figcatlists

[figcatlists]

Occult and esoteric fiction reading list

A selection of literary works inspired or influenced by various currents of Western esoteric tradition and occultism, spanning from late antiquity to the present day. Includes historical novels about mages and alchemists, initiatory Rosicrucian romances, hermetic allegorical dream visions, gothic tales of elemental spirits, occult detective stories, satirical conspiracy thrillers, and more!

This chart was based on my longer list of 125 works of occult, esoteric, and initiatory fiction and poetry.

#book list #book recommendations #book recs #reading list #occult #occultism #magick #esoteric #esotericism #occult fiction #alchemy #rosicrucian #hermetic #occult books

[figcatlists]

Literature of visions, dreams, and hallucinations

This eclectic chart covers works of literature inspired by "altered states of consciousness" of various types, from ordinary dreams to mystical or psychedelic visions. The set includes visionary poems, classic essays on drugs, oneiric fantasy stories, and surrealist experimental fiction.

This is a selection from my longer list of visionary and dreamlike literature available on the FigCat website.

#book recs #book recommendations #reading list #book list #literature #oneiric #visionary art #surrealism #dream #psychedelic #mystical

[figcatlists]

Weird fiction novels and series

This chart of long-form weird fiction works is a companion to my previous chart of weird short story collections. Together, they are meant to update (but not entirely replace) my older charts of classic and contemporary weird fiction.

All of these charts are selections from a much longer weird fiction list that I compiled and posted on the FigCat website. I recently updated it with new data.

No selection is perfect, and making decisions for this chart was especially difficult; I wanted a representative spread in terms of chronology, moods, and themes. If you think something obvious or important is missing, it's most likely still on the long web list.

(Note to sticklers: Maldoror is often described as a "poetic novel", which is a type of novel. Unfortunately, I don't know enough weird fiction prose poems to make a separate chart where it would be more appropriate.)

#book recs #book recommendations #reading list #book list #literature #weird tales #weird fiction #weird books #the weird #new weird

[figcatlists]

Weird fiction short story collections

I recently updated my list of 240 works of weird fiction on the main FigCat website.

Instead of revising my previous charts of classic and contemporary weird fiction to reflect the changes, I decided to create two new ones, this time dividing them into short and long works. This one is devoted to collections of weird short stories and novellas by authors from the nineteenth century to the present.

#book recs #book recommendations #reading list #book list #literature #weird tales #weird fiction #weird books #the weird #new weird

[figcatlists]

Alternative comics and literary graphic novels chart

This chart is a selection from my list of 200 alternative, art, and experimental comic books, as well as graphic novels with a literary bent. I arranged the chart in reverse order of publication to highlight the more recent titles; I also excluded some of the obvious big-name classics to make it somewhat more interesting than your standard "comic books aren't just for kids starter pack".

#comics recs #comic recommendations #graphic novels #alt comics #alternative comics #fantagraphics books #drawn and quarterly #indie comics #independent comics #alt comix

[figcatlists]

Good comics from the 90s

There was more to 1990s comic books than Liefeldesque spiky and bepouched anti-heroes! I compiled a chart of the best titles from the decade. The complete list of 125 titles is available on the FigCat website.

#comic books #comics recs #comic recommendations #1990s comics #90s comics #vertigo comics #indie comics #1990s

[figcatlists]

Metaphysical detective stories (and other literary mysteries)

A list of books classified as metaphysical detective fiction, as well as other unusual literary mysteries that play with or subvert crime genre conventions. See the full list on my website for more than 90 titles in this vein, each with links to Goodreads and Wikipedia.

#book recs #book recommendations #reading list #book list #detective fiction #mystery #paul auster #umberto eco #thomas pynchon #alain robbe grillet #jorge luis borges #haruki murakami

[figcatlists]

Crime and noir comics chart

A list of crime and noir comic books and graphic novels. Includes tales of the criminal underworld, classic mysteries, hard-boiled detective stories, heist narratives, and police procedurals. This chart is a selection from my list of more than 100 such titles.

#comic books #comics recs #crime comics #noir comics #comic recommendations #ed brubaker #greg rucka #brian michael bendis #blacksad #batman

[figcatlists]

1980s indie comics

A list of independent and alternative comic book series published in the 1980s by companies such as First Comics, Comico, Dark Horse, Eclipse Comics, and Fantagraphics. This chart is a selection from my list of nearly 100 such titles.

#comics recs #comic books #comic recommendations #graphic novels #alt comics #alternative comics #indie comics #independent comics #80s #80s comics #1980s comics #1980s

[figcatlists]

Bleak and disturbing science fiction reading list

A list of science fiction novels and short story collections with dark themes and gloomy settings. The selection includes dystopias, post-apocalyptic and climate fiction, as well as unsettling sci-fi horror. See the full list on my website for more titles and links to Goodreads and Wikipedia.

#dark books #book recs #book recommendations #reading list #book list #science fiction #sci fi #grimdark #peter watts #iain m banks #alastair reynolds #paolo bacigalupi #harlan ellison

[figcatlists]

Dark, disturbing, and transgressive fiction

A list of books that deal with shocking, depraved, or taboo subjects. Many of them contain themes of violence, sexual perversion, or extreme psychological distress, so reader discretion is advised. Please proceed with caution, be mindful of your own limits, and maintain a well-balanced reading diet. This is a selection from my list of 160 books in this category that I published on my website, complete with links to Goodreads and Wikipedia for each title.

#transgressive #disturbing #dark books #book recs #book recommendations #book reccs #reading list #book list #literature #bret easton ellis #cormac mccarthy #georges bataille #naked lunch #irvine welsh

[figcatlists]

Foreign fantasy: from decadence to catastrophe

A chart of fantastical, surreal, and decadent fiction written by non-Anglophone authors between 1880 and 1939. Includes a wide range of genres and styles, from literary phantasmagoria to macabre potboilers. This is a selection from a larger list of 100 non-English fantasy works I posted on my website.

#book list #book reccs #book recommendations #book recs #classic books #classic literature #fantastique #horror fiction #literature #reading list #weird books #weird fiction #franz kafka #guy de maupassant #bruno schulz #gustav meyrink #mikhail bulgakov #decadence #fin de siècle

[figcatlists]

Foreign fantasy: Gothic and Romantic eras

This chart of fantastic fiction written in languages other than English from the 1770s to the 1870s is a sort of companion to my earlier list of Gothic romances. For more titles and links to Goodreads and Wikipedia, see the full version of this list on my website.

#book recommendations #book recs #book list #gothic #gothic romance #gothic novel #horror literature #weird fiction #gothic fiction #horror fiction #fantastique #e.t.a. hoffmann #theophile gautier #honore de balzac #nikolai gogol #comte de lautréamont #jan potocki #book reccs #reading list #literature #classic books #classic literature

[figcatlists]

Weird, surreal, and psychedelic comic books chart

A list of bizarre, trippy, and wildly imaginative graphic novels and comic book series. This is a selection from my list of the strangest 200 comic books.

#comics recs #comic books #comic recommendations #graphic novels #weird fiction #weird comics #surreal #psychedelic #trippy #fantagraphics books #grant morrison #charles burns #peter milligan #brandon graham #jim woodring #jesse jacobs #alt comics #alternative comics

[figcatlists]

Books about exploring the unknown

Anomalous zones, alien structures, and doomed expeditions! This is an eclectic chart of sci-fi and horror books themed around exploration of strange and fascinating places. The titles were chosen from my list of over 60 books in the style of Annihilation, Roadside Picnic, and Rendezvous with Rama.

#book recs #book recommendations #book reccs #reading list #book list #weird fiction #science fiction #sci fi #horror literature #horror books #jeff vandermeer #annihilation #southern reach #roadside picnic #rendezvous with rama #lovecraft #exploratory

[figcatlists]

Contemporary weird fiction reading list

A chart of New Weird books and other bizarre, unsettling, and uncanny literature published in the last 30 years or so. This is a follow-up to my previous chart of classic weird fiction and another selection from my list of over 200 works of weird literature.

#book recs #book recommendations #book reccs #reading list #book list #literature #weird fiction #weird tales #weird books #the weird #new weird #jeff vandermeer #china mieville #haruki murakami #house of leaves #thomas ligotti #michael cisco #laird barron

[figcatlists]

Classic weird fiction reading list

A chart of recommended strange, disturbing, and unsettling books published before 1990. This is a selection from my list of over 200 works of weird literature that I published on my website.

#book recs #book recommendations #book reccs #reading list #book list #literary #literature #weird fiction #weird tales #weird books #the weird #philip k. dick #franz kafka #robert aickman #samuel r. delany #shirley jackson #h.p. lovecraft #jorge luis borges #bruno schulz #alfred kubin #leonora carrington