The City in the Middle of the Night

By Charlie Jane Anders,

Book cover of The City in the Middle of the Night

Book description

"If you control our sleep, then you can own our dreams... And from there, it's easy to control our entire lives."

From the brilliant mind of Charlie Jane Anders ("A master absurdist"-New York Times; "Virtuoso"-NPR) comes a new novel of Kafkaesque futurism. Set on a planet that has fully definitive,…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

3 authors picked The City in the Middle of the Night as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

On the planet of January, one side is in permanent daylight and the other side is permanent night, with people managing to live on a strip of moderate light between the two extremes.

Sophie, a shy teenager, breaks the rules and is sent to the dark side to die, only she survives.  While she is in the dark, she meets telepathic creatures who, despite their terrifying visage, are kind-hearted—a shock to someone raised in a community who believes the creatures (and others) are awful because of the way they look.

Together with her best friend, Bianca, they decide to save…

This was the second book I read by Charlie Jane Anders, who is one of my living literary idols. This book is a feat of world-building, but what I find most compelling about it is its examination of what it means to be alien, what it means to belong. The story is unexpected in many ways, but it was deeply comforting for me. Even if it’s frightening, letting yourself be vulnerable can lead to magical and enlightening experiences.

From Neil's list on healing your heart.

Readers have been exploring human colonies on tidally locked planets for about as long as science fiction has existed, so it’s fantastic how well this adventure novel can give the reader a brand-new perspective on what, exactly, an improved version of our world might look like. You’ll have a difficult time predicting the end of this story from its beginnings. Events force the protagonist to learn new and sometimes horrifying things about her world and the people close to her, and like her, we can’t hold onto unproven assumptions if we really want to make the world a better place.…

From R. E.'s list on looking at the familiar differently.

Want books like The City in the Middle of the Night?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 92 books like The City in the Middle of the Night.

Browse books like The City in the Middle of the Night

Book cover of Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
Book cover of The Deep
Book cover of How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,175

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in space colonization, exile, and extraterrestrial life?

Exile 22 books