It’s late evening, you’re visiting your local library on the way home from work to return some books that are about to go overdue. It’s been a long, tiring day because you were up all of last night binging the brand new Netflix show Squid Game, and you’ve paid for it by not getting nearly enough sleep. As you walk up to the self-service kiosk to do your returns you see a small black box in the card reader slot. Before you hand it in to the Librarian at the desk you go ahead and open it, curious about what could possibly be inside.
You see this:
What do you do?
Happy Halloween from Enfield Libraries! Like everyone else we’ve seen and heard the Internet’s excitement over Squid Game, and many of us have seen and enjoyed it too. After binging something so thrilling and scary that has you constantly on the edge of your seat it’s only natural to look for more of the same. So we had the thought: what are some books available in our library catalogue that you should absolutely borrow if you’re a fan of the show and looking for something with similar themes.
1. ’20th Century Boys’ by Naoki Urasawa
While the premise is not the same by any means, 20th Century Boys and Squid Game share similar themes and motifs: games from childhood being twisted into something much more sinister, a charismatic main character who is down on his luck, and a mysterious masked figure at the centre of the mystery. The manga series by internationally-acclaimed artist Naoki Urasawa follows the story of a group of childhood friends who find that a growing cult led by a mysterious man known only as ‘Friend’ is replicating events that they created in a book they created as children that they named ‘The Book of Prophecy’. Highly recommended for comic and manga fans, and fans of thrillers and mysteries.
2. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
We know, we know, you probably read this in school and found it boring or difficult, but hear us out. Just like Squid Game, Lord of the Flies is about the human condition, our survival and animal instincts, and the propensity that some have towards violence once normal societal rules are out the window. Give it a go with those things in mind, and we’re sure you’ll notice the similarities.
3. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
A famous short story by prolific horror author Shirley Jackson, The Lottery is about a small, fictional town where once a year a member of the community is chosen by chance. What do they win as a result of being chosen? You’ll need to read to find that out, won’t you?
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The immediate comparison people make when discussing Squid Game is to The Hunger Games, a defining trilogy in the world of dystopian YA fiction, as well as an acclaimed movie franchise. The trilogy follows the story of teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen and the fictional country of Panem where every year children from 12 districts are selected to take part in a televised battle royale known as ‘The Hunger Games’. Despite it being aimed at a teenage audience the books have been praised by adults and young people alike, so don’t let the ‘Young Adult’ tag put you off, if you’re interested in dystopian fiction we would recommend it.
5. Battle Royale by Takami Koushun
While mainstream audiences immediately made a comparison between Squid Game and The Hunger Games, manga readers’ minds instantly went to the equally gruesome Battle Royale. The first and only novel to be written by author Takami Koushun, Battle Royale takes place in a fictional, fascist version of Japan where everything considered “immoral” and “rebellious” is outlawed. The government creates a military program wherein fifty high school students are kidnapped, brought to a remote island and forced to kill each other until one student emerges as the winner. Like in Squid Game we get to see different characters and their way of handling the situation, how some try to hide while others take to violence immediately and so on. The novel was massively well received and turned into a manga series and a film that even gained a sequel.
6. The Running Man by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)
One man participating in a reality show in which contestants are chased by the general public. If they kill him, they get a huge prize. Another examination of human violence and the lengths people will go to for money when they are desperate. If you’ve seen the movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger it’s almost nothing like it, far more bleak and closer in tone to something like Squid Game.
7. The Long Walk by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)
Another one of King’s Bachman novels, and also taking place in a dystopian version of the US, the Long Walk follows the contestants of a brutal annual “walking contest” where contestants who fall slower than a certain speed are killed, and the last one standing receives a huge sum of money.
8. 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello
While the previous few recommendations have a very similar premise to Squid Game, 100 bullets isn’t quite the same, but like Squid Game it shows you the lives of various people who have been made victims and are presented with the means and the opportunity to exact violent revenge. There is no prize, and they are by no means forced to accept, and those that do don’t always find happiness with their choices. 100 Bullets is lauded as a “must-read” series in the world of graphic novels and has won multiple awards.
9. Future Diary by Esuno Sakae
This last recommendation is a little more fantastical and, quite frankly, weirder than the rest, especially if you’re not an avid manga reader, but since it’s Halloween we couldn’t make a list without some supernatural horror thrown in! Twelve contestants are entered into a battle royale known as ‘the Diary Game’ and given access to different types of diaries that can read the future. The game is created by an entity called Deus Ex Machina, the God of Time and Space, and the last surviving player is set to become his successor. Oh, and to prevent the apocalypse. Of course.
We’d love to hear if you decide to read any of these, if you already have, or if you would recommend other books! Be sure to comment below or on our social media pages to let us know!
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