10 books like The Book of Strange New Things

In a way, Wool—actually a series of stories bound together—can be seen as both an odyssey and a chamber piece. What fascinated me was that the entire series (almost) follows the stories of several key people who live within Silo 18, a vast underground complex 144 floors deep. There, generations of people have built a self-sustaining culture because the outdoors is a toxic wasteland that is not only to be avoided but is best not even contemplated. Anyone who does raise questions risks being sent outside to find out for themselves… never to return.

But even as generational memory about the outside world fades, humans being humans, that itch for the truth never fully dies off. And as events inside Silo 18 escalate for our heroes, the push to finally understand what happened to the outside world—including whether other silos exist—becomes impossible to avoid.

Spoiler alert: this is not a novel about conventional organ donation.

Rather, it’s a rumination on humanity, morality, science, memory, and power. Following three friends as they come of age at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school, then have to face the truth of what they’re really being nurtured for.

It’s also a dystopian love story and scarily prescient science fiction, and if you don’t end the book with a lump in your throat so large that you almost can’t breathe you’re made of stronger stuff than I am. 

A Fire Upon the Deep is a galaxy-spanning book that’s about as wide in scope as you can hope to find. As difficult as it is to boil down into a paragraph, it remains a character-driven story that we follow episodically as we learn how they all relate. Whether it’s a pair of human siblings integrating with a strange pack of telepathic alien canines, or a human employee of a vast alien communication network working with an ancient universal entity to help save the galaxy, Vinge never shrinks from the most exotic of alien concepts, but—astoundingly—never loses the humanity of the tale.

No writer evokes atmosphere better than Daphne Du Maurier. Whilst some of her other works are better known and possess more gravitas, Frenchman’s Creek, set largely around the Helford River, captures the essence of this beautiful corner of Britain perfectly. Add to that Du Maurier’s ability to transport us back to Restoration England without it feeling like a history lesson, so we can identify with the characters despite them living hundreds of years ago, and you get a great read. There is a small tinge of the supernatural in Frenchman’s Creek, and an interesting love story, but it is the atmospheric prose and fast-paced plot that makes it stand out (both provided some inspiration for the sequel to my book which is set in the same location).

Annihilation is unique in a world of unique books. The story is keenly focused on the lives of its protagonists, yet none are ever named beyond their professions. They are sent into the unknown, an area of land that is in a state of ecstatic transformation, possibly under the influence of an alien virus. They are sent to solve a mystery—namely, what became of the teams prior to theirs, the last of which included the husband of the main character.

The story is, at its core, a psychedelic story about an exploration for some common truth, both internal and external, and how elusive such truth can be. Just as interesting is its more superficial tale of transition, as each character, to some extent, finds themselves changing and questioning their mission, each other, and themselves. The story continues in several other books, but even as a stand-alone work, I was riveted… show more.

Published in 1959, this is a chilling tale of a group of strangers who take part in a psychological study into psychic phenomena by agreeing to spend the summer in Hill House, reputed to be haunted. The story’s narrator is Eleanor Vance, a shy, fragile woman damaged by 11 years of nursing her sick mother through a fatal illness. Free at last, she’s eager to embrace life, but instead finds herself prey to the dark pull of the decaying old mansion, which finally claims her in the end. 

I’ve saved my “riskiest” pick for last—you might not like this one, or at least you might be wondering for two-thirds of the book what the heck is going on, other than that you are reading about a country in which no one dies. The book starts by earnestly (and sometimes humorously) asking and answering questions: what do you do with so many living people? What do you do with people who are say, gravely wounded in an accident but can’t die and also can’t recover? What are not just the logistical but emotional challenges of no one departing? Would people want to live in such a country? Or flee it? Saramago was a philosopher before he was a writer, and he loves pondering things... And then, all of a sudden, the book shifts, it switches into another gear entirely and becomes a beautifully moving story about Death taking a… show more.

Recursion tells a time travel story in a way we don’t often see in science fiction, focusing less on the tech, and far more on the personal impact it has on the lives of each character. This isn’t the story of time machines—though the means of time travel depicted here is quite cool and unique. It’s a story about several people who become ensnared in a scheme to misuse the technology, and how quickly matters can go off the rails—with devastating consequences—even when you’re trying to do the right thing.

Published by the American Atheist Press, this isn't really a funny book, but since contradictions and absurdities figure prominently throughout the book, I'm listing it here. Next time anyone starts to defend their faith, give them a copy of this book. I'm sure some of what's in my own book was inspired by this book.

This novel sucked me in from the get-go, following an American family as they move to Congo to be missionaries.

It captures the thrill and the fear of the unknown, and fed my obsession for wanting to spend more time in Africa. I also really liked how foreign the characters feel in their new home, only to find they also feel foreign once they return to their home country.

I could relate to being totally changed by one’s experiences.