Here are 63 books that The River Has Roots fans have personally recommended if you like The River Has Roots. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Iron Garden Sutra

Nathaniel Luscombe Author Of Moon Soul

From Nathaniel's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Nathaniel's 3 favorite reads in 2025

Nathaniel Luscombe Why Nathaniel loves this book

How do I even begin to explain this book. It was breathtaking in every way. I was captured first by the characters, who are so full that they felt real. But the writing and plot quickly captured me as well and I found myself unable to escape the story. Even when I wasn't reading, I was haunted by what I had just read. It's one of those rare books that I wanted to reread as soon as I was done my first read.

By A.D. Sui ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Iron Garden Sutra as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Klara and the Sun meets S. A. Barnes's Dead Silence with a touch of Becky Chambers' A Psalm for the Wild-Built in Nebula Award-winning author A.D. Sui's darkly philosophical, locked room murder mystery, as a death monk and a team of researchers trapped onboard a spaceship of the dead encounter something beyond human understanding...

Vessel Iris has devoted himself to the Starlit Order, performing funeral rites for the dead across the galaxy, guiding souls back into the Infinite Light. Despite the meaning he finds in his work and the comfort of AI companionship, his relationships with the living leave him…


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Book cover of TimeBlink

TimeBlink by MJ Mumford,

When Syd Brixton was eleven years old, her identical twin vanished from a park and was never found. 

Now twenty years later, Syd’s favorite customer, Morley, is killed in a horrific accident outside the pub where Syd works. Moments before Morley dies, he gives Syd an extraordinary gift: the power…

Book cover of Beyond the Border Forest

Nathaniel Luscombe Author Of Moon Soul

From Nathaniel's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Nathaniel's 3 favorite reads in 2025

Nathaniel Luscombe Why Nathaniel loves this book

I started this expecting a good but typical fantasy novel. This is so much more. It peels apart the concepts of identity, home, and family to confront the reader with what they believe. It starts out in a world that seems simple on the surface, but as the story goes on it becomes clear that everything is layered. I cannot wait for book two.

By Molly Haniszewski ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Beyond the Border Forest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Two kings rule the ancient woods—the Oak King in summer, the Holly King in winter—and no mortal may cross into their realm without leave. But when eighteen-year-old Rowan Gwózdek's sister vanishes, Rowan defies the old laws and enters the forbidden forest, desperate to find her.
She isn't alone for long. Keziah, a trans (and very handsome) hunter with a shadowy tie to the Oak King, offers his help—and a perilous path to the Bear Maiden, a creature said to grant wishes. Together, Rowan and Keziah face mossmen, a wood dragon, and other servants of the forest kings.
But danger lurks…


Book cover of This Is How You Lose the Time War

Jett Harriss

From Jett's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Unknown Author Why Jett loves this book

The writing was just absolutely beautiful.

By Amal El-Mohtar , Max Gladstone ,

Why should I read it?

29 authors picked This Is How You Lose the Time War as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF The Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novella, the Reddit Stabby Award for Best Novella AND The British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novella

SHORTLISTED FOR
2020 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award
The Ray Bradbury Prize
Kitschies Red Tentacle Award
Kitschies Inky Tentacle
Brave New Words Award

'A fireworks display from two very talented storytellers' Madeline Miller, author of Circe

Co-written by two award-winning writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space.

Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It…


If you love Amal El-Mohtar...

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Book cover of TimeBlink

TimeBlink by MJ Mumford,

When Syd Brixton was eleven years old, her identical twin vanished from a park and was never found. 

Now twenty years later, Syd’s favorite customer, Morley, is killed in a horrific accident outside the pub where Syd works. Moments before Morley dies, he gives Syd an extraordinary gift: the power…

Book cover of Gideon the Ninth

Alexis Cerritos

From Alexis' 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Unknown Author Why Alexis loves this book

Muir does an amazing job at mixing humor with the morose, and knows exactly when to double down on serious emotional moments.

By Tamsyn Muir ,

Why should I read it?

28 authors picked Gideon the Ninth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

15+ pages of new, original content, including a glossary of terms, in-universe writings, and more!

A USA Today Best-Selling Novel!

"Unlike anything I've ever read. " --V.E. Schwab

"Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space!" --Charles Stross

"Brilliantly original, messy and weird straight through." --NPR

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.

Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth, first in The Locked Tomb Trilogy, unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as…


Book cover of Oryx and Crake

John Rennie Short Author Of Insurrection: What the January 6 Assault on the Capitol Reveals About America and Democracy

From John's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Professor emeritus Urbanist Geographer Maphead Geopolitician

John's 3 favorite reads in 2025

John Rennie Short Why John loves this book

A wonderfully imaginative novel of a distopian future. In a world brought too collapse by a rampant capitalist biotech the characters make their way across a blighted landscape. Sounds grim indeed, but there is humor as well as pathos and the beautifully crafted writing lifts you up into the swirl of events where past and present intersect and loop back again. The first in the 3 volume MaddAddam Trilogy that I never wanted to end.

By Margaret Atwood ,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked Oryx and Crake as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

By the author of THE HANDMAID'S TALE and ALIAS GRACE

*

Pigs might not fly but they are strangely altered. So, for that matter, are wolves and racoons. A man, once named Jimmy, lives in a tree, wrapped in old bedsheets, now calls himself Snowman. The voice of Oryx, the woman he loved, teasingly haunts him. And the green-eyed Children of Crake are, for some reason, his responsibility.

*

Praise for Oryx and Crake:

'In Jimmy, Atwood has created a great character: a tragic-comic artist of the future, part buffoon, part Orpheus. An adman who's a sad man; a jealous…


Book cover of Station Eleven

Christian Hurst Author Of Lily Starling and the Voyage of the Salamander

From my list on flawed heroes who rewrite their own destinies.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a science fiction fan for as long as I can remember. As someone who never quite felt like I fit in, these stories became a kind of refuge and revelation for me. They taught me that being on the outside looking in can be its own kind of superpower—the ability to see the world differently, to question it, and to imagine something better. I’m drawn to characters who are flawed, searching, and human, because they remind me that courage and belonging are choices we make, not gifts we’re given. That’s the heart of every story I love and the kind I try to write.

Christian's book list on flawed heroes who rewrite their own destinies

Christian Hurst Why Christian loves this book

I’d read the reviews, so I was prepared for a great book. I wasn’t prepared to be thrown out of my comfort zone—but in the best possible way.

Mandel made me sit with what it really means to lose everything and still create something beautiful. It’s not about saving the world; it’s about creating a new dream and making it your home. I loved how it celebrates art, memory, and the strange persistence of humanity even when everything else is gone.

This book reminded me that hope is often raw, painful, and ultimately necessary.

By Emily St. John Mandel ,

Why should I read it?

37 authors picked Station Eleven as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Best novel. The big one . . . stands above all the others' - George R.R. Martin, author of Game of Thrones

Now an HBO Max original TV series

The New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award
Longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction
National Book Awards Finalist
PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist

What was lost in the collapse: almost everything, almost everyone, but there is still such beauty.

One snowy night in Toronto famous actor Arthur Leander dies on stage whilst performing the role of a lifetime. That same evening a deadly virus touches down in…


Book cover of Red Rising

David Wickenden Author Of In Defense of Innocence

From David's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Voracious reader Screenwriter Retired firefighter Grumpy old fart

David's 3 favorite reads in 2025

David Wickenden Why David loves this book

In the future, humanity has settled throughout the solar system. Humanity has been divided into colours, with Gold ruling and the Reds slaves. Each colour knows its place until a ruling Gold hangs a young Red. This starts the beginning of a rebellion. Darrow, the husband of the murdered woman, gives up his humanity to be transformed into a Gold.
Sent to the Institute with other young Golds, he must learn to fight and survive in a society that awards only the strong. Only by winning does he gain admittance to the society so that he might strike from within.
This story has everything. Humour, action galore, betrayal, loyalty and romance. I listened to the audio version which came to life under the expert narration of Tim Gerald Reynolds. I ate up the first three novels in non-stop marathon reading.

By Pierce Brown ,

Why should I read it?

40 authors picked Red Rising as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, BUZZFEED, GOODREADS AND SHELF AWARENESS

Pierce Brown's heart-pounding debut is the first book in a spectacular series that combines the drama of Game of Thrones with the epic scope of Star Wars.

**********

'Pierce Brown's empire-crushing debut is a sprawling vision . . . Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow' - Scott Sigler, New York Times bestselling author of Pandemic

'[A] top-notch debut novel . . . Red Rising ascends above a crowded dystopian field' - USA Today

**********

Darrow is a Helldiver. A pioneer…


Book cover of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Christian Hurst Author Of Lily Starling and the Voyage of the Salamander

From my list on flawed heroes who rewrite their own destinies.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a science fiction fan for as long as I can remember. As someone who never quite felt like I fit in, these stories became a kind of refuge and revelation for me. They taught me that being on the outside looking in can be its own kind of superpower—the ability to see the world differently, to question it, and to imagine something better. I’m drawn to characters who are flawed, searching, and human, because they remind me that courage and belonging are choices we make, not gifts we’re given. That’s the heart of every story I love and the kind I try to write.

Christian's book list on flawed heroes who rewrite their own destinies

Christian Hurst Why Christian loves this book

When I finished this book, I was a little heartbroken because I didn’t want to leave that crew.

I love how Chambers builds a world that doesn’t put heroes on a pedestal—a world full of ordinary, flawed people trying to understand one another while doing extraordinary work in an uncaring universe.

It taught me about quiet courage, the kind that doesn’t need destiny to feel meaningful. It made me believe again that kindness and curiosity can be forms of rebellion.

I come back to the Wayfarer whenever I need reminding that connection, not perfection, is what makes us human.

By Becky Chambers ,

Why should I read it?

16 authors picked The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILEY'S WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

'A quietly profound, humane tour de force' Guardian

The beloved debut novel that will restore your faith in humanity

#SmallAngryPlanet

When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The ship, which has seen better days, offers her everything she could possibly want: a small, quiet spot to call home for a while, adventure in far-off corners of the galaxy, and distance from her troubled past.

But Rosemary gets more than she bargained for with the Wayfarer. The crew is a mishmash of species and personalities, from Sissix,…


Book cover of Our Wives Under the Sea

Elizabeth Mitchell Author Of Joyce

From my list on magical realism books that’ll stick to your ribs.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m chronically ill. Whether I’m swept up, terrified, swooning, or trying to solve a mystery, I love my fiction to take me elsewhere. The dichotomy of wanting to share my experiences, discuss disability, open up the conversation around the topic, and have others lose themselves in story has been a fine line I’ve walked with all of my work. With Joyce, I wanted to bring grief and disability to life in a more resonate way. The words pain and fatigue mean drastically different things to different people. When magic is involved, it transcends your definition or mine, allowing us to focus on the experience with less personal context. 

Elizabeth's book list on magical realism books that’ll stick to your ribs

Elizabeth Mitchell Why Elizabeth loves this book

Some say this book is horror. I recommend it not as a horror book, but as a glimpse into illness, grief, and uncertainty through the lens of magical realism.

I see the moments along the way that are scary, but for me, those are just jump pads to the action of living, of existing, of the complicated state of being unwell, and how love will allow you to accept more than you thought you were capable of.

Does Julia know she showcased the slow decline of a chronically ill person in the way she did? I do not know. But as a chronically ill person myself, I saw poignant vignettes of tenderness around the topic.

Though the dual storylines, the unknown, the fear, are interesting and creative, it’s the quiet moments between two women who love each other, just wondering what’s next, that will stay with you.

By Julia Armfield ,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked Our Wives Under the Sea as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Named as book to look out for in 2022 by Guardian, i-D, Autostraddle, Bustle, Good Housekeeping, Stylist and DAZED.

Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep sea mission that ended in catastrophe. It soon becomes clear, though, that Leah may have come back wrong. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home.

To have the woman she loves back should mean a return…


Book cover of A Prayer for the Dying

McKenna Miller Author Of Wyrforra (Wyrforra Wars)

From my list on with weird writing styles.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been reading and writing stories for as long as I can remember—and the weird ones have always been my favorite. I discovered many of my favorite books by wandering into my local library, telling the librarian about my strange reading interests, and allowing them to set me up with literary masterpieces of the most unusual kind. Once I knew how to bend the rules of genre and form to create something original, I took to creating my own weird stories, and have been doing so ever since in my novels, short stories, D&D characters, and bedtime stories for my bird.

McKenna's book list on with weird writing styles

McKenna Miller Why McKenna loves this book

A Prayer for the Dying is the only full-length novel I’ve ever read entirely in second-person perspective—which makes for a white-knuckle-grip adventure as the narrator drags the reader along a dark, haunted path, which is also a little bit on fire.

This ghost story full of living people (at first) follows a hard-working and dedicated protagonist who tries to protect his little town of Friendship as it faces disaster after horrible disaster. The narrative of the story unfurls like a tidal wave—terrifying, yet impossible to look away from as it sweeps away everything in its path. This scary story is definitely not for the faint of heart.

By Stewart O'Nan ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Prayer for the Dying as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Set in a leafy Wisconsin town just after the American Civil War, this story opens one languid summer's day. Only slowly do events reveal themselves as sinister as one neighbour after another succumbs to a creeping, fatal disease.


Book cover of The Iron Garden Sutra
Book cover of Beyond the Border Forest
Book cover of This Is How You Lose the Time War

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