Books like Star Wars
30 science fiction books to read after Star Wars, by George Lucas, the closest match first.
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1. The Empire Strikes Back
by Irvin Kershner
- Same series
- On the same lists
The second of the Star Wars films, many claim it's the best of 'em. It's a story that requires a viewer to be familiar with the original, which is only...
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2. Star Wars – Clone Wars
by George Lucas
- Same series
- Same author
The Star Wars universe has appeared on television several times, notably with Droids, the Ewok Adventures, and the brilliantly-misunderstood Star Wars Holiday Special, but it was at its peak with...
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3. Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic Ii: The Sith Lords (2004)
- Same series
The first KOTOR game, produced by BioWare, was one of the best in the Star Wars franchise. The second title uses the same great engine but is by a different...
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4. Star Wars: Battlefront Ii (2005)
- Same series
Star Wars has inspired countless video games, but so far nothing has been able to beat the Battlefront series. While it's a difficult pick between the first and second games,...
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5. Terminator 2
by James Cameron
- On the same lists
Iconic. It's a word that gets tossed around a lot, but the images found in Terminator 2 are 100% iconic. Arnold Schwartzenegger's return as the Terminator on the side of...
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6. The 5th Element
- On the same lists
Sometimes you need a stylish, fun, over-the-top sci-fi action flick like The 5th Element. The 5th Element is full of bizarre characters and an even more bizarre world. It's great...
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7. Gattaca
- On the same lists
In a world increasingly becoming influenced by genetic research, Gattaca has some terrifying relevance: what if you could be distinguished, not on the bases of race or color, but by...
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8. Akira
by Otomo, Katsuhiro
- On the same lists
Welcome to Neo-Tokyo, built on the ashes of a Tokyo annihilated by a blast of unknown origin that triggered World War III. The lives of two streetwise teenage friends, Tetsuo...
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9. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
by Spielberg, Steven
- On the same lists
Humans make contact with aliens after witnessing the arrival of flying saucers from another world.
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10. Blade Runner
by Ridley Scott
- On the same lists
No film has managed to so successfully navigate two separate genres at the same time as Blade Runner. Based on a Philip K Dick novel, Blade Runner is both a...
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11. 2001 – A Space Odyssey
by Stanley Kubrick
- On the same lists
A mysterious monolith appears on the moon, and an investigation of a mysterious signal it emits to Jupiter leads the US to send the ship Discovery One to investigate, and...
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12. The Day The Earth Stood Still
by Robert Wise
- On the same lists
The Alien Klaatu, played by Michael Rennie, comes to Earth to deliver a message, and brings along Gort, an all-powerful robot. That, and a soldier's bullet, sets in motion a...
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13. The Matrix
by Wachowski Brothers
- On the same lists
What is reality? That is the essential question at the heart of the Matrix. Neo, a hacker, is given the option of living in a false reality that is comfortable...
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14. Metropolis
by Fritz Lang
- On the same lists
Visually striking science fiction has been in existence since the films of George Melies. Director Fritz Lang may have been the most important figure in defining what was seen as...
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15. Forbidden Planet
by Fred M. Wilcox
- On the same lists
Star Trek inspired many of the science fiction writers of the late 20th century, and it was Forbidden Planet that inspired Star Trek. A gloriously full-color space opera retelling of...
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16. The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension
by W. D. Richter
- On the same lists
Arguably the smartest science fiction comedy of all-time, Buckaroo Banzai is actually an exploration of themes common in pulp fiction. Doctor Banzai, not only the world's greatest brain surgeon, but...
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17. Alphaville
by Jean-luc Goddard
- On the same lists
Secret Agent Lemmy Caution of the FBI is as hard-boiled as they come. The central figure in a number of British novels, he became an important figure in French cinema...
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18. Brother From Another Planet
by John Sayles
- On the same lists
Perhaps the least-seen film on the list, Brother from Another Planet is a rare bird indeed. It's a quiet film of an alien who has escaped slavery by coming to...
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19. Dark City
by Alex Proyas
- On the same lists
The late 1990s produced some of the most thoughtful science fiction. Dark City begins as an amnesia story, but as it unfolds, we discover that the world itself is stranger...
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20. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
by Richard Fleischer
- On the same lists
Ah, steampunk. While it didn't have a name for more than 30 years after 20,000 Leagues was released in 1954, you can trace so much of the steampunk aesthetic to...
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21. Planet Of The Apes
by Franklin Schaffner
- On the same lists
The original Monkeys take over the world picture, Planet of the Apes is too often remembered for the final scene, and though it's one of the best finishes in the...
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22. Rollerball
by Norman Jewison
- On the same lists
Corporations are taking over, man! That was the fear in the 1970s, and it's still with us today. Rollerball takes that fear and twists it just enough to make what...
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23. Escape From New York
by John Carpenter
- On the same lists
John Carpenter is one of the best directors of genre films alive today. This is his finest work that is purely science fictional. The world has fallen and MAnhattan is...
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24. Godzilla
by Ishiro Honda
- On the same lists
The Japanese kaiju film goes back to their pre-WWII film industry, but it wasn't until 1954 that it really came to the rest of the world. While the American version...
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25. Ghostbusters (1985)
by Chip Lovitt
- On the same lists
In the decade that gave us more quotable films than any other, Ghostbusters might be the most quotable. Bill Murray and Dan Ackroyd at the peak of their abilities playing...
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26. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
by Jim Sharman
- On the same lists
When you think of Rocky Horror, you think of shouting back at the screen and throwing toast ("To absent friends…") but beyond all of that, at the heart of the...
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27. Dune
by David Lynch
- On the same lists
The filmed version of Frank Herbert's classic novel Dune is one that divides critics and viewers alike. Some say it's unwatchable, and others drool over the visuals, the complex story,...
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28. Alien
by Ridley Scott
- On the same lists
Alien is a horror film in a science fiction setting. It's also just as powerful today as it was when it was released. Ridley Scott gets the aspect of horror...
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29. Destination Moon
by Hergé
- On the same lists
Robert A. Heinlein is one of the most important voices in the history of science fiction. In Destination Moon, you can see his fingerprints over the entire film, from the...
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30. They Live
by John Carpenter
- On the same lists
Rowdy Roddy Piper and Keith David have a fight. It goes on a LONG time. That's all anyone seems to remember from They Live, a late 1980s science fiction film,...
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 Star Wars.
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