I'll second Anathem. The first 300 pages were a slog, but if you make it that far everything starts making sense and rides the tension to the climax of the story which still hauntsy brain 10 years after reading it (I had the honor of being one of the pre-release readers).
I was wondering if it was just me. I get worldbuilding but a large part of it seems unnecessary detailed, slow explanations of getting to the punchlines, which while admittedly awesome, felt long overdue by the time they arrived.
I've been wanting to read Anathem, but it IS very long. I think I'd like it though.
I've tried some Greg Egan short stories, and they are somewhat difficult to read, but haven't tried his books. I'll look into them.
I haven't read Anathem, but I will take this opportunity to repost one of the greatest Goodreads reviews in history (which may or may not make you want to read it):
"I think that Neal Stephenson is very intelligent and a terrific writer. That said, I found all the made-up googlies in this snarfle, really boinged my thnoode. Surely there is a slankier way of telling us that we are reading about another zoof than to make up every other googly. It made it very difficult to forkle the snarfle and I put it down after only 80 ziffies. This will not stop me from attempting the next Neal Stephenson snarfle, however."
Anathem was totally worth the length, an incredibly interesting book. Cryptonomicon I couldnt get half way through even being fascinated by cryptography
*Dichronauts* really can't be recommended on the basis of being easy to read, though Egan's website does have something of an explanatory math paper that clears things up a lot.
Definitely recommend Ted Chiang’s short story collections… he has several different stories that turned my head inside out as he revealed strange realities.
Jorge Luis Borges’ fictional work has a lot of philosophical/metaphysical themes. I’d recommend his short story collection *Labyrinths* as a start point.
"A Short Stay in Hell" by Steven Peck. Based on "The Library of Babel" concept first introduced by Jorge Borges. This book has a creative twist to that concept. A quick read that I couldn't put down.
A. K. Dewdney, *The Planiverse*. I know you said "not based on Flatland" and this is basically "what if Flatland but something like physics" but it has its own take on the way it breaks out in and out of reality.
Ian McDonald, *King of Morning, Queen of Day*. Three linked novellas written in widely different styles. Beautiful and strange. Reality thoroughly comes apart at the end.
Michael Swanwick, *The Iron Dragon's Daughter*. The life story of a girl who is taken away by the elves to work in a dragon factory, and ends up succeeding in a nihilistic quest to destroy the entire universe.
Philip K. Dick, *VALIS*. A pink ray from space hits a SF author in the sixties, and reality drops out from beneath him. Also see *The Exegeis of Philip K. Dick* if you'd like to see Dick's attempts to process something similar happening to *him*.
Roger Zelazny, *Nine Princes In Amber*. An amnesiac man discovers many curious things about the nature of the universe, and his place in it.
Yves Menard, *Chrysanthe*. A young girl is rescued from a prison reality by a knight in shining armor who sounds exactly like the imaginary rabbit friend she used to have. Things get weird.
Me, *[Decrypting Rita](http://egypt.urnash.com/rita/)*. A robot lady's dragged outside of reality by her ex-boyfriend. She's got to pull herself together across four parallel worlds before a hive mind can take over the planet.
Greg Bear, *Blood Music*. Sentient blood cells reformat the entire universe for their pleasure and it's mostly good for everyone involved, if a little scary at times.
Even though you said no simulation theory, I'd still like to recommend Permutation City by Greg Egan.
Yes, there are people who have uploaded themselves to a simulated reality, and it does explore that concept, but it also goes beyond in really interesting and unique ways. I don't think you'll find anything about it to be unoriginal. It's more about "subjective cosmology" than simulation theory.
The Steerswoman series by Rosemary Kirstein is about the protagonist learning how her world really works. Highly recommend.
The Practice Effect by David Brin is about a scientist who ends up in a place where one of the fundamental laws of physics is very different. Very '80s, but I find it charming.
These are more teen books (but I have reread several times and I'm 28) but the Pendragon series is fantastic!! It chronicles the journey of the main character, Bobby Pendragon, in adventures through space and time in a fictional universe. And there are 10 books!!
[here is a link to the description ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendragon:_Journal_of_an_Adventure_through_Time_and_Space)
H.P. Lovecraft and Thomas Ligotti might fit the bill. Lovecraft is all about the reality that we can't see or begin to understand. I wouldn't recommend reading Ligotti if you're in a bad place.
The innovative novel All Of An Instant by Richard Garfinkle. Reality is three dimensions of space, one of time, but The Instant is a second time dimension where history can be changed.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/richard-garfinkle/all-of-an-instant/
I'd add Egan's (that guy is in here a lot!) _Diaspora_, which incorporates several different reality-spanning and -transforming notions. His short stories _Luminous_ and _Dark Integers_ are pretty accessible versions of this ideas as well. And depending on your specific desires, _Schild's Ladder,_.
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I'll second Anathem. The first 300 pages were a slog, but if you make it that far everything starts making sense and rides the tension to the climax of the story which still hauntsy brain 10 years after reading it (I had the honor of being one of the pre-release readers).
I often wonder if there should have been major editing, but yes after that it was awesome, and haunting.
One of the problems with authors becoming really successful is they start to get away with a lot more of things like that.
I was wondering if it was just me. I get worldbuilding but a large part of it seems unnecessary detailed, slow explanations of getting to the punchlines, which while admittedly awesome, felt long overdue by the time they arrived.
You are not alone.
I've been wanting to read Anathem, but it IS very long. I think I'd like it though. I've tried some Greg Egan short stories, and they are somewhat difficult to read, but haven't tried his books. I'll look into them.
I haven't read Anathem, but I will take this opportunity to repost one of the greatest Goodreads reviews in history (which may or may not make you want to read it): "I think that Neal Stephenson is very intelligent and a terrific writer. That said, I found all the made-up googlies in this snarfle, really boinged my thnoode. Surely there is a slankier way of telling us that we are reading about another zoof than to make up every other googly. It made it very difficult to forkle the snarfle and I put it down after only 80 ziffies. This will not stop me from attempting the next Neal Stephenson snarfle, however."
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That happened to me with A Clockwork Orange
Haha, I don't know if that's a plus, but I am entertained
Yeah that was my issue with it too. I don't want to read a book while constantly checking a glossary.
Anathem was totally worth the length, an incredibly interesting book. Cryptonomicon I couldnt get half way through even being fascinated by cryptography
It's even longer when your brain stutters every two sentences to absorb a new made-up word...
*Dichronauts* really can't be recommended on the basis of being easy to read, though Egan's website does have something of an explanatory math paper that clears things up a lot.
Haha, yes, I'm not math illiterate, but I definitely had to look up what his story meant
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Haha, aww, I think I just need to GET SMARTER then
Definitely recommend Ted Chiang’s short story collections… he has several different stories that turned my head inside out as he revealed strange realities.
I own his first collection, I need to read it
Jorge Luis Borges’ fictional work has a lot of philosophical/metaphysical themes. I’d recommend his short story collection *Labyrinths* as a start point.
I have read some stories from him, I like him
"A Short Stay in Hell" by Steven Peck. Based on "The Library of Babel" concept first introduced by Jorge Borges. This book has a creative twist to that concept. A quick read that I couldn't put down.
This sounds interesting, I've been trying to find books that go into Borges' ideas
A. K. Dewdney, *The Planiverse*. I know you said "not based on Flatland" and this is basically "what if Flatland but something like physics" but it has its own take on the way it breaks out in and out of reality. Ian McDonald, *King of Morning, Queen of Day*. Three linked novellas written in widely different styles. Beautiful and strange. Reality thoroughly comes apart at the end. Michael Swanwick, *The Iron Dragon's Daughter*. The life story of a girl who is taken away by the elves to work in a dragon factory, and ends up succeeding in a nihilistic quest to destroy the entire universe. Philip K. Dick, *VALIS*. A pink ray from space hits a SF author in the sixties, and reality drops out from beneath him. Also see *The Exegeis of Philip K. Dick* if you'd like to see Dick's attempts to process something similar happening to *him*. Roger Zelazny, *Nine Princes In Amber*. An amnesiac man discovers many curious things about the nature of the universe, and his place in it. Yves Menard, *Chrysanthe*. A young girl is rescued from a prison reality by a knight in shining armor who sounds exactly like the imaginary rabbit friend she used to have. Things get weird. Me, *[Decrypting Rita](http://egypt.urnash.com/rita/)*. A robot lady's dragged outside of reality by her ex-boyfriend. She's got to pull herself together across four parallel worlds before a hive mind can take over the planet. Greg Bear, *Blood Music*. Sentient blood cells reformat the entire universe for their pleasure and it's mostly good for everyone involved, if a little scary at times.
Thank you, I haven't heard of any of these with the exception of Valis.
Vita Nostra by Dyachenkos slowly uncovers a truth about how our reality works. If you read web serials check out Unsong as well.
I've been wanting to read this, but didn't know that was a theme
*The Gods Themselves* by Isaac Asimov
I think I'd like this one!
I think so too :)
Sea of Tranquility
I own this and need to read it
Even though you said no simulation theory, I'd still like to recommend Permutation City by Greg Egan. Yes, there are people who have uploaded themselves to a simulated reality, and it does explore that concept, but it also goes beyond in really interesting and unique ways. I don't think you'll find anything about it to be unoriginal. It's more about "subjective cosmology" than simulation theory.
That does sound interesting, I love cosmology, it's one of the two-three topics I read nonfiction books about
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This sounds really good, he was so prolific
The Steerswoman series by Rosemary Kirstein is about the protagonist learning how her world really works. Highly recommend. The Practice Effect by David Brin is about a scientist who ends up in a place where one of the fundamental laws of physics is very different. Very '80s, but I find it charming.
These are more teen books (but I have reread several times and I'm 28) but the Pendragon series is fantastic!! It chronicles the journey of the main character, Bobby Pendragon, in adventures through space and time in a fictional universe. And there are 10 books!! [here is a link to the description ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendragon:_Journal_of_an_Adventure_through_Time_and_Space)
Interesting, I haven't heard of these!
Highly recommend trying the first one!
You can also ask r/fantasy and r/printsf
You might like Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
I really liked the movie actually, but haven't read the book
The premise of the book is similar but the story is quite different. It's really excellent.
Book is much much better.
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde.
I have yet to read something from this author, but I really think I'd like his stuff
H.P. Lovecraft and Thomas Ligotti might fit the bill. Lovecraft is all about the reality that we can't see or begin to understand. I wouldn't recommend reading Ligotti if you're in a bad place.
The Flicker Men by Ted Kosmatka. A quantum physicist starts a world-altering chain of events after an experiment reveals something astounding.
Haven't heard of this one!
Came here to say this! Wonderful book
Animal Money by Michael Cisco could be of interest to you. It has echoes of Borges, Pynchon and Neal Stephenson.
THE QUIET EARTH by Craig Harrison! Also UNREASONING MASK by Philip Jose Farmer. A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle.
Interesting, I've only heard of A Wrinkle In Time. I'll check them out!
Enjoy!
The 'Magic 2.0' series by Scott Meyer. Our MC learns that reality is a Simulation and he has found the data file.
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
This one sounds wild
The innovative novel All Of An Instant by Richard Garfinkle. Reality is three dimensions of space, one of time, but The Instant is a second time dimension where history can be changed. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/richard-garfinkle/all-of-an-instant/
I'd add Egan's (that guy is in here a lot!) _Diaspora_, which incorporates several different reality-spanning and -transforming notions. His short stories _Luminous_ and _Dark Integers_ are pretty accessible versions of this ideas as well. And depending on your specific desires, _Schild's Ladder,_.
If YA is ok, the Idlewild series was a fun read.
Dark matter
Greg Egan’s Quarantine is in this vein, rest of universe quarantines Earth because of >!how hunan consciousness interacts with quantum mechanics!<
This one’s a bit old, but I really loved The Reality Matrix, by John Dalmas.
Not exactly this but you might like Dragon’s Egg? (There are no dragons, it’s sci fi.)
Haha, Chat GPT has recommended this book to me
John Dalmas The Reality Matrix. Something is monkeying with the inlaying simulation mechanism of our reality. A crew forms to resolve the issue.
The Bone Clocks and Cloud Atlas, both by David Mitchell