98 books like Angels & Demons

By Dan Brown,

Here are 98 books that Angels & Demons fans have personally recommended if you like Angels & Demons. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

Chris Kempshall Author Of Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire

From my list on fictional non-fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a historian, and while I have a great deal of experience producing straight ‘nonfiction’ work, the idea of reading something ‘non-fictional;’ within a fictional world has always excited me because it allows many opportunities to talk about us while framing it as them. They also play into what I call the ‘Rutger Hauer Effect,’ where his character in Blade Runner mentions the wonderous things he’s seen in passing. I want to see those things too! Fictional nonfiction books provide a fantastic opportunity to tease the readers with things that their author knows and has seen but exist just beyond the reach of our own imaginations.

Chris' book list on fictional non-fiction

Chris Kempshall Why did Chris love this book?

This is an absolute classic of the genre. Brooks draws in various ‘accounts’ of a recent zombie outbreak and structures them as if the broad details are common knowledge to his in-universe audience.

This approach means the real-world reader is always discovering new details and nuggets of information in a way that really whets the appetite while increasing the sense of horror at the way events unfolded in a world that isn’t quite our own.

By Max Brooks,

Why should I read it?

24 authors picked World War Z as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It began with rumours from China about another pandemic. Then the cases started to multiply and what had looked like the stirrings of a criminal underclass, even the beginning of a revolution, soon revealed itself to be much, much worse.

Faced with a future of mindless man-eating horror, humanity was forced to accept the logic of world government and face events that tested our sanity and our sense of reality. Based on extensive interviews with survivors and key players in the ten-year fight against the horde, World War Z brings the finest traditions of journalism to bear on what is…


Book cover of Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II

James Lindholm Author Of Calypso Down

From my list on ocean adventures, both real and imagined.

Why am I passionate about this?

The two constants in my life to date have been ocean exploration by day and reading epic adventures by night. As a Ph.D. marine scientist, I’ve had the incredible good fortune to travel the world conducting marine science research, work which to date has resulted in forty-two research articles and a textbook. But as much as I’ve enjoyed conducting the research, communicating about the sea has been even more engaging, taking me to the White House, both houses of Congress, and many countries around the world. And perhaps best of all, I’ve been able to couple my love of stories with my own research experience to produce four adventure novels. 

James' book list on ocean adventures, both real and imagined

James Lindholm Why did James love this book?

I love this book despite the incredible discomfort I experience every time I read it.

Diving in the cold waters of the North Atlantic on a good day is no picnic. But diving deep into the wreck of a mystery U-boat, not knowing if you are going to come out? Epic.

I just recently listened to the Audible book while driving back from an undersea research project in a van filled with young scientific divers. The climax had us all squirming in our seats!

By Robert Kurson,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Shadow Divers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

New York Times Bestseller 

In the tradition of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air and Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm comes a true tale of riveting adventure in which two weekend scuba divers risk everything to solve a great historical mystery–and make history themselves.

For John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, deep wreck diving was more than a sport. Testing themselves against treacherous currents, braving depths that induced hallucinatory effects, navigating through wreckage as perilous as a minefield, they pushed themselves to their limits and beyond, brushing against death more than once in the rusting hulks of sunken ships.
But in the…


Book cover of Killing Floor

Jody Summers Author Of A Brush With Death

From my list on romance, adventure, or a touch of the paranormal.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been an avid reader all my life and have been fortunate (or unfortunate) to have a life full of a variety of experiences. Wonderful stuff to draw on when you’re writing, including a unique near-death experience. When I stumbled on a book idea with a topic I’d never heard of before, I was fascinated with the idea of writing “something new under the sun.” I also am thrilled to write books that give others as much joy as reading has given me over the years. A little action, a little passion, and a bunch of plot twists bring other worlds to life for me.

Jody's book list on romance, adventure, or a touch of the paranormal

Jody Summers Why did Jody love this book?

I picked this book because it is the 1st Jack Reacher novel, but they are all great. They speak to me because they depict a very unusual guy. A tough guy with a brain and a strong sense of right and wrong. A vagrant who fixes problems wherever he goes.

I have been accused of having a white-knight syndrome all my life, so I find this character riveting. Action, plot twists usually a touch of romance. These are all things that speak to me and Jack Reacher novels are full of them.

By Lee Child,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked Killing Floor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is a drifter. He's just passing through Margrave, Georgia, and in less than an hour, he's arrested for murder. Not much of a welcome. All Reacher knows is that he didn't kill anybody. At least not here. Not lately. But he doesn't stand a chance of convincing anyone. Not in Margrave, Georgia. Not a chance in hell.


Book cover of City of Bones

Stephanie Duley Author Of A Bond of Fate

From my list on slump busters.

Why am I passionate about this?

Hello, my name is Stephanie Duley and my passion lies in fantasy. From books and movies to board games and tabletop RPGs, if it’s fantasy, I am usually a big fan. My love of reading started at a young age when my mom would take us to our local library to sign up for the summer reading programs. As an adult, I will gobble up any fantasy novel I can get my hands on. As a published author, I strive to give readers that same feeling and bring a little magic into their world, even if it is only for a few hundred pages.

Stephanie's book list on slump busters

Stephanie Duley Why did Stephanie love this book?

This was one of the first books I picked up after my reading slump in 2012, and I absolutely couldn’t put it down. The story concept was fascinating; I love it when story worlds have supernatural elements and societies hidden within the “regular world.” The characters are written very well, and you feel as though you are watching a movie while reading with the authors great attention to detail in the scenes she sets.

The world building is great and offers a unique take on the classic fantasy creatures, werewolves, vampires, and fey. You really feel that “found family” book trope in this series, and the ups and downs of book one will have you hooked. 

By Cassandra Clare,

Why should I read it?

12 authors picked City of Bones as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Discover this first installment of the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and “prepare to be hooked” (Entertainment Weekly).

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he…


Book cover of This Present Darkness

Keith Perrin Author Of The Road to Chidarra

From my list on captivating Christian fantasy fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I chose these books for you to enjoy because they are 5 of my favorites for different reasons. You see, deep down, I am an unapologetic Bible-reading sci-fi, fantasy, and old-school monster movie-loving nerd. Books like these have helped shape my love for fiction and great storytelling as they teleported me to Narnia or Mordor. Soaring the spaceways as The Galadorian Spacekinight or the veil between flesh and spirit being revealed in This Present Darkness. These books and many like them helped shape my writing style, and I want you to share in the enjoyment of reliving them over and over again like me!

Keith's book list on captivating Christian fantasy fiction

Keith Perrin Why did Keith love this book?

This book was a game changer when it first came out in the Christian fiction genre. The supernatural elements of Angels and demons in Christian fiction novels were not as prevalent in the '80s and '90s. Especially the inner workings of how the battle between good and evil works and strategizes on a personal level for the souls of men in the invisible supernatural spiritual realm.

The battle is real and has eternal consequences, and this book definitely shines the light on that in this exciting supernatural thriller. It is a must for Christian and secular lovers of the supernatural genre.

By Frank Peretti,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked This Present Darkness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A powerful audio abridgement of this top-selling novel about a prayerful pastor and a skeptical reporter who find themselves fighting a plot to subjugate the human race.


Book cover of Life of Pi

S. Chris Shirley Author Of Playing by the Book

From my list on exploring crises of faith.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up as a closeted homosexual in a fundamentalist Christian home, enduring nearly two decades in a crisis of faith. Sermons frequently warned of damnation for my natural inclinations, pushing me to fast, pray, and achieve to resist temptation. This crisis gradually resolved over the eight years I spent writing Playing by the Book, the first coming-out novel to win a National IPPY Medal in religious fiction. Although I don’t consider myself a spiritual writer, I am drawn to stories that explore existential struggles and triumphs, including those related to a crisis of faith—much like the characters in the novels on this list.

S.'s book list on exploring crises of faith

S. Chris Shirley Why did S. love this book?

I loved this book for its fantastical portrayal of a Pacific voyage that mirrors the internal conflicts many of us face. Like Pi, who embraced multiple faiths during his ordeal, I searched for answers to reconcile my faith and sexuality across various denominations, religions, and philosophies.

Pi’s story as he journeys across the Pacific, a tiger in tow, allowed me to reflect on the moments when I felt alone, wrestling with my faith in the face of an overwhelming challenge, given my fundamentalist upbringing. 

By Yann Martel,

Why should I read it?

25 authors picked Life of Pi as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

After the sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a wounded zebra, an orangutan—and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.

Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi Patel, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with the tiger, Richard Parker, for 227 days while lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his…


Book cover of Child in Darkness

Carlyle Labuschagne Author Of The Broken Destiny

From my list on sci-fi as a way of explaining the angelic creation.

Why am I passionate about this?

Carlyle Labuschagne was born in South Africa, Johannesburg in the early 1980s. Growing up my imagination always trumped the world around me. I was obsessed with stories, sneaking off to watch them or going off on my own to play out my own. I am now an award-winning, International and USA Today bestselling fiction author – kind of a rare species in my neck of the woods. I write many genres but started off with mild Science – fiction with a dystopian undertone. I guess growing up in the apartheid era, and being raised by an African nanny who I regarded as my mom, left a lasting impression on me.

Carlyle's book list on sci-fi as a way of explaining the angelic creation

Carlyle Labuschagne Why did Carlyle love this book?

This is one of my favorite on the border of Science Fiction books. About a lonely boy who spends time on a hill in a tree near a closed mine entrance. One day he drops his apple and it rolls to the closed up entrance and the unexpected happens. I long blue arm reaches for the apple and disappears back in the min. 

Toward the end, the boy makes friends with the blue-skinned creature from the mine and discovers an entire community living in the cave. The explanation given on why they are so skinny and blue-skinned intrigued me as to why things are the way they are – that all things have a scientific explanation. 

By Robert Hill,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Child in Darkness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Pure

Benoit Lanteigne Author Of The Cyborg's Crusade

From my list on sci-fi books with strange settings.

Why am I passionate about this?

Some people like realism in their stories, but I prefer something more out there. I enjoy it when a story takes place in a fictional world, be it in a fantasy land like Lord of the Rings or something sci-fi. So, it’s not surprising that when I started writing my own series, The Cyborg Crusade, I decided to invent a new world. This required a ton of work and gave me a further appreciation for the effort it takes to come up with a strange new setting. This is why I decided to make this list of books featuring either a unique world or a twist on the existing one.

Benoit's book list on sci-fi books with strange settings

Benoit Lanteigne Why did Benoit love this book?

I rarely read young adult books, but Pure’s cover intrigued me. That’s good because it was a fun read.

Well-developed characters and a clever setting play a large part in the book’s charm. Pure takes place after a nuclear war. There are plenty of survivors, but the radiation left behind has a secret side effect never disclosed to the public: It causes flesh to merge with objects.

For instance, the main character has a doll for a hand. Her grampa has a fan stuck in his throat. Some people are fused with the ground. A group of mothers merged with their children. Adding to this, a giant dome hosts the last “pure” humans. While Pure relies on common young adult tropes, the result feels fresh and unique.

By Julianna Baggott,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Pure as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters. We will, one day, emerge from the Dome to join you in peace. For now, we watch from afar, benevolently.

Pressia Belze has lived outside of the Dome ever since the detonations. Struggling for survival she dreams of life inside the safety of the Dome with the 'Pure'.

Partridge, himself a Pure, knows that life inside the Dome, under the strict control of the leaders' regime, isn't as perfect as others think.

Bound by a history that neither can clearly remember, Pressia and Partridge are destined to forge a new world.


Book cover of Fire

Ellen Jensen Abbott Author Of Watersmeet

From my list on fantasy in which you can’t pick your family.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a reader of fantasy, folklore, and fairy tales through childhood into adolescence and even studying these genres as a college student and adult. To this background, I also bring a complicated family—adopted children, step-siblings, divorce, career—and lifestyle changes. As the youngest of a sprawling clan, I was often left to reconcile my vision of family members with the vision of others. Understanding our family of origin is central to who we are, as my main character in Watersmeet discovers as she goes on a quest to find her father, and then must dig deep to understand what he means to her. 

Ellen's book list on fantasy in which you can’t pick your family

Ellen Jensen Abbott Why did Ellen love this book?

I reread Fire regularly because I love the heroine, Fire, and her conundrum: how can she love herself when her beauty is so destructive, when it inspires such terrible behavior in the people around her? We think of beauty as an asset, sure that we would be happier, more confident, more liked if we were more beautiful, and Cashore explores the limits of beauty in this novel. She also digs deep into a very problematic father/daughter relationship as Fire deals with the lessons her father, Cansrel, taught her about how to use her beauty for power, and decides to forge her own path. Like so many of these hard family relationships, Fire must reconcile her love for her father and her hatred of what he’s become. 

By Kristin Cashore,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Fire as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

A must-read title for all fans of Patrick Rothfuss and Trudi Canavan, Fire will have you hooked on its gripping action, political intrigue, and beautiful central relationship.

'The book is REALLY good. Reading it made me very, very happy!' Tamora Pierce

Set in a world of stunningly beautiful, exceptionally dangerous monsters, Fire is one of the most dangerous monsters of all - a human one. Marked out by her vivid red hair, she's more than attractive. Fire is mesmerising.

But with this extraordinary beauty comes influence and power. People who are susceptible to her appeal will do anything for her…


Book cover of Across the Universe

A.N. Willis Author Of The Corridor

From my list on YA sci-fi/fantasy with a swoon-inducing love story.

Why am I passionate about this?

I fell in love with young adult romance from the first time I read Twilight. Teenagers feel a first-time love so deeply—especially when there are life-and-death fantastical dangers surrounding them! I couldn’t get enough of these sci-fi/fantasy love stories, so I started writing my own. These picks are for YA fans who enjoy a sprinkling of magic or an epic space battle thrown in with their heart-pounding romance.

A.N.'s book list on YA sci-fi/fantasy with a swoon-inducing love story

A.N. Willis Why did A.N. love this book?

A love story for the ages, set inside of a giant spaceship! Amy wakes up from cryogenic sleep only to fall for a boy she was never supposed to meet… Add in great writing, a murder mystery, and the dark vacuum of space, and you’ve got every ingredient for a timeless young adult journey. Amy + Elder forever.

By Beth Revis,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Across the Universe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Amy has left the life she loves for a world 300 years away

Trapped in space and frozen in time, Amy is bound for a new planet. But fifty years before she's due to arrive, she is violently woken, the victim of an attempted murder. Now Amy's lost on board and nothing makes sense - she's never felt so alone.

Yet someone is waiting for her. He wants to protect her; and more if she'll let him.

But who can she trust amidst the secrets and lies? A killer is out there - and Amy has nowhere to hide .…


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