Recommendations based on Version Controlby Dexter Palmer

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Hyperion

    by Dan Simmons
    Epic science-fiction story of a journey to the distant planet Hyperion.

    In the 29th century, the Hegemony of Man comprises hundreds of planets connected by farcaster portals. The Hegemony maintains an uneasy alliance with the TechnoCore , a civilisation of AIs . Modified ... (Wikipedia)

  2. Cloud Atlas

    by David Mitchell
    A dynamic narrative spanning centuries, exploring the interconnectedness of humanity.

    The book consists of six nested stories; each is read or observed by a main character of the next, thus they progress in time through the central sixth story. The first five stories are each ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Alif the Unseen

    by G. Willow Wilson
    A hacker navigates a dangerous and repressive world while seeking love and justice.

    In an unnamed Middle Eastern security state, a young Arab-Indian hacker shields his clients—dissidents, outlaws, Islamists, and other watched groups—from surveillance and tries to stay out of ... (Goodreads)

  4. Annihilation

    by Jeff VanderMeer
    A team of four women venture into a mysterious, surreal landscape in search of answers.

    A team of four women cross the border into an uninhabited area known as "Area X", an unspecified coastal location that has been closed to the public for three decades. The group consists of a ... (Wikipedia)

  5. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

    by Junot Díaz
    An exploration of love, identity, and the power of fate in a family's struggles and triumphs.

    Oscar de León (nicknamed Oscar Wao, a bastardization of Oscar Wilde ) is an overweight Dominican growing up in Paterson, New Jersey. Oscar desperately wants to be successful with women but, from a ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Parable of the Sower

    by Octavia E. Butler
    A post-apocalyptic story of survival, hope, and the power of community.

    This highly acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel of hope and terror from award-winning author Octavia E. Butler "pairs well with, 1984, or, The Handmaid's Tale," (John Green,, New York Times,)–now with a ... (Barnes & Noble)

  7. Borne

    by Jeff VanderMeer
    In a post-apocalyptic world, a scavenger finds a mysterious creature named Borne and raises it, but soon discovers its dangerous potential.

    In the ruins of a nameless city of the future that is dominated by a giant grizzly bear called Mord, a woman named Rachel lives as a scavenger, collecting genetically engineered organisms and ... (Wikipedia)

  8. The Wonder

    by Emma Donoghue
    A nurse is sent to a small Irish village to observe a girl who claims to have survived without food.

    In this masterpiece by Emma Donoghue, bestselling author of, Room, an English nurse is brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle — a girl said to have survived without ... (Barnes & Noble)

  9. An Officer and a Spy

    by Robert Harris
    A story of espionage and betrayal set against the backdrop of the Dreyfus Affair.

    Upon being promoted to run the Statistical Section , the top secret headquarters of French military intelligence, Georges Picquart begins to discover that the evidence used to convict Alfred Dreyfus ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Cat's Cradle

    by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
    A satirical exploration of human folly, exposing the dangers of unchecked science and technology.

    Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it ... Dr Felix Hoenikker, ... (Goodreads)

  11. Sword & Citadel

    by Gene Wolfe
    Epic fantasy quest to reclaim a lost kingdom and restore balance to the world.

    Severian , an apprentice in the torturers' guild, barely survives a swim in the River Gyoll. On his way back to the Citadel (whose towers appear to be disused rockets), Severian and several other ... (Wikipedia)

  12. The Peripheral

    by William Gibson
    A journey to the future, exploring the possibilities of a post-apocalyptic world.

    The novel begins sometime in the near-future in a small town in rural America. Flynne Fisher works at a local 3D printing shop and lives with her mother and her brother Burton, who sustained brain ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Number9Dream

    by David Mitchell
    A young man's surreal journey of self-discovery in Tokyo, uncovering hidden truths.

    David Mitchell follows his eerily precocious, globe-striding first novel, Ghostwritten , with a work that is in its way even more ambitious. In outward form, number9dream is a Dickensian ... (Goodreads)

  14. Shadow & Claw

    by Gene Wolfe
    Epic fantasy saga of a young man's quest in a world of darkness and danger.

    Severian , an apprentice in the torturers' guild, barely survives a swim in the River Gyoll. On his way back to the Citadel (whose towers appear to be disused rockets), Severian and several other ... (Wikipedia)

  15. My Name Is Lucy Barton

    by Elizabeth Strout
    A woman's journey of self-reflection, uncovering secrets from her past.

    Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn't spoken for many years, comes to see her. Her unexpected visit forces Lucy to confront ... (Goodreads)

  16. News of the World

    by Paulette Jiles
    Captain Kidd travels through Texas in 1870, reading the news to townspeople. He is tasked with returning a young girl to her family.

    The book opens in 1870 on the wild border between Texas and Indian Territory , where a 10-year-old girl has been released after four years of captivity. Kiowa raiders had killed her family and taken ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Tomie

    by Junji Ito
    A beautiful girl named Tomie drives men to madness and murder, only to come back to life and continue her reign of terror.

    The manga centers on the titular character: a mysterious, beautiful woman named Tomie Kawakami , identified by her sleek black hair and a beauty mark below her left eye. Tomie acts like a succubus , ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Parable of the Talents

    by Octavia E. Butler
    A post-apocalyptic tale of survival, exploring themes of faith and power.

    Parable of the Talents is told from the points of view of Lauren Oya Olamina and her daughter Larkin Olamina/Asha Vere. The novel consists of journal entries by Lauren and passages by Asha Vere. Four ... (Wikipedia)

  19. Battle Royale

    by Koushun Takami
    High school students forced to fight to the death in a dystopian society.

    Battle Royale takes place in a fictional fascist Japan in the year 1997. The state, known as the Republic of Greater East Asia (,大東亜共和国,, Dai Tōa Kyōwakoku,) , arose after an alternate World War 2 ... (Wikipedia)

  20. The Story of the Lost Child

    by Elena Ferrante
    An exploration of the complexities of motherhood and female friendship, spanning four decades.

    "Nothing quite like this has ever been published before," proclaimed The Guardian about the Neapolitan novels in 2014. Against the backdrop of a Naples that is as seductive as it is perilous and a ... (Goodreads)

  21. After Dark

    by Haruki Murakami
    A night in Tokyo filled with mysterious events and surreal encounters.

    Set in metropolitan Tokyo over the course of one night, characters include Mari Asai, a 19-year-old student, who is spending the night reading in a Denny's . There she meets Takahashi Tetsuya, a ... (Wikipedia)

  22. Ordinary Grace

    by William Kent Krueger
    A Midwestern family's journey of grief and healing, grappling with tragedy and the power of grace.

    “That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.” New Bremen, ... (Goodreads)

  23. Collected Fictions

    by Jorge Luis Borges
    An anthology of Borges' masterful short stories, exploring the depths of human thought and imagination.

    Jorge Luis Borges has been called the greatest Spanish-language writer of our century. Now for the first time in English, all of Borges' dazzling fictions are gathered into a single volume, ... (Goodreads)

  24. The Obelisk Gate

    by N.K. Jemisin
    A magical journey of survival, facing cosmic forces that threaten the universe.

    The story is told primarily from the perspectives of Essun, a powerful orogene driven out of her home at the beginning of the first book, and Nassun, her adolescent daughter. Schaffa, Essun's former ... (Wikipedia)

  25. The Girl from Everywhere

    by Heidi Heilig
    Nix, a time-traveling pirate, must choose between saving her father and erasing her own existence.

    The Girl from Everywhere , the first of two books, blends fantasy, history, and a modern sensibility. Its sparkling wit, breathless adventure, multicultural cast, and enchanting romance will dazzle ... (Barnes & Noble)

  26. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

    by Haruki Murakami
    A surreal exploration of two separate yet interwoven realities.

    The story is split between parallel narratives. The odd-numbered chapters take place in the 'Hard-Boiled Wonderland', although the phrase is not used anywhere in the text, only in page headers. The ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Neverwhere

    by Neil Gaiman
    A mysterious journey through a hidden realm of London, filled with danger and unexpected allies.

    Neverwhere is the story of Richard Mayhew and his trials and tribulations in London. At the start of the story, he is a young businessman, recently moved from Scotland and with a normal life ahead. ... (Wikipedia)

  28. A Visit from the Goon Squad

    by Jennifer Egan
    A mosaic of characters, lives, and relationships as they intertwine and evolve over time.

    Jennifer Egan’s spellbinding interlocking narratives circle the lives of Bennie Salazar, an aging former punk rocker and record executive, and Sasha, the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. ... (Goodreads)

  29. Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings

    by Jorge Luis Borges
    A collection of metaphysical tales and philosophical musings exploring the nature of reality.

    Although his work has been restricted to the short story, the essay, and poetry, Jorge Luis Borges of Argentina is recognized all over the world as one of the most original and significant figures in ... (Goodreads)

  30. The Story of a New Name

    by Elena Ferrante
    Two young women's search for identity and independence in a patriarchal society.

    In 2012, Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend introduced readers to the unforgettable Elena and Lila, whose lifelong friendship provides the backbone for the Neapolitan Novels. The Story of a New ... (Goodreads)