Recommendations based on Autonomousby Annalee Newitz

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Semiosis

    by Sue Burke
    A group of colonists on a new planet must learn to communicate and coexist with the sentient plant life.

    In this character driven novel of first contact by debut author Sue Burke, human survival hinges on an bizarre alliance. Only mutual communication can forge an alliance with the planet's sentient ... (Goodreads)

  2. The Peripheral

    by William Gibson
    A journey to the future, exploring the possibilities of a post-apocalyptic world.

    The novel begins sometime in the near-future in a small town in rural America. Flynne Fisher works at a local 3D printing shop and lives with her mother and her brother Burton, who sustained brain ... (Wikipedia)

  3. A Closed and Common Orbit

    by Becky Chambers
    A robot's adventures in a strange new world as she discovers her true identity.

    Lovelace was once merely a ship's artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in an new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns ... (Goodreads)

  4. Binti

    by Nnedi Okorafor
    A journey of self-discovery for a young African girl as she confronts xenophobia, racism, and alien cultures.

    A young woman named Binti is the first member of the Himba ethnic group on Earth (closely modeled on the Himba people ) , to be accepted into the prestigious intergalactic university Oomza Uni. Upon ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Annihilation

    by Jeff VanderMeer
    A team of four women venture into a mysterious, surreal landscape in search of answers.

    A team of four women cross the border into an uninhabited area known as "Area X", an unspecified coastal location that has been closed to the public for three decades. The group consists of a ... (Wikipedia)

  6. All the Birds in the Sky

    by Charlie Jane Anders
    Two childhood friends, a witch and a scientist, grapple with an impending apocalypse.

    All the Birds in the Sky is set in the near-future and is about Patricia and Laurence, a witch and a techno-geek . Patricia discovers, when she is six, that she has magical abilities, like talking to ... (Wikipedia)

  7. All Systems Red

    by Martha Wells
    Murderbot navigates a dangerous world while struggling to maintain its own autonomy.

    "As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure." In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are ... (Goodreads)

  8. Borne

    by Jeff VanderMeer
    In a post-apocalyptic world, a scavenger finds a mysterious creature named Borne and raises it, but soon discovers its dangerous potential.

    In the ruins of a nameless city of the future that is dominated by a giant grizzly bear called Mord, a woman named Rachel lives as a scavenger, collecting genetically engineered organisms and ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Rogue Protocol

    by Martha Wells
    Murderbot investigates a corporation's illegal experiments on humans while protecting a group of scientists.

    SciFi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is again on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions ... (Goodreads)

  10. Artificial Condition

    by Martha Wells
    Murderbot, a rogue security unit, investigates its past and uncovers a conspiracy. Action-packed sci-fi adventure with a relatable protagonist.

    A, USA Today, bestseller,The "I love Murderbot!" —Ann Leckie, Artificial Condition, is the follow-up to Martha Wells's Hugo, Nebula, Alex, and Locus Award-winning,, New York Times, bestselling, All ... (Barnes & Noble)

  11. How Long 'til Black Future Month?

    by N.K. Jemisin
    A collection of short stories that explore the intersection of race, culture, and technology in a fantastical world.

    In these stories, Jemisin sharply examines modern society, infusing magic into the mundane, and drawing deft parallels in the fantasy realms of her imagination. Dragons and hateful spirits haunt the ... (Goodreads)

  12. We Are Legion

    by Dennis E. Taylor
    A retired businessman is uploaded into a computer, where he embarks on an intergalactic journey.

    Alternate Cover Edition can be found, here,. Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. ... (Goodreads)

  13. Parable of the Sower

    by Octavia E. Butler
    A post-apocalyptic story of survival, hope, and the power of community.

    This highly acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel of hope and terror from award-winning author Octavia E. Butler "pairs well with, 1984, or, The Handmaid's Tale," (John Green,, New York Times,)–now with a ... (Barnes & Noble)

  14. Provenance

    by Ann Leckie
    An interstellar journey of intrigue and espionage, unraveling a conspiracy spanning the universe.

    An ambitious young woman has just one chance to secure her future and reclaim her family's priceless lost artifacts in this stand-alone novel set in the world of Ann Leckie's groundbreaking, NYT ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Power

    by Naomi Alderman
    A world where women have the power to control electricity, and use it to fight against gender-based oppression.

    In a matriarchal society, a gushing male writer writes to an influential author about his fictional account of how the matriarchy came to be. Five thousand years earlier (in our current time), men ... (Wikipedia)

  16. Gideon the Ninth

    by Tamsyn Muir
    Gideon, a swordswoman, competes in a deadly game of puzzles and challenges to become an immortal servant. But dark secrets lurk in the shadows.

    Gideon the Ninth is set in a galactic empire of nine planets, each ruled by a noble house that practices its own unique type of necromancy . Although advanced technology exists, the Nine Houses ... (Wikipedia)

  17. This Is How You Lose the Time War

    by Amal El-Mohtar
    Two time-traveling agents from warring factions fall in love through letters, risking everything to be together.

    Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the ... (Goodreads)

  18. Kindred

    by Octavia E. Butler
    A modern woman is thrown back in time, forced to confront the harsh realities of slavery.

    Kindred scholars have noted that the novel's chapter headings suggest something "elemental, apocalyptic, archetypal about the events in the narrative," thus giving the impression that the main ... (Wikipedia)

  19. The Dispossessed

    by Ursula K. Le Guin
    A sci-fi exploration of utopian and dystopian societies, and the struggle for a better world.

    Librarian note: Alternate cover edition of ISBN, 9780061054884,. Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down the ... (Goodreads)

  20. Leviathan Wakes

    by James S.A. Corey
    Space adventure of two unlikely allies in a fight to save humanity.

    The ice hauling ship Canterbury (nicknamed the Cant by Belters) is en route from Saturn's Rings to Ceres Station when it encounters a distress signal . Five members of the Cant 's crew are dispatched ... (Wikipedia)

  21. Ancillary Mercy

    by Ann Leckie
    A military captain confronts her past and enemies in a quest to save humanity.

    Ancillary Mercy is the stunning conclusion to the trilogy that began with Ancillary Justice , the only novel ever to win the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards. For a moment, things seemed to ... (Goodreads)

  22. Babylon's Ashes

    by James S.A. Corey
    Humanity struggles to survive the war of all wars, with a ragtag crew of survivors pitted against a powerful enemy.

    The sixth book in the, New York Times, bestselling Expanse series. , , , ,, NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES, A revolution brewing for generations has begun in fire. It will end in blood. The Free Navy - a ... (Goodreads)

  23. Old Man's War

    by John Scalzi
    Elderly citizens enlist in an interstellar war to save humanity, discovering new strength and purpose.

    Old Man's War is about a soldier named John Perry and his exploits in the Colonial Defense Forces (CDF). The first-person narrative follows Perry's military career from CDF recruit to the rank of ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Persepolis Rising

    by James S.A. Corey
    A battle of wits and strength between a powerful empire and a determined rebel alliance.

    In the thousand-sun network of humanity's expansion, new colony worlds are struggling to find their way. Every new planet lives on a knife edge between collapse and wonder, and the crew of the aging ... (Goodreads)

  25. Space Opera

    by Catherynne M. Valente
    A space adventure filled with music, love, and drama. Follow a group of misfits as they save the universe from destruction.

    IN SPACE EVERYONE CAN HEAR YOU SING A century ago, the Sentience Wars tore the galaxy apart and nearly ended the entire concept of intelligent space-faring life. In the aftermath, a curious tradition ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Deep

    by Rivers Solomon
    The descendants of pregnant African women thrown overboard during the slave trade can breathe underwater and live in a utopian society.

    The water-breathing descendants of African slave women tossed overboard have built their own underwater society—and must reclaim the memories of their past to shape their future in this brilliantly ... (Goodreads)

  27. New York 2140

    by Kim Stanley Robinson
    Humanity adapts to the changing landscapes of a future flooded New York City.

    It is 2140. The waters rose, submerging New York City. But the residents adapted and it remained the bustling, vibrant metropolis it had always been. Though changed forever. Every street became a ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

    by Becky Chambers
    An intergalactic adventure filled with unlikely friendships and epic space battles.

    Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space-and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe-in this light-hearted debut space ... (Goodreads)

  29. Cryptonomicon

    by Neal Stephenson
    A thrilling journey through the past and present, combining tech, history and adventure.

    The action takes place in two periods—World War II and the late 1990s, during the Internet boom and Asian financial crisis . In 1942, Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse, a young United States Navy code ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Nexus

    by Ramez Naam
    A thrilling tale of hackers, scientists, and criminals, all caught up in the emergence of a revolutionary new technology.

    Samantha Cataranes (Sam), an agent for the Emerging Risks Directorate (ERD) of the United States government, arrives undercover at a party looking for Kaden Lane. Kaden is there testing Nexus 5, an ... (Wikipedia)