Whether you’re into dense tomes or short novels, I truly believe there’s a book out there for everyone. Even if you don’t consider yourself much of a reader, there’ll be something that’ll appeal to your interests.
But if you’re on this article, there’s a good chance you have at least a passing interest in literature. Of course, all this peaceful reading can get in the way of some meaty gaming. Which is why I’ve compiled a list of short novels you may pick up and put down in between levels. Hell, you might even finish some of these before you get to the closing credits.
Some housekeeping before we move on:
With that out the way, let’s take a look at10 short novels you may power through while waiting at those pesky loadings screens. Let’s start with the “longest” on this list.
Animal Farm– George Orwell (144 pages)
Before1984, George Orwell (real name:Eric Blair) was already well-versed in holding a mirror up to the darkness of a politically charged society. Published in 1945,Animal Farmis an allegorical takedown of totalitarianism, with the story being a biting satire aimed at life under Josef Stalin.
I’d wager a lot of you are already familiar with this one. It’s considered a classic of 20th-century literature, but it feels a bit overshadowed by Orwell’s magnum opus, which came a few years later. Still, if you haven’t readAnimal Farm, many would agree that it holds relevance, even to this day.
It’s thanks to the author that we have the term “Orwellian” when describing something systematically bureaucratic and fraught with cruel surveillance. You’ll definitely see notes of1984withinAnimal Farm.
The Porcupine– Julian Barnes (138 pages)
Those of you who follow theBooker Prizemay have heard Julian Barnes’ name before. He won in 2011 with his almost equally short novelThe Sense of an Ending, which was adapted into a film in 2017 that stars Jim Broadbent.
I’ve addedThe Porcupinebecause it not only falls under the category of being less than 150 pages long, but is also what I’m currently reading at the moment. One might even say it’s what prompted me to come up with the idea for this article. I certainly would.
The novel is quite fascinating in that it oddly reminds me ofAnimal Farm, which is a somewhat dark satire of the Russian Revolution.
Of Mice and Men– John Steinbeck (128 pages)
This one may come as a surprise to some. It is a story with a lot of weight to it, so you may have imagined (as I did initially) that Steinbeck’sOf Mice and Menwas much longer.
Published in 1937, Steinbeck’s novel tells the story of the Great Depression, which is said to take inspiration from the author’s own experiences working with migrant farmers. Given its status as an important novel that resonates with many readers, I am surprised to see it doesn’t appear on more lists ofthe 20th century’s greatest novels.
It is, however, considered somewhat controversial these days.Welsh schools will no longer be teaching itdue to the racial language used, according to a report from the BBC. This classic text is just one of many that tends to crop up in discussions on book censorship.
The Thirty-Nine Steps– John Buchan (128 pages)
Even if you haven’t read the book, you may at least know of its 1935 film adaptation, which was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Buchan’s short novel was published some 20 years before the Hitchcock film and should appeal to anyone who likes a sense of adventure.
It tells the story of a man who fakes his own death after discovering a plot against Constantine Karolides, the Premier of Greece. However, despite holding up in his neighbor’s place (said neighbor being the narrator of the story), he is found dead sometime later with a knife in his chest. Ooh, it sounds ever so exciting!
Also, for this entry, I used thePenguin editionthat was published in 2018, though it appears as though the first edition was over 250 pages. We’ll ignore that one.
The Old Man and the Sea– Ernest Hemingway (112 pages)
Ernest Hemingway is one of those writers whose reputation seems to exceed the man himself, especially when it comes to his alcohol consumption. A giant in the American literary scene of his day, his taleThe Old Man and the Seais not only something of a modern classic, it also won him the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953.
The Old Man and the Seaendures not just because it’s about the titular man who goes fishing on the even more titular sea but because of its themes and symbolism. Aside from its alleged Christian connotations, the story resonates with those who know the struggle of trying to persist or of the losing fight against the power of nature.
Now, I’ve been reassured by my editor that this list did not necessarily have to make any connections to gaming, but whenever I come across Conrad’s book, it always reminds me of the 1998 PlayStation game of the same name. However, the two are completely unrelated.
Heart of Darknesswas originally published in 1899 and takes us through Africa during the ivory trade. With notions of post-colonial finger-wagging, this classic short novel is said to have influenced Francis Ford Coppola’s epic war filmApocalypse Now.
However, much likeOf Mice and Men, Conrad’s story can be the subject of controversy due to its racial depictions. You’ll do best going into this one with an understanding of its historical context.
The Great Gatsby– F. Scott Fitzgerald (110 pages)
Much like some of the others on this list, I honestly thoughtThe Great Gatsbywould be a much longer novel. While that is actually the case for many versions of the book, the 1925 edition is a mere 110 pages long.
A contemporary of Hemingway, Fitzgerald is another name that tends to get featured on lists of some of the greatest novelists America has ever produced. And for good reason, some might say. The Great Gatsby is a fierce look at the notions of class, as well as the American Dream. It’s been a good few years since I read this, so it’s possibly high time I dove back into the Jazz Age scene of 1920s New York.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson (104 pages)
You know a novel has become a bigger part of popular culture than its original text intended when you don’t even need to say the full title. Typically, most would just refer to it asDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hydeor even justJekyll and Hyde.
Given that Stevenson is responsible forTreasure Island, the literal blueprint for every pirate-themed piece of media since, his is a name that’s synonymous with classic literature, typically held aloft as one of the Victorian period’s most famous writers.
Add onto this his 1886 short novel (which clocks in at 104 pages if you go by this edition on Amazon), which has heavy themes of duality and is an early pioneer in Gothic literature, and you can understand why this novella is still around to this day.
Flatland– Edwin A. Abbott (97 pages)
This might be another that some of you may not be familiar with. However, those who are interested in vintage sci-fi combined with late 19th-century social commentary may know of it. It’s a hidden gem, in that case.
Published in 1884,Flatlandis set in a universe that only has two dimensions. In this society, everyone is a shape whose worthiness is judged by the number of sides everyone has. Those with more sides, such as hexagons, will be highly regarded, while the humble circle – with its one side – is much lower. Sadly, women are pretty much exclusively in the latter group.
It is, as you imagine, a scathing account of class during Abbott’s time. The way he’s able to describe how citizens interact and see their world despite it being in 2D is a masterclass in imaginative writing. No, seriously, I urge everyone to read thisveryshort novel. You’ll get through it in no time.
A Christmas Carol– Charles Dickens (84 pages)
I honestly had two minds about whether to include this one in the list. It definitely cuts a fine line between novella and short story. It’s also – at the time of writing – not Christmas, so thematically, it might not make sense to mention it here. However, that is the power of Charles Dickens’ iconic cautionary tale of greed.
Honestly, what is there to say aboutA Christmas Carolthat you won’t already know? It’s permeated through culture, having survived for over 180 years and maintained itself as the quintessential Christmas narrative. It brought to the cultural fore the name “Scrooge” to mean tight-fisted or when referring to any kind of miserly character. It also gave us the greatest movie adaptation of all time:The Muppet Christmas Carol.
