Here are 4 books that The Dollmakers fans have personally recommended if you like The Dollmakers. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Moon of the Crusted Snow

Rachel A. Rosen Author Of Cascade

From my list on Canadian dystopia (that aren’t The Handmaid’s Tale).

Why am I passionate about this?

As both a high school teacher and an activist, I am preoccupied by the world we are leaving to the next generation. And as a long-time Toronto resident, I also just love seeing my city get destroyed in fiction, which is far more cathartic than watching it get bungled up in real life. I am drawn to the type of story that exposes the wounds that run deep in our political, economic, and social structures. The best dystopian fiction shines a mirror on our history and our present, and brings the experiences of marginalized voices—for whom the apocalypse is not merely theoretical—to a broader audience.

Rachel's book list on Canadian dystopia (that aren’t The Handmaid’s Tale)

Rachel A. Rosen Why Rachel loves this book

As Rebecca Roanhorse put it, Indigenous people on Turtle Island have already survived an apocalypse.

So it’s not surprising that my favourite apocalypse novel centres around a remote Anishinaabe community struggling to survive after a distant and never-fully explained calamity. It’s a prescient story, especially in light of real-life catastrophe that arrived only two years after its publication.

Much apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction focuses on gritty bands of survivors, but Rice provides a scenario that is much more in keeping with how communities actually act during disasters, contrasting the acts of care and mutual aid with the haunting slow decay of the world and the threat posed by violent outsiders.

It’s a multilayered, stunningly crafted realist take on how to keep surviving after the world ends.

By Waubgeshig Rice ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Moon of the Crusted Snow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2023 Canada Reads Longlist Selection

National Bestseller

Winner of the 2019 OLA Forest of Reading Evergreen Award

Shortlisted for the 2019 John W. Campbell Memorial Award

Shortlisted for the 2019/20 First Nation Communities READ Indigenous Literature Award

2020 Burlington Library Selection; 2020 Hamilton Reads One Book One Community Selection; 2020 Region of Waterloo One Book One Community Selection; 2019 Ontario Library Association Ontario Together We Read Program Selection; 2019 Women’s National Book Association’s Great Group Reads; 2019 Amnesty International Book Club Pick

January 2020 Reddit r/bookclub pick of the month

“This slow-burning thriller is also a powerful story of survival…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Starter Villain

Jessica Moret

From Jessica's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Unknown Author Why Jessica loves this book

Loved the premise and creativity. Appreciated that it was a standalone.

By John Scalzi ,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked Starter Villain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Locus and Hugo Award-winning author John Scalzi brings us a turbo-charged tale of a family business with a difference - as Charlie discovers when he inherits it. This one comes with a hidden headquarters, minions, talking cats and James Bond-like supervillain rivals.

'Starter Villain establishes Scalzi as SF's leading humourist' - SFX

Warning: supervillain in training. Risk of world domination.

Inheriting his late uncle's business proves complicated. It's also way more dangerous than Charlie could ever have imagined. Because his uncle had kept his supervillain status a secret - until now.

Divorced and emotionally dependent on his cat, Charlie wasn't…


Book cover of The Sword of Kaigen

Unknown Author

By M. L. Wang ,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The Sword of Kaigen as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Better to die sharp in war than rust through a time of peace.
A mother struggling to repress her violent past, A son struggling to grasp his violent future, A father blind to the danger that threatens them all. When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?High on a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades…


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of Some Desperate Glory

Colin Wright Author Of How To Turn 39

From Colin's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Researcher Journalist Analyst World-traveler Science fiction enthusiast

Colin's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Colin Wright Why Colin loves this book

A wonderful cast of characters, an empathetic look at zealotry and extremism, a fresh and interesting take on what's become a common thematic pivot-point in speculative fiction, and a well-balanced storyline that made it hard to put down.

By Emily Tesh ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Instant National Bestseller and International Bestseller!

Hugo Award Winner for Best Novel!

Arthur C. Clarke Award Finalist!
Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction Finalist!

A thrillingly told queer space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find, and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you, Some Desperate Glory is Astounding Award Winner Emily Tesh’s explosive debut novel.

"Some Desperate Glory surprised me at every turn. At once a space thriller, a tale of deprogramming, and a missive on identity and meaning, the result is a vitally refreshing addition to the SFF genre. This…


Book cover of Moon of the Crusted Snow
Book cover of Starter Villain
Book cover of The Sword of Kaigen

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