Books About Parallel Universes and Multiverse to Read Now

This debut novel follows a scientist named Raffi as they travel into the multiverse to search for the woman they love. 

Raffi can't stop thinking about Britt and the unique connection they shared many years ago. 

Driven by the possibility of a multiverse, they quit their jobs to study parallel worlds, hoping to find themselves at 13 and finally tell Britt how they feel. 

Each chapter offers a different parallel world as the characters encounter different versions of themselves, which adds speculative fiction elements to enhance the story.

For readers seeking an LGBT time travel story, this will fit the bill perfectly.

Release Date- 30 April 2024

Related- The Best Books for LGBTQ History Month

This novel is set during the pandemic, although you can quickly escape from the sadness through a parallel universe thanks to Scalzi’s imaginative science-fiction plot.

Jamie is stuck in the rat race of trying to make ends meet through his job as a gig worker delivering food.

During one delivery to a regular, the man extends a job opportunity at an "animal rights organization."

Intrigued, Jamie accepts, only to discover that KPS, the "animal rights group," operates clandestinely to safeguard the secrets of an alternate Earth populated by monstrous kaiju.

If you're unfamiliar with the term, these are giant Godzilla monsters.

It is a hilarious adventure novel filled with boy humor that I quickly passed on to my husband, who adored it as much as I did in this blockbuster movie of a book that offers a light reading escape.

All horror novels offer a parallel universe, don't they?

But I wanted to highlight one so evocative in detail that I now read it annually and get something out of it each time.

Hamill embraces Lovecraftian details, and hearing him discuss them was one of my most memorable experiences as a book club host.

At its root, the story is about a family haunted house visited by a monster.

No family member has let it in until Noah, and it follows a story reminiscent of The Shape of Water in scope as the two attempt to live in each other’s worlds throughout Noah’s life.

But speaking to the parallel universe, readers are pulled into the City depicted in the book, where reality takes on a surreal and dream-like quality.

In this world, buildings constantly shift and relocate, creating a disorienting landscape where nothing stays the same for long.

Scenes from the familiar "normal world" become distorted and altered as dimensions warp and ordinary objects take on strange new qualities.

It was our first dip into weird fiction as a book club, and I loved every minute.

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Jason is heading home on a cold Chicago night, anticipating a peaceful evening with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie.

But he is abducted on his way to the grocery store and awakens to a disturbing discovery.

His wife is not his wife, his house is not his house, and nothing in his life is how it seems.

You are then led through adventure after adventure as Jason tries to find his old life in this beautiful mix of science fiction and love story.

The reader can’t help but root for Jason to be reunited with his family, and there is never a dull moment with Crouch’s savvy plot twists.

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This novel, the first in The Space Between Worlds series, was a GoodReads Choice nominee for Best Science Fiction in 2020.

In this world, people can travel between universes, but there's a rule: no one can go to a world where they're still alive.

Luckily (or unluckily), Cara is an exception—her other selves have all died in various ways on 372 different worlds. 

However, Cara's journey reveals her hidden truths and the secrets of those around her, leading readers on a gripping exploration of identity and consequence across the multiverse. 

Among the novels on this list, this novel has the most polarizing reviews among readers, but most science fiction fans fell in love with this creative multiverse concept. 

Micaiah Johnson recently published her second book in The Space Between Worlds series called Those Beyond the Wall.

Book two is set a decade after the first novel's events in Wiley City and Ashtown.

I love books that seem orchestrated just for the pleasure of reading. If you haven’t read this novel yet, I’m jealous! 

January Scaller grows up in a beautiful mansion filled with odd treasures.

Her father travels a lot for work, and January is the ward of a wealthy man named Mr. Locke, but is often left to her own devices. 

She has been carrying a secret she has never shared with anyone. When she was seven, she found a magical door leading her to a beautiful city. 

When she discloses this information to Mr. Locke in a moment of bravery, she is grounded for sharing such ridiculous tales.

That is when January stumbles upon a book hidden in a chest, immediately connecting with the story.

You see, it is about a young woman named Adelaide, who has also found doors.

As January begins to read this story, she stumbles again upon more and more doors that help her understand her own story and the story of her parents. 

Harrow builds incredible worlds, taking readers on adventure after adventure into beautiful parallel universes. 

When I read this novel in 2016, I gave it five stars! Described as Cloud Atlas meets Orphan Black, it filled the void in my Hunger Games era. 

Marguerite is the daughter of two scientists who have found a way to unlock different dimensions through a high-tech necklace called the Firebird.

This necklace allows you to step into alternate worlds, both past and present.

When her father is murdered, the murderer turns out to be a trusted lab assistant who has used the Firebird to leave and hop in another parallel dimension. 

Hot on his heels, though, are Marguerite and Theo, another research assistant on the team, to try to avenge his death.

Time travel magic unfolds as Marguerite plays a game of cat and mouse from one dimension to another.

What she doesn’t expect is the awaiting love triangle or the truth behind her father’s death in a surprising little plot twist.

You can continue the Firebird series with Ten Thousand Skies Above You and A Million Worlds With You in this trilogy from Claudia Gray!

We are excited to be reading our second V.E. Schwab novel for book club next month and discuss Schwab’s extensive backlist. Please join us for our Vicious discussion in April! 

In A Darker Shade of Magic, readers escape into this fantasy story of parallel universes, the first novel in the Shades of Magic series.

Kell is a rare and powerful magician capable of traveling between the four distinct Londons: Grey, Red, White, and the perilous Black. 

As he navigates the intricate web of magic that binds these realms together, he finds himself entangled in a deadly conspiracy that threatens these worlds.

If you fall in love with this story, you can continue the journey in the Shades of Magic series with A Gathering of Shadows and A Conjuring of Night—both highly rated and adored by fans of the author.

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Crouch creatively explores the concept of living multiple timelines in this gripping science fiction selection. 

NYPD detective Barry finds himself drawn into a world of False Memory Syndrome when he encounters a woman on the brink of tragedy. 

Meanwhile, researcher Helena's quest to preserve memories takes a dangerous turn when her work falls into the hands of a sinister billionaire. 

As the boundaries of reality blur, the novel explores the repercussions of altering the past and the unsettling consequences of manipulating memories.

This novel also appeared on our book list for alternate realities because of the False Memory Syndrome concept, highlighting the explored worlds that these characters thought they lived.

Alix Harrow describes her novella as "the spider-verse but with sleeping beauties." This short 119-page book offers readers a quick escape between heavier books.

On Zinnia Gray's twenty-first birthday, she faces the bittersweet reality of her rare condition called General Roseville Malady that will end her life.

When her best friend throws her an elaborate Sleeping Beauty-themed celebration, Zinnia anticipates a memorable farewell.

Yet, through a twist of fate involving a spinning wheel, Zinnia is thrown into a whirlwind of parallel worlds, where she encounters another Sleeping Beauty in dire need of salvation.

This first novel in the Fractured Fables series offers readers a refreshing feminist approach to familiar fairy tales.

If you love this novella, you can continue with book two, A Mirror Mended.

Described as Dark Matter meets The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, this suspenseful multiverse novel offers a serial killer book with a mind-bending twist. 

Clay is fixated on killing multiple versions of the same woman across parallel universes. 

As political reporter Felicity Stapler becomes involved in the investigation, she navigates a labyrinth of clues and dangers, racing against time to save the unsuspecting victims. 

With each universe holding its secrets, Felicity must outwit Clay before he strikes again,

With echoes of You, you'll be captivated by Barry's clever multiverse concept. 

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If Everything Everywhere All At Once was your favorite film, this novel will launch you back into a multiverse motherhood story.

Hannah has been struggling since her son’s traumatic birth, and she can't shake the feeling that it could have gone the other way.

As this new mom develops a fixation on the "what if," the storyline takes a science-fiction bend when her worst nightmares do come true.

Her child, at random, seemingly disappears into thin air, and through this element, readers are left holding their breath in some of the most unlikely places.

As Hannah isn't in great shape mentally or physically after, she is shaken when people begin to tell her that Jack never made it to this birthday and that the memories she harbors of him not surviving are real.

But what if Hannah could stop this from happening and save her son in another dimension?

I recommend this riveting novel on audiobook!!

Readers might not know that Emily St. James Mandel created her own multiverse through her novels. In honor of the time travel theme, I wanted to spotlight one of these books.

Sea of Tranquility chronicles a 500-year journey through time, where far-future time travelers uncover a potential 'file corruption' that challenges their simulation hypothesis.

As the author's characters grapple with the blurred lines between reality and simulation, echoes from previous works resurface, and the author herself becomes part of the narrative.

She explores her story through autofiction in an avatar named Olive Llewellyn, who happens to be embarking on a book tour in the year 2203 amidst a pandemic.

You can read a compelling interview with the author about the multiverse she created for her readers- Emily St. John Steps Into Her Own Multiverse.

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