19 must-read fiction books like Compulsory Games by Robert Aickman

Cover of Compulsory Games by Robert Aickman

Compulsory Games

By: Robert Aickman

3.79

Format: 341 pages, Paperback

Cross Henry James with M.R. James and you might end up with a writer like Robert Aickman, though hi…

"One point is that strangeness usually takes an unexpected form, it is no good looking for something strange. It only happens when you're not looking."

-Robert Aickman, Compulsory Games

"One point is that strangeness usually takes an unexpected form, it is no good looking for something strange. It only happens when you're not looking."

-Robert Aickman, Compulsory Games

"One point is that strangeness usually takes an unexpected form, it is no good looking for something strange. It only happens when you're not looking."

-Robert Aickman, Compulsory Games

If you liked the fiction plot in Compulsory Games by Robert Aickman , here is a list of 19 books like this:

Cover of The Recognitions by William H. Gass, William Gaddis

1. The Recognitions

By: William H. Gass , William Gaddis

4.20

Format: 976 pages, Paperback

The book Jonathan Franzen dubbed the "ur-text of postwar fiction" and the "first great cultural cri… read more

Similar categories in William H. Gass's The Recognitions book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • literature
  • fiction
  • 20th century
"Women get desperate, but they don't understand despair."

-William H. Gass, The Recognitions

"That fever had passed; but for the rest of his life it never left his eyes."

-William H. Gass, The Recognitions

"Reading Proust isn't just reading a book, it's an experience and you can't reject an experience."

-William H. Gass, The Recognitions

"Most people are clever because they don't know how to be honest." William Gaddis, The Recognitions."

-William H. Gass, The Recognitions

Cover of Galactic Pot-Healer by Philip K. Dick

2. Galactic Pot-Healer

By: Philip K. Dick

3.61

Format: 177 pages, Paperback

The Glimmung wants Joe Fernwright. Fernwright is a pot-healer - a repairer of ceramics - in a drabl… read more

Similar categories in Philip K. Dick's Galactic Pot-Healer book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • fantasy
  • fiction
"No structure, even an artificial one, enjoys the process of entropy. It is the ultimate fate of everything, and everything resists it."

-Philip K. Dick, Galactic Pot-Healer

"For a time Joe considered. In his mind he considered his room, the cubicle in which he worked, the loss of his coins, the police—he thought about it all and tried to make it add up. What ties me here…"

-Philip K. Dick, Galactic Pot-Healer

"A man is an angel that has become deranged, Joe Fernwright thought. Once they – all of them – had been genuine angels, and at that time they had had a choice between good and evil, so it was easy, ea…"

-Philip K. Dick, Galactic Pot-Healer

"Già suo padre, prima di lui, era stato un guaritore di vasi. E così anche lui guariva vasi, e a dire il vero qualsiasi manufatto di ceramica risalente ai Vecchi Tempi, prima della guerra, quando anco…"

-Philip K. Dick, Galactic Pot-Healer

Cover of Ripley Under Ground (Ripley, #2) by Patricia Highsmith

3. Ripley Under Ground (Ripley, #2)

By: Patricia Highsmith

5.00

Format: 362 pages, Paperback

"Patricia Highsmith is often called a mystery or crime writer, which is a bit like calling Picasso … read more

Similar categories in Patricia Highsmith's Ripley Under Ground (Ripley, #2) book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • fiction
Cover of The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley

4. The Loney

By: Andrew Michael Hurley

3.78

Format: 244 pages, Hardcover

"If it had another name, I never knew, but the locals called it the Loney - that strange nowhere be… read more

Similar categories in Andrew Michael Hurley's The Loney book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • fiction
  • horror
Cover of The Melancholy of Resistance by George Szirtes, László Krasznahorkai

5. The Melancholy of Resistance

By: George Szirtes , László Krasznahorkai

2.50

Format: 62 pages, Paperback

The Melancholy of Resistance, Laszlo Krasznahorkai's magisterial, surreal novel, depicts a chain of… read more

Similar categories in George Szirtes's The Melancholy of Resistance book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • literature
  • fiction
  • horror
Cover of Nostalgia by Mircea Cărtărescu, Julian Semilian

6. Nostalgia

By: Mircea Cărtărescu , Julian Semilian

3.69

Format: 88 pages, Paperback

Mircea Cartarescu, born in 1956, is one of Romania's leading novelists and poets. This translation … read more

Similar categories in Mircea Cărtărescu's Nostalgia book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • literature
  • short stories
  • fiction
Cover of The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies by John  Langan

7. The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies

By: John Langan

4.06

Format: 322 pages, Paperback

John Langan has, in the last few years, established himself as one of the leading voices in contemp… read more

Similar categories in John Langan's The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • weird fiction
  • collections
  • anthologies
  • short stories
  • fiction
  • horror
  • fantasy
Cover of Devil's Day by Andrew Michael Hurley

8. Devil's Day

By: Andrew Michael Hurley

3.25

Format: None pages, Hardcover

Every autumn, John Pentecost returns to the Lancashire farm where he grew up to help gather the she… read more

Similar categories in Andrew Michael Hurley's Devil's Day book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • fiction
  • horror

9. Rogue Male

By: Geoffrey Household

4.09

Format: 156 pages, Paperback

Rogue Male is one of the classic thrillers of the 20th century. An Englishman plans to assassinate … read more

Similar categories in Geoffrey Household's Rogue Male book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

10. Tarka the Otter

By: Henry Williamson , None

3.47

Format: 1 pages, Paperback

Tarka the otter pursues an active life, sometimes playful and sometimes dangerous, in the Devonshir… read more

Similar categories in Henry Williamson's Tarka the Otter book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

11. The Willows

By: Algernon Blackwood

3.75

Format: 288 pages, Paperback

Two friends are midway on a canoe trip down the Danube River. Throughout the story Blackwood person… read more

Similar categories in Algernon Blackwood's The Willows book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

Cover of 2666 by Roberto Bolaño

12. 2666

By: Roberto Bolaño

4.21

Format: 1128 pages, Paperback

A cuatro profesores de literatura, Pelletier, Morini, Espinoza y Norton, los une su fascinación por… read more

Similar categories in Roberto Bolaño's 2666 book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • literature
  • fiction
"Nothing is ever behind us."

-Roberto Bolaño, 2666

"Reading is never a waste of time."

-Roberto Bolaño, 2666

"Every hundred feet the world changes"

-Roberto Bolaño, 2666

"The sky, at sunset, looked like a carnivorous flower."

-Roberto Bolaño, 2666

13. The Castle of Crossed Destinies

By: Italo Calvino

5.00

Format: 36 pages, Paperback

A group of travellers chance to meet, first in a castle, then a tavern. Their powers of speech are … read more

Similar categories in Italo Calvino's The Castle of Crossed Destinies book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

14. A Balcony in the Forest

By: Richard Howard , Julien Gracq

3.36

Format: 96 pages, Paperback

In the Ardennes Forest on the Belgian border the French guns point north-east, awaiting the German … read more

Similar categories in Richard Howard's A Balcony in the Forest book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

15. Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said

By: Philip K. Dick

3.98

Format: 240 pages, Paperback

Jason Tavener woke up one morning to find himself completely unknown. The night before he had been … read more

Similar categories in Philip K. Dick's Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

16. A Time of Gifts

By: Patrick Leigh Fermor , Jan Morris

4.00

Format: 212 pages, Paperback

In 1933, at the age of 18, Patrick Leigh Fermor set out on an extraordinary journey by foot - from … read more

Similar categories in Patrick Leigh Fermor's A Time of Gifts book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

17. The Black Spider

By: Susan Bernofsky , Jeremias Gotthelf

4.62

Format: None pages, Paperback

An NYRB Classics Original It is a sunny summer Sunday in a remote Swiss village, and a christening … read more

Similar categories in Susan Bernofsky's The Black Spider book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

18. American Tabloid (Underworld USA, #1)

By: James Ellroy

3.37

Format: 414 pages, Paperback

We are behind, and below, the scenes of JFK's presidential election, the Bay of Pigs, the assassina… read more

Similar categories in James Ellroy's American Tabloid (Underworld USA, #1) book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

19. Travels With My Aunt

By: Graham Greene

4.07

Format: 189 pages, Paperback

"I met Aunt Augusta for the first time at my mother's funeral..." Described by Graham Greene as "th… read more

Similar categories in Graham Greene's Travels With My Aunt book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

20. The Friends of Eddie Coyle

By: George V. Higgins

3.00

Format: None pages, Paperback

Eddie Coyle works for Jimmy Scalisi, supplying him with guns for a couple of bank jobs. But a cop n… read more

Similar categories in George V. Higgins's The Friends of Eddie Coyle book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

21. The Rings of Saturn

By: Michael Hulse , W.G. Sebald

3.94

Format: 128 pages, Mass Market Paperback

The Rings of Saturn- with its curious archive of photographs - records a walking tour of the east c… read more

Similar categories in Michael Hulse's The Rings of Saturn book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

Cover of Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell by Nathan Ballingrud

22. Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell

By: Nathan Ballingrud

4.09

Format: 288 pages, Hardcover

A gripping collection of six stories of terror—including the novella “The Visible Filth,” the basis… read more

Similar categories in Nathan Ballingrud's Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • weird fiction
  • collections
  • anthologies
  • short stories
  • fiction
  • horror
  • fantasy
Cover of Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley

23. Starve Acre

By: Andrew Michael Hurley

3.71

Format: 256 pages, Hardcover

The worst thing possible has happened. Richard and Juliette Willoughby's son, Ewan, has died sudden… read more

Similar categories in Andrew Michael Hurley's Starve Acre book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • fantasy
  • fiction
  • horror
"What you go searching for and what you find aren't always the same."

-Andrew Michael Hurley, Starve Acre

"The will of Richard's father had been to ensure that his son was in no doubt that a church was merely a meeting place for the mentally ill, and that all who gathered there--priest and parishioners--w…"

-Andrew Michael Hurley, Starve Acre

Cover of My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley

24. My Phantoms

By: Gwendoline Riley

3.83

Format: 208 pages, Hardcover

Bridget's mother is dying. An extrovert with few friends who has sought intimacy in the wrong place… read more

Similar categories in Gwendoline Riley's My Phantoms book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • fiction
  • british literature
Cover of The Garden of Seven Twilights by Miquel de Palol i Muntanyola

25. The Garden of Seven Twilights

By: Miquel de Palol i Muntanyola

3.99

Format: 885 pages, Paperback

During an atomic alarm in Barcelona in the year 2025, the thirty-year old hero takes refuge in a lu… read more

Similar categories in Miquel de Palol i Muntanyola's The Garden of Seven Twilights book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • literature
  • fiction
Cover of Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi

26. Small Town Horror

By: Ronald Malfi

4.00

Format: 400 pages, Kindle Edition

Five childhood friends are forced to confront their own dark past as well as the curse placed upon … read more

Similar categories in Ronald Malfi's Small Town Horror book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • fiction
  • horror
Cover of They: A Sequence of Unease by Kay Dick

27. They: A Sequence of Unease

By: Kay Dick

3.38

Format: 94 pages, Hardcover

They is a dream, a surreal nightmare which sends a shock right to the heart of our cultural complac… read more

Similar categories in Kay Dick's They: A Sequence of Unease book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • short stories
  • fiction
  • horror
"It was no good listening for footsteps; they wore no shoes."

-Kay Dick, They: A Sequence of Unease

Cover of Mr. Cables by Ronald Malfi

28. Mr. Cables

By: Ronald Malfi

4.00

Format: 99 pages, ebook

For bestselling horror novelist Wilson Paventeau, the scariest novel of his career is one he didn’t… read more

Similar categories in Ronald Malfi's Mr. Cables book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • short stories
  • fiction
  • horror
Cover of Other Worlds: Peasants, Pilgrims, Spirits, Saints (New York Review Books Classics) by Teffi

29. Other Worlds: Peasants, Pilgrims, Spirits, Saints (New York Review Books Classics)

By: Teffi

4.12

Format: 304 pages, Paperback

Stories about the occult, folk religions, superstition, and spiritual customs in Russia by one of t… read more

Similar categories in Teffi's Other Worlds: Peasants, Pilgrims, Spirits, Saints (New York Review Books Classics) book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • literature
  • short stories
  • fiction
  • 20th century
  • horror
  • fantasy
Cover of The Inconsolables by Michael Wehunt

30. The Inconsolables

By: Michael Wehunt

4.24

Format: 294 pages, Paperback

In his first collection, Greener Pastures, Michael Wehunt introduced the world to his singular voic… read more

Similar categories in Michael Wehunt's The Inconsolables book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • collections
  • anthologies
  • short stories
  • fiction
  • horror
"Well, my wife and child have moved out," Fulton told him, "and I've gotten back into vampires to fill the hole they left behind."

-Michael Wehunt, The Inconsolables

Cover of Compulsory Games by Robert Aickman

31. Compulsory Games

By: Robert Aickman

3.79

Format: 341 pages, Paperback

Cross Henry James with M.R. James and you might end up with a writer like Robert Aickman, though hi… read more

Similar categories in Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games book and Robert Aickman's Compulsory Games

  • british literature
  • literature
  • weird fiction
  • collections
  • anthologies
  • short stories
  • 20th century
  • fiction
  • horror
  • fantasy
"One point is that strangeness usually takes an unexpected form, it is no good looking for something strange. It only happens when you're not looking."

-Robert Aickman, Compulsory Games

6 best-selling fantasy books like Compulsory Games by Robert Aickman

Transform Your Habits

Galactic Pot-Healer

Philip K. Dick

3.61

Transform Your Habits

The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies

John Langan

4.06

Transform Your Habits

Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell

Nathan Ballingrud

4.09

Transform Your Habits

Starve Acre

Andrew Michael Hurley

3.71

View all the books

13 Best fiction books like The Melancholy of Resistance by George Szirtes, László Krasznahorkai

Transform Your Habits

The Recognitions

William H. Gass , William Gaddis

4.20

Transform Your Habits

Omensetter's Luck

William H. Gass

4.17

Transform Your Habits

In the Heart of the Heart of the Country and Other Stories

William H. Gass

4.07

Transform Your Habits

The Melancholy of Resistance

George Szirtes , László Krasznahorkai

2.50

View all the books

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