78 books like The Dreaming Child

By Isak Dinesen,

Here are 78 books that The Dreaming Child fans have personally recommended if you like The Dreaming Child. 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 I, Robot

K. Van Kramer Author Of Modified

From my list on science fiction with A.I. and sweeping new worlds.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always loved science fiction because it offers a hope, a dream, or a future that we just haven't seen yet. When I write my stories, I feel there is no better use of my imagination, than to contemplate a new world, a new civilization, or future technology. At the same time, I hope to entertain readers and spark young imaginations. Inside Modified, I reached into a distant future with off-world colonies that float in the clouds of Venus, while robots toil on the planet’s surface. Of course, in such a future, when advanced modifications and recursive designs are used, leads one to wonder if my robot can love too.

K.'s book list on science fiction with A.I. and sweeping new worlds

K. Van Kramer Why did K. love this book?

No one explores the idea of A.I. better than Isaac Asimov, so when robotics experts Powell and Donovan build an advanced robot called QT-1 or “Cutie” for short, “be careful what you wish for,” comes to mind. Cutie isn’t so bad, except he seems to doubt everything he’s told after he’s created, including the fact that humans built him. When Powell asks Cutie why he doesn’t believe it, Cutie claims it’s intuition. When Powell tries to explain to Cutie about the stars, planets, and space, Cutie disagrees with him and decides to “reason” out things on his own. Unfortunately, this robot is so far advanced, it has the ability to form opinions and ideas, that don’t necessarily equate to logic—a primary lesson about intelligence which is learned early on in the story.

By Isaac Asimov,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked I, Robot as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Voyager Classics - timeless masterworks of science fiction and fantasy.

A beautiful clothbound edition of I, Robot, the classic collection of robot stories from the master of the genre.

In these stories Isaac Asimov creates the Three Laws of Robotics and ushers in the Robot Age.

Earth is ruled by master-machines but the Three Laws of Robotics have been designed to ensure humans maintain the upper hand:

1) A robot may not injure a human being or allow a human being to come to harm
2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such…


Book cover of Let the Old Dreams Die: Stories

Raymond Walker Author Of Moonchild and Other Tales

From my list on short stories told on a dark and stormy night.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was brought up on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by standing stones, crypts, and burial mounds of races turned to dust. I started sending sci-fi tales to mags like Uncanny Tales, New Worlds, Astounding Tales, Amazing Stories when I was thirteen, but none were accepted. I left the wilderness for the city, Edinburgh, the “Athens of the North” when fifteen and entered university. All I yearned to do after that was go home. I never did. A little more experience of life behind me, I was first published in Peoples Own and in the same year in New Worlds and then it worked well for me for a while. 

Raymond's book list on short stories told on a dark and stormy night

Raymond Walker Why did Raymond love this book?

Mr. Lindqvist is a Swedish author that came to worldwide notice with his novel Let the Right One In and has written many great novels since then. He is not normally a short story author, nor does he particularly enjoy reading short tales, so this is a strange choice for me but Let the Old Dreams Die is so dreadfully different from other recent horror writers that I felt I had to include it here. To date, it is the only book of short tales that Mr. Lindqvist has written. There is a zombie tale (and how many of them have appeared over the years) but should zombies have citizenship? How should the health service care for them? Is it really their fault that they wish to eat people? Can we happily live together?

There is little that has not been covered before in Mr. Lindqvist’s tales but every story…

By John Ajvide Lindqvist, Ebba Segerberg (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Let the Old Dreams Die as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A classic short story collection from the writer called Sweden's Stephen King that continues the breathtaking story begun in the internationally acclaimed classic Let the Right One In

Because of the two superb films made of John Ajvide Lindqvist's vampire masterpiece Let the Right One In, millions of people around the world know the story of Oskar and Eli and of their final escape from Blackeberg at the end of the novel. Now at last, in "Let the Old Dreams Die," the title story in this absolutely stunning collection, we get a glimpse of what happened next to the pair.…


Book cover of Tales of the Klondyke: The God of His Fathers

Raymond Walker Author Of Moonchild and Other Tales

From my list on short stories told on a dark and stormy night.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was brought up on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by standing stones, crypts, and burial mounds of races turned to dust. I started sending sci-fi tales to mags like Uncanny Tales, New Worlds, Astounding Tales, Amazing Stories when I was thirteen, but none were accepted. I left the wilderness for the city, Edinburgh, the “Athens of the North” when fifteen and entered university. All I yearned to do after that was go home. I never did. A little more experience of life behind me, I was first published in Peoples Own and in the same year in New Worlds and then it worked well for me for a while. 

Raymond's book list on short stories told on a dark and stormy night

Raymond Walker Why did Raymond love this book?

My mother read Call of the Wild and White Fang to my brother and I whilst still children. Well, those tales stayed with me over the years despite forays into Science Fiction, Religious Dogma, psychology, historical fiction, and fantasy. As an older boy I returned to the works of Mr. London and read Martin Eden, The Sea Wolf, and many of his short tales. Tales of the Klondyke are perhaps the best of them and so take my prize as number one on my list. (Though I had an argument with myself over Voltaire’s Candide and Other Tales and Aeschylus' Tragedies) for the top spot.

Each tale in this collection whilst imagined strikes me as true in every way, sure a little drama is added but I suspect that those heroes just trying to survive existed. And so, in a way I have come full circle, and…

By Jack London,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tales of the Klondyke as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.


Book cover of Summer of Monsters: The Scandalous Story of Mary Shelley

Jenny Bond Author Of The Hummingbird and the Sea

From my list on historical fiction with feisty and fearless females.

Why am I passionate about this?

My passion is for writing stories about strong women. Most of my favourite characters in literature are strong women—Jo March, Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Eyre. It's their intelligence, and spirit that hooks me. Even when they're misguided or confronting overwhelming odds, they pull themselves back from the brink to begin on a slightly altered path to achieve their purpose. It's the heroine’s journey that draws me into a novel, and it's her journey I wish to describe in my own books. Unfortunately, studying history has shown me there's still a long way women need to travel in the journey towards gender equity. Let’s hope these characters can teach us all something.

Jenny's book list on historical fiction with feisty and fearless females

Jenny Bond Why did Jenny love this book?

Thompson’s novel is another story about strong, intelligent, and powerful women who are manipulated and used by men. There have been numerous retellings of the birth of Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein. The fact that it occurred on a dark and stormy night is literary folklore. However, Thompson’s tale is the first time it has been told for a YA audience and he puts a wicked spin on the well-known origin story. This appealed to me as an English teacher. The characters—Mary, the poet Shelley, Claire Clairmont, and Lord Byron—are given a contemporary vibe. Mary is a lonely and moody teenager, swept off her feet by Shelley who is characterised as the 19th century’s version of a brooding and insatiable rock star, part Mick Jagger and part Nick Cave. 

By Tony Thompson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Summer of Monsters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Mary's life began in shadow. Unwanted and overlooked, her desire was to make something of her existence. So how would meeting a young poet change her path forever? Scandal. Passion. Desire. Mary's choices were clear - but would she ever be free of her loneliness? Tony Thompson's enthralling novel explores Mary Shelley's early life and the famous summer she spent with Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, John Polidori and her stepsister Claire Clairmont, which inspired her iconic novel Frankenstein.


Book cover of Unnatural Creatures: A Novel of the Frankenstein Women

Libbie Grant Author Of The Prophet's Wife: A Novel of an American Faith

From my list on historical fiction featuring gorgeous prose.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a bestselling author of historical fiction—some readers might recognize my pen name, Olivia Hawker, under which I wrote One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow, along with several other novels. My greatest passion is literary fiction, especially when it intersects with historical fiction. Along with my books, I continue to explore new modes of storytelling and new uses for story in my podcast, Future Saint of a New Era.

Libbie's book list on historical fiction featuring gorgeous prose

Libbie Grant Why did Libbie love this book?

This book was just published in late 2022, but I had the privilege of reading it early, in January. It remained my favorite read of ’22 all throughout the year, which is really saying something, considering the astounding number of excellent novels that were published in ’22 (the pandemic really threw publishing off)! Waldherr is a criminally underappreciated writer. Unnatural Creatures is simply exquisite, from its concept (a retelling of Frankenstein from the women’s perspective) to its brooding atmosphere to its intoxicating prose. 

By Kris Waldherr,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Unnatural Creatures as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Worthy of comparison to Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea . . . Unnatural Creatures is a splendid achievement from a writer at the height of her powers."-Historical Novels Review (Editors' Choice)

"This book has it all. Unnatural Creatures is an atmospheric, reimagined classic about the lines we cross for loyalty and love." - Foreword Reviews

Some tales aren't what you think. For the first time, the untold story of the three women closest to Victor Frankenstein is revealed in a dark and sweeping reimagining of Frankenstein by the author of The Lost History of Dreams and Doomed Queens.

THE MOTHER.…


Book cover of Many Miles: Mary Oliver reads Mary Oliver

Lynda Allen Author Of Grace Reflected

From my list on life-changing world-rocking books.

Why am I passionate about this?

I think of myself as a listener and life in progress. As a poet and author, I’m always listening to the words that move through my heart. I’m also a spiritual seeker, always looking for the Divine in the world around me and almost always surprised by the ways it shows up when I’m paying attention. Yet, there’s another part of me that is a Jersey girl through and through, looking for humor or irreverence in the face of life’s challenges. All these aspects come together in an unusual harmony, creating an openness to being changed by the things that come into my life. Hence, a list of life-changing books.

Lynda's book list on life-changing world-rocking books

Lynda Allen Why did Lynda love this book?

I have found so many of Mary Oliver’s poems to be inspirational and thought-provoking that I could call any of Mary Oliver’s poetry collections life-changing. Her ability to be present in nature, to hold both the beauty and the sorrow found in nature in a few lines of a poem and invite me as the reader to hold them both in my heart, is astounding.

Hearing her read “When I am Among the Trees” from this collection makes my heart sing! Listening to “At the Pond” makes my heart ache for one small goose every time. One of my favorite lines from any of her poems, “Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed,” is found in this collection as well, in “It Was Early”. 

I chose this one specifically because it is an audio recording rather than a book. There is something so heart-opening about…

By Mary Oliver,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Many Miles as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural

Brian Lupo Author Of Ugly Faces

From my list on satisfy your horror obsession.

Why am I passionate about this?

Horror films, radio shows, books, magazines, and comics have been my life ever since I was eight years old. I saw the Texas Chainsaw Massacre one late night on Channel 9, when TVs had but 13 channels. It was love at first scream. The genre put the boogieman outside my window, under my bed, and in my closet. It was terrifying, but there was also a high to be had. An addiction to scaring oneself that I couldn't get enough of. This adrenaline rush got me interested in scaring others. Four movies, sixteen shorts, two novels, I too, am a dark dreamer looking to scare kindred spirits. 

Brian's book list on satisfy your horror obsession

Brian Lupo Why did Brian love this book?

Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural is, hands down, the best collection of over fifty short stories, novellas, and poems I've ever read in one, skin-prickling book. With authors like Bram Stoker, Sheridan Lefanu, Edgar Allan Poe, Richard Matheson, Isaac Asimov, A.M. Burrage, Robert Bloch, and H.P. Lovecraft, you're in for many sleepless nights. My personal favorites include; "Last Respects" by Dick Baldwin, a story of two morticians preparing a body for a wake, only the body doesn't seem to be quite at rest; "The Quest for Blank Claveringi" by Patricia Highsmith, a story that proves snails can be terrifying. This one had me short on breath halfway through; and most disturbing of all, "His Unconquerable Enemy" by W.C. Morrow. It's about a rajah that has a surgeon amputate his servant Neranya's limbs off, then keeps the poor man in a small pen of open ironwork above his bed for…

By Marvin Kaye (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This exceptional compilation contains more than fifty short stories, novellas and poems, both classic and modern, by some of the most distinguished writers of all time. Masterful works by Bram Stoker, H.P. Lovecroft, Mary Shelley, Sheridan LeFanu, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Tennessee Williams, Isaac Asimov, J.R.R. Tolkien, in addition to little-known masterpieces of fantasy and terror by such authors as Stanley Ellin, Patricia Highsmith, John Dickson Carr and Damon Runyon, make this one of the most wide-ranging, outstanding collections of its kind. Marvin Kaye provides fascinating prefatory notes to each selection and an annotated bibliography of other recommended reading, as well…


Book cover of The Beginners

Cordelia Schmidt-Hellerau Author Of Memento: A Novel in Dreams, Thoughts, and Images

From my list on literary fiction about what goes on in a person's mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a psychoanalyst and a writer. I'm fascinated with the thoughts, feelings, dreams, and fantasies that make up our inner worlds, and I love how the beauty of language can reach beyond what ordinary experience seems to suggest. My novels take place in the minds of their protagonists; I look through their eyes and follow the ideas, memories, and hopes that guide their lives. I enjoy their idiosyncrasies, allow them to be weird, vulnerable, and volatile, and I think of them as lovable and in times of adversity as brave as any human being can be.

Cordelia's book list on literary fiction about what goes on in a person's mind

Cordelia Schmidt-Hellerau Why did Cordelia love this book?

In the first sentence of this novel Anna Lore falls madly in love with a man she happens to run into on the street of her hometown.

Even though she only vaguely recognizes him as they strike up a brief conversation, she becomes so obsessed with him that she is willing to give up everything for him, including her marriage of twenty years with a loving and reliable husband who she loves too.

Reading this novel, I was fascinated with Anna Lore's struggle to understand what's driving her towards a man, who almost against his will has such irresistable power over her. To follow her thinking as it makes her crazy infatuation appear reasonable and compelling is a fascinating experience of the uncanny nature of the unconscious.

By Anne Serre, Mark Hutchinson (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Beginners as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Anna has been living happily for twenty years with loving, sturdy, outgoing Guillaume when she suddenly (truly at first sight) falls in love with Thomas. Intelligent and handsome, but apparently scarred by a terrible early emotional wound, he reminds Anna of Jude the Obscure. Adrift and lovelorn, she tries unsuccessfully to fend off her attraction, torn between the two men. "How strange it is to leave someone you love for someone you love. You cross a footbridge that has no name, that's not named in any poem. No, nowhere is a name given to this bridge, and that is why…


Book cover of Tear

A.G.A. Wilmot Author Of Withered

From my list on manage mental health while reading spooky.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m fascinated by the intersection of mental health and horror specifically because of how the two seem (to me) to speak to one another. Both mental health and horror are confronted best by shining a light on them, by addressing them fully, personally. Horror makes intangible things tangible, I think, for the average person; and for those of us who struggle or have struggled with our mental health, it gives us the tools to detail the experience for others, to, hopefully, elicit understanding if not empathy.

A.G.A.'s book list on manage mental health while reading spooky

A.G.A. Wilmot Why did A.G.A. love this book?

This book, about a young recluse losing grip on reality, unable to discern truth from her own memory, had me hooked. I found the writing vicious and fierce, the imagery haunting, and the overall focus on memory and trauma as horrors that can both shape and betray us distressing in the very best of ways. Memory and one’s sense of self are important to my own work, and as such, this book managed to tap into some personal unease.

That it’s also so sharply written (and wonderfully f*cked-up) is the icing on an already delicious narrative cake. Recommended for those who like their horror to mess with their sense of reality—personal and not. My favorite read of 2023.

By Erica McKeen,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE 2023 KOBO EMERGING WRITER PRIZE FOR LITERARY FICTION

A GLOBE AND MAIL BEST BOOK OF 2022

49TH STREET EDITOR'S PICK FOR SEPTEMBER 2022

A reclamation of female rage and a horrifyingly deformed Bildungsroman.

Frances is quiet and reclusive, so much so that her upstairs roommates sometimes forget she exists. Isolated in the basement, and on the brink of graduating from university, Frances herself starts to question the realities of her own existence. She can't remember there being a lock on the door at the top of the basement stairs-and yet, when she turns the knob, the door…


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