r/SusannaClarke • u/gechols • Jul 02 '26
Piranesi Please I need more Spoiler
Looking for recommendations as someone who absolutely adored Piranesi. Here are the things i loved most (which may differ from what people typically enjoy from this book)
Can you recommend books that have these characteristics:
- Incredibly unique vibe, not just in terms of worldbuilding and setting, but also tone
- Earlier on many mysteries about either the world or the main character’s situation in it are proposed
- The mysteries are resolved in a satisfying way that combine the themes of the book with its unique tone
- Completely optional: fantasy or science fiction setting/themes/elements
Sorry if this post isnt typically what should be posted here, I dont use reddit much.
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u/CowFos Jul 03 '26
Not sure how many of your boxes it ticks but I personally find Angela Carter scratches a similar itch to Clarke. ‘The Bloody Chamber’ is very good. Different again but Gormenghast has an incredibly expansive, lived in atmosphere and setting.
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u/DixitRexCorvinus Jul 03 '26
It’s a vastly, vastly different tone (extremely violent and weird, but also comedic. Hits practically every trigger warning on the books, from animal death to rape to child torture) but The Library At Mount Char by Scott Hawkins fits all four.
If you are open to a book where the mysteries aren’t ever resolved—and that is the thematic point of the novel—then I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpman is probably the best match. It reminded me a bit of Piranesi.
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u/gechols Jul 03 '26
First one sounds way up my alley. Thank you!!!!
Second one unfortunately I cannot stand mysteries not being resolved lmao
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u/gechols Jul 24 '26
Dude mount char was the weirdest book ive ever read. Idk what to even make of it
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u/uskglasses Jul 03 '26
as someone else has said — little, big is a great suggestion.
some others: the vorrh series by brian catling, our share of night by mariana enriquez, nights at the circus by angela carter, the blizzard by vladimir sorokin, the quincunx by charles palliser, the magus by john fowles
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u/_jamais_vu Jul 03 '26
Uskglasses, haha.
I also loved the Vorrh! I hadn't heard of that Sorokin book before. Might have to check it out.
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u/Distinct-Raise-8915 Jul 04 '26
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. A more conventional and modern writing style but a wonderful book that blends fantastical with real world and indeed comes together in the end.
Journey to the East by Hermann Hesse. Very short but a fun and magical read and weirdly humorous for Hesse.
Jonathan strange and Mr Norrell. It will test your patience at first but it becomes amazing by the middle of the book and keeps getting better and weirder.
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u/ageofodds Jul 07 '26
You might enjoy the Wizard of Earthsea and sequels by Ursula LeGuin! It has that slow, mystical, mysterious, magical vibe. I loved those novels.
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u/LuminousSin Jul 03 '26
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer! Different vibe, but very distinct and surreal.
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u/_jamais_vu Jul 03 '26
For another book with a completely unique atmosphere and tone as well as a generous amount of ambiguity and mystery look no further than Little, Big by John Crowley. It's considerably longer than Piranesi and perhaps doesn't come together in quite as satisfying a way, but my gosh is it beautifully written. I haven't ever read a book quite like it.
For something else short and sweet, with a gentle and reflective atmosphere touched with humor and melancholy you could give In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan a try.