I’m looking for something clever, intense, and very strange. Something that makes me feel and think, ideally both in excess. I want to be immersed in a vivid, unusual perspective, especially ones far from my own. I love unreliable narrators, queerness, and weirdness (in character, prose, or theme).
I’ve loved McGlue (Ottessa Moshfegh), Two-Step Devil (Jamie Quatro), Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (Douglas Adams), and Howl’s Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones) for their distinctive styles, sincerity, interesting themes, and uniqueness.
I enjoy mystery, psychological or literary horror, dystopian sci-fi, and fantasy/supernatural fiction. I’m not a fan of monotonous or overly purple prose, straight romance, or romantasy. Indie or under-the-radar recs are a plus. *Slight* preference for short books.
by Interesting_Win_2154
13 Comments
This is How You Lose the Time War fits all your requirements
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
The Vegetarian by Han Kang.
Would go with Obscene Bird of Night by Jose Donoso. Not sure if it’s a “can’t put it down” type though and it is very…yeah. Honestly thought it was borderline nonsense, but I’ll definitely never forget it.
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins is so weird and amazing. Like nothing else I’ve read.
*The Terraformers* by Annalee Newitz
The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. Guards! Guards! Is a good place to start
*Light from Uncommon Stars*, by Ryka Aoki
Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy
Naked lunch
The Ruined Map by Kobo Abe
Lots of good stuff here already! let me add Middlegame by Seanan McGuire, which is like if a book was an intricate little wooden puzzle box
“Whalefall” by Daniel Kraus. Bizarre premise- scuba diver is accidentally swallowed by a whale while trying to retrieve his father’s remains post-suicide- but intense, nail-biting, and very emotional and moving. Also pretty short.