Finishing a Charles Dickens novel is a unique kind of literary sorrow. Who else can populate a world with such vivid eccentrics, champion the downtrodden with such moral clarity, and masterfully blend gut-wrenching tragedy with laugh-out-loud humor? His sprawling plots and unforgettable characters create a universe that feels impossible to replace.
The good news is that while no one is exactly like Dickens, many authors share key elements of his genius. Some match his grand, operatic scope; others share his razor-sharp wit; and still others carry his torch for social justice, exposing the follies and cruelties of their own eras. The authors on this list are kindred spirits—storytellers who, like the master himself, understand the power of a great story to capture the complexities of the human heart and hold a mirror up to society.
William Makepeace Thackeray offers a more cynical but equally compassionate view of society than Dickens, wielding his pen like a surgeon's scalpel to expose human vanity and pretension. Where Dickens often champions the innocent and downtrodden, Thackeray focuses on the corrupting effects of ambition and the hollow pursuit of social status.
Vanity Fair revolves around the scheming Becky Sharp, a brilliant and ruthless social climber who uses her wit and beauty to manipulate her way through Regency society. Thackeray's genius lies in making us simultaneously admire Becky's intelligence and resourcefulness while being appalled by her moral flexibility—she's both victim and victimizer in a society that values appearance over substance.
Thackeray's narrator speaks directly to readers with knowing irony, creating an intimacy that makes his social criticism feel like conversations with a wise, if somewhat jaded, friend who has seen through society's elaborate pretenses.
George Eliot combines Dickens' moral passion with profound psychological insight, creating characters whose inner lives feel as real and complex as those of people we know. Like Dickens, she believes in the power of sympathy to transform society, but she explores moral questions with a philosopher's rigor and a scientist's precision.
Middlemarch showcases her genius through characters like idealistic Dorothea Brooke, who marries the pedantic scholar Casaubon hoping to contribute to great work, only to discover the crushing reality of his intellectual sterility. Meanwhile, young doctor Tertius Lydgate arrives with dreams of medical reform but finds himself trapped by debts and a beautiful, selfish wife who doesn't understand his ambitions.
What sets Eliot apart is her ability to show how grand aspirations collide with ordinary human weaknesses, creating the kind of moral complexity that makes readers examine their own choices and motivations.
Anthony Trollope excels at capturing the gentle comedy of everyday moral dilemmas, approaching social issues with a lighter touch than Dickens but equal humanity. His genius lies in showing how ordinary people navigate the competing demands of conscience, ambition, and social expectation, often with results that are both funny and deeply touching.
The Warden introduces us to the mild-mannered Septimus Harding, who discovers that his comfortable position as warden of a charitable institution may be ethically questionable. Trollope's delicate portrayal of a fundamentally good man torn between personal security and moral principle showcases his gift for finding universal truths in seemingly mundane situations.
What makes Trollope perfect for Dickens readers is his faith in human decency and his ability to find profound meaning in the small compromises and kindnesses that shape daily life.
Elizabeth Gaskell shares Dickens' deep empathy for the working class, but writes with a woman's perspective that brings unique insights to social reform literature. Like Dickens, she exposes industrial capitalism's human costs, but with particular attention to how economic upheaval affects families, relationships, and the fabric of community life.
North and South follows Margaret Hale, a genteel southerner who must adjust to life in a northern industrial town, where she witnesses both the brutal conditions of factory workers and the complex humanity of mill owner John Thornton. Gaskell's achievement lies in refusing to demonize capitalists or idealize workers, instead showing how economic forces create genuine moral dilemmas for people trying to do right by their families and communities.
What makes Gaskell essential for Dickens readers is her ability to combine social protest with nuanced character development, creating stories that advocate for reform while celebrating the resilience and dignity of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances.
Wilkie Collins pioneered the sensation novel, combining Dickens' gift for memorable characters with intricate mystery plots that keep readers guessing until the final pages. Like Dickens, Collins exposes the dark secrets lurking beneath Victorian respectability, but focuses on psychological suspense rather than social reform.
The Woman in White showcases Collins' mastery of multiple narrators and shifting perspectives, as we follow drawing teacher Walter Hartright's investigation into the mysterious Anne Catherick and the sinister plot surrounding the beautiful Laura Fairlie. Collins' genius lies in creating an atmosphere of mounting dread while maintaining perfect control over his complex plot's many moving pieces.
What makes Collins irresistible to Dickens fans is his ability to combine page-turning excitement with serious themes about identity, madness, and the vulnerability of women in a society that values their wealth more than their wellbeing.
Thomas Hardy masterfully captures the crushing weight of fate and social expectations in his novels set in the fictional county of Wessex. Like Dickens, Hardy exposes how rigid class structures destroy innocent lives, but with a darker, more fatalistic vision that shows characters trapped between tradition and modernity.
His most powerful work, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, follows a pure-hearted peasant girl whose family's desperate poverty leads her to seek help from wealthy relatives—a decision that sets in motion a tragic chain of seduction, abandonment, and social ostracism. Hardy's genius lies in showing how Tess remains noble and sympathetic despite society's harsh judgment, creating one of literature's most heartbreaking heroines.
What sets Hardy apart is his vivid portrayal of the English countryside as both beautiful and unforgiving, where ancient customs clash with industrial progress and where a single misstep can doom a character forever.
Victor Hugo writes with operatic grandeur and passionate intensity, creating sweeping epics that blend intimate human drama with vast historical events. Like Dickens, Hugo champions the downtrodden and exposes social injustice, but with a more romantic and revolutionary fervor that can move readers to tears and inspire them to action.
Les Misérables showcases Hugo at his most powerful, weaving together the stories of ex-convict Jean Valjean, the relentless Inspector Javert, and the idealistic student Marius against the backdrop of 19th-century French upheaval. Hugo's genius lies in his ability to make readers care deeply about a street urchin like Gavroche or feel the agony of Fantine's desperate sacrifice for her daughter Cosette.
Hugo's prose soars with poetic descriptions and philosophical insights, transforming Paris itself into a character—from the labyrinthine sewers where Valjean carries the wounded Marius to the barricades where young revolutionaries make their final stand for justice.
The Brontë Sisters—Charlotte, Emily, and Anne—craft engrossing stories about family dynamics, love, and personal struggles set within vividly drawn landscapes. Their novels often highlight strong emotions and memorable characters, aspects readers love in Dickens.
Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is especially beloved, depicting the emotional journey and growth of a resourceful orphaned governess confronting hardship and passion while searching for dignity and independence.
Fyodor Dostoevsky writes deeply psychological novels examining moral dilemmas and complex ethical questions. Like Dickens, Dostoevsky develops sympathetic characters caught in difficult social conditions, forcing them into harsh choices and intense self-scrutiny.
Crime and Punishment shows Dostoevsky in top form, with Raskolnikov wrestling with guilt and conscience after committing a murder, exploring profound themes of morality, redemption, and human nature.
Honoré de Balzac's novels provide sharp, realistic portraits of French society in the 19th century, including individuals at every social level. Balzac pays close attention to human motivations and social pressures, much like Dickens.
His masterpiece, Père Goriot, offers a powerful depiction of greed, family betrayal, ambition, and tragic disappointment through an elderly father's sacrifices for his ungrateful daughters.
John Irving masterfully blends dark comedy with heartbreaking tragedy, creating sprawling family sagas that capture the absurdity and beauty of human existence. Like Dickens, Irving populates his novels with unforgettable eccentric characters who face life's unpredictable cruelties and unexpected joys with resilience and humor.
The World According to Garp exemplifies Irving's genius for combining the profound with the profane—following the life of T.S. Garp from his unusual conception (his mother artificially inseminates herself with a dying soldier) through his struggles as a writer, husband, and father in a world filled with bizarre accidents and random violence. Irving's ability to find meaning in chaos echoes Dickens' faith in human goodness despite life's hardships.
What makes Irving particularly compelling is his fearless exploration of contemporary social issues—feminism, sexuality, and violence—while maintaining the warmth and moral clarity that Dickens brought to Victorian social problems.
George Gissing offers a more pessimistic but equally penetrating view of Victorian society than Dickens, stripping away sentimental hope to reveal the grinding realities of poverty and social ambition. Where Dickens often found redemption and kindness amid suffering, Gissing presents a harsher world where talent and virtue don't guarantee success, and where the pursuit of respectability can destroy the soul.
New Grub Street stands as his masterpiece, following the contrasting fates of two writers: the idealistic Edwin Reardon, who refuses to compromise his artistic integrity and slides into poverty and despair, and the pragmatic Jasper Milvain, who treats literature as a business and climbs toward success by abandoning his principles. Gissing's psychological insight into the literary world's brutal economics feels remarkably modern and relevant.
What makes Gissing essential for Dickens readers is his unflinching examination of how money shapes relationships, dreams, and moral choices—themes central to both authors, but explored by Gissing with a surgeon's precision and a pessimist's clear eye.
Henry Fielding pioneered the sprawling comic novel that Dickens would later perfect, combining robust humor with sharp moral insight and an unshakeable faith in human goodness despite society's corruptions. Like Dickens, Fielding celebrates the natural virtue of ordinary people while skewering the pretensions and hypocrisies of the upper classes.
Tom Jones follows the adventures of a kindhearted foundling whose generous impulses constantly land him in trouble with a society that values reputation over character. Fielding's brilliant comic set pieces—from roadside inns filled with colorful rogues to bedroom farces involving mistaken identities—reveal his gift for finding humor in human folly while maintaining genuine affection for his flawed but lovable characters.
What makes Fielding essential reading for Dickens fans is his pioneering blend of entertainment with moral purpose, proving that novels could both delight readers and challenge them to think more deeply about justice, mercy, and the true nature of virtue.
Sarah Waters writes engaging historical novels full of detail and vivid depiction of setting, much like Dickens. Her novel Fingersmith draws readers into Victorian London with richly layered characters and a plot full of twists and turns.
Waters examines themes of identity, deception, and morality in a way that fans of Dickens' intricate storytelling and vibrant settings will enjoy.
Michel Faber has a knack for bringing the Victorian era to life, with writing that is detailed, atmospheric, and emotionally powerful. His novel The Crimson Petal and the White explores the bleak yet fascinating underbelly of nineteenth-century London.
If you enjoy Dickens' vivid settings, his thoughtful treatment of heavy social issues, and community of memorable, believable characters, Faber's work will resonate with you.