Article contributed by Katherine Hilker
Ever dreamed of what it would be like to explore parallel universes? Delve into alternate realities? Unlock the secrets of infinite dimensions? Well, get ready to turn those dreams into reality (or rather, multiple realities) with these 45 mind-melting books about the multiverse.
So if you love…
- The Spider-Verse’s web-slinging adventures
- M-theory, quantum physics, or the genius of Albert Einstein
- Strange’s Multiverse of Madness
- The chaos of Everything Everywhere All at Once
…then this comprehensive list of unparalleled (haha get it?!) multiverse books will make you say, “I love you in every universe.”
1. Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
Meet Sal, a talented magician, and his friend Gabi, a Cuban American girl who’s quick with her wit. Together, they inadvertently discover the power to break the universe. Hilarious, heartwarming chaos ensues in this middle grade book about alternate dimensions.
2. The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix
From the author of The Summer of Broken Things comes an alternate-world sci-fi mystery for middle grade readers. Join the Greystone siblings as they uncover a shocking secret about their true identities and face complex codes, hidden rooms, and parallel universes.
3. The Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge
Ten-year-old Albie is grieving the loss of his mother when he stumbles upon the concept of quantum mechanics. Armed with only a cardboard box, he sets out on a poignant quest across dimensions to find a world where his mom is still alive.
4. The Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones
Immerse yourself in the fantastical world(s) of Christopher Chant, a powerful enchanter who safeguards the balance between different dimensions. This multiverse book series from the author of Howl’s Moving Castle combines Harry Potter with Doctor Who.
5. The Nowhere Thief by Alice M. Ross
Follow Elsbeth, a twelve-year-old girl with an extraordinary gift—the ability to travel between parallel worlds and steal objects from each. If you loved Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor series, this mind-bending multiverse book is a must-read.
6. The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day by Christopher Edge
Trapped in an ever-shifting reality, science-wiz Maisie must use the laws of the universe and the love of her family to survive. And even that might not be enough. This eye-popping middle grade book about the multiverse will melt your brain and tug at your heart.
7. Pivot Point by Kasie West
Enter the extraordinary mind of Addie Coleman, who can see alternate futures based on every decision she makes. But knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier. From the bestselling author of Sunkissed and Borrow My Heart, comes a parallel universe romance book about love, loss, and self-discovery.
8. Parallel by Lauren Miller
When Abby Barnes awakens on her 18th birthday in a parallel universe, she’s living a version of her life that she never chose. As she tries to reconcile her different variants, Abby must question fate and free will in this YA book about universe theories.
9. Game Changer by Neal Shusterman
Ash is a high school football star who thinks he’s the center of the universe. But all of that changes when a hard tackle shifts him into a series of parallel worlds, each showing him a different reality. Written by the author of The Arc of Scythe series and Dry, this YA book about the multiverse tackles many heavy themes head-on.
Read our review of Game Changer by Neal Shusterman.
10. Dissonance by Erica O’Rourke
Delancey Sullivan is a Walker—someone who can navigate the multiverse. Her mission is to keep the dimensions in harmony, but everything starts to unravel when she meets the Echo of her longtime crush.
11. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
Marguerite’s parents are the physicists behind the Firebird–a device that lets you travel to parallel dimensions. But when her father is murdered and the killer escapes into an alternate reality, Marguerite follows to extract justice. In this gripping YA book about the multiverse, the bestselling author of Defy the Stars and The Late Mrs. Willoughby delivers the best parallel universe romance novel of 2014.
12. Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini
Lily Proctor, a sickly girl from our world, finds herself in an alternate Salem where magic reigns and her other self is a powerful witch. In this story about the multiverse from the author of What She Found In the Woods, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can’t hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.
13. Into the Parallel by Robin Brande
High school senior and amateur physicist Audie Masters has made a groundbreaking discovery: parallel universes exist, and there’s a way to traverse them. But her revelation comes with an unexpected twist: there’s a parallel version of herself living her dream life. Now Audie is living that life too—until the universe intervenes.
14. Relativity by Cristin Bishara
When Ruby Wright, a physics enthusiast, discovers a hidden wormhole in an Ohio cornfield, she glimpses alternate versions of her life. But how many worlds must she visit to find the perfect blend of people, relationships, and experiences?
15. Undercurrent by Paul Blackwell
When Callum takes a wild plunge down a waterfall, he wakes up in a world that’s almost-but-not-really his own. Suddenly, he’s a sports star, but there’s a drawback—his former best friend wants him dead! For fans of The Twilight Zone and The Butterfly Effect, this YA book about alternate realities will blur the lines between worlds.
16. Tandem by Anna Jarzab
On the night of her prom, Sasha Lawson is kidnapped by an interdimensional secret agent. Stripped of her own identity, Sasha must become an alternate version of herself—a princess who mysteriously vanished on the eve of her arranged marriage. Written by the acclaimed author of Breath Like Water, this YA book about the multiverse is brimming with secrets, court politics, and forbidden romance across parallel dimensions.
17. Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
When Janelle Tenner is hit by a truck, she should have died. Instead, she uncovers a dark secret about a countdown that threatens the entire multiverse. With over 18,000 ratings on Goodreads, it’s safe to say that Unraveling is one of the best multiverse books for fringe science enthusiasts and lovers of The X Files.
18. Through to You by Emily Hainsworth
A teen grieving the girl he loved. A parallel world. A second chance. In this parallel universe romance novel, grief-stricken Camden Pike discovers a portal to a parallel world where his girlfriend is still alive. As Camden comes to terms with the multiverse, he must make a heart-wrenching choice between two realities.
19. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Marina and Finn must save the world by traveling four years into the past. Their target: their best friend, James, who grows up to destroy their reality. Prepare to have your heart shatter across every dimension in this bittersweet YA book about parallel universes from the author of The Stars Between Us.
20. Invictus by Ryan Graudin
In this September 2017 book release, Farway Gaius McCarthy turns to a life of crime after failing his final time-traveling exam. As captain of the ship “Invictus,” Far helps his crew steal valuable artifacts from different eras and parallel universes. But during a heist aboard the Titanic, he stumbles upon a terrifying truth: history is far more precarious than it appears.
21. The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry
The acclaimed author of Book Lovers, Beach Read, and Happy Place, invites readers on a heart-aching journey through the multiverse in The Love That Split the World. Infused with Native American folklore and time slips, this YA parallel universe book will make you question everything.
22. Mirror in the Sky by Aditi Khorana
Enter a world where a newly discovered mirror planet raises questions about identity, friendship, and the possibility of alternate lives for Tara Krishnan and her classmates. If you love NASA, Marvel’s What If…? series, and existentialist literature (think Tommy Wallach’s We All Looked Up), this YA book about the multiverse is for you.
23. Ida by Alison Evans
Shadowy doppelgängers? A diverse cast of time-traveling LGBT+ characters? Say no more! From the writer of Euphoria Kids and Kindred: 12 Queer #LoveOzYA Stories comes an Australian YA book about parallel universes that will bend reality as you know it.
24. Me and Me by Alice Kuipers
Lark’s dream date with her crush, Alec, has taken a deadly turn: she must choose between saving Alec or rescuing a little girl from drowning. Like the movie Sliding Doors, Lark experiences two parallel realities, each shaped by her life-altering choice.
25. Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington
Sabine leads a double life. Literally. When midnight strikes, she’s catapulted across the multiverse and forced into the shoes of her alternate self to relive the same day anew. All Sabine wants is a chance to live only one life, but to seize it, she must risk losing the only person who might truly understand her.
26. Don’t You Wish by Roxanne St. Claire
When Annie Netter gets zapped by one of her dad’s crazy inventions, she wakes up in an alternate reality where her life is picture-perfect. Now she’s beautiful, wealthy, and popular—the Queen Bee of her school. Finally, Annie has everything she’s ever wanted…or does she? In this parallel universe, perfection has its price.
27. Traveler by L.E. DeLano
What if every mirror was a portal to another life? When a boy from a different dimension steps into Jessa’s world, he reveals a haunting truth: Jessa is dying in every reality. But this time, he’s going to stop it. This Jessa is going to live.
28. In a World Just Right by Jen Brooks
High school senior Jonathan Aubrey possesses an unbelievable superpower: the ability to create alternate universes! In a perfect parallel world, Johnathan has given himself everything he doesn’t have in real life–the track team, passing grades, and his dream girl, Kylie Simms. But reality starts to fracture when he mixes up his worlds and almost kisses the real Kylie.
29. Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore
From the beloved author of Winterkeep, comes a surreal story about the multiverse for teens. Accompany Jane on a journey of choices and possibilities as she attends a house party on a remote island, uncovering a web of secrets that lead her down different paths.
30. A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
Due to an incurable illness, Zinnia Gray expects to die on her twenty-first birthday. But instead of dying, Zinnia is hurtled across multiple dimensions. Her mission? Rescue Sleeping Beauty, in every reality. A Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy, this is one of the best multiverse books you can pick up if you’re craving more stories like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
31. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Between life and death, there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices. Would you have done anything differently, if you had the chance to undo your regrets? From the author who wrote How to Stop Time, this is one of the best multiverse books in recent memory.
32. Doors of Sleep by Tim Pratt
Every time Zax Delatree falls asleep, he travels to a new reality. He has no control over his destination and never knows what he will see when he opens his eyes. From the Hugo Award-winning author of The Alien Stars and Other Novellas comes Doors of Sleep: a nightmarish odyssey across the multiverse that will redefine what’s possible.
33. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
From the mastermind behind the bestselling Recursion, comes a story about a brilliant physicist abducted from his own timeline. Desperate to return to his original reality, he embarks on an interdimensional rollercoaster ride through the multiverse. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Andy Weir’s The Martian collide in this relentlessly surprising book about alternate dimensions.
34. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Red and Blue are agents on opposite sides of a time war who exchange letters that transcend the multiverse. As their letters reveal their secrets, desires, and a forbidden connection, they risk everything to be together while rewriting the very fabric of time and space.
35. The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
Enter a future where multiverse travel is possible, and Cara is a traverser who can journey to worlds where her doppelgängers have died. When she discovers an evil conspiracy, Cara must confront her dark past and the very nature of existence. Named one of the best sci-fi books about dimensions in 2019, The Space Between Worlds is a cross-dimensional adventure that examines identity, privilege, and belonging.
Read our review of The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson.
36. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Within a realm boasting four parallel Londons, the rare ability to traverse between them rests upon magicians like Kell, a gifted practitioner and interdimensional smuggler. However, as perilous magic unfurls, Kell finds himself locked in a fight for survival. Written by the author of The Dark Vault, A Darker Shade of Magic is the best of the best when it comes to fantasy books about parallel universes.
37. The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry
Meet Felicity Staples, a journalist trapped in a time loop, forced to witness the chilling murder of Madison May repeatedly across alternate realities. Felicity will do whatever it takes to stop the killer, even if it upends her own reality. Plunge into this book about parallel universes brought to life by the ingenious author Max Barry, known for the critically acclaimed Providence.
Read our review of The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry.
38. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
“In the summer of 1901, at the age of seven, January Scaller found a Door. You know the kind of door–they lead to Faerie, to Valhalla, to Atlantis, to all the places never found on a map.” Penned by award-winning Alix E. Harrow, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a magical masterpiece of multiverse fiction that will make you feel everything, everywhere, all at once.
39. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
In a world full of destructive kaiju monsters, the Kaiju Preservation Society aims to protect rather than destroy them. But when a rogue kaiju jeopardizes their mission, a team of misfit heroes must rise to the challenge. Can they preserve the kaiju while ensuring humanity’s safety? Nominated as one of the best science fiction novels in 2022, John Scalzi cleverly combines Godzilla with Into the Spider-Verse.
40. The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
Set in a dystopian future where corporations control Earth’s resources, Dietz, a young soldier, is transformed into light and sent to fight on Mars. As Dietz jumps through time, they must navigate the blurred lines between reality, perception, and the true cost of war.
41. The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz
Follow a group of scientists on a mission to prevent the alt-right from creating an alternate reality where the hard-fought rights of women and the LGBTQ+ community never existed. From the author of The Terraformers, this LQBTQ+ book about universe theories is full of raging feminism, 90s punk rock, and queer time travel.
42. The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
When Kara discovers a mysterious hole in the wall of her uncle’s museum, she enters a terrifying alternate reality. Alongside a quirky cafe employee, she must confront ancient horrors and find a way to escape before the darkness consumes them both.
Read our review of The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher.
43. The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
In a world where humanity discovers the existence of countless parallel Earths, Joshua Valienté begins a journey to explore the infinite possibilities. As he encounters strange civilizations, dangerous creatures, and the ethical complexities of colonization, Joshua’s adventures reshape the destiny of humanity.
44. Parallel by Elle O’Roark
Although Nick and Quinn have shared a lifelong connection through their dreams, they have never met. When a fateful accident finally brings them together, they won’t let anything—not even parallel universes, time travel, or alternate timelines—come between them. Prepare to be emotionally wrecked by this parallel universe romance novel that’s a perfect choice for fans of The Lake House and The Time Traveler’s Wife.
45. The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Theoretical extradimensional research becomes a chilling reality when a scientist discovers cracks between our world and countless others. Parallel Earths where monsters live. These cracks are getting wider every day, so who knows what might creep through? Or what will happen when those walls finally come crashing down?
From the critically acclaimed author of City of Last Chances and Firewalkers, comes a multiverse novel that asks: What if intelligent life had evolved earlier in history?
