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Quick answer: If you liked Gnomon, read Cloud Atlas, The City & the City, Embassytown and Nineteen Eighty-Four. All are intellectual science fiction and speculative novels with layered structures, strange societies and big ideas about surveillance and identity.
Nick Harkaway's 2017 novel is set in a near-future Britain where a total surveillance system is meant to keep everyone safe, and follows an inspector investigating the death of a woman under questioning, whose mind holds four mysterious stories. It is dense, inventive and playful. The books below offer similar puzzle-box novels about minds, systems and reality.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Atlas | David Mitchell | Adult | linked stories |
| The City & the City | China Mieville | Adult | detective in a divided city |
| Embassytown | China Mieville | Adult | language and aliens |
| Perdido Street Station | China Mieville | Adult | weird fantasy city |
| Nineteen Eighty-Four | George Orwell | Adult | surveillance state |
| We | Yevgeny Zamyatin | Adult | the original dystopia |
| Neuromancer | William Gibson | Adult | cyberpunk foundation |
| Snow Crash | Neal Stephenson | Adult | cyberpunk classic |
| The Quantum Thief | Hannu Rajaniemi | Adult | far-future heist |
| Ancillary Justice | Ann Leckie | Adult | AI and empire |
| Blindsight | Peter Watts | Adult | first contact horror |
| Use of Weapons | Iain M. Banks | Adult | twisting structure |
| House of Leaves | Mark Z. Danielewski | Adult | experimental horror |
| The Gone World | Tom Sweterlitsch | Adult | dark time travel |
| Station Eleven | Emily St. John Mandel | Adult | literary post-collapse |
1. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Six stories nested inside one another, from the nineteenth century to the far future. Ambitious and inventive.
Best for: linked stories.
2. The City & the City by China Mieville
A detective investigates a murder in two cities that share the same space. Clever and strange.
Best for: detective in a divided city.
3. Embassytown by China Mieville
A human colony relies on translators for an alien language that cannot lie. Dense and brilliant.
Best for: language and aliens.
4. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
A scientist's experiment unleashes horror in a strange city. Dark and inventive.
Best for: weird fantasy city.
5. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Winston Smith rebels against Big Brother. Bleak and influential.
Best for: surveillance state.
6. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
A mathematician in a glass city questions his society. The book that inspired Orwell and Huxley.
Best for: the original dystopia.
7. Neuromancer by William Gibson
A hacker is hired for a last job in cyberspace. Dense and influential.
Best for: cyberpunk foundation.
8. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
A pizza-delivering hacker enters the Metaverse. Fast, funny and brainy.
Best for: cyberpunk classic.
9. The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi
A thief escapes prison to carry out a job in a strange city. Dense and dazzling.
Best for: far-future heist.
10. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
A former warship in a human body seeks revenge. Intelligent and original.
Best for: AI and empire.
11. Blindsight by Peter Watts
A crew meets an alien intelligence that is hard to comprehend. Dense, cold and brilliant.
Best for: first contact horror.
12. Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
A mercenary agent's past is revealed in a braided narrative. Complex, dark and brilliant.
Best for: twisting structure.
13. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
A house is larger inside than out, told through layered texts. Strange and demanding.
Best for: experimental horror.
14. The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch
A Navy agent investigates a murder using glimpses of the future. Moody and original.
Best for: dark time travel.
15. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
A travelling company performs Shakespeare after a pandemic. Elegant and moving.
Best for: literary post-collapse.
How to Choose
For more Harkaway try The Gone Away World or Angelmaker. For layered structures choose Cloud Atlas or House of Leaves. For detective puzzles pick The City & the City. For surveillance read Nineteen Eighty-Four or We. For cyberpunk try Neuromancer or Snow Crash. Gnomon is long and complex, so these picks suit readers who like to be challenged. Gnomon takes its title from the part of a sundial that casts a shadow, a metaphor for the book's interest in what is hidden. Readers often say it rewards a second read. Gnomon is a book to read in long sittings, since its four narratives interlock. If you like the surveillance theme, Orwell and Zamyatin are the roots. If you like the playful puzzles, Mieville and Mitchell are the closest. Harkaway's other books are more comic, so they suit readers who find Gnomon heavy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Gnomon about?
A detective investigates a death in a surveillance state and finds four strange stories in the victim's mind.
Who wrote it?
Nick Harkaway.
When was it published?
2017.
Is it hard to read?
Yes, it is long and layered, but rewarding.
Is Harkaway related to John le Carre?
Yes, he is le Carre's son.
Is it science fiction?
Yes, with elements of detective fiction and fantasy.
Is it a standalone?
Yes.
What should I read next?
Try Cloud Atlas or The City & the City.
Is Gnomon connected to Harkaway's other novels?
No, it is a standalone.
Is it dystopian?
It imagines a mass-surveillance society that looks benign and is anything but.
Which book here is best for weird fantasy city?
Try Perdido Street Station by China Mieville, which suits readers looking for weird fantasy city.
Which book here is best for cyberpunk foundation?
Try Neuromancer by William Gibson, which suits readers looking for cyberpunk foundation.