Books like The Blue World
29 science fiction books to read after The Blue World, by Vance, Jack, the closest match first.
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1. Tales Of The Dying Earth
by Vance, Jack
- Same author
- On the same lists
A series, and the reason there is a Dying Earth sub-genre.
Tale of the Dying Earth truly stands as one of the greatest works ever penned. Everything that's good and bad about the human condition is eloquently expressed within this tale....
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2. Transit
by Edmund Cooper
- On the same lists
First published published in 1964, this novel it hasn't lost anything of its appeal 40+ years later, mainly because its themes are timeless. Two men and two women are abducted...
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The Magicians book 1 Start here
3. The Magicians
by Grossman, Lev
- On the same lists
A prequel novel about a high school senior who is admitted to a school for gifted children, for a magical education in upstate New York. A typical quest story that turns dark. Things are not black and white in this world and the characters are psychologically rich.
School fantasy is often aimed at children, and it's very successful at hitting that market. It's much harder to appeal exclusively to adults, and that's where The Magicians shines. Rather...
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4. The Men In The Jungle
by Norman Spinrad
- On the same lists
On the planet Sangre (Spanish for 'blood') there exists a divided society so brutal that it makes your average Earth-bound slavery society look like a humanitarian enterprise. The sub-class is...
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5. Anthem
by Ayn Rand
- On the same lists
When people hear 'Ayn Rand', they tend to think of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. Anthem is a David to her other Goliaths. It may originally have been conceived as...
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6. Mission To Universe
by Gordon R. Dickson
- On the same lists
This is a classic 'first interstellar journey' story by the amazing Gordon Dickson. Impatient with the bureaucracy who is delaying the launch of the new-technology 'phase ship', (very cool technology!)...
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7. Rewind
by Terry England
- On the same lists
What would it be like if your mind, memories, feelings, identify suddenly ended up in the body of a prepubescent child (no sex change involved)? Well, for 17 people that's...
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A Requiem For Homo Sapiens book 1 Start here
8. Neverness
by David Zindell
- On the same lists
Usually when you think of the 80s you think of bouffant hair, jeans tight enough to threaten a man-s ability to father, and high pitched singers wearing neon colors. Fortunately,...
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Francis Sandow book 1 Start here
9. Isle Of The Dead
by Zelazny, Roger
- On the same lists
The protagonist of this story studies to become a telepath and worldscaper--someone who can create and terraform worlds. In this novel, terraforming is an artform.
Zelazny wrote a few stories about immortals, and Francis Sandow is one of them. He was born in the 20th century and ended up in suspended animation on a spaceship....
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10. The Hercules Text
by Mcdevitt, Jack
- On the same lists
The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has been underway for over five decades now. (For real, that is!) Somewhere out there, we thinkhope? fear?there may be life forms, alien but...
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11. Immune Response
by Steve Perry
- On the same lists
Suppose someone financed a project to create a drug-and-virus cocktail that could make people essentially immortal. Pop a capsule of the mix and Bob's your uncle. No more illness, quick...
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Nifft The Lean book 1 Start here
12. Nifft The Lean
by Shea, Michael
- On the same lists
Nifft was a thief and a rogue. Nifft is dead. This is kind of an epitaph in four short tales. You decide whether you'd ever let Nifft get close to...
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13. Blind Waves
by Steven Gould
- On the same lists
Nifft was a thief and a rogue. Nifft is dead. This is kind of an epitaph in four short tales. You decide whether you'd ever let Nifft get close to...
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14. Neanderthal
by John Darnton
- On the same lists
Neanderthal is John Darnton's thriller in which a team of scientists searches for a surviving Neanderthal people in a hidden valley in Central Asia.
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16. Babel-17 (1967)
by Delany, Samuel R.
- On the same lists
The literary side of this Sci Fi book is high in its experimentation with language and its exploration of language's role in meaning, action, identity, politics, and culture.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes won the 1967 Nebula Award for Best Novel along with Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany. This is the only time since the start of...
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17. Immortality Inc
by Robert Sheckley
- On the same lists
Many of those in the Transhumanist camp believe that sooner or later, in a twisted take on the 'reincarnation' mythos, we'll be able to effectively separate minds from bodies and...
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Quantrill book 1 Start here
18. Systemic Shock
by Dean Ing
- On the same lists
Ted Quantrill is a freak: he fastest gun in the West (and probably the world). After the total collapse of Russia, India and China band together (unlikely, I know, but...
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The Dying Earth book 2
19. The Eyes Of The Overworld
by Vance, Jack
- Same author
In the dim far future of Earth, when the sun had shrunk to a small red disk in the dark sky and the race of man lived in isolated cities...
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The Dying Earth book 3
20. Cugel's Saga
by Vance, Jack
- Same author
The roguish Cugel the Clever is stranded on a shore on the other side of the world by the Laughing Magic and must fight, bluff, and connive his way back...
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The Dying Earth book 4
21. Rhialto The Marvellous
by Vance, Jack
- Same author
Rhialto the Marvellous takes up the personal and political conflicts among a conclave of two dozen magicians of Ascolais and Almery in the 21st Aeon. The shocking appearance of the...
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Big Planet book 1 Start here
22. Big Planet
by Vance, Jack
- Same author
A craft crash lands on the Big Planet and the survivors face a 40,000 mile trek across a dangerous landscape.
Big Planet is BIG. Really big, but with a surface gravity about equal to that of Earth. It was colonized by a whole bunch of colorful characters, ranging from rebels,...
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Big Planet book 2
23. Showboat World
by Vance, Jack
- Same author
Showboat World is Jack Vance's second Big Planet novel, in which a showboat travels the rivers of a strange world full of dangers.
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24. The Dragon Masters
by Vance, Jack
- Same author
On the rocky planet Aerlith, humans have managed to gain a spotty foothold. They live in the valleys with fertile soil and fight occasional battles for territory and general dominance....
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25. To Live Forever
by Vance, Jack
- Same author
In a near utopian city lengthening someone's life is a reward the government bestows. And immortality is the highest honor, reserved for select few.
In a near utopian city lengthening someone's life is a reward the government bestows. And immortality is the highest honor, reserved for select few.
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26. The Anubis Gates
by Powers, Tim
- On the same lists
An award winning novel that has time travel, historical figures, Egyptian mythology, and 19th century England.
In creating this world, Powers borrowed ideas from all over the place. Mythology, Ancient Egyptian theology, quantum theory, and classical literature“ they're all used in The Anubis Gates. It's a...
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27. Footprints Of Thunder
by James F. David
- On the same lists
This book was made into a movie, and a pretty good one at that, though by necessity not as complex and in-depth as the book. Crichton does have a habit...
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28. The Disappearance
by Philip Wylie
- On the same lists
The apocalypse here is kind of personal. The world's just fine to start with, but... From one moment to the next all the women disappear from the world of men—and...
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29. 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...
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 The Blue World.
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