Christchurch City Libraries Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi
Staff-created list
Blurring the lines between fantasy, sci-fi, and horror is the New Weird. Otherworldly themes, unusual characters with strange abilities, and an ever increasing sense of urban and natural dread - that's the world of New Weird Fiction. You'll find these titles breaking conventions and experimenting with what can be done with printed storytelling. Take a deep breath... then explore! A Christchurch City Libraries list.
Great descriptive world building in this classic noir and genre-blurring novel. In a place where it is always light and time is money (literally!), there’...Show more
Great descriptive world building in this classic noir and genre-blurring novel. In a place where it is always light and time is money (literally!), there’s a runaway teenager, and a killer on the loose. Our detective comes up short on leads which means there’s only one more place to look – the place known as Dusk. Inside there is illicit drugs, routine tampering with timelines, and all manner of horrors. (First in a series.)
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Great descriptive world building in this classic noir and genre-blurring novel. In a place where it is always light and time is money (literally!), there’...Show more
Great descriptive world building in this classic noir and genre-blurring novel. In a place where it is always light and time is money (literally!), there’s a runaway teenager, and a killer on the loose. Our detective comes up short on leads which means there’s only one more place to look – the place known as Dusk. Inside there is illicit drugs, routine tampering with timelines, and all manner of horrors. (First in a series.)
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David Mitchell has been doing interesting things with storytelling for some time now. This story is the trans-dimensional, supernatural, psychic trip of a...Show more
David Mitchell has been doing interesting things with storytelling for some time now. This story is the trans-dimensional, supernatural, psychic trip of a young girl who is essentially a lightening rod for psychic phenomena. But there's some very old and powerful mystics among us mere humans who would destroy everything in their pursuit of the girl. A great read which is followed up with 'Slade House' from the same author.
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David Mitchell has been doing interesting things with storytelling for some time now. This story is the trans-dimensional, supernatural, psychic trip of a...Show more
David Mitchell has been doing interesting things with storytelling for some time now. This story is the trans-dimensional, supernatural, psychic trip of a young girl who is essentially a lightening rod for psychic phenomena. But there's some very old and powerful mystics among us mere humans who would destroy everything in their pursuit of the girl. A great read which is followed up with 'Slade House' from the same author.
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Area X is a closely guarded government secret, cut off from the public and presumed dangerous. A small group of scientists and experts are tasked with its...Show more
Area X is a closely guarded government secret, cut off from the public and presumed dangerous. A small group of scientists and experts are tasked with its exploration, and the unpredictability of this alien-seeming world takes hold, blurring the lines of reality. Equal measures sci-fi and horror, ‘Annihilation’ is a captivating, but terrifying story written by the godfather of new weird, in just 195 pages. The first book in the ‘Southern Reach’ series.
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Area X is a closely guarded government secret, cut off from the public and presumed dangerous. A small group of scientists and experts are tasked with its...Show more
Area X is a closely guarded government secret, cut off from the public and presumed dangerous. A small group of scientists and experts are tasked with its exploration, and the unpredictability of this alien-seeming world takes hold, blurring the lines of reality. Equal measures sci-fi and horror, ‘Annihilation’ is a captivating, but terrifying story written by the godfather of new weird, in just 195 pages. The first book in the ‘Southern Reach’ series.
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In 1558 - a gothic Victorian alternate history, the queen rids herself of a small group of troubling children and Rotherweird is created – an island withi...Show more
In 1558 - a gothic Victorian alternate history, the queen rids herself of a small group of troubling children and Rotherweird is created – an island within the city, independent from England. Loaded with bizarre characters, this story has great use of descriptive language, and very strong world building. It’s funny, warm, and amazingly imaginative. (First in a series)
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In 1558 - a gothic Victorian alternate history, the queen rids herself of a small group of troubling children and Rotherweird is created – an island withi...Show more
In 1558 - a gothic Victorian alternate history, the queen rids herself of a small group of troubling children and Rotherweird is created – an island within the city, independent from England. Loaded with bizarre characters, this story has great use of descriptive language, and very strong world building. It’s funny, warm, and amazingly imaginative. (First in a series)
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Here is the cult classic of the New Weird in all its glory. It’s the story of a house that is spatially unique – it’s bigger on the inside – and the famil...Show more
Here is the cult classic of the New Weird in all its glory. It’s the story of a house that is spatially unique – it’s bigger on the inside – and the family that moves in. As they explore this phenomena, they uncover strange things, then their children go missing and all the horrors of the dark corner come to life. This book is doing extraordinary things with form, narrative, and the very physical nature of books as we know them. It’s a love story (or more than one). It’s a puzzle full of codes and cyphers, It’s horrific and it’s beautiful, but is it for you…??
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Here is the cult classic of the New Weird in all its glory. It’s the story of a house that is spatially unique – it’s bigger on the inside – and the famil...Show more
Here is the cult classic of the New Weird in all its glory. It’s the story of a house that is spatially unique – it’s bigger on the inside – and the family that moves in. As they explore this phenomena, they uncover strange things, then their children go missing and all the horrors of the dark corner come to life. This book is doing extraordinary things with form, narrative, and the very physical nature of books as we know them. It’s a love story (or more than one). It’s a puzzle full of codes and cyphers, It’s horrific and it’s beautiful, but is it for you…??
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A bizarre story of a drug called soy-sauce, and pair of young men on the run – one of them curiously obsessed with his own penis. There’s meat monsters an...Show more
A bizarre story of a drug called soy-sauce, and pair of young men on the run – one of them curiously obsessed with his own penis. There’s meat monsters and exploding eyeballs. It’s fast paced and loaded with dick and fart jokes so be ready for some infantile absurdity, some super offensive material, and descriptive horror rock mayhem! (First in a series)
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A bizarre story of a drug called soy-sauce, and pair of young men on the run – one of them curiously obsessed with his own penis. There’s meat monsters an...Show more
A bizarre story of a drug called soy-sauce, and pair of young men on the run – one of them curiously obsessed with his own penis. There’s meat monsters and exploding eyeballs. It’s fast paced and loaded with dick and fart jokes so be ready for some infantile absurdity, some super offensive material, and descriptive horror rock mayhem! (First in a series)
Show less
Life in the time of covid, Alternate Earths, Giant monsters, evil techbro Billionaires! John Scalzi's biting, weird, funny story of a food delivery driver...Show more
Life in the time of covid, Alternate Earths, Giant monsters, evil techbro Billionaires! John Scalzi's biting, weird, funny story of a food delivery driver turned support worker for Godzilla-like monsters is a spot-on satire for the current state of world affairs in the time of covid. As noted in Kirkus reviews, 'fun but with purpose.'
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Life in the time of covid, Alternate Earths, Giant monsters, evil techbro Billionaires! John Scalzi's biting, weird, funny story of a food delivery driver...Show more
Life in the time of covid, Alternate Earths, Giant monsters, evil techbro Billionaires! John Scalzi's biting, weird, funny story of a food delivery driver turned support worker for Godzilla-like monsters is a spot-on satire for the current state of world affairs in the time of covid. As noted in Kirkus reviews, 'fun but with purpose.'
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The weird becomes a winner! Saunders won the Man Booker prize in 2017 with this bizzare tale that he spun from the true story of the death of Abraham Linc...Show more
The weird becomes a winner! Saunders won the Man Booker prize in 2017 with this bizzare tale that he spun from the true story of the death of Abraham Lincoln's son and the ensuing battle for his soul. Told with humour and pathos while dealing with the big questions of life and death.
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The weird becomes a winner! Saunders won the Man Booker prize in 2017 with this bizzare tale that he spun from the true story of the death of Abraham Linc...Show more
The weird becomes a winner! Saunders won the Man Booker prize in 2017 with this bizzare tale that he spun from the true story of the death of Abraham Lincoln's son and the ensuing battle for his soul. Told with humour and pathos while dealing with the big questions of life and death.
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'The Third Policeman' is truly difficult to define. It's a fantastic piece of postmodernist literature, rife with black humour, surrealist imagery and dri...Show more
'The Third Policeman' is truly difficult to define. It's a fantastic piece of postmodernist literature, rife with black humour, surrealist imagery and dripping with satire. You'll find yourself walking a tightrope between fantasy and logic as you tumble into a two dimensional police station where philosophy, theology and quantum physics all wrestle with one another in a delightfully confusing tangle. Easily the weirdest book you'll read all year.
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'The Third Policeman' is truly difficult to define. It's a fantastic piece of postmodernist literature, rife with black humour, surrealist imagery and dri...Show more
'The Third Policeman' is truly difficult to define. It's a fantastic piece of postmodernist literature, rife with black humour, surrealist imagery and dripping with satire. You'll find yourself walking a tightrope between fantasy and logic as you tumble into a two dimensional police station where philosophy, theology and quantum physics all wrestle with one another in a delightfully confusing tangle. Easily the weirdest book you'll read all year.
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The Vorrh is a seemingly endless forest. It’s a place both natural and supernatural. Living beside it and being unknowingly influenced by its powers is a ...Show more
The Vorrh is a seemingly endless forest. It’s a place both natural and supernatural. Living beside it and being unknowingly influenced by its powers is a cyclops raised by robots, a selection of actual historic figures, a young girl curious about the strange world around her, and an intrepid explorer setting off on his journey – one which will test his sanity and turn bizarre and fascinating in equal measure. (First in a series)
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The Vorrh is a seemingly endless forest. It’s a place both natural and supernatural. Living beside it and being unknowingly influenced by its powers is a ...Show more
The Vorrh is a seemingly endless forest. It’s a place both natural and supernatural. Living beside it and being unknowingly influenced by its powers is a cyclops raised by robots, a selection of actual historic figures, a young girl curious about the strange world around her, and an intrepid explorer setting off on his journey – one which will test his sanity and turn bizarre and fascinating in equal measure. (First in a series)
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A multi award winning collection of short horror themed stories, beautifully crafted with the author's distinct voice, at once emotional and satisfying. T...Show more
A multi award winning collection of short horror themed stories, beautifully crafted with the author's distinct voice, at once emotional and satisfying. Themes of love, loss, grief, loneliness are deeply sounded and leave the reader curious to complete the picture. Great use of language and a new author to watch!
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A multi award winning collection of short horror themed stories, beautifully crafted with the author's distinct voice, at once emotional and satisfying. T...Show more
A multi award winning collection of short horror themed stories, beautifully crafted with the author's distinct voice, at once emotional and satisfying. Themes of love, loss, grief, loneliness are deeply sounded and leave the reader curious to complete the picture. Great use of language and a new author to watch!
Show less
Miéville himself described New Crobuzon, where this novel is set, as 'basically a secondary world fantasy with Victorian era technology'. Written in a gri...Show more
Miéville himself described New Crobuzon, where this novel is set, as 'basically a secondary world fantasy with Victorian era technology'. Written in a gritty, realistic, visceral prose that is so detailed you can almost taste the stench of the city, Perdido Street Station is a mix of dark fantasy and speculative fiction, with hybrid characters who despite some of them being part-human/part-insect or some other race/species, become very real. It's a long read, but so enjoyable that you barely notice the pages flying by.
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Miéville himself described New Crobuzon, where this novel is set, as 'basically a secondary world fantasy with Victorian era technology'. Written in a gri...Show more
Miéville himself described New Crobuzon, where this novel is set, as 'basically a secondary world fantasy with Victorian era technology'. Written in a gritty, realistic, visceral prose that is so detailed you can almost taste the stench of the city, Perdido Street Station is a mix of dark fantasy and speculative fiction, with hybrid characters who despite some of them being part-human/part-insect or some other race/species, become very real. It's a long read, but so enjoyable that you barely notice the pages flying by.
Show less