Let’s discuss unique books. What is the first one that comes to your mind? The uniqueness can be about the book’s plot, structure, ideas, themes, topics etc.
For me such a book is Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. It’s been a while since I’ve read it but I remember how mindblowing it was for me. Every time I thought it couldn’t surprise me more, it actually did. There’s a bit of everything there: peculiar characters, a substance called ice-nine that can freeze water on contact (as humans are around 60% water, it can instantly kill them), a fictional religion called Bokononism based on the idea that human life has no absolute truth or meaning, a tiny island nation with its own bizarre world. All of these come together to show us a satire of the absurdity of humanity.
As for a unique book structure, I have to say it’s Cain’s Jawbone by Edward Mathers. It’s a kind of puzzle book where pages are not in order and you need to arrange them in order to guess whodunnit. I haven’t finished this one yet but it’s a cool challenge.
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Blood Meridian (McCarthy) is the only book I finished, turned to the first page and read again immediately because I didn’t feel like I got it the first time.
Confederacy of Dunces (Toole) has some of the most unique characters I’ve ever read. The story of how it got published and won a Pulitzer is almost as crazy as the plot.
There is no Antimemetics division (qntm) is rather derivative of the “SCP Foundation” weblore, but it drills down so hard on the idea of creatures that consume, steal, or are powered by human memory that the plot will bend your mind and delight your imagination. Best science fiction I read in forever.
+1 for There is no Antimemetics Division, awesome book
Structure-wise, probably House of Leaves. It uses appendices and several categories of footnotes extensively, to the point that the footnotes begin to dominate the pages (putting it lightly). There’s so much flipping back and forth that an onlooker would assume you’re reading a choose-your-own, adventure book.
Content-wise, it’s hard to choose. I’ll say The Illuminatus Trilogy, which is a semi-absurdist study of authority and human nature, through the lens of a labyrinthine web of conspiracy theories, jumping between at least a dozen character perspectives.
Oh yes, ye old Illuminatis Trilogy. It’s been over 35 years since I read it and it twisted my young brain up, set me up for life of weirdness.
It’s the only book I’ve read more than once, and I’ve read it at least 3 times. Sometimes I’ll flip to a random page as a form of divination
I read twice in my twenties and my copy was completely trashed as I’d loan it to friends often. The last time I loaned it out was not returned before I left town.
I may need to read it again soon, probably buy a copy. I’ve been using the library for my reads the last few years and now I only buy books tht I know for sure I plan a reread.
Just this week got used copies of Embassytown and Lord of Light so I wouldn’t need to check them out again.
I keep an eye out for cheap copies, and then just give them to people. Besides my personal hardcover, I’ve probably bought and given away 10 copies over the years
Hail Eris!
Opened this thread to submit House of Leaves.
It’s not just the footnotes though. As the characters walk down an increasingly small hallway, the words on the page start lower and lower on the page like you’re hunching down with the characters. And when they sprint, there are fewer and fewer words on each page until you’re flipping as fast as they’re running.
Oh, and the plot is about a house bigger on the inside than the outside and the cover of the book is like a quarter inch shorter than the pages in it.
So many examples like this
I keep hearing about this book. I watched a little bit of a no spoiler video to see what it was about. Something about the unusualness calls to me
Would you recommend hardback or paperback?
Haunted by Poe goes along with the book.
I did a couple searches but I’m not sure what I’m looking for
Wait, I got it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_(Poe_album)
That sounds really interesting!! Thanks for adding that info
This book is heavy. I had the paperback version and for a fiction read it is massive. I prefer paperbacks to carry around but if you want to keep it to flex take the hardcover
Probably William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience. Blake hand painted the illustrations for each copy individually, so each copy is truly unique.
Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavić.
It’s written in the form of three (Christian, Jewish, and Muslim) interwoven but mutually-contradictory encyclopedias, with events and characters spanning over a thousand years of history.
Illuminae. It’s an epistolary novel, so it’s narrated in the standard sense. They are often told via letters from protaganists to another chatlogs, or other documents. From wikipedia about Illuminae:
The story is told through a series of documents; including classified reports, censored emails, camera transcriptions, and interviews
(I did not quote it in full because I’m trying to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I remember having a lot of fun when I read it without knowing anything, I just picked it up from the library and started reading.)
This book definitely wins for uniqueness of form, although I now understand what type of book it is and how to find more like that. But I’ve only ever read one book like that.
Although House of Leaves also counts a little bit as epistolary fiction but we’ve all heard of House of Leaves so that one doesn’t count.
Though, 17776 - wikipedia, is even more unique and also epistolary speculative fiction, but that’s not a book, but is instead online articles (which means it can include videos!).
You can start reading that one, right now, here: https://www.sbnation.com/a/17776-football
The weirdest story I ever read was something I randomly picked up at a bookstore called Touched by Venom.
I remember the main character underwent female genital mutilation and had repeat oral sex with dragons which gave her psychic visions on how to get male dragons which were very rare and was how the economy was controlled. And her mother was a phoenix or something.
Probably “The Stones of Summer” by Dow Mossman.
It’s often kinda gibberish but poetical anyways. Been a twenty years since I read it, but it stuck with me anyways. I can’t say it’s great, but it definitely exists.
X X by Rian Hughes.
One of the books conceits is that certain character speak in a particular typeface.
Great science fiction book with a million twists.
My standard response is still Ridley Walker, though there are many other contenders ;)
This is a really cool book. I don’t think it’s particularly unique in terms of its structure but the concepts it discusses and the parallels it draws across fields are worth thinking about.
Non fiction: Managing Neurodiverse Workplaces by Joe Biel and Elly Blue
My runner ups are:
- Native American DNA by Kim TallBear
- Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System by M. Chris Fabricant
- Permission to Speak by Samara Bay
Fiction: The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez
My runners up are:
- Ours by Phillip B. Williams
- Magic Has No Borders by (everyone on earth!?) Samira Ahmed, Sona Charaipotra, Sabaa Tahir, Sayantani DasGupta, Tanaz Bathena, Sangu Mandanna, Olivia Chadha, Nafiza Azad, Tracey Baptiste, Naz Kutub, Nikita Gill, Swati Teerdhala, Shreya Ila Anasuya, Tahir Abrar, and Preeti Chhibber
- The Cretaceous Past by Cixin Liu
Easily house of leaves. I’ve never seen another book play with formatting like that. It has you reading upside down, backwards, all over the place.
“House of Leaves” is also my answer.
Such a weird story in such a good way
I’ll also mention Dhalgren by Samuel Delaney. I felt like I was on drugs while reading that book, loved it.
I still gotta say piers anthony’s geoodyssey. plot travels through history with figures who experience the plot in total in different time periods but you as the reader see each part in each time period as a part. I mean I have trouble putting it into words for the way it works.
Slaughterhouse Five deserves a mention.
So it goes
I have this disease late at night sometimes, involving alcohol and the telephone.
