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Quick answer: If you loved 11/22/63, read Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife, then Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, then Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle, and Jack Finney's Time and Again and Octavia E. Butler's Kindred. All are time-travel thrillers.
Stephen King's 2011 novel 11/22/63 follows a teacher who travels back to prevent the Kennedy assassination. These picks share its time-bending drama.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Time Traveler's Wife | Audrey Niffenegger | Adult | readers who like romance |
| Outlander | Diana Gabaldon | Adult | historical romance |
| The Man in the High Castle | Philip K. Dick | Adult | occupied America |
| Time and Again | Jack Finney | Adult | nostalgic time travel |
| Kindred | Octavia E. Butler | Adult | readers who want history with sci-fi |
| Timeline | Michael Crichton | Adult | time travel adventure |
| Dark Matter | Blake Crouch | Adult | readers who like twists |
| Recursion | Blake Crouch | Adult | readers who like ideas |
| Slaughterhouse-Five | Kurt Vonnegut | Adult | readers who like dark humor |
| Life After Life | Kate Atkinson | Adult | literary loops |
| Dominion | C. J. Sansom | Adult | Britain under appeasement |
| SS-GB | Len Deighton | Adult | occupied Britain |
| Cloud Atlas | David Mitchell | Adult | readers who like structure |
| The Passage | Justin Cronin | Adult | readers who want a big story |
| The Shining | Stephen King | Adult | readers who like ghosts |
1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Henry travels in time uncontrollably, and Clare waits. Romantic and sad.
Best for: readers who like romance.
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
A nurse in 1945 falls through stones into 1743 Scotland. Romance, history and adventure.
Best for: historical romance.
3. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
In an America ruled by Germany and Japan, a banned novel imagines another outcome. Strange and sharp.
Best for: occupied America.
4. Time and Again by Jack Finney
A New York man travels to 1882 through an odd experiment. Warm and nostalgic.
Best for: nostalgic time travel.
5. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Dana, a Black woman in 1976 California, is pulled back in time to a Maryland plantation where she must keep a white ancestor alive. A powerful classic.
Best for: readers who want history with sci-fi.
6. Timeline by Michael Crichton
Historians are sent back to medieval France. Fast, fun and full of research.
Best for: time travel adventure.
7. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Jason Dessen is kidnapped and wakes in a life that is not his own. A fast thriller with a big idea.
Best for: readers who like twists.
8. Recursion by Blake Crouch
A detective and a scientist face a memory plague that rewrites people's lives. Smart and gripping.
Best for: readers who like ideas.
9. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Billy Pilgrim, a soldier who survived the bombing of Dresden, becomes “unstuck in time.” Funny, strange and sad.
Best for: readers who like dark humor.
10. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Ursula is reborn each time she dies and tries to get things right. Literary and moving.
Best for: literary loops.
11. Dominion by C. J. Sansom
In 1952 Britain, a civil servant joins the resistance. Long, gripping and detailed.
Best for: Britain under appeasement.
12. SS-GB by Len Deighton
A Scotland Yard detective works under German occupation. Cool and atmospheric.
Best for: occupied Britain.
13. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Six nested stories across time, each read by the next. Inventive and moving.
Best for: readers who like structure.
14. The Passage by Justin Cronin
A government experiment creates vampire-like creatures, and a girl named Amy changes the world. A huge, sweeping apocalypse.
Best for: readers who want a big story.
15. The Shining by Stephen King
Jack Torrance and his family are caretakers of a haunted hotel. A masterpiece of slow fear.
Best for: readers who like ghosts.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with 11/22/63: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to 11/22/63. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For time travel, read The Time Traveler's Wife. For history, try Outlander. For alternate history, pick The Man in the High Castle.
Related: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King: Summary and Key Takeaways · Pet Sematary by Stephen King: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote 11/22/63?
Stephen King, in 2011.
Is there a TV series?
Yes, a 2016 Hulu series.
Is it long?
Yes, over 800 pages.
Which book here is best for readers who like ghosts?
Try The Shining by Stephen King, which suits readers looking for readers who like ghosts.
Which book here is best for readers who want a big story?
Try The Passage by Justin Cronin, which suits readers looking for readers who want a big story.
Which book here is best for readers who like structure?
Try Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, which suits readers looking for readers who like structure.
Which book here is best for occupied Britain?
Try SS-GB by Len Deighton, which suits readers looking for occupied Britain.
Which book here is best for Britain under appeasement?
Try Dominion by C. J. Sansom, which suits readers looking for Britain under appeasement.
Which book here is best for literary loops?
Try Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, which suits readers looking for literary loops.