Are There Books Like 'The Devil'S Chessboard'?

I’ve been thinking a lot about the ‘bargain’ in The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten. Lore, our protagonist, has a deadly secret: she can channel a forbidden form of death magic. She is coerced into entering into a deal with a powerful (and extremely religious) organization. She is sent to spy on a prince in order to uncover the identity of a murderer, and it’s a classic ‘your life or your service’ situation. There’s tons of court politics, poison and betrayal. It’s gothic and decadent, set in a city literally built on top of catacombs filled with magical death-spores. The dynamic between Lore and her two male leads (the very serious and reserved monk and the charming but incredibly dangerous prince) is also excellent and creates a very tense and complicated love triangle. The magic in The Foxglove King is also extremely costly for Lore and has a very physical and bloody feel to it – even when there is no actual blood involved. The book is also an extremely quick and 很絮-nearing read, and there are so many complex conspiracies going on within it. I think fans of high-stakes ‘dancing on a knife’s edge’ type stories where people are forced into a ‘your life or your service’ situation would really enjoy The Foxglove King.

Finding ‘Waldo’ for grown-ups is a whole mood. Okay, fine. I get it. You are looking for something more than a guy in a striped shirt. However, many of the ‘I Spy’ books for kids have been upgraded to sophisticated offerings for adults, such as The Where’s Waldo? of Art, Museum Activity Books, and even new Explorer anthologies by Kazu Kibuishi and The Arrival by Shaun Tan. Journey by Aaron Becker is another wordless novel that demands great close attention as you follow the main character through space. If you want more of a puzzle-type activity, you could start with the book that started it all, Masquerade by Kit Williams, a classic hidden-object treasure hunt. But, honestly, finding ‘Waldo’ for adults is less about finding one character and more about a very complex visual that provides great reward after considerable time and patience. It is a specific kind of relaxation, you know? It’s a specific kind of relaxation, you know?

If I had to throw more onto this list, I’d add Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth (this one has a great queer gothic vibe and a cursed boarding school, told through a kinda meta-narrative that breaks through the page in places). The time-shifting and the multiple perspectives all read really well in terms of storytelling. And then there’s The Honeys by Ryan La Sala, which is basically this dark, basement-located magical world of bees and of gender and of hierarchy and of something hideous happening out in the woods. It feels to me like a really, really, really surreal cousin of Where Darkness Blooms. I should add the classic Gothic novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier to this list, because while it’s not exactly floral horror, the oppressively ‘alive’ Manderley mansion is similar to a number of the other settings here. And then there’s this manga: The Drifting Classroom by Kazuo Umezu. Children trapped in a twisted version of their own school, which has suddenly shifted to be in the midst of a desolate wasteland. It’s a real horror-compression job, chiefly relying on our fear of the unknown, and resulting in the kind of physical and mental panic that drives people to the point of lunacy.

None of the above. What works for me is translating. So, I take a song that I like, a page from a manga, or a short news article and try to translate it into English or the other way round. Translating is a really hands-on way of learning as it requires you to really hunt for the words and to think in a really active, problem-solving way. As you grapple for the word to express a particular nuance, you learn a lot about the hierarchies of synonyms and connotations of words. It’s really time-consuming and very frustrating at times, but the words you learn through this process become a part of your vocabulary for good. It’s not really the typical way of learning languages, but it’s really rewarding for language lovers and very effective.

If you loved the post-apocalyptic vibe and deep character exploration in 'Y: The Last Man - The Deluxe Edition Book Three', you might wanna check out 'Saga' by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. It's got that same blend of raw emotion, intricate world-building, and unexpected twists. Vaughan’s writing style shines in both, but 'Saga' leans more into sci-fi fantasy while keeping that gritty, human core. Another gem is 'The Walking Dead' comics—yeah, I know it’s zombies, but hear me out. The way it examines society’s collapse and personal survival echoes Yorick’s journey. Plus, the black-and-white art gives it a stark, intense feel. For something less mainstream, 'Sweet Tooth' by Jeff Lemire is a hauntingly beautiful mix of dystopia and hope, with kids born hybrid animal-human after a pandemic. The art’s rough but full of heart, kinda like the later arcs of 'Y'.

Research specific punishments in history. Hanged by David R. Bentley is a lengthy, detailed book chronicling the history of hanging in England. By the Neck by Steve G. is a similar lengthy book detailing another method of execution. Both of these ‘monographs’ cover great detail on one method of punishment, tracing its history, evolution and the social attitudes towards it. These in-depth accounts of individual punishments trace the history of the specific execution method, covering its technological evolution, social history, and cultural perceptions. There is a focus on the ‘drop’ method of hanging being a more efficient and humane way of killing, and how the science of neck-breaking as opposed to strangulation has been developed. In addition to these very detailed ‘how’ accounts of individual punishments, there is also much to be learned about the hierarchical ways in which people of the past classified pain and dignity in relation to execution. The biographical approach found in ‘The Faithful Executioner’ (Schmidt used a sword for beheadings, typically the method of execution reserved for members of the nobility) helps to answer the ‘why’ of such a system.

I think The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides could be a great connect-the-dots book for The Girl Behind the Gates. Even though it’s a thriller, the book explores so much about trauma and silence and how pain can silence people for good or for bad. That twist was SO devastating in the best way possible. I devoured this book in one sitting and still get shivers every time I think about the twist at the end.

Recommendations are often too vague and I prefer people to say “Like” and then recommend something specific. For example, if someone loved learning about a shocking and complex interconnected history, then they might enjoy “The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson, a national epic that chronicles the Great Migration of African Americans from the South and will change the reader’s perspective of American history through the individual stories of three people. 'Big-picture' stories about the collective human experience also provide great insights into our nature and the wider forces that drive us as a species, such as Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, which tells the history of our species from a novel perspective. Or The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan, which successfully re-centres world history on Asia. While neither of these books is an exposé, they are both ambitious attempts to present a big new synthesis of history, to challenge our conventional understanding of the world and its evolution.

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone is another amazing story of mental health and finding your people, all in a really moving way. Another book that deals with personal struggles in the face of really big issues for society is The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. While very different from It Happens All the Time in terms of story, the personal struggles are balanced with the bigger issues of the story in a really similar way to this book. If you want something with a little bit of a thriller twist, Sadie by Courtney Summers is amazing. It’s part of mystery and part of podcast, basically a heart breaking story of a girl and her experience with trauma and how she deals with it. I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman is also a great book and very similar to the emotional depth that it provides to its readers. It’s about three strangers whose lives intersect with each other in unexpected ways. Together, these books can evoke emotions of anger, sadness, and hope.

If you loved reading The Mighty Red: A Novel, you might also enjoy reading The Crimson Veil by Lila Vane. Both novels are emotionally rich stories that follow the main characters as they try to come to terms with their identities and legacies. While The Crimson Veil is a novel about a young artist’s journey through grief and self-discovery, it has similar qualities to The Mighty Red in terms of prose. The stories are full of lyrical descriptions of everyday moments that can feel profound. I came across The Crimson Veil whilst on a bookstore crawl and it left me with the same bittersweet feeling that I had experienced when finishing The Mighty Red – the feeling of having finished a cup of tea that I wished I could go back to and have another cup of. For even more of this type of story, I would recommend “Scarlet Shadows” by Julian Cross. While a good deal darker and set in a dystopian world where color equals power, there is something deeply familiar in the emotional core of the story. It’s a very inside-the-head-of-the-hero type of story and the young man here grapples with trying to be true to himself in a world that is determined to force him to be something else. I loved “The Mighty Red” in part because of the author’s innovative use of visual metaphors to get at emotional ideas (red equals passion, pain, rebellion), and Cross is similarly resourceful with color to similar end. While a far more plot-oriented book than “Mighty Red,” I found myself racing through the pages of “Shadows” and the book’s end has lingered in my mind for months.