The most recommended multiverse books

Who picked these books? Meet our 79 experts.

79 authors created a book list connected to multiverse, and here are their favorite multiverse books.
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Shrouded Loyalties

By Reese Hogan,

Book cover of Shrouded Loyalties

Nathan Makaryk Author Of Nottingham

From the list on scifi fantasy with action sequences.

Who am I?

As a stage combat choreographer myself, fight sequences are always important to me: they have to be believable but exciting, they have to keep up the pace so the reader is experiencing the action at the same speed as the characters—but most importantly, they have to tell a story. Action just for the sake of action always feels empty, but great fight scenes that are both exhilarating and bound to the forward momentum of the plot and emotion will stay with me for a long time. Here’s some that I still remember long after I finished the book.

Nathan's book list on scifi fantasy with action sequences

Why did Nathan love this book?

This lesser-known gem was my favorite book of 2019. You take a World War II-style submarine war but throw in horrifying new supernatural powers, and then pitch it against Cthulu-style interdimensional monsters and you start to have an idea of the gloriously-insane trajectory of this book. That may sound over-the-top at a glance, but I promise this is a grounded read that’s flush with complex interweaving relationships, and an unrelenting pace that constantly throws new, bigger dangers at the characters before they’ve had a chance to catch their breath. This book is far better than it has any right to be.

By Reese Hogan,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Naval officer Mila Blackwood is determined to keep her country's most powerful secret - shrouding, the ability to traverse their planet in seconds through an alternate realm - out of enemy hands. But spies are everywhere: her submarine has been infiltrated by a Dhavnak agent, and her teenage brother has been seduced by an enemy soldier. When Blackwood's submarine is attacked by a monster, she and fellow sailor, Holland, are marked with special abilities, whose manifestations could end the war - but in whose favor? Forced to submit to military scientists in her paranoid and war-torn home, Blackwood soon learns…


Book cover of The Kaiju Preservation Society

Douglas Phillips Author Of Quantum Chaos

From Douglas' 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Who am I?

Author Scientist Imagineer Lifelong student Optimist Earthling with ambitions

Douglas' 3 favorite reads in 2023

Why did Douglas love this book?

Godzilla (who ravaged Japan in the 1960s) was a real, living, breathing animal. It’s true, I swear! Crazier still, there are more like him, though not easy to find.

Contact the Kaiju Preservation Society; they know how to get there. You see, kaiju means “strange beast” in Japanese, and you’ll meet quite a few in this thoroughly entertaining story.

Don’t worry, it’s not a horror story. Author John Scalzi’s knack for clever humor made me laugh from beginning to end. Don’t miss the fun!

By John Scalzi,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Kaiju Preservation Society as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Kaiju Preservation Society is John Scalzi's first standalone adventure since the conclusion of his New York Times bestselling Interdependency trilogy.

When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization.” Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.

What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here…


The Golden Compass

By Philip Pullman,

Book cover of The Golden Compass

Peter W. Fong Author Of The Coconut Crab

From the list on animals that talk.

Who am I?

I have often spoken with the animals that I meet: from migrating ducks to street cats, woodchucks to chickadees. Mostly quietly—and always as if they not only could hear and understand, but also could reply. As our children grew, the replies became louder and more insistent. When our daughter was old enough to feel fearful of travel—particularly the crossing of open water in small boats—I began to tell her stories featuring these talking animals. Because the animals also were sometimes afraid, the stories helped to distract her from the perils of our own adventures and then, eventually, to enjoy them as well.

Peter's book list on animals that talk

Why did Peter love this book?

The Golden Compass (also published as Northern Lights) is the first book in a trilogy of tales set in a world where every human is accompanied by a daemon—a sort of physical embodiment of your inner spirit.

Though not technically “animals,” daemons can take the form of animals. And, for some people, they can talk in the best possible way, like a perfect combination of coach, conscience, and companion. Pullman’s heart-wrenching story builds far more than an alternative world for his readers: there are multiple universes to explore and experience, along with a warrior race of armor-plated polar bears (who really are animals, and who also can talk).

By Philip Pullman,

Why should I read it?

21 authors picked The Golden Compass as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first volume in Philip Pullman's groundbreaking
HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy, now a thrilling, critically
acclaimed BBC/HBO television series. First published
in 1995, and acclaimed as a modern masterpiece, this first
book in the series won the UK's top awards for children's literature.

"Without this child, we shall all
die."

Lyra Belacqua and her animal daemon live
half-wild and carefree among scholars of Jordan College, Oxford.

The destiny that awaits her will take her to the frozen lands
of the Arctic, where witch-clans reign and ice-bears fight.

Her extraordinary journey will have immeasurable consequences
far beyond her own world...



This…


Book cover of The Affair of the Mysterious Letter

Lianyu Tan Author Of Captive in the Underworld: A Dark Lesbian Romance Novel

From the list on queer stories inspired by myths, legends, and classics.

Who am I?

I loved books as a kid, especially fantasy books, but could never find anyone like me within their pages. I’m a lesbian Chinese writer who adores stories about messed-up, complicated queer people. I’m thrilled by the range of books available now that feature queer, messy characters. We all deserve representation, and to me that means representation that’s complex, that encompasses the ugly and the beautiful. One of my goals as an author is to make you fall in love with monsters—brutal, flawed women who may not deserve love, but who demand it all the same.

Lianyu's book list on queer stories inspired by myths, legends, and classics

Why did Lianyu love this book?

I adore Sherlock pastiches, and this is one of my favorites with its high magic urban fantasy setting, pan sorceress Sherlock, and gay trans man Watson. Obviously, the leads aren’t romantically entwined. Instead, the plot revolves around Sherlock’s ex-paramour and current client, pan Irene Adler, whose impending marriage to a woman is being threatened by blackmail.

It’s joyously irreverent with a ton of literary allusions and dear Watson’s earnest and wholesome narrative voice. If you enjoy magic with your mystery, this book is for you.

By Alexis Hall,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In this charming, witty, and weird fantasy novel, Alexis Hall pays homage to Sherlock Holmes with a new twist on those renowned characters.

Upon returning to the city of Khelathra-Ven after five years fighting a war in another universe, Captain John Wyndham finds himself looking for somewhere to live, and expediency forces him to take lodgings at 221b Martyrs Walk. His new housemate is Ms. Shaharazad Haas, a consulting sorceress of mercurial temperament and dark reputation.

When Ms. Haas is enlisted to solve a case of blackmail against one of her former lovers, Miss Eirene Viola, Captain Wyndham is drawn…


Nine Princes in Amber

By Roger Zelazny,

Book cover of Nine Princes in Amber

Katrina Archer Author Of The Tree of Souls

From the list on characters who don’t trust themselves.

Who am I?

I’ve always loved characters with ambiguous morals, and the inherent tension they bring to stories: their path from ruin to redemption, the examination of their past misdeeds that requires them to choose what kind of person they want to be. As a former software engineer, I was traumatized by the Polytechnique massacre in Montréal, which happened while I was studying at a neighboring university, and in which fourteen women were murdered. I don’t consider its perpetrator redeemable, but after I wrote The Tree of Souls, I realized its character arcs were me trying to understand why people do bad things and forcing my characters to confront the pain they’d caused.

Katrina's book list on characters who don’t trust themselves

Why did Katrina love this book?

This is the book that launched my Zelazny obsession as a teen. Carl Corey wakes up after a car crash with amnesia (sense a theme here?), which he hides from those close to him, some of whom insist on calling him Corwin. He gradually discovers he’s an immortal with a strong claim to the throne of Amber, the one true world at the center of infinite shadow worlds, including our Earth. As Corwin’s memories return, he realizes he was a cruel and arrogant man, and some of his numerous siblings have good reason to hate him. Here the amnesia trope truly allows a character to examine their past through a less biased lens. Top-rate fantasy set against a war for succession to the keys to the universe.

By Roger Zelazny,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked Nine Princes in Amber as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the most revered names in sf and fantasy, the incomparable Roger Zelazny was honored with numerous prizes—including six Hugo and three Nebula Awards—over the course of his legendary career. Among his more than fifty books, arguably Zelazny’s most popular literary creations were his extraordinary Amber novels.

Now officially licensed by the Zelazny estate, the first book in this legendary series is now finally available electronically.

Carl Corey wakes up in a secluded New York hospital with amnesia. He escapes and investigates, discovering the truth, piece by piece: he is really Prince Corwin, of Amber, the one true world…


Codey

By Deivy Garrido,

Book cover of Codey: Crossing the Multiverse

Jay Miles Author Of The Mariverse: Guardians

From the list on the multiverse that dives through worlds beyond worlds.

Who am I?

The Multiverse had been my deepest passion of interest for a long time. Experiencing crossover stories in various mediums, both official and fan-made, especially fan-made. To see how two different worlds would meet. I spent hours reading fanfictions involving crossovers, as well as conjuring up my own. I considered the multiverse as a grand bedrock to create any story, hence why I wrote The Mariverse, followed by The Mariverse: Guardians, to create my own bedrock for my writing career.

Jay's book list on the multiverse that dives through worlds beyond worlds

Why did Jay love this book?

For those who don’t want to read a novel length but want to experience worlds beyond worlds, this book I would recommend, a neat short story where the protagonist uses the multiverse as a form of self-discovery, experiences he would never have in his own life and considers to a change of character.

Might not be a full-blown adventure, but a calmer mundane life experience, relatable while simplifying the multiverse without any complexities. 

By Deivy Garrido,

Why should I read it?

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


Before the Big Bang

By Laura Mersini-Houghton,

Book cover of Before the Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe and What Lies Beyond

Douglas Phillips Author Of Quantum Chaos

From Douglas' 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Who am I?

Author Scientist Imagineer Lifelong student Optimist Earthling with ambitions

Douglas' 3 favorite reads in 2023

Why did Douglas love this book?

I’m a scientist with an imagination. Where theory and evidence lead, I follow—even if the path ventures into exotic territory.

A routine description of the Big Bang isn’t enough for me. I already understand how our universe began. I want to know why it’s here. Where did it come from? Impossible to know, you may say, but hear me out.

Dr. Mersini-Houghton is a respected physicist on the cutting edge of cosmology who knows a lot about quantum fields (submicroscopic fluctuations that permeate our universe). As she dives into the world of the ultra-small, you’ll see, like I did, that she and her colleagues are onto something big.

By Laura Mersini-Houghton,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Before the Big Bang as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the world's most celebrated cosmologists presents her breakthrough explanation of our origins in the multiverse.

In recent years, Laura Mersini-Houghton's ground-breaking theory, spectacularly vindicated with observational evidence, has turned the multiverse from philosophical speculation to one of the most compelling and credible explanations of our universe's origins.

In Before the Big Bang, she interweaves the story of how she arrived at this theory with her journey from communist Albania, where she was born and brought up, to the West, showing how her unconventional path helped her to challenge orthodoxies and become one of the most courageous thinkers on…


The Teachings of Don Juan

By Carlos Castaneda,

Book cover of The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge

Andy Darby Author Of Me and The Monkey

From the list on on not getting lost in another bloody multiverse.

Who am I?

I have had a fascination with alternative realities since reading the stories of Michael Moorcock in my early teens. I spent years studying shamanism and occult practices so when I finally got my act together and started writing it was a given that a sizable amount of that would creep into my work. I also have a bizarre sense of humour and I like to inflict that on my readers where possible by creating unusual scenarios or interactions for my characters to get caught up in. I try to inject some science and historical fact into what I write although most should be taken with a large pinch of salt… 

Andy's book list on on not getting lost in another bloody multiverse

Why did Andy love this book?

Well, this book totally changed my view on the world and how reality is perceived! Whether you choose to believe that Castaneda met and was initiated by a Yaqui sorcerer, or whether you believe it is just a very convincing piece of writing by a college student studying anthropology is up to you. What shouldn’t be ignored are the underlying psychological truths and messages that make this a powerful story about seeing the world in which we live through new eyes. This book started my interest in shamanism and led to nearly 25 years of study and practice that has definitely influenced my life and writing.   

By Carlos Castaneda,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

An anthropologist records his corversations with the Yaqui Indian sorcerer and offers a structural analysis of Don Juan's teachings.


Book cover of Nightwatch on the Hinterlands

Dan Moren Author Of The Nova Incident

From the list on sci-fi overflowing with intrigue and mystery.

Who am I?

Growing up I devoured science-fiction and spy stories by the boatload—the only person I wanted to be more than James Bond was probably Han Solo. Of course, I couldn’t really become either of them, but I always knew the next best thing would be telling stories about those kinds of characters. Ultimately, I couldn’t decide whether to focus on space adventures or spies, so the only real answer was to smash those two genres together. Five years and four novels later, the world of the Galactic Cold War is humming along quite nicely. But I’m still always on the lookout for the next great sci-fi spy novel.

Dan's book list on sci-fi overflowing with intrigue and mystery

Why did Dan love this book?

Combining a murder mystery with a colorful sci-fi universe that’s full of magic? Yes, please. Odd couple Lieutenant Iari and Ambassador Gaer (who, don’t let the title fool you, is actually an alien spy) have to team up to discover why a retired battle-mecha killed someone—an occurrence that should be impossible. The rapport between Iari and Gaer is a delight, and the plot quickly unfolds from a mere murder to something far more sinister. I absolutely love the world that Eason creates—it has the scale of a video game-like Mass Effect while simultaneously creating compelling characters. 

By K. Eason,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Set in the universe of Rory Thorne, this new sci-fi mystery follows an unlikely duo who must discover the motive behind an unusual murder.

THE TEMPLAR: When Lieutenant Iari hears screams in the night, she expects to interrupt a robbery or break up a fight. Instead she discovers a murder with an impossible suspect: a riev, one of the battle-mecha decommissioned after the end of the last conflict, repurposed for manual labor. Riev don't kill people. And yet, clearly, one has. Iari sets out to find it.

THE SPY: Officially, Gaer is an ambassador from the vakari. Unofficially, he's also…


Doors of Sleep

By Tim Pratt,

Book cover of Doors of Sleep

Jay Miles Author Of The Mariverse: Guardians

From the list on the multiverse that dives through worlds beyond worlds.

Who am I?

The Multiverse had been my deepest passion of interest for a long time. Experiencing crossover stories in various mediums, both official and fan-made, especially fan-made. To see how two different worlds would meet. I spent hours reading fanfictions involving crossovers, as well as conjuring up my own. I considered the multiverse as a grand bedrock to create any story, hence why I wrote The Mariverse, followed by The Mariverse: Guardians, to create my own bedrock for my writing career.

Jay's book list on the multiverse that dives through worlds beyond worlds

Why did Jay love this book?

This book is an exciting, dimension-hopping adventure. It tells a unique concept of how one can travel between worlds beyond worlds, explore several worlds before going into the next, give an insight into the protagonist's constant struggle as he deals with this situation, he was in.

Even if each world is just a fragment of an entire universe, it still shows so many unique ideas and expansion of the multiverse in only a singular perspective. For that, I highly recommend this if you are looking for adventure and to explore several dozen worlds in the span of a novel.

By Tim Pratt,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Every time Zax Delatree falls asleep, he travels to a new reality. He has no control over his destination and never knows what he will see when he opens his eyes. Sometimes he wakes up in technological utopias, and other times in the bombed-out ruins of collapsed civilizations. All he has to live by are his wits and the small aides he has picked up along the way - technological advantages from techno-utopias, sedatives to escape dangerous worlds, and stimulants to extend his stay in pleasant ones.
Thankfully, Zax isn't always alone. He can take people with him, if they're…


The City We Became

By N. K. Jemisin,

Book cover of The City We Became

Andre Soares Author Of The Sunflower Protocol

From Andre's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Who am I?

Author Storyteller Traveler Bookworm Student of life Activist

Andre's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Why did Andre love this book?

2023 was an opportunity for me to catch up on modern classics I did not have the bandwidth to explore prior. 

N.K. Jemisin has always been one of my influences and inspirations. One of the most decorated authors in the world, she often offers raw, political storytelling with undertones of intersectional feminism and black girl power. 

I’m a huge fan of her other works (The 5th Season, The Killing Moon…), but this project has a special place in my heart: as a ten-year NYC resident, the City being the first place I set foot on in the US, I found this celebration and critic of New York City layered, accurate and compelling. 

The story follows the journey of city/borough avatars/gods as they face a threat of epic proportion. It shares a few similarities with American Gods and other Neil Gaiman works (The Sandman especially): the personification of…

By N. K. Jemisin,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The City We Became as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A glorious fantasy, set in that most imaginary of cities, New York' Neil Gaiman on THE CITY WE BECAME

'The most celebrated science fiction and fantasy writer of her generation. . .Jemisin seems able to do just about everything'
NEW YORK TIMES

'Jemisin is now a pillar of speculative fiction, breathtakingly imaginative and narratively bold'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Five New Yorkers must band together to defend their city in the first book of a stunning new series by Hugo award-winning and New York Times bestselling author N. K. Jemisin.

Every city has a soul. Some are as ancient as myths, and…


Deep Secret

By Diana Wynne Jones,

Book cover of Deep Secret

Sally Odgers Author Of Elysian Dawn

From the list on set on distant worlds.

Who am I?

I’m Tasmanian. I’ve loved books set in other worlds since I encountered Robert Heinlein’s juveniles in my teens. I often find books set in the mundane world of here-and-now implausible or dull, because the adventures seem contrived or else result from characters doing something stupid or bad. If characters venture to other worlds, or other planets though—that’s a different ballgame! I read a great deal of fantasy and sci-fi, and when I was fourteen, I started writing my own. I enjoy a wide variety of genres, but my favourite stories are those where I can follow relatable characters through wild adventures and believe every line.  

Sally's book list on set on distant worlds

Why did Sally love this book?

Deep Secret is one of my all-time favourite books; one I reread often. There are no spaceships here, (though there is a Land Rover that isn’t!) but much of the action takes place on distant worlds; chiefly Thule and the Koryfonic Empire. Rupert Venables, the youngest Magid, faces not only the fall of the Koryfonic Empire and his task of finding the hidden heir, but also the need to choose a successor for his dead mentor, Stan. There’s so much to love about this chaotic, tangled, wonderful book; not least the combative but ultimately loving relationship between Rupert and Maree, the least likely of the candidates on Rupert’s list.

By Diana Wynne Jones,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Chaos threatens the Earth when one of the powerful magicians assigned to balance good and evil in that corner of the universe dies and a junior magician must lead the search among the planet's denizens for an appropriate successor to the sorcerer's throne.


The Lives of Christopher Chant

By Diana Wynne Jones,

Book cover of The Lives of Christopher Chant

Brita Sandstrom Author Of Hollow Chest

From the list on a cat sidekick who is secretly the main character.

Who am I?

All the best books have a cat sidekick. Over and over, when people talk to me about my book, they pause in the middle of whatever they were about to say and go, “Oh my gosh, Biscuits,” and then launch into a list of things Biscuits the cat does, and how they are similar to things their cats have done, presumably up to and including throwing hands (paws?) with horrifying monsters that want to eat your heart. Biscuits is the latest in a long and proud tradition of literary feline companions, an essential element of many of my favorite and formative texts growing up. 

Brita's book list on a cat sidekick who is secretly the main character

Why did Brita love this book?

Diana Wynne Jones understands fundamentally that cats rule and they are also little jerks. Throgmorten is a sacred cat from a temple in another world, which is a very cat lifestyle, and he spends the whole book spitting and scratching and biting people, which is the singularity of focus that I strive for in my life. Diana Wynne Jones is also not afraid to directly transcribe cat noises, by which I mean Throgmorten says “WONG” a lot, which is such an objectively weird way to describe a cat’s yowl until you actually hear a cat make that sound and realize, “Oh wow, yeah, it does sound like he’s saying ‘WONG.’” I’m not saying authors who exclusively say that cats “meow” are cowards, but. I’m not not saying that.

By Diana Wynne Jones,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Glorious new rejacket of a Diana Wynne Jones favourite, exploring the childhood of Chrestmanci - now a book with extra bits!

Discovering that he has nine lives and is destined to be the next 'Chrestomanci' is not part of Christopher's plans for the future: he'd much rather play cricket and wander around his secret dream worlds. But he soon finds that destiny is difficult to avoid, and that having more than the usual number of lives is pretty inconvenient - especially when you lose them as easily as he does!

Then an evil smuggler, known only as The Wraith, threatens…


The Nowhere Thief

By Alice M. Ross,

Book cover of The Nowhere Thief

Jay Miles Author Of The Mariverse: Guardians

From the list on the multiverse that dives through worlds beyond worlds.

Who am I?

The Multiverse had been my deepest passion of interest for a long time. Experiencing crossover stories in various mediums, both official and fan-made, especially fan-made. To see how two different worlds would meet. I spent hours reading fanfictions involving crossovers, as well as conjuring up my own. I considered the multiverse as a grand bedrock to create any story, hence why I wrote The Mariverse, followed by The Mariverse: Guardians, to create my own bedrock for my writing career.

Jay's book list on the multiverse that dives through worlds beyond worlds

Why did Jay love this book?

Though it never mentions the word ‘multiverse’, it has many aspects of a story about travelling through worlds beyond worlds, going somewhere from nowhere, taking things that don’t exist in another place.

I found this book interesting because it includes a mystery, as the protagonist goes through her journey, she uncovers mysteries and hidden truths about her abilities.

A different concept of multiverse travelling, as well as worlds that are aware of each other, it was still an interesting read that leaves a satisfying conclusion.

By Alice M. Ross,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A mind-bending multiverse adventure about theft, family, and finding your home.


Twelve-year-old Elsbeth has an extraordinary power: she can travel to parallel worlds and bring objects back with her. But as freak weather events become more frequent and a strange boy, Idris, starts to turn up everywhere she travels, she has to ask herself: does her gift come with a price?


Fans of Christopher Edge, Ross Welford and Jessica Townsend will love this fast-paced story and mind-blowing plot! Perfect for readers aged 9 and up.


Coraline

By Neil Gaiman,

Book cover of Coraline

Louise Blackwick Author Of 5 Stars

From Louise's 13-year-old's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Who am I?

Author Entrepreneur Illustrator Speed reader Philanthropist

Louise's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Plus, Louise's 6, 8, and 13-year-old's favorite books.

Why did Louise's 13-year-old love this book?

I know this thirteen-year-old boy who cannot stop talking about Neil Gaiman's Coraline. Something about the dark and eerie atmosphere of the book had him hooked from the start.

There is a quote that stayed with him, which I believe is a perfect summary of the book: "When you're scared, but you still do it anyway, that's brave." The story is exciting and humorous, with spare sprinkles of darkness. It is teeming with important life lessons about family, friendship, and finding your authentic self.

All in all, if your child is between 13 and 17, I completely recommend getting them to read Coraline.

Just be careful with allowing them to watch the movie version of this most excellent book. There are few children's animations on the silver screen more creepy than the book-to-movie adaptation.

By Neil Gaiman,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

"Sometimes funny, always creepy, genuinely moving, this marvellous spine-chiller will appeal to readers from nine to ninety." - "Books for Keeps". "I was looking forward to "Coraline", and I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I was enthralled. This is a marvellously strange and scary book." - Philip Pullman, "Guardian". "If any writer can get the guys to read about the girls, it should be Neil Gaiman. His new novel "Coraline" is a dreamlike adventure. For all its gripping nightmare imagery, this is actually a conventional fairy story with a moral." - "Daily Telegraph". Stephen King once called Neil Gaiman 'a treasure-house…


Dark Matter

By Blake Crouch,

Book cover of Dark Matter

Andre Soares Author Of The Sunflower Protocol

From Andre's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Who am I?

Author Storyteller Traveler Bookworm Student of life Activist

Andre's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Why did Andre love this book?

A family man is kidnapped by a mysterious individual and sent to an alternate timeline. Another time travel epic unfolding against the backdrop of a conspiracy, Dark Matter made my Favorite Reads of 2023 list. For very specific reasons. 

It is not a tour-de-force in character development or classic literature, but a very slick high-octane thriller written like a screenplay: the journey is visual, the progression linear, and the pacing intense.

It’s an ode to my screenwriting days and I love how Blake Crouch was able to combine two different mediums (the novel and the screenplay) to shape a story you cannot put down, one moving to the beat of a filmmaker’s drums. 

There are very interesting themes, also: how decisions bear unexpected ramifications, the true meaning of significance, or even the manipulative nature of the corporate complex. 

A must-read for any fan of time travel thrillers.

By Blake Crouch,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Dark Matter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Brilliant. . . I think Blake Crouch just invented something new' - Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series.

From Blake Crouch, the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy, Dark Matter is sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human - a relentlessly surprising thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim the lives we dream of, perfect for fans of Stranger Things and Ready Player One.

'Are you happy in your life?'
Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.
Before he awakes to find…


Normal Rules Don't Apply

By Kate Atkinson,

Book cover of Normal Rules Don't Apply: Stories

Owen W. Knight Author Of The Visitors

From Owen's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Who am I?

Author Visionary Compassionate Imaginative Conspiracist Apophenia (or apophenic)

Owen's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Why did Owen love this book?

This collection brings together eleven stories, some linked by shared characters or plot elements that connect the overlapping lives of the characters, ranging from apocalyptic science fiction, a fairy tale queen to a talking horse, which gives a winning betting tip to a racegoer, Franklin. In a later story, Franklin uses his winnings to buy an engagement ring before marrying Connie and moving into her wealthy parents’ home, where a surprising fate awaits him.

One of the pleasures is its intelligent, unforced humour, much coming from coincidences, observations, witty connections, and surprises. The stories are cleverly written, and the characters are well-drawn. A light but thoroughly entertaining read.

By Kate Atkinson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Normal Rules Don't Apply as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A dazzling collection of eleven interconnected stories from the bestselling, award-winning author of Shrines of Gaiety and Life After Life, with everything that readers love about her novels—the inventiveness, the verbal felicity, the sharp observations on human nature, and the deeply satisfying emotional wallop.

Nothing is quite as it seems in this collection of eleven dazzling stories. We meet a queen who makes a bargain she cannot keep; a secretary who watches over the life she has just left; a man who bets on a horse that may—or may not—have spoken to him. Everything that readers love about the novels…


Book cover of The Midnight Library

Khristin Wierman Author Of This Time Could Be Different

From the list on feel good books about freeing yourself from your past.

Who am I?

I’m a novelist who was first a reader. For me, books are windows, showing the world through lenses I haven’t experienced before. In difficult moments, they’ve been lifelines, proof that I’m not alone and happy endings (at least happier) are possible. What “feels good” in a book is a quality unique to each reader. Below are stories about imperfect characters who not only survive their pasts but succeed—in unwinding from the wounds, changing aspects of themselves that no longer fit who they choose to be now, and ultimately creating happier lives. That kind of success feels great to me. I hope it might for you, too.

Khristin's book list on feel good books about freeing yourself from your past

Why did Khristin love this book?

If you’ve ever been trapped in a loop of regret, certain you’ve done (and are doing) everything “wrong,” The Midnight Library might be a lovely read for you.

It begins on a somber note, with a woman crumbling under the weight of regret. The darkness in the first line—in the first twenty-five or so pages, actually—nearly derailed me. But if you can manage past those, you’ll find that this is a story about facing the darkness and finding a way through.

One of the many beauties of this novel is that it so deftly illustrates our propensity for selective memory—specifically, to remember and focus only on what we perceive as our faults.

Matt Haig’s writing is witty and smooth. For me, the hope and possibility that spring from this imaginative tale are pure magic.

By Matt Haig,

Why should I read it?

24 authors picked The Midnight Library as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The #1 New York Times bestselling WORLDWIDE phenomenon

Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction | A Good Morning America Book Club Pick | Independent (London) Ten Best Books of the Year

"A feel-good book guaranteed to lift your spirits."-The Washington Post

The dazzling reader-favorite about the choices that go into a life well lived, from the acclaimed author of How To Stop Time and The Comfort Book.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of…


Self-Portrait with Nothing

By Aimee Pokwatka,

Book cover of Self-Portrait with Nothing

Victoria Costello Author Of Orchid Child

From the list on realist that use magic to say hard things.

Who am I?

Like most children growing up with fairy tales and Bible instruction, I believed in miracles and magic. But it was the death of my father at age eight, then having his spirit return to my childhood bedroom to comfort and reassure me, that planted in me a core belief in dimensions beyond material reality. Other influences, including living as a neurodiverse woman and raising a neurodiverse son, working as a science journalist, and reading quantum physics, helped me re-embrace the liminal as part of my adult worldview. The most interesting novels to me often carry subtle messages and bring awareness to underrepresented people and issues, and many do this using magic and the fantastic.

Victoria's book list on realist that use magic to say hard things

Why did Victoria love this book?

This novel’s protagonist, Pepper Rafferty was raised by two Lesbian mothers, who found her as a newborn on the doorstep of their vet practice.

But at 36, Pepper is still trying to find her footing in the world and understand things about herself, like her habit of imagining she’s living in different worlds, based on different choices she might have made.
Without being shown exactly why, the reader soon grasps that this has something to do with the fact that her birth mother is Ula Frost - a very famous portrait painter about whom fantastic claims are being made.

These come primarily from the models in her portraits, these are her clients, who say that her painting them brought forth their mirror selves from other universes, often with disastrous consequences. Outrageous as this claim seems, many in the art world believe it, and Ula's paintings sell for millions of dollars.…

By Aimee Pokwatka,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Self-Portrait with Nothing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Orphan Black meets Fringe in a story that reminds us that living our best life sometimes means embracing the imperfect one we already have.

"Fraught and deeply moving...the work of a genuinely exciting new talent." ―Booker Prize winner, George Saunders.

“Aimee Pokwatka’s Self-Portrait with Nothing is tantalizing and elusive lacework, delicately balanced between the branches of fantasy, mystery and realism like a spider’s web.” ―The New York Times

If a picture paints a thousand worlds . . .

Abandoned as an infant on the local veterinarian’s front porch, Pepper Rafferty was raised by two loving mothers, and now, at thirty-six…


Stormbringer

By Michael Moorcock,

Book cover of Stormbringer

Christopher Patterson Author Of A Chance Beginning

From the list on broken and struggling heroes.

Who am I?

I believe that in our real world, most heroes are like any other human, exhibiting the struggles, the moral dilemmas, and the psychological battles any human would be. And that is what makes a hero so great. They rise above the internal and external struggles to become something better and something others can look up to. Heroes are not supposed to be Superman. They are Batman, struggling with the darkness of trauma and the weight of responsibility like everyone else. 

Christopher's book list on broken and struggling heroes

Why did Christopher love this book?

Elric of Melnibone is an anti-hero. He is a bad guy who worships a god of chaos and delights in doing bad things. Pressured by family, a sense of duty, and a deep devotion to both his lover and his friends, he begins to question his life and his culture up until now. The lack of caring weighs on him as he vacillates between a world of evil and chaos and a world of law and goodness. 

By Michael Moorcock,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Feared by enemies and friends alike, Elric of Melnibone walks a lonely path among the worlds of the multiverse. The destroyer of his own cruel and ancient race, as well as its final ruler, Elric is the bearer of a destiny as dark and cursed as the vampiric sword he carries - the sentient black blade known as Stormbringer.

Containing the novel which perhaps did the most to propel Elric to the forefront of the fantasy genre, along with associated short stories and other material, this volume is a vital part of any fantasy reader's library. With an introduction by…