(Suggest me a Book similar to) Station Eleven
(Suggest me a Book similar to) Station Eleven
I just read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel , and it's living rent free in my brain.
It was such a powerful book in so many ways. I loved the way the different storylines and characters were tied together, some intricately and some just loosely, as well as the multiple perspectives, timelines, and storylines.
I believe it was originally suggested to me as a book similar to the TV show LOST(2004-2010) and it did satisfy that quite well.
Other books that I have read and enjoyed in a similar vein include:
- The Silo trilogy by High Howey ( Wool, Shift, and Dust)
- Wayward Pines series by Blake Crouch (Pines, Wayward, and The Last Town)
- Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
- MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood (Oryx & Crake, the Year of the Flood, and MaddAddam)
Does anyone have any book suggestions for something similar I should look for?
Thanks!
I loooovveeeed Station Eleven it's one of my favourite post apocalyptic books. You have excellent taste!
I'm reading the Willow Falls trilogy atm. It's post apocalyptic and has some weeved narratives. It's on kindle unlimited and I'm absolutely gripped by them, best books I've read in years.
Other post apocalyptic book that's excellent is Lockdown the first couple are great. Sadly they go off the rails.
Oh and if you haven't already read it then Day of the Triffids is a classic and excellent.
If you haven’t read it, Emily St John Mandel’s last novel, Sea of Tranquility, is excellent and tackles some of the themes if Station Eleven. It’s a time-travelling SF novel mixed with autofiction and ties in with some of her earlier writing. Super-recommended.
I have not read it yet but definitely plan to! Thanks for the recommendation!
I also read Station Eleven recently! The only thing I can think of that is similar is maybe Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. It's also a movie, if you're into that :)
Ooh, I did also read Cloud Atlas and enjoyed that one too!
Is Station Eleven living rent free in your brain too?
To be completely honest, no. I did really like the ending, but my brain mostly dumps everything once I get into a new book series!
Oh! I actually just thought of one more that has multiple characters with multiple perspectives with intertwining stories from different eras - The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton. I read it a long time ago but I still think about it on occasion :)
The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson is an alternate history about if a plague had wiped out 90% of the European population before the renaissance and how the would could have shaken out instead, focusing primarily on Arabic and Chinese culture.
It follows a small group of people who are reincarnating through the ages, all the way up to modern times. It's an amazing novel, and very approachable if you're even vaguely into history.
Ooh, this one definitely sounds like it's right up my alley. I love alternate history, and reincarnation stories. Thank you very much!
I hope you like it! KSR's whole collection is worth a read; he's my favorite living author.
Try other books by Emily St. John Mandel! Sea of Tranqulity and The Glass Hotel have a similar structure :)
I will gladly read some more by her... Already put a couple on my TBR list! Thank you for the suggestions!
I loved the way the different storylines and characters were tied together, some intricately and some just loosely, as well as the multiple perspectives, timelines, and storylines.
Try The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin.
Fantastic, thank you for the suggestion!!
- One Day by David Nicholls because it uses overlapping narratives and different perspectives to tell one story
- The Dog Stars by Peter Heller because it uses a post apocalyptic backdrop to take you on an emotional journey with the characters
- This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud because its overlapping narratives over decades continually recolor events and motivations and outcomes
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin because its three protagonists have their own stories to tell, but they are intertwined and dependent. -Same Bed, Different Dreams by Ed Park because the complex story structure lends itself to a powerful emotional journey for the protagonist and the reader
Amazing list, thank you! I have not read any of these yet.
Oh you’re in for a treat! I love all these books
If I had to pick, I’d go with Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow first. It’s very accessible and very good
Same Bed, Different Dreams is a treat, but it can be a little confusing. Especially if you don’t have much context with the history of the Korean Peninsula
I cannot recommend The Dog Stars (https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/dbff7c12-aff3-4b55-ae20-9b2d0051c92d) enough. It has a peculiar style to it and, admittedly, it took me a couple starts until I got hooked. I am so glad I stuck with it. A very literary post-apocalyptic fiction story with more action than Station Eleven, but a similarly compelling character study.
Awesome! I appreciate the suggestion and have added it to my list!
A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen
The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk
Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
Lilith's Brood series by Octavia Butler
The Lightest Object in the Universe by Kimi Eisele
The Postman by David Brin
The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
Wow another great list of books I haven't read yet! Thank you very much for the suggestions.
One of my favourite books is World Made By Hand by James Kunstler. It’s a lot like Station Eleven in its a post apocalyptic setting, and how the people that are left are getting by with what they have. Apparently it’s a series of books now too, I just discovered that when I looked it up to get the authors name right, so now I’ve got more to read in that world, yay!
Thanks for asking this question, I’ve added a bunch to my reading list!
That sounds perfect, thank you!
I'm glad my question has helpful for you too! I have had so many amazing replies, I am excited to get ahold of a few of these books.
Could I suggest the sci Fi of Cordwainer Smith? Different era and genre, but a similar kind of human beauty.
Suggestion accepted!
Looks like my library has The Game Rat and Dragon on Libby, so I have added that to my list, thank you!
"How Few Remain" by Harry Turtledove. Alternate history where the South won the Civil war and now the North is coming for payback. Numerous characters interacting. warning - this book is a standalone, but it leads into a multi-book series where the two nations go through WW1, the Depression, and WW2.
I am intrigued! Thank you for the suggestion.
Be warned. Turtledove write A LOT of books. I have read many of his books, but it's like watching the first episode of Dragonball or Star Trek. Be warned!!
The Book of the Unnamed Midwife
This looks great, thank you!
Maybe annihilation by Jeff vandermeer or Blindsight by Peter watts. Both of them have an ominous unknown quality. Lots of the suggestions listed are good but I don't think many capture the tone you seem to be going for.
Edit: add three body problem liu cixin and perdido street station by China mieville to my list
These all look like fantastic suggestions, thank you!
As far as pandemic themed books, "The Stand" by Stephen King wears the crown.
"The Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton isn't bad, either.
I haven't read either, but I've heard good things. I will check them out, thanks!
Ohhhh, if you like pandemic themed books too, my all-time favorite book is Blindness by Jose Saramago (skip the sequel, I haven't read it but I heard it's trash in comparison).
If your interest in pandemics extends into zombies, I also just read the Newsflesh series by Mira Grant which I also thought was really cool.
I'm a huge fan of King's early stuff and had read the 800p "The Stand" half a dozen times before the 1200p version was released. I didn't notice anything in the long form that added to the story. I say his editors were right to cut it the first time.
This is an unpopular opinion, but I really think you can skip 400 pages without losing anything.