Books like 2001 A Space Odyssey
30 science fiction books to read after 2001 A Space Odyssey, by Clarke, Arthur C., the closest match first.
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1. 2010: Odyssey Two
by Clarke, Arthur C.
- Same series
- Same author
When 2001: A Space Odyssey first shocked, amazed, and delighted millions in the late 1960s, the novel was quickly recognized as a classic. Since then, its fame has grown steadily...
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2. 2061: Odyssey Three
by Clarke, Arthur C.
- Same series
- Same author
2061: Odyssey Three is Arthur C. Clarke's sequel to 2010, in which a spaceship visits Halley's Comet while another team lands on Europa.
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3. 3001: The Final Odyssey
by Clarke, Arthur C.
- Same series
- Same author
3001: The Final Odyssey is Arthur C. Clarke's last Space Odyssey novel, in which Frank Poole is found alive a thousand years after his death.
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Hyperion Cantos book 1 Start here
4. Hyperion
by Simmons, Dan
- On the same lists
So most of this series is in fact, not Dying Earth but it is a pinnacle of science fiction. The Poet's Tale: Hyperion Cantos in the first novel of Hyperion is a part of the Dying Earth sub-genre and it is the connection the readers have from Earth to the strange new universe of Hyperion.
A grand intelligent space opera tale that also tells a series of very personal tales. This juxtaposition between epic and the personal gives real life to the story. The whole...
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Rama book 1 Start here
5. Rendezvous With Rama (1974)
by Clarke, Arthur C.
- Same author
Has several echoes of ancient myths, the myth of Prometheus in particular.
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke won the 1974 Nebula Award for Best Novel
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6. Sand Of Mars
by Clarke, Arthur C.
- Same author
Back to a Mars that draws on contemporary scientific knowledge of the red planet. In this version, Mars is little more than a research establishment, as a very small colony...
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7. A Fall Of Moondust
by Clarke, Arthur C.
- Same author
This is one of those short, intense novels that encapsulates all the dangers of life on the space frontier in one gripping episode. In this case, a cruise ship on...
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8. Foundation
by Asimov, Isaac
- On the same lists
Some softer elements, like FTL and antigrav cars, but otherwise a rational series.
Book Flap Description One of the great masterworks of science fiction, the Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are unsurpassed for their unique blend of nonstop action, daring ideas, and extensive...
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Hainish Cycle book 4
9. The Left Hand Of Darkness (1970)
by Guin, Ursula K. Le
- On the same lists
Pacifism and a anarchy—both have merits.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin won the 1970 Nebula Award for Best Novel.One of the best examples of science fiction in the genre.
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The Book Of The New Sun book 1 Start here
10. 1981: The Shadow Of The Torturer
by Wolfe, Gene
- On the same lists
The sun has dimmed, the Earth is cooler and has been transformed in wondrous ways.
'The Shadow of the Torturer' is the first book in Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. Narrated by Severian, a member of the Guild of Torturers, the...
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Night's Dawn book 1 Start here
11. The Reality Dysfunction
by Iii, David R. George
- On the same lists
Space is not the only void... In AD 2600 the human race is finally beginning to realize its full potential. Hundreds of colonized planets scattered across the galaxy host a...
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12. Childhood S End
by Clarke, Arthur C.
- Same author
An alien race invades Earth, but they are benevolent and a golden age begins on Earth.
You're going to hate me for this. Really. See, Clarke is one of the three giants of science fiction, old-school science fiction. He was writing this novel in 1953 at...
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Mars Trilogy book 1 Start here
13. Red Mars (1994)
by Robinson, Kim Stanley
- On the same lists
A mission is launched to terraform Mars in this scientific epic.
In 2026, a hundred colonists set off on the first long voyage to Mars. Among them are John Boone, the first man to walk on the planet, and his rival...
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Heechee Saga book 1 Start here
14. Gateway (1978)
by Pohl, Frederik
- On the same lists
Robinette Broadhead is rich, and he has a lot to feel guilty about. In sessions with his robot psychiatrist, he talks about how he got there: he won a lottery...
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15. Miles Vorkosigan Saga
by Bujold, Lois Mcmaster
- On the same lists
There's a time for everything. There's a time to read heavy novels filled with grand ideas and space, the universe, and the destiny of mankind through Hard Science Fiction. There's...
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Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy book 1 Start here
16. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
by Douglas Adams
- On the same lists
It began as a radio series on the BBC. It was quickly adapted for television (with many of the same cast), and much later there came a film version (though...
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17. The Deep Range
by Clarke, Arthur C.
- Same author
Most of the population is now fed from the sea--whale and plankton farms. Plausible adventures about the mysteries of the sea.
While we associate Clarke with stories about, or set in, space, this one's set underwater in the 21st century. Oceans are fenced off like fields and whales are cattle. Wardens...
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18. Dune Chronicles
by Herbert, Frank
- On the same lists
What a crazy ass ride this series is. Still wildly popular and selling off the shelves after nearly 50 years, the Dune series has spawned a movie, computer games, board...
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The Commonwealth Saga book 1 Start here
19. Pandora's Star
by Hamilton, Peter F.
- On the same lists
Hummanity can live forever by uploading themselves into new bodies.
The Commonwealth Saga is a vast, sprawling space opera that is spread over several novels and short stories. In a precursor to the main series, Misspent Youth, a rejuvenation procedure...
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The Sprawl book 1 Start here
20. Neuromancer (1985)
by Gibson, William
- On the same lists
Gibson is the father of Cyberpunk and this novel in particular is significant. In this novel the term cyberspace is coined.
Case was the best hacker in the Sprawl until his employers damaged his nervous system, and now he can no longer reach cyberspace. He drifts through the criminal underworld of...
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21. The Martian Chronicles
by Bradbury, Ray
- On the same lists
A chronology of the human colonization of Mars, after fleeing an atomically devastated Earth, including the conflicts between humans and the native Martians.
Ray Bradbury's science fiction is unlike anything else being written at the time, and that is particularly true of The Martian Chronicles. A collection of linked stories that tell of...
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22. The Stars My Destination
by Alfred Bester
- On the same lists
A mechanic is the sole survivor on a ship that is just a wreck.
He was one hundred and seventy days dying and not yet dead. Gully Foyle is a shipwrecked sailor abandoned out in space, and when ships pass him by without stopping...
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Hyperion Cantos book 2
23. The Fall Of Hyperion
by Simmons, Dan
- On the same lists
A more recent example of a winning space opera series is the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. The series contains four novels and several short stories, and they've been wildly successful with fans and critics alike. In 1990 the first novel in the series, Hyperion, won both the Hugo and Locus Awards.
This work is the only comprehensive guide to sequels in English, with over 84,000 works by 12,500 authors in 17,000 sequences.
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Takeshi Kovacs book 3
24. Woken Furies
by Morgan, Richard K.
- On the same lists
Mixing classic noir sensibilities with a searing futuristic vision of an age when death is nearly meaningless, Richard K. Morgan returns to his saga of betrayal, mystery, and revenge, as...
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Gap book 1 Start here
25. The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story
by Donaldson, Stephen R.
- On the same lists
Angus Thermopyle is a vicious but unsuccessful pirate who walks in with a beautiful woman on his arm. She is Morn Hyland, a police officer until she met him. His...
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26. Old Man’s War Series
by John Scalzi
- On the same lists
Got popularity? I don't know if you can find a more popular science fiction writer right now. He's socially astute, spot on with his commentary and is nearly too cool...
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Culture book 1 Start here
27. Consider Phlebas
by Iain M. Banks
- On the same lists
A sprawling series with a well developed society complete with social norms, language, biology, artificial intelligences, and the list goes on.
Banks himself once described the plot of Consider Phlebas as: "a shipwrecked sailor falls in with a gang of pirates and goes in search of buried treasure." And that's precisely...
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28. Zone Of Thought
by Vernor Vinge
- On the same lists
Ever bought some electronic thing and two days later discovered it was already obsolete? Sucks. This whole idea about broken things is defined by the concept of The Singularity --...
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29. Ender Series
by Card, Orson Scott
- On the same lists
Ever read a book that is good in spite of its author's controversial reputation? Card has landed himself in a lot of hot water for his political commentary, primarily driven...
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30. Bring The Jubilee
by Ward Moore
- On the same lists
Science fiction likes to play with history. Look how fragile our world is, just one small change there, or there, or there, and things would be ever so much worse....
Matches come from series and authors, from the lists the books share, and from the books readers open together. They are rebuilt every night. Back to 2001 A Space Odyssey.
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