The Man Who Was ThursdayThe Man Who Was Thursday
Score Classic
What it's about
Secret policeman Gabriel Syme goes undercover in Europe's Central Anarchist Council and gets himself elected to the seat called Thursday. Then he discovers another undercover policeman on the Council, and he has yet to face its leader, Sunday.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read.
You'll love it if you liked
The Big Sleep
Ficciones
The Day of the JackalGood to know
Nothing is quite what it seems.
By the numbers
- Readers18 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller23 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 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
- #440 of the 504 fantasy books we rank
- #862 of the 924 classics we rank
- #2784 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Thought-provoking
If you like this, read next
The Lord of the Rings
Foundation
Rendezvous with Rama
The Left Hand of Darkness
The Gods Themselves
UbikExplore the best-of lists
All 47 best-of lists →
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked
Classic booksTop 25 · 924 ranked
Books of the 1900sTop 24 · 24 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedQuick answers
Is The Man Who Was Thursday worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #2,784 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 57.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Man Who Was Thursday about?
Secret policeman Gabriel Syme goes undercover in Europe's Central Anarchist Council and gets himself elected to the seat called Thursday. Then he discovers another undercover policeman on the Council, and he has yet to face its leader, Sunday.
How long does it take to read The Man Who Was Thursday?
About 5 hours (205 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Man Who Was Thursday?
If you liked it, try The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges or The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth.