Leviathan Wakes

The Ringworld Engineers

Larry Niven1979

Louis Wu returns to the Ringworld to find a way to stop the massive structure from wobbling into its sun. He explores the tech and various cultures.

pace0·prose+1·bleak0

Empty Space

M. John Harrison2012

Three interlocking timelines follow a widow in London, a detective in a neon city, and a pilot in deep space. The prose is dense and surreal.

propulsive → dreamlike, still space opera

pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

The Fractal Prince

Hannu Rajaniemi2012

A post-human thief is sent to Earth to steal a memory from a city made of digital ghosts. The prose uses dense, unexplained jargon.

propulsive → dreamlike, still space opera

pace0·prose+3·bleak0

Dhalgren

Samuel R. Delany1975

An amnesiac wanderer enters Bellona, a city cut off from the world where time and geography shift. He joins a gang and writes poetry.

propulsive → dreamlike

pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

All These Worlds

Dennis E. Taylor2017

A collective of sentient AI clones prepares for a space war against a predatory alien species while managing human colonies.

propulsive → playful, still space opera

pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

Starplex

Robert J. Sawyer1996

The crew of a research vessel investigates a mysterious ship and the origins of a network of artificial wormholes.

propulsive → earnest, still space opera

pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

The Rowan

Anne McCaffrey1990

A powerful telepath living in isolation connects with a distant mind to defend against an alien invasion. It follows their psychic courtship.

propulsive → earnest, still space opera

pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

The Star Wars Trilogy

George Lucas2018

A farm boy joins a rebellion against a galactic empire. He learns to use a mystical force under the guidance of an exiled knight.

propulsive → earnest, still space opera

pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

Red Rising

Pierce Brown2014

A laborer on Mars discovers his caste is being lied to and undergoes surgery to infiltrate the ruling elite. He joins a brutal war games academy.

Same propulsive register, still space opera

pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

Accelerando

Charles Stross2005

Three generations of a family navigate the rapid evolution of technology toward a singularity. The pace accelerates as humanity is outpaced by AI.

propulsive → wry, still hard sci-fi

pace+1·prose+2·bleak0

Beelzebub's tales to his grandson

Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff1950

An extraterrestrial being explains the history and strange behaviors of humanity to his grandson during a long space voyage.

propulsive → meditative

pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

Children of Memory

Adrian Tchaikovsky2023

Advanced humans and uplifted animals observe a failing colony on a harsh planet. The story explores memory and the nature of consciousness.

propulsive → meditative, still space opera

pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

White Mars, or, The mind set free

Brian W. Aldiss1999

A group of scientists and thinkers attempts to establish a utopian society on Mars after Earth is cut off by a global catastrophe.

propulsive → earnest, still hard sci-fi

pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Flood

Stephen Baxter2008

The sea level rises globally due to water leaking from the Earth's crust. Four former hostages watch as civilization slowly drowns over decades.

propulsive → clinical, still hard sci-fi

pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

Echopraxia

Peter Watts2014

A biologist is caught on a mission toward the sun alongside a pilot and a group of transhuman monks. It explores consciousness and evolution.

propulsive → bleak, still hard sci-fi

pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

Beyond the Aquila Rift

Alastair Reynolds2001

A spaceship crew wakes from cold sleep to find they have overshot their destination by light-years. They must face the reality of their location.

propulsive → bleak, still hard sci-fi

pace0·prose+2·bleak+2