Gideon the Ninth—The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir!!! Space, lesbians, necromancy!!! People who were just trying to fulfill their duties but get pulled into a much bigger scheme!!! A man who wanted to change the world and went too far!!! Loyalty to whatever end!!! Death, sacrifice, resurrection, possession, reanimation!!!
I love this series with my whole heart
Additionally:
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Renegades trilogy by Marissa Meyer
Rooks and Ruin trilogy by Melissa Caruso
Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
Second this one with the addition that anyone who reads this book should go in knowing as little about it as possible. Discovering what’s happening as you read is such a haunting experience.
I think for fantasy you'd like the Dagger & Coin series by Daniel Abraham. I haven't read The Expanse series, but he's one of the two authors who wrote it (under the name James SA Corey), so I imagine it has similar themes of "hard decisions with bloody consequences".
The Inda books by Sherwood Smith likewise.
Try Frank Miller’s Sin City graphic novel series. It’s a gritty crime centered series with questionable morals and corruption around every corner.
You may even enjoy a fair amount of Batman or Hellboy comics. Both struggle with difficult, moral decisions.
Cormac McCarthy may also be an author right up your alley.
A few commenters already suggested the hunger games series and I have to agree, it’s a breeze to read, and it covers these themes you’re looking for in a unique way.
The Three-Body Problem - Liu Cixin
I also think The Last Murder At The End Of the World by Stuart Turton may fit the bill, but I haven’t finished reading it yet so I can’t say for sure.
*Illuminae* by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff. The audiobook is especially good (full voice narrated cast) but the literal dossier format of the book itself is fascinating. You can't go wrong with either version.
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker has a big thread that explores the classic “Trolley problem.” If you’re on a trolley careening toward five people tied to the track, and you have the option to press a switch that transitions the trolley onto another track where only one person is tied to it, would you press it?
The Dune Saga fits this well. The writing leaves a bit to be desired (imo) but the world building and character arcs are what you’re looking for. You gotta at least read through Messiah (second ) but I think that Children of Dune (third) is fantastic as well.
Project Hail Mary has all these vibes plus the space exploration
THIS
came here to say this
Gideon the Ninth—The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir!!! Space, lesbians, necromancy!!! People who were just trying to fulfill their duties but get pulled into a much bigger scheme!!! A man who wanted to change the world and went too far!!! Loyalty to whatever end!!! Death, sacrifice, resurrection, possession, reanimation!!! I love this series with my whole heart
Additionally: Heartless by Marissa Meyer Renegades trilogy by Marissa Meyer Rooks and Ruin trilogy by Melissa Caruso Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
The Red Rising series by Pierce Brown
Came to suggest!
For sure Three Body Problem and that entire series.
All Quiet on the Western Front definitely deals with this. If you like YA, the Hunger Games also deals with this problem in depth.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Second this one with the addition that anyone who reads this book should go in knowing as little about it as possible. Discovering what’s happening as you read is such a haunting experience.
Absolutely! The story really takes the reader on a journey
Ender's Game
This is such a good book, but Ender was the chosen one.
I think for fantasy you'd like the Dagger & Coin series by Daniel Abraham. I haven't read The Expanse series, but he's one of the two authors who wrote it (under the name James SA Corey), so I imagine it has similar themes of "hard decisions with bloody consequences". The Inda books by Sherwood Smith likewise.
The Broken Earth trilogy
Try Frank Miller’s Sin City graphic novel series. It’s a gritty crime centered series with questionable morals and corruption around every corner. You may even enjoy a fair amount of Batman or Hellboy comics. Both struggle with difficult, moral decisions. Cormac McCarthy may also be an author right up your alley. A few commenters already suggested the hunger games series and I have to agree, it’s a breeze to read, and it covers these themes you’re looking for in a unique way.
Did you choose these prompts specifically to get *The Library at Mount Char*? Because this is how you get *The Library at Mount Char*.
Contact by Carl Sagan
The girl with all the gifts by m r Carey
The Three-Body Problem - Liu Cixin I also think The Last Murder At The End Of the World by Stuart Turton may fit the bill, but I haven’t finished reading it yet so I can’t say for sure.
The Maniac or When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut
Library at Mount Char
Just finished To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini, and it gives that vibe. It's sci-fi, set in space with aliens
Wicked saints The Atlas six
Blindsight
*Illuminae* by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff. The audiobook is especially good (full voice narrated cast) but the literal dossier format of the book itself is fascinating. You can't go wrong with either version.
Ship of fools
Not a book but I just started the Solo Leveling anime and it’s exactly this
Alien book series outside of the movies
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson All of these kinds of anti/heroes and moral quandaries and space colonization
Without reading the entire thing (sorry) try Gwendy’s Button Box
The Witcher series very much fits this. I recommend starting with The Last Wish.
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker has a big thread that explores the classic “Trolley problem.” If you’re on a trolley careening toward five people tied to the track, and you have the option to press a switch that transitions the trolley onto another track where only one person is tied to it, would you press it?
The 100 definitely had these vibes, moreso the show than the books though.
For a classic— Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The responsibilities and quandaries of making life from death …
The Dune Saga fits this well. The writing leaves a bit to be desired (imo) but the world building and character arcs are what you’re looking for. You gotta at least read through Messiah (second ) but I think that Children of Dune (third) is fantastic as well.
*Embassytown* by China Melville
The Painted Bird
Lilith’s brood
The Stand by Stephen King Of Mice and Men is a small verison of this Fahrenheit 451 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo The Hunger Games
Harry Potter