David and Ecem

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If you loved the Apple TV+ show Severance, you know that elevator ride: the doors close on your real life and open on a job that knows more about you than you do. These seven books give you the same chill, from office satire to deep-space HR.

It’s 8:58 on a Monday. I’m holding a coffee I don’t remember making. The laptop opens to forty unread emails, and I have the strange thought that the person who answers them isn’t really me. Then the thought passes, and I start typing. That’s the scary part.

Full disclosure: David is my partner, and one book on this list is his. I’ve read 50 speculative fiction books this year, and these are the ones that made me look at my work badge a little funny.

The 7 books (no spoilers, I promise)

1. Digital Asylum by David Galle (2026). It’s San Diego, around 2078. Flow runs your phone, your transit, your hospital, and even the car that rates you. Marlow is 32, sarcastic, and grieving. His way forward is a brand-new therapy from Flow, the company that runs almost everything. Why it’s here: Lumon owns your workday. Flow owns your devices, your commute, and now your therapy. Same chill, bigger company. Out November 11.
2. Company by Max Barry (2006). Stephen Jones starts his new job at Zephyr Holdings in Seattle. Nobody knows what the company actually sells. Nobody asks. Then someone steals a donut from the break room, and the whole floor loses its mind. Why it’s here: It’s the funniest office novel I know, and the donut is a better villain than most villains.
3. The Factory by Hiroko Oyamada, translated by David Boyd (in English 2019). Three new workers start at a factory so big it has its own bridges, shops, and strange birds. One shreds paper. One proofreads. One studies moss. None of them can say what the factory makes. Why it’s here: it’s short, quiet, and deeply weird. If the Lumon hallways felt endless to you, this book is those hallways.
4. The Employees by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken (in English 2020). The crew of a deep-space ship gives statements to a work committee. Some of the crew are human. Some are not. The committee wants to know how everyone feels about the job. It was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. Why it’s here: the whole book is HR interviews. In space. I have never been so tense reading a performance review.
5. Temporary by Hilary Leichter (2020). A young woman works temp jobs, and her jobs get stranger every week. She fills in for the Chairman of the Board. She fills in on a pirate ship. She just wants something steady. Why it’s here: It’s a fairy tale about gig work. Funny, sad, and over in an afternoon.
6. The Warehouse by Rob Hart (2019). Cloud is the giant company that sells everything. Its workers live inside the warehouse, wear wristbands that track every step, and get paid in company credit. Paxton and Zinnia both take jobs there, for very different reasons. Why it’s here: It’s the fastest thriller on this list. Lumon tracks your mind. Cloud tracks your steps. Pick your poison.
7. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori (in English 2018). Keiko is 36 and has worked at the same Tokyo convenience store for 18 years. At work, she knows exactly who to be. Outside of work, people keep asking why she isn’t married. Why it’s here: It’s not sci-fi, but it’s the purest “innie” story I’ve ever read. Keiko would thrive at Lumon. That’s the problem.

Where should you start?

1. Want a company that runs everything: Digital Asylum, out November 11.
2. Want to laugh: Company.
3. Want weird: The Factory or Temporary.
4. Want a page-turner: The Warehouse.
5. Want to feel seen at your desk: Convenience Store Woman.

Keep reading

If you liked how Severance makes a company feel like a whole world, try our deep dive, Inside Flow: The Company That Runs Everything in Digital Asylum. Want more near-future reads? Try 7 Books Like Black Mirror for Near-Future Sci-Fi Fans. New here? Start with Why Digital Asylum by David Galle Is a Must-Read for 2026.

Mark November 11. That’s launch day for Digital Asylum: Kindle for $4.99, paperback for $11.99.

What’s next

This Sunday, November 1, I’m sharing The Most Anticipated Speculative Fiction of November 2026. It’s a big month, and I’ve already cleared space on the shelf. See you then.

Quick answers

1. What are the best books like Severance? Start with Digital Asylum, Company, The Factory, The Employees, Temporary, The Warehouse, and Convenience Store Woman. Each one looks at work and asks how much of you it gets to keep.
2. Is the Severance show based on a book? No. It’s an original series created by Dan Erickson for Apple TV+.
3. Which book like Severance is the shortest? The Factory and Temporary are both short. You can finish either one in a weekend.
4. Is Digital Asylum like Severance? It shares the feeling of a company that reaches into your head. It’s set in San Diego around 2078, where Flow runs almost everything.
5. When does Digital Asylum come out? November 11, 2026, on Kindle (4.99) and paperback (11.99).

Follow @david.galle on Instagram for launch day.