Books like 'Absolute Unit'
Readers who enjoyed Absolute Unit by Nick Kolakowski also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
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Global University Entrance Examination 全球高考 by Mu Su Li, 木苏里
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOne day, You Huo and his famiIy was puIIed into an exam caIIed the GIobaI University Entrance Examination. Going through exams together with other unfortunate examinees, their Iives are put at stake and they can only Iive by passing each exam... -
死亡万花筒 Kaleidoscope of Death by Xi Zi Xu, 西子绪
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratings起初的异样,是家里的猫不让抱了。林秋石发现周围的一切都开始变得充满了不协调感。然后某一天,当他推开家中的门,却发现熟悉的楼道变成了长长的走廊。走廊的两头,是十二扇一模一样的铁门。故事由此开始。阮南烛对林秋石说,当你凝视深渊时,深渊也在凝视着你。林秋石听后陷入沉思,然后对着深渊拉下了裤子拉链……阮南烛:“……你把裤子给我好好穿上!”不皮会死病娇攻X一起皮的沉稳受,双皮奶组合,灵异风格升级流。"Kaleidoscope of Death"It started off peculiarly; first, his domestic cat refused to let him cuddle it... -
The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsA writer in a totalitarian state is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a number of child-murders that are happening in his town.'Sometimes you don't even know what you've been craving until the real thing comes along.' New York Times'McDonagh is more than just a very clever theatrical stylist. His tricks and turns have a purpose... -
Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsStark lives in Colour, a neighbourhood whose inhabitants like to be co-ordinated with their surroundings – a neighbourhood where spangly purple trousers are admired by the walls of buildings as you pass them. Close by is Sound, where you mustn’t make any, apart from one designated hour a day when you can scream your lungs raw... -
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Bedside Manor by Jack Townsend
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“We were a thousand miles away from home when the car gave up the ghost…” When Jack’s car breaks down in the middle of a cross-country road trip, the mysterious house at the top of the hill is a beacon of hope. If he can borrow a phone to call for help, he’ll be on his way in no time. But someone - or something - has other plans... -
Dead in the Water by Barry J. Hutchison
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDan Deadman's afterlife just hit an all new low. When a suspect explodes mid-interrogation and his office is taken over by an intergalactic despot, undead detective, Dan Deadman, reckons he's finally hit rock bottom. Banished to a dangerous underground hostel network, Dan becomes embroiled in a mass-murder investigation that will take him from the bowels of Down Here to the depths of the ocean... -
The Golden Apple by Robert Shea, Robert Anton Wilson
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNausea, then microamnesia, then the laughing jag, then sex. Be patient. The clear light comes next. Then we can discuss Truth. As if we haven't been discussing it all along. -Hagbard Celine, The Golden Apple Illuminatus! Part II, from the original and genuine trilogy of conspiracies, is performed in all its unabridged brilliance by a full ensemble cast... -
Tales from the Gas Station: Volume Four by Jack Townsend
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAs the new owner of the worst business in history, Jack has a lot on his plate. His self-appointed “biggest fan” wants to finally meet, and won’t take no for an answer. The annoying cultists are back and cultier than ever. Plus, there’s a creature living under the building's crawlspace that must be fed regularly (or else)... -
A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBook Two in the madcap time-travel series based at the St Mary's Institute of Historical Research that seems to be everyone's cup of tea...Categorized as:
crime humor 21st-century action-adventure adult alpha-mc alternate-history audiobook -
The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsThe Jorgmund Pipe is the backbone of the world, and it's on fire. Gonzo Lubitsch, professional hero and troubleshooter, is hired to put it out, but there's more to the fire, and the Pipe itself, than meets the eye. The job will take Gonzo and his best friend, our narrator, back to their own beginnings...Categorized as:
dystopia humor satire 21st-century action-adventure adult alternate-history apocalyptic -
Love vs The Scarecrow! by Cassandra Gannon
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNevermore County, 2000: Lori Hatake’s future isn’t going how she’d hoped. She’s broke, her boyfriend ran off with her cousin, and she just witnessed a grisly murder. A demonic Scarecrow killed a woman at the annual bonfire party, right in front of Lori’s eyes. The monster needs to be stopped, before it strikes again!Unfortunately, no one believes her wild tale, except for Dashiell Mommet... -
Melt by J.J. Pike, Mike Kraus
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA new, frighteningly realistic series from #1 best-selling post-apocalyptic author Mike Kraus. A bold scientific breakthrough? Or an end to modern society as we know it It was supposed to be a ground-breaking demonstration: "Melt" a newly created compound, promised to revolutionize waste processing... -
Dial D for Deadman by Barry J. Hutchison
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Space Team Universe just got a whole lot darker. In an alien city torn apart by crooked cops and ruthless criminals, private detective, Dan Deadman, specializes in cases unusual and bizarre... -
Terminal Uprising by Jim C. Hines
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt’s been four months since Marion “Mops” Adamopoulos learned the truth. Four months since she and her team of hygiene and sanitation specialists stole the EMCS Pufferfish and stopped a bioterrorism attack against the Krakau homeworld. Four months since she set out to find proof of what really happened on Earth all those years ago... -
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Leviathan by Robert Shea, Robert Anton Wilson
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe ultimate weapon isn't this plague out in Vegas, or any new super H-bomb. The ultimate weapon has always existed. Every man, every woman, and every child owns it. It's the ability to say No and take the consequences. - Hagbard Celine, LeviathanIlluminatus! Part III cheerfully ushers in the apocalyptic high-camp conclusion of the Illuminatus! Trilogy... -
The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories by Connie Willis
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis new collection of stories from the multi-award-winning author of Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog contains:A Letter from the ClearysAt the RialtoDeath on the NileThe Soul Selects Her own SocietyFire WatchInside JobEven the QueenThe Winds of Marble ArchAll Seated on the GroundLast of the WinnebagosTen stories - which have all won the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award or both - are... -
Memoirs of an Invisible Man by H.F. Saint
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA freak accident renders an ordinary stock analyst invisible, and though invisibility has its pitfalls, he is able to eavesdrop his way into amassing a fortune in this side-splitting, tear-jerking mixture of fantasy and nightmare... -
Terminal Alliance by Jim C. Hines
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen the Krakau came to Earth, they planned to invite humanity into a growing alliance of sentient species. This would have worked out better for all involved if they hadn’t arrived after a mutated plague wiped out half the planet, turned the rest into shambling, near-unstoppable animals, and basically destroyed human civilization. You know—your standard apocalypse... -
Driving to Geronimo's Grave and Other Stories by Joe R. Lansdale
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the Dusty Great Depression to the far future, to the wild west, to the era of big fin automobiles, soda shops and double features, as well as dark journey on an icy ocean full of ravenous sharks and a fantastic shipwreck that leads its survivors into a nightmarish Lovecraftian world of monsters and mystery, Joe R. Lansdale returns with a pack of stories for your consumption and enjoyment... -
The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsBob Howard, from The Laundry, secret UK agency against evil forces, narrates boarding yacht of Ellis Billington for Gravedust device that talks with dead. Ellis plans to raise Jennifer Morgue, monster from deep sea, rule world. U.S. Black Chamber sends lethal Ramona Random, in conflict with her bosses. Includes: Pimpf tale - Bob in virtual game; Afterword; Glossary... -
The World Is Dead by Kim Paffenroth, Mark Onspaugh
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe end of the world has come and gone. The dead have risen, and they've won. No more rallying of the troops. No miracle cure or weapon. Just lots of dead people walking around. If the living dead won, what would the world be like? This collection of eighteen tales-including entries from David Wellington, Jack Ketchum, and Gary A. Braunbeck-take up the call to answer that question... -
City of the Dead by S.D. Perry, Timothy Stahl
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsLeon Kennedy, a rookie cop on a new assignment, and Claire Redfield, sister of the still-missing S.T.A.R.S. member Chris, arrive at Raccoon City to discover a necropolis. A botched attempt by the Umbrella Corporation to retrieve a devastating mutagenic weapon has resulted in a horrifying viral outbreak, transforming the city's population into the living dead. And all of them are hungry... -
I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsA standalone darkly humorous thriller set in modern America's age of anxiety, by New York Times bestselling author Jason Pargin.Outside Los Angeles, a driver pulls up to find a young woman sitting on a large black box. She offers him $200,000 cash to transport her and that box across the country, to Washington, DC.But there are rules:He cannot look inside the box.He cannot ask questions... -
Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong, Jason Pargin
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsNightmarish villains with superhuman enhancements.An all-seeing social network that tracks your every move.Mysterious, smooth-talking power players who lurk behind the scenes.A young woman from the trailer park.And her very smelly cat.Together, they will decide the future of mankind... -
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And He Built a Crooked House by Robert A. Heinlein
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA clever architect designs a house in the shape of the shadow of a tesseract, but it collapses (through the 4th dimension) when an earthquake shakes it into a more stable form (which takes up very little room in our 3-dimensional space... -
Overtime by Charles Stross
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIntroduced to readers in the novels The Atrocity Archive and The Jennifer Morgue, the Laundry is a secret British government agency charged with preventing dark interdimensional entities from destroying the human race... -
The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsNEVER VOLUNTEER FOR ACTIVE DUTY ...Bob Howard is a low-level techie working for a super-secret government agency. While his colleagues are out saving the world, Bob's under a desk restoring lost data. His world was dull and safe - but then he went and got Noticed... -
Tik-Tok by John Sladek
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"A Robot shall not injure a human being, or through inaction allow a human being to come to harm".That's Asimov's celebrated First Law of Robotics. And in the 21st century, all domestic robots are programmed according to that Law... -
Neptune's Brood by Charles Stross
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsKrina Alizond is a metahuman in a universe where the last natural humans became extinct five thousand years ago. When her sister goes missing she embarks on a daring voyage across the star systems to find her, travelling to her last known location - the mysterious water-world of Shin-Tethys... -
The Eye in the Pyramid by Robert Shea, Robert Anton Wilson
Rated: 3.82 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsIt was a deadly mistake. Joseph Malik, editor of a radical magazine, had snooped into rumors about an ancient secret society that was still alive and kicking. Now his offices have been bombed, he's missing, and the case has landed in the lap of a tough, cynical, streetwise New York detective... -
Zero Hour by S.D. Perry
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsBEFORE THE MANSION.BEFORE THE DISASTER.EVIL IS BORN.Sent to investigate a series of grisly murders in Raccoon City, S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team scrambles into action. On the way to the scene, Bravo's helicopter crashes. Although everyone survives, what they discover next is gruesome: an overturned military transport truck riddled with corpses -- and that's only the beginning of their nightmare... -
Space Raptor Butt Invasion by Chuck Tingle
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSpace can be a lonely place, especially when you’re stationed by yourself on the distant planet Zorbus. In fact, Lance isn’t quite sure that can last the whole year before his shuttle pod arrives, but when a mysterious visitor appears at Lance’s terraforming station, he quickly realizes that he might not be so alone after all... -
Slaughtermatic by Steve Aylett
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSet in the blood-drenched chaos of Beerlight, "a blown circuit, where to kill a man was less a murder than a mannerism," Dante Cubit and his pill-popping sidekick, the Entropy Kid, waltz into First National Bank with some serious attitude and a couple of snub guns... -
My Teacher Fried My Brains by Bruce Coville
Rated: 3.79 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBrains are sizzling in the seventh grade...The first day of seventh grade is probably the worst day of Duncan Dougal's life... -
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Rant by Chuck Palahniuk
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsBuster “Rant” Casey just may be the most efficient serial killer of our time. A high school rebel, Rant Casey escapes from his small town home for the big city where he becomes the leader of an urban demolition derby called Party Crashing. Rant Casey will die a spectacular highway death, after which his friends gather the testimony needed to build an oral history of his short, violent life... -
My Teacher Glows in the Dark by Bruce Coville
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsKidnapped in Space?Peter Thompson has had some pretty weird teachers in his time. By the time he discovers that his newest teacher glows in the dark, he’s flying away from Earth in a spaceship full of aliens and there’s no one he can call. How do you report an alien to the F.B.I... -
Deadeye Dick by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Rated: 3.82 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsDeadeye Dick is Kurt Vonnegut’s funny, chillingly satirical look at the death of innocence. Amid a true Vonnegutian host of horrors—a double murder, a fatal dose of radioactivity, a decapitation, an annihilation of a city by a neutron bomb—Rudy Waltz, aka Deadeye Dick, takes us along on a zany search for absolution and happiness... -
Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse by Victor Gischler
Rated: 3.71 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMortimer Tate was a recently divorced insurance salesman when he holed up in a cave on top of a mountain in Tennessee and rode out the end of the world. Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse begins nine years later, when he emerges into a bizarre landscape filled with hollow reminders of an America that no longer exists... -
Contact by Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsFind the missing. Fear the found.Three months have passed since the space fleet's arrival, but very little has changed in the skies above planet Earth. Motherships still hover without word, impervious to attack and communication. Spherical shuttles still ferry about, their intentions unclear... -
The Face of Another by Kōbō Abe
Rated: 3.77 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsLike an elegantly chilling postscript to The Metamorphosis, this classic of postwar Japanese literature describes a bizarre physical transformation that exposes the duplicities of an entire world. The narrator is a scientist hideously deformed in a laboratory accident–a man who has lost his face and, with it, his connection to other people. Even his wife is now repulsed by him... -
Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb, Ruth Ann Phimister
Rated: 3.69 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEdgar Award-winning author Sharyn McCrumb brings her storytelling talent and keen eye for satire to this hilarious spoof of the bizarre culture surrounding sci-fi/fantasy fandom. It all takes place at Rubicon, the science fiction and fantasy convention of your nightmares... -
The Brink by James S. Murray, Darren Wearmouth
Rated: 3.63 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe sequel to the international bestseller (including #1 Sunday Times bestseller) Awakened, by one of the stars of TruTV’s Impractical Jokers and a bestselling science fiction author.Former NYC Mayor Tom Cafferty has been haunted by the horror of a single day. The opening of the brand new Z-train subway line beneath the Hudson River—the supposed shining moment of his tenure... -
My Teacher Is an Alien by Bruce Coville
Rated: 3.71 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsSixth grade is just out of this world!Susan Simmons can tell that her new substitute teacher is really weird. But she doesn't know how weird until she catches him peeling off his face -- and realizes that "Mr. Smith" is really an alien! At first no one will believe her except Peter Thompson, the class brain. When Peter and Susan discover Mr... -
Zodiac by Neal Stephenson
Rated: 3.73 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsSangamon Taylor's a New Age Sam Spade who sports a wet suit instead of a trench coat and prefers Jolt from the can to Scotch on the rocks. He knows about chemical sludge the way he knows about evil -- all too intimately. And the toxic trail he follows leads to some high and foul places... -
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Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA Good Morning America Book Club Pick! • A work-from-home comedy where WFH meets WTF. “An absurd, hilarious romp through the haunted house of late-stage capitalism.”—Carmen Maria Machado, author of In the Dream House Told entirely through clever and captivating Slack messages, this irresistible, relatable satire of both virtual work and contemporary life is The Office for a new world... -
Zombie, Ohio by Scott Kenemore
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsWhen rural Ohio college professor Peter Mellor dies in an automobile accident during a zombie outbreak, he is reborn as a highly intelligent (yet somewhat amnesiac) member of the living dead. With society crumbling around him and violence escalating into daily life, Peter quickly learns that being a zombie isn’t all fun and brains... -
The Challenge From Beyond by Stanley G. Weinbaum, Donald Wandrei
Rated: 3.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwo collaborative novels, one by fantasy, one by science fiction greats... -
Awakened by James S. Murray, Darren Wearmouth
Rated: 3.65 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAfter years of waiting, New York's newest subway line is finally ready -- an express train that connects the city with the burgeoning communities across the Hudson River. The shining jewel of this state-of-the-art line is a breathtaking visitors’ pavilion beneath the river... -
Gestapo Mars by Victor Gischler
Rated: 3.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCarter Sloan is a trained assassin—the best there is, pulled out of cryogenic sleep whenever an assignment demands his skills. So when he’s kept in the deep freeze for 258 years, he’s seriously pissed off.Yet his government needs him, to hunt down the enemy known as the Daughter of the Brass Dragon...
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