The Dervish HouseThe Dervish House
Score Modern
What it's about
Istanbul, 2027: a bus bomb goes off, and its shockwaves ripple through the city's lives, in a Turkey about to celebrate five years in the European Union.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Hugo Award finalist. It's a vivid near-future novel set in Istanbul.
You'll love it if you liked
River of Gods
The Windup Girl
Cloud Cuckoo LandGood to know
It has many interlocking characters.
By the numbers
- Readers38 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics25 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller9 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz1 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #251 of the 333 science fiction books we rank
- #1330 of the 1,647 modern books we rank
- #2518 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Thought-provoking, Dark
More by Ian McDonald
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Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,647 ranked
Books of the 2000sTop 25 · 514 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedQuick answers
Is The Dervish House worth reading?
Yes. It was a Hugo Award finalist. It ranks #2,518 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 60.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Dervish House about?
Istanbul, 2027: a bus bomb goes off, and its shockwaves ripple through the city's lives, in a Turkey about to celebrate five years in the European Union.
How long does it take to read The Dervish House?
About 12 hours (476 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Dervish House?
If you liked it, try River of Gods by Ian McDonald, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi or Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr.