100 books like The Player of Games

By Iain M. Banks,

Here are 100 books that The Player of Games fans have personally recommended if you like The Player of Games. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Flanders Panel

Marcus du Sautoy Author Of Around the World in Eighty Games: From Tarot to Tic-Tac-Toe, Catan to Chutes and Ladders, a Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the World's Greatest Games

From my list on board games.

Why am I passionate about this?

For me, games have always been a way of playing mathematics. Every game has a hidden piece of mathematics behind it, and if you can understand that mathematics, I’ve found that it gives you a real edge in playing the game. I travel a lot for my work as a mathematician, and I love to ask about the games they play when I visit a new country. Games tell me a lot about the culture and people I am visiting. My book is my way of sharing my passion for games and mathematics with my readers.

Marcus' book list on board games

Marcus du Sautoy Why did Marcus love this book?

I love chess, and even though I’m not brilliant at it, I really enjoy books where the characters play chess. The Royal Game by Stefan Zweig is probably the most famous, but I really enjoyed this murder mystery with a game of chess at its heart, which beautifully mirrors the plot as it unfolds.

The game is featured mid-game in a Flemish fifteenth-century painting. The modern protagonists analyze it forward and backward to understand the past and future. I loved the fact that the book includes illustrations of the game as it proceeds for the reader to analyze. There are also some interesting allusions to Douglas Hofstadter’s idea of strange loops, which is another one of my obsessions. 

By Arturo Perez-Reverte, Margaret Jull Costa (translator),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The clue to a murder in the art world of contemporary Madrid lies hidden in a medieval painting of a game of chess.

In a 15th-century Flemish painting two noblemen are pictured playing chess. Yet two years before he could sit for the portrait, one of them was murdered. In 20th-century Madrid, Julia, a picture restorer preparing the painting for auction, uncovers a hidden inscription in Latin that points to the crime: Quis necavit equitem? Who killed the knight? But as she teams up with a brilliant chess theoretician to retrace the moves, she discovers the deadly game is not…


Book cover of The Glass Bead Game

Marcus du Sautoy Author Of Around the World in Eighty Games: From Tarot to Tic-Tac-Toe, Catan to Chutes and Ladders, a Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the World's Greatest Games

From my list on board games.

Why am I passionate about this?

For me, games have always been a way of playing mathematics. Every game has a hidden piece of mathematics behind it, and if you can understand that mathematics, I’ve found that it gives you a real edge in playing the game. I travel a lot for my work as a mathematician, and I love to ask about the games they play when I visit a new country. Games tell me a lot about the culture and people I am visiting. My book is my way of sharing my passion for games and mathematics with my readers.

Marcus' book list on board games

Marcus du Sautoy Why did Marcus love this book?

I read this book as a student and immediately wanted to become a master of the Glass Bead Game. The trouble is that it’s not totally clear how to play this futuristic game. Players are expected to synthesize themes from music, mathematics, history, linguistics, philosophy, and art, which are woven together almost like a story as the game proceeds.

Ever since reading the book, I have aspired to practice this interdisciplinary approach to culture. You could say my own books are my latest moves in the Glass Bead Game. 

By Hermann Hesse, Clara Winston (translator),

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Glass Bead Game as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Glass Bead Game is an ultra-aesthetic game which is played by the scholars, creamed off in childhood and nurtured in elite schools, in the province of Castalia. The Master of the Glass Bead Game, Joseph Knecht, holds the most exalted office in Castalia. He personifies the detachment, serenity and aesthetic vision which reward a life dedicated to perfection of the intellect. But can, indeed should, man live isolated from hunger, family, children, women, in a perfect world where passions are tamed by meditation, where academic discipline and order are paramount? This is Herman Hesse’s great novel. It is a…


Book cover of The Betrayals

Marcus du Sautoy Author Of Around the World in Eighty Games: From Tarot to Tic-Tac-Toe, Catan to Chutes and Ladders, a Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the World's Greatest Games

From my list on board games.

Why am I passionate about this?

For me, games have always been a way of playing mathematics. Every game has a hidden piece of mathematics behind it, and if you can understand that mathematics, I’ve found that it gives you a real edge in playing the game. I travel a lot for my work as a mathematician, and I love to ask about the games they play when I visit a new country. Games tell me a lot about the culture and people I am visiting. My book is my way of sharing my passion for games and mathematics with my readers.

Marcus' book list on board games

Marcus du Sautoy Why did Marcus love this book?

This book is Hogwarts meets The Glass Bead Game meets The Handmaid's Tale. I was recommended it when I talked about my games book at a local bookshop. I must admit that I was initially very nervous about a book riffing on one of my favorite books of all time (The Glass Bead Game), but I really enjoyed it.

It is set in a school that trains students to play the game against a political backdrop that Margaret Atwood could easily have conjured up. It helped to give another perspective on Hesse’s fictional game that, as I said in my first recommendation, I’ve been obsessed with ever since reading about it as a student.

By Bridget Collins,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

LOSE YOURSELF IN THE MOST EPIC BOOK OF THE YEAR.

'BEAUTIFUL' JOANNA CANNON
'MESMERISING' ERIN KELLY
'TOTALLY ADDICTIVE' JOANNA GLEN
'SUMPTUOUS' OBSERVER
'DIZZYINGLY WONDERFUL' THE TIMES

WINNING WAS EVERYTHING...
UNTIL IT DESTROYED THEM

Two young men, Leo and Carfax, close friends and fierce rivals.
A family ripped apart by madness and tragedy.
One woman, her life built upon a lie, with a mysterious connection to them all...

'INGENIOUS' GUARDIAN
'A STORYTELLER OF RARE IMAGINATION' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'BRILLIANT' WOMAN & HOME
'A RICH DELIGHT' SANDRA NEWMAN
'CAPTIVATING' DAILY MIRROR
'AN IMMERSIVE, IMAGINATIVE SLICE OF STORYTELLING' DAILY EXPRESS
'MAGICAL' IRISH INDEPENDENT


Book cover of Kamchatka

Marcus du Sautoy Author Of Around the World in Eighty Games: From Tarot to Tic-Tac-Toe, Catan to Chutes and Ladders, a Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the World's Greatest Games

From my list on board games.

Why am I passionate about this?

For me, games have always been a way of playing mathematics. Every game has a hidden piece of mathematics behind it, and if you can understand that mathematics, I’ve found that it gives you a real edge in playing the game. I travel a lot for my work as a mathematician, and I love to ask about the games they play when I visit a new country. Games tell me a lot about the culture and people I am visiting. My book is my way of sharing my passion for games and mathematics with my readers.

Marcus' book list on board games

Marcus du Sautoy Why did Marcus love this book?

Anyone who recognizes the title of this book is probably a Risk player. It’s the name of a rather obscure territory in this strategy board game of conflict and conquest, one that I love playing with my kids. The game is an important motif in this Spanish novel by Figueras.

The book, set in Argentina during the 1976 coup, is the enchanting story of a young boy trying to make sense of a world during a time of extraordinary upheaval. It beautifully illustrates how a game can provide an escape from the horrors of real life. By the way, if you want a tip for playing Risk, my mathematical analysis of the game reveals that North America is the best continent to occupy.

By Marcelo Figueras, Frank Wynne (translator),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In Buenos Aires, in the mid-Seventies, a ten-year-old boy lives in world of school lessons and Superman comics, TV shows and games of Risk - a world in which men have superpowers and boys can conquer the globe on a square of cardboard. But in the outside world, a military junta have taken power; and amid a political climate of fear and intimidation, people are beginning to disappear without trace...

When his mother unexpectedly takes the boy and his kid brother out of classes, she tells them they're going on an impromptu family 'holiday'. But he soon realizes that the…


Book cover of The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design

Jesse Schell Author Of The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses

From my list on for game designers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always loved game design – I love doing it, reading about it, thinking about it, and helping others do it. As you can see in the list, I’ve learned that sometimes what helps game designers most is getting inspiration from other fields. I hope these books help you as much as they helped me.

Jesse's book list on for game designers

Jesse Schell Why did Jesse love this book?

If your goal is to create board games, you really should read this book. If your goal is to create video games, you should also be creating boardgames. You get so much more game design experience creating a board game, because you can iterate so much more. Creating board games is a secret shortcut to becoming an experienced game designer, and this is the best book I know on how to do it well.

By Mike Selinker, Richard Garfield, Steve Jackson , David Howell , Jeff Tidball , Richard C. Levy , Matt Forbeck , Dale Yu , James Ernest , Rob Daviau

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Pull up a chair and see how the world's top game designers roll.
You want your games to be many things: Creative. Innovative. Playable. Fun. If you're a designer, add "published" to that list.

The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design gives you an insider's view on how to make a game that people will want to play again and again. Author Mike Selinker (Betrayal at House on the Hill) has invited some of the world's most talented and experienced game designers to share their secrets on game conception, design, development, and presentation. In these pages, you'll learn about storyboarding,…


Book cover of The Gauntlet

Payal Doshi Author Of Rea and the Blood of the Nectar (The Chronicles of Astranthia, Book 1)

From my list on children’s fantasy with South Asian representation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was born and raised in Mumbai, India, and as a kid I loved to read. But I never saw myself—an Indian girl like me—represented in children’s books before. I didn’t realize how much it affected me until I began writing my first novel at age 23. When I did, I wrote the entire first draft with white characters and set it in a western country. I believed my Indian culture and my experience as an Indian kid was not worth writing about. I was so wrong! Now, with the novels I write, I’m passionate about representation, especially South Asian representation because all kids deserve to see themselves and their cultures in the books they read.

Payal's book list on children’s fantasy with South Asian representation

Payal Doshi Why did Payal love this book?

Farah and her two best friends get sucked into a Jumanji-inspired mechanical board game called The Gauntlet of Blood and Sand and it’s up to them to defeat the villainous architect of the game and save themselves and all those trapped inside. This fantasy story set in a Middle Eastern and Bangladeshi-inspired world is nail-biting to say the least and Karuna Riazi’s lush prose with descriptions of taste and smell transported me straight into the story and deadly game (and also left me very hungry!). Besides, when there are red scorpions, grease monkeys, and sand cats who wouldn’t want to join in this captivating adventure?

By Karuna Riazi,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Gauntlet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

A trio of friends from New York City find themselves trapped inside a mechanical board game that they must dismantle in order to save themselves and generations of other children in this action-packed debut that's a steampunk Jumanji with a Middle Eastern flair.

Nothing can prepare you for The Gauntlet...

It didn't look dangerous, exactly. When twelve-year-old Farah first laid eyes on the old-fashioned board game, she thought it looked...elegant.

It is made of wood, etched with exquisite images-a palace with domes and turrets, lattice-work windows that cast eerie shadows, a large spider-and at the very center of its cover,…


Book cover of Pass Go and Collect $200: The Real Story of How Monopoly Was Invented

Natascha Biebow Author Of The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons

From my list on inventors.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to get kids fired up about true stories, using their imaginations and believing in themselves as future innovators, inventors, and creators. Crayola crayons inventor Edwin Binney's story is a fabulous springboard for exploring nature, color and creativity. I love to draw and make stuff just like Binney, so his story resonated with me. The more I researched, the more I admired how he listened to what people needed and looked to nature for inspiration. I am intrigued by the origins of everyday objects. Here are some books that inspired me when I was writing, and that have that fascinating a-ha moment that spurs on innovation.

Natascha's book list on inventors

Natascha Biebow Why did Natascha love this book?

I am fascinated by how everyday objects are invented, and in this book, readers will discover the real story of how the beloved Monopoly board game was created. The story is often misreported with the credit attributed to Charles Darrow, the man who popularized the game and sold it to the Parker Brothers. In fact, the game was invented by Lizzie Magie, who wanted to draw attention to financial inequality. The author challenges readers to decide – who was the real winner? Because, ironically, Magie sold her patent for only $500, while Darrow stood to make millions and appropriated the credit for the invention. But without the changes and improvements to the game made by the two of them, perhaps nobody would get to play Monopoly as we know it today.  

By Tanya Lee Stone, Steven Salerno (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pass Go and Collect $200 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, 7, and 8.

What is this book about?

In the late 1800s lived Lizzie Magie, a clever and charismatic woman with a strong sense of justice. Waves of urban migration drew Lizzie's attention to rising financial inequality. Suddenly she had an idea: create a game about the landlord-tenant relationship. But Lizzie's initial game vilified the monopolist. Enter Charles Darrow - a marketer and salesman with a keen eye for what Lizzie's creation could become: an enticing board game, and a staple of family entertainment in households across America.

Boldness, imagination, and ruthless competition combine in this riveting story that sets the record straight on the history of Monopoly's…


Book cover of Blackout

Lindsay Leslie Author Of Dusk Explorers

From my list on celebrating and highlighting different times of the day.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a writer all my life in one form or another, and I love to observe the world around me and the people in it. I’ve had a fascination with dusk, in particular, since I was a child. I remember having the most adventurous time playing with my sister and our neighborhood friends after dinner in the summertime and soaking in everything that time of day had to offer—from the beautiful colors of the sunset to the croaking toads to the smell of the freshly cut grass. Each time of day—sunrise to midnight—offers a sensory overload if you are open to it. These books I have recommended dive into that delight.  

Lindsay's book list on celebrating and highlighting different times of the day

Lindsay Leslie Why did Lindsay love this book?

I love a book that encourages a family to come together and enjoy the simpler things in life like a beautiful starry night, and that is what Blackout by John Rocco does.

The city in this book experiences a blackout at night. Without all the gadgets, TVs, and other distractions, a young kid and his family find their way to enjoy each other and their beautiful city in the pitch dark of night under a blanket of stars. Although my family is very plugged in, we make the effort to unplug now and again, go outside, and enjoy the Texas night sky. 

By John Rocco,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Blackout as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?


One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, "Mommm!" His sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can't work on her computer, and Dad can't finish cooking dinner. What's a family to do? When they go up to the roof to escape the heat, they find the lights--in stars that can be seen for a change--and so many neighbors it's like a block party in the sky! On the street below, people are having just as much fun--talking, rollerblading, and eating ice cream before it melts. The…


Book cover of Let's Get Invisible!

Jackson Arthur Author Of Giving Up Your Ghosts

From my list on making you fall in love with horror.

Why am I passionate about this?

An intense passion for horror fiction, both adult and teen, began very early in my life, and has never dimmed or faltered through the years. There is a depth of humanity, light and dark, that exists in this form of writing, and horror writers are not afraid to get their hands dirty. When I create my stories, I remember the books that formed this passion, the stepping stones that brought me here. These stories have shown me how beautiful horror can truly be. And, with every tale that I weave, I try to live up to their example. 

Jackson's book list on making you fall in love with horror

Jackson Arthur Why did Jackson love this book?

This was the first book that I ever fell in love with. I remember buying this book at a school book fair in the 5th grade, and I couldn’t put it down. For the first time, I was reading a book for the sheer joy of the adventure, instead of for a grade. Not only did it introduce me to a love for reading, but it also introduced me to horror and supernatural fiction. My love for scary and suspenseful stories would become a central part of my entire personality.

By R.L. Stine,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Let's Get Invisible! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

“Out of sight, out of mind” takes on a twisted new meaning in this horrific adventure in one of the–bestselling children’s series of all time.

On Max’s birthday, he finds a kind of magic mirror in the attic. It can make him invisible. So Max and his friends start playing “now you see me, now you don’t.” Until Max realizes that he’s losing control. Staying invisible a little too long. Having a harder and harder time coming back.

Getting invisible is turning into a very dangerous game. The next time Max gets invisible, will it be . . . forever?


Book cover of A Quiet Retreat

T.O. Paine Author Of The Excursion

From my list on secluded and trapped survival thrillers.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up in a snowy, rural mountain town of less than 500 people, I became fascinated with humanity's will to survive the elements at an early age because I often had to do so myself. Add in a mysterious force or an escaped killer wandering through the hills outside a secluded cabin, and you've got my favorite thriller subgenre: Trapped and secluded. It wasn't until my third novel, The Excursion, that I realized my longtime dream of writing a survival thriller influenced by dozens of books and movies. Today, I live in a suburb of Denver, Colorado, but the mountains are close. And so are the secluded cabins.

T.O.'s book list on secluded and trapped survival thrillers

T.O. Paine Why did T.O. love this book?

Harkening back to the well-established trope of inviting several seemingly unrelated guests to a secluded location (I’m thinking of the movie for the board game Clue right now) and wrapping them up in a creepy mystery, Kiersten Modglin has delivered a secluded thriller with originality, delectable darkness, and a series of great twists.

I was enthralled by the constant sense of danger and did not see the ending coming. I’ll admit that as a writer myself, the premise of authors invited to a writing retreat intrigued me from the start, but I was so pulled in by this thriller that I finished reading it in no time. Great work.

By Kiersten Modglin,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

You are cordially invited to visit the new Black Hills Manor Writing Retreat.

That’s how it all begins—with a simple invitation.

For five authors, it’s meant to be the start of a restful week, filled with free food, drinks, and likeminded company.
But shortly after their arrival, things take an unsettling turn.

Broken property, missing items, and strange noises are just some of the odd occurrences that have each member questioning their companions. As suspicions mount, the authors are pitted against each other.

Whom can they trust in a house full of strangers?

With tensions rising, the writers find themselves…


Book cover of The Flanders Panel
Book cover of The Glass Bead Game
Book cover of The Betrayals

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