Books like The Demolished Man
30 science fiction books to read after The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester, the closest match first.
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1. The Stars My Destination
by Alfred Bester
- Same author
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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Oxford Time Travel book 2
2. To Say Nothing Of The Dog
by Willis, Connie
- On the same lists
This is the first of Willisâ time traveling historians. Ned Henry is looking for something called the bishopâs bird stump in the 1940s, despite the fact that he lives in...
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Robot book 1 Start here
3. The Caves Of Steel
by Asimov, Isaac
- On the same lists
Earth is overpopulated a thousand years from now. Planets outside of our solar system have been colonized and development of robots through the âpositronic brain.â In this new society, only...
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4. The Dosadi Experiment
by Herbert, Frank
- On the same lists
This novel is a fan-lovers secret. It didn't win anything. But, it should have. Usually readers find a copy by accident recognizing Herbert from his Dune series. Nothing prepares you...
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Vorkosigan Saga book 5
5. The Mountains Of Mourning
by Bujold, Lois Mcmaster
- On the same lists
Miles Vorkosigan, the scion of the clan, is sent to a society that puts a price on physical perfection. A baby in the society has been murdered, one with physical...
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Retrieval Artist book 1 Start here
6. The Disappeared: A Retrieval Artist Novel
by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
- On the same lists
Rusch writes about a new world, set in the future, where the humans and alien races try to coexist in a new society. Thereâs a certain level of tolerance being...
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7. Gun, With Occasional Music
by Jonathan Lethem
- On the same lists
A wry and satiric look at the near-future where animals are a part of society, life is monitored with karma cards, and mind-numbing drugs are widely used. The protagonist is a typical noir investigator with a self-deprecating sense of humour and knack for satire.
Set in the future, the humans of the world interact with animals who have developed the ability to speak and interact in society. Inevitably some of them have become bad...
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8. A Philosophical Investigation: A Novel
by Philip Kerr
- On the same lists
What happens when neurologists can test for sociopath tendencies? A list of names and a new serial killer.
Set in the “near future,” scientists have discovered the genetic disposition that makes men more likely to exhibit violent behavior. The breakthrough is in response to an outbreak of serial...
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Jay Omega book 1 Start here
9. Bimbos Of The Death Sun
by Sharyn Mccrumb
- On the same lists
When a scholar, Dr. James Owen Mega, has his book accepted for publication, he never realizes that his academic tome is about to become a best-seller through the unfortunate name...
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Dirk Gently book 1 Start here
10. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
by Douglas Adams
- On the same lists
A convoluted and twisted book involving murdering ghosts, time travel, and interconnectedness.
Dirk Gently, who was a minor character in one of Adamsâ other works, becomes a private eye in this novel. The character is not the type who checks DNA and...
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11. When Gravity Fails
by George Alec Effinger
- On the same lists
Also a Cyberpunk novel, this one takes place in 22nd century North Africa, where a down-and-out detective must undergo a sophisticated surgery to catch a killer who has been modified with the personality and abilities of every known psychopath.
Marîd Audran is something of a lone wolf in this futuristic book. The current superpowers have foundered and the Middle East is now prospering. The story is set in this...
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Zachary Nixon Johnson book 1 Start here
12. The Plutonium Blonde
by John Zakour
- On the same lists
This novel is set in 2057, though it easily could have been set 100 years before. Itâs a fairly classic private eye novel with science fiction and humor galore. Zachary...
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13. The Elysium Commission
by Modesitt, L. E.
- On the same lists
As this galaxy becomes more crowded, scientists begin to look for other ways to allow population to continue to grow. They create a universe next to our own; however, in...
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Blue Ant book 1 Start here
14. Pattern Recognition
by Gibson, William
- On the same lists
One of the few books on this list that is set in the current day, Cayce Pollard reacts to logos and corporate advertising in an allergic fashion. So itâs no...
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15. Red Planet Blues
by Sawyer, Robert J.
- On the same lists
Set on Mars, the book tells of a futuristic society set in New Klondike, a domed city on the Red Planet. Just like its namesake, the town was built to...
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16. Doorways In The Sand
by Zelazny, Roger
- On the same lists
The book reads more like a science fiction caper, where art is stolen and must be retrieved. In this case alien civilizations have swapped their star-stone for some of the...
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Greg Mandel book 1 Start here
17. The Mandel Files, Volume 1: Mindstar Rising & A Quantum Murder
by Hamilton, Peter F.
- On the same lists
Greg Mandel is an ex-Army officer in Britain. He was part of an experimental group that provided members with intuition and psychic powers. Now out of the Army, Great makes...
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18. Hal Clement's Needle
by Hal Clement
- On the same lists
The Hunter is a small gel-type creature that lives inside of its host. Two such creatures have crashed their ship on Earth. They escaped separately and now the Hunter, who...
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19. Hard-boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World: A Novel
by Murakami, Haruki
- On the same lists
Clearly influenced by hard-boiled detective fiction and cyberpunk fiction this novel does not quite fit into the hard-boiled schematic, but it is a detective story combined with science fiction that descends into an underworld to find a man's mind.
This book, originally published in Japanese, tells two distinct narratives. The science fiction narrative is told by a human with data processing capabilities. This merger of man and machine is...
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20. Tiger! Tiger!
by Alfred Bester
- Same author
Teleportation is featured in this story as are its potential pitfalls.
Teleportation is featured in this story as are its potential pitfalls.
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Time Quintet book 1 Start here
21. A Wrinkle In Time
by L'engle, Madeleine
- On the same lists
An award winning, YA series of books that present, at least in part, a Christian world-view.
With a foot in both Science Fiction and Fantasy, A Wrinkle in Time is a bridge between reality and fantasy, a meeting place for adult and child readers alike. Meg...
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Artificial Reality Division book 1 Start here
22. Tea From An Empty Cup
by Pat Cadigan
- On the same lists
You'd think that Artificial Reality couldn't kill you, since legally speaking, everything is a lie in AR anyway. But that seems to be just exactly what happened - in a...
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Revelation Space book 2
23. Chasm City
by Alastair Reynolds
- On the same lists
Chasm City is the story of what happens when utopia is hit by an epidemic. The story is told through the eyes of Tanner Mirabel, who decides to travel to...
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24. The Automatic Detective
by A. Lee Martinez
- On the same lists
An indestructible robot gives up world domination in favour of driving a cab—but soon is on an quest to find his kidnapped neighbours.
This novel is one of the most unique robot stories in existence, covering not just robots and science fiction, but stirring in the perfect dosage of detective, noir style. If...
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Alex Benedict book 1 Start here
25. A Talent For War
by Mcdevitt, Jack
- On the same lists
Jack McDevitt’s wonderful science fiction mystery rides the line that defines Military Science Fiction very tight. The story, about Alex Benedict’s search for the nature of his uncle’s secret, takes...
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26. Fahrenheit 451
by Bradbury, Ray
- On the same lists
A classic "What if?" story about book banning, happiness, and knowledge.
Everyone loves the idea of the thinking man's fireman (particularly middle aged women who read Fifty Shades of Grey), but that's not why Fahrenheit 451 made it to second on...
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27. Stranger In A Strange Land
by Heinlein, Robert A.
- On the same lists
A Martian visits Earth and teaches humanity a few things--some believe it to be a guide to social change.
An expedition to Mars is lost. Twenty five years later, a second expedition finds there is one survivor of the first expedition, Valentine Michael Smith, who was raised by Martians....
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Hainish Cycle book 4
28. 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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29. Lord Of Light
by Zelazny, Roger
- On the same lists
Clones and transfer technology make the doctrine of reincarnation a literal truth.
Zelazny may be famous in the fantasy world for his Amber series, but his best work may just be his stand alone novel, Lord of Light. It's a work that's...
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30. Mote Series
by Niven, Larry
- On the same lists
and Jerry Pournelle. A far future story of first contact after human societies already span hundreds of star systems. This story explores alien biology, society, art and impacts on humanity's economics, politics, and religions.
Starts with A Mote in God's Eye, the award winning first book in the series of 2 with the 3rd book written by one of the authors. Nothing will prepare...
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 Demolished Man.
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