Literature has always served as a mirror to society’s deepest anxieties, reflecting cultural fears through metaphor and allegory. Just as Gothic fiction emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries as a response to industrialisation, channelling unease about scientific progress and urbanisation, today’s ecofiction grapples with the existential threats of climate change, mass extinction, and ecological collapse. These genres do more than tell stories; they crystallise our collective dread, forcing us to confront what haunts them most.

As a reader who loves both gothic and ecofiction, here are some of the genre’s defining novels, both classic and contemporary, what they have in common, and how the genre taps into our collective anxiety.

Why is ecofiction becoming more popular?

Ecofiction’s power lies in its ability to make the abstract tangible. Climate change is often discussed in terms of statistics, rising CO2 levels, shrinking ice caps, and increasing global temperatures, but these numbers can feel distant and impersonal. Or terrifying headlines that make us recoil and spend days in an existential loop. Literature bridges that gap for us by humanising ecological crises, enveloping them in narrative and metaphor that evoke empathy, dread, and, ideally, hope.

A good ecofiction novel can make extinction feel visceral. In Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior, the sudden appearance of monarch butterflies in Appalachia due to disrupted migration patterns becomes a haunting metaphor for climate instability. The protagonist, Dellarobia, is not a scientist, but her bewilderment and grief mirror the reader’s own as she witnesses an ecological aberration that is both beautiful and tragic.

This is ecofiction’s strength; it transforms global issues into intimate, emotional experiences. 

Much like the gothic genre took the Romantic era’s preoccupation with nature and tapped into its sublime wild unknowableness, pairing a romanticisation of the past with the anxiety of the current moment. Nature in ecofiction becomes an unstoppable, unknowable force, often a character in its own right. The past, though often romanticised, doesn’t hold off on the shortcomings of people and society.

Human ingenuity rarely triumphs over adversity in eco-fiction. Instead, it frequently presents nature as an indifferent or retaliatory force, exposing the hubris of human dominance. In doing so, it dismantles the illusion that we are separate from or superior to the ecosystems we inhabit. However by remembering that humans and our environment are one and the same also reminds us of our responsibility to protect the world around us.

The four defining narratives of ecofiction

Ecological anxiety tends to be explored in one of four ways in ecofiction. As this is a rapidly growing genre, it’s interesting to see how new stories build on these narratives and overlap with other genres like sci-fi and, more recently, solarpunk fiction. These are some of the common tropes and structures you’ll encounter in ecofiction.

1) The collapse narrative

Ecofiction, more often than not, depicts societal or environmental collapse, whether that’s sudden or gradual. Exploring how these communities adapt (or fail to adapt) to ecological disaster is key to the narrative.

From Paolo Bacigalupi’s drought-ravaged Southwest in The Water Knife to the submerged civilizations of Kirsty Logan’s The Gracekeepers, or the King Lear-inspired soggy London of Julia Armfield’s Private Rites, these stories test societal resilience post-collapse.

Matt Bell’s Appleseed uniquely layers three collapses: historical, imminent, and far-future, suggesting environmental destruction and human folly follow cyclical patterns. These narratives force readers to confront the fragility and ingenuity of civilization when pushed to its ecological limits.

2) The revenge of nature

Another common trope finds nature fighting back against human exploitation. In The Overstory by Richard Powers, trees are not passive resources but silent witnesses to human folly, their interconnectedness a rebuke to individualism—the novel suggests that nature’s resilience may outlast humanity’s destructive tendencies.

Jeff VanderMeer’s alien ecosystem in Annihilation, nature retaliates against exploitation, and the mythical rain-controlling bird in Robbie Arnott’s The Rain Heron embodies this trope most poetically, environmental balance restored through supernatural intervention.

3) The seer and the sceptic

Ecofiction often features characters who serve as ecological prophets, individuals who recognise environmental devastation before others do, and their struggle to be heard. In Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future dramatizes climate policy battles, while Silent Spring, though nonfiction, reads like ecofiction in its portrayal of Rachel Carson’s lonely crusade against pesticides.

In Charlotte McCoaghy’s Wild Dark Shore, a family struggles to preserve an Antarctic Seed Bank that faces destruction from rising sea levels, despite everyone else abandoning the island. This taps in so viscerally to the current moment where we feel powerless in the face of environmental and societal destruction.

4) The return to the wild

Some ecofictions explore rewilding, both literal and philosophical, as a response to ecological alienation. Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer to Marian Engel’s Bear, and narratives explore rewilding as an antidote to ecological alienation. The Gracekeepers and Private Rites extend this trope to cultural adaptation, its floating words developing new rituals for a flooded landscape, showing us fantasy alternatives to life beyond collapse.

Global Perspectives in Ecofiction: Beyond Anglo-American Narratives

While much of the popular contemporary ecofiction emerges from Western literary traditions, global perspectives offer rich, nuanced explorations of environmental challenges. Indigenous writers, in particular, bring profound ecological wisdom that challenges Western linear narratives of environmental destruction.

Latin American writers like Eduardo Galeano and Ailton Krenak weave environmental storytelling with anti-colonial narratives, and Brazilian author Krenak’s work, for instance, connects Indigenous worldviews with environmental resistance, presenting nature not as a resource to be managed, but as a living entity with intrinsic rights. Brazilian and Amazonian literature frequently challenges the extractive capitalism that threatens both ecological systems and Indigenous communities.

Nnedi Okorafor’s African futurist works, like Lagoon, reimagine ecological transformation through distinctly African perspectives, challenging Western sci-fi tropes and presenting environmental change as a potential site of regeneration rather than pure catastrophe.

Japanese author Yōko Ogawa’s The Memory Police subtly explores environmental loss through metaphorical disappearance, while Chinese writer Cixin Liu’s The Three-Body Problem uses ecological destruction as a backdrop for complex philosophical inquiries about humanity’s place in the universe.

Despite its current popularity, ecofiction isn’t new

Ecofiction isn’t a new phenomenon. The gothic/sci-fi queen Mary Shelley’s The Last Man (1826), often considered one of the first apocalyptic novels, imagines a world decimated by plague, reflecting early anxieties about human vulnerability. John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is an ecological novel in its depiction of Dust Bowl displacement, showing how environmental degradation and human suffering are intertwined.

In the latter half of the 20th century, works like Dune by Frank Herbert (1965) use science fiction to explore desertification and resource scarcity, while Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Word for World Is Forest (1972) critiques colonialism and deforestation through an alien planet’s struggle against human invaders.

The enduring impact of gothic and ecofiction

Ecofiction does not always provide answers, but it asks the right questions: What have we lost? What can still be saved? And what does it mean to live ethically in a wounded world? These stories do more than warn; they reorient our imaginations toward alternative futures.

As rising ecological challenges reshape our world, ecofiction will likely continue to evolve. Apocalyptic warnings will likely become explorations of human-environment relationships, hopefully amplifying diverse global perspectives and offering imaginative pathways for understanding our collective ecological future.

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To prove that, here are some of the best works of fantasy fiction written by women over the past several decades. Many of these books are modern, but of course great authors like Ursula K. Le Guin flew so high long before many of us even considered trying to walk.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

With The Goblin Emperor, author Katherine Addison provides a very unique take on the fantasy story. Its setting is familiar: an elven land with a kingdom at its heart. But this is a high court tale of political games, rather than an adventure or a great war. Our protagonist, Maia, is the half-goblin youngest son of the emperor, and when a tragedy leads this exiled prince to suddenly ascend to the throne, he must learn the ins and outs of court life.

Imagine a novel set in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire which takes place entirely in the King’s Landing—more specifically, the Red Keep. The Goblin Emperor is, first and foremost, a political drama. We follow closely, often with bated breath, as Maia navigates palace life, learns quickly who to trust, and who might want to stab him in the back. Then, of course, there’s the matter of the tragedy that took his father and brothers.

The Goblin Emperor is a fresh and unique fantasy novel that succeeds on the back of its fantastic protagonist, its sharp dialogue, and its deep dive into palace politics. A real page-turner of a fantasy novel, and a book like no other in the genre.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin was one of the great authors of sci-fi and fantasy; her legacy will last for as long as books themselves do. And while sci-fi novels like The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed encouraged readers to consider social dynamics and gender roles in unique ways, her Earthsea fantasy series—which began with A Wizard of Earthsea—is a masterpiece of world-building, character writing, and plotting.

In this first book in the series, we follow Ged, a young man born on a quiet island in this expansive archipelago world. Ged displays a knack for magic early in his life, and is sent off to study wizardry at a school of magic. From here, we watch him grow up into a powerful wizard.

What sets the novel apart from many of its kind is Ged himself: a reckless and often arrogant young man who makes mistakes and must fix them. This is a coming-of-age story in the trust sense, as Ged fumbles and commits grave errors on his way to being not only a wizard but, simply, an adult. Much like her contemporary Diana Wynne Jones, Le Guin wasn’t afraid to write characters who are at first unlikeable and must learn to face life head on.

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

N.K. Jemisin is a powerhouse of a writer who pens fantasy masterpieces; that’s simply what she does, time after time after time. The City We Became—the first half of an urban fantasy duology—blends Lovecraftian mythology with superhero tropes to create a vibrant, exciting, and brilliantly fast-paced story about the soul of a city. The novel is also an unabashed love letter to the author’s home of New York City.

Our protagonists are the newly-awoken avatars of New York’s five burroughs: people chosen to fight for and protect a city and its people. When a world city has lived for long enough, and has developed enough of an identity, it wakes up and a soul is born. But some cities have more than one soul—London, for example, has twelve. And newly-awoken New York has five (and a sixth for the city itself).

These avatars—Manny, Brooklyn, Bronca, Padmini, and Aislyn—must find one another and also learn to understand themselves as the face off against a mysterious invader who is wreaking havoc on their city: The Woman in White. This is a brilliant work of urban fantasy that also explores contemporary American politics, race relations, gender dynamics, and more in a savvy and engaging way.

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb is a queen of the fantasy genre, and she is known for writing tightly-crafted trilogies of books which all take place in the same world. The best of these trilogies is, in this writer’s opinion, The Liveship Traders, which begins with Ship of Magic. These are books of family politics and trade economics set on islands, in coastal towns, and aboard ships brought to life by a sacred generational magic.

In Ship of Magic, we follow multiple interconnected characters—many of whom come from the same family of liveship traders: the Vestrits—as their liveship quickens following the death of its captain. Liveships are made from wizardwood, and they come to life (quicken) once three generations of captain have died on board. Its a magic that takes much time and sacrifice to finally take effect.

The strength of this series of fantasy novels comes from its interconnected family politics and the strength of those individual characters; some courageous and spirited, others secretive and corrupt. The cast is large, diverse, and brilliantly dynamic, and the political moves that are made keep readers firmly glued to the page.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

R.F. Kuang became an overnight sensation with the publication of her dark academia novel Babel, but her debut novel The Poppy War (the first book in a trilogy of the same name) is also a masterpiece of epic fantasy fiction. The Poppy War is set in a world inspired by 20th century China, and it follows Rin—a southern peasant girl who passes a rigorous test to enter the nation’s most prestigious military academy.

In doing so, Rin immediately frees herself from a life of poverty, removes herself from the place where she became a war orphan, and escapes the guardians who had planned to marry her off for money. But the academy itself is far from a pleasant place, and new struggles await her. Rin must continue her fight to survive, to thrive, and to prove herself against all the odds.

R.F. Kuang is, without a doubt, one of the great fantasy writers of this century. Her novels continue to amaze and inspire, and all of this began with the astonishingly powerful The Poppy War.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs

Ink Blood Sister Scribe is a wonderful work of urban fantasy that begins in Vermont and Antarctica. We follow two sisters, daughters of a family that has long been entrusted with protecting a library of powerful magical tomes. When the novel opens, their father stumbles out of their Vermont house, holding one of these books, and it kills him by draining him of his blood. How did this happen, and why?

While Joanna deals with this tragedy and the mystery behind it, her sister Esther is on a research base in Antarctica. She left home as a teenager and was told by her father that she can never stay in one place for longer than a year. Every November, she must pick herself up and move somewhere new. She is running from whatever it was that killed her mother, and that thing requires a year to find and hunt Esther down.

Mysteries abound in this novel, which blends dark academia with urban fantasy and thriller elements. Ink Blood Sister Scribe is a fantastically well-paced and well-plotted novel of dangerous, dark magic and those who keep it secret.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

V.E. Schwab is one of the most successful fantasy authors of this century so far. With her works often being set in our world, and with an urban fantasy vibe, she is often compared to Neil Gaiman, but her books very much have their own style and flavour. And that can best be seen with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: a faustian tale about a young French woman who once made a deal with the devil, with unique ramifications.

The titular Addie LaRue made a deal that would see her living forever without ageing, but the catch is that nobody will ever remember her. As soon as she is out of sight, anyone who comes in contact with her instantly forgets her. She has lived this way for centuries, but one day in New York City, she meets a young man who, for some reason, doesn’t forget her.

The novel takes us from 18th century France to the NYC of the modern day, following the cursed and lonely life of a woman who cannot die but can also never be remembered. It’s a wonderful urban fantasy epic for readers of all kinds to enjoy.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Susanna Clarke exploded into the literary scene with her thousand-page historical fantasy epic Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. And years later, she returned with the far shorter and far stranger Piranesi, one of the most singularly enjoyable and beloved fantasy novels of recent years (and winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2021).

The less you know about this novel’s plot, the better, but here’s a vague blurb: the titular Piranesi lives in an endless labyrinth known as the House. He is mostly alone, except for routine visits from a well-dressed man he calls the Other. Piranesi explores this house, decorated with clouds and statues and an entire ocean. And one day, the Other gives him a task to complete.

To say more would be to spoil it, but Piranesi is a true page-turner. The mystery of the House begs understanding, as does the Other. And Piranesi himself is one of the most likeable, endearing protagonists in recent fiction—fantasy or otherwise. He is a true treasure of a protagonist, and its thanks to him that the novel is so adored.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Until the publication of this book, British fantasy author Samantha Shannon was known for her series of urban fantasy novels The Bone Season. Then came the enormous fantasy epic The Priory of the Orange Tree, which launched Shannon into the upper echelon of great fantasy writers.

The Priory of the Orange Tree is a beautifully queer, brilliantly feminist tale of castles and dragons. It follows several characters in different places around the world. One is the queen of Inys, Sabran. She is struggling to hold onto power and there are those who seek to dethrone her. She also has a maid who secretly serves the titular society of mages: the priory. And then there is the young dragon rider Tané.

Each of these characters risks much from the very beginning, as tensions burn and the world threatens to shift. Worst of all is the threatened return of the great and evil dragon: The Nameless One. The Priory of the Orange Tree is a fantasy epic in every single way; one that adheres to the familiar rules and tropes of the genre but brings them into the modern day.

Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake

While her novel The Atlas Six was an immediate smash hit, Gifted & Talented is certainly the superior novel. This is a richly detailed novel, written with a kind of gilded prose, which presents us with the lives of three horrible siblings: Meredith, Arthur, and Eilidh.

These nepobabies are the children of Thayer Wren, CEO of a magitech company. Meredith invented an app that asserts an ability to cure mental illness; Arthur is a young senator; and Eilidh is a former ballerina whose career was cut short by an injury.

Our protagonists are all horrid in their own entertaining ways, and each one is a potential inheritor of their father’s empire. Or are they? The events of the novel take a backseat to the unfolding of their hilariously unlovable personalities and behaviours; and Blake also sprinkles in a little (though arguably not enough) fun magic along the way.

The Magician’s Guild by Trudi Canavan

The first book in Trudi Canavan’s Black Magician trilogy, The Magician’s Guild follows a young slum girl named Sonea, who has put a target on her own back by disrupting the peace with a single stone.

The magicians of Imardin are hated and feared, and during one of their routine purges of the city, their magic is pierced by a rock hurled by a little girl. This girl has a gift; untrained and untamed, she could turn their world on its head.

And so Sonea must run, and if she is captured she will be hurled into a world of dominant magic as she is held and trained by the titular Magician’s Guild.

A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos

Translated from the French by Hildegarde Serle

Written by French author Christelle Dabos, A Winter’s Promise is the first book in The Mirror Visitor trilogy of YA fantasy books. The peoples of this world live entirely on floating islands, isolated and heavily distinct from one another. These island nations (known as Arks) have their own traditions, technologies, and cultures.

One the Ark known as Anima, protagonist Ophelia is a girl with the unique ability to communicate with the souls of objects. She is also able to travel by passing through her own reflection. And Ophelia is thrown into an unhappy and unlikely situation when her hand is promised to a powerful member of the Dragon Clan: a man named Thorn.

A Winter’s Promise is a brilliantly inventive YA fantasy novel with a focus on romance and high court politics.

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

C.L. Clark’s The Unbroken is the first novel in the Magic of the Lost fantasy series. This is a bold and thrilling queer epic about the evils of empire. Through subtle use of established languages and linguistic rules, the novel implies that it takes heavy inspiration from the French Colonial Empire and the North African nations it colonised.

Our first protagonist is Touraine, a soldier taken from her home and conscripted to fight for the very empire that took control of her land and its people. The second is the princess of that empire: a woman named Luca. It’s been years since Touraine was taken, and she has risen through the ranks as a weapon of the empire. Now, she is sent back to her homeland to squash a rising rebellion.

When one the rebellion’s leader is captured and executed, Touraine is told that her mother is alive. In a moment, this splits her loyalties and she is caught between her duty and her homeland. Making things harder is the bond that she forms with the princess after saving her life. The Unbroken is a phenomenal story of colonialism and empire.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Easily one of the most beloved fantasy stories of the past few decades, Erin Morgenstern’s astonishing debut novel The Night Circus is set in an alternate Victorian world, and it follows two protagonists who are pitted against one another by their masters in a contest of magic.

The titular circus is truly magical, travelling from place to place and led by its powerful owner, Prospero. But Prospero has an enigmatic friend named Mr A.H. —, and the two have made a pact to each raise a powerful magic user; when the time comes, their protégés will be made to duel. And it’s these two protégés that we follow over the course of this spellbinding novel.

Celia is Prospero’s daughter, and Marco is the orphan ward of Mr. A.H. —. As the novel goes, we watch them grow and learn more about the circus. The Night Circus stands out thanks to its playful fairytale plot and its author’s magnificent command over writing and dialogue.

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher

T. Kingfisher is a master author of horror and dark fantasy, and Nettle and Bone is a short novel inspired by the tropes and aesthetics of fairy tales. Everything about these tropes are entirely and playfully inverted here, however. Protagonist Marra is the youngest princess of a small kingdom squashed between two larger and more imposing nations.

Her eldest sister, in a move of political strategy, was married of to the prince of one nation in order to better protect them from the other, but that sister has since died. Now, the prince wants to marry the family’s second daughter. Marra moves to protect her sister from sharing the first daughter’s fate. She means to kill this murderous prince.

To do that, however, she will need to head out on a dangerous quest, completing impossible tasks and recruiting strange people to her cause. She will somehow have to bring a dog to life and forge a cloak out of nettles. Doing so might allow her to complete her dangerous task.

Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone

Red Sonja is a character with a long and storied history, having begun as a Marvel Comics character back in the 70s. Today, she is owned by Dynamite and her story was rebooted by comic book legend Gail Simone back in 2013. A decade late, Simone made the world of Red Sonja the subject of her debut novel, Red Sonja: Consumed. And it is a fantastic sword and sorcery adventure.

Sword and sorcery is a unique subgenre of fantasy with a more pulpy tone and aesthetic; they are violent and less focussed on world-building. Rather, they follow a morally grey antihero on a bloody quest across an eldritch land of monsters and magic. And Red Sonja: Consumed offers fantasy readers a return to that subgenre which has become increasingly unpopular over the past few decades.

The novel begins with the titular Sonja, the She-Devil, having seduced and then stolen from a queen. Now, with the queen in hot pursuit, Sonja must return to her homeland as she hears whispers of a strange evil that rises from the earth and steals the life from unsuspecting innocents. The novel shifts point-of-view frequently, giving us a dynamic look at the world she inhabits and the dangerous tale that unfolds.

Weird girl books are all about upsetting the norm. They’re punk tales of women being gross, strange, dangerous, or even just allowing themselves to be sad, angry, unpleasant, and unlikeable. These subversive books are all about painting women in darker, stranger colours, and we love to see it!

Out by Natsuo Kirino

Translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder

One of the progenitors of weird girl fiction, Out is a thriller that follows four women who work night shifts at a sandwich factory. The men in their lives are cruel and hateful, and eventually one of them snaps and murders her husband by choking him to death with his own belt while their kids are in the other room.

With the help of the other three women, she cuts up and hides his body, and they all agree to a vow of silent solidarity. But this vow might not last, and if it doesn’t there will be police and even worse sniffing around, searching for the truth. This is a very bleak novel about downtrodden women doing dark things in order to forge a path too freedom, liberation, or even just a little good old fashioned revenge.

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

Ottessa Moshfegh is perhaps the quintessential weird woman of fiction right now. Her books are off-kilter and upsetting, leaving readers with a sense of unease. None moreso than Lapvona, a gothic medieval tale of serfdom, subservience, witchcraft, and death.

The titular Lapvona is an isolated village lorded over by a rich man who lives on a hill above the peasantry. One of those peasants is a disfigured boy with a cruel father who lies to him. We learn about these men, as well as the son of the lord, over the course of a year. That year is beset by drought, disease, and day-to-day struggles.

There is also a dark magical element to Lapvona. The village witch was wet-nurse to many of the villagers, and she replaces her eyes with those of a horse in order to regain her sight. Beyond this, Lapvona is a novel with clear socialist undertones from an author who seems to be very cynical towards society, and the book is amazing as a result.

Boulder by Eva Baltasar

Translated from the Catalan by Julia Sanchez

Boulder is a Catalan novel about the complexities of love and relationships. We begin on a ship off the coast of Chile, where the titular Boulder meets a woman with whom she quickly falls in love. When Samsa gets a job in Reykjavik, Boulder follows her and their relationship becomes strained. This is mostly because Samsa wants to have a child and Boulder doesn’t.

What begins as a hedonistic relationship defined by lust and adventure soon becomes a recognisable tale of the struggles of love when one person wants what the other doesn’t. It’s an ugly and uneasy work of sapphic literary fiction. There is little romance in here; instead, it reminds us of the often uneasy and messy nature of relationships.

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

An icon of weird girl fiction, Eliza Clark’s Boy Parts is a work of literary fiction about a photographer in her twenties who lives in Newcastle and is defined by her own self-destructive behaviour. Irina is building a portfolio of works which all depict boys and men in explicit poses and doing illicit acts. She invited them to her studio, sometimes seduces them, and takes photos for her collection.

Soon, she is offered the opportunity to display her work at a museum in London, which she accepts. In the meantime, she falls into a potential relationship with an actual good guy, goes to parties with friends, and flashes back to a fractured and strange past that we gently piece together over time.

Irina isn’t like other girls; and she is also on the fast track to burning out. Memories are creeping in, and she is shutting everyone out. We watch her like a car crash and we wonder where she will land.

Read More: Essential Fantasy Books by Women

Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval

Translated from the Norwegian by Marjam Idriss

Written by Norwegian singer-songwriter Jenny Hval, Paradise Rot follows a naive young woman who has moved to a dank and wet nameless town for university. She moves into a converted brewery—open-plan but divided poorly by cheap and flimsy walls, like the cubicles in an office. There is an unsettling lack of privacy here between pour protagonist and her new roommate.

What makes this so wonderfully weird and gothic is our protagonist’s obsession with the body—with bodily fluids and the mechanics of our fleshy, wet parts. While it isn’t body horror, it is a novel that makes a horror out of the body, reminding us that we are gooey sacks that take in and expel so much mush and wetness, and everything about us dies and rots. This is a claustrophobic and strange tale.

Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

A straight-up work of political horror, Tell Me I’m Worthless has become a cult classic of the genre. Rumfitt’s novel tells the story of two women who were once friends at university. As adults, however, one is transgender and the other is a TERF. We know they fell out after spending a night at a haunted house (called Albion—get it?). Something awful happened there, and we will eventually find out what, exactly, that was.

With a real Shirley Jackson edge to it, Tell Me I’m Worthless is a novel about the fascistic attitudes of modern-day Britain to scapegoat transgender people. It explores the “values” of Britain and twists them into something that better resembles what the country really is at its core. A wonderfully subversive and unsettling haunted house horror novel.

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

Translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Japanese author Sayaka Murata has become a legend of weird fiction in recent years, and her novel Earthlings upsets as many people as it impresses. It tells the story of a young woman named Natsuki who believes that she is, in fact, an alien.

As a girl, she spent her summers in a mountaintop holiday home with her extended family. She and her cousin Yuu had an unhealthy and taboo relationship at a very young age, and that is only the tip of Natsuki’s iceberg.

As an adult, she still believes that she is an alien, but she has found a way to survive in ordinary human society by entering into an asexual marriage with a man, though she gradually teaches him about how she sees the world: as a factory churning out well-behaved minions for patriarchy and capitalism to suck dry. Natsuki wants to escape this factory, and her methods for doing so are deeply unsettling.

The Pisces by Melissa Broder

Like Ottessa Moshfegh, Melissa Broder is a queen of weird woman fiction, and The Pisces is her masterpiece: a darkly funny tale of mental illness, seduction, unhealthy relationships, and dysfunctional people. Protagonist Lucy is invited to look after her sister’s dog and apartment in Venice, LA. There, she goes on a few bad dates with awful men and eventually falls into a relationship with an actual honest-to-goodness merman.

She goes to group therapy sessions, continues to fall deeper into self-destruction via toxic Tinder dates, and develops a deep obsession with her merman, all the while gradually ignoring her sister’s dog, her responsibilities, and her life. She is a broken, awful woman, and we become addicted to following her decline into depravity and unhinged behaviour.

Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin

Gretchen Felker-Martin is known for writing the most visceral, uncensored, and frankly depraved scenes of horror in the genre’s history. Her novel Cuckoo plays out like Stephen King’s IT meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers at a conversion camp for gay and trans kids in the ’90s. These kids have been abducted and driven out to the desert to learn “correct” values. There, they will come up against an eldritch horror that threatens their lives.

This group of kids features lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans boys and girls, and we gradually learn about their individual pasts, watch them bond together, and get some kind of idea about the monstrous thing that lives out in the desert, hunts them, and wears their skin. These kids are being hollowed-out, but they’re also resilient and tougher than they look. But the threat is monstrous and deadly.

Bunny by Mona Awad

Bunny is part of the popular dark academia genre, but it stands out by being a strange, satirical, and cynical novel about college life and the cliquey relationships between young women. This modern classic follows Samantha, a masters student of Creative Writing, and she’s the only girl on the course who isn’t part of an exclusionary in-group of vapid girls who all call each other Bunny.

Samantha is a punk outlier until she isn’t. She gets invited into the group via a letter to one of their parties. At this party, the Bunnies play with dark magic and sacrifice rabbits, which conjures up a hot but simple-headed guy who suddenly appears at their door. From here, Samantha falls into a world of off-kilter strangeness. Feverish and occult, it is an addictive tale of weird women being weird.

Must-Read Books Set in Los Angeles

Whether you’re a local, planning to visit LA, or enjoy a good book, these stories will immerse you in the City of Angels, taking you from the glittering lights of Hollywood to the gritty underbelly of its streets:

1. Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

Named the Best Book of the Year and Most-Anticipated Selection, Milk Fed is an erotic lesbian fiction book with a side of humor.

The story is about a woman living in LA in her twenties, exploring physical and emotional hunger. While Milk Fed is profoundly emotional, Broder adds her classic quirky, fun bits into the mix, too. 

Milk Fed is an excellent book for anyone interested in a relatable read that dives into food rituals, challenging parental relationships, and finding oneself.

Buy a copy of Milk Fed here

Read More: A Native Angeleno’s Guide to the Best 9 Bookstores in LA

2. White Oleander by Janet Fitch 

White Oleander is a must-read if you’re looking for one of the most enthralling yet devastating novels set in Los Angeles. 

This Oprah Book Club read tells the story of a young woman who lived in multiple Los Angeles foster homes. Many hard lessons in various homes with dangers and challenges take the woman on a surprising journey of self-discovery. Although White Oleander is a heavy read, it’s beautifully written and incredibly moving.

Buy a copy of White Oleander here

3. Pizza Girl by Jean Frazer

If you like to read books that are quick and easy but have a huge impact, Pizza Girl is an excellent option. Winner of the LAMBDA literary award, you can finish this book in one sitting while following the story of a pregnant teen working in suburban Los Angeles.

She faces many life struggles that only intensify when she becomes obsessed with a married customer. Pizza Girl is bold, darkly funny, and always unexpected.

Buy a copy of Pizza Girl here

4. Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Light From Uncommon Stars is a fan-favorite for those who love science fiction and fantasy novels.

This defiantly adventurous read is set east of LA in the San Gabriel Valley and tells the story of a young Transgender runaway on a mission. Along the way, they find community, love, and identity.

As you read along and join three women who become connected by music, chance, and fate, it’s nearly impossible not to feel captivated.

Buy a copy of Light From Uncommon Stars here

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5. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a New York Times Bestseller sapphic novel and a go-to beach read. 

It tells the story of an aging Hollywood movie icon who’s finally ready to tell the truth about her enchanting, scandalous life. And it turns out there might just be a reason she chooses a specific reporter to tell her story to.

This heartbreaking but captivating book is one that many readers find incredibly difficult to put down.

Buy The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo here

6. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

As a #1 National Bestseller, Daisy Jones & The Six is considered one of the best fiction books set in Los Angeles. It’s also been named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post and Esquire.

Daisy Jones & The Six explores the rise and fall of a fictional band in the late sixties, early seventies. The novel keeps you on the edge of your seat, waiting for what’s to come from start to finish.

Taylor Jenkens Reid is known for incredible work and certainly takes that to the next level with this book.

Buy Daisy Jones and The Six here

7. The Pisces by Melissa Broder

If you’re looking for a unique page-turner, The Pisces, Melissa Border’s first novel, is an exciting option.

When Lucy visits Venice Beach in Los Angeles for the summer to dog-sit, she winds up becoming fascinated by a swimmer who turns out to be a merman. Follow along as Lucy starts questioning everything she thought she knew about the meaning of life and love.

Buy a copy of The Pisces here

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8. Eve’s Hollywood by Eve Babitz

Eve’s Hollywood is a special nonfiction book about Los Angeles. This biography is a love letter to Los Angeles, written by the city’s most charming daughter, a journalist, party girl, artist, and so much more. Throughout the book, Eve shares pieces of LA’s stunning landscape and interesting accounts of rockstars sleeping at Chateau Marmont and a hooker at the corner of La Brea Ave and Sunset Blvd.

It’s easy to appreciate Eve’s witty commentary and her love affair with Los Angeles shown throughout Eve’s Hollywood.

Buy a copy of Eve’s Hollywood here

9. Death Is a Lonely Business by Ray Bradbury

If you enjoy reading mysteries, Death is a Lonely Business is one of the best ones set in LA. This stylish, somewhat fantastical tale takes place in Venice, California.

It covers a series of murders happening around a young writer who’s constantly distracted by strange events around him. Ray Bradbury is known as an unmatched storyteller, and Death is a Lonely Business doesn’t disappoint.

Buy Death Is a Lonely Business here

10. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

Another one of the best crime novels set in LA that’s a bit different is The Big Sleep. When a dying millionaire hires a private eye to handle his daughter’s blackmailer, he finds himself involved in more trouble than he could’ve imagined.

This fascinating read features the iconic character that inspired the film Marlowe with Liam Neeson.

Buy a copy of The Big Sleep

11. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

The Sympathizer has been recognized as one of the best novels set in Los Angeles and has received the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It was also named a New York Times Editor’s Choice. In fact, it’s won various awards, making this a unique debut novel.

Enjoy a story of love and betrayal narrated by a French-Vietnamese army captain who plans to come to the United States after the Fall of Saigon to build a new life in LA.

It’s easy to keep turning the pages of The Sympathizer as you follow along with the powerful story of friendship and love.

Buy a copy of The Sympathizer here

12. Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

Weetzie Bat is a wonderful, poetic work of magical realism and won a Phoenix Award from the Children’s Literature Association. It’s perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Laura Ruby.

This coming-of-age novel is widely recognized as a young adult literature classic and follows two best friends as they navigate life and love in a dreamy version of Los Angeles. 

Buy a copy of Weetzie Bat here

13. Ask the Dust by John Fante

One of the most popular novels set in Los Angeles is Ask the Dust, which takes place during the Great Depression era. This intriguing story shares the account of a young writer, Arturo Bandini, who falls in love with a waitress. Arturo’s hope for success and love doesn’t go as planned.

Follow along as he struggles with relationships, poverty, and his ability to translate these experiences into words.

Buy a copy of Ask the Dust here

We hope you enjoyed exploring this list of the best books set in Los Angeles and found one you’re excited to read! If you found this article helpful, please consider sharing.

With that in mind, here are a few films that actually improve on the books they’re based on. In one way or another, these movies actually surpass their original texts.

These films improved on the books

The ways in which these films improve on their source material differ from movie to movie. Some use unique filmmaking techniques—framing, lighting, costumes, camera work, music, sound design etc—to enhance the story’s themes. Others simply improve on how the characters and themes of the novel are presented through superior writing and dialogue.

Blade Runner

Directed by Ridley Scott, Blade Runner is based on the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by science fiction legend Philip K. Dick. The movie is a stunning work of filmmaking, with immaculate set design, costuming, sound design, and use of colour. But it also massively improves upon the original novel’s themes and characters.

The questions posed by Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? are intriguing and thought-provoking, but they are also paper-thin compared to how they are presented in Blade Runner. So much more space and depth is given to these questions. The movie is both more exciting than the book and, quite frankly, smarter.

The original sci-fi novel can be read as a first draft, with Blade Runner being the glorious final product. Dick himself didn’t live long enough to see the final film, but he did glimpse the process before his death and he was enormously impressed, feeling that his legacy was in safe hands.

Fight Club

David Fincher’s Fight Club is, first of all, one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted films of its time; often admired and revered by the very people (men) it is effortlessly critiquing and satirising. That aside, David Fincher’s 1999 film is far better than the novel it was based on, and the author agrees.

Chuck Palahniuk’s original novel is great, but its characters, events, and themes were elevated to perfection by Fincher. And I say this as a big Palahniuk fan (Haunted is a stunning and traumatising horror novel).

Stardust

Speaking personally for a moment, Neil Gaiman is one of the authors responsible for my career—first as an English teacher, and then as a writer, editor, and YouTuber. His books and comics have had such a profound effect on me, and there are few authors I admire more. That said, Stardust isn’t a very good book, and the film is immaculate.

The 2007 movie, with its outstanding cast, gorgeous set and costume design, and snappy and hilarious dialogue, is a real labour of love. It remains a cult classic of British filmmaking from Matthew Vaughn’s early years as a director. It took Gaiman’s very mid novel and added so much colour and pomp; the movie is fresh, dynamic, beautiful, and exciting.

In the weirdest way, the Stardust movie feels far more like a Neil Gaiman story than the author’s original novel does.

Sense and Sensibility

Directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee, with an Oscar-winning screenplay by Emma Thompson (who also stars in the movie), Sense and Sensibility improves on Jane Austen’s debut novel in every possible way. Austen is a legend of English literature, but her first book is by far her weakest, hugely outshone by Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion.

Through Thompson’s screenplay and Lee’s direction, so much more humour, love, and laughter is injected into Sense and Sensibility. And this is a curious thing, since humour and satire are what Austen would be primarily known for after the publication of Pride and Prejudice (her second novel).

Austen’s Sense and Sensibility very much feels like a debut novel; its characters lack dimension and her dialogue lacks the wit and bite she is revered for. But the movie has all of that and more. It enhances the novel and puts its story and characters on par with her other works.

Captain America: Civil War

Directed by the Russo Brothers, the third Captain America movie was adapted from Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s comic book of the same name, and the improvements made by the movie are enormous.

Mark Millar often has some fun and original ideas (Superman: Red Son and Kick-Ass are other good examples) but his writing is atrocious. He demonstrates little understanding of, or respect for, the characters he has been put in charge of, and his stories often aim to shock and anger his audience more than to achieve any real artistic goals.

That attitude is entirely missing from the Russo Brothers’ movie, which is an excellently written and balanced work of political and thriller fiction. Civil War is the kind of film that encourages conversation amongst fans; it is exciting, beautifully shot, well acted, and excellently written; taking a below average comic and making it into something special.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol remains a timeless classic of the English canon; a wonderfully imaginative and moralistic fable that lasts and lasts. But it doesn’t have muppets or a singing Michael Cain.

Conversely, the 1992 movie, directed by son of the legendary Jim Henson, Brian Henson, is positively chock full of muppets, and features a singing Michael Cain in the starring role of Ebenezer Scrooge. The film did the only two things that could improve upon Dickens’ masterpiece: add muppets and a singing Michael Cain.

Poor Things

Greek Director Yorgos Lanthimos is a colossal talent. His strange and surreal movies have won awards across the board, and deservedly so. If anyone could adapt cherished Scottish author Alasdair Gray’s seminal novel, Poor Things, and do it justice, it would be Lanthimos. And so he did. In fact, in many ways, Lanthimos improved upon Gray’s astonishing novel.

Poor Things is a fantastic work of fiction; often tongue-in-cheek, it nevertheless explores themes of feminism and socialism in wildly original ways. But, using his talents as an imaginative and original filmmaker, Yorgos Lanthimos enhanced these themes, embedding them into the events, dialogue, and even the visual and audio designs of the film.

The Handmaiden

A popular opinion when it comes to musicians covering the work of other artists is that, if you’re going to do it, make it different. Switch the genre and the style; make it your own. Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden is an excellent cinematic example of this philosophy: an entirely original and uniquely Korean adaptation of an outstanding British novel.

Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden is a screen adaptation of Sarah Waters’ most celebrated novel, Fingersmith; an historical gothic novel of sapphic love, betrayal, and myriad twists and turns.

So much of what makes Fingersmith great is retained by The Handmaiden, but it is also very much a film about Korean history and culture. It is unmistakably a Park Chan-wook movie, and that comes with astonishing performances, beautiful audio-visual design, and an immaculate tone that is hard to match for any filmmaker.

The Woman in Black

This one is a slight cheat, but bear with me. Susan Hill’s gothic horror novel is a modern classic, and the movie adaptation is a masterpiece of tone and atmosphere. But neither holds a candle to the stage adaptation of The Woman in Black. That play is a flawless work of art.

Inspired by Hill’s novel, the stage play of The Woman in Black utilises the unique elements of live theatre to create a layered, metafictional work of terror. Fans of the original novel and the film adaptation still haven’t seen the best that this story can be until they’ve seen the play.

Romeo + Juliet

William Shakespeare is well established as the greatest wordsmith and storyteller in the history of English literature; an unmatched playwright and poet whose works will never be dethroned. And many great film adaptations of his works have come and gone, but none have stood up to the mastery of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet.

Set in ‘90s California, the film retains Shakespeare’s original script and delivers it with so much camp and melodrama. The pacing, tone, costumes, editing, casting, and line delivery—all of it is perfect. This is a film that respects Shakespeare’s legacy and does something wholly brilliant and memorable with it. A stunning piece of cinema.

Seen the films? Now read the books!

Here, we’ll cover the books that you may or may not know exist, and which you absolutely must read, as well as the ones you probably know about but never read because their film adaptations are such beloved classics (but you should still read the novels).

Read More: How to Read More Books (And Faster)

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

This one has a weird and interesting history. Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci-fi movie 2001: A Space Odyssey is a boundary-pushing classic of the genre, and many don’t know that there is also a novel by science fiction storyteller Arthur C. Clarke.

What’s interesting about it, however, is that the movie technically came first. Kubrick had the initial idea, and asked Clarke to work with him on the screenplay, which he did. But Clarke also wanted to turn the screenplay into a novel, which he did, and it was published the same year.

Clarke’s novel is an outstanding work of fiction which arguably improves upon the movie. The film omits so much exposition, opting for minimal dialogue and a lot of vagueness in its storytelling, but the novel clarifies so much of the film’s strangeness without being dull or patronising. It is a must-read for fans of the movie.

Buy a copy of 2001 here!

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Everyone and their mum knows that Peter Jackson’s beloved The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy was adapted from Tolkien’s original book(s). The Lord of the Rings was, after all, the first true work of fantasy fiction. But so many of us never get around to reading the books because of their length, their density, their age, or some other excuse.

While the films are undeniable masterpieces of cinema, the same is true for Tolkien’s novel. All by himself, this one man created an expansive mythology that rivals those of Greece and Scandinavia. Within that mythology, he told an epic tale of adventure, war, love, and magic. If you’ve always felt daunted by The Lord of the Rings, take the plunge. It’s worth it.

Buy a copy of The Lord of the Rings here!

Poor Things by Alasdair Gray

Yanis Varoufakis’ Poor Things is his finest work as a filmmaker. The Greek director has made many incredible movies, but Poor Things is his masterpiece. But Poor Things was based on the novel of the same name by 20th century Scottish author Alasdair Gray.

Gray was widely considered to be the greatest Scottish writer of his time, and Poor Things is, on the surface, a blend of Frankenstein, Lolita, and Flowers for Algernon. But it is also a wildly clever, satirical, and strange novel embedded with intense and important themes of socialism and feminism.

Framed as a true story, uncovered and republished a century after its events by Gray himself, Poor Things shifts its perspective and its form, moving from prose to epistolary letters, finally ending with a long letter from Bella herself, telling her version of events. Fans of Varoufakis’ phenomenal film have to read Gray’s original novel; it is a masterpiece of Scottish fiction.

Buy a copy of Poor Things here!

Dune by Frank Herbert

As is the case with The Lord of the Rings, the vast majority of Dune fans know that Denis Villeneuve’s epic masterpiece is based on a space opera by American author Frank Herbert (and that there was also a 1984 film directed by David Lynch). But Dune is another hefty, intimidating novel that many never find the courage to dive into.

Doing so is incredibly rewarding, however, in part because Herbert wrote two sequels which vary wildly in tone, but mostly because this was a sci-fi novel that altered the landscape and the trajectory of the genre. Science fiction was never the same after the publication of Dune, and reading it makes apparent why that is the case.

Buy a copy of Dune here!

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

One of Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki’s greatest achievements was his 2004 animated film Howl’s Moving Castle, a favourite among many Studio Ghibli fans. And whether you know that it was based on a children’s novel by Welsh author Diana Wynn Jones or not, this is another book that deserves to be read by fantasy fans of all ages.

While the movie remains a perfect adaptation, there are important and interesting differences between it and its source material. Jones also deserves far more love and attention than she gets; her Chrestomanci series is widely and criminally overlooked as an influential piece of children’s fantasy fiction.

Buy a copy of Howl’s Moving Castle here!

I Am Legend by Richard Mattheson

The 2007 I Am Legend movie isn’t very good. This is not a hot take; a lot of people feel this way. However, what is an enormous shame is that the movie is based on a phenomenal horror novel by Richard Mattheson, and too many people don’t know that or ignore it.

Mattheson’s novel is very different from director Francis Lawrence’s film, and far smarter as well. It is set in a version of the modern day where almost all of the human race has succumbed to a vampire virus. We follow a man who assumes he is the only human left. He hides away in his home and defends it from the vampire scourge.

But society is shifting, changing, and adapting. He is the outlier; he is the dangerous one; he is legend. It’s a wonderfully imaginative, intense, and frightening novel that puts the film to shame.

Buy a copy of I Am Legend here!

Misery by Stephen King

Misery is an excellent horror movie, for which Cathy Bates won an Oscar, and it came hot off the heels of Stephen King’s original novel, which was published only three years earlier. Fans of the movie often ignore the book because the film is such an excellent adaptation. We’re all guilty of doing this, but King’s original novel should not be so readily ignored.

While Rob Reiner’s 1990 film is one of the best adaptations of King’s fiction, the original novel is still its own kind of excellent. Unlike the film, the book manages to double its sense of isolation by locking the reader in the mind of its protagonist. He is unlikeable and difficult, and that makes the tension even more palpable.

This is one of those rare instances where it’s hard to choose a favourite between the original novel and the film adaptation; both are truly excellent realisations of King’s vision, and both should be enjoyed by horror fans everywhere.

Buy a copy of Misery here!

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

It’s not a bold claim to say that Douglas Adams’ sci-fi comedy masterpiece is better than its very mid 2005 movie adaptation, directed by Garth Jennings. One thing the film really has going for it is its cast. Sam Rockwell as Zaphod Beeblebrox and Alan Rickman as Marvin were especially inspired and flawless casting choices.

Beyond the casting, however, the movie really is nothing special and not a patch on the original novel. Adams’ original Hitchhiker’s Guide remains a timeless and flawless work of satirical sci-fi. It’s also the first book in a five-part “trilogy”, all of which are excellent.

Buy a copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy here!

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

No Country for Old Men, like Misery, is another great example of a fantastic film adapted from a fantastic novel. Directed by the Coen Brothers, with a screenplay that they adapted from McCarthy’s novel, No Country for Old Men is a really amazing movie. Its direction, tone, style, and performances are all top-tier.

It is a well-loved and admired movie, and the same can be said for Cormac McCarthy’s original novel. While his novel The Road is incomparably better than its average movie adaptation, No Country for Old Men is a far closer call. Both the book and the film are perfect works of fiction. And if you’ve only ever seen the movie, you owe it to yourself to read the book, too.

Buy a copy of No Country for Old Men here!

Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

Better known as The Golden Compass in the US, Philip Pullman’s inspiring and illuminating YA novel has been adapted twice: first into a very average 2007 movie which wrung out all the thematic depth and nuance from Pullman’s novel (though it is a well-cast and beautiful film), and then into a very good BBC series which adapted the full trilogy of novels.

That trilogy is called His Dark Materials, and its first book Northern Lights is an ambitious and, some might argue, radical work of young adult urban fantasy fiction. Radical because Northern Lights is a humanist novel which criticises the Church and organised religion through its themes and events, all of which were ignored by the movie.

Pullman popularised the YA genre of fantasy fiction; and his world and characters have had a transformative and lasting effect on generations of young people, just as the works of Tolkien and Lewis did before him. These are must-read books that their movie adaptation failed to do any justice to at all.

Buy a copy of His Dark Materials here!

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

Alex Garland’s 2018 movie adaptation of Annihilation, starring an excellent Natalie Portman, is really great. And Garland himself is also a novelist; his book The Beach was adapted to film by Danny Boyle long before Garland himself ever took a shot at direction. All of that said, Jeff Vandermeer’s original novel is a wildly original sci-fi novel that should be read.

Annihilation is the first book in the Southern Reach trilogy, and while Garland’s movie is great, it makes some considerable alterations which justify a read of the novels for any moviegoer who enjoyed the film adaptation. This is a strange, unique, and thought-provoking novel that has to be read to be believed.

Buy a copy of Annihilation here!

What is romantasy genre vs. fantasy with romance?

The difference between romantasy (or romantic fantasy) and fantasy with romance comes down to how prevalent the romance in the story actually is. Romantasy books have fantastical plots enriched with a heavy dose of romance, while fantasy with romantic elements uses that romance as a subplot to spice up the plot and characters.

For example, if a fantasy book’s primary storyline and characters are based on those characters’ romance, it’s a romantasy novel. If a fantasy book’s plot isn’t entirely about a love story — but rather about war, politics, and adventure, it’s a fantasy with a romantic subplot.

Must-Read Romantic Fantasy Books

From a fantasy romance reminiscent of The Hunger Games to award-winning modern novels, there’s something from the romantasy genre for almost any kind of reader here. These books are nearly impossible to put down, and many are debuts of a compelling series that you’ll want to dive straight into and never surface.

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

Despite the staggering popularity of Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses, Thea Guanzon’s The Hurricane Wars is the absolute peak of the romantic fantasy genre. This is a deeply moving, empathetic, textured, and thought-provoking tale of war and political intrigue, bolstered by an exciting and dynamic magic system. And on top of all of that, we have an addictive pair of protagonists caught in an exciting enemies-to-lovers affair.

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What makes this novel stand out so much is its dedication to good fantasy world building, as well as its unique approach to romance in a war-torn world. So many romantasy books are simply shallow works of toxic romance with a veneer of fantasy. The Hurricane Wars is an intriguing and thought-provoking fantasy novel that encourages readers to consider the roles which narratives, perspectives, and propaganda play during war.

Our protagonists are a young orphaned soldier fighting to defend her home—a union of nations being invaded by a rising empire—and the son of the invading empire’s leader. Both believe their causes to be just, both are filled with righteous rage, and both also happen to be brilliantly sardonic people who provide wit and comic relief when it’s needed. There is nothing this novel doesn’t deliver.

Buy a copy of The Hurricane Wars here!

The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

The Serpent and the Wings of Night is one of the very best books in the romantasy genre for one specific reason: it commits. Many authors who write within the genre (and they know who they are) use fantasy as flimsy set dressing for weird romantic encounters between meek young women and cruel older men. This one works brilliantly because Carissa Broadbent presents us with a dark world of backstabbing, bloodthirsty vampire hunters.

And the worldbuilding really is solid. Oraya is a young human whose adoptive father Vincent, king of the Hiaj vampires, saved her from a town that he himself had raided in order to quell a rebellion started by an enemy vampire clan. Since then, she has lived with him and spent her nights sneaking out to defend the underclass humans of their city from the predatory vampires who corner and kill them.

Oraya has chosen to enter a Hunger Games-style contest (as its only human competitor) in order to be granted a wish by Nyaxia, the vampire goddess. While risking her life in these trials, she teams up with a Turned vampire named Raihn, and thus begins a slow-burn romance in the most unlikely of places: a life-or-death contest of strength and skill.

Buy a copy of The Serpent and the Wings of Night here!

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi

What do you get if you take the ACOTAR formula of romantasy fiction, inject it into a world that actually feels tangible and three-dimensional, populate that world with people who are more well-defined, and make it gay? You get Faebound, a fantastic example of how to do spicy fairy romantasy well!

Of course, making something gay does instantly make it better, but Faebound is more than that. It begins with a myth about the three races which once populated the world: elves, fae, and humans. Only the elves remain now, divided into tribes which have committed to an endless war for precious resources. Our protagonist is an elf commander who makes one bad decision on the battlefield and is banished to the wilds beyond their borders.

With her sister Lettle and fellow soldier Rayan in tow, Yeeran soon stumbles into the hidden world of the fae; a world that also acts as their prison. There, she will be put on trial for a murder she doesn’t know that she committed. A dark and queer romance will steadily blossom as secrets are uncovered and the world becomes an even stranger place.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

If you’re looking for spicy romantic books, the BookTok sensation Fourth Wing is a must-read. This award-winning book was almost impossible to get hold of when it first came out and ticked all the boxes for a suspenseful, sexy, and adventurous romantasy novel.

Fourth Wing tells the story of Violet Sorrengail, who was meant to enter the Scribe Quadrant for a quiet life of books and history. Instead, her mom—the ruthless head of the military academy—ordered her to join the dragon riding division as a recruit; a fate which might prove fatal to this meek but savvy young woman.

Violet, a person much smaller than the others she has been lumped with, is up against dragons, and her chances of surviving too long are slim. With every new sunrise, Violet must face friends, enemies, and lovers while doing whatever she can to prevail. If you enjoy it, then the next installment, Iron Flame, is already out and ready to read.

Buy a copy of Fourth Wing here!

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrou

From Blood and Ash is one of the spiciest reads of the romantasy genre. It’s filled with action, sexy, and nearly impossible to put down. Poppy was born into a life barely her own. As the Maiden, she couldn’t be touched, looked at, or spoken to. She couldn’t experience pleasure and spent her days with a duty to usher in a new era.

As a maiden with a heart, soul, and longing, her duty becomes tangled with her desires and needs when a guard, Hawke, enters the picture to ensure her Ascension. Hawke provokes her anger, makes her question everything, and seduces her with the forbidden.

Discover what happens when Poppy’s life starts unraveling as she faces the possibility of losing her heart and being considered unworthy by the gods.

Buy a copy of From Blood and Ash here!

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

Experience a magical world with A River Enchanted, a Scottish-inspired fantasy novel that showcases enemies-to-lovers romance, magic, and a thrilling mystery. A River Enchanted starts with a letter and journey across dark waters. Jack Tamerlaine is sent home to Cadence after ten years on the mainland to help find missing people from the island.

Jack must work with his childhood nemesis, Adaira, to solve the missing person mysteries. Eventually, they find a dark secret about Cadence that might be unstoppable.

Buy a copy of A River Enchanted here!

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Mass

A Court of Thorns and Roses (the first book in the series) is seductive and filled with exciting action.  Feyre, a young adult, kills a wolf in the woods when a horrifying creature comes for revenge. When Feyre is taken to a precarious magical land beyond the border on which her home sits, she learns that the creature, Tamlin, isn’t a beast but really one of the immortal Fae that onced ruled her world. 

As Feyre starts feeling more at home in her new land, her hostility towards Tamlin grows into a fiery passion. As she fights this passion, she must figure out what’s wrong with this dangerous world—what strange disease plagues it—and how to stop it.

Buy a copy of A Court of Thorns and Roses here!

Quicksilver by Callie Hart

What begins as a gritty fantasy tale in a desert city defined by class struggle and roguish characters pulling daring deeds soon shifts into a romantasy tale with all the tropes for which the genre has become known (for better or worse). Protagonist Saeris is a young woman from a poor district who risks her safety to steal from the rich and keep her brother safe. Soon enough, she is brought before the city’s immortal queen.

While engaging in a struggle with the queen’s guard, Saeris grabs for a strange sword, which summons a dark and brooding stranger to appear and whisk her away to the mysterious land of the fae. Once there, she must come to grips with this unusual new world and its magical denizens, learn about her own alchemical powers, and tame her feelings for the dangerous stranger who stole her away and abuses her relentlessly. Romantasy at its finest.

When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker

Narrated with a deep flair for the dramatic, When the Moon Hatched is the tale of Raeve, an assassin and member of a rebellion known as Fíur du Ath. Too soon, however, she is captured and held at the mercy of the Guild of Nobles. Her romantic interest, Kaan Vaegor, is a kingslayer who ventures into the prison of the city of Gore, and there he finds our assassin, rage spilling out of her like a flood.

All of this takes place in a richly detailed world, the origins of which are told to us in a vibrant prologue that teaches readers about the gods and dragons they will become familiar with as the story progresses. This is a tale of rage, retribution, love, and yearning, presented through electric and impassioned prose.

Sun Serpent by Geneva Monroe

The first book in a romantic fantasy series, Sun Serpent is the story of a cursed kingdom, a Fire Singer looking for revenge, and a prince who isn’t what he seems.

Elyria Solaris dances with fire and disguises her skills as showmanship, and she craves answers about why she has a power no one else does. Prince Cal is looking for the girl who burns the brightest, and only Elyria can stop the horror his kingdom is facing. 

When Cal shows up in Elyria’s life, she’s on a path of vengeance over a loved one’s death. He’ll do anything to protect his people, including giving Elyria the answers she wants and lying to her about who he is. But what happens if Elyria trusts their undeniable spark? Will it be the one fire she can’t tame?  

Buy a copy of Sun Serpent by Geneva Monroe here!

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

Leigh Bardugo is a powerhouse writer when it comes to twisting the fantasy genre and pushing it in new directions. She wrote a thrilling heist novel in a fantasy world, then injected the dark academia genre with sinister magic. And here, with The Familiar, she has blended historical fiction with romantasy.

Our protagonist is Luzia, a scullery servant working in a Madrid household that sits in the dregs of high society. Luiza and her aunt keep their Jewish identities a secret from the watchful eye of the Spanish Inquisition, but Luzia has another secret: a magic which she is able to manipulate, and which the wife of this household will soon discover and use to worm her way into the upper echelons of bourgeois Spanish society.

Once thrust into this high society world, Luzia will be used as a tool but will also have the opportunity to prove herself. And along the way, she will fall in forbidden love with a dark and immortal man with powers of his own. Danger surrounds her, and even simply surviving will prove a challenge for our young heroine.

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

A Marvellous Light, the first book of a three-book series, won the 2022 Romantic Novel Award in Fantasy. This spicy romantasy tells the story of Robin Blythe, who must contend with magic’s danger and beauty, a deadly curse, and the terrifying visions of the future.

As Robin learns about unsettling truths, he faces unexpected dangers with his unfriendly counterpart in the magical bureaucracy, Edwin Courcey. Robin and Edwin go on a journey to discover a conspiracy that threatens every magician in the British Isles and the secret someone has already died to keep.

Buy a copy of A Marvellous Light here!

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

Follow the dark, gothic romantic fantasy of Elspeth Spindle in One Dark Window. Elspeth doesn’t need luck to stay safe in her home, an eerie, mist-locked kingdom. She needs a monster.

When she meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, who turns out to be the King’s nephew, her life drastically changes. She becomes part of a world of shadow and deception and joins a dangerous pursuit to cure the dark magic infecting the kingdom. 

Elspeth and the King’s nephew, Captain of the Destriers, have until Solstice to collect the keys to the cure, twelve Providence Cards. The problem? As her attraction to the Captain and the stakes intensify, she must face her darkest secret.

Buy a copy of One Dark Window here!

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince is a romantic fantasy story of Jude, who was a child when her parents were killed, and she and her sisters were abducted to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie.

When Jude becomes a teenager, she wants nothing more than to belong there despite her mortality. But the fey detests humans, especially the king’s son, Prince Cardan. To be welcome at the Court, Jude must rebel against Cardan and face the consequences.

Buy a copy of The Cruel Prince here!

A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey

Set in London during the 19th century, A Market of Dreams and Destiny takes place just below Covent Garden, where everything has a price.  When Deri was a child, he was sold to a power merchant. Now, years later, Deri falls into the path of a runaway princess and has a chance to buy his freedom and a place with the Market’s elite.

As news of the missing princess spreads, Deri meets Owain, who becomes the love of his life. Owain’s employers are using the Market for their own schemes, and Deri is faced with the high price of selling the royal destiny, making a name for himself, and saving Owain. 

Buy a copy of A Market of Dreams and Destiny here!

The Book of Azreal (Gods & Monsters) by Amber Nicole

The Book of Azreal (Gods & Monsters) is a dark story of enemies to lovers. When Dianna gave up her life in the deserts of Eoria to save her dying sister, she called on anyone who would listen. What Dianna didn’t expect was a monster to answer.

Once Samkiel, now Liam, one name remains. He’s the World Ender, a myth to his enemies and a saviour and King to those who are loyal. After the Gods War, the World Ender hid from the world. Now he’s back and must face an old enemy and even put their differences aside to work together to save their world.

Buy a copy of The Book of Azreal here!

If you’re also looking to diversify your bookshelf this year, or if you’re interested in discovering more works by Filipino women writers, here’s a list of my current must-reads — from poetry to cozy mystery and historical fiction — to help you get started!

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

This cozy mystery has everything you need: a hilarious protagonist, a surprise murder, and lots of delicious food. But instead of an idyllic manor house or a charming British village as its setting, you’ll find 25-year-old Lila Macapagal trying to solve a murder that takes place in a Filipino restaurant.

After a horrible breakup, Lila moves back to her quaint hometown of Shady Palms, Illinois, for some peace and quiet. But when her ex-boyfriend suddenly drops dead in her aunt’s restaurant — after having eaten a dish Lila cooked — the Macapagal family needs to work together to prove her innocence.

Buy a copy of Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe

For all the historical fiction and magical realism lovers out there, this book’s for you. Holthe’s debut novel follows a Filipino family as they struggle to stay alive during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II.

Finding refuge in the cellar of a house a short distance away from Manila, they pass the time telling magical stories based on Filipino legends and myths. As they wait for Japan to finally surrender to the United States, they slowly build up hope through their stories and become determined to fight for their freedom.

If you need any more reason to check this book out, here’s a fun fact: the stories that the characters share with each other in the cellar are based on stories that Holthe was told by her own Filipino father and grandmother.

Buy a copy of When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe

Chloe and the Kaishao Boys by Mae Coyiuto

If you’re a fan of rom-coms and young adult novels, look no further! Coyiuto’s newest novel follows Chloe Liang, a Chinese Filipino teenager living in Manila, who dreams of studying at the University of Southern California and becoming an animator.

The main issue in her life? Her father wants her to study somewhere closer to home, so he sets her up on a series of arranged dates in the hopes that she’ll change her mind. Will Chloe end up studying abroad, or will she meet someone who just might convince her to stay? You’ll have to read to find out!

Buy a copy of Chloe and the Kaishao Boys by Mae Coyiuto

In the Country by Mia Alvar

In the mood for something shorter? This short story collection features nine globe-trotting tales about Filipinos all around the world, from the Philippines and the United States to the Middle East.

Alvar explores the lives of different Filipinos living at home and abroad in stories such as “The Kontrabida,” which centers around a pharmacist-turned-drug smuggler living in New York, and “The Miracle Worker,” which tells the story of a Filipino teacher hired by a wealthy Bahraini woman to teach her disabled daughter.

Buy a copy of In the Country

The Farm by Joanne Ramos

If The Handmaid’s Tale is one of your favorite books, The Farm might just be right up your alley too. Ramos’ bestselling novel is set in Golden Oaks, a fictional facility in the Hudson Valley akin to a luxurious retreat — you’ve got free daily massages, delicious food, access to private fitness trainers, and more. However, anyone who wants access to these amenities has to give up something valuable: their freedom.

The Farm is a dystopian novel told through multiple perspectives and details the experiences that women at Golden Oaks endure to produce babies for their rich clients. During every nine-month stay, these women become “hosts” and cannot leave the facility. But what happens when certain truths about Golden Oaks are slowly revealed and paradise turns into a nightmare?

Buy a copy of The Farm by Joanne Ramos

I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir by Malaka Gharib

In this moving coming-of-age story filled with colorful illustrations, Gharib sheds light on her experiences growing up in the United States as the daughter of a Filipino mother and Egyptian father.

Throughout her childhood, she grapples with fitting in with her fellow American peers and learning about the differences between the cultures and traditions of both sides of her large family. If you’ve ever questioned your identity and culture during your adolescence, this book might just speak to you.

Buy a copy of I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir

Letters to a Young Brown Girl by Barbara Jane Reyes

If poetry’s more your thing, or if you’ve made it a goal to read more poetry this year, give this book a try. Reyes’ sixth collection of poems explore themes such as self-love and power through the voice of the Brown Girl, who is fed up with being called foreign and unwanted.

Reyes, who was born in Manila and raised in California, addresses the struggles that many Filipino Americans and immigrant women of color face on an everyday basis in relation to ethnicity, race, nationality, gender, and religion.

Buy a copy of Letters to a Young Brown Girl

About the author: Isabella Peralta is a writer with Reedsy a marketplace, and blog that helps authors with everything from finding helpful writing templates to hiring a ghostwriter and more.

The Best Modern Mystery Novels

From Argentina to Japan, here are some of the finest mystery novels that are revitalizing the genre right now, all of which deserve your attention. Get ready to scratch your head and remark on the ways in which these mystery writers are blending genres and casting aside the rulebook to achieve great things. Let’s dive in.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Few modern mystery novels lean as hard on the definition of “mystery” as The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle does. There are countless mystery novels that present an answer that reveals a dozen new questions, but this puzzle box of a novel actually pays all of that off with aplomb.

We begin halfway through a word that has just left the mouth of our nameless, amnesia-stricken protagonist. It is as though he has just woken up in his own body. He is in a forest, shouting a name he doesn’t know, and he is alone. He walks and eventually arrives at a manor house. The people there tell him he is their friend and that he is a doctor.

The next morning, he wakes up as a different person in the house, and it is then that he learns that he will continue to flit from body to body for eight days, tasked with solving and preventing the death of the titular Evelyn Hardcastle.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a dizzying novel, masterfully crafted and thrilling at every turn. Stuart Turton showed absurd and admirable confidence in writing such a mystery masterpiece as his debut novel. Incredible work.

Buy a copy here!

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

One of the novels that stands at the summit of the dark academia genre, If We Were Villains is also an excellently crafted murder mystery story. What sets this apart from other mystery novels is the fact that its mystery sits quietly at the back of the room. You can’t forget about it but are encouraged not to look at it.

We begin with a man named Oliver, who has just been released from prison for a murder he didn’t commit. We then flashback to the year of that fateful murder. Our cast is a group of college students, all studying theatre at a specialist arts academy. They live in the minds and works of Shakespeare, and one of them will soon die.

We don’t know who the victim will be until it happens, and we know that Oliver didn’t do it. The drama of this dark academia novel is at its forefront, with the murder mystery sitting like a ghost offstage. The blend of these two genres is what makes If We Were Villains one of the great modern mystery novels.

Buy a copy of If We Were Villains here!

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

Forget your typical whodunnit. Turton’s newest novel throws you headfirst into a genre-bending whirlwind of dystopian sci-fi, pulse-pounding thriller, and classic murder mystery, all set against the idyllic backdrop of a seemingly perfect island untouched by the world’s deadly fog.

With multiple POVs and the omnipresent AI Abi whispering in everyone’s ear, the narrative unfolds like a puzzle box slowly clicking into place with Emory, a would-be detective, at the heart of it.

This is no ordinary murder mystery. The memory-wiping security system adds a mind-bending twist, forcing suspects to grapple with the possibility of being a killer without any recollection of the act. It’s a constant dance of uncovering and rediscovering, keeping you guessing at every turn. Each revelation feels like a victory, propelling you further into the heart of the island’s secrets.

If you’re looking for a book that will bend your brain and keep you guessing until the last page The Last Murder at the End of the World is it.

Buy a copy of The Last Murder at the End of the World

Helle & Death by Oskar Jensen

Helle & Death is a loud and proud homage to the golden age of crime fiction; a rekindling of the cosy vibes and puzzle-box structure that made Agatha Christie a cherished household name. Jensen’s novel follows a group of eight friends in their early thirties who all studied at Oxford together ten years ago. One of those friends made his fortune straight out of uni by developing an app. He has now sold it and lives a reclusive life in a large country manor.

Out of the blue, Dodd has invited the other seven to visit his home for a reunion dinner, and we primarily follow Danish art historian Torben Helle as he and the rest spend an evening catching up, dining, and then being hit by the bombshell that Dodd is dying, and in his will he has left each of them £50,000. A large sum to many, and a pittance to others. The group drown their sorrows, and in the morning Dodd is found dead in his bed.

From here, the game is afoot. Made to look like suicide, it surely couldn’t have been. Right? Helle puts on his sleuthing hat and starts asking questions, piecing together motives and means. Whodunnit? You’ll have to read on to find out. It’s a doozy of a tale that echoes the best Christie stories, and cements Jensen as a stellar writer of the modern mystery novel.

Buy a copy of Helle & Death here!

The Three Dahlias by Katy Watson

Katy Watson’s The Three Dahlias is a love letter to the golden age of crime fiction, led by the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie. It’s a murder-mystery story about murder-mystery stories. Our protagonists are three actresses from three generations who have all played (or are about to play) the role of an iconic detective.

Created by the author Lettice Davenport — Princess of Poison — Dahlia Lively was a Miss Marple-esque sleuth who featured in many of Davenport’s novels and was brought to life via TV and Film. To celebrate those adaptations, a celebration is being held at the stately home of the late Lettice Davenport. There, our three Dahlias will be brought together by blackmail, then by theft, and at last by murder.

This stately home inspired Davenport’s writing; most of her mystery stories were based on her own home, and now someone is using her works to inspire their own very real murders, and our three actresses must summon their inner Dahlias to solve this crime, all while fearing exposure by whomever is blackmailing them.

The Three Dahlias pays homage to the traditions of the murder mystery while also leaning into the genre’s tropes in order to break its rules and take the reader on a fresh, original journey.

Buy a copy of The Three Dahlias here!

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

This genre-blending gothic horror mystery thriller wasn’t Catriona Ward’s debut, but it was the novel that broke her into the mainstream and landed her on every reader’s lips. The Last House on Needless Street is a rare book that pushes the world of mystery novels forward, mixing terror and strangeness into its formula to create an unforgettable experience.

Our main protagonist is a man in his thirties named Ted. More than a decade ago, he was the prime suspect in the disappearance/murder of a girl at a nearby lakeside. Now, Ted lives a secluded life with his cat and his daughter. We sometimes see things from the cat’s perspective, and the daughter is not always there.

Assumptions can very quickly be made, but they are all so telegraphed, so predictable, that they can’t be true. This is a novel that wrongfoots the reader constantly and has fun doing so. The gothic and horror themes and tropes that have been mixed in make for an atmosphere that you feel as though you’re drowning in. The Last House on Needless Street set Catriona Ward up as the new queen of mystery novels.

Buy a copy here!

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

With The Last House on Needless Street, Catriona Ward turned the genres of mystery, thriller, horror, and gothic into Lego bricks to play with in new and experimental ways. With Looking Glass Sound, she takes that approach several steps further, writing a book within a book that examines the very concepts of fact and fiction, of memoir and narrative, of lives and lies.

Our protagonist, Wilder, first provides us with a memoir about two teenage summers spent on the coast of Maine, about the two friends he made there, and about the dangerous Dagger Man haunting the town. This doesn’t last long, however; soon, we move with Wilder to college in Pennsylvania and the strange roommate who calls himself Sky.

We watch Sky steal Wilder’s memoir and publish it as his own novel, propelling him into fame and leaving Wilder alone with nothing. Now, Wilder is an aging man going blind who has returned to coastal Maine with the aim of setting the record straight, of writing his memoir at last, and of exposing the now-dead Sky as the thief he was.

Looking Glass Sound is a dizzying modern thriller that examines the genre and its implications for readers, writers, and storytellers.

Buy a copy of Looking Glass Sound here!

Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy

Scorched Grace is a very different kind of mystery novel. Not so much because it breaks convention in a genre sense, but certainly in a tonal one, and in terms of what we expect from a mystery novel protagonist. Sister Holiday was a punk kid; a young lesbian from Brooklyn, covered in tattoos, playing in a band, doing drugs, and tangling with her parents.

She’s also a devout Catholic. After escaping to New Orleans, she was taken in by the progressive nuns of Saint Sebastian’s School, where she has worked as a teacher ever since. A tattooed, chain-smoking, filthy-mouthed nun isn’t your typical sleuth.

The mystery she becomes tangled up in is a series of arson attacks targeted at her school — arson attacks which also lead to the deaths of people she knows and cares about. When the police prove all but useless, Sister Holiday takes things into her own hands, especially when she feels prying eyes on her, and all signs point to her being set up for the crime.

Set against the backdrop of a scorching, sweltering, oppressive summer heat, with a supporting cast of angry nuns, punk teenagers, and unreliable cops, this is one of the most unique and compelling mystery novels in a long time.

Buy a copy of Scorched Grace here!

The Readers’ Room by Antoine Laurain

Translated from the French by Jane Aitken

The Readers’ Room is a delightful French murder mystery novel, very much in the vein of Agatha Christie and her compatriots. This is a bright yet twisted mystery that grows and tangles as it goes.

The Readers’ Room is set in a Paris publishing house. The head of the publishing house has been sent a manuscript that she sees as something truly unique and special. It’s fresh, daring, and exciting, and she has big plans for it. Meanwhile, the novel also remarks on the mechanics of publishing houses in a very intimate and satisfying way.

That new novel is published, but the identity of the author remains a mystery. When it is nominated for a prize, the prize can only be given if the identity of the author is revealed. Our publishing director is now caught up in the investigation of real-world murders tied to the events within this strange new mystery novel.

The cozy, warming note of The Readers’ Room is so at odds with its content, and that’s often the pleasant paradox of so many beloved murder mystery novels.

Buy a copy of The Readers’ Room here!

The Tattoo Murder by Akimitsu Takagi

Translated from the Japanese by Deborah Boehm

The honkaku genre of Japanese murder mysteries is a broad and beloved thing. Many talented authors have added small masterpieces to this genre over the past century. The genre has a legacy so grand that it is difficult to pick one that stands above the rest, but what makes 1948’s The Tattoo Murder unique is its dedication to character drama.

Translated by Deborah Boehm, The Tattoo Murder was honkaku author Akimitsu Takagi’s debut mystery novel. Set in the aftermath of World War II, after the fall of the Japanese Empire, The Tattoo Murder is a locked-room murder mystery novel that satisfies as much as it surprises.

Our protagonist is a medical student who becomes enamoured with a young woman: the heavily tattooed daughter of a late legend of the Japanese tattooing world. She tells him that her brother and sister were both lost to the war, and that she believes she herself is not long for this world.

Her prediction proves true when she is found dead in her own home’s locked bathroom, the water still running. Her torso, the canvas for her stunning tattoo art, is missing. This is a classic Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery but with added emphasis on blood, gore, and character drama.

Buy a copy here!

How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

Here is one of those modern mystery novels that had every kind of reader sitting up and paying attention, likely in part because of its delightfully cheeky title. Reminiscent of Emerald Fennell’s daring 2020 film Promising Young Woman, How to Kill Your Family is an angry mystery novel about class disparity, selfishness, and cruelty.

Our protagonist is a young woman who was raised by a poor, single French woman in London. Grace’s mother was knocked up by a philandering playboy billionaire who cast her aside and refused to even look in her or their daughter’s direction.

After the death of her mother, Grace decides to head out on a killing spree, murdering the members of her father’s rich family one by one, and we get to sit back and watch.

The mystery is revealed in the prologue, however. The novel’s framing device: Grace is in prison, writing her memoir. Here, she tells us that she actually got away with all of these murders, and was locked up for the only murder she didn’t commit. There’s our hook; there’s our mystery.

This is a wonderfully funny, grim, and satisfying book that stands out amongst other great modern mystery novels.

Buy a copy here!

The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

Translated from the Japanese by Ho-Ling Wong

The Decagon House Murders is another masterpiece of the Japanese honkaku genre of murder mystery novels, and one that uniquely and specifically pays homage to the legacy of Agatha Christie. Many (including myself) consider Christie’s magnum opus to have been her novel And Then There Were None, a story that has inspired so much art and media in the decades since its publication.

One of those writers inspired by it was Yukito Ayatsuji, and his novel The Decagon House Murders proudly echoes Christie’s novel in brilliantly inventive ways. Our protagonists are a group of university students who are all members of their college’s mystery club.

These students have headed out to an island which, only a few months prior, was the site of an as-yet-unsolved murder. The honkaku genre is a pool of fantastic mystery novels, and even amongst all these great books, The Decagon House Murders stands out as a mystery masterpiece.

Buy a copy here!

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Grady Henrix is an author of horror novels, all of which have brilliant titles and subvert the tropes of the genre in fun ways. This particular novel, however — The Final Girl Support Group — is as much a murder mystery as it is a horror novel. Maybe moreso, honestly.

Our protagonist is Lynette, a middle-aged woman who was once a final girl (a term used to describe the last victim left alive at the end of a slasher movie). For years, Lynette has been attending the titular therapy support group for massacre survivors, but now one of these final girls stops turning up to their sessions, and is found murdered in her home.

Someone is targeting final girls, it seems. And to make things stranger, a new final girl has just appeared, having survived a fresh massacre. Lynette makes for a great protagonist; as something of an outsider and an incredibly paranoid person, she is an unlikely hero. This adds a lot to the fun and the tension.

Buy a copy here!

The Key in the Lock by Beth Underdown

Here is an exciting piece of historical drama that doubles as a compelling murder mystery story. The Key in the Lock is a narrative that is split chronologically. We follow both the adult Ivy, who lost her son in the Great War, and the younger Ivy of the past, scarred by a dreadful fire.

The mystery of the novel surrounds the fire itself, the boy who died in that fire, and the reasons behind it. As a child, Ivy was the daughter of the village daughter. When the fire broke out, she and her father were called to the big house, and are tangled in the web of lies surrounding the cause of the blaze.

As an adult, Ivy has not only lost her son but her husband is also incredibly sick, and as we flit back to the past we see how she and her husband’s relationship initially began. The Key in the Lock is a shining example of both historical British fiction and the legacy genre of murder mystery novels.

Buy a copy here!

The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews

Set in 1643, during the English Civil War, The Leviathan is a creeping, gothic piece of historical fiction that will have you gripping the pages like the wheel of an out-of-control car. Our narrator-protagonist, Thomas Treadwater, is a young man who has returned from war to his father’s farm.

His younger sister is all out of sorts because she believes that their new servant has been seducing and manipulating their ageing father. On occasion, chapters shift forward to Thomas as an old man, married and comfortable but haunted by something in his house. Something he must periodically feed and watch over.

The Leviathan is, frankly, delicious. It is a camp piece of mystery and melodrama. It has all the insane beats of a gothic horror B-movie, while also leading us by the nose with its ridiculous puzzles and problems.

It’s wonderful to see a piece of historical fiction be so lively and campy, as opposed to the more typical slow-burn approach to the genre. This is gothic historical fiction at its finest, while also being a shining example of the mystery genre.

Buy a copy here!

The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins

Here is one of the most impactful mystery novels of the past decade; all the more impressive considering it is a debut novel. Sara Collins is a Black British writer and ex-lawyer. Her debut novel The Confessions of Frannie Langton has also been adapted into a beautiful TV show.

The Confessions of Frannie Langton begins with our protagonist on trial for murder. It’s 1826, she was born and educated on the plantations of Jamaica, and she has since worked as a maid for Benham family. Mrs Benham, a woman Frannie dearly loved, is dead, and it’s Frannie who stands to hang for the murder. But did she do it? And if so, why?

The Confessions of Frannie Langton isn’t only one of the best historical novels of today; it is also a twisting, turning, tantalising murder mystery novel. A mind-bending tale of race, class, empire, love, queerness, and so much more. It is a true modern classic of historical fiction and mystery fiction.

Buy a copy here!

Elena Knows by Claudia Pineiro

Translated from the Spanish by Frances Riddle

Though Claudia Pińeiro is most famous for her crime fiction, Elena Knows is a slightly different beast. This heavy yet short literary mystery novel tackles big themes of religion, sexism, responsibility, and fantasy vs reality.

The novel’s titular, Elena, is a woman in her sixties who is suffering from Parkinson’s. It’s hard for her to move around, yet she is on a journey across Buenos Aires to meet and talk with someone she hopes will understand her situation.

The situation in question concerns Elena’s daughter, Rita, who, three months prior, was found dead at their local church. Rita was found hanging from a rope in the belfry; the death was immediately written off as suicide, but Elena refuses to believe that.

Her only evidence is that it was raining on the day of Rita’s death, and Rita had always avoided the church on rainy days for fear of lightning strikes. Elena Knows takes place over a single day as she journeys across Argentina’s capital, and we are treated to flashbacks to Rita’s death and funeral and their life together as mother and daughter before that.

This is an Argentinian novel that heavily explores the effects of religion on women and children; it asks us to consider our relationships with the people around us vs the relationships we have with the invented versions of them that our minds have cooked up.

There is more to Rita, more to Elena, more to everything than is first laid out, but this is not a crime novel. It’s a mystery story with a laser focus on religion, gender, and family dynamics.

Buy a copy here!

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

Blending the tone and tropes of horror fiction and mystery novels, Bad Cree tells the story of a young cree Canadian woman whose dreams are following her into reality. When Mackenzie wakes up on page one, she has the freshly severed head of a crow in her hands, and this isn’t the first time a thing from her nightmares has appeared in her waking world.

The dreams themselves are guiding her back to a lakeside forest, a place where her older sisters once briefly disappeared before emerging, disheveled and shaken up but safe. That is, until one of these twin sisters, Sabrina, suddenly died of a brain aneurysm, and now she seems to be haunting her little sister’s nightmares.

The memories, the haunting, and the blurring of dreams and reality all make for some really disturbing and chilling horror and a very compelling supernatural mystery story. Twisted and chilling as a horror novel and utterly compelling as a mystery thriller, Bad Cree is a unique spectacle of a novel.

Buy a copy of Bad Cree here!

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As for defining a novella, that depends on who you ask. Typically, a novella is any piece of fiction that’s shorter than 200 pages (though some argue for 150 pages), but not so brief as to be considered a short story. Here, we’re going off general consensus.

These are your must-read novellas, separated neatly into different styles and genres. Here, you’ll find a hefty selection of classics, as well as many modern novellas separated out by genre. And so many of these masterful short books come from all around the world.

Classic Novellas

So many of your favourite classic stories and novels often actually fall into the definition of a novella, and this can even take some readers by surprise. These classic novellas have changed the landscape of literature for the better; they’re stories we talk about every day, and they continue to impact readers on the deepest levels.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

George Orwell’s allegorical novella, often taught in high schools all around the English-speaking world, is one of the most popular, beloved, and well-respected novellas ever written. Retelling the story of the Russian Revolution and the Stalinist era that followed, Animal Farm is a fantastic piece of dark satire so brilliantly told.

Orwell famously argued that language and stories should be simple, appealing to the broadest possible audience, and Animal Farm is an excellent example of this. A fable for children and a satirical allegory for adults, the novella appeals to so many, so perfectly.

Buy a copy of Animal Farm here!

The Trial by Franz Kafka

Franz Kafka saw little success in his life, but after his death his works came to define an entirely new genre of fiction: the kafkaesque. The Trial is a novella that tells the story of Joseph K, a man arrested for a crime he is unaware of, who finds himself tossed by the waves of the legal system.

K has no idea what he did, and nobody will tell him. We watch as the system intimidates and confuses him, and he is moved from place to place, all the while desperate to understand his own situation. The Trial is a darkly funny, sombre, frustrating read that bites at bureaucracy in inventive and evocative ways.

Buy a copy of The Trial here!

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson remains the queen of the American gothic, famous for her horror novels and short stories — the best of which is We Have Always Lived in the Castle, a gothic novella about a secluded family on the edge of town. The family is shunned by everyone, and has a lot of secrets to keep hidden.

We follow the family’s youngest daughter, Merricat, who lives with her sister and uncle. Her parents and brother died from poisoning several years ago, and now Merricat uses what she believes to be magical wards to protect what’s left. A chilling and cold piece of gothic fiction and a wonderful classic novella.

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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

One of the most famous and revered American stories ever written, The Great Gatsby is a true classic of the 20th century. A novella that tells the story of a lonely man who hosts lavish parties that he himself never attends, all with the hope of luring out the woman he has loved for so many years.

The Great Gatsby is written with captivating clarity and lyricism, and it presents the reader with a unique perspective on the great American dream. Gatsby himself is an alluring and haunting figure, and Fitzgerald’s novella has become one of the great American classics.

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Silas Marner by George Eliot

George Eliot was a pioneer of realism in 18th century literature; an approach to fiction that set her apart from the likes of Dickens and the Brontës. Silas Marner is a novella that tells the story of a weaver who has settled in a quiet village after dark events came to pass.

Accused of stealing from the congregation in his Northern hometown, and likely framed by a friend, Silas is shunned, loses his love, and retreats to the Midlands to live out his life in seclusion, but things don’t go the way he hoped. Silas Marner is a powerful Victorian novella that cemented George Eliot as one of the great writers of her time.

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The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

This gothic novella, like Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Picture of Dorian Gray, is a gothic tale that has left an enormous legacy. Everyone knows the tale of Jekyll and Hyde, whether they’ve read Stevenson’s novella or not: the story of the scientist who transforms into his beastly and dangerous alter-ego.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a well-loved story by a well-loved author, and its ongoing prevalence in popular culture shows what a powerful and original story it was. The tale of a meek and respectable doctor transforming into a cruel and dastardly monster is one that continues to resonate with readers to this day.

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A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

One of the most cherished stories that Charles Dickens ever told, A Christmas Carol has since become larger than Dickens ever was, with people knowing the story whether they’re familiar with Dickens himself or not. Adapted to the screen many times, A Christmas Carol is, at this point, a fairy tale that every child has enjoyed.

The story of a miserly old capitalist who strangles the joy from his workers, only to be visited by the regretful ghost of his former business partner, and then frightened into changing his ways by visions of the past, present, and future. It’s a terrifying tale, but also a warming and hopeful one that resonates with readers across the world.

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The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Alongside Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Henry James’ classic novella The Turn of the Screw made an icon of the governess: the intelligent young woman who works as a teacher to the children of a wealthy and large country home full of ghosts and secrets. In the case of this novella, that home is Bly Manor.

Our nameless governess is charged with the care of two children who live with their uncle after the deaths of their parents. While working at Bly, the governess starts to see ghostly figures, and also learns about two people who once worked and died there; now, their ghosts are seemingly influencing the children. It’s a chilling tale and a classic gothic novella.

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Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

James Baldwin was an American author, playwright, and civil rights activist who escaped to Paris. There, he wrote the much-loved novella Giovanni’s Room. The story of a bisexual American man living in Paris and the love affair that unfolds between himself and a bartender named Giovanni.

Giovanni will soon be executed, and our protagonist David narrates the story of their love affair, which took place while David’s girlfriend is in Spain. This is a tale of isolation, gender roles and expectations, and queer expression in the 1950s. An empathetic and vitally important piece of queer fiction.

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Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Steinbeck was one of the great American authors, and his novella Of Mice and Men remains as thematically prevalent as it ever did. Frequently taught in schools, the novella tells the story of two men — George and Lenny — who work on a farmstead to raise enough money to eventually free themselves from the cycle of capitalism.

George, like so many men, is following the American dream. He will have land of his own, and the simple giant Lenny will help him get there. But the cycle of capitalism is harder to break away from than George thinks, and tragedy awaits them both. Of Mice and Men is a powerful tale, vitally relevant, and beautiful in its simplicity. An amazing novella.

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The Stranger by Albert Camus

Albert Camus was a French philosopher known for presenting his philosophical arguments as fiction. The first and most famous of his works was the novella The Stranger, which tells the tale of a man living in French Algeria who kills another man shortly after the death and funeral of his own mother.

In the novella’s first half, we learn about Mersault’s life leading up to the funeral, and the subsequent murder. In the second half, we watch the fallout of these events. The Stranger is a piece of absurdist fiction that explores the theme of isolation in unusual ways (as Camus was known to do), and it remains an impactful novella to this day.

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Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata

Translated from the Japanese by Edward G. Seidensticker

Japanese author and Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata wrote many beautiful tales, often characterised by their emphasis on beauty. Aesthetics, in the form of both human and natural beauty, were intrinsic to his storytelling and his plots, and that can best be seen in his classic novella Snow Country.

This Japanese novella takes place in a remote hot spring town, where our Tokyoite protagonist, Shimamura, falls in love with a local geisha who works at the town’s onsen. Though geisha are forbidden to show affection for their clients, she too falls in love, and we watch their love affair unfold. A stunning short masterpiece by one of the greats.

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A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Anthony Burgess supposedly wrote A Clockwork Orange over the course of just a few days, and the resulting novella has gone on to become a revered story, adapted into one of the most famous and respected films of all time.

This piece of dystopian satire follows a psychopathic young man named Alex, who spends his days as part of a violent gang, but is later captured and subject to torturous reformation methods by the authorities. A haunting, harrowing story. Surreal and strange, difficult to read, but ultimately powerful and impactful.

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The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

The Old Man and the Sea is regarded by many readers as Hemingway’s masterpiece. A vital piece of American fiction, and a wonderfully short piece of fiction. This novella presents the reader with exactly what the title promises.

Our old fisherman hasn’t caught a single fish in more than eighty days, but one morning he sets out and hooks an enormous marlin, which he cannot reel in and so holds onto for more than a day and a night, slowly developing great respect and admiration for the fish as the hours tick away. This is a true American classic and one of the great novellas of its time.

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Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Jean Rhys’ novella Wide Sargasso Sea is a prequel to Charlotte Brontë’s gothic romance novel Jane Eyre. Using what was hinted at in Brontë’s novel as a framework, Rhys presents us with a powerful and literary feminist novel about English colonialism.

Our protagonist is Brontë’s famous madwoman in the attic, a Creole woman named Antoinette. We follow her life leading to her marriage to the cruel Mr Rochester, who removes her to England and famously locks her away in his attic. Rhys’ novella humanises her, gives her a story, and has become a feminist classic novella.

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Modern & Literary Novellas

From Argentina to Japan, so many of the best stories of the past several years have come in the form of novellas; short books that can be enjoyed again and again by readers who cherish what they have to offer. These modern — and often literary — novellas are all must-read stories for fans of the artform.

At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop

Translated from the French by Anna Moschovakis

Winner of the International Booker Prize, French author David Diop’s incredible war novella is set in the trenches of World War I, where we follow a Senegalese soldier who faces death, disease, and prejudice from his fellow soldiers.

When he loses his fellow Senegalese brother-in-arms, he feels alone and isolated, and so dedicates himself to the fight, despite all that is against him. This is a harrowing tale of war on the front lines, as well as the prejudice and dangers that faced Senegalese soldiers made to fight by the French government. A haunting, incredible novella.

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Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Convenience Store Woman is a transfixing, thought-provoking Japanese novella about a woman who has worked at the same convenience store for more than a decade. Her life is predictable, simple, and stable. And so, she is content. But her family worries about her. They want her to climb that ladder, and also eventually get married and have kids.

Our protagonist has found a way to survive and feel comfortable in a strange, capitalistic, traditionalist world that she doesn’t understand or feel part of, but this only serves to confuse those around her. Sayaka Murata’s novella is a profound piece of Japanese fiction. A masterpiece of modern literature.

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Brickmakers by Selva Almada

Translated from the Spanish by Annie McDermott

Selva Almada is a genius of feminist literary fiction. Hailing from Argentina, she has written some of the best novels of the modern day. Brickmakers is a novella about cycles of abuse, especially within the context of masculinity.

Starting at the end, with two boys having killed each other in a fight, they are bleeding out on the ground and we trace their personal histories back to the source of this feud. Inherited hatred, masculine pride, and class divides paint a picture of patriarchy in its darkest most honest form. A true masterpiece of a novella.

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Foster by Claire Keegan

Irish author Claire Keegan is a master of short fiction, and Foster is a perfect example. This is a novella about a young girl whose mother is about to go into labour. Our girl is taken, by her father, to stay with a family in a nearby town for the summer.

There, she is welcomed in with open arms by a loving couple and shown a different way of living and loving as part of a family unit. This is a touching tale of growth and experience through the eyes of a child. A stunning work of literary fiction and one of the best modern novellas you’ll ever read.

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Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Following on from Foster, Claire Keegan once again wowed the literary world with Small Things Like These. This novella is set during the week leading up to Christmas. Our protagonist is a middle-aged man, married with children, and working as the manager of a lumber mill.

His small community are god-fearing church-going hypocrites, and as the novella progresses we watch him steadily come face-to-face with those hypocrisies. This is a novel that daringly exposes the darkness and corruption of organised religion in the modern day. An incredible novella and a masterpiece of literary fiction.

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Walking Practice by Dolki Min

Translated from the Korean by Victoria Caudle

A fantastically strange and imaginative Korean novella, Walking Practice tells the story of an alien creature that crash-landed on Earth and spends their days hunting and eating the most delicious thing on this planet: us.

The best way for them to do this is to shapeshift into a man or woman and use dating apps to lure out their prey. The novel explores gender roles in a multitude of ways, as our alien switches genders and plays different roles to get what they want. It’s a fascinating exploration of gender expectations in the modern world.

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The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto

Translated from the Japanese by Asa Yoneda

Banana Yoshimoto is one of the most beloved Japanese authors of today, and The Premonition is an elegantly simple novella about a teenager with a happy ordinary life and a family who love her. But she also enjoys sneaking out of the house to stretch her legs. One place she likes to go is the home of her hedonistic aunt.

But one day, while visiting her aunt, gaps in her memory become clear, and she starts to uncover a truth about her childhood and her family that had long been kept from her. This reframes her ideas of love, trust, and family bonds. A truly wonderful modern from a talented Japanese author.

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Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

From the author of the celebrated If We Were Villains (one of my personal favourite novels) comes Graveyard Shift, a gothic novella that clocks in at a mere 108 pages and takes places over a single night. Graveyard Shift follows a group of insomniacs and night shift workers who often meet for a smoke at a local graveyard. Our first protagonist is editor of the university newspaper, and others include a cab driver, a hotel receptionist, and a bartender.

One night, while at the graveyard, they notice a freshly-dug hole. But this graveyard is old; nobody has been interred there in a century. So, who dug this hole and why? Over the course of this night, our misfit gang of protagonists will hunt for answers and uncover a conspiracy along the way. This is dark academia that actually explores the darkness of academia in a creeping, claustrophobic way.

The novella is the perfect medium for this kind of story as well, since it can be enjoyed in a single setting. Reading this will take as long as watching a horror movie, and you will feel just as much edge-of-your-seat tension as the plot thickens and the strangeness amps up.

Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval

Translated from the Norwegian by Marjam Idriss

Jenny Hval is an internationally famous Norwegian singer-songwriter, and she has also written some fantastic short novels. Her novella Paradise Rot is a wonderfully gothic piece of strange fiction about a university student who moves to a new city in a new country for her studies.

When she arrives, she moves in with a local woman. They live together in a converted brewery where the walls between them are more like office cubicles in an open-plan space. Privacy is an illusion, and the space itself becomes a character in its own right. This is a wonderfully unsettling tale and a brilliant work of modern gothic fiction.

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Boulder by Eva Baltasar

Translated from the Catalan by Julia Sanchez

Boulder is a work of sapphic literary fiction from Catalan author Eva Baltasar. Our nameless protagonist works as a cook on a merchant ship which is off the coast of Chile when she meets and falls deeply in love with a woman named Samsa. Her addiction to this woman leads her to move with Samsa to Reykjavik.

Their relationship quickly becomes strained, however, when Samsa declares that she wants a child, and our protagonist doesn’t. Their lives are moving at different paces and in different ways, causing a painful rift between them. This is a stellar and visceral sapphic novella that everyone should read.

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The Swallowed Man by Edward Carey

Edward Carey rose to prominence with his incredible historical novel Little, about the life of the girl who would eventually grow up to become Madame Tussauds. His novella The Swallowed Man retells the tale of Pinnocchio, focussing on the experiences of Geppetto after being swallowed by the whale.

We spend time in the whale with Geppetto as he explores his surroundings, finds a shipwreck, and reads the captain’s journal. And we also journey back through his memories to the creation of Pinnocchio in a stunningly human and empathetic tale. A beautiful little novella from a master of the craft.

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Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami

Translated from the Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai

Mieko Kawakami is one of the great feminist Japanese writers of today, and her novella Ms Ice Sandwich is a sweet, soulful, uplifting tale. Our protagonist is a teenage boy facing several personal struggles, especially with his at-home family relationships.

However, he has become entranced by a girl who works at his local grocery store; a girl whom he called Ms Ice Sandwich. He admires her, feels as though he is in love with her, and even looks up to her as someone cool, aloof, and unique. It’s a charming tale that will comfort anyone who reads it.

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Finger Bone by Hiroki Takahashi

Translated from the Japanese by Takami Nieda

Hiroki Takahashi’s war novella, Finger Bone, places us in the life of a nameless soldier stationed in the jungle of Papua New Guinea. He befriends his fellow soldiers while healing at a war hospital where men are being treated for wounds and sickness, but their lives could be stripped from them at any moment (and they often are).

This is a visceral yet poetic novella about the realities and the uncomfortable truths of war. Like the poetry of Wilfred Owen, this is bleak and honest, painting a raw picture of warfare from the frontlines. An incredible work of short fiction.

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Hex by Jenni Fagan

This is a unique and original novella from a fantastic voice in Scottish literature. Protagonist Iris has found a way to travel back in time several centuries, and there she spends the night in the prison cell of a woman who will be hanged at dawn for witchcraft.

This woman is Gellis Duncan, and she tells Iris the story of how she got here. Iris tells Gellis that the women of today are still treated unfairly, and true equality has still not been reached. The two bond over this painful truth and we learn about the very real North Berwick Witch Trials of 16th century Scotland.

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For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain by Victoria MacKenzie

A stunning piece of literary historical fiction, For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain tells the story of two women of English history, both of whom claimed to hear the word of God: Julian of Norwich and a lesser-known woman named Margery.

Julian hid herself away and took to life as an anchoress, giving out advice to strangers who sought it. Margery, however, stood in the town square and cried about the words she heard. The two women will eventually meet, and this meeting will eventually change the course of history.

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The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith

Han Kang’s novella, translated with splendour by Tilted Axis Press founder Deborah Smith, won the International Booker Prize in 2017. The Vegetarian tells the story of a woman who decides to become a vegetarian when she is plagued by unsettling and upsetting dreams of animal slaughter.

We see the fallout of this decision from the perspectives of various family members across three parts: her husband, her brother-in-law, and her sister. Each one places her at the centre and has a different attitude towards Yeong-hye and her behaviour. This is a radical, powerful Korean novella that should be read by everyone.

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Mild Vertigo by Mieko Kanai

Translated from the Japanese by Polly Barton

Japanese author Mieko Kanai’s literary novella is a dense and poetic story about nothing much at all. Our narrator-protagonist is a Tokyo housewife with children and a husband to look after, and we spend time in both her life and her mind as she goes about her daily routine.

What makes this novella so captivating is its structure and delivery, as the realism of the tale is offset by the ways in which we fluidly weave in and out of thoughts, memories, actions, and conversations and lines between them all are blurred in an engaging and fascinating way, all translated amazingly by Polly Barton.

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Mammoth by Eva Baltasar

Translated from the Catalan by Julia Sanchez

Eva Baltasar is a remarkable artist who is able to weave sapphic and feminine themes into stories that explore belonging, hedonism, indecision, and the feeling—whether it be good or bad—of being untethered. Across just one hundred pages, Mammoth accomplishes all of this with harsh, electrifying prose that is translated with staggering force by Julia Sanchez.

Mammoth follows a young lesbian who, as the novella opens, wishes desperately to be pregnant. She works as a researcher at a university and, at a party, attempts to seduce a man who might give her the one thing she wants. When this fails, she quits her job and wanders, almost nomadically, from place to place and job to job, eventually arriving at a rural farm.

This is a story of anxiety. Our protagonist is young, brash, unsure of herself, and seems to be living through a persistent crisis. She knows herself to an extent but experiments with herself and the world in order to better understand both, and harm is often the result. She might often be dark, unlikable, and pitiable, but she is also relatable in one way or another.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Winner of the Booker Prize 2024, Orbital is a novella that traces a single day aboard the International Space Station. Six astronauts orbit the world sixteen times, seeing a new sunrise and sunset every ninety minutes. And in that time, they bond, share memories, discuss God and philosophy, marvel at the beauty of our world, and take stock of our place in the universe.

While it is light on plot and events, Harvey’s focus with Orbital is on musing over the big questions: life, death, love, faith; all those heady questions, all while watching the world spin under your feet. The main subject of the novella is relationships: those between neighbours, family members, nations, and even the relationships between us and our home planet, and between Earth and the rest of the universe.

All of this is written with sharp and poetic prose. While it all feels almost eerily apolitical, avoiding any kind of commitment to one idea or another, it remains introspective, thoughtful, and hopeful. And that, in itself, is something that can be appreciated.

Horror Novellas

Many of the best horror stories of all time take advantage of brevity. Short stories and novellas are uniquely equipped to deliver a terrifying, spine-chilling scare and then simply end, leaving the reader feeling cold but alive. These horror novellas are powerful, frightening things that you will absolutely adore. Not for the faint of heart, of course.

The Black Spider by Jeremias Gotthelf

Translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky

This all-but-forgotten classic of gothic horror is a work of strangeness and brilliance. The Black Spider begins with a Swiss family hosting a celebration in their valley home, when the elder patriarch begins telling the story of something dreadful that happened there in the middle ages.

That story involves a village of serfs toiling away to serve a cruel lord in his castle. One day, at the point of starvation, they are visited by a stranger who tempts them with magic that will save them, in exchange for the next child to be born. From here, the village descends into unimaginable horror and tragedy, making for a truly spectacular gothic horror novella.

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Come Closer by Sara Gran

Reminiscent of Rosemary’s Baby, Sara Gran’s horror novella Come Closer is an eerie and unsettling experience. Our protagonist, Amanda, is starting to lose her grip on what is real and what is sane as strange things occur around her. Noises in her apartment, odd and violent dreams, and accusations of things she hasn’t done.

Amanda’s world is turning upside down, and she desperately needs to understand why. There is a voice in her head that’s taking control and telling her to do things she’d never do. She is losing control and it frightens her. This is a whole new kind of terror, and a brilliant short horror novel.

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What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher

This is T. Kingfisher’s bold and brilliant retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s iconic short story The Fall of the House of Usher. While that tale is an untouchable classic, Kingfisher took it and created something entirely fresh and unique, adding more detail and dynamism to the story.

What was once a twisted and hopeless tale now features more body horror, more strangeness and grotesquerie. Mysteries are answered but the answers are wonderfully unpleasant. This is a fantastically dark, twisted, and exciting horror novella.

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The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

The Salt Grows Heavy is a monstrously strange and bleak horror novella. Our protagonist is a mermaid who, as the story opens, is watching her newborn children feast on the body of their dead father — a cruel patriarch who cut out his wife’s tongue. From here, she leaves on a journey into the woods with a charismatic plague doctor.

In this strange new place, they meet a gang of boys who hunt and kill each other, only to be resurrected by their cultish masters, and so a kind of battle ensues between our heroes and these lords. A wonderfully grotesque and gory tale of body horror and twisted people.

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You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood by Eric LaRocca

You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood is a book within a book. We begin with a man named Martyr Black, who is a self-professed serial killer. We read transcripts, diaries, and poetry from him, as well as a novella that he wrote. And that novella takes up the bulk of this strange and wonderful book.

The novella tells the tale of a young woman who has been recruited by a reclusive and enigmatic video games developer. She lives at his remote mansion with her little brother, but her boss is injured and recovering. She is strapped there and being ordered around by her boss’ sister. It’s a claustrophobic, gothic, and unnerving horror novella.

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Queen of Teeth by Hailey Piper

Queen of Teeth is a gross and fantastic piece of short horror fiction about a young lesbian woman who wakes up after a one-night-stand with the sheets soaked in blood. What she first thinks is her period turns out to actually be a set of teeth growing at the entrance to her hoo-ha.

The people to blame are part of a pharmaceutical company that treated Yaya when she was still in her mother’s womb, and now, decades later, she is transforming and a voice in her head is getting louder. This is a twisted, dark tale and a brilliant horror novella.

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Sci-Fi Novellas

Science fiction is a genre known for its thematic exploration of various politics and big ideas, and having that distilled down into a short, easily re-readable book provides such obvious benefits. It’s so easy to chew on and get all the benefits from a clever sci-fi story if it’s a novella: something short and re-readable. That goes for all of these brilliant books.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

H.G. Wells was one of the great godfathers of science fiction, and The Time Machine remains one of his most well-loved books. It tells the story of a man who travels far into the future; so far, in fact, that humanity has branched into two evolutionary chains.

In this future are the pristine and childlike eloi and the monstrous underground-dwelling morlocks, who feed and then eat the eloi. The Time Machine was one of the earliest sci-fi stories and remains a classic novella to this day.

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To Be Taught If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

American author Becky Chambers is the queen of modern sci-fi, and her short novella To Be Taught If Fortunate is a masterful work of hard science fiction. In a near-future socialist Earth, a grass-roots global space agency has been established, and a group of astronauts has been sent on a mission to another solar system.

While there, this team explores the planets and moons, learn, scan, and study. They come across unexpected obstacles and overcome them together. This is a hopeful work of sci-fi that paints a positive picture of our future.

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This is How You Lost the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

These two fantastic authors worked together to pen a masterful work of short science fiction. Two soldiers fight for opposing armies in a war that spans both space and time, but they are both becoming disenchanted by the war, and in that loss of faith love can bloom.

Our soldiers leave taunting, teasing notes for the other to find, and slowly their letters become declarations of love as they journey from a future battlefield full of mechs back to Shakespeare’s London and Plato’s Greece. An incredible work of science fiction romance.

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Pluralities by Avi Silver

Pluralities is a queer work of short science fiction; a dual narrative about two very different people. One is a young person who works at a mall and is steadily coming to terms with their gender identity, and also happens to have the power of foresight. The other is a prince who has fled his home planet and all the responsibilities that go with it.

The two never meet, but they are connected by something greater. We watch our earthling form an intense relationship with a trans man and we see the prince’s AI ship gradually fall in love with him. This is a fun and unique work of short science fiction. A fantastic sci-fi novella.

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All Systems Red by Martha Wells

All Systems Red is the first novella in a sci-fi series called The Murderbot Diaries. This story is set in a future world where corporations control much of space and the planets in it. While exploring, teams of humans are assigned a “murderbot” to keep them safe.

We follow a team whose own murderbot has managed to hack its own systems and become self-aware. Now, it wishes to better understand itself, its purpose, and its relationship to humanity. A fantastic sci-fi novella.

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Fantasy Novellas

Fantasy is a genre famous for its size and scale. Fantasy novels are so often not only large in stature but also part of long, ongoing series. There are entire worlds full of people, histories, traditions, religions, politics, and more. But condensing all of that down neatly into a novella is its own kind of beauty, as these authors demonstrate.

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

Thornhedge is a modern fairy tale story by the incredible T. Kingfisher. Blending Shakespearean fairies with elements of Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel, this is the tale of a girl who was stolen by fairies, raised as one, and then given the responsibility of guarding a tower surrounded by thorns.

She has guarded this tower for a long time, and watched as knights try and fail to access it. But one day, she befriends a himbo knight with good intentions, and she tells him her story. The two bond, and we slowly learn about our fairy and about what is actually in the tower. A wonderful fantasy novella from a legendary author.

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The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

Fantasy fans will know the name Patrick Rothfuss, author of the widely celebrated The Name of the Wind and its sequel. But Rothfuss also wrote The Slow Regard of Silent Things, a fantasy novella which takes place in the world of The Kingkiller Chronicles.

This short novel follows Auri, a character introduced in Rothfuss’ first novel, and the adventures she goes on in a hidden labyrinth nestled beneath the university in which The Name of the Wind is predominantly set. This is a great novella that expands the lore of this world brilliantly.

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