I have read a lot of books and many start to fall into established literary niches. What are some books that seem to break the traditional mold and do their own thing?
The Vorrh by Brian Catling. Very strange, dark historical fantasy set in colonial Africa. Exquisite, poetic prose and powerful imagery, one of my favourite books in recent memory.
I’m going to nominate two novels by Laline Paull:
- Pod
- The Bees
Paull writes from the perspective of non-human characters in a super creative (and sometimes unsettling) fashion. She’s not a scientist but I feel her writing honors an appreciation and curiosity about the natural world, ‘other minds,’ and the impact of humans on the natural world.
POD probably fits in the genre niche of “climate fiction” but even among climate fiction it’s weird AF.
Check out M. John Harrison. The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again was his last novel in 2020. His new one, The End of Everything, is released next month.
Definitely qualifies! Recommend for enjoyment yeh or neh?
I give it two toes up.
If you’re down for reading some weird books, this is certainly one of them.
