Books with the “Philosophical” trope

The book asks questions about meaning, morality, and human nature and thinks them through.

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59 books9% of the catalog

Atmosphere and mood · Philosophical

Books with this trope

Cover of “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde

1890

Cover of “The Darkness That Comes Before” by R. Scott Bakker

The Darkness That Comes Before

R. Scott Bakker

2003

Cover of “Interview with the Vampire” by Anne Rice

Interview with the Vampire

Anne Rice

1976

Cover of “The Vampire Lestat” by Anne Rice

The Vampire Lestat

Anne Rice

1985

Cover of “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman

American Gods

Neil Gaiman

2001

Cover of “Vita Nostra” by Marina Dyachenko and Sergey Dyachenko

Vita Nostra

Marina Dyachenko and Sergey Dyachenko

2007

Cover of “Speaker for the Dead” by Orson Scott Card

Speaker for the Dead

Orson Scott Card

1986

Cover of “Foundation” by Isaac Asimov

Foundation

Isaac Asimov

1951

Cover of “Solaris” by Stanisław Lem

Solaris

Stanisław Lem

1961

Cover of “Hyperion” by Dan Simmons

Hyperion

Dan Simmons

1989

Cover of “Starship Troopers” by Robert A. Heinlein

Starship Troopers

Robert A. Heinlein

1959

Cover of “Childhood's End” by Arthur C. Clarke

Childhood's End

Arthur C. Clarke

1953

Cover of “Blindsight” by Peter Watts

Blindsight

Peter Watts

2006

Cover of “The Three-Body Problem” by Cixin Liu

The Three-Body Problem

Cixin Liu

2008

Cover of “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley

Brave New World

Aldous Huxley

1932

Cover of “Blindness” by José Saramago

Blindness

José Saramago

1995

Cover of “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess

A Clockwork Orange

Anthony Burgess

1962

Cover of “Anthem” by Ayn Rand

Anthem

Ayn Rand

1938

Cover of “Schismatrix” by Bruce Sterling

Schismatrix

Bruce Sterling

1985

Cover of “The Quantum Thief” by Hannu Rajaniemi

The Quantum Thief

Hannu Rajaniemi

2010

Cover of “The End of Eternity” by Isaac Asimov

The End of Eternity

Isaac Asimov

1955

Cover of “Red Mars” by Kim Stanley Robinson

Red Mars

Kim Stanley Robinson

1992

Cover of “The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August” by Claire North

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

Claire North

2014

Cover of “The Daughter of Time” by Josephine Tey

The Daughter of Time

Josephine Tey

1951

Cover of “The Exorcist” by William Peter Blatty

The Exorcist

William Peter Blatty

1971

Cover of “Moby-Dick” by Herman Melville

Moby-Dick

Herman Melville

1851

Cover of “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad

1899

Cover of “The Time Machine” by H. G. Wells

The Time Machine

H. G. Wells

1895

Cover of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding

Lord of the Flies

William Golding

1954

Cover of “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel

Life of Pi

Yann Martel

2001

Cover of “Faust” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Faust

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

1808

Cover of “The Trial” by Franz Kafka

The Trial

Franz Kafka

1925

Cover of “Steppenwolf” by Hermann Hesse

Steppenwolf

Hermann Hesse

1927

Cover of “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco

The Name of the Rose

Umberto Eco

1980

Cover of “Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts

Shantaram

Gregory David Roberts

2003

Cover of “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars

John Green

2012

Cover of “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway

The Old Man and the Sea

Ernest Hemingway

1952

Cover of “The Sea-Wolf” by Jack London

The Sea-Wolf

Jack London

1904

Cover of “The Remains of the Day” by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Remains of the Day

Kazuo Ishiguro

1989

Cover of “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig

The Midnight Library

Matt Haig

2020

Cover of “The Left Hand of Darkness” by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin

1969

Cover of “Contact” by Carl Sagan

Contact

Carl Sagan

1985

Cover of “We” by Yevgeny Zamyatin

We

Yevgeny Zamyatin

1924

Cover of “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Philip K. Dick

1968

Cover of “Replay” by Ken Grimwood

Replay

Ken Grimwood

1986

Cover of “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy

Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy

1878

Cover of “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy

War and Peace

Leo Tolstoy

1869

Cover of “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Crime and Punishment

Fyodor Dostoevsky

1866

Cover of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel García Márquez

1967

Cover of “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho

1988

Cover of “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Five

Kurt Vonnegut

1969

Cover of “A Canticle for Leibowitz” by Walter M. Miller Jr.

A Canticle for Leibowitz

Walter M. Miller Jr.

1959

Cover of “The Forever War” by Joe Haldeman

The Forever War

Joe Haldeman

1974

Cover of “Earth Abides” by George R. Stewart

Earth Abides

George R. Stewart

1949

Cover of “A Psalm for the Wild-Built” by Becky Chambers

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Becky Chambers

2021

Cover of “Dark Matter” by Blake Crouch

Dark Matter

Blake Crouch

2016

Cover of “Life After Life” by Kate Atkinson

Life After Life

Kate Atkinson

2013

Cover of “I'm Thinking of Ending Things” by Iain Reid

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Iain Reid

2016

Cover of “The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner” by James Hogg

The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

James Hogg

1824

Often found together with

Combinations that already exist in the catalog. Click to search for both.

Melancholic12 Survival10 Morally Grey Character9 Forbidden Knowledge8

Dark Fantasy

A bleak fantasy world without clear good or evil, where magic always comes at a high price.

Cozy Mystery

A gentle whodunit full of tea, small towns, and amateur sleuthing rather than graphic violence.

Creeping Dread

Horror that slowly builds a quiet sense that something is terribly wrong, instead of using jump scares or gore.

Magical Realism

Magic and the strange are woven naturally into everyday, ordinary life.