Our Top Picks For Authors Like Kurt Vonnegut
Books & Authors Similar To Kurt Vonnegut To Read
Here are fifteen writers, novels and books similar to to read if you like Kurt Vonnegut’s past work.
1984 By George Orwell
Description: George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel “1984” has stood the test of time. Written in 1949, its prophetic vision of the world we were becoming is more relevant than ever. A startling and haunting work of fiction, it creates an imaginary world that completely convinces the reader from start to finish.
About The Author: A master of dystopian fiction, he created Animal Farm, a satire on the Russian revolution. His other works included many essays and non-fiction.
Why Read It? It’s a fantastic companion to reading Slaughterhouse-Five.
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BRAVE NEW WORLD By Aldous Huxley
Description: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a chilling glimpse into an unequal, tech-driven future. People are genetically bred and socially conditioned to abide by the ruling order, sacrificing their freedom, humanity, and maybe even their souls. A must-read classic that will make you question our world.
About The Author: He’s best known for his dystopian novel Brave New World, but he wrote poetry and countless non-fiction works.
Why Read It? It’s excellent when paired with Animal Farm or 1984.
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FAHRENHEIT 451 By Ray Bradbury
Description: Meet Guy Montag – a fireman whose job is to burn the most precious of possessions, books. He obediently follows orders, never questioning the destruction he causes. But then he meets Clarisse, a free-spirited neighbor who opens his eyes to a world of ideas and knowledge, away from the fear and mindless chatter of the television. Montag soon questions everything.
About The Author: This american novelist is famous for his Science Fiction and Fantasy, and writing about the mystery and wonder of life.
Why Read It? Fahrenheit 451 is a sci-fi classic.
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NEVER LET ME GO By Kazuo Ishiguro
Description: Kathy, Ruth and Tommy were once kids at a special boarding school in the English countryside. Hailsham was a place of cliques, secrets and teachers who made them feel special. Years later, Kathy is reflecting on their childhood and beginning to understand the true meaning of their gift. Ruth and Tommy are back in her life and together they are discovering how this will shape the future.
About The Author: This British-Japanese has written seven novels, of which the most recognized is The Remains Of The Day.
Why Read It? His career started in 1982, and he’s known for Never Let Me Go.
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A SCANNER DARKLY By Philip K. Dick
Description: Bob is living a double life – he’s both a junkie and a drug dealer. But there’s a twist: Bob and his pursuer, law enforcement agent Fred, are the same person! Substance D causes Bob’s mind to split in two, with each side unaware of the other. He’s caught in a paranoid spiral as he desperately tries to stay one step ahead of Fred, who’s trying to stay one step ahead of his bosses.
About The Author: He’s known for his science fiction, with stories dealing with existentialism and altered states of consciousness.
Why Read It? A Scanner Darkly and Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep is a good introduction to his style.
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THE CONSTANT RABBIT By Jasper Fforde
Description: In England, 2022, 1.2 million human-sized rabbits have taken over thanks to a mysterious event that happened 55 years ago. When a family of rabbits moves to Much Hemlock, a small village in Middle England, the villagers want them gone. Peter Knox and his daughter Pippa, however, choose to stand with them – even if it means risking the wrath of the UK Anti-Rabbit Party. Will Peter and Pippa have to choose between their human and rabbit friends?
About The Author: His books are a pastiche and parody of the genres they occupy.
Why Read It? There’s the main plotline combined with an alternative plotline from an author’s work within the fictional universe he created.
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PRACTICAL DEMONKEEPING By Christopher Moore
Description: Meet Travis O’Hearn and Catch – an unforgettable pair! Travis is a 100-year-old ex-seminarian and roads scholar, and Catch is a demon with an appetite for people. In Christopher Moore’s ingenious debut novel, they arrive in Pine Cove, California, where the locals have other plans in store. Get ready for a wild ride as Travis tries to be rid of Catch and chaos ensues!
About The Author: He’s known for Practical Demonkeeping.
Why Read It? The best comic fantasy is absurd. Christopher Moore does this well.
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MIDDLESEX By Jeffrey Eugenides
Description: Middlesex is a captivating story about the Stephanides family, who immigrate from a small village in Asia Minor to Detroit, then finally settle in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. As the narrator Calliope (later Cal) discovers a family secret, the reader is taken on a journey through history and culture. From the roaring ’20s of the Motor City to the 1967 race riots, Jeffrey Eugenides creates an epic and lyrical tale that will leave you breathless.
Why Read It? His stories delve into the lives of young Americans. Middlesex tells the story of Cal Stephanides grappling with identity, expectations, and gender in American and Greek culture.
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CATCH-22 By Joseph Heller
Description: Meet Yossarian, an extraordinary bombardier stationed in Italy during WWII. He’s determined to stay alive even as thousands of people try to kill him and his own army keeps upping the number of missions he must fly. But there’s Catch-22. If Yossarian tries to avoid these missions, he’s considered sane and, therefore, ineligible to be relieved. Will Yossarian find a way out?
Why Read It? As a master of satire, his writing is unforgiving and timely. Many of his invented words are now part of the English lexicon. His novel captures the absurdity and tragedy of a world war.
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THE RUM DIARY By Hunter S. Thompson
Description: Discover The Rum Diary, Hunter S. Thompson’s classic tale of jealousy, deceit, and passionate intoxication set in 1950s San Juan, Puerto Rico. Follow freelance journalist Paul Kemp as he’s pulled into a world of power, corruption, and criminal opportunity.
About The Author: A great author with work in memoir, journalism, and fiction. He wrote extensively on politics, drugs, sports, and people. People attribute the method of Gonzo Journalism to him.
Why Read It? A dizzying, hedonistic freefall into an intriguing world.
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BLOOD MERIDIAN By Cormac McCarthy
Description: This coming-of-age story set in the dangerous Texas-Mexico border of the 1850s follows fourteen-year-old Tennesseean, the Kid, as he’s thrust into a dark world of violence and slaughter. An tale of survival and growth, this is a gripping account of a young man’s challenges in a time of turmoil.
About The Author: His authorship started in 1965. Set in the American West, his stories often deal with the brutal reality of life.
Why Read It? He’s known for brilliant books like Blood Meridian.
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GRAPES OF WRATH By John Steinbeck
Description: This tells the story of the Joads, an Oklahoma farm family forced to leave their home during the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s. With intense humanity and moral vision, this captures the struggles of the powerless against the powerful, one man’s reaction to injustice, and one woman’s stoical strength.
About The Author: He was known for his California novels examining people’s lives during the Great Depression.
Why Read It? Grapes of Wrath won a Pulitzer Prize for its portrayal of poverty.
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fIGHT CLUB By Chuck Palahniuk
Description: Let go of the mundane and step into a dark and thrilling world. Follow Fight Club’s narrator on his journey as he meets Tyler Durden, an enigmatic figure who arranges intense underground boxing matches.
About The Author: An American writer of minimalist literature, known for writing transgressive, graphic, disturbing, and humorous books.
Why Read It? Fight Club became a movie starring Brad Pitt in 1999.
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rABBIT, RUN By John Updike
Description: Meet Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, a former high school basketball star that impulsively left his wife and son. At 26, he’s stuck between his instincts and his conscience, trying to decide what’s best for him while still trying to stay true to society’s expectations and his own moral code. He’s on a journey of self-discovery, hoping that if he can just stay on the straight and narrow, he’ll find salvation.
About The Author: He’s a writer, but also a poet and artist.
Why Read It? Rabbit follows the life of Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom from college basketball star to family man.
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HEART OF DARKNESS By Joseph Conrad
Description: Charles Marlow is a young man who joins a Belgian Company to captain a riverboat and trade with the Congo. As he travels, he discovers the horrific injustices and atrocities committed by the Company. The Heart of Darkness recounts Marlow’s experiences, a chilling tale of colonialism’s brutality.
About The Author: He was a Polish-British author who wrote novels and short stories. He was influenced by Edgar Allan Poe and Jonathan Swift.
Why Read It? Heart Of Darkness is his best-known novel.
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Conclusion
Hope you found this list including recs helpful, and you’ve got something fantastic to add to your TBR. Happy reading! Have suggestions for this article, want to tell us your current favorite or what’s on your shelf?
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