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Scott Hawkins
Hi Kelsey,
I was just typing up a reply saying something like "I love playing the recommend-me-a-book game, but it's tough to come up with good recommendations if I only know one book that you--"
Then I remembered I'm on goodreads, and that's not really a problem. It sucks getting old. Anyway, I have recommendations! All of these are things that left me reeling for at least a couple of days.
You might try The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. It's a slow build, but it's got a kind of surreal, not-quite-a-dream, trapped-in-the-suburbs vibe that I really like. I pull that one out and reread it every couple of years. The audiobook version is also excellent.
Kind of in that same surreal/literary vein, there's one called The Orphan Master's Son that I absolutely love. In terms of sheer tour-de-force literary technique, it's one of the strongest books I've ever read. It is PITCH BLACK DARK, however.
This isn't one I recommend to everyone, but you might try a graphic novel called Black Hole by a guy named Charles Burns. It's kind of hard to describe. There's no superheroes or anything--it's about this sort of v.d. epidemic in the 1970s suburbs that turns teenagers into kinda-sorta monsters? Again, dreamy and surreal.
I highly, highly recommend Stephen King's The Long Walk. It's one of his first--he wrote it when he was (I think) an undergrad, well before Carrie. It's a little raw in terms of technique, but it's a sledgehammer of a book.
Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin is one of my all-time favorites.
Last but not least--this one's kind of a long shot in that I didn't see a lot of hard sci-fi in your list, but if you're in the mood to branch out you might try one called Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds. It's a real page-turner, and also mind-blowing in a hard science fiction kind of way.
Hopefully at least one of those works for you.
Scott
I was just typing up a reply saying something like "I love playing the recommend-me-a-book game, but it's tough to come up with good recommendations if I only know one book that you--"
Then I remembered I'm on goodreads, and that's not really a problem. It sucks getting old. Anyway, I have recommendations! All of these are things that left me reeling for at least a couple of days.
You might try The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. It's a slow build, but it's got a kind of surreal, not-quite-a-dream, trapped-in-the-suburbs vibe that I really like. I pull that one out and reread it every couple of years. The audiobook version is also excellent.
Kind of in that same surreal/literary vein, there's one called The Orphan Master's Son that I absolutely love. In terms of sheer tour-de-force literary technique, it's one of the strongest books I've ever read. It is PITCH BLACK DARK, however.
This isn't one I recommend to everyone, but you might try a graphic novel called Black Hole by a guy named Charles Burns. It's kind of hard to describe. There's no superheroes or anything--it's about this sort of v.d. epidemic in the 1970s suburbs that turns teenagers into kinda-sorta monsters? Again, dreamy and surreal.
I highly, highly recommend Stephen King's The Long Walk. It's one of his first--he wrote it when he was (I think) an undergrad, well before Carrie. It's a little raw in terms of technique, but it's a sledgehammer of a book.
Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin is one of my all-time favorites.
Last but not least--this one's kind of a long shot in that I didn't see a lot of hard sci-fi in your list, but if you're in the mood to branch out you might try one called Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds. It's a real page-turner, and also mind-blowing in a hard science fiction kind of way.
Hopefully at least one of those works for you.
Scott
Sherry
The Rook and its follow up Stiletto by Daniel O Malley. On Her Majesty's Supernatural Secret Service. Everyone I recommend this to loves it.
Leslie Gay
I just re-read The Library at Mount Char for probably the 4th time, and happily perused this thread! I loved seeing the most excellent Lexicon, The Thirteenth Tale and The Rook series previously mentioned and would like to add a few suggestions. All of them feature excellent world building and memorable characters, and varying degrees of fantasy, mystery, dread or horror - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons, and An Unattractive Vampire by Jim McDoniel. Add them right now to your To Read list and you will not be disappointed; I welcome any feedback or other suggestions!
Marlene Wessel
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfeld:
“There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic.”
“There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic.”
Javi
John Dies at the End is probably my favorite book and shares something with this one. Don't know what though, blood and humor?
Jay Warner
Have you read Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood? I think you would like that book.
Rebecca Patterson
The Bas-Lag novels by China Mièville - but be warned, the vast amount of detail can be a bit of a slog if you aren't into the immersive sort of writing he's known for.
Tracey Schindler
Have you read The Passage and The Twelve by Justin Cronin? fantastic books...I just finished The Library at Mount Char which I loved. Cronin's work is equally awe-inspiring but a little darker.
Brian
While reading Mr. Hawkins's book, I kept thinking off how much it reminded me of Nick Harkaway's The Gone-Away World. Mr. Harkaway has a very similar combination of quick moving characters and plot with a mixture of our world and that kind of quirky magical realism that makes things like a "god" of war wearing a tutu seem realistic. I have only had time to read The Gone-Away World by Mr. Harkaway, although I have a copy of Angelmaker that I am looking forward to reading. Just look at his website; he also has some even newer works. Start with The Gone-Away World. You'll like it.
Brad
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft. That is all.
Susan
Read the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer. Totally different sci fi story.
Kelsey
I'm Still looking for a book that's amazing this year. Something that was way more brilliant than ever expected. A story that when you read it, you can feel the undercurrent of something going on that hasn't come to light yet and when it does you're amazed and excited and glad that the rug got yanked out a bit, because it was helluva ride.
Mitch
If you are up for hard sci fi, I highly highly recommend Blindsight. The implications of that novel still stick in my head months after reading it.
idiffer
Mount Char maybe was inspired by The Magus (Fowles) (or smth similar like Shadowland by Straub)? The Magus is a great book. Mind-blowing. More mind-blowing than mount char even, and it makes more sense too. If you like the magus, then on its book page there's a similar question, and in one of the answers is a link to a site with alot of books like the magus.
Christa
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson gripped me as much as this book did.
Carla
Try The Devourers by Indra Das.
Shana
My sentiments EXACTLY!
Cindy
Try "State of Wonder"by Ann Patchett, if you haven't already read it.
Kristin
I haven't read this book yet, but it looks like it's along a similar vein... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... (Bird Box by Josh Malerman); I read a lot, and so am always looking for great books as well.
Anne
The Dying Squad by Adam Simcox.
George
Tim Powers -- Last Call, Declare, or possibly The Drawing of the Dark (if a book set in the Renaissance isn't a bridge too far).
Sabina Hahn
Try Charlie Parker books by John Connolly. Decetive novels with horror and supernatural beings splashed in. Funny too.
Mike A.
Too Many Curses by A. lee Martinez and Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick Dewitt are of the same cloth in my opinion and equally well presented.
Tango
What a great question and I shared your sentiments after reading Library at Mount Char. I so love a book that you pick up thinking you might not finish and then when you finish it is so painful to put it down! You got some great answers - let me add a few more authors who have had a similar effect on me: Luke Smitherd (especially The Black Room series), Jeff Strand (especially Kutter), and Daryl Gregory (especially Raising Stony Mayhall).
Theresa
Broken Angels (Eve of Light #1) by Harambee K Grey-Sun
The White Fire Virus kills most of its victims, overwhelming their bodies with an onslaught of parasites. Yet, those able to survive find themselves endowed with the supernatural ability to manipulate the basic particles of light. Most of these survivors call themselves “angels,” and many on Earth believe them.
As society falls to pieces, an elite group of Virus-carriers known as theWatchers is tasked with recovering a growing number of missing children in the Washington, DC area.
When Watcher agents Robert Goldner and Darryl Ridley receive a hot tip on the location of a Virus-infected girl who disappeared shortly after attempting to massacre half her high school, they prepare to chalk up another success. But when they instead find the girl’s best friend from school, beaten nearly to death, they become entwined in a conspiracy involving magick, bizarre creatures, fantastic realms beyond space and time, and even the death of God.
Broken Angels is a dark metaphysical fantasy. Philosophical and heretical, action-packed and surreal . . .
May appeal to fans of Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, and China Miéville.
The White Fire Virus kills most of its victims, overwhelming their bodies with an onslaught of parasites. Yet, those able to survive find themselves endowed with the supernatural ability to manipulate the basic particles of light. Most of these survivors call themselves “angels,” and many on Earth believe them.
As society falls to pieces, an elite group of Virus-carriers known as theWatchers is tasked with recovering a growing number of missing children in the Washington, DC area.
When Watcher agents Robert Goldner and Darryl Ridley receive a hot tip on the location of a Virus-infected girl who disappeared shortly after attempting to massacre half her high school, they prepare to chalk up another success. But when they instead find the girl’s best friend from school, beaten nearly to death, they become entwined in a conspiracy involving magick, bizarre creatures, fantastic realms beyond space and time, and even the death of God.
Broken Angels is a dark metaphysical fantasy. Philosophical and heretical, action-packed and surreal . . .
May appeal to fans of Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, and China Miéville.
Lois Young
Hello. I came across this book while looking for something similar to "Vita Nostra" by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko. Hopefully, this book meets my expectations. Maybe my suggestion meet your needs as well.
Kristen
Something by Haruki Murakami or David Mitchell. Maybe Bone Clocks? 1Q82?
Cinnamon
Read "The Lesser Dead" by Christopher Buehlman. It blew my mind.
Jonathan Cotton
Try "The Necromancer's House" by Christopher Buehlman. It's different than "The Library...", but still wonderful. I'm trying to find more like this also. I love the mashing up of genres, where you have intense "magic", but it's not in a high-fantasy setting. Like "The Magicians" trilogy. Wonderful, if a little sad.
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