100 Books Like Killer, Come Back To Me

It seemed to take me forever to read The Magus, much longer than it took me to read other books by Fowles, even though it's a more exciting novel than any other he wrote. For most of the book's length I felt that the writing was excellent, the story was very good, but the tone of the narrator, Nicholas Urfe, had dated badly. I found the long extracts when Conchis was talking about his past to be vastly more engaging than anything Nicholas had to say. But Nicholas grew more tolerable in the last third of the novel, especially when the action speeded up and he was put on trial by Conchis and his cohorts. The cascading deceptions became stupendous at that juncture, one deceit after another, what we thought we knew flipped suddenly into something new, and so on. Nothing was certain anymore, it is really quite disorienting stuff,… show more.

One of the best novels I have ever read. This doesn't mean it was enticing all the way through, but it was always compelling. In other words, it wasn't the beauty that kept me going but the rhythmic insistence. It is a novel of two equal halves. It's the second half that elevates the book for me. The first part consists of the memoirs of the title character, Molloy, and his abortive journey from a town to the sea in search of his mother. The second half consists of the search by a private investigator, Jacques Moran, for Molloy. He is given his instructions by a fellow employee of a shadowy organisation. His task seems meaningless and from the very beginning it proves to be unfeasible, but in the attempt Moran finds Molloy, in a sense, by changing into a new and more bitter edition of him. What astounds me… show more.

When I was younger, I wanted to read all the classic dystopies that are there, and this is, of course, one of them.

So I did expect a dystopie—what I didn‘t expect was the emotional impact this book would have on me. I absolutely fell in love with Guy Montag, one of the best protagonists, in my opinion, telling us his story; and there‘s a whole range of side characters that will stick with you long after the ending.

And the ending—don‘t worry, no spoilers here—is something that really stuck with me. Unlike other dystopian stories, this novel leaves the reader on a hopeful note. It might be a dark and bad world, but it‘s not the end, and there is hope.

Such a powerful note to end the book.

I love this book for its poetic, dreamlike quality. Bradbury’s writing pulled me in and didn’t let go, painting a picture of Mars that was both beautiful and tragic. As a pre-teen and a teen, in my imagination, I had red dust stuck to my feet, and I was there with the characters. What captivated me was the way the stories felt timeless—each one was like a snapshot of a moment layered with meaning.

I felt like I wasn’t just reading a book about colonizing Mars; I was exploring humanity’s deepest fears, hopes, and regrets. We have companies only today working on getting to Mars, I feel so upset that I know I will likely never set foot on those dusty red shores, but I am thrilled to know it may still happen for others.

Bradbury’s work made me think about the consequences of exploration—how, in our quest to conquer… show more.

Bradbury’s writing is vividly descriptive, he makes you see things as you read (in my case I listened). His set up of good vs. evil was masterful. The evil described is the sort that sends shivers down your spine but isn’t overly-descriptive nor revels in any gore. Ultimately good triumphs, but not without pain and hard lessons learned along the way.

I hated reading 1984 and I loved hating it! What a chilling and coherent vision of an impossibly totalitarian society that seems all too possible and all too prescient more and more each day now. Orwell explores the foundations of truth as the government of Big Brother uses their control of language and information to manipulate the thoughts of their populace and thus the fundamental realities experienced by all.
The novel was published over 75 years ago, and sadly is more relevant today than ever.

A mix of coming of age in the first half of the twentieth century, and Bradbury’s peculiar brand of very earthly oddness and sci-fi strangeness, Dandelion Wine is full of all sorts of magic. It reminds you of what it is to be a small human again, when everything seems possible, and aliens and monsters are as likely (and as important) as long summer days spent outside, barefoot and sunburnt and a little feral. Even when we don’t recognise the details of the childhood described, we remember the feeling, and it reawakens a sense of wonder that’s incredibly precious.

Brave New World is perhaps the little brother to the more famous dystopian novel 1984. I reread this book now at age 57 after last reading it at age 17. As a teenager, I was intrigued by the cool world building and inventive use of eugenics and hypnopaedia. As a mature adult, I was immediately struck by how much the book is a polemic on traditional sexual and romantic morays and also on consumerism and technology. Huxley’s society is focused on comfort, entertainment, pleasure, and immediate gratification. But happiness without suffering has no meaning! Art, pain, love, and other struggles make our human lives hard, but they also give our human lives their meaning.

I‘ve always been fascinated by the dividing line between human and monster. Because, what is a monster?

I know, this kind of question will usually get a quick answer, but I have been thinking about this particular question for quite some time now. I am Legend revolves around this question, and I love it for that. I also love it for the somewhat unexpected twist in the end, and that one can be interpreted as an answer.

Anyway, for me, this book got me thinking about morale and ethics and other stuff. I just like it when a book gets me to that point where I think: wait a moment, but what if…?

Very immersive world building. Lots of details there for the reader willing to spend the time.