Books like Tau Zero
30 science fiction books to read after Tau Zero, by Anderson, Poul, the closest match first.
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1. Rainbows End
by Vernor Vinge
- On the same lists
Rainbows End, for all it sounds like the title of a children's fantasy book, is some incredibly relevant sci fi. Sitting at number eight on our top 25 hard science...
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2. Everyone In Silico
by Jim Munroe
- On the same lists
Sticking with cyberpunk, but moving beyond it, we come to Everyone in Silico. Written in 2002, it rose to fame because it's author invoiced the companies mentioned for product placement...
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Rama book 1 Start here
3. Rendezvous With Rama (1974)
by Clarke, Arthur C.
- On the same lists
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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The Color Of Distance book 1 Start here
4. The Color Of Distance
by Amy Thomson
- On the same lists
A look at a world where the inhabitants live in balance with their environment—with a bit of darkness and complexity as you delve deeper.
The Color of Distance makes the top five of our top 25 hard science fiction novels thanks to it's innovative use of biology and anthropology instead of the usual physics...
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Cheela book 1 Start here
5. Dragon's Egg
by Robert L. Forward
- On the same lists
Another great hard sci-fi epic, Forward’s book shows us the challenges humans face is they would live on a neutron star.
Dragon's Egg by Robert L Forward is the story of a civilisation that grows fast enough for humans to observe - with each day of the new civilisation being equivalent...
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Jean Le Flambeur book 1 Start here
6. The Quantum Thief
by Hannu Rajaniemi
- On the same lists
The Quantum Thief is the story of a heist. However, it's a heist set in a posthuman future, so expect something special. Coming in at 24 of our top 25...
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7. Diaspora
by Greg Egan
- On the same lists
This philosophical novel deals with the question of reproduction in a posthuman world.
The best way to start is by diving in at the deep end, and when it comes to posthumanity you won’t find deeper. Uploaded personalities, clones, advanced technologies, extraordinary developments...
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8. Orbit Unlimited
by Anderson, Poul
- Same author
A collection of short stories in the Hard Sci Fi sub-genre about a band of people fleeing an oppressive Earth.
A collection of short stories in the Hard Sci Fi sub-genre about a band of people fleeing an oppressive Earth.
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9. The Boat of a Million Years
by Anderson, Poul
- Same author
The novel covers a group of immortals from the ancient past to the near-future. It shows their difficulties and quest to find others like themselves and then their departure from Earth and exploration of new civilizations.
The novel covers a group of immortals from the ancient past to the near-future. It shows their difficulties and quest to find others like themselves and then their departure from...
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10. Queen of Air and Darkness
by Anderson, Poul
- Same author
Set on a colony world in the future and draws on Celtic myths of Faerie.
Set on a colony world in the future and draws on Celtic myths of Faerie.
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Hoka book 1 Start here
11. Earthman's Burden
by Anderson, Poul
- Same author
and Gordon R. Dickson. A series of short stories. A comical take on the Space Western sub-genre. A teddy-bear like alien race comes across Earth's Western tales and reenacts the stories.
and Gordon R. Dickson. A series of short stories. A comical take on the Space Western sub-genre. A teddy-bear like alien race comes across Earth's Western tales and reenacts the...
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12. English Empire
by Anderson, Poul
- Same author
A sequence of novels that take English knights and make them rulers of alien worlds.
A sequence of novels that take English knights and make them rulers of alien worlds.
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13. The Snows of Ganymede
by Anderson, Poul
- Same author
A member of the Order of Planetary Engineers is sent to survey a distant moon.
A member of the Order of Planetary Engineers is sent to survey a distant moon.
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Time Patrol book 1 Start here
14. Guardians of Time
by Anderson, Poul
- Same author
Groups of time travellers fight one another along streams of time.
Groups of time travellers fight one another along streams of time.
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15. Contact
by Sagan, Carl
- On the same lists
Scientists discover a message from an intelligent source and must travel deep into space to meet it.
In the year 1999 a multinational team of astronauts sets out to discover the secrets of the universe.
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16. World War Z: An Oral History Of The Zombie War
by Max Brooks
- On the same lists
The zombie war told as interviews with the survivors, Max Brooks's chilling oral history.
The Zombie Apocalypse has become one of the most pervasive themes in sf and horror over the last few years, so much so that it has escaped genre and become...
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Culture book 3
17. Use Of Weapons
by Iain M. Banks
- On the same lists
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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Mars Trilogy book 1 Start here
18. 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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19. Downbelow Station
by Cherryh, C. J.
- On the same lists
A space opera about a rebellion between Earth and its colonies.
Downbelow Station is well known among science fiction readers. It's part of a sprawling set of novels - though each reads as a standalone, it's worth reading a few should...
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20. Accelerando
- On the same lists
Ever since the computer became a fixture in the ordinary life of every one of us, it has been one of the most potent images in the idea of posthumanity....
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21. 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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Sleepless book 1 Start here
22. Beggars In Spain
by Nancy Kress
- On the same lists
How much more could you do if you didn't have to sleep? That's the simple question that starts this superb trilogy.In this near future world, a philosophy that is becoming...
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23. Lilith's Brood
by Butler, Octavia E.
- On the same lists
Science fiction isnât always meant to be comfortable or easy reading. Quite the opposite, any literature so based on ideas must challenge the reader, make them think differently (if only...
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Spin book 1 Start here
24. Spin
by Robert Charles Wilson
- On the same lists
The stars go out—replaced by an alien-made barrier that slows the passage of time on Earth and the danger the sun poses comes ever closer.
One night, when he is 12 years old, Tyler Dupree and two friends witness all the stars in the sky suddenly disappearing. It turns out that a membrane has been...
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25. Synners
by Pat Cadigan
- On the same lists
Synners are jacked-in outlaws, hooked on the astonishing worlds of virtual space as an escape from the grim, depressing industrial reality around them. But, hot-wired in to cyberspace, they have...
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Firefall book 1 Start here
26. Blindsight
by Peter Watts
- On the same lists
A group of freaks (who are also astronauts) are sent on a one way mission to investigate a mysterious object that appears at the edge of human space. Atmospheric and creepy.
This novel has been hailed as one of the best hard sf stories written this century. It's an awesome novel, packed with invention and new ideas and challenges to the...
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27. 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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Ringworld book 1 Start here
28. Ringworld (1971)
by Niven, Larry
- On the same lists
One of the most famous books of the genre, that follows the pros and cons of living on a spinning ring instead of a round planet. The fact that makes this book so famous is that after the author’s ideas were proven impracticable, he wrote a sequel explaining the inadequacies.
In the year 2850, Louis Wu turns 200 and is bored with life. Then a two-headed alien Puppeteer called Nessus offers him a job: join a small expedition to a...
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The Forever War book 1 Start here
29. The Forever War (1976)
by Haldeman, Joe
- On the same lists
In this novel, time travel is a kind of side effect of space travel at near light speeds.
William Mandella is a physics student drafted into an elite force to fight an alien enemy on the far side of the galaxy. Travel between the front lines takes a...
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Revelation Space book 1 Start here
30. Revelation Space
by Alastair Reynolds
- On the same lists
A complex novel that postulates many different lifeforms who struggle against ancient, machine-like intelligences seeking to destroy all new organic life.
Throughout its history, one of the strongest and most interesting aspects of science fiction has been its use in satire. And this is just about the most stunning of contemporary...
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 Tau Zero.
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