Science fiction · Similar reads
Books like Annihilation
The best books like Annihilation are 1984, The Trial, and Siddhartha. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer is about the unknown and unknowable, identity dissolution, nature reclaiming the human. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- 1984
01
George Orwell · Philosophy
Nineteen Eighty-Four is George Orwell's 1949 novel about a future England called Airstrip One, governed by the totalitarian Party under the figurehead Big Brother.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - The Trial
02
Franz Kafka · Literary fiction
On the morning of his thirtieth birthday, Josef K.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - Siddhartha
03
Hermann Hesse · Religion & Spirituality
Siddhartha is Hermann Hesse's 1922 novel of spiritual seeking, written at a time when Hesse was deeply studying Buddhist and Hindu texts.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary →
- The Remains of the Day
04
Kazuo Ishiguro · Literary fiction
Kazuo Ishiguro's 1989 Booker Prize-winning novel is narrated by Stevens, an aging English butler who has devoted his life to Darlington Hall — and to his employer, Lord Darlington, who turned out to have fascist sympathies in the 1930s.
Both dig into memory and unreliability.
Read the summary → - 2001: A Space Odyssey
05
Arthur C. Clarke · Science fiction
2001: A Space Odyssey begins with prehistoric man-apes encountering a featureless black monolith that somehow catalyzes their cognitive leap from prey to hunter.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - A Fire Upon the Deep
06
Vernor Vinge · Science fiction
The galaxy in A Fire Upon the Deep is zoned by the speed of thought: near the galactic core, the Slowness, where intelligence itself is limited; farther out, the Unthinking Depths; and further still, the Transcend, where entities of incomprehensible intelligence emerge and occasionally intervene in the affairs of the merely civilized.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
07
A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Becky Chambers · Science fiction
Rosemary Harper boards the Wayfarer under a false identity, hoping to escape a family history she cannot speak about.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - A Memory Called Empire
08
Arkady Martine · Science fiction
Mahit Dzmare, ambassador from a small, semi-independent mining station to the vast Teixcalaanli Empire, arrives at the capital to find her predecessor has died under suspicious circumstances and the neural implant that was supposed to give her access to his memories and knowledge is three years out of date.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - All Systems Red
09
Martha Wells · Science fiction
Murderbot is a SecUnit — part robot, part cloned human tissue — that has hacked its own governor module and is technically free, though it has chosen not to tell anyone.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - Blindsight
10
Peter Watts · Science fiction
Blindsight follows a crew of post-human specialists sent to intercept an alien object at the edge of the solar system in 2082.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - Blood Music
11
Greg Bear · Science fiction
Blood Music begins with Vergil Ulam, a maverick biologist who has been engineering intelligent lymphocytes — white blood cells he has modified to carry genetic information processors, effectively creating thinking microorganisms.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - Contact
12
Carl Sagan · Science fiction
Contact follows Ellie Arroway, an astronomer and SETI researcher who has spent her career scanning the skies for evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary →
Books like Annihilation: quick answers
What are the best books like Annihilation?
The best books like Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer are 1984 by George Orwell, The Trial by Franz Kafka, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with Annihilation, such as the unknown and unknowable, identity dissolution, nature reclaiming the human.
What should I read after Annihilation?
A natural next read after Annihilation is 1984 by George Orwell. A kindred science fiction read. Other strong choices are The Trial by Franz Kafka, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.
What books are similar to Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer?
Annihilation centers on the unknown and unknowable, identity dissolution, nature reclaiming the human. Books with a similar feel include 1984 by George Orwell, The Trial by Franz Kafka, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
