deep concerns over how society pressures and persuades young women, and this novel is a testament of these thoughts.
While Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen’s most popular novel, Persuasion might be her most finely crafted one. Pride and Prejudice is witty, fun and entertaining. Persuasion, on the other hand, is a deeper, quieter and more realistic and mature novel. It’s a melancholic, almost lyrical story.
The novel’s plot centers on Anne Elliot, a twenty-year-old English woman. When Anne’s wealthy family falls from grace and experiences financial troubles, they are forced to rent out their home to Admiral Croft and his wife, Sophia.
As fate wants it, eight years ago, Anne was engaged to Sophia’s brother, Captain Fredrick Wentworth. Back then, Fredrick was nothing but a lowly naval officer, and Anne’s friend persuaded her to call off the engagement.
Fredrick, however, has become a wealthy man and is now famous for his war-time accomplishments. Meanwhile, Anne is a faded beauty, still unmarried and considered an old maid by the younger woman around her.
When Fredrick returns, Anne realizes she’s still in love with him and regrets ending their relationship. Yet Fredrick hasn’t quite forgiven her.
Persuasion is essentially a will-they-will-they-not type of plot. Anne suffers, and we as readers suffer with her, for Jane Austen shows no mercy and often toys with the reader’s expectations. After a series of plot twists and complications that drive them first further apart, they eventually reunite.
Persuasion is a novel that explores the strength of love and of second chances.
This is told from the perspective of one of her best heroines, Anne. She’s older and much more mature than Jane Austen’s other heroines. She’s used to disappointment, full of regret, and nostalgia, but develops tremendously over the course of the novel.
The novel also harshly criticizes society, and how easily young woman are swayed and persuaded by what’s expected of them. This makes Persuasion not only a work of fiction but also a commentary on social history.
All these elements make Persuasion the most satisfying of Jane Austen’s novels and one of the best Jane Austen books.
Urban fantasy books have become some of the most widely read books of the twenty-first century.
There’s a good reason for it. Urban fantasy is one of the most exciting, fascinating, and unique genres in modern literature.
While it usually involves fantastical plot, it’s vastly different from standard fantasy. Urban fantasy’s not set in a typical fantasy world, instead it plays out in our modern, real life world or one similar to it.
It’s a dynamic and diverse genre that often combines a variety of well-known tropes with new and unique ideas.
Urban fantasy books are filled with fantastical and mythological creatures like werewolves, vampires, witches, fairies, goblins and many others. Yet, many urban fantasy writers add their own touch to these elements. They distort them or mix them up in new and exciting ways. This makes urban fantasy books a delight to read for those who are looking for unique stories.
For this list, I selected a variety of different urban fantasy books. While some are standalone titles, others might be part of a longer series. All of them, however, are very worth reading.
Borderland is said to have started the urban fantasy trend.
Published back in 1986, it’s an anthology of short stories who all take place in Bordertown. It’s a chaotic, dystopian city which divides the human world from the mythical ‘Elflands.’
Things aren’t what they seem in Bordertown. Neither magic nor human engineering works as it should, and their unpredictable combination often proves fatal.
The town itself is inhabited by a cast of wonderful and strange characters. We get to know youthful outcasts and runaways, magical magicians and even so-called half-residents, descendants from the union of humans and elves.
All of them struggle to make sense of the world around them. Yet it’s a world that defies comprehension.
Borderland is a classic amongst urban fantasy books. While it caters primarily towards teenage readers, it comprises a variety of serious themes: disenfranchised youth culture, race relations, class conflict, generation gaps and much more.
Borderland is a great way to start off this list and any fan of urban fantasy books should read it.
War of the Oaks was first published in 1987 and it defined the modern urban fantasy genre in a similar note to the aforementioned Borderland.
It tells the story of a young musician Eddi McCandry. Her life takes a turn for the worse when her band breaks up and her boyfriend dumps her.
Things, however, are bound to get even weirder. One night, as she’s walking home through downtown Minneapolis, she’s drafted into an invisible war between two factions of the fairy folk. From this point onward, she’s about to struggle for her survival in this strange new world. All the while, she’s also trying to put together a new rock band.
War of the Oaks is a novel that’s written in lyrical fashion but also in a style that’s rather rough. It’s a book that’s as fantastic as it’s down to Earth. It tells a story of genuine love, loyalty, devotion, and, of course, real musicians.
War of the Oaks is another of the classic urban fantasy books, and any fan of the genre should check it out.
Patricia Briggs is one of the biggest names in urban fantasy and one of the most innovate writers the genre offers.
Moon Called is the first in the Mercy Thompson series comprising twelve novels.
The book includes a variety of fantastical elements and features a lot of mythological creatures such as werewolves, vampires, fairies, but also witches, shapeshifters and many others.
It tells the story of Mercy Thompson, a skilled mechanic who’s a shapeshifter, a so-called walker, who can turn into a coyote at will.
She and other mythological creatures live in their home of the so-called Tri-Cities. Everything seems to be all right and life’s harmonious. Yet, trouble’s been brewing below the surface for a long time.
Our story starts when a teenage boy arrives at her shop looking for work. Before long, it’s revealed that he not only turned into a werewolf recently but also escaped from a laboratory.
Mercy asks Adam Hauptman, the alpha of the local werewolf pack, for help. This act of kindness, however, has dire consequences, for Mercy soon learns that what happened to the boy wasn’t an isolated incident. From now on, she must set out to save those who are dear to her.
Urban fantasy’s a genre full of badass heroines, but Mercy Thompson proves to be one of the best ones. While Moon Called is an urban fantasy book that comes with a lot of familiar elements, Patricia Briggs is able to warp and change them into an entirely new and innovative story.
Moon Called is definitely one of the best urban fantasy books out there and a fantastic start to a brilliant series.
Wicked Lovely is another well-known urban fantasy novel. It’s once again the first in another, longer series of urban fantasy books.
It’s set in a world in which faeries live hidden amongst humans. They have terrible power and are of a cruel nature, especially against non-faerie folk.
Aislinn Foy is a teenager with a special power. She’s a so-called Sighted, which means she’s able to see faeries. For most of her life, however, she’d been afraid of them and chosen to ignore them.
This changes when the faerie Summer King Keenan believes she may be his new Summer Queen. Yet, at the same time, Aislinn got feelings for her best friend Seth. Before long, things get out of control and, even worse, dangerous.
What’s most interesting about the novel, however, is the intertwining of 18th century fairytales and folklore with the modern day expectations of teenagers.
While the book can be teeny and hormone fueled, it makes up for it by being a fantastic read.
Fated is the first novel in the Alex Versus series, set in Camden London, which comprises fourteen urban fantasy books.
Our protagonist Alex Verus runs a magic shop, but of course not an ordinary one. Instead of selling wands, cards and magic sets, he sells mysterious artifacts, some of which hold incredible power.
Yet, Alex himself is not an ordinary person either. He’s a mage with the power to see into the future. His life, however, is mundane, and he spends his days simply running his store.
All that changes when his apprentice Lune comes into the store with a mysterious crimson glass cube. Alex knows right away that his life’s about to change. While he doesn’t know why and how, he knows he’s in danger and there’s no way of avoiding it.
Fated is a fantastic urban fantasy book and a great introduction to one of urban fantasy’s best series.
In this urban fantasy book, we get to know Caroline Evelyn Merit. She was a normal twenty-eight-year-old graduate student.
One day, however, she’s attacked by a rogue vampire. Before he can finish the deed, he was scared away by another vampire, allowing Merit to survive the Caroline to survive the encounter. This other vampire is Ethan Sullivan, the head of Cadogan House.
From this day onward, however, she’s a vampire herself and now has to handle her new life. This includes hiding her identity from her roommate, getting together with the other vampires of Cadogan House, but also coping with her attraction to Ethan. Yet, he’s not merely her master, but he’s also got feelings for her of his own.
While Some Girls Bite might sound similar to other urban fantasy books, it’s worth reading. It features an interesting, female narrative, and outlines the many problems our protagonist faces in her new identity in our normal, modern day world.
Broken Elements is the first of three books in the Elements series. It’s a mixture of urban fantasy and murder mystery.
Aidan Brook is an elemental. This means she’s got the power to manipulate water with her mind. When her powers fail her one night, however, the consequences prove fatal.
Unable to cope with what she’s done, she tries to flee her old life and what she’s done. While she’s trying desperately to forget the past, the grisly murder of an old friend draws her back to the scene of her crimes, Lake Tahoe.
Before long, the FBI, too, is on her case and her quiet life ends. Even worse, a deadly killer soon sets his sights on her. Aidan now has to relearn her powers to survive. Yet, can she use them for good, or will she bring even more death?
With a great, tragic protagonist, lots of magical elements and a murder mystery, this book has it all for fans of urban fantasy books and innovative stories.
Sandman Slim is the first entry in the Sandman Slim series comprising over ten books.
The book centers on a trope as old as time, the battle between heaven and hell. Yet, this series of urban fantasy books twists this idea, makes it fresh and tells its story uniquely.
We get to know a man named James Stark, who’s known as Sandman Slim. He spent his teenage years as a magician, but before long, his powers were noticed by a demon. This demon took Sandman Slim to hell itself, and for eleven years, he was forced to perform a sideshow to entertain Satan’s minions.
When he’s finally able to escape, he sets out for revenge. He now hunts down the devil, who took him to hell and the mysterious group surrounding him.
Before long, however, he realizes there’s more to all this, and the truth is much more terrifying than he could’ve ever thought. For he soon finds himself dragged into a battle that’s been going on for much, much longer, that between heaven and hell.
Sandman Slim’s a fantastic series featuring a great antihero protagonist. It showcases that the path to retribution and revenge is never an easy one and there are often powers beyond our understanding which might influence and mess with us.
Simply a fantastic novel and part of a fantastic series of urban fantasy books.
Before he wrote American Gods, Neil Gaiman was already a titan of urban fantasy. It’s thanks to Neverwhere, which enthralled millions and was adapted not only into a radio play but also a TV series.
Under the streets of London lies a place that its citizens would never have dreamed of. It’s a city of monsters, saints, murderers, angels, knights in armor and pale girls in black velvet. It’s essentially a city of people who’ve fallen between the cracks.
We get to know Richard Mayhew, a young businessman who recently moved to London and who’s soon going to find out more about the other London. When he helps an injured girl named Door on the street one night, he’s catapulted into this other chaotic, magical place known as London Below.
After losing everything, he now travels London Below to make sense of it all and to find his way back to the normal world, London Above.
Neverwhere is an urban fantasy classic. It showcases Neil Gaiman’s imagination and his talent as a writer. It’s an absolutely fantastic novel with a lot of interesting ideas that doesn’t need to hide behind Gaiman’s other, more popular works.
Dead Until Dark is the first entry in the Sookie Stackhouse series of urban fantasy books. It has proven to be one of the most popular and well known urban fantasy series and served as the inspiration for the show True Blood.
It follows a young woman, Sookie, who lives a seemingly normal life. Yet, there’s more to her than meets the eye. Sookie’s got telepathic abilities. Instead of taking them for normal, however, she thinks she’s going crazy.
In the world of Dead Until Dark, the existence of vampires is common knowledge. They are of a serious and reserved character, which always proves to create fun interactions with the quirky Sookie. These are especially prevalent when she’s interacting with her boyfriend Bill, who’s, of course, a vampire.
The novel’s plot truly gets going when a series of murders happens and vampires get blamed for them. Yet, Sookie and Bill aren’t so sure that’s the truth and set out to solve them.
Dead Until Dark is an interesting and unique mixture of small-town southern America and dark, macabre vampires. It comes with a cast of fantastic characters and an intriguing premise in the form of a murder mystery. It’s a mystery which serves to be far more complicated than originally thought.
While Twilight and other series in the romance vampire subgenre might be more popular, the Sookie Stackhouse series is considered one of the finest entries.
Ilona Andrews is another popular and prolific urban fantasy writer. Magic Bites is where it all began. It’s the first in the massively popular Kate Daniels series comprising ten novels and several novellas.
Magic Bites is set in a world which fell victim to a magical apocalypse. One day, magic appeared. Rogue mages rose to power because of their spells, and monsters appeared.
This appearance of magic changed everything and made everything unpredictable. Soon technology started to fail. Guns didn’t fire, cars didn’t start and many other devices didn’t work as intended. Even worse, should either magic or technology work, the other will ultimately fail.
In this unpredictable, dystopian world, we get to know Kate Daniels. She lives in the city of Atlanta amongst vampires, were-creatures, necromancers and many other fantastical creatures. She herself is a sword-wielding mercenary who earns a living cleaning up magical problems.
When her guardian’s murdered, she sets out for answers and revenge. Soon enough, she finds herself involved in a power struggle between two opposing factions. As tensions rise, she becomes pressured by both sides and, before long, things get out of hand.
The most interesting element of Magic Bites has to be the unpredictability of not only magic, but also technology. It allows for quite a few strangely comedic moments, but also for the breaking of established rules.
Magic Bites is a fantastic debut novel of one of urban fantasy’s most popular writers. It’s a great novel with an interesting setting and most of all, a fun read.
Cassandra Clare is another massive name in the urban fantasy genre and her novel City of Bones helped bring the genre to mainstream attention.
City of Bones is the first of six books in The Mortal Instruments series. It received international acclaim in the young adult urban fantasy genre and was even adapted into a TV series.
Clary Fray is a normal, fifteen-year-old teenager. Her life changes when she witnesses a terrible murder committed by three tattooed teenagers carrying bizarre weapons. Before she can call the police, however, the victim’s body disappears without leaving behind a trace.
The perpetrators are Shadowhunters. They are powerful warriors sent to defeat evil demons that roam the earth.
After a series of increasingly bizarre events, Clary slowly finds herself pulled towards the Shadowhunters’ world. When her mother’s kidnapped, she’s got to team up with no other than the Shadowhunters to find out who’s taken her. Before long, she learns the truth about the Shadowhunters, their world and also the things her mother hid from her.
Now Clary, who used to be just a normal teenager, finds herself amid a supernatural battle between good and evil.
City of Bones is a fantastic young adult urban fantasy novel, one I highly recommend to any fan of urban fantasy books.
Midnight Riot is the first book in the Rivers of London series.
One has to wonder what makes London such a perfect setting for urban fantasy books. It’s a complex city with a rich history and a multicultural population.
Aaronovitch uses all these elements and another staple of urban fantasy, the police, to tell a fantastically, innovative story of magical mysteries. All this is spiced up with a healthy dosage of wry humor.
The novel introduces us to Peter Grant, a rookie cop. He’s assigned to the Case Progression Unit and his primary task is to fill out paperwork. Yet, Peter has a supernatural ability, he can see ghosts. When Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale recognizes these powers, Peter gets sent to magical training and is moved to a different unit.
From here on out, he works with Nightingale to solve various magical cases in London. The direst one, however, is a series of violent attacks that always end with the perpetrator’s face falling off.
Before long, Peter finds himself in over his head and has to solve an age long dispute. He’s now in a new world, an underworld populated by gods, goddesses and a dark entity with an evil plan.
Midnight Riot is a fantastic start to one of urban fantasy’s most beloved series. While the book can be a bit too packed with plot points and events, it more than makes up for it by its fantastic characters. It’s overall a witty and highly enjoyable read.
Storm Front is the first book in the massively popular urban fantasy series The Dresden Files. It’s a series that changed the face of modern urban fantasy forever.
Storm Front tells the story of Harry Dresden, a paranormal investigator and wizard. He’s the best at what he does, especially since he’s the only one at what he does. This makes him a person of high demand at the Chicago Police Department, for which he solves paranormal crimes.
Whenever cases are beyond what the police can handle, they call Harry. His newest case concerns a missing amateur magician and two dead civilians whose hearts have been ripped out. Strapped for cash, he takes the job, but soon finds himself in too deep.
While he tries to figure out what’s going on, the Chicago P.D. soon suspects no other than him. He’s now got to find the missing magician and expose his role in the grisly case.
Yet, behind it all lingers another, more dangerous and dark entity.
Storm Front is an absolutely fantastic novel and the start of a fantastic series of urban fantasy books.
Harry Dresden is a great protagonist, but what makes the book such a delight is the combination of private detective work and the unique, paranormal mysteries at play.
The Dresden Files is one of the most popular and well-beloved urban fantasy series of all time and for a good reason. I highly recommend any fan of the genre to check it out.
One can’t talk about urban fantasy without mentioning the name Neil Gaiman and his novel American Gods.
While his novel Neverwhere mentioned before on this list was popular, American Gods is what changed everything. It’s one of the most popular and well-known urban fantasy books, if not the most popular. It’s by many called one of the best novels of the twenty-first century.
First published in 2001, it became an enormous success, won multiple awards and was turned into a successful TV series.
Shadow Moon’s an ex-con who’s locked behind bars for three years. He bids his time for all he wants is to get back to his wife Lauren and start a new life.
Yet, days before his release, his wife and best friend die in a car accident. Even worse, he finds out the two of them had an affair. He’s devastated, but upon his release reluctantly accepts an offer by the mysterious Mr. Wednesday to become his bodyguard.
Mr. Wednesday, however, isn’t who he’s supposed to be. He turns out to be Odin, the Norse God of War. He’s on a mission around America to recruit the other Old Gods and form an army to battle against the New Gods.
The New Gods are the modern gods, the gods of progress that have begun to dominate modern society and filled the gap left behind after the fall of the Old Gods. They represent such things as media, technology and commercialism.
Yet, soon enough, Shadow Moon questions his new employer. Why this battle? Something strange is going on and the more mysteries he unearths, the more he finds himself in over his head. Yet, what can a single man do when he’s surrounded by divine beings?
American Gods is nothing short of masterpiece and amongst the greatest urban fantasy books ever written. It’s a novel I highly recommend not only for fans of the genre but for all readers out there.
Dystopian literature is a genre of speculative fiction that has become massively popular over the last decade and a half. It’s no surprise dystopian books are enjoyed by a massive fan base.
While dystopian books were popular in the 19th and 20th century, their popularity has grown significantly in recent years. Our very own world seems on the verge of change because of a multitude of factors. There’s war, climate change, economic chaos, the pandemic, energy shortages and much, much more.
The most fascinating aspect and what always brings readers back to dystopian books is their setting. They always draw from our own world and mirror its elements, such as, amongst others, our society, politics, religion, and technology, and distort them. They essentially present us with a world similar to our own in which one or more of these elements have gone horribly wrong.
While some dystopian books explore apocalyptic events and their aftermath others, many focus on such issues as the decile of society, social issues, dehumanization, injustice and inequality.
Many writers have written about dystopian versions of our future. There’s such classical writers like George Orwell and H. G. Wells, but also contemporary writers such as Suzanne Collins or Kazuo Ishiguro.
What makes dystopian literature such an interesting genre might be the fact that these books show us that, however bad things are, they could be much, much worse.
The best dystopian books, however, are those that serve as cautionary tales and comment on the problems of our very own society, and where they could lead us.
On this list, I included both classics and newer books, and also a few young adult books. All of them, however, are worth reading.
Noughts & Crosses is the first dystopian book in an award-winning novel series. It’s garnered widespread popularity and was adapted for TV in recent years.
The novel depicts a fictional 21th-century dystopian Britain split by race. In this world, white Noughts are treated as an inferior race while black Crosses are born into privilege and perceived as superior.
The novel’s plot follows two friends, Sephy and Callum. While Sephy’s a Cross and the daughter of a powerful politician, Callum is a Nought, poor, and merely exists to serve Crosses.
Against all odds, however, the two of them chose each other and their love.
It’s a powerful story that reverses traditional racial stereotypes. It’s a story of friendship and love, but a love that threatens the very fabric of society.
Noughts & Crosses is an interesting dystopian book and gives as an entirely new, and uncomfortable look at the very real racial problems in our society. It’s very worth reading.
Philip K. Dick – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Philip K. Dick’s science-fiction masterpiece that inspired the movie Blade Runner.
It presents us with a post-apocalyptic setting and the resulting dystopian society. Following a nuclear war, the ‘World War Terminus’ huge parts of the world are uninhabitable because of radiation poisoning.
Because of this, real animals have become scarce. Instead, artificial creatures have been created to resemble those made of flesh, including humanoids.
The plot revolves around Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter, who’s tasked with killing six Nexus 6 model androids who escaped from Mars.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is an action-packed novel full of vivid and imaginative world-building. We witness a devastated world, a futuristic setting, strange psychological tests to identify androids and social status determined by the number of natural animals one owns.
The major theme of the novel, however, isn’t one about society. Instead, the novel talks about the nature of AI, the future it could lead us to, and what makes us truly human.
It’s a fantastic novel, one I highly recommend to any fan of science-fiction, cyberpunk, but also dystopian books.
When Battle Royal was first published in Japan, it proved massively popular and developed a cult following. Because of its fantastic movie adaption, the novel also became a hit with Western audiences.
It’s a Japanese thriller novel set in a fascist Japan and tells the shocking story of the titular Battle Royal program.
Each year, fifty third-year junior high classes are randomly selected. The students of each class are then kidnapped and dropped off at a remote location. They are provided weapons and provision and forced to kill each other until only one of them remains.
The novel’s story centers on the students of Shiroiwa Junior High School. Shuya Nanahara, our narrator, decides not to ‘play the game,’ as he refers to it and instead to protect his friends.
Battle Royal is an action-packed novel that features one of the most disturbing scenarios ever created. It also features a fantastic cast of characters, including Shuya Nanahara, Noriko Nakagawa, Shogo Kawada and, of course, Kazuo Kiriyama.
While the novel was first seen as nothing but pure exploitation and shock-value, its status has now changed. Nowadays, it’s often regarded as the Lord of the Flies of the 21th century and one of the best dystopian books out of Japan.
This classical dystopian book was written in 1951 and is set in a post-apocalyptic world.
One day, a large part of the world’s population is blinded by a meteor shower. What’s even worse, however, is the rise of a huge, locomotive, venomous plant species known as Triffids that roam the Earth and hunt down humans. The few humans who haven’t been blinded now have to find a way to survive.
The Day of the Triffids is a classical catastrophe novel that inspired countless other, similar novels and terrified an entire generation.
Over the course of the novel, it becomes clear that the Triffids might have been genetically modified. This fear of biological weapons came from a certain rumor popular during the time of its writing. It stated that the Soviet Union was experimenting with manipulating nature to do its bidding.
The most interesting aspect about The Day of the Triffids, however, lies in its antagonists. In a post-apocalyptic world, plants and nature are usually seen as a symbol of restoration and hope. Not so in The Day of the Triffids.
The novel’s major theme is the twisted nature of biological warfare and serves as a cautionary tale about the twisted horrors it might create.
It’s a great novel for fans of dystopian books and classical science-fiction alike.
Uglies is the first installment in the Uglies series and presents us with a very interesting idea for a dystopia.
The novel’s set in a world of extreme beauty in which everyone whose normal is considered ugly.
It tells the story of a young girl named Tally who’s about to turn sixteen. She can’t wait for it because it means she’ll finally undergo an operation that will turn her from an Ugly into an extremely pretty person, a Pretty. Once she’s pretty, she’ll be able to enter a high-end paradise of endless fun and leisure.
Before long, however, Tally has doubts about this strange system and eventually joins a colony of her fellow Uglies.
Scott Westerfeld’s dystopian book is social criticism at its finest. It showcases our obsession with beauty and attractiveness and our prejudice against those who aren’t.
Oryx and Crake is the first novel in Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam trilogy.
It’s set in a world in which humanity has been destroyed by a plague. We get to know Snowman, who believes himself to be the last human on Earth. He spends his days in this post-apocalyptic world surrounded by Crakers, a humanoid species created by his friend Crake.
He eventually embarks on a journey to find answers through what was once a great city and has now returned to wilderness.
As the book continues, our protagonist reminisces in his past and his role in the apocalypse is slowly revealed.
Back in the day, he and his friend stumbled upon the dark side of the internet. This act of childish curiosity should change their lives forever.
In their adult years, the world’s population is destroyed by a plague and those who survive it are set on creating genetically better humans. It’s Snowman, then known as Jimmy, and his friend Crake, who were at the center of this development.
Oryx and Crake is a dystopian novel that’s quite different from Margaret Atwood’s other dystopian book The Handmaid’s Tale.
It’s a story about the effects of our childhood on our adult years. It also serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of genetic modification.
Oryx and Crake will leave you disturbed by how plausible a scenario it presents. While not the most popular of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian books, it’s still very much worth reading.
Ursula K. Le Guin is not only a giant of modern literature, but also dystopian literature.
The Dispossessed is part of the fictional universe of the Hainish Cycle, which comprises seven novels, but can be read as a standalone.
The novel features two worlds, Anarres and Urras. Shelk, a brilliant physicist, lives in the utopian world of Anarres. He attempts, however, to reunite Anarres with his home of Urras.
Urras, however, is a civilization full of war, poverty, and, of course, capitalism. He tries to show the people of Urras a better way to live, but soon realizes it might be for the best if Anarres remains its own state.
It’s quite interesting that The Dispossessed is by some called a utopian novel. Its major themes center on the contrast between the freedom of an anarchic society and one that’s constrained by capitalism. Yet, it’s an ambiguous story, one that hides more below its surface than one might originally think.
Nothing much needs to be said about this dystopian novel. It’s written by a master of the genre and should be read by any fan.
Borne is Jeff VanderMeer’s eighth novel and in it, he presents us with a strange, but intriguing version of the future.
The stories set in a nameless city which is left in ruins by ‘the Company,’ a biotech corporation.
Rachel’s a young girl who makes a living scavenging the ruins for products made and left behind by the Company. One day, during a mission, she and her partner discover a strange creature. It’s nothing but a green lump, tangled in grizzly fur. She takes the creature home and names it ‘Borne.’
Soon enough, however, the creature reveals mesmerizing shape-shifting abilities. This event should change her life forever.
Borne’s a novel that’s strange and bizarre. It showcases an ecologically ravaged world and serves as a cautionary tale against the dangers of biotechnology.
VanderMeer’s writing is as unconventional as the story, and might take some getting used to, but it’s worthwhile. Borne’s without a doubt amongst the best dystopian books in recent years.
While George Orwell’s known mostly for his other dystopian novel Nineteen Eight-Four, Animal Farm is also massively popular.
Who doesn’t know the line ‘All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.’
Animal Farm’s a classic fable with a lasting lesson. It centers on the animals at Manor Farm. Dissatisfied with their human owners, they stage a revolt and drive them out. At first, all seems well, and the animals enjoy their newfound autonomy. Soon enough, however, another sort of tyranny replaces that of the humans, one that might be even worse.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm shows us how revolutions can go wrong and how their outcome might not bring the change people long for so dearly. In this Animal Farm’s case, it’s a clear criticism of the Soviet Union and the totalitarian regime it became.
What’s most interesting, however, and what makes it work so well, is George Orwell’s choice to not use human protagonists, but animals. Each one of them represents a specific subset of the population.
While it’s a short book, and rather on the nose, it’s still amongst the best dystopian books with a lasting message.
The Time Machine by H. G. Wells is one of the first true science-fiction novels ever written and one of the first portrayals of time travel in literature.
While it may not be entirely a dystopian novel, it still presents us with a dystopian version of the future.
During the Victorian era, a scientist develops a time machine and travels to the year 802,701 AD. He discovers Earth has become a utopia and humans have evolved into the childlike Eloi. He spends his time with them and learning about the development of humanity.
When his time machine vanishes, he’s forced to travel down into the deep and ominous tunnels below the surface. He soon discovers there’s another race descended from humans, the cannibalistic Morlocks.
The Time Machine’s major theme is that as brilliant and dazzling as a society might appear, it always has a dark underside to it. The novel also establishes many tropes of the time travel genre, especially its unexpected side-effects that have since become a staple of the genre.
It’s a fantastic novel with a great, convoluted and twisted plot. It’s a late Victorian era masterpiece and one of the most popular science-fiction books of all time.
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham is an allegorical tale set several thousand years in the future.
It’s another novel set in a post-apocalyptic world, but one dominated by religious fundamentalism. It’s essentially a new technological dark age after the collapse of civilization. However, some humans have developed telepathy.
The story’s set at Labrabor, whose inhabitants believe that ‘normality’ is the key to preserve their world. Anything that goes against it will cause the wrath of God to come down on them. Therefore, they’ve become eugenicists and kill or banish anyone who differs from them. This, of course, includes people with telepathic powers.
The story revolves around David, the son of a devout man and authority figure and his cousin Rosalind. We soon learn that the two of them have telepathic powers. As they grow older, it becomes harder and harder for them to conceal their powers.
Eventually, they face a dilemma. Wait for discovery and risk death, or flee into the ever-changing and dangerous Badlands.
The Chrysalids is a critic of religious fundamentalism. It showcases the persecution, intolerance, social exclusion, and discrimination such a world could bring. It’s yet another book that gives us an eerie prediction of what our real-life society could be headed towards.
The Chrysalids is often considered John Wyndham’s best book. It’s faced-paced and suspenseful, but also thought-provoking. A great read for anyone looking for dystopian books.
The Drowned World is one of the earliest works of climate fiction, a subset of the dystopian literature genre.
In the year 2145, the world’s changed and wide spread parts of it have become uninhabitable because of global warming. Many of the cities of Europe and America have become submerged and many animals around the globe have mutated.
The Drowned World’s plot centers on Dr. Robert Kearns, whose part of a group of scientists that must survive in an environmentally devastated London. The city’s changed into a primordial jungle populated by giant lizards, dragonflies and other insects. Things only get worse, for Dr. Kearny is soon beset by strange dreams.
The Drowned World is an adventurous novel that takes us on an unlikely journey. Yet, the novel’s more than a mere adventure. It paints a vivid picture of the dangers of global warming and what its changes would do to the human psychology.
What’s most interesting, however, is that the novel was written back in 1962, but it’s more relevant today than ever before. Another great read.
The Hunger Games Trilogy is a vastly popular series of dystopian books and probably the most popular young adult novel series of all time.
It’s a bestseller that’s already regarded as a classic of young adult literature.
The series is set in the totalitarian nation of Panem that was once North America. It comprises a lavish capitol, which rules its surrounding twelve districts with a cruel hand.
Each year, two teenagers, a boy and a girl, are chosen as tributes amongst the population of each district to join the annual Hunger Games.
The titular games are a death battle in an arena with only one winner. This winner earns riches and resources for their district. The entire ordeal, however, is done for the entertainment of those living in the capitol and broadcast live to the entire population.
When her sister gets chosen, Katniss Everdeen of the thirteenth district volunteers to go in her place. She must now train and figure out how to survive in the arena.
This is only the plot of the first novel, however. In the subsequent entries of the series, Katniss and others eventually decide to pick up the fight against the capitol itself.
The Hunger Games Trilogy features a variety of themes. Amongst them are class division, the decadence and disregard of the ruling class, and the power of love even in the direst circumstances. It also harshly criticizes the popular genre of reality TV.
Once more, the dystopia depicted in The Hunger Games doesn’t feel too far off. Following war, new civilizations emerge. Who’s saying it couldn’t be like that of ancient Rome, which served as the inspiration for Panem.
Overall, the Hunger Games are a fantastic young adult series and a fantastic trilogy of dystopian books. This is especially owed to their protagonist Katniss, who serves as a role model for female readers of all ages.
In 1998, José Saramago won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Blindness was one of the works mentioned by the committee.
The novel’s set in the year 1990. Overnight, a large percentage of the population of an unnamed city wakes up unable to see. The cause for this is never explained.
From this point onward, the city’s inhabitants have to figure out how to handle this new condition. Order soon disintegrates, food runs scarce, and criminals exploit the situation. Before long, surveillance is heightened and quarantines for those suffering from the condition are imposed.
Blindness is a disorienting read which uses its language and writing style to mimic the lives of the city’s inhabitants.
The novel showcases the fragility of human society and serves as a cautionary tale about how quick things could fall apart. More so, it sheds light on the violence and heartlessness that’s already at play in our society. Yet, it also shows the importance of solidarity and compassion in dire situations.
Blindness is José Saramago at his best. The novel features a unique scenario brought to life by fantastic imagery. Clearly another one of the best dystopian books out there.
One of the most popular novels by Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro.
It’s a coming-of-age tale that’s both powerful and exploratory.
The novel brings with a caretaker, Kathy, who’s in her thirties and reminisces about her childhood.
In the 1980s, she attended an English boarding school called Hailsham. The students were well-cared for, but taught nothing about the outside world.
When Kathy and her two friends, Ruth and Tommy, eventually leave the school grounds, they discover what Hailsham really is.
Never Let Me Go was named by Time as the best novel of 2005. It’s a dystopian book about sacrifice, impermanence, and what it means to be human. It focuses on the question of morality in an age of rapidly developing medical technology.
Its relevant themes and its simple yet emotional writing make it a great read for fans of dystopian books.
We’s a novel that was written in the early years of the Soviet Union and was published in New York in 1923. It’s an early example of a dystopian novel and is said to have inspired both, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Brave New World.
It’s set 1000 years in the future in a utopia. This utopia’s called OneState and comprises a glass-enclosed city of absolute straight lines.
It’s a totalitarian society and everyone’s under constant surveillance. The citizens live their lives devoid of passion, creativity and even emotions. Everyone’s given up on their individuality and instead of names, people are only known by numbers.
One day, D-503, a mathematician who dreams only in numbers, discovers he can do and think differently. It isn’t long before he becomes involved in a resistance group.
The most interesting part about the novel is to witness how our protagonist discovers feelings and relationships with others. It also sheds light on the strange conventions of the totalitarian rule, and, of course, the consequences of going against it.
We’s fantastically written, and its prose helps to establish the novel’s setting and mood. It features abrupt, dry language which helps us to not only identify with the narrator but also the situation he’s in. However, it paints a vivid picture of the bleak world he lives in.
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is without a doubt a classic amongst the many dystopian books out there, and a must-read for any fan of the genre.
The Stand’s probably the greatest novel Stephen King’s ever written.
While the novel’s an absolute doorstopper, it’s often advertised using a few short sentences:
‘First comes the days of the plague. Then come the dreams. Dark dreams that warn of the coming of the dark man.’
At the novel’s outset, a patient infected with a hyper-contagious strain of super-flu escapes a biological testing facility. The resulting epidemic wipes out ninety-nine percent of the world’s population.
Soon enough, normal society collapses, survivors struggle, and warring factions rise. This, however, is all just the beginning.
While Mother Abigail strives to create a peaceful enclave for the survivors, Randall Flagg, the ‘Dark Man’ revels in chaos and violence. Soon enough, those similar to him flock to his side.
Stephen King uses the point of view of various characters to showcase the struggles of survival as they travel to their respective destinations.
The Stand features a variety of fantastic characters. There are Mother Abigail, Larry Underwood, Randall Flagg, and, of course, Donald Elbert, the Trashcan Man.
The Stand’s simply a masterpiece, and one of the greatest dystopian books out there.
Parable of the Sower is one of the most iconic dystopian books out there.
It’s a science-fiction classic set in a disintegrating Los Angeles in the 2020s. It’s a grim, terrifying version of the future. Climate catastrophes have led to scarce resources and global anarchy has arisen.
Lauren Olamina tries her best to survive with her family in this devastated world. Yet, she’s also got to deal with a condition known as hyper empathy. It makes her hyper aware of the pain of others. In a city full of drugs, disease, war, water shortages and despaired people, there’s no end to her suffering.
The novel presents us with a world in which a functioning society is a thing of the past. By now, there’s only sorrow left. Yet, it also shows us the hope people cling to even in the direst situations.
While the novels told from a youthful narrative voice, the novel’s story itself is deep and emotionally mature.
Originally written in 1992, the novel has become widely popular, more so after its movie adaption in the mid-2000s.
It’s a fantastic, dystopian thriller in which humanity has become infertile. No children have been born in twenty-five years and the last generation has reached adulthood.
Civilization’s slowly falling apart and despair and suicide are commonplace. This deterioration has gone so far that members of this last generation are even allowed to get away with murder.
In this world, we meet the Oxford historian Theodor Faron. He’s given up all hope. This changes when he meets Julian. He and his group of revolutionaries hold the key to the survival of humanity.
The Children of Men is a story about morality, tyranny, but also hope. It also focuses on another problem, that of depopulation.
The most interesting aspect about The Children of Men is the scenario it depicts. While most dystopias or apocalyptic novels rely on war, catastrophe, a pandemic or even aliens and monsters, it depicts an end of the world that’s far more conventional, yet frighteningly possible.
Published back in 1953, Fahrenheit 451 is another classic amongst the many dystopian books out there.
It’s interesting to note that the book was inspired by the Red Scare of the 1940s in which America was under the thump of anti-communist hysteria.
The novel, however, is set in the distant future in which books are banned and intellectual thought is illegal. For this reason, firemen are tasked with the burning of books so the totalitarian regime can control what the members of society learn.
This society mostly comprises people of short attention spans who are constantly bombarded by brainless media.
Our protagonist, Guy Montag, works as a fireman. Things change when he meets a neighbor with a different opinion on the value of books. He soon steals books from the burnings and slowly questions not only his occupation, but society itself.
Fahrenheit 451 is a shockingly interesting book. While it’s unlikely, that books will ever be banned completely, it’s a cautionary tale on where censorship might lead us. Another interesting aspect is the presentation of brainless media consumption and mundane life without critical thinking, which is a theme that seems more relevant today than ever before.
While Fahrenheit 451 was an important book at the time of its writing, it feels even more relevant today because of the rise of Big Data.
It’s definitely a classic and one well worth reading.
The Giver’s an award-winning young adult classic and a coming-of-age story.
It’s set in a society devoid of social problems. It’s a perfect world without fear, war, or pain. Yet, it’s also one without choices. It’s a mundane paradise and essentially a colorless world.
The novel’s plot revolves around the twelve-year-old Jonas who’s chosen as a Receiver by The Giver. This means he has to memorize his community’s history. While he learns about the past, he soon realizes his society isn’t the perfect utopia he was taught. It’s the Giver who only holds the memories of true pain, but also the true pleasures of life.
It’s interesting to note that the book was both widely taught, but also banned for various reasons. These include introducing youth to suicide, sexual awakening and the loss of innocence.
The dominant theme of the book, however, is knowledge. What happens when only a select few can have it? Other themes include the dilemma of growing up and the struggle between individual freedom and security.
The Giver’s widely regarded a classic amongst dystopian books and has inspired many others.
A Clockwork Orange is regarded a classic and widely popular, especially because of its fantastic movie adaption by Stanley Kubrick.
It presents us with a dystopian, violent and nightmarish version of the future. In this world, youthful dissatisfaction with society is on the rise and has caused a spike in violence.
The novel’s plot revolves around the fifteen-year-old Alex, the leader of an ultra-violent gang. He and his crew commit all sorts of violent deeds as a form to rebel against society. Those acts include not only robbery but also rape and murder.
Eventually, Alex is arrested, and put into a reeducation program. There, he’s forced to undergo therapy to quell his violent urges and to be ‘corrected.’
One of the most interesting aspects about A Clockwork Orange is ‘Nadsat,’ the youthful slang Alex and his friends use. It’s not merely a specific vocabulary, but an entirely made-up language which borrows heavily from both Russian and Shakespeare.
The novel’s biggest themes are those of freedom, free will, psychological manipulation, and, of course, the alienation of youths in a society that doesn’t care about them.
A Clockwork Orange has proven to be highly influential and gave birth to a variety of phrases such as droogs and ultraviolence.
While it can be a rather brutal and violent novel, it’s another fantastic dystopian book.
The Power is another dystopian novel full of social criticism and features an interesting reversal about patriarchal powers.
Five thousand years in the future, society is dominated by women. A male author decides to write a piece of historical fiction detailing how things changed and how women came into power.
One day, in the 21th century, teenage girls across the world discovered that they had what should become known as ‘The Power.’ It refers to an electric charge which allows them to cause horrible pain and even death. They soon learn how to awaken this power in older woman as well. This strange power changes the entire world, and soon men are no longer in charge. As a new order forms, the question remains if things will be better from now on.
As we read on, the novel interesting intertwines the stories of various women from different parts of the world. This allows us to see various scenarios about how the balance of power was shifted.
The Power is essentially a ‘what-if’ scenario. Its major themes are that of power, how it corrupts us, and how it’s abused. It also serves as a cautionary tale about going too far to right a wrong.
It’s a clever, disturbing and, at times, darkly humorous novel. Yet, it’s not a comfortable read. There’s no utopia here, no equality. Instead the book shows only one thing: it’s not men nor women, it’s humans.
The Power is another fantastic dystopian book, one that puts its focus on woman’s oppression, but also systematic inequality.
Station Eleven is a fantastic dystopian novel about the enduring power of art.
After a famous actor dies on stage, a deadly flu epidemic wipes out most of civilization and changes the world forever.
The novel centers on a young woman who’s part of a traveling theater group. They visit small communities who’ve survived and perform for them King Lear. Yet, more troubles to come.
The most interesting aspect about Station Eleven is the way it’s told. It moves back and forth in time to show us normalcy before the epidemic started and the altered world that exists twenty years later. To do this, it showcases the lives of various characters. They include the aforementioned dead actor, his wife, a paparazzi who tries to save him, his close friend and a young aspiring actress who witnessed it.
This entire story, however, is held together by the theme of theater.
Station Eleven is a novel full of imagination and world-building. We witness what people remember, what remains of the old world and what changed. This approach gives it almost the feeling of a nonfiction account.
The novel’s dominant theme is the enduring power of art, but also the power of relationships between people and how they help us get through everything, even the end of the world. It also explores what it means to be human in a world that’s lost everything.
It’s not an easy novel to read and its theme of theater might not be for everyone. What it does, however, is show us what extreme conditions can do to human beings. It’s, however, one of the best dystopian books out there.
The Road is another vastly popular dystopian novel and one of the bleakest ever written.
It’s considered a contemporary classic and won McCarthy the Pulitzer Prize.
The Road is set in a post-apocalyptic America. It’s a world devoid of life where no hope remains. The few strugglers still alive scavenge and fight for the little resources left.
In this world, a father and son travel hoping to reach the coast to make a better life for themselves. They are looking for an end to their suffering and a better life, one that lies at the end of ‘the road.’
What’s interesting to note about The Road is we never learn what caused the end of the world. Yet, as in all good fiction, we don’t need to know what happened to witness its effects.
The Road is a bleak, melancholic and dark novel, one that’s utterly depressing, but ultimately shows how good conquers evil.
When reading The Road, one has to wonder how one would act in a situation such as this. Would we be compassionate or would we give into our individuality, competitiveness and our darkest urges?
The Road is a highly memorable read, especially because of Cormac McCarthy’s beautiful prose and unconventional style. It’s a modern classic and amongst the best dystopian books ever written.
The Handmaid’s Tale is by many regarded a classic of feminist dystopian literature. While it was published in 1985, it remains relevant today and feels even more so given the current political climate.
The novel’s set in the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian, religious state which was formerly the United States. It emerged following a nuclear war, which left large parts of the population infertile.
In this world, women are subordinate to men, have no rights, no control over their bodies and are forbidden from reading. They are wives, mothers or handmaids.
Handmaids is the term for the few fertile women who remain and who are forced to breed.
One of them is Offred. She’s sent to the house of The Commander and his wife. Her sole reason for existing is now to bear the Commander’s child. Month after month, she prays to become pregnant, yet things slowly escalate.
The Handmaid’s Tale’s written in Margaret Atwood’s typical, unconventional style. It also features alternating storylines to present us with all parts of this nightmarish but complex universe.
It’s a scenario that’s disgustingly possible, especially given what’s currently happening in certain parts of the world. The world of The Handmaid’s Tale’s a hellish version of America which might nowadays not be too far off.
The Handmaid’s Tale is without a doubt one of the greatest dystopian books ever written and a fascinating look at not only a dystopian society but also gender discrimination.
George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four simply can’t be missed on a list like this.
Who doesn’t know about Big Brother or the famous, contradictory statement ‘War is Peace.’
The novel’s set in a totalitarian future. Earth is divided into three continental-sized nations who are perpetually at war with one another.
The story’s set in the totalitarian nation of Oceania in a province that was formerly known as Great Britain. Everything and everyone’s slave to this tyrannical regime led by The Party. Surveillance and censorship run rampant and free thinking is known as ‘thoughtcrime.’
Our protagonist, Winston Smith, works at the Ministry of Truth and rewrites history to fit the needs of the party. Yet, he’s not fond of the totalitarian world he lives in. It’s one of demand and absolute obedience and every aspect of his life is under the watchful eye of Big Brother, the symbolic, omnipotent head of the Party.
Before long, however, he’s contacted by his superior, an Inner Party official named O’Brian. He tells Winston he’s part of an underground resistance group known as the Brotherhood.
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a chilling portrayal of the dangers of manipulation, surveillance and censorship until the truth doesn’t matter or doesn’t even exist anymore.
It features a variety of terrifyingly interesting ideas. There’s, of course, the massive propaganda, but also concepts such as the rewriting of history, the changing of language, government-controlled media and even the indoctrination of children to survey their own parents.
Nineteen Eighty-Four shines with its meticulous and scary world-building. It can be considered one of the most terrifying, bleak and depressing novels ever written. It’s a story in which there’s no hope, no victory, only servitude and eventually, everyone will one day love Big Brother.
Brave New World is another one of the most famous dystopian books ever written and my all-time favorite.
The novel describes a scenario that’s strangely realistic and frankly said, frightening. It was inspired by the utopian novels of H. G. Wells, but has been twisted into a caricature of them.
It’s set in the year 2540 in a technologically advanced future and an idealistic utopian society.
Humans aren’t born anymore, but are genetically engineered and bred in artificial wombs. They go through childhood indoctrination before they are assigned to a specific cast. This cast is predetermined by their genetic make-up and level of intelligence.
In this society, wars and conflict are a thing of the past and everyone’s happy. Yet, intellectual pursuit has given way to complacency. There are no long-lasting relationships. Should anyone feel doubt, be unhappy or even depressed, it can all be fixed by a drug called Soma.
Our protagonist, Bernhard Marx, is a member of the Alpha cast, yet he grows more and more uncomfortable with society. The plot, however, only truly starts when he visits a savage reservation. There he meets John, a man born naturally who grew up knowing nothing about the real society.
Brave New World might be described as a utopia, but it all comes at a cost. It’s a cold, uncaring world full of numbing drugs and indoctrination. Concepts such as love, care, compassion and even families are a thing of the past.
Brave New World features a variety of themes. The most prominent, however, are the ones of genetically engineering, the abuse of pharmaceutical drugs, indoctrination, blind consumerism and the disregard of intellectual pursuit.
Another important theme is that of individual freedom and freedom of expression. We see this especially in the story of John.
Brave New World is probably one of the most disturbing dystopias, given how realistic it appears. Even nowadays, with streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify, amongst others, we can consume endlessly and give into the illusion of happiness or at least complacency.
It’s a fantastically well-written novel with interesting characters and without a doubt amongst the greatest dystopian books ever written, if not the greatest.
Charles Dickens is one of England’s most beloved writers. He’s by many regarded as arguably the greats and most influential novelist of the Victorian era. Thus, many books by Charles Dickens are rightfully declared classics.
Many critics recognize him as a literary genius, but he’s also received praise from many other literary titans. His works were beloved by such writers as Leo Tolstoy, George Orwell, G. K. Chesterton and Tom Wolfe.
Books by Charles Dickens are known for their complex themes. They often focus on such issues as social concerns, labor conditions, poverty, childhood cruelty, but also love and friendship. What he’s most known for, however, are his stark portrays of the underclass in Victorian London, highlighting the wealth gap and the class struggles that so marked it.
It’s interesting to note that Charles Dickens himself grew up in misery and suffered much hardship in the earlier years of his life. When he was no older than twelve, he was forced to work ten hours a day at a factory.
Yet, he should become one of England’s most celebrated and prolific writers. Over the course of his career, he wrote fifteen novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories, and various articles and essays.
Charles Dickens
Even today, books by Charles Dickens remain widely read. His works never went out of print, he remains one of the most-sold writers even today, and a Tale of Two Cities is regarded as one of the bestselling novels of all time.
When Charles Dickens published his second book, The Pickwick Papers, serialized from 1836 to 1837, he rose to fame and became England’s most popular writer and should remain so until his death in 1870.
His influence on the literary landscape was so huge that his name, similar to that of Franz Kafka, became a term. The word ‘Dickensian’ describes works reminiscent of those by Charles Dickens. These works focus on themes such as poor social and working conditions, class struggles and other elements he’s known for.
Ever since I read A Tale of Two Cities more than a decade ago, I’ve been a great fan of books by Charles Dickens.
While most fans of classical literature will, without a doubt, know A Tale of Two Cities, and his other most popular works, I also think many of his lesser-known works are worth reading. If you’re interested in the works of other classical writers, I urge you to check out my lists of the best Mark Twain books and the best Hemingway books.
For this list, however, I want to focus almost entirely on his novels and provide you with a list of the twelve essential books by Charles Dickens.
The Old Curiosity Shop is one of Charles Dickens’ earlier works, yet it contains one of his most vivid characters.
This book by Charles Dickens revolves around the orphan Nell Trent, who lives and works with her grandfather at the titular shop.
Their troubles begin when her grandfather gambles away what little money they have. This gives one Mr. Quilp the opportunity to take possession of the shop and evict them.
Nell’s good-natured and virtuous and to save herself and her grandfather from Quilp, the two of them embark on a journey that the leads them out of London.
It’s her hope to find a better life for themselves, but throughout the journey, Nell grows progressively weaker. Even worse, Quilp is coming after them.
While many books by Charles Dickens can be rather sentimental, The Old Curiosity Shop took things to a new level. Even Charles Dickens himself described it as a work that glorifies Victorian sentimentality.
It’s interesting to note that the novel was even read by Queen Victoria, who famously described it as ‘very interesting and clever written.’
While not one of Charles Dickens’ most popular or well-known works, The Old Curiosity Shop is definitely worth reading. It’s a fantastic novel that combines beautiful descriptions of landscape and London cityscape with a depiction of how terrible a place Victorian England could be.
Our Mutual Friend is often regarded as one of the most sophisticated and complex books by Charles Dickens. It’s also the last novel he ever completed.
When a man named John Harmon dies, his fortune passes on to his servants Mr. and Mrs. Boffin, for his estranged son is presumed to be dead.
They take in a woman named Bella Wilfer, who was supposed to marry John Harmon’s son. At the same time, they hire a young man to be their secretary. It’s soon revealed there’s more to this young man and Bella, who’s still set to marry for money, seems to have a strange connection with him.
Our Mutual Friend is a novel with a vast cast of characters and various subplots. It features a group of friends, employees and even estranged family members who all try to manage one man’s fortune. Chaos unfolds.
The novel centers on a mystery of mistaken identities, but also features emotional generosity, violent drama and rich humor. Its central theme, however, is the power of money, how it can corrupt people and what it pushes them to do.
Our Mutual Friend might not be the most well-known or popular of the many books by Charles Dickens, but his many themes and multi-faceted plot make it very worth reading.
Hard Times is Charles Dickens’ tenth novel. It’s rather untypical for a novel by him since it’s a short book of only about three-hundred pages. It can be seen as a satire on the harsh social and economic conditions of the time.
Its set in an imaginary town named Coketown. It’s a place consumed by soot and smoke of heavy industrialization and that depends on the exploitation of its many workers.
The novel’s plot concerns one Thomas Gradgrind, a wealthy, retired merchant. He devotes his life to the philosophy of utilitarianism. This leads him to a no-nonsense approach in both education and parenting. He raises his children, Tom and Luisa allowing them no fanciful or imaginative pursuits.
This harsh upbringing leads to them suffering in their later adult life. While Luisa lets her father decide her marriage using statistics, his son Tom has his own ideas about life and falls into delinquency.
Yet, the novel also focuses on the lives of the many workers who don’t profit from the economic boom following the Industrial Revolution. It showcases its readers the reality of worker conditions and makes them acknowledge them.
Hard Times is a novel that focuses heavily on social and moral themes. Utilitarianism was a philosophy that was popular, but Charles Dickens criticizes it heavily. He makes it clear to us that there’s more to human life than reason. There’s heart and imagination as well.
Hard Times is Charles Dickens’ harshest and most on-point critique of British Industrialization and explores the correlations between morality and capitalism. For this reason alone, I believe it’s one of the many books by Charles Dickens definitely worth reading.
Nicholas Nickleby was Charles Dickens’ third novel.
Once again, it’s a novel that deals heavily with the class struggles of the Victorian era.
While it can be a grim novel, it might, overall, be the most high-spirited out of all the books by Charles Dickens. It also harshly criticizes the Yorkshire schools which many families sent their unwanted children to.
The story begins with the death of Nicholas Nickleby’s father. Following this, his mother and younger sister, Kate, have to give up their comfortable life in Devonshire. They travel to London to get help from their only reality, Ralph Nickleby, Nicholas’ uncle. Ralph, however, is a cold and ruthless man and has no desire to help them. Even worse, he hates Nicholas.
To save his family from financial ruin, he embarks on his own journey and begins work at Dotheboys Hall school in Yorkshire. The board master, Wackford Squeer, however, makes his life a living hell, even after he escapes. It’s here he also befriends Smike, another boy and also a victim of Squeer’s.
Yet, the novel isn’t as bleak as it sounds. When Nicholas and Smike flee from the school, they run into the Crummles traveling trope and join them.
This, however, isn’t all there’s to this novel.
What’s interesting to note is that Charles Dickens paid visits to many of the Yorkshire schools to do research and learn about their harsh conditions. His resentment of these schools, however, might also stem from his time at the Wellington House Academy in Camden Town. He describes it as a terrible experience.
Overall, Nicholas Nickleby is another fantastic book by Charles Dickens. It might be one of his earlier novels, but his literary genius is already visible.
The Pickwick Papers is Charles Dickens’ very first novel and second overall book. It’s considered one of the most decisive debuts in English fiction.
It chronicles the comical adventures of an eccentric but good-hearted man named Samuel Pickwick, his servant Sam Weller, and a group of friends known as the ‘Pickwick Club.’ Those friends include Tracy Tupman, Augustus Snodgrass and Nathaniel Winkle.
Yet, The Pickwick Papers is not a traditional novel. It’s rather a collection of nineteen loosely linked adventures, episodes and tales.
It follows the Pickwick Club on their various day-trips out of London and around England. During their time, they befriend everyone they meet, become heavily drunk and get entangled in many strange situations. In the end, however, things somehow always work out.
It’s a book that’s as hilarious as it’s sentimental. It establishes many of the elements Charles Dickens should become known for. The Pickwick Papers features many ironic situations, an English setting, a cast of eccentric characters and an examination of upper and lower class tensions.
Overall, The Pickwick Papers is an early example of Charles Dickens’ satirical style and it serves as a perfect introduction to his body of works.
Little Dorrit is probably the most powerful of Charles Dickens’ major works and also one of his most personal.
When Charles Dickens penned Little Dorrit, he drew from his own childhood experiences. His father, too, was imprisoned for debt and a young Charles Dickens had to fend for himself. One can also assume that the power-hungry businesswoman Mrs. Clennam was modeled after Charles Dickens’ own mother, who he grew to hate.
Little Dorrit is essentially a satirical critic of England’s legal and court system, its bureaucracy and the uselessness of the debtor’s prison.
In the novel itself we encounter Amy Dorrit, the youngest child of her family. She was born and raised in London’s Marshalsea prison because her father was imprisoned for debt.
Eventually, because of an inheritance, her family becomes one of wealth. Amy Dorrit also encounters one Arthur Clennam after he returns from a twenty-year absence to start a new life.
Little Dorrit is a rags-to-riches epic that once more showcases the strict class divide in Victorian era society.
Over the course of the novel, characters prevail, mature and many of the situations they encounter resonated deeply with readers at the time.
Not much needs to be said about Little Dorrit. It’s a masterpiece and one of the most powerful books by Charles Dickens.
A Christmas Carol is the only novella on this list, but one can’t help but include it in a list of the best books by Charles Dickens.
It’s probably the most popular and well-known Christmas story of all time and one of the most famous books by Charles Dickens, if not the most famous.
Not much needs to be said about it. Everyone’s familiar with the unpleasant and grumpy Ebenezer Scrooge who hates the Christmas holiday. When he’s visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, however, he recognizes the errors of his way, changes and becomes a kind man.
It’s both a beautiful tale of redemption and a critique of Victorian society.
A Christmas Carol is a tale that reminds us to be kind to one another, to help the poor and those in need, especially during the holidays.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
Who doesn’t know this famous opening line?
A Tale of Two Cities is Charles Dickens’ most well-known work of historical fiction and one of the best-selling novels of all time.
Yet, it’s, again, rather uncharacteristic of a book by Charles Dickens. It’s shorter than most of his other works, and his usual humorous and satirical elements are almost entirely missing.
It’s set before and during the French Revolution and set in both London and Paris. While it may not be historically accurate, it’s still a vivid portrait of one of history’s most tumultuous periods.
The novel features one doctor Manette who was wrongfully imprisoned in the Bastille for eighteen years. When he’s released, he sets out to live with his daughter, Lucie. They reunited in Paris and travel back to London to start a new life.
Lucie eventually falls in love with Charles Darnay, a Frenchman who takes a stance against the poor treatment of the lower class. Because of this, the family’s once more trust in danger for the rest of Darnay’s family might not share his ideals. Soon enough, they realize no one’s safe and fear and suspicion are abound.
A Tale of Two Cities is a masterpiece that’s beautiful told from beginning to end. If you want to read Charles Dickens at his best, read A Tale of Two Cities.
Oliver Twist is the second novel Charles Dickens wrote and the one that cemented his role as a social critic of the era. It’s, by many, seen as his first proper social novel.
The titular character of Oliver Twist is born in a workhouse. As an orphan, he’s sold into apprenticeship for an undertaker. Soon enough, he runs away, travels through London and joins a group of young pickpockets. The groups led by an elderly criminal named Fagin, who draws homeless boys into a life of crime. Yet, Fagin himself is under the thump of the villainous criminal mastermind, Bill Sikes.
While thrown into horrible circumstances, our hero Oliver always remains hopeful and pure while we follow him on his unlikely journey.
Oliver Twist is a novel full of unusual friends, unexpected kindness and larger-than-life villains.
Yet, it can be a dark novel at times and Charles Dickens never describes events through rose-tinted glasses. Its themes heavily concern child labor, domestic violence, the recruitment of children as criminals and the life of street children in the Victorian era. It exposes the terrible treatment of orphans, how poverty forces children into horrible circumstances and the negative effects of the Industrial Revolution.
It’s a novel that’s part pleasure, part education, but always exciting. While I highly recommend it to anyone, it’s especially great for children. It’s also a perfect introduction to books by Charles Dickens.
Bleak House is, by many, considered being the greatest of all books by Charles Dickens. At the same time, however, it’s criticized by others for its strange narrative choices, the meandering plot and the many subplots and characters.
It’s a satire of the slow, corrupt process of the law, especially the Court of Chancery, where cases could be dragged out for years. It’s also a heavy critique of the 19th century English society as a whole.
The novel’s plot details the inheritance case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce, which is so complex it has been drawn out for generations. It’s a larger-than-life court case about who’s inheriting the vast family fortune.
Bleak House features a vastly complicated plot full of twists, ploys, murders, secrets and spies. It’s a fantastical novel that’s at times comical, at others profound.
Over the course of the novel, we’re introduced to a vast cast of characters. We meet, amongst many others, the feisty Esther Summerson, Sir Leicester and Lady Deadlock who live in a stately home in Lincolnshire, and also the poor crossing sweeper Little Joe.
Bleak House also contains many of the elements so common for books by Charles Dickens. It features characters from all parts of society, a vivid description of London, satirical elements, and, of course, social criticism.
While I enjoyed Bleak House immensely, it’s not a novel for everyone. Many fans of books by Charles Dickens might highly enjoy it, but others might find it as bleak as the title suggests.
It can make for some challenging reading. It’s a convoluted and gratuitous satire of the Court of Chancery, which was characterized by its convoluted and gratuitous nature.
Overall, though, Bleak House is a stark contender for Charles Dickens’ greatest novel and everyone should try reading it at least once.
David Copperfield is another one of the most-famous books by Charles Dickens. It’s often heralded as his greatest literary triumph and he himself considered it his magnum opus.
It was highly admired by many other writers, including Leo Tolstoy and Franz Kafka. Even Virginia Woolf, who was not a fan of Charles Dickens’ works, praised David Copperfield.
It’s a highly autobiographical novel, as one can note by the initials of the main character. The novel’s essentially a combination of Charles Dickens’ own life and fictional accounts.
Written as a first person narrative, the plot details the trials and tribulations of its titular character from infancy to maturity.
David Copperfield’s father is long dead at the outset of the novel, and he’s still very young when his mother, too, dies. While Charles Dickens blamed his parents for the miseries of his childhood, it’s David’s stepfather, Mr. Murdstone who takes on this role in David Copperfield.
Over the course of the novel, we witness David’s struggles through childhood and adolescence until he starts a successful career as a novelist and gets married.
David Copperfield features a vast cast of characters, but the most memorable among them are the glamorous Steerforth, the unlucky but cheerful Mr. Micawber, Betsey Trotwood, David’s eccentric aunt, the wicked Mr. Murdstone and, of course, the villainous Uriah Heep.
The biggest themes of the novel are personal growth and change, but one can also tell that it’s a work that helped Charles Dickens himself to grow and confront his own life.
David Copperfield features many of Charles Dickens’ usual elements. It talks about class structure, the criminal justice system, child labor and the status of woman in society.
Another core theme, however, is the question if one can leave behind their roots without becoming corrupted by either the past or newfound advantages.
David Copperfield is also a more serious and much more personal book by Charles Dickens. It’s here we can witness his style change from juvenile and humorous to more mature and serious.
What’s interesting to note is that David Copperfield is not a character of special importance. It makes him very different from the usual, larger-than-life protagonists of other novels at the time.
Not much more needs to be said about David Copperfield. It’s one of the best books by Charles Dickens, a masterpiece and simply a joy to read.
Great Expectations is yet another coming of age story. It’s the tale of a young boy who sets out to become a gentleman.
It’s one of the most popular books by Charles Dickens and by many considered his finest work.
The novel’s plot follows the orphan Pip. While born into humble beginnings, he sets out to escape the lower class.
In his youth, he often visits the bitter Miss Havisham who was left at the altar. She brings up her beautiful, adopted daughter Estella to hate men. It’s no other than her that Pip falls heavily in love with.
To prove himself to her, he begins to work for a blacksmith, and soon lives in London with the help of a mysterious benefactor.
Yet, his heart gets broken when Estella marries someone else and he has to realize that ‘great expectations’ might not come to play out.
This, however, is merely a part of the novel’s intricate plot.
Great Expectations is the tale of a young man who’s been persecuted and deceived, but whose goodness of heart always remains. It’s this that rescues him from falling into snobbery and delusion.
The novel features a fantastic and memorable cast of characters. There’s, of course, Pip, our protagonist, but also the larger-than-life convict Magwitch, the sinister Miss Havisham, the good-hearted Joe and the beautiful, but cold Estella.
Great Expectations is a romantic, heart-warming tale with quite a few plot twists. It’s probably the finest and most moving of all books by Charles Dickens.
It’s a perfectly crafted novel about love, loss, and class divisions and worthy of the number one spot on this list.
Mark Twain is often called the Great American writer and to this day, he remains one of the most important figures of the American literary tradition. Many Mark Twain books are regarded as classics and remain required reading even today.
Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in a small riverside town in Missouri in 1983 and raised in Hannibal. This town should later become the setting for his most famous novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain
Mark Twain is a man who’s known for being controversial, brilliant and witty. He forever changed the landscape of American literature and even other literary titans speak of him in the highest tones.
William Faulkner termed him ‘the father of American literature,’ while Hemingway famously said, ‘All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.’
Yet, Mark Twain wasn’t only famous for his river novels. He’s also known for his essays, his travel writings, his social commentary and his autobiographical writing.
He’s regarded as one of the greatest writers, storytellers and humorists of all time.
Over the course of a life full of travel, he wrote twenty-eight books and over one hundred short stories.
Even today, his social commentary and criticism of American politics and society remains relevant. Many of his quotes remain widely shared, especially in today’s age of social media.
While The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is often the first thing that comes to mind when people hear the name Mark Twain, he’s got much more to offer as a writer. If you’re, however, looking for other recommendations, I’d recommend you checking out my list of the best Hemingway books.
For this article, I put together my very own list of the fourteen best Mark Twain books that have earned their place on every reader’s bookshelf.
Following the Equator is Mark Twain’s last work of travel writing. It’s a global travelogue in which he criticizes imperialism both in the countries he visited, but also at home.
In the early 1890s, Mark Twain’s career had gone sour. Following a series of poor investments and bankruptcy, he embarked on an international speaking tour. This trip, lasting from 1895 to 1896, allowed him to travel the world and visit the various countries of the Victorian British Empire.
He visited Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa and shares the oppression, superstition, racism and ignorance he witnessed.
One can notice that this is one of his later works. Mark Twain seems older and sadder than in his earlier works. His sense of observation and his wit, however, remain as sharp as always.
Following the Equator is a work that comprises loving sketches of the places he visited and is full of lovely prose, humor, irony and plenty of political incorrectness.
While he criticizes many of the foreign cultures and customs he witnesses, he also criticizes the tendency of American society to export their values to ‘lesser’ peoples.
While Following the Equator is one of his lesser known works, it’s still a fantastic piece of travel writing and one of the best Mark Twain books.
When Mark Twain grew up, he used every chance he got to travel the world. This passion is especially visible in his earlier works, like The Innocents Abroad.
The book became a bestseller during his lifetime and remains one of the most popular travelogues ever written.
The Innocents Abroad showcases Mark Twain’s talent as a travel writer and documents his journey through the Middle East and Europe with plenty of humor. He visits the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Vatican, the Sphinx and many other places. He describes each of them in his typical humorous fashion and shows his wit by pointing out their peculiarities and political incorrectness.
While The Innocents Abroad is regarded as a non-fiction book, the truth might lie somewhere between fact and fiction. One can tell that many of the stories are a bit too fantastical and are clearly enriched by Mark Twain.
What’s most interesting about this work, however, is that it gives us insight into Mark Twain’s younger days. What we see here is a young, witty and idealistic man who’s merely started down the road to become one of literature’s Greats.
The Innocents Abroad is not only one of the most popular travelogues ever written but also one of the best Mark Twain books.
Mark Twain – The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
While this work’s a short story, it deserves its place on a list of Mark Twain books. It’s without a doubt the most popular amongst the over one-hundred short stories Mark Twain has written over the course of his life and brought him nationwide attention.
Originally published under the title ‘Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog,’ it details a story in which a man’s stuck in a one-sided conversation. His interlocutor’s a man who loves the sound of his own voice, barely lets the narrator get in a single word and tells endless, but ultimately pointless, stories. Eventually, the man wraps it all up with the story of a jumping frog.
While it’s a short story and thus much shorter than the many other works on this list, it remains a perfect example of Mark Twain’s brand of humor.
The Prince and the Pauper was Mark Twain’s first attempt at writing historical fiction.
It’s a story set in 1574, and follows two boys born on the same day and of nearly identical appearance.
One is Tom Canty, a pauper who lives in Offal Court of Pudding Lane in London with his abusive and alcoholic father. The other boy’s a price, namely Edward VI of England, son of Henry VIII of England.
The two of them trade places to experience the other’s life. Now the prince is living in poverty and the poor boy lives in fear of discovery. Both are now desperate to make it in the world of the other.
The Prince and the Pauper is as clever and witty as you’d expect from a Mark Twain book.
While it’s regarded as a children’s book, it’s commentary on social inequity and not to judge others by their looks makes it a great read for adults as well.
The Prince and the Pauper is definitely a Mark Twain book that’s worth a look and a must read for fans of his work.
‘A man who keeps company with glaciers, comes to feel tolerably insignificant by and by.’
From this quote, one can tell that A Tramp Abroad is another work of travel literature, but one mixed with many autobiographical elements.
It’s a sequel to The Innocents Abroad, and this time Mark Twain’s referring to himself as a tramp and not as innocent anymore.
The book was inspired by a fifteen months long trip across central Europe and across the Alps from 1878 to 1879.
It highlights his journey through central and southern Europe with a friend named Harris, a character he created for the book. The two of them travel through Germany, the Alps and Italy.
Even from the chapter titles alone, one can tell how humorous a work A Tramp Abroad is.
The chapter titles include “Alp-scaling by Carriage,” “Chillon Has a Nice, Roomy Dungeon,” and “Why Germans Wear Spectacles.”
It’s a highly entertaining travelogue full of social criticism about the Germans, the Swiss, the Americans and the English.
What’s interesting about A Tramp Abroad is that it’s much more introspective than his former travel writings, including many of his personal thoughts.
Overall, A Tramp Abroad is a fantastic book, especially for its commentary and I regard it recommended reading for anyone interesting in travel writings or Mark Twain books.
Early in his life, Mark Twain had aspirations of becoming a steam boat pilot. That’s where his pen name originates from. Mark Twain is originally a term that signifies a depth of two fathoms or twelve feet, which is a safe depth for riverboats.
Life on Mississippi is essentially a memoir and piece of travel literature. In it, he details his younger days as a steam boater on the Mississippi before the Civil War.
It paints a colorful picture of the Mississippi area, including notes on the river and many towns alongside it.
Life on Mississippi also includes a retelling of a trip Mark Twain took from New Orleans to Saint Paul years after the Civil War. In it, he describes the many changes he witnessed along the river.
The book is both a travelogue and a historical account of the Mississippi river.
Overall, it’s a brilliant piece of non-fiction, a great travelogue and another fantastic Mark Twain book.
The Gilded Age was Mark Twain’s first attempt at writing a novel and was co-authored by Charles Dudley Warner.
As the story goes, it was apparently a result of a bet the two of them set with their wives.
It’s a sharp satire that paints a realistic picture of post-Civil War America, American manners and morals. What’s interesting to note is that the title refers to the three decades following the Civil War and essentially coined the term.
The Gilded Age can be seen as a great example of political criticism. It specifically targets the inner workings of Washington, D. C.
It pokes fun at political figures, opportunistic businessmen and the general hysteria at play in the capital. The book especially criticizes the politics and the rampant corruption of the post-war years.
Its cast of characters comprises crooked politicians, plutocrats, pretentious bankers and naïve bystanders.
It’s a lovingly written novel which is accompanied by humorous illustrations depicting both the politicians and speculators that drove American politics.
Yet, the work also serves as a cautionary tale and remains relevant even today. It depicts the influence money has over the American government.
If you’re solely interested in Mark Twain’s part of the novel, stick to the first eleven chapters of the novel. Overall, The Gilded Age is a highly memorable novel and a Mark Twain book that captured an entire period in American history.
The Mysterious Stranger is a work which was only published posthumously by Mark Twain’s biographer and was unfortunately never finished.
It’s regarded as one of Mark Twain’s darkest works and was written after much heartbreak and disappointment in life. It represents a departure from his earlier humorous writings.
The book contains many of Mark Twain’s musings on man’s dual nature and the battle between God and Satan for our lost souls. It’s a contemplation of human nature and a critic of many aspects of organized religion.
The novel’s plot revolves around a group of boys in sixteenth-century Austria. One day, a mysterious stranger shows up in their town. Soon enough, however, it becomes clear that the man might indeed be the devil.
By the end of his life, Mark Twain was a beaten man and concluded that we’re all flawed creatures. The book showcases his cynicism and disillusionment with humanity and that none of his earlier humor and carefreeness remains.
While it’s regarded as one of his lesser works and is much darker than others, it’s still a fantastic Mark Twain book.
The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson is essentially a work on racism in America.
It revolves around two boys who look nearly identical. One’s born into slavery because of his 1/32 black ancestry. The other’s white and born to the master of the house.
The first boy’s frightened mother, a slave, switches the babies to give her son a path towards success and respectability. As a result, the two children live reversed identities. Yet, each one of them grows into their destined roles in society.
The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson, however, also comes with a fantastic support cast that’s as interesting and eccentric as we’re used to from Mark Twain. I especially came to love David Wilson. Every scene he was in was a delight to read.
At first glance, The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson might seem nothing but an entertaining novel, but it’s much more. It’s a witty, clever and expertly woven commentary on slavery and racism.
It brilliantly covers the zeitgeist of white versus black, good versus evil. Yet, it also shows Mark Twain’s darkening outlook on life.
The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson is another fantastic Mark Twain book, one that feels as relevant today as it was during the time it was written.
Mark Twain – A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is a pinnacle work of satire and a fantastic time travel novel.
Mark Twain was supposedly inspired by reading Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. His idea was to mix the notions and habits of the present day with the necessities of the times of King Arthur.
It tells the story of Hank Morgan, an engineer who’s thrown back in time to the year 538 AD and the court of King Arthur. The results, of course, are as disastrous as they are humorous. Soon enough, his shenanigans run rampant at court.
He challenges the great magician Merlin, and using his modern-day inventions and scientific discoveries becomes the prim sorcerer at court.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court essentially showcases the contrast between feudal monarchy and democratic values in the most humorous of ways.
Yet, the book can also be seen as a cautionary tale against our tendencies to romanticize the past, and even questions the ideals that became dominant after the Industrial Revolution.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is another fantastic and funny Mark Twain book, but once again, deeper messages are hidden inside of it. It’s very well worth reading.
Mark Twain’s autobiography is another one of the Mark Twain books only published posthumously. This one, however, by his own express wish.
While Mark Twain had tried to write an autobiography himself, he could never complete it.
In the last years of his life, however, he would dictate to others or talk to a Stenograph. From these notes, an autobiography was eventually created.
Yet, Mark Twain’s autobiography differs widely from those of others. It’s not in chronological order since he talked about whatever came to his mind. It’s a stream-of-consciousness patchwork of memories, anecdotes, tales and his personal philosophy.
During his life, Mark Twain experienced the gold rush, The Civil War, the Reconstruction and its decline and even the onset of the American Indian Wars. He also endured heartbreak, bankruptcy, but also traveled around the globe.
Mark Twain’s autobiography is full of the wit and genius that made him such an endearing writer. Many of the stories detailed in this work are remarkable.
This book, however, also gives us a unique look at the man that was Mark Twain. He shows us his brilliance and his experiences, but also his flaws and his short attention span.
The Autobiography of Mark Twain is a last testament to how exception a writer and human being he was. It’s without a doubt a Mark Twain book anyone interested in the man should read.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of the books Mark Twain is most well-known for and one of his most-beloved works.
While its original publication was a commercial failure, it eventually became a bestseller during his lifetime.
The novel contains a bit of everything: treasure hunts, disappearances, true friendship and young love. What it’s most of all, however, is a coming-of-age tale for the ages.
The story’s set in the 1840s. It follows a boy named Tom Sawyer who lives on the shore of the Mississippi river with his Aunt Polly in the town of St. Petersburg.
Tom Sawyer is a troublemaker, a romantic and a dreamer. His mischievous adventures often land him in trouble. He even falls for Becky Thatcher, the new girl in town and daughter of the local judge.
When he confesses to her, however, he gets humiliated and plans to run away from home. He soon befriends another boy, Huckleberry Finn and from then on, their troubles double. This culminates in them witnessing a murder at a graveyard which forces the boys to run away from home.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a must-read for anyone who loves American literature, coming-of-age stories or those depicting underdogs.
It’s even more wry than its sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. What makes it such a delight to read, however, is Mark Twain’s ability to tap into the minds of children and convey them to his readers. He captures both their youthful innocence, but also their general disrespect for all grown-ups.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a fantastic starting place for those who’ve read no Mark Twain books.
Roughing It was inspired by Mark Twain’s experiences as he traveled through the American West and the Pacific Isles.
It takes place during the years 1861 and 1867, when he traveled with a stagecoach with his older brother Orion.
It’s Mark Twain’s second book and the sequel to The Innocent Abroad and a semi-autobiographical memoir full of humorous stories about his own life and the Wild West.
In this book, Mark Twain shares one of his earliest adventures.
A young Mark Twain set out to mine gold in California. For this, he traveled from town to town in Nevada, to California and eventually Hawaii. During that time he mined gold in California, worked as a prospector, a reporter, a mill worker and a lecturer.
To bring forth all these tales, he often consulted his brother’s diary. Yet, he also used those notes for the occasional imaginary tale to entertain his readers.
We learn, amongst other things, of a near-death-experience, of deadly spiders, volcanos and a humorous encounter with Mormons.
While Roughing it is still a bit rough, especially when compared to his later works, it’s here Mark Twain began to hone his craft. Many of the elements that made his later works so endearing can be found here. They’re his witty observation of the most trivial things, the entertaining plot, his humor and his love for traveling.
It’s another earlier Mark Twain book, but one that gives us an interesting picture of his earlier days both in life and as a writer.
Roughing It is by many regarded as essential reading for fans of Mark Twain, American literature and travel literature.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is by many critics called the Great American novel. It’s by many considered the apex of Mark Twain’s writing career and skill. Even Ernest Hemingway praised it in the highest tones and famously said it’s where all American literature began.
It’s a deep-felt portrayal of boyhood, but also a satire of Southern society, particularly their attitude towards race.
In this sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, a 13-year-old boy flees his abusive home. Together with a runaway slave, he sails south on the Mississippi on a rugged draft.
Both of them are trying to break free, Jim from being a slave and Huck from the constraints of society. Throughout their travels, the two of them meet various people and get entangled in comical adventures. They encounter con men, witness fake deaths and even raging family feuds.
What’s most prevalent throughout the work, however, is Huck’s goodness and his disdain for racial prejudice.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an endearing, rich narrative of a boyhood adventure. What makes it such an interesting and enjoyable read, however, is our protagonists struggle to defy society.
Similarly to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, it’s regarded as an adventure novel, but it’s also a commentary on the ugly side of society.
It’s all these parts: the humor, the adventure, the youthfulness of Huck, the troubles of Jim and its social commentary that have elevated The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to the place it has today.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel for anyone, not only for fans of Mark Twain books or for American literature. If you haven’t read it yet, I urge you to do so.
Haruki Murakami is one of the most popular and widely read contemporary Japanese writers and for a good reason. The best Murakami books are read by millions of dedicated fans.
While he’s a Japanese writer, he’s heavily influenced by Western culture. This makes his novels an interesting blend of Wester pop-culture references and Japanese culture.
Haruki Murakami
What he’s most known for are his books of magical realism, which are full of weird, absurd and surrealistic elements. Yet, he often uses those to outline the problems of our contemporary society.
His strange, magical adventures often bring to light deeper themes, such as isolation, finding happiness and identity. Many of his novels center on our urge to explore ourselves and to understand the inner workings of human identity. They are a mixture of surrealistic fantasy and a discussion of human nature.
To do so, Murakami plunges his characters into metaphysical realms, dreamscapes, the unconscious and even the afterlife.
As much as I love Murakami’s works, I can be a bit divided on him. I’ve got a strange relationship with his works. While I enjoy some of his books massively, there are others I truly disliked.
Those are, however, a few outlines and I enjoy most of his works. It’s the strange mixture of easily digestible prose, serious topics and the myriad of strange, surreal and weird elements he employs. It’s a sense of otherworldliness that surrounds his books and that always draws me back to him.
If you’re looking for absurd novels or magical realism, you could do much worse than to pick up his books.
Murakami has written both fiction and non-fiction as well as short story collections. For this list of the best Murakami books, however, I want to focus solely on his fictional novels.
1Q84 is probably Murakami’s most widely read book, reaching one million sales after publication.
While the setting might push it into the realm of science-fiction, it’s essentially a romance and mystery novel.
The book focuses on two different characters.
One is Aomame, a woman who works as a fitness instructor and doubles as an assassin who kills male perpetrators of domestic abuse. The other is Tengo, a math teacher and copywriter.
At the outset of the novel, Aomame realizes strange discrepancies in the world around her. She soon realizes she’s entered a parallel world, one she terms 1Q84, the Q representing a question mark.
Meanwhile, Tengo takes on another job as a copywriter. Because of this, however, he becomes entangled not only with the work but also with its unusual writer. Soon, his normal, mundane life changes.
Before long, our two characters’ lives converge.
Like other Murakami books, 1Q84 focuses on a variety of themes, but the most prevalent is that of religious groups, their power and the damage they can cause. 1Q84 focuses on a fictitious religious cult called Sakigake, which is trying to establish a connection with the spirits of the Earth, the Little People.
1Q84 is the single Murakami book I really didn’t enjoy. The story was typical Murakami and all his strange, unusual elements were there, yet the book didn’t work out for me.
The biggest problem was the length and the pacing. At almost a thousand pages, the book felt way too long, became tedious and repetitive. A lot of times, it felt like the plot wasn’t moving forward and instead, certain points were brought up again and again.
I still included the book, however. The first half of the book is fantastic and makes it a great addition to this list of the best Murakami novels. It’s only in the second half where the book becomes progressively weaker. Yet, this is merely my opinion, and I’m sure many Murakami fans will enjoy this book.
Dance Dance Dance is the sequel to ‘A Wild Sheep Chase’ featured later on this list and is set four years after the events of said novel.
The book focuses on a lot of themes typical for Murakami: loss, abandonment and supposedly includes some of Murakami’s real-life experiences.
Dance Dance Dance is a deconstruction of the Japanese economy and advanced capitalism. It discusses the contemporary tendency to commodify and sell anything, including relationships, friends, and family.
Our narrator Boku’s more lost in life than ever. He’s unambitious, apathetic and directionless. Even worse, his girlfriend Kiki, an ear model he got to know in ‘A Wild Sheep Chase,’ went missing.
Boku’s quest leads him through the strange, multifaceted culture of modern Japan, but also turns mystical. He’s thrown into a strange world of sexuality and metaphysical dread.
The most notable element of the novel, however, is the mysterious Sheep Man. He’s a strange figure our narrator encounters in a dimly lit hotel room. The Sheep Man’s central to the events taking place, yet he only ever offers Boku cryptic explanations.
Dance Dance Dance can be best described as a suspense novel rich in surrealistic elements.
It is, however, a slowly moving book, and one I often found too slow and a tad bit boring. While I realize the book’s often regarded as one of the best Murakami books out there, it didn’t quite work for me.
Haruki Murakami – Southt of the Border, West of the Sun
This novel can be best described as a love story full of deep loneliness. While I think it can be a beautiful book, it’s not amongst the best Murakami books.
Our narrator Hajime’s much less likeable than those of Murakami’s other books. While he’s an unpleasant person, however, he’s also interesting. Yet, his decisions, behavior, and feelings of emptiness can be quite alienating to readers.
While most other children had siblings, Hajime grew up as an only child. He spent most of his time with Shimamoto, who was also an only child. Together, the two of them often listened to her father’s record collection. When her family moved away, however, the two of them lost contact.
In the present, Hajime is in his thirties and seems to have found happiness. He’s got a loving wife, two daughters and runs a successful jazz bar.
That’s until Shimamoto reappears at his bar. She’s beautiful, intense and mysterious and suddenly Hajime’s thrown into the past and puts everything he’s got at risk.
While Shimamoto has a secret, she’s unable to escape from, Hajime doesn’t seem to be able to escape her and soon joins her on a mysterious journey.
Yet, their affair doesn’t long, and Hajime has to return to his old life, one he thought he’d escaped from.
While I don’t think South of the Border, West of the Sun, is amongst the best Murakami books, it contains some interesting musings. The most prevalent of those are happiness and loneliness. The book makes you reflect on your own life and makes you wonder if it’s all worth it.
South of the Border, West of the Sun, is a story that begs the question ‘what if’ and showcases how much our childhood influences the rest of our life.
It’s not a bad novel, but again, it didn’t quite work for me. It’s also a book that’s rather atypical for Murakami, and doesn’t feature his usual strange and surrealistic elements.
Hear the Wind Sing is Murakami’s debut novel. While I enjoyed it a lot, it’s also got its problems.
It’s less a novel that follows a coherent, developing plot, but more a collection of anecdotes that play out when a university student returns to his hometown.
Even though Murakami’s non-traditional narrative and many of his usual themes are already at play here.
Our narrator, Boku, is a man who works here and there, slipping in and out of work to figure out what will bring him the most meaning in life. His best friend is known as The Rat, who follows Boku on many of his journeys. Amongst other things, the two of them develop a deep relationship with a Chinese bartender.
Each of these characters tries to figure out where their youth has gone, what happened to their childish idealism and how they should face the uncertainty of the future with confidence.
While the novel’s plot isn’t too deep, it makes up for it with its quick, light and simple writing style. It also offers us a deeper look at young man who are lost in our modern world.
While it’s far from one of the best Murakami books out there, I enjoyed it and I think it’s definitely worth reading.
Sputnik Sweetheart can be best described as a romantic detective story. It’s a tale about attraction, desire, and self-discover, but also sexuality and the psychology of love and loss.
Our narrator, K, is a teacher who’s deeply in love with his friend Sumire, a free-spirited writer. The two of them spend hours on the phone in which Sumire talks about the big questions of life. Yet, K’s never able to reveal his feelings for her.
Before long, Sumire meets and falls in love with Miu, a woman seventeen years her senior. The two of them soon take off for a vacation in Greece.
When K gets a call from Miu that Sumire disappeared, he sets out for Greece himself to help find her. It’s there he enters Sumire’s world and realizes there’s much more to reality.
Sputnik Sweetheart is definitely one of Murakami’s stranger, more confusing books and it will leave you with more questions than answers.
It’s a novel that focuses heavily on human nature, longing and loneliness. It’s a short, yet subtle and haunting novel that definitely deserves its place on a list of the best Murakami books.
Haruki Murakami – Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is one of Murakami’s more recent novels.
It’s a novel concerning one Tsukuru Tazaki and tells us about his teenage years and his present-day life. In the 90s, Tuskuru had a group of friends from high school. Each one of them had a name related to a certain color. Only Tsukuru didn’t and thus became regarded as colorless.
Their friendship was deep, but ended when Tsukuru went to college. One day, all of his friends stopped talking to him, making him depressed and suicidal.
In the present day, Tsukuru is thirty-six years old and works as an engineer. Yet, even now, he’s still haunted by the mystery of what happened.
It’s his girlfriend who finally encourages him to reach out to his friends and to find out why they cut contact. Thus, a journey of self-discovery begins in which Tsukuru has to figure out who he really is as a person.
The novel gives us both an inward and outward look at the struggle of growing up and growing as a person. His quest for understanding brings Tsukuru back to his hometown, but also all the way to Finland.
The most prevalent themes in the novel are forgiveness and being true to oneself.
What’s interesting to note is that this novel is entirely realistic and contains none of Murakami’s usual surreal and weird elements.
It’s also less epic than some of Murakami’s other books, but also much more personal. It’s a great novel for Murakami fans and is very well worth reading. The absence of any weird elements, however, makes it hard for me to consider it amongst the best Murakami books.
Pinball, 1973 is Murakami’s second novel and the sequel to Hear the Wind Sing.
The novel explores our narrator’s relationship to a woman named Naoko who committed suicide during his college days.
While it might sound like a dark novel, it turns out to be much more lighthearted, comical and weird. This is mostly attributed to the twins. These two weird women turn up at and being staying at Boku’s apartment and help him deal with loss and loneliness.
The novel’s plot, however, centers on Boku’s quest to find his favorite pinball machine from his days with Naoko, the ‘three flipper starship.’ Yet, this quest isn’t so much about the pinball machine, but more about his reconciliation with Naoko’s memory.
While Pinball, 1973 is still somewhat unrefined, it’s full of Murakami’s usual themes and elements. The characters are quirky and the entire novel and the events taking place have an almost otherworldly feeling about it.
Similarly to Hear the Wind Sing, the book’s more a collection of different episodes in Boku’s and other character’s lives. They are, however, full of musings about life.
It’s an odd little novel, but one I enjoyed a lot and regard as one of the best Murakami novels.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is one of Murakami’s most celebrated novels, so it’s well deserving of a spot in the best Murakami novels.
It features a strange mystery that only gets stranger the longer the novel progresses. It’s an almost perfect surrealistic tale which combines quirky characters and alternate realities with suburban Japan.
Our protagonist, Toru Okada, is a man who recently quit his job and has become a house husband. His days are spent cooking, listening to music, chatting up the neighbors and waiting for his wife to return home.
When their cat goes missing, Toru’s sent out on a quest to find it. Soon enough, however, his wife acts strangely. She comes home later and later, drops him strange hints and refuses to have sex with him. Before he realizes it, she seems to have left him and so he embarks on a new search, this time for his wife.
Eventually, he learns his wife’s held in another world which has taken on the form of a labyrinthine, infinite hotel. And so, Toru has to find a way of entering this metaphorical place.
During his search, he comes across many weird characters. The standouts here are the nihilistic teenager May Kasahara and the military Lieutenant Mamiya. While May’s a fantastic character and her interactions with Toru are great, it’s Mamiya’s tale that sets him apart. He used to be a soldier during the Japanese occupation of Manchukuo and witnessed horrible things.
Yet, those are only two of all the characters Toru encounters and each one of them serves to be as weird and quirky as the next.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a novel full of awkward moments, of violence and tension. It features themes of sex, violence, and memories lost and regained. It also deals with Japan’s painful history during World War II. Yet, it also features many of Murakami’s other typical elements.
Overall, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a puzzle, one that only slowly comes together. It’s a detective story, but at the same time, comedy and menace. It’s, however, always weirdly imaginative and surreal.
While I liked the oddness of the plot, and many of the smaller stories, the novel itself felt a bit too unfocused and loosely structured. The mystery of Toru’s quest seemed less central and became almost a backdrop for strange, unrelated tales.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is still very much worth reading, both for fans of Murakami and those interested in surreal novels. While I had my problems with it, it’s hard to not consider it one of the best Murakami books.
Norwegian Wood was Murakami’s breakthrough novel and made him famous both in Japan and internationally.
What’s special about Norwegian Wood is that it lacks any of the absurd or weird elements so typical in his books. It’s not a work of magical realism, but one grounded entirely in reality.
The title of the novel is taken from a 1965 Beatles song. When our narrator, Toru Watanabe, listens to this same song, he reminisces about his college days back in the 60s. It’s a time in which the Japanese students rose against the government.
Yet, it’s also the time when his best friend committed suicide and he became infatuated with two women, Naoko and Midori.
Naoko was his former best friend’s girlfriend. She’s coping with her lover’s suicide and suffers from severe mental issues. Soon enough, Naoko tells Toru that she hears her former lover’s voice who’s calling to her from another world.
Midori is the complete opposite. She’s an energetic and friendly young girl, very much in love with life.
The novel centers on Toru’s feelings and his choice between saving Naoko and his desire for Midori.
Yet, Norwegian Wood is more than a simple love story. It’s a tale of growing up and how to deal with loss. It’s a very personal and tender book. We witness Toru walking the streets of Tokyo with Naoko, or spending the evening on a rooftop with Midori.
Overall, Norwegian Wood can be dark, and there’s an almost sinister undertone prevalent throughout the novel. Yet, it also offers hope and a chance to grow up.
The only real problem I had with the book was its heavy focus on sex and sex scenes and its portrayal of mental illness.
Still, it’s a fantastic tear-jerker and regarded as one of the best Murakami books for a reason.
A Wild Sheep Chase is the third installment of Murakami’s so called ‘Trilogy of the Rat’ after Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973 and brings it to a close. It’s by far the best of the trilogy and even outshines its sequel Dance Dance Dance.
While it’s a book, that’s more straightforward compared to his later work, it’s heavy on magical realism.
Our narrator Boku’s now in his thirties and runs a publishing company in Tokyo. When his friend The Rat sends him a photograph of a herd of sheep, he uses it in an advertisement.
Unbeknownst to him, however, the photograph depicts a strange, magical sheep with a star-shaped birthmark. This soon gets him the attention of a powerful political and leader of a giant business syndicate only known as ‘The Boss.’
The man clarifies that Boku’s in trouble and gives him an ultimatum. He’s got to find the sheep or face dire consequences.
And so, our narrator sets out to the rural areas of Hokkaido to find not only the sheep but also his friend who seems to be entangled in the events at play.
From here on out the book serves to only get stranger.
What starts out as a detective novel in which one man takes on an all-powerful syndicate soon develops into a beautiful and sad tale of trauma and things lost.
A Wild Sheep Chase features many themes, such as Japanese culture and identity in post-WWII Japan, Japanese religious tradition and sexuality. At the center, however, is the conflict between individual will and the all-encompassing, impersonal power of the state.
While it features Murakami’s typical surrealist elements, it serves to be easily comprehensible, accessible and readable. Even though it’s one of his earlier works, I consider it amongst the best Murakami books.
After Dark is one of the more cozy Murakami novels out there.
We get to know Mari, a young woman who spends her nights at a Denny’s. One night, she encounters a young man who insists he knows his older sister. This event sets in motion Mari’s odyssey through the sleeping city.
It’s a tale set in a single night, but which sheds light on the lives of a diverse cast of Tokyo residents. It’s in this setting that fantasy and reality collide.
The book features some of Murakami’s usual surreal and strange elements, but they didn’t feel as central to the plot as in others.
After Dark’s plot, too, isn’t as gripping or extensive as that of other Murakami novels, but I found its atmosphere much richer. There’s just something about the night, those who populate it, and how they spend their time during these late hours.
At the center of the novel, however, is a deep feeling of loneliness. While we all share the world together, and we all interact and affect each other’s lives, we’re all isolated.
It’s an enchanting little novel, one I truly came to love and regard as one of the best Murakami books out there.
Kafka on the Shore is Murakami at his best, but also his most confusing.
It’s a novel that blends pop-culture references, cats, magical realism, sexuality and Japanese religious tradition into an utterly stunning and mind-boggling journey.
The novel revolves around two characters.
One is Kafka Tamura, a fifteen-year-old boy who escapes from his father’s home to avoid an oedipal curse. After leaving, he sets out to find his long-lost mother and sister. His journey eventually leads him to a private library on the island of Shikoku. There he meets the beautiful, but odd Miss Saeki, who might or might not be his mother and the even odder Oshima.
The other character is Nakata, a strange and illiterate old man. What makes Nakata special is his ability to talk to cats. Because of this, he’s become a cat locator. His story beings when he’s hired by the mysterious Johnnie Walker to find a lost cat. As it turns out however, Johnnie Walker is a cat killer and Nakata is forced to leave Tokyo. He ends up traveling with a truck driver, Noshino, who grows fond of the old man. Eventually, their journey, too, leads them to Shikoku.
It’s there that the two narratives converge.
Kafka on the Shore features a variety of strange characters and even stranger events. While some of these might be comical, the book’s a serious tale. It’s one heavy with musings on both reality and the metaphysical world.
It’s a complex work, heavily layered with symbolism. Murakami himself once said, it’s a book full of riddles and their solution is unique for each reader.
While the book focuses heavily on spirituality and religion, it’s essentially a coming-of-age tale of a fifteen-year-old boy and his journey to become an independent adult.
Kafka on the Shore is without Murakami’s weirdest book and it will leave you utterly confused after your first read-through. Yet, it’s nothing short of a magical realism masterpiece, one that’s without a doubt one of the best Murakami books out there, if not the best.
Haruki Murakami – Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is hands-down my favorite Murakami novel, even surpassing Kafka on the Shore.
It’s notable Murakami’s only pure science-fiction novel and features two seemingly unrelated narratives that couldn’t be more different.
The first focuses on a man who’s a ‘Calcutec.’ This means he’s a human data processor who specializes in using his subconscious mind for encryptions. His job is to shuffle and encrypt data so the agents of an organization known as The Factory can’t steal it. Before long, he finds himself at the center of an underground information war.
The second narrative is much stranger and set in a small town in a fantasy world. This town’s surrounded by a massive, impenetrable wall. Even more mysterious, all inhabitants seem to have lost their shadow and its only exit is protected by a fearsome gatekeeper.
After the narrator arrives in this town, his memories taken away, his shadow’s cut off from him and he gets assigned a job at the town’s library. From here on out, he tries to get back his shadow and to escape this strange town.
The most notable element of the town, however, are the many unicorns who live nearby.
These two plots are both as strange as they sound and are extremely unique to one another.
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is an absolutely fantastic book which blew me away when I first read it.
It’s populated by a cast of characters as interesting as they are weird. While our narrator’s a human data processor, he’s far from the weirdest addition. We encounter deranged scientists, psychotic thugs, mysterious librarians and even subterranean monsters.
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, however, also features deeper elements. Its themes, such as fulfillment, choices, as well as internal and external pressure and a good chunk of existential musings.
Yet, the most prevalent theme is without a doubt the relationship between conscious and subconscious mind. It’s this relationship that also inspired, at least in part, my short story The Special Dish.
It’s an extremely interesting book, my favorite and without a doubt one of the best Murakami books. I highly recommend it to any fan of Murakami, but also to those who like unique mysteries and science-fiction.
Frank Herbert’s Dune, originally published in 1965, has become a cornerstone of science-fiction. It quickly became a fan-favorite and many science-fiction readers are looking for more books like Dune.
It’s an epic story that has been adapted for TV and movies several times.
Dune is by many seen as the greatest science-fiction novel ever written. Even today, it remains one of the most important and influential science-fiction novels ever written.
It’s set in the distant future, in a time when a huge interplanetary empire rules over various planetary fiefdoms.
Our protagonists are the member of House Atreides which is assigned fief ruler of the planet Arrakis. Arrakis is known as Dune for its inhospitable climate and shifting sands.
Yet, there’s much more to the planet. It’s the only source in the universe for the melange, or spice, a drug that not only extends life and enhances mental abilities, but is also necessary for space navigation.
Before long, however, the Emperor conspires with the House Harkonnen. They are the former stewards of Arrakis and an enemy of House Atreides.
Dune is a rich novel full of different cultures, alien ecology and political intrigue. Yet, there are more of these. It focuses heavily on climate change and environmental issues, but also features religious symbolism and physical musings.
It’s a fantastic novel of ambitious scope that will stay with you long after you finished it.
Altogether, the original Dune saga comprises six novels by Frank Herbert himself and more than a dozen written by his son Kevin J. Anderson
For this article, I’ve put together a long list of books like Dune you’re sure to enjoy. If you’re looking for more science-fiction recommendations, be sure to check out my list of the best science-fiction novels.
Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie is a space opera set in a massive galactic empire.
It tells the story of an AI who controls the massive spaceship Justice Toren, but is also linked to thousands of human soldiers.
When the Toren Justice is destroyed, a fragment of the AI lives on in a single human body going by the name Breq. Breq now sets out on a quest for both finding answers and vengeance.
Ancillary Justice is a mystery that’s slowly unraveled. It’s a story full of political intrigue, philosophical discussions and centers heavily on artificial intelligence. The best part, however, is the layered plot and its massive payoff.
Another point to note is that Ancillary Justice was the first novel to win the Hugo, the Nebula and the Arthur C. Clarke award.
It’s a brilliant book for those who are looking for books like Dune. It’s smart, fun, inventive and features a cast of fantastic characters.
After its release The Fifth Season won the Hugo award for best novel, so you know it’s going to be good. Even more so when you learn all three books in the trilogy won the Hugo award.
Simply said, it’s a masterpiece which tells a similar tale to Frank Herbert’s renowned classic.
It’s set in an alternate, far-future earth set on a single, Pangea-like continent which is caught in a cycle of catastrophe and wracked by natural disasters. The titular ‘fifth season’ is what the inhabitants call the recurring periods of catastrophic climate change.
The opening of the book starts when a powerful ‘orogene,’ a human who can manipulate Earth’s crust, causes massive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and tears the land in two.
Orogones are a race of magical users who are enslaved and oppressed. Each of our narrators is a member of this race and as their stories slowly become entwined, the complexity of the overall plot becomes clear.
The Fifth Season is a novel that centers on both a very personal, family narrative and world-spanning, cataclysmic action. Political and magical power go hand-in-hand, yet a lot is hidden under the surface.
The Fifth Season is a fantastic fusion of science-fiction and fantasy, and it more than deserves its place on this list, especially for its fantastic storytelling.
Similar to Dune, it features both theological and supernatural elements akin to those of the Bene Gesserit. It’s a book that stands out for its meticulous world-building and deep character development.
It’s again only the first book in a series and followed by two sequels, The Obelisk Gate and the Stone Key. Both two are worth reading for those who are looking for books like Dune.
Hyperion can be called the Canterbury Tales of science-fiction.
It’s another novel set in the far-future, the 29th century. This masterpiece is a must-read for anyone who likes books like Dune.
Taken inspiration from the way the Canterbury Tales, it comprises six novellas.
They center on several pilgrims who meet on board a ship on their way to a world called Hyperion. This world is not connected to others via a farcaster portal and beyond the reach of the galactic law. When war rages, these seven pilgrims set out on their final voyage in search of answers.
These pilgrims are the Priest, the Soldier, the Poet, the Scholar, the Detective, and the Consul. On the way, each of them tells their story about how they came to take this journey.
All those stories, however, slowly reveal a larger plot little by little.
Dan Simmons uses these stories to paint a rich picture of his universe. It’s a vast place, one populated by desert planets, ocean planets and replicas of Earth.
Hyperion is a novel that features religion, war, family strife, political intrigue and artificial intelligence.
Once more, it’s only the first in Dan Simmons’ fictional universe and is followed up by three other books in his ‘Hyperion Cantos.’ All of them are equally worth reading for those who are looking for books like Dune.
Kate Elliot’s novel is set in an interstellar future in which the vast Chapalii Empire governs conquered planets. One of them is earth.
Similar to Dune, the novel focuses on a protagonist caught in the middle of interstellar politics, war, and intrigue. Her name is Tess Soerensen, and she’s the sister of the former leader of Earth’s rebellion against the alien invaders.
While the rebellion was a loss, however, the rebellion’s leader was given a dukedom and granted nobility.
Tess, however, leaves her home for the planet Rhui. There she meets the jaran, the natives who live as nomads and who’ve long forgotten their heritage. Before long, Tess is intrigued by their ways and comes to share an emotional connection with their charismatic leader, Ilya.
Soon enough, Tess finds herself between tradition and advancement, extinction and survival.
The most interesting thing about Jaran, however, is that it uses many established tropes, but changes them up and moves them into new directions.
Jaran is a book highly recommended for those who like books like Dune.
The Left Hand of Darkness is one of the earliest and finest examples of feminist science-fiction.
It centers on a Terran named Genly Ai who’s takes to negotiate with the planet Gethen to join a vast interstellar confederation. The inhabitants of Gethen, however, are ambisexual and their culture clashes with those of the confederacy.
It’s essentially a novel which focuses on and explores an alien culture through the eyes of a visitor.
The novel again focuses on extreme climate conditions. At one point, our main character, Gently Ai, has to travel across an ice sheet for 80 days, almost losing his life. Another similarity to Dune is the focus on religion and prophetic elements.
What The Left Hand of Darkness is best known for, however, is its study of gender.
It’s a fascinating, and thought-provoking read and one I highly recommend not only for those looking for books like Dune, but for any fan of science-fiction.
Leviathan Wakes is the first book in The Expense novel series which comprises nine novels.
Humanity has colonized the solar system, which is divided between three warring factions.
The novel itself explores two major plot points.
The first centers on James Holden, who’s working on the ice hauling ship ‘Canterbury.’ His life changes when the Canterbury responds to a distress signal. The crew stumbles upon a derelict ship, the Scopuli where they find a secret they never wanted to know and who someone’s willing to kill for.
The other centers on detective Miller, who’s looking for a lost girl. Before long, this search leads him to the Scopuli. He soon realizes this girl might be the key to everything.
These two mysteries are, of course, connected, and the clearer this connection becomes, the more the intrigue grows.
As the novel continues, our main characters are slowly brought together from different points in the solar system. Both Miller and Holden must now hold their own not only against the Earth government but also the Outer Planet revolutionaries and secretive corporations.
In the end, the stakes are high, and our heroes know that what they are after could save or destroy humanity. For out in the belts, a single ship can change the fate of the universe.
Leviathan Wakes is a fantastic book, one much closer to home than other books like Dune. It’s very worth reading, especially for its mystery elements and the fantastic narrative.
The Long Tomorrow is one of the few novels on this list preceding Frank Herbert’s Dune.
It was written back in 1955 and tells the story of two boys.
In a post-apocalyptic world, science and civilization are feared. Yet, our protagonists long for something greater than their simple, agrarian life.
Together they set out, travel through a war-torn land and discover a lot about themselves, but also the basis for the beliefs that have spread.
The Long Tomorrow is an interesting and well-written book with a great premise. What makes it especially worth reading is that it precedes most of the other novels on the list.
Lord of Light is an interesting blend between science-fiction and mythology.
It might sound similar to Dune at first hand, but it’s also vastly different.
While Dune creates its own mythology from scratch, Lord of Light blends Hindu and Buddhist beliefs into a fantastic interstellar adventure.
While Earth is long dead, this novel is set on a post-Earth colony. There, a group of man has gained control of technology, become immortal and now rule their world as the Hindu pantheon.
Opposing them is Mahasamatma, once known as Siddhartha, who’s known as the Lord of Light.
Yet, where Lord of Light stands out, the most is in terms of political intrigue. Like in Dune, it’s one of the major themes of the novel. Yet, it also heavily focuses on the themes of colonialism and spirituality.
Overall, a book very worth reading for those who are looking for books like Dune.
This novel follows Severian, who’s a member of the torturer guild.
His life changes when he falls in love with one of the condemned, a young noblewoman. First, he’s delaying her torture before he eventually helps her commit suicide to save her from her dire fate.
This act leads to his exile from the guild to a distant metropolis.
This exile is the beginning of a heartbreaking adventure full of political intrigues not too different from that of Paul Atreides in Dune.
Yet, things get much more interesting when he comes into possession of a strange gem. It soon becomes clear that a variety of people seem determined to get their hand on it.
Gene Wolfe’s The Shadow of the Torturer is a masterpiece of science-fantasy and a great pick for fans of books like Dune.
The Stars are Legion comes with a very interesting and unique setting.
While many other books like Dune are heavily inspired by Frank Herbert’s epic, the Stars are Legion is entirely different when compared to Dune. What it stands out for, however, is its epic scale, prose, characters and storytelling.
It’s set in a collapsing mass of world-ships at the edge of the universe called Legion.
Wars about control of legion are an ever-present reality, but so far there’s been no resolution.
As world-ships die, people get desperate and different factions try to uncover the secret of the central ship around which all others orbit.
At the center of these events is Zan, an amnesiac girl who’s trying to regain control of one world-ship and leave Legion. While she’s far from the only one with this goal, she, similar to Paul Atreides in Dune, seems to be the key.
She bands together with a group of other cast-offs and starts a war that only she can hope to win. Before long, Zan will learn that she carries what could destroy all of Legion or lead to its salvation.
The Stars are Legion is a fantastically well-written novel that tackles contemporary problems such as politics, gender identity and using people as mere tools to gain power.
The Foundation Trilogy is yet another work centering on a vast galactic empire.
Yet, Asimov’s story is different, as it portrays the collapse of an empire. What’s interesting, however, is that this collapse can’t be averted. Instead, its effects on humanity can only be dampened as much as possible.
The story of The Foundation Trilogy centers on the efforts to preserve the empire’s galactic knowledge and culture and eventually establish a new galactic empire.
It’s inspired by Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, which is noticeable right away.
The Foundation Trilogy focuses much less on a single narrative, but presents us with various events that take place during the fall of the Galactic Empire and the subsequent rise of the Foundation. Each of these events is detailed in a short story or novella, features its own characters, plots and crises to overcome.
What’s interesting about The Foundation Trilogy is that it relies much less on gripping action and space battles, but more on clever plots, twists and political theory.
Originally published in the 1950s, The Foundation Trilogy is considered a masterpiece of science-fiction.
If you’re looking for books like Dune, a science-fiction fan and have never read it, I highly recommend it. It’s at the pinnacle of the genre and considered one of the greatest works of science-fiction at all.
Kim Stanley’s Red Mars is the first in his acclaimed Mars trilogy. It’s a book like Dune, mostly for its setting.
It tells the story of an international expedition comprising one hundred colonists who set foot on the barren planet with plans to establish a colony there.
Using a variety of terraforming technology, they set out to change the planet forever. Yet, there are, of course, those who want to prevent the planet from ever changing.
Red Mars, however, as opposed to Dune, is a hard science-fiction novel. It concerns itself deeply with terraforming and dives deep into it and its intricacies.
Yet, it’s not merely a book about planetary physics, but also one about war and politics. It also discusses a variety of contemporary problems, namely environmental issues and our overreliance on certain resources such as oil.
In Red Mars, the central question is one about human nature. Is it possible to build a better society? To discuss this question, Kim Stanley Robinson uses the attempted colonization of Mars.
Red Mars is a great read for science-fiction fans, especially those who like hard science-fiction.
Riverworld is an odd book, yet similar other books like Dune it’s set in the far future.
The ‘Riverworld’ is a terraformed planet. It comprises a single river and valley that runs the entire circumference of the planet and is fed by a polar water source.
One day, for unknown reasons, every Homo sapiens, from the first to the latest most evolved, is resurrected along the banks of the river.
Stories of the dead coming back to life are nothing new, but Riverworld is definitely different, which can be noticed by its cast of characters.
While it features its fair cast of fictional characters, it also features prominent historical figures. Those include Mozart, King John of England, Hermann Goring and Mark Twain.
Yet, what makes the book even more interesting is its focus on how a modern, futuristic society changes these characters.
While Riverworld might sound weird at first hand, it’s a very interesting book with a unique setting that tackles deeper questions than one would first imagine. It especially focuses on sexual and religious themes.
It’s definitely a must-read for fans of books like Dune and especially for those who are interested in historical figures.
At first glance Brave New World might not appear a book like Dune, but similarly to Dune it depicts a futuristic society and people’s struggles for what’s important.
The book’s story is set in 2540 and humanity lives in an idealistic society. People aren’t born but engineered in artificial wombs. They go through childhood indoctrination before they are put in predetermined castes.
In this society, there are no long-lasting relationships and everyone belongs to everyone. Depression, doubt, and unhappiness can simply be cured by a drug called Soma.
Bernard Marx is a member of the highest caste who disapproves of this society and its methods. The plot truly starts, however, when Bernard visits a savage reservation and meets John. John is a young man born naturally who grew up in the reservation and knows nothing about the real society.
What’s interesting about Brave New World is that its society might be called a Utopia. People are happy, live peacefully. There’s no war, but it all comes at a price. It’s a terrifying concept, especially given how realistic it might become.
Brave New World is a fantastically written novel, ripe with scientific background and populated by interesting characters. It’s without a doubt one of the greatest dystopian novels ever written.
The Three-Body Problem is the first novel in the fantastic Remembrance of Earth Past trilogy. It’s yet another hard science-fiction novel.
With its focus on scale, it’s easy to see why the Three-Body Problem can be compared to Dune. However, it’s modern and nothing short of unique in the realm of science-fiction.
It tells the story of a first contact gone wrong.
During China’s Cultural Revaluation, a secret military project sends signals into space. Eventually, a signal from an alien civilization, referred to as the Trisolarans, is intercepted by the Chinese government.
A group of scientists, including Ye Wenje, is brought together to deceiver their message. The alien civilization lives in a solar system which comprises three solar-type stars orbiting each other in an unstable three-body system. It soon becomes clear that the Trisolarans are on the brink of destruction, yet this is not the only thing the scientists uncover.
The story of the novel features a huge cast of character and explores fascinating physical concepts. Yet, it also focuses on politics, government authority and other similar themes.
After reading this novel and especially the rest of the series, it’s easy to see why Cixin Liu is China’s most popular science-fiction writer. The Three-Body problem is often called the best Chinese science-fiction novel of all time and highly recommended to those who are looking for books like Dune.
Involution Ocean is another book like Dune, which might be called a speculative fiction version of Moby Dick.
Our protagonist, John Newhouse, is hooked on a powerful narcotic drug named Flame.
There’s only one source. It’s derived from whale-like creatures native to the dust seas on planet Nullaqua.
When the drug gets outlawed by the Galactic Confederacy, however, John has no choice but to sign up as a seaman aboard a dust whaler and hunt the creature himself.
Involution Ocean features not only a setting similar to Dune, but also a cast of fantastic characters. They comprise junkies, misfits, but also weirder characters and those who hide their own dark secrets.
Yet, the plot of the book doesn’t center on political conflict or war. Instead, similar to Moby Dick, it centers on the confrontation between man and beast.
The book, however, also focuses on and studies the various aspects of human nature.
Involution Ocean presents us with an astonishing imaginative world. Yet, what makes it so similar to Dune is its focus on a rare commodity and the native megafauna which are both very reminiscent of the planet Arrakis.
A brilliant novel that is highly recommended reading for fans of science-fiction.
The Windup Girl is a novel set in a dystopian future Thailand. It follows a diverse set of characters as they try to survive in this setting.
One is a man named Anderson Lake. He works as a Calorie Man for the AgriGen Corporation. Working undercover as a factory manager, he’s tasked with combing Bangkok’s street markets for foods thought to be extinct.
Emiko, on the other hand, is known as the Windup Girl. She’s a beautifully engineered being who was grown and created to satisfy the whims of a Japanese businessman. After being abandoned, she now walks the streets of Bangkok.
People like Emiko are known as New People. They are feared and regarded as soulless. They are nothing but slaves, soldiers, or toys.
The Windup Girl is a fascinating novel set in a future in which fossil fuels are a thing of the past and bio-engineering runs rampant.
The book focuses heavily on such issues as climate change, the nature of humanity and how counts as human, who doesn’t and why not. Another, more important them, however, is that of calories becoming a currency and that of bio-terrorism.
The Windup Girl is nothing short of fascinating and one of the greatest science-fiction novels of the twenty-first century. Those looking for books like Dune should definitely check it out.
The Forever War starts out similar to many other science-fiction novels and space operas. Humanity gets in contact with aliens, conflict starts and war breaks out.
Our protagonist, William Mandella, becomes part of an elite military unit that travels the galaxy to fight the alien enemy in what should become known as the Forever War.
While the earlier chapters in the book which focus on military training and the first battle against the alien antagonist can be weak, the book soon gets much more interesting. It explores a variety of complex themes and draws an intricate and realistic picture of not only interstellar war but also futuristic society.
As the story continues, Mandella wants to go home, but soon realizes that what he remembers as his home might not be anymore. Because of the vast distances of space and the unexpected circumstances of space travel, he might only age months while on Earth decades and even centuries pass.
While the Forever War is a space opera, the battle scenes are actually one of its weaker elements. They are much more realistic than those in other novels, but also less exciting.
Where the book really stands out is in the exploration of its various more complex scenes. The most interesting of those is the vast changes society goes through over decades and centuries and how one adapts to them.
While the book has its weaker elements, it more than makes up for it by the complex themes it tackles.
It’s clearly one of the best science-fiction novels out there and highly recommended for those who look for books like Dune.
Starship Troopers is another classic in the realm of science-fiction. The story is set in the far future and humanity is dominated by a military elite referred to as the Terran Federation.
The novel follows Juan ‘Johnny’ Rico, a young man, through his service in the Mobile Infantry in which he goes from recruit to officer.
All this is told against the backdrop of an interstellar war between humanity and an alien species known as ‘Arachnids’ or ‘Bugs.’
As a big fan of the movie by the same name, I expected the book to be an action packed science-fiction novel, but it was a much deeper and more complex book.
Many parts of the book are devoted to classroom scenes in which Rico and others discuss philosophical and moral topics. Those include civic virtue, war, military doctrine and suffrage.
While I don’t agree with Heinlein’s ideas and find some of them questionable, these discussions were some of the most interesting parts in the book.
Yet, the book still has its scenes of brutal action, they just aren’t the focus of the novel.
Overall, Starship Troopers is a science-fiction class. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for books like Dune, but especially those who are interested in military science-fiction.
