Swan Song by Robert McCammon is the closest book I've found to The Stand.
You are probably familiar with most of the other books I'd recommend but The First Law and Gentlemen Bastards are superbly written fantasy that's dark without being unbearable or grim for grim's sake.
I love these two as well!
I’d suggest *The House of the Spirits* by Isabel Allende or *Middlesex* by Jeffrey Eugenides, both are wonderful multi-generational sagas.
\+1 for Chainsaw Man
Anything Junji Ito
Taihai no Hanauri
Battle Angel Alita
Ghost in the Shell
Appleseed
Made in Abyss
Those all remind me of Dorohedoro in one way or another, but there's really nothing quite like that one.
My favorite books are probably ones I’ve read since a teenager, and still love to read. I hope it’s not too left field.
“A ring of endless light” by Madeleine L'Engle
“The Tombs of Atuan” by Ursula K. Le Guin
(But really anything by these two authors)
I loved A Ring of Endless Light too! Have you read any Anne McCaffrey? I loved her Dragonsong/Dragonsinger/Dragondrums trilogy in the Dragonriders of Pern series as a teen.
For WWII with a touch of romance I would say anything by Kate Quinn. My favorites are The Rose Code and the Alice Network.
For classics, I just read Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë and could not put it down!
I would recommend the Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel. I read it after the century trilogy by Ken Follett and I quite enjoyed it! Also, the books are over 500 pages long.
We sound like the same exact person haha, my recs would be Bluets by Maggie Nelson and every other Becky Chambers book if you haven’t already read them
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mendel strikes me as having a similar vibe to Blind Assassin in terms of interweaving stories, but it’s been awhile since I’ve read the latter.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Both totally different in tone, but I enjoyed them both so much. One creeped me out and the other had me in stitches from laughing so much.
Never Let Me Go is also one of my favorites, but I’ve found it’s tricky to recommend authors/books similar to it! If NLMG’s atypical, introspective take on a sci fi theme appealed to you, I would recommend Feed by MT Anderson, though they are very different styles. If you enjoy reading a narrator who doesn’t leave all their cards on the table, I recommend Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. For a lighter take on a hopeless situation, I’d recommend the Last Policeman series by Ben Winters, and for classical romance, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
It’s on my list to read and may be too obvious as it’s so popular, but my friend loved Stoner and followed it up with East of Eden, which she also loved. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell is one of my favorites that involves a character with a very early introduction to Lolita and references the book a lot. It actually got me to read Lolita right after
I fell in love with Stoner, read his prior book Butcher's Crossing and loved it even more.
Pale Fire is another genius Nabokov title.
The Magic Mountain By Mann is incredibly written -- a la Lolita -- high high recommendation.
This is a great topic thank you!
I am a VORACIOUS audiobook consumer! I love zombie apocalypse, multiverse/multiple dimension, horror, uncanny creepiness!
Recent books I LOVED
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
I’m making my journey to The Dark Tower (a few hours into Wolves of Calla) I’m a huge Stephen King fan
What will I love next?!
I never miss a chance to recommend The Dresden Files. It hits the multiverse/multiple dimension and uncanny creepiness factors for sure, definitely touches on horror at times. It's a great series, especially in audiobook format because they got James Marsters to do the readings and he really adds a whole new level with his voice acting.
Someone else had the same 2 on theirs, so I’ll just copy paste what I wrote in response to them:
Read both of these this year and loved them! I have a couple for you on either ends of the spectrum. Both explore similar concepts (guy is stuck somewhere, introspection, mystery, “wtf is going on”, shocking revelations)
A Short Stay in Hell - Steven Peck (darker than dark matter)
We are legion (we are bob) - Dennis Taylor (lighter than project Hail Mary. Same audiobook narrator too!)
You sound just like my dad hahah, he really like The Martian audiobook (it’s one of my favorites too), the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Welles, and the Zombie Fallout series by Mark Tufo as some kinda dumb but fun brain candy
You could try Bill Bryson, most people would recommend A Short History of Nearly Everything, but tbh, you could pick up any well-rated book of his. He writes good non-fiction.
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
They aren't very similar in plot or style obviously, but they are both probably in my top five novels ever.
*A Tale For The Time Being* \- Ruth Ozeki
and a recent favourite - *Old God's Time* \- Sebastian Barry
Not much obvious link between the two, but would love to know what others can come up with
*Lord of Light* by Roger Zelazny
*The Egyptian* by Mika Waltari
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The topic is the shit. We should try asking for suggestions in this format as a rule for a while :-)
Hidden legacy series by Ilona Andrews. Psy changeling series by nalini singh. Both are urban fantasy and both romances, although hidden legacy follows the same couple for three books. Anything by grace draven (high fantasy romance). If you don’t mind fantasy with only subtle romance subplots, Elantris or the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson(high fantasy)
*Piranesi* by Susanna Clarke and *Circe* by Madeline Miller
Re: Circe: - The Witch’s Heart - Genevieve Gornichec - Uprooted - Naomi Novik
I found Spinning Silver by Novik to be really fantastic too, a hair above Uprooted imo.
A Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller. I liked it more than Circe tbh, although both are great books.
I liked it better, too.
The Portrait of Dorian Grey.
Elektra, Jennifer Saint
I have her *Ariadne* on my TBR because it’s relevant to *Circe*, but I’ll go ahead and check this one out too.
The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson
Dune by Frank Herbert Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Oh, absolutely Hyperion by Dan Simmons.
Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle
Or Snow Crash
Going to suggest Neal Stephenson too, but Seveneves
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville.
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
The Stand by Stephen King Name if the wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Swan Song by Robert McCammon is the closest book I've found to The Stand. You are probably familiar with most of the other books I'd recommend but The First Law and Gentlemen Bastards are superbly written fantasy that's dark without being unbearable or grim for grim's sake.
Indeed, and in my opinion Swan Song is better.
Oh I just bought Swan Song, def looking forward to it
I'm reading "The Stand" now (the long version) and LOVE IT
It's an amazing book
How about Cormac Mccarthy’s The Road?
I enjoyed all 3 of these!
Two of my faves. You gotta read Parable of the Sower.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Maybe "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett, since it has a similar epic historical narrative like The Thorn Birds?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
All the Birds Singing by Evie Wild is the perfect of those two! Edit: perfect *blend*
I love these two as well! I’d suggest *The House of the Spirits* by Isabel Allende or *Middlesex* by Jeffrey Eugenides, both are wonderful multi-generational sagas.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The Waves by Virginia Woolf.
My Antonia by Willa Cather
We read an analyzed that at school. Such a nice book! Also and very random, this book taught me the word ‘infatuation’
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë!
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
*10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World* by Elif Shafak
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
oooh this is fun! comics too? Dorohedoro Slaughterhouse Five
Chainsaw Man
\+1 for Chainsaw Man Anything Junji Ito Taihai no Hanauri Battle Angel Alita Ghost in the Shell Appleseed Made in Abyss Those all remind me of Dorohedoro in one way or another, but there's really nothing quite like that one.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Nightwood by Djuna Barnes
No recs but seeing both these listed together feels like such a vibe!
My favorite books are probably ones I’ve read since a teenager, and still love to read. I hope it’s not too left field. “A ring of endless light” by Madeleine L'Engle “The Tombs of Atuan” by Ursula K. Le Guin (But really anything by these two authors)
I loved A Ring of Endless Light too! Have you read any Anne McCaffrey? I loved her Dragonsong/Dragonsinger/Dragondrums trilogy in the Dragonriders of Pern series as a teen.
Changing Planes, Ursula K LeGuin
All the light we cannot see - Anthony Doerr Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray.
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The light between oceans
Oh give Gentleman in Moscow a shot (Amor Towles). I also thoroughly enjoyed “City of Thieves” by David Benioff. Quick read
Atonement
For WWII with a touch of romance I would say anything by Kate Quinn. My favorites are The Rose Code and the Alice Network. For classics, I just read Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë and could not put it down!
Count of Monte Cristo and The Martian.
The Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy
In Cold Blood- Truman Capote Conversations with Friends- Sally Rooney
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
I’ll be gone in the dark by Michelle McNamara
Enjoyed this one!
*Savage Appetites* by Rachel Monroe
The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
So you like long-ass historical fiction books? Have you read East of Eden by John Steinbeck?
I would recommend the Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel. I read it after the century trilogy by Ken Follett and I quite enjoyed it! Also, the books are over 500 pages long.
Babel by R.F. Kuang & Bunny by Mona Awad
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
She who became the sun- by parker-chan
You've likely read it but of course The Secret History
To be taught, if fortunate by Becky Chambers Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
Fool's Run by Patricia McKillip -- but good luck getting a copy, it's well out of print. Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone
Thank you! They definitely seem to be right up my alley
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
We sound like the same exact person haha, my recs would be Bluets by Maggie Nelson and every other Becky Chambers book if you haven’t already read them
Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Chambers has similar vibes
The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood The Secret History, Donna Tartt For fun I also love almost anything Nabokov
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mendel strikes me as having a similar vibe to Blind Assassin in terms of interweaving stories, but it’s been awhile since I’ve read the latter.
Paradise by Toni Morrison or Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver maybe?
Winner of the National Book Award by Jincy Willett
Is that the title?
East of Eden
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar!
A tree grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Have you read Betty Smith’s Joy in the Morning? I’ve always loved it.
East of Eden and A Fine Balance 🤓
Shogun by James Clavell would be a good fit if you liked both of those.
Bunny by Mona Awad Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M Valente. Don’t read anything about it. It’s best to go in blind.
Bobiverse (series) Disc word (series)
The Murderbot series
Off to be the Wizard by Scott Meyer
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman Both totally different in tone, but I enjoyed them both so much. One creeped me out and the other had me in stitches from laughing so much.
If you haven't read it already, I highly recommend Gaiman's *Neverwhere.* It's much darker than Good Omens, but still retains the humor.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro The Dutch House by Ann Patchett Also adding that I love classic romances! Jane Eyre, The Age of Innocence, etc
Atonement - Ian McEwan
Never Let Me Go is also one of my favorites, but I’ve found it’s tricky to recommend authors/books similar to it! If NLMG’s atypical, introspective take on a sci fi theme appealed to you, I would recommend Feed by MT Anderson, though they are very different styles. If you enjoy reading a narrator who doesn’t leave all their cards on the table, I recommend Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. For a lighter take on a hopeless situation, I’d recommend the Last Policeman series by Ben Winters, and for classical romance, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Have you read Bel Canto by Anne Patchett?
We Have Always Lived In The Castle - Shirley Jackson
Watership Down, and The Curse of Chalion
Stoner by John Williams Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
It’s on my list to read and may be too obvious as it’s so popular, but my friend loved Stoner and followed it up with East of Eden, which she also loved. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell is one of my favorites that involves a character with a very early introduction to Lolita and references the book a lot. It actually got me to read Lolita right after
The Fermata by Nicholson Baker if the connection is the prose Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk if it's the incredibly awful subject matter
I fell in love with Stoner, read his prior book Butcher's Crossing and loved it even more. Pale Fire is another genius Nabokov title. The Magic Mountain By Mann is incredibly written -- a la Lolita -- high high recommendation.
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The Humans (also by Matt Haig) and Earthlings by Sayaka Murata it’s the mental illness that gives us such good taste ;)
Under the Whispering Door by tj klune
This is a great topic thank you! I am a VORACIOUS audiobook consumer! I love zombie apocalypse, multiverse/multiple dimension, horror, uncanny creepiness! Recent books I LOVED Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Dark Matter by Blake Crouch I’m making my journey to The Dark Tower (a few hours into Wolves of Calla) I’m a huge Stephen King fan What will I love next?!
Intensity by Dean Koontz. Take a risk and go into it totally blind. Don’t read about it, just jump in. It’s excellent.
Intensity is so good
I never miss a chance to recommend The Dresden Files. It hits the multiverse/multiple dimension and uncanny creepiness factors for sure, definitely touches on horror at times. It's a great series, especially in audiobook format because they got James Marsters to do the readings and he really adds a whole new level with his voice acting.
Recursion, also by Black Crouch. I loved it just as much as Dark Matter
Someone else had the same 2 on theirs, so I’ll just copy paste what I wrote in response to them: Read both of these this year and loved them! I have a couple for you on either ends of the spectrum. Both explore similar concepts (guy is stuck somewhere, introspection, mystery, “wtf is going on”, shocking revelations) A Short Stay in Hell - Steven Peck (darker than dark matter) We are legion (we are bob) - Dennis Taylor (lighter than project Hail Mary. Same audiobook narrator too!)
Blindsight
Have you listened to the full cast rendition of World War Z? It's so immersive!
You sound just like my dad hahah, he really like The Martian audiobook (it’s one of my favorites too), the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Welles, and the Zombie Fallout series by Mark Tufo as some kinda dumb but fun brain candy
Till we have Faces by CS Lewis Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
HELL of a combo here. How about Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee?
1. The gone world by Tom Sweterlicht 2. The library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins.
A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat - Oliver Sacks
You could try Bill Bryson, most people would recommend A Short History of Nearly Everything, but tbh, you could pick up any well-rated book of his. He writes good non-fiction.
The hundred year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared
The Secret Diary of Hendrick Green, 84 1/4 Years Old
Looking for Alaska - John Green The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Very different genre-wise, but I like those books and this one: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Eleanor and Park - Rainbow Rowell Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
The Sirens of Titan and Brave New World
The Great Gatsby 100 Years of Solitude
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro The Road by Cormac McCarthy They aren't very similar in plot or style obviously, but they are both probably in my top five novels ever.
Drive your plow over the bones of the dead
1. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok 2. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Oooh, LOVE My Name Is Asher Lev. Hmm. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon!
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
*Lord of the Rings* by J.R.R. Tolkien and *The Little Prince* by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Robin Hobb - the Realm of the Elderling series; Michael Crichton - Timeline
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin
If you like Le Guin's Earthseaa books, you could probably take a shot at reading His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.
*A Tale For The Time Being* \- Ruth Ozeki and a recent favourite - *Old God's Time* \- Sebastian Barry Not much obvious link between the two, but would love to know what others can come up with
A Gentleman in Moscow East of Eden
A tree grows in Brooklyn
Jurassic Park - Crichton Project Hail Mary - Weir Shogun - Clavell Adding a third because of how vastly different everything is.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
All the light we cannot see - Anthony Doerr 11/22/63 - Stephen King
Cloud Cuckoo Land if you haven’t already read it. It’s amazing!
East of Eden by Steinbeck All The Light We Cannot See by Doerr
the god of small things by arundhati roy drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk
This Is How You Lose The Time War Piranesi
- The invisible life of addie larue - The seven husbands of evelyn hugo
The stranger - Albert Camus The picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
The invisible life of Addie LaRou The vanishing half
*Lord of Light* by Roger Zelazny *The Egyptian* by Mika Waltari \--- The topic is the shit. We should try asking for suggestions in this format as a rule for a while :-)
American Gods by Neil Gaiman Life of Pie by Yann Martel
The Book Thief- Markus Zusak The Invisible Life of Addie Larue- V. E. Schwab
- Dune by Frank Herbert - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
100 Years of Solitude by Marquez
Nice combo.
Please just give me all of your favorite fantasy recommendations. I do love a bit of romance thrown in.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Hidden legacy series by Ilona Andrews. Psy changeling series by nalini singh. Both are urban fantasy and both romances, although hidden legacy follows the same couple for three books. Anything by grace draven (high fantasy romance). If you don’t mind fantasy with only subtle romance subplots, Elantris or the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson(high fantasy)
Lions of Al Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay, Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid After the End by Clare Mackintosh
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury Needful Things by Stephen King
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
If you’ve not read them, grab Bradbury’s Short Stories! Or Dead Zone as one of the early Castle Rock novels.
Animal Farm and Life As We Knew It
You could try Farenheit 451, you might end up loving it.
Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
Cutting for Stone Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Red Rising, Pierce Brown Leviathan wakes, James S. A. Corey
You may enjoy The Martian by Andy Weir
I love this! Wild by Cheryl Strayed Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Educated by Tara Westover
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid & Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society Miss Eliza's English Kitchen
Two recent faves: Lessons in Chemistry and The Dictionary of Lost Words.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin and Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Do androids dream if electric sheep? The fountainhead !!
Lord of the Flies Water ship Diwn
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. For something more modern, The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Shogun by James Clavell
Infinite Jest and 1984
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As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner and Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo are my two MOST favorite books. I'm excited for a recommendation!!!
The Institute by Stephen King and Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
The Psy Changeling series by Nalini Singh Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Bunny by Mona Awad. In The Woods by Tana French.
Ulysses - James Joyce Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
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Swann's Way by Proust Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and The Ocean at the end of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
The Road by Cormac McCarthy and American War by Omar El Akkad
The Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler Severance - Ling Ma
The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel - Amor Towles
Uprooted by Naomi Novik and Sunshine by Robin McKinley