“Is it better for a man to have chosen evil than to have good imposed upon him?”
If you’ve just wrapped up A Clockwork Orange and have found yourself haunted by its disturbing vision of youth violence, state control, and moral ambiguity, you’re far from alone. Anthony Burgess’ cult classic is one of the most provocative and infamous dystopian novels of all time. But, what do you read next? Whether you’re pulled to invented slang, the unsettling psychological depth, or the rebellious critique of authority, there are books like A Clockwork Orange that offer the same intensity and impact. From dark psychological fiction and controversial classics to modern dystopias that explore free will and human will, join us at What We Reading for these powerful reads that fans of A Clockwork Orange will devour. If you’re looking for novels with unreliable narrators, gritty narratives, or stories that push the boundaries of language and morality, these titles all promise to linger long after the final page.
A Clockwork Orange Summary
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess is a classic dystopian novel that delves into the disturbed mind of teenage delinquent Alex. Set in a near-future society teetering on the brink of total chaos, the story follows Alex and his gang of “droogs” as they roam the streets during the night, committing acts of ultra-violence and inflicting terror on others.
Told through a unique invented slang named Nadsat, Alex’s tale is both unsettling and strangely lyrical. After a brutal crime spree, he’s captured by the authorities and presented with an opportunity for redemption. This opportunity comes in the form of an experimental form of state-sponsored behaviour modification. As the government tries to strip away his free will in the name of order, A Clockwork Orange wrestles with questions about morality, choice, and free will. Violent, provocative, and darkly satirical, A Clockwork Orange has gained infamy for challenging the boundaries of control, punishment, and personal freedom.
1984 – George Orwell
Where else could we kick off a list of books like A Clockwork Orange than with George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel, 1984? The story centres around Winston Smith, a low-ranking member of the oppressive ruling Party, who secretly dreams of rebellion and truth in a world now dominated by lies. Under the ever-watchful gaze of Big Brother, Winston is employed at the Ministry of Truth, where history is constantly being rewritten for the Party’s benefit.
As he begins a forbidden love affair and starts to question the regime ruling over him, Winston finds himself immersed deeper in a web of surveillance, manipulation, and psychological control. Similar to Burgess’ novel, Orwell’s acclaimed tale is a vision of a future stripped of privacy, freedom, and individuality. Through its bleak atmosphere and powerful themes, 1984 explores authoritarianism and the fragility of truth in a controlled society.
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Clockers – Richard Price
Veteran homicide detective Rocco Klein’s passion for the job evaporated a long time ago. His beat is a rough New Jersey neighbourhood where the drug murders blur together. At least, that is until Victor Dunham – a twenty-year-old with a clean record and a steady job – confesses to a brutal shooting outside a fast-food restaurant.
It doesn’t Rocco long for his attention to turn toward Victor’s brother, a street-corner crack dealer known as Strike, who seems to be a far more fitting suspect for the crime. Richard Price’s Clockers is both an intense mystery and a revealing study of two men on opposite sides of an unwinnable war. Raw and candid in its depiction of inner-city America, it is a perfect follow-up to A Clockwork Orange for anyone looking for another visceral chronicle of modern life on the streets.
Rant – Chuck Palahniuk
Buster “Rant” Casey might just be the most efficient and prolific serial killer in history. A rebel during his high school years, Rant Casey escapes from his small town and sets out for the big city. There, he becomes the leader of an urban demolition derby called Party Crashing.
Rant Casey will die a spectacular highway death, after which his friends pull together the testimony needed to construct an oral history of his short, violent life. Chuck Palahniuk’s Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey is a dark fictional biography brimming with themes of chaos, violence, and self-destruction, perfect for anyone who loved A Clockwork Orange.
Apathy And Other Small Victories – Paul Neilan
The sole thing Shane cares about is leaving. Usually, on a Greyhound bus, right before his life falls apart all over again. Just as he planned. But, this time is complicated: there’s a sadistic corporate climber who thinks she’s his girlfriend, a rent-subsidised affair with his landlord’s wife, and the bizarrely appealing deaf assistant to Shane’s comically unstable dentist.
When one of these women is murdered, and Shane is the only suspect who doesn’t care enough to act like he didn’t do it, the question becomes just how he’ll be able to clear the good name he never had and doesn’t particularly want: his own.
We – Yevgeny Zamyatin
In a glass-enclosed city of absolute straight lines, ruled over by the omnipotent ‘Benefactor,’ the inhabitants of the totalitarian OneState live out their existences stripped of all creativity and expression. That is, until D-503, a talented mathematician who dreams in numbers, happens upon an earth-shocking discovery: he is an independent soul.
Set in the twenty-sixth century, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is one of the most influential dystopian works of all time. Having inspired both the likes of 1984 and A Clockwork Orange, it has gone down in history as a timeless cry for individual freedom and as a foreshadowing of the worst excesses of authoritarianism.
Trainspotting – Irvine Welsh
Told through a series of interconnected vignettes, Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting follows a group of young heroin addicts – most notably, Mark Renton, a sharp but self-destructive antihero – who drift through a haze of drugs, crime, and disillusionment. Penned with its distinctive Scottish dialect, Trainspotting immerses readers in the characters’ inner worlds, mixing dark humour with graphic realism.
Welsh captures the desperation of a generation numbed by poverty, hopelessness, and social neglect, yet also does so with a unique series of black comedy and sharp insight. Renton’s attempts to escape the cycle of addiction, betrayal, and self-sabotage form the emotional core of the story, and its similarities to Alex’s Droogs make it a great go-to read after A Clockwork Orange.
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Less Than Zero – Bret Easton Ellis
Set in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, Bret Easton Ellis’ Less Than Zero is another one of the best books like A Clockwork Orange for a candid take on sex, drugs, and disaffection at too early an age, growing up in a world moulded by casual nihilism, passivity, and far too much money.
Clay comes home for the Christmas holidays and re-enters a landscape of limitless privilege and total moral entropy, where everyone drives Porches, dines at Spago, and snorts mountains of cocaine. He attempts to renew feelings for his girlfriend, Blair, and for his high school best friend, Julian. Clay’s holiday soon descends into a dizzying spiral of desperation that takes him through the relentless parties in glittering mansions, underground rock clubs, and into the seedy world of LA after dark.
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The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
Fran is no ordinary sixteen-year-old. He lives with his father outside a remote Scottish village. Their life, to say the least, is unconventional. Frank’s mother abandoned them years ago: his elder brother is confined to a psychiatric ward, and his father measures out his eccentricity on an imperial scale. Frank himself has turned to strange behaviours to vent his frustrations.
In the bizarre daily rituals, there is some solace. However, when word reaches Eric’s escape from the hospital, Frank has to prepare the ground for his brother’s inevitable return – an event that explodes the mysteries of the past and changes Frank entirely.
Check Out These Books Featuring Unhinged Characters
Requiem For A Dream – Hubert Selby Jr.
In Coney Island, Brooklyn, lonely widower Sarah Goldfarb wants nothing more than to lose weight and appear on a television game show. In her obsessive quest, she becomes addicted to diet pills, whilst her junkie son, Harry, along with his girlfriend, Marion, and best friend, Tyrone, try to get rich quickly by selling heroin.
Entranced by the gleaming visions of their futures, these four convince themselves that unexpected setbacks are only temporary. Even as their lives begin to deteriorate around them, they continue to cling to their delusions, becoming utterly consumed in a spiral of drugs and addiction, refusing to acknowledge what they have created is their own worst nightmare. Similar to A Clockwork Orange, Requiem for a Dream is dark, disturbing yet also a hugely compelling exploration of addiction and delusion in a manner any fans of Burgess’ work are sure to love.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
