Books like 'Unexpected Stories'
Readers who enjoyed Unexpected Stories by Octavia E. Butler also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
sc-fi urban fantasy dystopia afrofuturism classics poc-mc magical-realism black-mc
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Plan for the Worst by Jodi Taylor
16 ratingsThe eleventh book in the bestselling Chronicles of St Mary's series. If you love Jasper Fforde, Ben Aaronovitch or Doctor Who, you won't be able to resist Jodi Taylor.You know what they say. Hope for the best. But plan for the worst.Catch up with the tea-soaked disaster magnets in their latest madcap adventure as they hurtle their way around History...Categorized as:
dystopia magical-realism action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book female-author -
![Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales by Ray Bradbury]()
Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales by Ray Bradbury
18 ratingsFor more than sixty years, the imagination of Ray Bradbury has opened doors into remarkable places, ushering us across unexplored territories of the heart and mind while leading us inexorably toward a profound understanding of ourselves and the universe we inhabit. In this landmark volume, America's preeminent storyteller offers us one hundred treasures from a lifetime of words and ideas...Categorized as:
classics dystopia 20th-century action-adventure adult anthologies fiction historical -
![Love and Decay 3, Episode Eleven (Love and Decay (Complete Series) #35) by Rachel Higginson]()
Love and Decay 3, Episode Eleven (Love and Decay (Complete Series) #35) by Rachel Higginson
6 ratingsZombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after. Reagan and friends have found sanctuary with Tomás. The cathedral offers protection from Zombies and a place to rest and recuperate. But what happens when the outside world follows you inside? There is a greater hazard to the Parker family than Feeders and warlords... -
![Beyond Surrender by Kit Rocha]()
Beyond Surrender by Kit Rocha
12 ratingsThe final book in the bestselling, award-winning series... She's the heart of O'Kane liquor. He's the brains of the revolution. They're facing a war that could end their world. Again. On December 13th, the Beyond series comes to its climactic conclusion with Nessa and Ryder's story--and the final battle between the sectors and Eden... -
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![Love and Decay 3, Episode Ten (Love and Decay (Complete Series) #34) by Rachel Higginson]()
Love and Decay 3, Episode Ten (Love and Decay (Complete Series) #34) by Rachel Higginson
6 ratingsZombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after. Reagan and friends have worked hard to survive Mexico. They fought warlords and cannibals, slave traders and Matthias Allen. They fought and they survived. Colombia is closer than ever, and with it their dream for a better, safer life... -
![Love and Decay 3, Episode Seven by Rachel Higginson]()
Love and Decay 3, Episode Seven by Rachel Higginson
6 ratingsZombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after. Reagan and the Parkers have finally rescued Page just in time for their favorite family activity- killing Zombies. When they are attacked in the middle of the night, Reagan heads out with some Parkers to protect the bungalow... -
![Love and Decay 3, Episode Six by Rachel Higginson]()
Love and Decay 3, Episode Six by Rachel Higginson
6 ratingsZombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after. Get Page back. That’s the only thing Reagan and her friends can focus on, but that is not the only problem facing them. While new allies provide valuable assistance, the outside world still threatens to tear this group apart... -
![Love and Decay 3, Episode Nine by Rachel Higginson]()
Love and Decay 3, Episode Nine by Rachel Higginson
6 ratingsZombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after. Reagan Willow has made a lot of enemies during her time in the Zombie Apocalypse, but one enemy stands above the rest. He has made it his mission in life to destroy her and he will stop at nothing to get his way. Matthias Allen lost his family because of Reagan and the Parkers... -
![Love and Decay 3, Episode Twelve (Love and Decay (Complete Series) #36) by Rachel Higginson]()
Love and Decay 3, Episode Twelve (Love and Decay (Complete Series) #36) by Rachel Higginson
6 ratingsZombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after. In the conclusion of Love and Decay, Season Three, Reagan and friends have made it to Colombia, but their fight out of hell is not over. Starving, dehydrated and out of ammo, the group is at their lowest... -
![The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin]()
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
38 ratingsA classic science fiction novel by one of the greatest writers of the genre, set in a future world where one man's dreams control the fate of humanity. In a future world racked by violence and environmental catastrophes, George Orr wakes up one day to discover that his dreams have the ability to alter reality. He seeks help from Dr...Categorized as:
classics dystopia magical-realism 20th-century adult aliens alternate-history apocalyptic -
![Revelation by Karen McQuestion]()
Revelation by Karen McQuestion
10 ratingsRuss, Nadia, Jameson, and Mallory are about to embark on their riskiest mission yet as they attempt to infiltrate the ruthless Associates in Revelation, the thrilling final installment of the Edgewood series! The Edgewood teens decide to go undercover, joining the Associates in order to find their weaknesses and overthrow them from within...Categorized as:
dystopia magical-realism action-adventure book coming-of-age espionage fiction law-enforcement -
![Pilgrimage: The Book of the People by Zenna Henderson]()
Pilgrimage: The Book of the People by Zenna Henderson
12 ratingsThese are the People.Marooned on this planet by the crash of their interstellar vehicle in the distant past, The People are never free of a sense of strangeness in this world and a yearning for the home they have half-forgotten.These are the chronicles of their arrival on this world, their estrangement from it, and their ultimate acceptance of their poignant exile... -
![Discovering Morgana by Michael Anderle]()
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![Monday Begins on Saturday by Arkady Strugatsky, Boris Strugatsky]()
Monday Begins on Saturday by Arkady Strugatsky, Boris Strugatsky
25 ratingsWhen young programmer Aleksandr Ivanovich Privalov picks up two hitchhikers while driving in Karelia, he is drawn into the mysterious world of the Scientific Research Institute of Sorcery and Wizardry, where research into magic is serious business...Categorized as:
classics magical-realism 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book comedy contemporary -
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![The Fate of Urth by Jennifer Martucci, Christopher Martucci]()
The Fate of Urth by Jennifer Martucci, Christopher Martucci
10 ratingsFive years have passed since we destroyed Kildare. In the years since, the Urthmen threat has diminished, almost to the point of being bearable. I began to feel safe for the first time in my life, that my sister is safe, that mankind has a chance to advance, that a future exists. But I’ve learned that on this planet, nothing lasts, especially peace...Categorized as:
dystopia apocalyptic audiobook book fiction post-apocalyptic urban-fantasy young-adult -
![Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker]()
Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker
12 ratingsThe baker's dozen stories gathered here (including a new, previously unpublished story) turn readers into travelers to the past, the future, and explorers of the weirder points of the present...Categorized as:
dystopia magical-realism adult anthologies apocalyptic audiobook contemporary female-author -
![Beyond Solitude by Kit Rocha]()
Beyond Solitude by Kit Rocha
14 ratingsWhen a motorcycle accident leaves Derek Ford riding a desk at the O’Kane compound, the last thing he needs is a sexy new assistant upending his office and his life. But Mia isn’t scared of her domineering boss. The friction between them generates an undeniable heat—but Mia will not be kept, and Ford will do anything to protect what’s his... -
![The Lathe Of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin]()
The Lathe Of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
34 ratingsWith a new introduction by Kelly Link, the Locus Award–winning science fiction novel by legendary author Ursula K. Le Guin, set in a world where one man’s dreams rewrite the future. During a time racked by war and environmental catastrophe, George Orr discovers his dreams alter reality. George is compelled to receive treatment from Dr...Categorized as:
classics dystopia magical-realism 20th-century adult aliens alternate-history apocalyptic -
![Mind of My Mind by Octavia E. Butler]()
Mind of My Mind by Octavia E. Butler
20 ratingsFor 4,000 years, an immortal has spread the seeds of a master race, using the downtrodden as his private breeding stock. But now a young ghetto telepath has found a way to awaken -- and rule -- her superhuman kind, igniting a psychic battle as she challenges her creator for her right to free her people... -
![Soul of the Elite by Coralee June]()
Soul of the Elite by Coralee June
6 ratingsI’m not seen as a friend or even a sister. I’m just forgotten. Lost. Invisible.Until him.Tallis challenges me. Changes me. He crawls into my soul and lights me up for the world to see. Before, I was nothing more than a protected spoiled girl stuck in the past. But I’m not so little anymore. And I don’t need the protection of my brothers, because this time, I’m the hero... -
![The Warrior Race by T.C. Edge]()
The Warrior Race by T.C. Edge
6 ratingsKira Blackstone’s reputation precedes her. Rebel, warrior, genetically enhanced killer. She’s fought since she was a girl to save the city of Haven. Now, unfortunately, her friends are going to have to fight their war without her. Kidnapped during a fight by a group of mysterious soldiers, garbed in fine silver armour and flowing red robes, Kira finds herself waking in total darkness... -
![Radio by Sophia Elaine Hanson, Sophia Slade]()
Radio by Sophia Elaine Hanson, Sophia Slade
6 ratingsAfter the traumatic events at the dreaded prison Red Bay, Ronja is hanging by a thread. Whispers trail her through the Belly, carrying rumors of her borderline supernatural voice. Plagued by nightmares and haunted by the memories of those she could not save, she clings to the promise that her gift will soon become the weapon of the Anthem... -
![After the Storms by Liz Hambleton]()
After the Storms by Liz Hambleton
6 ratingsThe conclusion for The Another sanctuary and another lie.After fleeing for their lives, Rowan’s band of survivors makes it to the Underground. The last to find her way, the welcome that greets her is not a warm one.She’s about to find out just how far the web of betrayal spreads, touching everything she holds dear. All the while, her family is kept from her, too far away to reach...Categorized as:
dystopia magical-realism sci-fi romance suspense post-apocalyptic urban-fantasy fiction -
![Unleashed by Amy McCulloch]()
Unleashed by Amy McCulloch
8 ratingsThe Golden Compass for the digital age in this action-packed sequel to Jinxed.When Lacey Chu wakes up in a hospital room with no memory of how she got there, she knows something went really wrong. And with her cat baku, Jinx, missing in action and MONCHA, the company behind the invention of the robot pet, threatening her family, she isn't sure who to turn to for answers... -
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![Exposing ELE by Rebecca Gober, Courtney Nuckels]()
Exposing ELE by Rebecca Gober, Courtney Nuckels
10 ratings"I honestly wish I could believe that things will end perfectly, with one big bright happy ending. But these last few days have taught me that life isn't made up of shiny moments. Life is hard; it's gritty. One day you are filled with joy and the next, you are crawling through the muddy trenches with no inkling of when you might be able to climb your way back up again... -
![Population by Elizabeth Stephens]()
Population by Elizabeth Stephens
10 ratingsAbel Eleven years after the sky opened up and aliens descended to ravage the world, Abel thought she had seen and experienced everything that this savage new land - Population - had to offer. Almost...Shock is what she feels when the alien she robbed hunts her down. His corpse, though huge and glowing, had been mangled and left for the scavengers... -
![Captivated by Sophie Davis]()
Captivated by Sophie Davis
10 ratingsCan't get enough of Talia and Erik? Want to know about their first meeting? Interested in what happens between the books? Dying for a peek at what's coming in Created? Captivated is a Talented Novella that includes four short stories, two from Talia's point of view, and two from Erik's point of view. The first is a detailed account of what happened the first time Talia and Erik met...Categorized as:
dystopia action-adventure anthologies fiction paranormal supernatural suspense urban-fantasy -
![His to Keep by Taylor Vaughn]()
His to Keep by Taylor Vaughn
12 ratingsMy alien overlord is green, feral, and determined to keep me. All of us girls growing up on New Terrhan know that when we become of age, we must submit to our overlords in a special ceremony. To my surprise, though, the alien warrior who hunts me down gifts me with hours of bliss...and a beautiful little girl who becomes my only happiness in life after he’s gone... -
![Time Shelter: A Novel by Georgi Gospodinov]()
Time Shelter: A Novel by Georgi Gospodinov
12 ratings“A trickster at heart, and often very funny” (Garth Greenwell, The New Yorker), award-winning Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov has enthralled readers around the world with his labyrinth-like, Kafkaesque tales of contemporary Europe...Categorized as:
magical-realism adult book contemporary fiction hard-sci-fi literary-fiction philosophy -
![Wild Night by Nalini Singh]()
Wild Night by Nalini Singh
12 ratingsA short story about when Hawke visits the nightclub Wild after being notified about a brewing fight involving SnowDancer juveniles. Timeline: Takes place during Chapter 9 of Kiss of Snow.This story can be found on Nalini Singh's official website... -
![City of Shadows by Alex Scarrow]()
City of Shadows by Alex Scarrow
14 ratingsLiam O'Connor should have died at sea in 1912.Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010.Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2026.But all three have been given a second chance - to work for an agency that no one knows exists. Its purpose: to prevent time travel destroying history...Hunted by cyborg assassins from the future, the TimeRiders must abandon New York and go on the run...Categorized as:
dystopia poc-mc action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book children-books fiction -
![The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key]()
The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key
16 ratingsAlternative cover edition for ISBN13: 0590431307 Far from home.Jon has lost his memory. He can't remember who he is or where he came from. He only knows he fell through the forgotten door to the strange planet, Earth, and he is in great danger. Injured from his fall, he has to find someone who will help him... -
![The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie]()
The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie
16 ratingsThree weeks have passed since Cassandra Leung pledged her allegiance to the ruthless pirate-queen Santa Elena and set free Bao, the sea monster Reckoner she’d been forced to train. The days as a pirate trainee are long and grueling, but it’s not the physical pain that Cas dreads most. It’s being forced to work with Swift, the pirate girl who broke her heart...Categorized as:
dystopia poc-mc action-adventure asian-mc book enemies-to-lovers female-author fiction -
![Deathbird Stories by Harlan Ellison]()
Deathbird Stories by Harlan Ellison
18 ratingsHarlan Ellison's masterwork of myth and terror as he seduces all innocence on a mind-freezing odyssey into the darkest reaches of mortal terror and the most dazzling heights of Olympian hell in his finest collection.Deathbird Stories is a collection of 19 of Harlan Ellison's best stories, including Edgar and Hugo winners, originally published between 1960 and 1974... -
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![The Very First Damned Thing by Jodi Taylor]()
The Very First Damned Thing by Jodi Taylor
18 ratingsEver wondered how it all began?It’s two years since the final victory at the Battersea Barricades. The fighting might be finished, but for Dr Bairstow, just now setting up St Mary's, the struggle is only beginning...Categorized as:
dystopia magical-realism action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book comedy -
![Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman]()
Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman
18 ratingsThe Arc of a Scythe series continues with stories that span the timeline. Storylines continue. Origin stories are revealed. And new Scythes emerge...There are still countless tales of the Scythedom to tell. Centuries passed between the Thunderhead cradling humanity and Scythe Goddard trying to turn it upside down... -
![Ghosts of Tomorrow by Michael R. Fletcher]()
Ghosts of Tomorrow by Michael R. Fletcher
6 ratingsThe children are the future.And someone is turning them into highly trained killing machines.Straight out of school, Griffin, a junior Investigations agent for the North American Trade Union, is put on the case: Find and close the illegal crèches. No one expects him to succeed, Griffin least of all... -
![Light Of A Thousand Stars by Siobhan Davis]()
Light Of A Thousand Stars by Siobhan Davis
6 ratingsAriana Skyee has been the center of Zane Anders’ world for years. They got together as a couple ten months ago, so Zane finally has the girl of his dreams. Life should be peachy. But it isn’t.Haunted by a shared secret that threatens to destroy their relationship and claim their sanity, Zane is on a one-man mission to prevent Ari from falling apart... -
![Intuition by Leigh Walker]()
Intuition by Leigh Walker
6 ratingsRiley Payne has recently accepted several things. She'll probably never graduate from high school. She's a secret agent. She has telekinetic power--i.e., she can move things with her brain waves. The boy she likes, Finn, is telepathic--i.e., he can listen to all of her thoughts, including the ones involving his bulging biceps...Categorized as:
dystopia book fairy-tale fiction genetic-engineering horror paranormal urban-fantasy -
![The Wishing Pool and Other Stories by Tananarive Due]()
The Wishing Pool and Other Stories by Tananarive Due
6 ratingsIn her first new book in seven years, Tananarive Due further cements her status as a leading innovator in Black horror and Afrofuturism “Tananarive Due is the master of Black horror, even teaching a class where Jordan Peele guest-lectured. So her new collection, The Wishing Pool, out in mid-April, is a major treat, full of major scares... -
![Seize Today by Pintip Dunn]()
Seize Today by Pintip Dunn
8 ratingsThe third book in the New York Times bestselling and RITA®-award-winning Forget Tomorrow series is a thrilling conclusion to an epic trilogy.Seventeen-year-old precognitive Olivia Dresden is an optimist. Since different versions of people's futures flicker before her eyes, she doesn't have to believe in human decency... -
![Captive by T.C. Edge]()
Captive by T.C. Edge
8 ratingsBrie’s mission to assassinate Director Cromwell has failed. She’s been taken captive. She knows nothing of what’s happened to Adryan. She is completely lost and alone. Waking in a small, dark room, with her powers gone, she’s completely helpless. Resigned to defeat, she knows it’s merely a matter of time before her fate is fully sealed...Categorized as:
dystopia book fiction futuristic genetic-engineering urban-fantasy young-adult sci-fi -
![Out of the Ashes by Pittacus Lore]()
Out of the Ashes by Pittacus Lore
10 ratingsSet in the world of Pittacus Lore’s Lorien Legacies series, this 100-page novella begins a new saga that coincides with the events of Generation One. Fan-favorite characters Six and Sam Goode return in this digital original companion series that’s The X-Files meets the X-men... -
![Intentional Dissonance by Iain S. Thomas, pleasefindthis]()
Intentional Dissonance by Iain S. Thomas, pleasefindthis
10 ratingsNewLand, the last city on Earth after The End. Before The End, the world was on the cusp of widespread adaptation of technologies that should never have been invented. Popular use of teleportation polluted the fabric of time and space. The gifts of a select few meant a whole new world was about to erupt.After The End, Jon Salt is addicted to feeling...Categorized as:
dystopia apocalyptic book contemporary fiction male-author post-apocalyptic psychological -
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![The Best of Richard Matheson by Richard Matheson]()
The Best of Richard Matheson by Richard Matheson
12 ratingsThe first career retrospective of terrifying stories by "one of the greatest writers of the 20th century" (Ray Bradbury), edited by award-winning author Victor LaValle.Among the greats of 20th-century horror and fantasy, few names stand above Richard Matheson... -
![What You Make It by Michael Marshall Smith]()
What You Make It by Michael Marshall Smith
12 ratingsThe first ever collection of Michael Marshall Smith’s award-winning short stories. The first piece of fiction Smith ever wrote – a short story called The Man Who Drew Cats – won the World Fantasy award. It’s included here along with many others, some unpublished, which show the incredible versatility of one of the most exciting writers working in Britain today... -
![Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence]()
Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence
19 ratingsOne choice. Two possible timelines. And a world hanging in the balance.It’s the summer of 1986 and reluctant prodigy Nick Hayes is a student at Cambridge University, working with world-renowned mathematician Professor Halligan. He just wants to be a regular student, but regular isn’t really an option for a boy-genius cancer survivor who’s already dabbled in time travel...Categorized as:
dystopia magical-realism action-adventure audiobook book coming-of-age contemporary fiction -
![Patternmaster by Octavia E. Butler]()
Patternmaster by Octavia E. Butler
18 ratingsThe combined mind-force of a telepathic race, Patternist thoughts can destroy, heal, rule. For the strongest mind commands the entire pattern and all within. Now the son of the Patternmaster craves this ultimate power, He has murdered or enslaved every threat to his ambition--except one...Categorized as:
afrofuturism classics dystopia poc-mc 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history -
![Strange New World by Rachel Vincent]()
Strange New World by Rachel Vincent
14 ratingsDahlia 16's life is a lie. The city of Lakeview isn't a utopia that raises individuals for the greater good; it is a clone farm that mass-produces servants for the elite. And because Dahlia breaks the rules, her sisters--the 4,999 girls who share her face--are destroyed. She and Trigger 17, the soldier who risked his life for hers, go on the run, escaping into the wild outside the city walls... -
![The Trials by Stacey Kade]()
The Trials by Stacey Kade
12 ratingsAfter being on the run, Ariane Tucker finds herself back where she started—under the cruel control of Dr. Jacobs, head of the research facility that created her. Now she must participate in the upcoming trials; a deadly competition pitting her against other alien hybrids, each representing a rival corporation. But Ariane is no one’s weapon...
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