Books like Samarcande

Samarcande by Amin Maalouf reads as epic, reflective. These 12 books share its genome — matched by how they actually read, not just their shelf label.

Eva Luna

Isabel Allende · 1987

Shares the lovetime + romance thread

71% genome match

The Last Days of Pompeii

Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton · 1800

Shares the lovetime + romance thread

69% genome match

The last song of dusk

Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi · 2004

Shares the lovetime + romance thread

69% genome match

Aethiopica

Heliodorus of Emesa · 1534

Shares the lovetime + romance thread

69% genome match

Troilus and Criseyde

Geoffrey Chaucer · 1483

Shares the lovetime + romance thread

69% genome match

An arrow's flight

Mark Merlis · 1998

Shares the lovetime + romance thread

69% genome match

Lovely War

Julie Berry · 2019

Shares the lovetime + romance thread

69% genome match

Evgeniĭ Onegin

Александр Сергеевич Пушкин · 1833

Shares the lovetime + romance thread

69% genome match

The Life and Death of Jason

William Morris · 1867

Shares the lovetime + romance thread

69% genome match

El caballero de Olmedo

Lope de Vega · 1606

Shares the lovetime + romance thread

69% genome match

Romeo y Julieta (adaptation)

William Shakespeare · 1863

Shares the lovetime + romance thread

69% genome match

Apollonius Rhodius

Apollonius Rhodius · 1550

Shares the lovetime + romance thread

69% genome match