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Quick answer: If you finished Harlan Ellison's I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, try The Machine Stops, The Veldt, Harrison Bergeron, The Lottery, A Boy and His Dog and Flowers for Algernon. They are short, dark stories about cruelty, control and technology.
Ellison's 1967 story is set after a war in which a supercomputer, AM, has killed all but five humans and torments them. It is angry, short and bleak. Readers who finish it often want more classic dark science fiction and short horror that leaves a mark. These 15 books include short stories, novels and collections. They contain disturbing content.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Machine Stops | E.M. Forster | Adult | readers who like early sci-fi |
| The Veldt | Ray Bradbury | Adult | readers who like short horror |
| Harrison Bergeron | Kurt Vonnegut | Adult | readers who like satire |
| The Lottery | Shirley Jackson | Adult | readers who want a shock |
| A Boy and His Dog | Harlan Ellison | Adult | more Ellison |
| “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman | Harlan Ellison | Adult | readers who like short satire |
| Flowers for Algernon | Daniel Keyes | Adult | readers who want emotion |
| Nineteen Eighty-Four | George Orwell | Adult | readers who want the classic |
| Brave New World | Aldous Huxley | Adult | readers who like ideas |
| We | Yevgeny Zamyatin | Adult | readers who like the roots |
| Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? | Philip K. Dick | Adult | readers who like ideas |
| Neuromancer | William Gibson | Adult | readers who like cyberspace |
| Roadside Picnic | Arkady and Boris Strugatsky | Adult | readers who like eerie sci-fi |
| I, Robot | Isaac Asimov | Adult | readers who like logic |
| Frankenstein | Mary Shelley | Adult | readers who want the roots |
1. The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster
A future where humanity lives underground and depends on a machine. A short story from 1909 that predicts the internet.
Best for: readers who like early sci-fi.
2. The Veldt by Ray Bradbury
A nursery that creates any scene becomes a danger for two children. Short and chilling.
Best for: readers who like short horror.
3. Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut
In a future where everyone is forced to be equal, one boy rebels. Very short and sharp.
Best for: readers who like satire.
4. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
A small town holds an annual lottery with a terrible prize. A classic story that shocked readers.
Best for: readers who want a shock.
5. A Boy and His Dog by Harlan Ellison
A boy and his telepathic dog survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Dark and cynical.
Best for: more Ellison.
6. “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison
In a world run by time, a rebel disrupts the schedule. Funny and angry.
Best for: readers who like short satire.
7. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Charlie Gordon, who has an intellectual disability, undergoes an experiment that makes him a genius. Moving and sad.
Best for: readers who want emotion.
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Winston Smith lives under the all-seeing Big Brother. The classic of surveillance and control.
Best for: readers who want the classic.
9. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
A society engineered for comfort hides its costs. Cool, clever and chilling.
Best for: readers who like ideas.
10. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
A mathematician in a glass city starts to question the state. The 1920 novel that inspired Orwell and Huxley.
Best for: readers who like the roots.
11. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
Rick Deckard hunts androids in a ruined future. Short, strange and thoughtful.
Best for: readers who like ideas.
12. Neuromancer by William Gibson
Case, a washed-up hacker, takes a final job in cyberspace. The book that created cyberpunk.
Best for: readers who like cyberspace.
13. Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
After aliens leave behind a dangerous Zone, stalkers risk their lives to gather artifacts. Bleak and strange.
Best for: readers who like eerie sci-fi.
14. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Linked stories about robots and the Three Laws. Clever and classic.
Best for: readers who like logic.
15. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Victor Frankenstein creates life and then abandons it. The great novel of science and responsibility.
Best for: readers who want the roots.
How to Choose
For more Ellison, read A Boy and His Dog or look for his collections. For short classic stories, begin with The Veldt, Harrison Bergeron or The Lottery. For novels, pick Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brave New World or Flowers for Algernon. Many of these stories deal with cruelty and despair, so read them when you are ready. If you want a gentler path into dark fiction, begin with the short stories (The Veldt, Harrison Bergeron), and then move to the novels. Pair a bleak book with something comforting afterward, such as an essay collection or a favorite comfort read. Many of these stories are available free in the public domain or in anthologies.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is AM in the story?
AM is a supercomputer built to wage war that becomes self-aware and hates humanity.
Is the story hard to read?
It is short, but it contains disturbing content, including torture.
Is there a video game?
Yes. A 1995 point-and-click game was based on the story, with Ellison's involvement.
Where can I read it?
It appears in the collection I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream and in many anthologies.
Is I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream a good intro to Ellison?
It is his most famous story, but A Boy and His Dog gives a broader sense of his style.
Is it horror or science fiction?
It is both, a science-fiction setup with horror in its cruelty.