Can anyone recommend some short books (i.e., under 200 pages or so)? I'm a little behind on my reading goal for the year.
I enjoy speculative fiction. Sci-fi, especially hard sci fi, space setting, and utopia/dystopia. Low/urban fantasy, magical realism. Mystery, thrillers, not-overly-scary horror. Also very open to short non-fiction.
I like crime fiction, but not heist/spy. I don't like pure romance, high fantasy, or historical fiction.
Some short books and novellas I've read and liked:
- Murderbot Series
- A Psalm for the Wild Built
- To Be Taught if Fortunate
- Ocean at the End of the Lane
- The Metamorphosis
- The Haunting of Hill House
- We Have Always Lived in the Castle
- Animal Farm
- The Word for World Is Forest
- Herland
by simple-solitude
8 Comments
The classic rec for this sub that fits the bill (and is excellent to boot) is A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck
You can also do A Prayer for the Crown Shy, the sequel to psalm for the wild built!
Some speculative fiction short book/novella faves:
Annihilation, Jeff Vandermeer (Weird)
Even Though We Knew The End, C. L. Polk (noir 50’s urban fantasy)
Nettle & Bone, T. Kingfisher (mythological fantasy)
What Moves The Dead, T. Kingfisher (not overly scary horror)
-> Most other books by T. Kingfisher, if you like those. She specializes in fantasy novellas.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune, by Nghi Vo, and the rest of the Singing Hill Cycle (mythological fantasy)
A short book of short stories: Einstein’s Dreams, by Alan Lightman. Surreal linked stories about time.
The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson.
112 pages, perfect for the season. I just looked and it doesn’t have great reviews on Goodreads. But I enjoyed it well enough for what it is.
Gothic vampire novel *Carmilla* by Sheridan le Fanu – the original is just over 100 pages. Published about 20 years before Bram Stoker’s *Dracula*
the emperor’s soul by brandon sanderson is under 200 pages and has a really cool magic system! helped me catch up on my reading goal last year too.
– Nothing But The Rain, about a small town whose memories have become tied to the water supply by an unknown source that punishes them if they try to escape. 96 pages.
– My Death, about a writer doing a biography and discovers really bizarre similarities between herself and her subject. 93 pages
– Ring Shout, based in 1915 in the south, KKK members are actual monster poisoned by their hate, and 3 bad ass black woman are called to hunt them down.
– Elena Knows, a unique perspective from an older person trying to seek answers about her daughter’s death, except she might not like the answers. 143 pages.
I can’t think of any recommendations for novellas or short novels, I’m just here to say that another way to meet your goal is by looking into YA or Middle Grade novels. This is what I’ve been doing and I’m having so much fun! A lot of good stuff out there, especially in the utopia/dystopia subgenre you mentioned. I’ve been rereading The Hunger Games series as an adult (rather than a middle schooler) highly recommend!!
I’ve also been loving the Anne of Green Gables series (all 8 books) but not sure if that’s your vibe lol
Have you read any John Wyndham? *The Chrysalids,* *The Midwich Cuckoos,* and *Day of the Triffids* are all around 200 pages.
Would also recommend Ray Bradbury – *Fahrenheit 451* is shorter, and his short stories are brilliant. *The Illustrated Man* is a great collection.