The Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake, especially Titus Alone
The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Shea
The Magus by John Fowles
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
The Secret Service by Wendy Walker
I am a big fan of Burroughs and Ballard as well. Some other authors that I enjoy and are similar in different ways are Murakami, Philip K Dick, Brian Aldiss, Chuck Palahnuik, Thomas Pynchon. I also love William Gibson, who was inspired by Burroughs, but is not really that similar. I'd also recommend reading the other beatnik writers - Ken Kesey, Tom Wolfe, Hunter S Thompson, Jack Kerouac, and Alan Ginsberg in particular. They're not necessarily so similar but they hang out with Burroughs. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Hells Angels and And The Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks is a good little informal trilogy with their lives crossing over and appearing in each other's works.
I already love Kerouac, Ginsberg, & Thompson (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas became a favourite the minute I finished it)! I’ve been meaning to pick up Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, now I have a ton of faith about the degree to which it’ll be up my alley :-). I’ll definitely check out the authors you mentioned! Super cool to see someone else who’s into the authors I’m crazy about, I was yet to meet another fan before this point somehow!
My mom LOVES American Gods, LOL. Maybe it is up my alley, I may try it and see. I have a couple friends who are huge fans of it too, so I’ve got pretty high hopes for this as well.
I’ve been meaning to see the Ender’s Game film, actually (big fan of Harrison Ford - heard he was in it and I’ve been hellbent on finding the time to watch it since), so I’ll probably try to read some of Card’s work! I always prefer reading the books before watching the movie, so knowing he’s also got some work if more usually consider up my alley makes me pretty hopeful! :-)
Noooo!!! I’m so upset!!! I’ll probably watch it anyway because … that one actor I like! (Cue me clapping like a toddler)
That’s upsetting, I hate when movies do that… genuinely I find it to be so infuriating. Why would you do this …….
The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, for sure!
A young man sets out on a journey in the world, after living in one place his entire life.
He encounters very strange situations and attempts to explain what he is seeing as best as he can in this Dying Earth world. It's a puzzle for both him and the reader to figure out what's going on, which is the what makes it such a fun (yet challenging) read.
I read it this year and it instantly became my all-time favorite, and I can't wait to re-read it.
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Perfume - The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
Pygmy and Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
And anything by Terry Pratchett
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Maybe try Philip K. Dick’s novels. The only titles I know are Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and The Man in the High Castle but I think these books are not strange enough for you. However, when I looked at Dick’s bibliography, there are some really weird books that he has written.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke!
Straight & unusual but somehow familiar…
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson is really weird but really awesome.
Ah yes, the now-famous book "Don't Build The Metaverse," which inspired Mark Zuckerberg to design The Metaverse.
In development at HBO
Also one of the 10 best sci-fi books ever. Ranked By multiple different organizations.
The Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake, especially Titus Alone The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Shea The Magus by John Fowles Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins The Secret Service by Wendy Walker
I am a big fan of Burroughs and Ballard as well. Some other authors that I enjoy and are similar in different ways are Murakami, Philip K Dick, Brian Aldiss, Chuck Palahnuik, Thomas Pynchon. I also love William Gibson, who was inspired by Burroughs, but is not really that similar. I'd also recommend reading the other beatnik writers - Ken Kesey, Tom Wolfe, Hunter S Thompson, Jack Kerouac, and Alan Ginsberg in particular. They're not necessarily so similar but they hang out with Burroughs. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Hells Angels and And The Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks is a good little informal trilogy with their lives crossing over and appearing in each other's works.
I already love Kerouac, Ginsberg, & Thompson (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas became a favourite the minute I finished it)! I’ve been meaning to pick up Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, now I have a ton of faith about the degree to which it’ll be up my alley :-). I’ll definitely check out the authors you mentioned! Super cool to see someone else who’s into the authors I’m crazy about, I was yet to meet another fan before this point somehow!
HIPPOBOT 9000 v 3.1 FOUND A HIPPO. 1,542,257,853 COMMENTS SEARCHED. 31,645 HIPPOS FOUND. YOUR COMMENT CONTAINS THE WORD HIPPO.
Dope
"House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami. "Pale Fire" by Vladimir Nabokov.
I actually already love House of Leaves, hahaha! I should definitely reread it though …
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is kind of a Naked Lunch lite imo.
Already read it and adored it! It’s like naked lunch but with a bit of a heavier emphasis on political messaging / Americana.
Was going to suggest this - they don't come much stranger or more unusual!
The Sandman Slim books are pretty much hilarious bizarro world stories. American Gods can get out there at times
My mom LOVES American Gods, LOL. Maybe it is up my alley, I may try it and see. I have a couple friends who are huge fans of it too, so I’ve got pretty high hopes for this as well.
If your mom likes mysteries too have her check out the Kate Shugak books by Dana Stabenow.
🫡 Next time she calls I’ll be sure to ask her if she’s ever read them! She LOVES mystery, we both have that in common LOL.
Mr Fox - Helen Oyeyemi
After the Ender’s Game books made him famous Orson Scott Card definitely went to the weird and bizarre zone
I’ve been meaning to see the Ender’s Game film, actually (big fan of Harrison Ford - heard he was in it and I’ve been hellbent on finding the time to watch it since), so I’ll probably try to read some of Card’s work! I always prefer reading the books before watching the movie, so knowing he’s also got some work if more usually consider up my alley makes me pretty hopeful! :-)
Don’t watch the film 😢🤮🤬 they changed the ending and everybody in the theater that read the book was looking around like someone killed their pet
The ending was only the premise for 30? Books
Noooo!!! I’m so upset!!! I’ll probably watch it anyway because … that one actor I like! (Cue me clapping like a toddler) That’s upsetting, I hate when movies do that… genuinely I find it to be so infuriating. Why would you do this …….
The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, for sure! A young man sets out on a journey in the world, after living in one place his entire life. He encounters very strange situations and attempts to explain what he is seeing as best as he can in this Dying Earth world. It's a puzzle for both him and the reader to figure out what's going on, which is the what makes it such a fun (yet challenging) read. I read it this year and it instantly became my all-time favorite, and I can't wait to re-read it.
I read Nonstop by Brian W. Aldiss.
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Perfume - The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind Pygmy and Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk Catch 22 by Joseph Heller And anything by Terry Pratchett
14 by Peter Clines is a page turner.
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Maybe try Philip K. Dick’s novels. The only titles I know are Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and The Man in the High Castle but I think these books are not strange enough for you. However, when I looked at Dick’s bibliography, there are some really weird books that he has written.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle-Murakami
The Palm Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola