When the world's at stake,
go beyond the headlines.

Forget the algorithm — this list was created by the humans who bring you War on the Rocks. Here, they share some of their favorite works of fiction.

Kerry Anderson

Trustee from the Toolroom, Nevil Shute (2010). An ordinary but fundamentally decent man ends up on an epic travel adventure. Published in 1960, the book can feel a bit old-fashioned but in a way that can be comforting in today’s world. It’s a great summer read.

Circe, Madeline Miller (2018). Thanks to Pat Barker’s books, which I recommended for a previous War on the Rocks reading list, I’ve become very interested in re-interpretations of Greek stories and myths through the eyes of the female characters. This is my favorite of this genre after Barker’s novels. In the book, the sorceress Circe is a complex character interacting with other nuanced characters such as Daedalus and Odysseus and some rather more simplistic ones. If, like me, you ever wondered why she would turn sailors into pigs, the book offers an answer.

Nora Bensahel

Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros (2023). I confess I was skeptical about this perennial chart topper, until my friend Christin described it as “West Point with dragons!” Violet Sorrengail plans to become a quiet scribe at Basgaith War College. But the commanding general, who happens to be her monther, instead orders her to attempt to become an elite Dragon Rider — seemingly a death sentence, given that dragons do not tolerate physical frailty, and that violence among students is not only accepted but sometimes encouraged. As if trying to survive each day weren’t enough, Violet soon suspects that her mom/commander is hiding the truth about the dangers that lurk beyond the school walls, leaving her without anyone to trust. The plot drew me in immediately, and WOTR readers may particularly enjoy the details of military world that the authors builds.

Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame, Olivia Ford (2024). If you need a complete escape from the relentless uncertainty and turbulence of our current world, this sweet little story is for you. The titular Mrs. Quinn has been married to her husband for almost 60 years, and has spent her life taking care of him and the rest of her family. After deciding she needs to do something for herself, becomes a contestant on a fictionalized version of the Great British Bake Off. Each week’s baking challenge brings back a host of memories, and the secret that she has hidden from her husband their entire lives. The only content warning this book needs is that it will make you hungry. Fortunately, Mrs. Quinn shares her recipes throughout, so you can make your own treats.

Ian Brown

Red Rising series, Pierce Brown (2014–). Currently at six books with the final volume due out next year, the Red Rising series blends a number of literary styles in its story of humankind’s future 700 years from now. In a highly stratified society, a Martian miner — the lowest of the low caste — discovers the lie that has kept his caste pliant to its harsh existence, and with the aid of a covert rebel movement, joins the high caste to unravel the society from within. It is a fusion of Greek tragedy, dystopian futurism, and the epic battles and political machinations of “Game of Thrones” without ever feeling like a dull derivative of any of them. It’s a story that spans the solar system, and when a character calls for an Iron Rain…buckle up.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, Max Brooks (2006). I was deployed to Al Asad and found World War Z sitting on a dusty bookshelf in our squadron spaces; despite having no specific interest in the zombie genre, I was intrigued by its approach as an oral history, it was a quiet night, and I could only binge so many TV shows from the network morale drive. I gave it a shot, and it became one of those few books I make a point of re-reading every couple of years. Brooks combines compelling world building with detailed research so that nuclear war between Pakistan and Iran, reality TV, and lonely astronauts stranded on the International Space Station watching cities burn make perfect sense when placed in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. This is also one of the few books where I’d recommend the audiobook over the print version, as the voice actors truly bring a global war against the undead to life.

Jason Dempsey

The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer, Neal Stephenson (1995). Written in 1995, The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer, didn’t get as much attention as his breakout novel, Snow Crash, but it presented a future world of 3-D printing, nanotechnology, and autonomous drones. The potential of the tech stuck out for me, but I’m interested in going back to see how they fed into, or shaped, a world beyond nation-states.

Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson (1999). The second book, also by Stephenson, is his 1999 opus, Cryptonomicon. Set in both World War II and the late 1990s, the book presents a raucous wartime adventure reminiscent of Indiana Jones with some appropriate shade thrown on Douglas MacArthur for good measure. The overlapping “modern” storyline set in the late 1990s depicts an effort to establish an independent data haven, anonymous internet banking, and digital currency. As an artifact of the first internet boom, and before “techbros” became a thing, I wonder if I will still see the protagonists as on the right side of history.

Ryan Evans

Life and Fate, Vasily Grossman (1980). I don’t believe I will ever be the same after reading this book. Never have I encountered a work with such empathy. Grossman, a Soviet Jew from Ukraine, served as a Red Army correspondent during World War II, spending over a thousand days at the front. His hundred or so characters are so vivid, I feel I know them personally. Some are clearly drawn from the author’s life. Set during the Battle of Stalingrad, the novel moves between a Siberian gulag, Nazi POW and extermination camps, cities and villages across the Soviet Union, and the battlefield itself. Grossman completed the manuscript in the 1950s, but the KGB seized it. Smuggled into the free world in 1974, it was finally published in 1980, more than a decade after his death. It stands as a powerful monument to human beings caught between two totalitarian systems.

The Czar’s Madman, Jaan Kross (1978). Estonia’s greatest novelist, explores the life of Timotheus von Bock, or “Timo,” a Baltic nobleman imprisoned and declared insane by the Russian czar for daring to speak truth to power. The novel blends journal entries, letters, and other accounts related by Timo’s brother-in-law, immersing the reader in von Bock’s psychological and political struggle. But the real star is Timo’s wife, Eeva. With subtlety, Kross captures the crushing absurdity of tyranny and the enduring resilience — as well as the tragedy — of those who refuse silence. Kross was incarcerated about the same amount of time as his character, Timo — in his case, in the Gulag.

Madeline Field

The Chicago East India Company, Christopher Lyke (2022). I picked this up after reading Dewaine Farria’s book review in War on the Rocks. Beautifully written, this short, uniquely perfect collection of stories weaves together military service in the war on terror and life in America’s inner cities.

No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy (2005). McCarthy has turned both the Western and crime genres on their heads in this gritty, engrossing tale set on the Texas-Mexico border. It’s not a particularly light read — it takes a rather nihilistic view on good, evil, and fate — but it’s still exciting and at times, good fun.

Ulrike Franke

Looking Backward 2000 – 1887, Edward Bellamy (1888). In 1887, 30-year-old Bostonian Julian West falls asleep in his home — and, seemingly the next morning, awakes in the Boston of the year 2000. He finds his world much changed, with the social questions of his time (the “labour question” in particular) solved through the establishment of a completely different economic system. “Looking Backward” was meant as a criticism of capitalism and a vision of a functioning socialism, and it is that. At the time of its publishing, the book had an important political impact, with “Bellamy Clubs” being founded, and the book being used as guide for policy proposals. But as all future focused work, it also offers a fascinating insight into what a writer in 1887 thought possible for the year 2000, from credit cards to what feels like Amazon deliveries.

Zachary Griffiths

Men at Arms, Evelyn Waugh (1952). Men at Arms captures the absurdity of military life with sharp satire, elegant prose, and characters familiar to anyone who’s worn the uniform. The first in Waugh’s Sword of Honor trilogy, it follows the aristocratic Guy Crouchback as he fights his way into uniform at the start of World War II. I return to these books almost every year, even writing about them two years ago. But don’t just take my word for it — Sword of Honor also appeared three times in the 2014 summer reading list.

Skinny Dip, Carl Hiaasen (2004). After Waugh’s war, you’ve earned something with sunnier satire and more sunscreen. Skinny Dip kicks off with a woman tossed overboard and only gets more delightfully unhinged from there. Read it with your toes in the sand and a daiquiri in hand.

Nicholas Hanson

The Orphan Master’s Son, Adam Johnson (2012). This is a powerful novel that sheds light on the brutality of life inside North Korea. It follows a man named Jun Do as he is swept up in the country’s Kafkaesque system, first as a soldier, then a kidnapper, and eventually someone forced to take on an entirely new identity. The story shows how hard it is to hold on to your sense of self in a place where the government controls every aspect of life. It’s gripping, emotional, and offers a rare look into the Hermit Kingdom.

Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe (1958). Things Fall Apart tells the story of Okonkwo, a respected warrior in a Nigerian village, whose life starts to unravel as British colonialism and Christian missionaries begin to change everything around him. The book shows what happens when two very different cultures collide and how that clash can tear communities and people apart. It’s a riveting look at tradition, pride, and the cost of change. Often taught in high schools, it’s a must-read for understanding colonialism from an African point of view.

Bruce Hoffman

A Coffin for Dimitrios, Eric Ambler (1939). Among the greatest thrillers ever written — and perfect summer reading. Published on the eve of World War II, it introduces the reader to the mystery writer Charles Lattimer; the enigmatic Istanbul police officer, Colonel Haki; and, the corpse of the arch-criminal, cum terrorist, cum brigand, Dimitrios Makropoulos. “[T]o me the most important thing to know about an assassination is not who fired a shot–but who paid for the bullet!” Haki tells Lattimer — who promptly embarks on a quest to discover who was behind Dimitrios’ serial depredations.

Frank Hoffman

His Majesty’s Dragon (Temeraire, Book 1), Naomi Novik (2006). One of my daughters gave me this for Christmas, and I placed it on my nightstand untouched for a couple of months since I do not read a lot of fiction and especially fantasy historical fiction. That was a huge mistake. Once I entered into Naomi Novik’s fascinating world I was hooked. His Majesty’s Dragon is the first of a nine volume series set in the Napoleonic age. The series is a cross between Tolkein and C.S. Forester. Novik excels at developing characters the way Forester did with Horatio Hornblower. In this case, it’s Captain Will Laurence who unexpectedly finds himself no longer at sea trading broadsides with French frigates but in the Aerial Corps learning how to handle his beloved dragon Temeraire in airborne battle against Napoleon’s forces. Perfect for the beach or cabin.

Elijah Kang

Severance, Ling Ma (2018). Ling Ma’s Severance is a satirical takedown of workaholic culture. Also involved are a fungal apocalypse leading to a global pandemic, zombies, and details on the manufacturing process of Bibles.

The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune (2020). This is the coziest, most calming book I have ever read. It is about a bureaucrat that evaluates an orphanage that houses, among others, the literal Antichrist.

Alexander Lanoszka

Beware of Pity, Stefan Zweig (1939). It is 1913 and a young Austrian calvary officer, Hofmiller, unwittingly asks the paralyzed daughter of a local millionaire to dance. Distressed by his social clumsiness and guided by a sense of honor, he decides that he must make up for this faux pas, further entangling him with that wealthy family to his eventual despair. This beautifully crafted book is the longest piece of fiction that Stefan Zweig authored in his brilliant literary career. A sense of nostalgic sadness lingers in the prose: he had written the novel in England after having fled from his native Austria in anticipation of the growing threat that pan-German nationalism presented to Jews and to the European continent.

The King of Warsaw, Szczepan Twardoch (2020). Devoid of any nostalgia, this gritty book offers an unsentimental and uncompromising portrait of Warsaw just a few years prior to the Second World War. It is narratively complex: though it mainly follows a Jewish boxer who gets caught up in gang violence waged by Jewish mobsters and rival nationalist groups, it also tells the story of a young Jewish teen who later becomes an Israeli brigadier. We tend to consider the historical period that forms the backdrop of this book in terms of great ideological struggle. Nevertheless, Twardoch’s work reminds us of how people often pursue violence for no great reason but for its own sake.

Rebecca Lissner

The Patrick Melrose Novels (Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, Mother’s Milk, At Last), Edward St Aubyn (1992–2011). A five-novel cycle that is both a deep exploration of childhood trauma, addiction, recovery, and parenthood — and a cutting satire of the British upper class. Hard to read at times, but the searing prose, immersive narrative, and flashes of dark humor make these books worth your while.

Aron Lund

Kaputt, Curzio Malaparte, (1944). Not really fiction, but not really non-fiction either, Kaputt remains one of the most powerful books on war ever written. Equal parts reporter, raconteur, and provocateur, the mercurial fascist intellectual Curzio Malaparte roamed Nazi-occupied Europe to produce this chronicle of the moral and material disintegration of early 20^th century civilization. Half of it is true and half of it made up, but most of it feels like it must be both. Trigger warnings: death, racism, and forty pounds of human eyeballs.

The Fly Trap, Fredrik Sjöberg (2004). Also not really fiction, but let’s not get hung up on details. This lovely little book is made up mostly of enthusiastic digressions, but it starts out as an entomologist’s memoir. Soon enough, Sjöberg’s quest to catalogue rare hoverflies has transformed into a meandering intellectual meditation on the human habits of collecting, systematizing, and progressing, including for purposes other than to assemble pin-mounted bugs. Tumbling along to the final page, you are likely to learn a great many small things, and with luck you may even glimpse a big insight buzzing past.

Shanshan Mei

War Trash, Ha Jin (2004). A PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction winner in 2005, Ha Jin’s War Trash is a fictional memoir narrated by Yu Yuan, a Chinese soldier captured during the Korean War and sent to a brutal POW camp. The novel explores Yu’s struggle to survive amidst ideological divisions between Communist loyalists and Nationalist defectors, revealing the physical and psychological toll of captivity. Through Yu’s journey, Ha Jin examines themes of war, humanity, and the destructive power of ideological fanaticism. The story is a poignant reflection on resilience, identity, and the human cost of political conflict.

Grace Parcover

The Personal Librarian, Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (2021). Inspired by the life of Belle da Costa Greene, the private librarian of J.P. Morgan and later the first director of the Pierpont Morgan Library, the novel tells the story of a woman who rose to prominence in the art and literature worlds, while keeping a life-altering secret: her racial identity. Though born to a prominent Black family, Belle passed as white to access opportunities otherwise denied to her, all while building one of the most prestigious rare book collections in the country. As she rises in New York’s elite social and cultural circles, the novel explores both her intellect and ambition as well as the weight of maintaining a carefully guarded facade.

Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver (2022). A modern reimagining of David Copperfield, Demon Copperhead follows the heartbreaking life of a young Appalachian boy born to a teenage, single mother struggling with addiction. Set in a world of generational poverty and the ravages of the opioid crisis, the book paints a portrait of a child forced to navigate a world of neglect, facing hardships from an abusive stepfather to a foster care system that offers more harm than help, capturing both the resilience and vulnerability of those too often overlooked.

Joshua Portzer

Shogun, James Clavell (1975). This is a classic historically rooted fiction novel by James Clavell, most recently made into the series as seen on FX/Hulu. It follows feudal era Japan in the 1600s, and anchors on themes of strategy, deception, and alliances. It is as entertaining as it is timeless.

Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War, August Cole and P.W. Singer (2015). Written ten years ago, its opening volley of how a war with China might begin is eerily plausible and the techno-thriller seems ever more poignant as we continue into this tumultuous decade. A relatively quick, easy read, it makes one question our reliance on global technology and what the right mix of digital and analog defense investments.

Emma Salisbury

The Mauritius Command, Patrick O’Brian (1977). If you are not familiar with the novels behind the glorious movie that is Master and Commander, take this as your sign to rectify that immediately. This is the fourth in the series, set during the Napoleonic Wars and following the fates of our fictional heroes Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin through what I am reliably informed are decently accurate historical events. O’Brian’s writing is wonderful, and he weaves together naval battles, political intrigue, and colorful characters with a masterful touch. One of the fictional ships he adds to the fleet is called the Emma, which also shows his good taste.

Firefall, Peter Watts (2014). Hard science fiction is a favorite genre of mine, and this might have ruined me for every other genre work. An omnibus edition of two of Watts’ novels, Blindsight and Echopraxia, this redefines the “first contact” scenario into something deeply chilling and truly alien, while simultaneously exploring how the Earth crews sent to investigate are not as human as you might think either. It’s horror mixed with philosophy, with characters you never quite expect.

Frank Sauer

A Capital Calamity, Fred Kaplan (2024). I’ll admit: I didn’t expect to like this book. Nuclear strategy is full of paradoxes and absurdities, and I feared a satire built on that world would be clunky and preachy. I was wrong. This is a sharp, funny, and fast-paced political thriller that stands on its own. And for War on the Rocks readers, there’s the extra treat: escalation dominance, left-of-launch, and exchange ratios have never been this entertaining — or this darkly hilarious.

The Bobiverse Series, Dennis E. Taylor (2016–). Bob, a nerdy programmer, wakes up over a century after his death to find his mind uploaded into a self-replicating Von Neumann probe tasked with exploring the galaxy. That sentence alone should either pique your interest — or not. If it does, you’re in for a funny sci-fi adventure packed with pop culture references and big ideas on physics, engineering and space travel.

Kori Schake

Perspective(s), Laurent Binet (2023). Who doesn’t love a renaissance artist murdered with a chisel driven through his heart? A mystery recounted in letters, every famous Florentine’s got a theory of why, plus reflections on creativity and art, and the fun of figuring out who couldn’t have done it. A prefatory quote from contemporary novelist Orhan Pamuk is the key to solving the case. Historical fiction that passes lightly over the facts to revel in the ambiance and character portraits of Florence as orthodoxy begins to constrict its remarkable flowering of artistry.

A Spell of Good Things, Ayobami Adebayo (2023). One of the most beautifully written novels I’ve ever read, it won the Booker Prize in 2023. Describing a poor boy aspiring to education, “his lips grew heavier and heavier whenever he wanted to discuss his school fees with his parents.” It’s a story of social tensions in contemporary Nigeria that should feel predictable but is warmed to molten by how much you come to care about the consequences for the people that political corruption and economic misfortune harm.

Thomas Shugart

Dune, Frank Herbert (1965). Dune nods to Ottoman history — his elite Sardaukar troops are clear echoes of the Janissaries, forged by a brutal upbringing — yet contrasts that coercive model with House Atreides’ people-centered command style. Duke Leto earns unwavering loyalty from his own ranks through open counsel, shared hardship, and meticulous training, demonstrating that respect and mutual dedication outperforms fear. His son Paul extends the same approach to the desert-dwelling Fremen, mastering their customs, fighting alongside them, and proving commitment before asking allegiance. The book provided a leadership model over my entire military career.

Blackout, Connie Willis (2010). Blackout sends three Oxford historians back to London during the Blitz for a routine research mission that unravels when their extraction windows fail. Willis blends meticulous wartime detail with clear, cause-and-effect plotting, illustrating how small errors cascade in complex operations. The result is a tight narrative about teamwork, timing, and the limits of planning under real-world pressure, and showcases a great deal of imagination on the part of the author.

Abigail Taylor

Tom Lake, Ann Patchett (2023). I am rarely inclined to read, let alone recommend, any book set during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Patchett’s Tom Lake is an exception. It is a feel-good novel that also offers real substance, exploring themes like parent-child relationships during adolescence. Tom Lake is the ideal companion for a quiet afternoon by the Great Lakes.

Jacob Ware

Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War, August Cole and P.W. Singer (2015). Novels projecting future world wars seem to be their own subgenre, and Ghost Fleet is the unquestionable king. Encompassing everything from highly technical weapons development to nuanced insurgency and counterinsurgency dynamics, this book has something for every national security nerd. It’s also extremely readable, a great credit to the authors.

Prophet Song, Paul Lynch (2023). The rise of pseudo-authoritarians in the Western world has led to growing interest in dystopian fiction about totalitarian dictatorship taking root in our societies. Prophet Song is a fast-paced and sickening portrayal of such entrenchment in Ireland. The author portrays in deeply emotional and vivid detail the struggles of one dwindling family as they fight to hold on to their lives.

Gesine Weber

The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989). The Joy Luck Club is a novel exploring the intricate relationships between four Chinese immigrant mothers and their American-born daughters. Delving into cultural identity, generational differences, and the enduring bonds of family, revealing the struggles and triumphs of these women as they navigate their dual heritage. The cross-cultural references in the book are just as refreshing as the author’s writing style – and best combined with a visit of the MOCA (Museum of the Chinese in America) in New York.

Mornings in Jenin, Susan Abulhawa (2006). First published almost two decades ago, in 2006, Mornings in Jenin was already celebrated back then by critiques — and is even more relevant today. Written in beautiful yet intense language, the book tells the story of the Palestinian people through the perspective of a single family. Starting with the nakba in 1948, it links major events of the decades-long conflict to the individual fate of a family, and thereby powerfully illustrates the suffering of an entire people.

Joseph Wehmeyer

The Singer’s Gun, Emily St. John Mandel (2009). As someone who has let fiction sit on the back burner more often than I like to admit in recent years, this one jumped out at me at my local bookstore recently. As a fan of organized crime-adjacent television, this crime novel is a far cry from shows such as The Sopranos, The Wire, and the like, but is still a solid read for a summer getaway and a good stepping stone to rebuilding that daily reading habit. This twisting story following a man’s life turned upside down is delivered by accessible characters from the margins of society struggling to find ways to address their personal tragedies and voids from New York City to southern Italy.

Nicole Wiley

The Lost Van Gogh, Jonathan Santlofer (2021). I love how this novel combines art history and mystery. It’s the perfect casual read for those who like a colorful writing style and a mix of reality and fantasy.

Image: Midjourney