It is easy to forget that the most significant online retailer Amazon, which ships almost 2 million packages each day, started as an online book store. Things have changed since its first launch in 1994 for the bookstore part of Amazon as they introduced the e-book format Kindle and the audiobook store Audible, but you can still find all your favorite books in paperback or hardcover format on Amazon. Of course, with so many different books to pick from, finding the best novel to read on Amazon can be a bit exhausting.
A well written novel unlocks doors in our minds, allowing us to live a lifetime and traverse the globe without ever leaving the comfort of our chairs. When we read the novel, we walk into someone else’s shoes, view the world through their eyes, and explore places we may never visit otherwise.
With more millions of books available to purchase on Amazon, it is really challenging to find what is the best novel you can read and which world you can travel to. That is why we put together this list of the seven best novels you can find on Amazon!
- 1. Frank Herbert’s Dune Saga – Best Novel to Read for Sci-fi Fans
- 2. Nineteen Eighty Four – Best Novel to Read for Political Dystopia Fans
- 3. The Man in the High Castle – Best Novel to Read for Alternative History Fans
- 4. The Midnight Library – Best Novel to Read for Alternate Universe Fans
- 5. In Five Years – Best Novel to Read for Romance Fans
- 6. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Set – Best Novel to Read for Fantasy Fans
- 7. To Kill a Mockingbird – Best Novel to Read for Classic Literature Fans
1. Frank Herbert’s Dune Saga – Best Novel to Read for Sci-fi Fans
Dune.
There is no other single phrase in the science fiction genre that conjures up visions of sandworms, spice wars, titanic conflicts between opposing dynastic dynasties, and a tremendously detailed and beautifully built cosmos like sandworms. It’s no surprise that this is primarily recognized as a literary as well as a science fiction classic.
Dune was partly inspired by Frank Herbert’s experience working in a desertification research center in California. A fundamental component of the series is the realization of the interdependence between environment, people, and culture as a result of that experience. Arrakis, a desert planet, lies at the heart of the first novel and its people’s covert ambition to change its ecosystem. It’s a fantastic science-fiction novel about power structures and the role of ecology, despite being written in an accept it or loathe it style and containing a number of strange ideas such as space feudalism.
This is the novel that become the foundation for the great Dune movies. Frank Herbert has established a high bar for later practitioners by incorporating political, economic, social, biological, cultural, and dynastic issues.
Dune is a science-fiction novel that epitomizes the genre, so it is probably the best novel you can get on Amazon if you are a sci-fi fan. There is also the graphic book option if you want to have a more visualized experience. Moreover, for those who like to listen to their books on the go, the audiobook option is really well prepared.
Pros:
- The novel based movie is good to watch
- World-building is really amazing and detailed
- Characters and their real-world correspondances are brilliant
Cons:
- 6 books might be a bit long to read
- The sequels are not as exciting as the first book
Seeven Score: 6 / 7
Link: Amazon
2. Nineteen Eighty Four – Best Novel to Read for Political Dystopia Fans
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.“
The novel 1984 by George Orwell has a fresh lease of life, with astonishing relevance and tremendous appeal. Nineteen Eighty Four is a deep, scary, and totally fascinating book. It’s a political future dystopia, and like any other dystopia, it acts as a magnifying instrument for the author to examine the present.
Orwell’s picture of the world is grim; some argue that it is excessively grim since it may deprive the weak of the heart of hope. But Orwell was never one to stifle optimism. No, he wanted to jolt our emotions into action by displaying the totalitarian nightmare he had created: a monument to inaction, a shrine to monitoring and control.
Although the year 1984 has passed, Orwell’s work remains an urgent summons to anyone ready to speak truth to power. George Orwell’s vision of a high-surveillance society is compelling from the beginning to the final page of this classic dystopian thriller. This is by far the best novel to read for those who like political dystopias.
Pros:
- Extremely well portraid world and view of his future
- It helps explaining some aspects of the World today
- The dystopia is complex and multiple readings will be enjoyable
Cons:
- Characters are not written in depth
- Rhetoric is sometimes didactic
Seeven Score: 7 / 7
Link: Amazon
3. The Man in the High Castle – Best Novel to Read for Alternative History Fans
This terrifying Hugo Award winner recognized Philip K. Dick as a sci-fi pioneer while breaching the boundary between sci-fi and the serious novel of thoughts. The Man in the High Castle is a chilling portrayal of alternative history as a nightmare from which it may be possible to awaken. It is 1962 in the United States of America, and the United States has lost World War II twenty years before and is now occupied by Nazi Germany and Japan.
The world-building is extensive, and Philip K. Dick pays close attention to the smallest aspects of his imagined civilization. You can clearly understand how the takeover has influenced the rest of the world, not just the United States, as the situation on other continents and the rise of Nazi ideas are mentioned from time to time. He even tells a narrative inside a novel, as he imagines a writer in this universe imagining what life would have been like if the Nazis hadn’t triumphed.
This novel is brilliant both scientifically and politically. Philip K. Dick brilliantly rewrites history and shows this other United States. Having said that, while this work is clearly intelligent, it is missing a human element. It feels hard to associate with characters, and that makes the story’s path and ending not so interesting. However, this is still one of the best novels if you like to read about alternative history.
You can also check the Amazon Prime Series based on this book. There are four seasons in total, and it is one of the best TV shows on Amazon Prime.
Pros:
- TV Series based on the book is good to watch
- The alternative history is written really good and impressive to read
- Amazing world building as all the little details are well written
Cons:
- It is hard to associate with any of the characters
- Not really emotional nor engaging
Seeven Score: 6 / 7
Link: Amazon
4. The Midnight Library – Best Novel to Read for Alternate Universe Fans
A library with an endless supply of books regrettable books. When you open one, it transports you to a time when you did not commit that particular mistake. It may have been something as simple as marrying someone or going on a trip, or it could have been something else entirely. This is the premise of The Midnight Library.
We have Nora as the main character, who is struggling with her life. Nora is thirty-five, an age when it’s regarded much too late not to have it all sorted out. When Nora tries to take her own life, she finds herself in a library, surrounded by books containing many versions of her life narrative. If she discovers the appropriate book and the right life, she will be able to live a satisfied and happy life, which means she will be rescued!
This could explain why so many middle-aged people enjoy reading young adult books: there’s something comforting about seeing a brand-new person, right on the cusp of adulthood, when all the possibilities are still there, and no clocks have yet started ticking, and there’s enough time and energy to regroup and move on to the road not yet traveled.
This is a heartfelt story. It might be challenging to read about someone who is in such a desperate state of mind that they attempted suicide, but the book’s opposite side gives a lot of love, warmth, compassion, and healing. Also, world-building and writing are both fantastic, so if you like alternate universes, this is the best novel you can read.
Pros:
- The story and concept are really interesting
- World buidling and writing are phenomenal.
- Beginning of the book is great
- Character is easy to associate
Cons:
- The occasional didactic messages are annoying
- It becomes a mix of self-help book and a fantasy novel after some point
Seeven Score: 5.5 / 7
Link: Amazon
5. In Five Years – Best Novel to Read for Romance Fans
What if you could see into the future? Would what you saw today influence how you acted?
Dannie is living the life she’s always wanted: she’s got a terrific job as a corporate lawyer, she’s about to get engaged to her two-year boyfriend, and everything is going according to plan. She falls asleep on the night of her engagement and appears to see her life five years in the future. Her entire life is thrown into disarray by that sight, in which she is with a different guy.
The premise of In Five Years, being able to predict one’s own future, is intriguing. Do you allow it to guide your decisions? Is there any way to get out of your fate if you don’t want it? Those are difficult issues, and Dannie’s situation is made more difficult by the fact that this glimpse into her future self sows doubts about her life’s course and the person she’s with.
This novel from Rebecca Serle provides an enjoyable story for romance fans. The novel is really engrossing. It has a passionate and heartfelt tone to it. Serle’s style is extremely minimalist, and his writing is lovely. Because of its small size, it may be consumed quickly, potentially in one sitting. This might be the best novel on Amazon for romance fans.
Pros:
- Characters are well written
- Not too long, can be read in short time
Cons:
- Ending can be dissapointing
- Main character is a bit annoying
Seeven Score: 5 / 7
Link: Amazon
6. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Set – Best Novel to Read for Fantasy Fans
I assume we all know about The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, as they are ranked as one of the best movie trilogies ever made. This set from Tolkien is where those movies are based from, and these books are the pioneers of the fantasy genre.
Those who create a genre are sometimes misunderstood. Tolkien’s motivations for writing were vastly different from those of the authors he influenced. He lacked an audience, a genre, and a large number of contemporaries. Tolkien has a compelling and exciting narrative to tell, one of conflict, succession, and moral struggles—the same kind of story that has been found in our mythologies from the dawn of time. He does not build a simple monomyth; he depicts a split hero.
Several times, Tolkien speaks directly to the young reader, reminding them of something he said in a previous chapter and such. He will never forget the youngster who was reading the book to him. There are trolls, enormous spiders, and other frightening monsters, but they aren’t given much attention and are always vanquished fast. It reads like a children’s story, with horrible things happening but good triumphing in the end.
New challenges and adventures abound in The Lord of the Rings. The notion of following numerous individuals in various stories may seem strange at first, even intimidating. However, it genuinely puts Middle Earth to life! By traveling around it with many partners, each with a distinct goal, you gain a genuine sense of the scale and even the politics of such a construct. By the conclusion of the adventure, both the reader and the characters have learned so much about friendship, love, bravery, honor, loyalty, deception…you name it, it’s all there.
This is without a doubt the best novel you can read if you are a fantasy fan or just a Lord of the Rings Fan. Moreover, do not forget to check the illustrated edition if you want a more visualized story.
Pros:
- There are two extremely good movie triologies based on these books
- Story, world-building, and characters are great
- A whole new language is invented to write the books
Cons:
- Books might be a bit too long to read
Seeven Score: 6.5 / 7
Link: Amazon
7. To Kill a Mockingbird – Best Novel to Read for Classic Literature Fans
Harper Lee, widely regarded as one of the most significant writers of all time, notably produced only one novel. To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, was released in 1960 and immediately became a literary classic. Through the inexperienced wide eyes of a brilliant little girl called Jean Louise (“Scout”) Finch, the story tackles prejudice in the American South. Its legendary characters, most notably Atticus Finch, a compassionate and just lawyer and father, served as role models and shifted attitudes in the United States at a period when racial tensions were high.
To Kill a Mockingbird won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961 and was adapted into an Academy Award-winning picture in 1962, giving the novel and its characters new life and sway in American society.
A novel ahead of its time, Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel deals with racism, injustice, and segregation with humor and compassion. It introduced one of literature’s most famous protagonists, Atticus Finch, a man committed to correcting the racial wrongs of the Deep South, through the eyes of loveable rogues Scout and Jem. This is the best novel you can get on Amazon if you love to read classics.
Pros:
- A disturbing and poignantly beautiful narrative on how humans treat one another
- The movie based on the book is also a must watch
- Characters are really well written and easy to associate with
Cons:
- Might feel boring towards the end
Seeven Score: 7 / 7
Link: Amazon
And that’s it; these are the seven best novels to buy on Amazon. Hope this list helped you to pick the correct novel for yourself to jump into a world that you will never forget again. Don’t forget to check our list of the best Dolce Gusto machines if you want to prepare delicious coffees for your next reading session.
