Books like Excession
30 science fiction books to read after Excession, by Iain M. Banks, the closest match first.
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Culture book 3
1. Use Of Weapons
by Iain M. Banks
- Same series
- Same author
Features a Utopian society (culture) that's post scarcity, controlled by benevolent A. I.'s who act for the good of the society. When Culture encounters less enlightened societies, the fun begins.
Iain Banks burst onto the literary scene with his controversial first novel, The Wasp Factory, the violent story of a girl who had been brought up as an emasculated boy....
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Culture book 1 Start here
2. Consider Phlebas
by Iain M. Banks
- Same series
- Same author
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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Culture book 2
3. Player Of Games
by Iain M. Banks
- Same series
- Same author
Probably the best of Ian Bank's Culture novels. Strong characters and a light-hearted tone to the novel despite the "seriousness" of the actual plot make this an easy, addicting read....
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Culture book 4
4. The State Of The Art
by Iain M. Banks
- Same series
- Same author
A collection of short fiction set in Iain M. Banks's Culture, including the title novella about a Culture contact officer on Earth in the 1970s.
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Culture book 6
5. Inversions
by Iain M. Banks
- Same series
- Same author
A Culture novel set among a pre-industrial people, where a doctor-spy serves a king and learns that outside forces are watching her world. Iain M. Banks tells it in two...
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Culture book 7
6. Look To Windward
by Iain M. Banks
- Same series
- Same author
A Culture novel in which a composer from the Chelgrian people and a visitor with a secret mission both come to the Culture's Orbital, in a story of memory, loss...
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Culture book 9
7. Surface Detail
by Iain M. Banks
- Same series
- Same author
The story of what happens to Hell in a galaxy where humans live without physical form eternally.
A Culture novel about a virtual Hell, built by a civilisation to punish the digital copies of the dead, and a woman who escapes it to take her revenge in...
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Culture book 10
8. The Hydrogen Sonata
by Iain M. Banks
- Same series
- Same author
The tenth Culture novel, a story of an ancient music, a dying civilisation and a war that touches the Culture, from Iain M. Banks.
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9. The Adolescence Of P-1
by Thomas J. Ryan
- On the same lists
Contrary to popular belief, Canadians do know more about life other than snow, hockey, poutine, and being awfully polite. They've also managed to produce Thomas J. Ryan, the author of...
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10. When Harlie Was One
by David Gerrold
- On the same lists
Ever felt like your computer was your best friend and the only person who really understood you? The only person who really listened? C'mon, I can't be the only nerd...
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11. Newton's Wake
by Ken Macleod
- On the same lists
Our favorite Mad-Scotsman, Ken McLeod, crosses the genres of sci-fi, cyber-punk, space opera and post-apocalyptic fiction in Newtown's Wake, telling the story of the world after the Hard Rapture, a...
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12. The Two Faces Of Tomorrow
by James P. Hogan
- On the same lists
The Two Faces of Tomorrow is described as a world where civilization has grown so complicated that only a world-wide computer network can control its complexity. Now, I must admit...
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13. The Lifecycle Of Software Objects
by Ted Chiang
- On the same lists
On the list of things I thought I'd never do is: a) own a tamagotchi, and b) recommend a novel about adults playing with adorable virtual pets. While I still...
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Daemon book 1 Start here
14. Daemon
by Daniel Suarez
- On the same lists
The first of this two-part series, is a thrilling tale about a computer program that gets activated—a program that begins to unravel our hyper-connected world.
What do you get if William Gibson and Neal Stephenson had a love affair and decided to merge equal portions of their DNA in some not yet heard of pregnancy...
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15. House Of Suns
by Alastair Reynolds
- On the same lists
What are the Welsh famous for? Prior to House of Suns' rip-roaring success, it was Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta-Jones. And not much else! But in 2007, Welsh science-fiction author Alastair...
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16. The Metamorphosis Of Prime Intellect
by Roger Williams
- On the same lists
The only thing missing from making this the perfect cocktail of naughty adult pursuits is some drug taking, because there is enough sex and violence to keep everyone's inner animal...
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17. Alpha Redemption
- On the same lists
I never thought I'd be recommending Christian science-fiction with family-friendly content, but that day has come. I'm dulling the atheist in me with a good few stiff drinks as I...
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Destination Void book 1 Start here
18. Destination Void
by Herbert, Frank
- On the same lists
When I think of Frank Herbert I think of a hallucinogenic world of giant worms and magic dust that gives you special abilities and powers (any wonder he didn't receive...
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19. Www: Wake
by Sawyer, Robert J.
- On the same lists
The delicious irony (or coincidence? I never know which one is appropriate and I blame Alanis Morrisette and that terrible song entirely for this confusion) about this novel is that...
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20. I, Robot
by Asimov, Isaac
- On the same lists
Asimov wrote the three laws of robotics and this collection of stories is a cornerstone of Robot Sci Fi.
Asimov is the God Father of all things science fiction and robotic, and no self-respecting top robot novel list would be worth reading without this book in prime position. You...
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Otherland book 1 Start here
21. Otherland
by Williams, Tad
- On the same lists
This one has been around for a long while now and pre-dates the whole LitRPG movement. However, as the premise of the story takes place partly in a massive, realistic...
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Singularity book 2
22. A.i. Apocalypse
by William Hertling
- On the same lists
If you are a literary snob, this book will not appeal to you, but if you are a science-fiction nerd who lists their interests as: artificial intelligence, neural networks and...
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23. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?
by Dick, Philip K.
- On the same lists
A novel that contains images that are Retro Futuristic, but is also a story about a post-apocalyptic Earth.
Set in a post-Nuclear War society, the future is pretty bleak. People are being encouraged to leave the planet for parts unknown and are being given an incentive, their own...
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Hyperion Cantos book 1 Start here
24. 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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The Commonwealth Saga book 1 Start here
25. 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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26. The Diamond Age
by Stephenson, Neal
- On the same lists
A coming of age story for a young girl in a world where nanotech has become part of all aspects of life.
Unlike the typical steampunk,, Neal Stephenson’s masterpiece does not feature steam and clockwork technology, but futuristic nano-technology that’s pervaded society on every level. This novel is so much more than...
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Space Odyssey book 1 Start here
27. 2001 A Space Odyssey
by Clarke, Arthur C.
- On the same lists
This novel is an epic story, a story in which two astronauts must fight for their lives, against an extraordinary computer named HAL.
The classic science fiction novel that captures and expands on the vision of Stanley Kubrick’s immortal film—and changed the way we look at the stars and ourselves. From the savannas...
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28. To The Moon
by Heinlein, Robert A.
- On the same lists
An award winning novel about a colony that rebels against the Lunar Authority that controls it.
Science fiction-roman.
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The Sprawl book 1 Start here
29. 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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The Ender Quintet book 1 Start here
30. Ender's Game (1986)
by Card, Orson Scott
- On the same lists
The first in a famous series that seems to become more literary as its characters age. Follows a child prodigy and in the process makes the reader think about war, the means to war, and even loneliness.
Earth has survived two invasions by an insect-like alien race, and the International Fleet is training the most gifted children to lead the next defence. Six-year-old Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is...
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 Excession.
The shortlist
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