Children of God by Mary Doria Russel. I started this awhile ago, but have only recently gotten back into it. A sequel to the spectacular The Sparrow, it's not the easiest read but is quite compelling. Yo el Supremo (I the Supreme) by Augusto Roa Baos. The Royal Spanish Academy has a really cool (in Spanish) edition celebrating the centenary of the author's birth. It's a fictionalized account of Paraguayan dictator Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia, and focuses on the relationship between language and political power.
They're both great so far, so I'll be curious to know what you think.
I can see the similarity, although I think The Sparrow (the first book in the series) is better. Just know that it's also a much bigger emotional gut-punch.