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Recommendations based on Flashforwardby Robert J. Sawyer
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2001: A Space Odyssey
by Arthur C. Clarke
An interstellar journey of exploration, confronting humanity's place in the universe.
A mysterious alien civilization uses a tool with the appearance of a large crystalline monolith to investigate worlds across the galaxy and, if possible, to encourage the development of intelligent ... (Wikipedia)
Childhood's End
by Arthur C. Clarke
Human race is transformed by an alien presence, leading to the dawn of a new age.
The novel is divided into three parts, following a third-person omniscient narrative with no main character. , In some editions, the short first chapter is a separate prologue rather than the ... (Wikipedia)
Replay
by Ken Grimwood
A man relives his life multiple times, each time making different choices.
Jeff Winston was 43 and trapped in a tepid marriage and a dead-end job, waiting for that time when he could be truly happy, when he died. And when he woke and he was 18 again, with all his memories ... (Goodreads)
Hominids
by Robert J. Sawyer
A Neanderthal physicist from a parallel world is transported to ours, causing a stir in the scientific community and raising questions about humanity's origins.
Neanderthals have developed a radically different civilization on a parallel Earth. A Neanderthal physicist, Ponter Boddit, accidentally passes from his universe into a Canadian underground research ... (Goodreads)
Redshirts
by John Scalzi
A group of space explorers uncover an unlikely conspiracy while on a mission to an alien planet.
In the prologue, several senior officers of the Intrepid , flagship of the Universal Union, lament the unusually high number of casualties of low-ranking crew members during recent away missions and ... (Wikipedia)
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
by Max Brooks
A collection of interviews recounting tales of the zombie apocalypse.
It has been nearly twenty years since the start of the apocalyptic worldwide pandemic known as the Zombie War, and about ten years since the war has ended in humanity's victory. The framing device ... (Wikipedia)
Foundation
by Isaac Asimov
Exploring the possibilities of a galactic empire in a future driven by science and technology.
For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future – to a dark age ... (Goodreads)
Stories of Your Life and Others
by Ted Chiang
A collection of short stories exploring themes of science, technology, and humanity.
Ted Chiang's first published story, ",Tower of Babylon," won the Nebula Award in 1990. Subsequent stories have won the Asimov's SF Magazine reader poll, a second Nebula Award, the Theodore Sturgeon ... (Goodreads)
The Forever War
by Joe Haldeman
A soldier's story of the horror of war and its consequences in the far future.
The monumental Hugo and Nebula award winning SF classic— Featuring a new introduction by John Scalzi,The Earth's leaders have drawn a line in the interstellar sand—despite the fact that the fierce ... (Barnes & Noble)
Hyperion
by Dan Simmons
Epic science-fiction story of a journey to the distant planet Hyperion.
In the 29th century, the Hegemony of Man comprises hundreds of planets connected by farcaster portals. The Hegemony maintains an uneasy alliance with the TechnoCore , a civilisation of AIs . Modified ... (Wikipedia)
The Hunt for Red October
by Tom Clancy
A thrilling adventure of a submarine captain's race against the clock in a thrilling game of cat and mouse.
During the Cold War ,(the story must be set in 1982, according to the days assigned to the dates in the novel, e.g. Dec. 17 was a Friday only in 1982,1976 and 1971 ) Marko Ramius, a Soviet Navy ... (Wikipedia)
Brilliance of the Moon
by Lian Hearn
A young man's adventures as he embarks on a quest to become a samurai and find his place in a new world.
Soon after Kaede and Takeo's marriage, messengers arrive at Terayama from his Uncles with a threat, and the head of Ichiro, his old teacher. The Otori army lies in wait to ambush him, so Takeo leads ... (Wikipedia)
Spin
by Robert Charles Wilson
A mysterious force disrupts the Earth, transforming the planet and its inhabitants in unexpected ways.
The story opens when Tyler Dupree is twelve years old. Tyler and his mother live in a guest house on the property of aerospace millionaire E.D. Lawton and his alcoholic wife, Carol. Tyler is friends ... (Wikipedia)
Grass for His Pillow
by Lian Hearn
A coming-of-age tale of a young samurai's struggle to survive the harsh realities of feudal Japan.
Kaede slowly recovers from the Kikuta sleep given to her by Takeo, with dreams of the White Goddess: Be patient. He will come for you. Afterwards she travels towards home, accompanied by Shizuka. ... (Wikipedia)
The Player of Games
by Iain M. Banks
A game-player embarks on a journey to win a tournament in a distant world, uncovering secrets along the way.
The Culture - a humanoid/machine symbiotic society - has thrown up many great Game Players. One of the best is Jernau Morat Gurgeh, Player of Games, master of every board, computer and strategy. ... (Goodreads)
Under the Dome
by Stephen King
Small town experiences a sudden and mysterious isolation, leading to chaos and terror.
At 11:44 a.m. on October 21, 2017, the small Maine town of Chester's Mill is abruptly and gruesomely separated from the outside world by an invisible, semipermeable barrier of unknown origin. The ... (Wikipedia)
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line
by Rob Thomas
A mystery set in a beach town, where a hacker must uncover the truth behind a missing girl.
From Rob Thomas, the creator of groundbreaking television series and movie, Veronica Mars, comes the first book in a thrilling new mystery series. Ten years after graduating from high school in ... (Goodreads)
Rendezvous with Rama
by Arthur C. Clarke
A mysterious alien spacecraft discovered in the Solar System, explored by a human team.
After an asteroid falls in Northeast Italy in 2077, creating a major disaster, the government of Earth sets up the Spaceguard system as an early warning of arrivals from deep space. The "Rama" of the ... (Wikipedia)
Origin
by Dan Brown
An exploration of secret societies and history, uncovering dark secrets of the past.
Edmond Kirsch, a billionaire philanthropist, computer scientist and futurist , as well as a strident atheist , attends a meeting in Catalonia ( Spain ) with Roman Catholic Bishop Antonio Valdespino, ... (Wikipedia)
The Hero of Ages
by Brandon Sanderson
A hero's quest to save the world from destruction, discovering secrets of the past.
The Hero of Ages is the prophesied savior of the Terris people, foretold to find and give up the power at the Well of Ascension , in a selfless act to save the world from the Deepness. However, the ... (Wikipedia)
The Caves of Steel
by Isaac Asimov
Detective story set in a distant future, where humans and robots coexist.
A faction of Spacers have come to the realization that Spacer culture is effete, stagnating due to negative population growth and longevity. Their solution is to encourage further space exploration ... (Wikipedia)
Wool Omnibus
by Hugh Howey
Uncovering the truth behind a post-apocalyptic world, where society is hidden beneath a giant dome.
The story of Wool takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth. , Humanity clings to survival in the Silo, a subterranean city extending one hundred forty-four stories beneath the surface. The series ... (Wikipedia)
Nightfall
by Isaac Asimov
A planet with six suns experiences a rare eclipse, causing chaos and destruction as the inhabitants face the darkness for the first time.
The planet Lagash ("Kalgash" in the novel) is constantly illuminated by at least one of the six suns of its multiple star system . Lagash has areas of darkness (in caves, tunnels, etc.), but "night" ... (Wikipedia)
The Dreaming Void
by Peter F. Hamilton
A journey across space and time in search of a mysterious power at the center of the universe.
What was formerly believed to be a supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way is revealed to be an artificial construct, known as the Void. Inside, there is a strange universe where the ... (Wikipedia)
The Postman
by David Brin
A postman's struggles to rebuild civilization in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Despite the post-apocalyptic scenario and several action sequences, the book is largely about civilization and its symbols. Each of the three sections deals with a different symbol. The first is the ... (Wikipedia)
The Halloween Tree
by Ray Bradbury
A group of children embark on an adventure through time, exploring the origins of Halloween.
A group of eight boys set out to go trick-or-treating on Halloween , only to discover that a ninth friend, Pipkin, has been whisked away on a journey that could determine whether he lives or dies. ... (Wikipedia)
Lucifer's Hammer
by Larry Niven
A cataclysmic comet strikes Earth, leading to a fight for survival.
When wealthy soap company heir and amateur astronomer Tim Hamner co-discovers a new comet , dubbed Hamner-Brown, the documentary producer Harvey Randall persuades Hamner to have his family's company ... (Wikipedia)
To Your Scattered Bodies Go
by Philip José Farmer
A journey of exploration through a mysterious afterlife, revealing the secrets of life and death.
British adventurer Richard Francis Burton dies on Earth and is revived in mid-air in a vast dark room filled with human bodies, some only half-formed. There, he is confronted by men in a flying ... (Wikipedia)
Metro 2033
by Dmitry Glukhovsky
Post-apocalyptic novel set in a remote subway station, as survivors battle mutants and humans for survival.
The year is 2033. The world has been reduced to rubble. Humanity is nearly extinct. The half-destroyed cities have become uninhabitable through radiation. Beyond their boundaries, they say, lie ... (Goodreads)
Way Station
by Clifford D. Simak
A man living in a remote Wisconsin town discovers a secret gateway to other worlds.
Enoch Wallace, an American Civil War veteran, is chosen by an alien to administer a way station for interplanetary travel. His job is to monitor the machinery of the way station and make sure arrival ... (Wikipedia)
