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Recommendations based on The Gripping Handby Larry Niven
* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans
Footfall
by Larry Niven
Aliens invade Earth, and humanity must fight back to save their planet from destruction.
The alien Fithp resemble baby elephants with multiple prehensile trunks. They possess more advanced technology than humans but have developed none of it on their own. In the distant past on their ... (Wikipedia)
The Mote in God's Eye
by Larry Niven
A journey of first contact between the human race and an alien species.
In the year AD 3017, humanity is slowly recovering from an interstellar civil war that tore apart the first Empire of Man. The Second Empire is busy establishing control over the remnants of its ... (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)
Foundation's Fear
by Gregory Benford
The first book in the Second Foundation Trilogy, exploring the origins of the Foundation and the mysterious Second Foundation.
Emperor Cleon I wants to appoint Hari Seldon as the First Minister of the Galactic Empire. Powerful Trantor High Council member Betan Lamurk opposes the independent Seldon's appointment. Seldon ... (Wikipedia)
Dorsai!
by Gordon R. Dickson
A young man from a warrior planet becomes a mercenary, fighting in battles across the galaxy.
The book is about Donal Graeme, warrior extraordinaire. In the Childe Cycle universe, the human race has split into a number of splinter cultures. Donal is a member of the Dorsai, a splinter culture ... (Wikipedia)
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)
Second Foundation
by Isaac Asimov
A quest to find the mysterious force controlling the fate of the galaxy.
Part I is about The Mule 's search for the elusive Second Foundation, with the intent of destroying it. The executive council of the Second Foundation is aware of The Mule's intent and, in the words ... (Wikipedia)
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)
Foundation's Triumph
by David Brin
The epic conclusion to the Foundation series, as the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance.
Foundation’s Triumph starts with Hari Seldon who reviews his life and has to accept the fact that his “purpose” is completed. One day he meets a bureaucrat, Horis Antic, who explains his theory about ... (Wikipedia)
Startide Rising
by David Brin
A group of uplifted dolphins and humans must flee across the galaxy, pursued by enemies seeking their advanced technology.
In the year 2489 C.E. , , the Terran spaceship Streaker — crewed by 150 uplifted dolphins, seven humans, and one uplifted chimpanzee — discovers a derelict fleet of 50,000 spaceships the size of ... (Wikipedia)
The Uplift War
by David Brin
A story of a species of aliens fighting to survive against a powerful oppressor.
David Brin's Uplift novels are among the most thrilling and extraordinary science fiction ever written. Sundiver, Startide Rising, and The Uplift War –a New York Times bestseller--together make up ... (Goodreads)
Pandora's Star
by Peter F. Hamilton
Space opera exploring a future where humanity is threatened by a mysterious alien force.
The book opens with a short section providing backstory. As part of the first mission to Mars , a team of astronauts exits their spacecraft for the first time, only to see another man standing there, ... (Wikipedia)
Fantastic Voyage
by Isaac Asimov
A crew of scientists shrink to microscopic size to battle a deadly disease from within the human body.
The United States and the Soviet Union have both developed technology that can miniaturize matter by shrinking individual atoms, but only for one hour. (The novel stated that the duration of ... (Wikipedia)
Beyond the Blue Event Horizon
by Frederik Pohl
A group of humans and aliens travel to a distant planet in search of a mysterious alien artifact.
In Book Two of the Heechee Saga, Robinette Broadhead is on his way to making a fortune by bankrolling an expedition to the Food Factory–a Heechee spaceship that can graze the cometary cloud and ... (Goodreads)
Foundation and Chaos
by Greg Bear
A thrilling sci-fi saga set in a distant future, exploring the fate of humanity.
The novel is the second part of The Second Foundation Trilogy and takes place almost entirely in the same time frame as " The Psychohistorians ," which is the first part of the novel, Foundation, . ... (Wikipedia)
Stranger in a Strange Land
by Robert A. Heinlein
A human raised by Martians must find his place in a hostile Earth society.
The story focuses on a human raised on Mars and his adaptation to and understanding of humans and their culture. It is set in a post- Third World War United States, where organized religions are ... (Wikipedia)
I, Robot
by Isaac Asimov
A collection of science fiction stories exploring the relationship between humans and robots.
Isaac Asimov's I, Robot launches readers on an adventure into a not-so-distant future where man and machine , struggle to redefinelife, love, and consciousness—and where the stakes are nothing less ... (Goodreads)
Eon
by Greg Bear
A mysterious asteroid appears near Earth, and a team is sent to investigate. They discover a complex alien structure and a dangerous power struggle.
The 21st century was on the brink of nuclear confrontation when the 300 kilometer-long stone flashed out of nothingness and into Earth's orbit. NASA, NATO, and the UN sent explorers to the asteroid's ... (Goodreads)
To Sail Beyond the Sunset
by Robert A. Heinlein
A speculative fiction story of a woman's journey to immortality.
The book is a memoir of Maureen Johnson Smith Long , mother, lover, and eventual wife of Lazarus Long. Maureen is ostensibly recording the events of the book while held in prison alongside Pixel, the ... (Wikipedia)
The Garden of Rama
by Arthur C. Clarke
The third book in the Rama series, following the journey of the crew as they explore the mysterious alien spacecraft and encounter new challenges.
The book picks up the story nine months after the end of, Rama II, . The book follows the story of three astronauts from the expedition in Rama II who were trapped aboard the cylindrical alien ... (Wikipedia)
Snow Crash
by Neal Stephenson
A hacker's quest in a futuristic America dealing with a mysterious computer virus.
Hiro Protagonist is a hacker and pizza delivery driver for the Mafia. He meets Y.T. (short for Yours Truly), a young skateboard Kourier ( courier ) who refers to herself in the third person , during ... (Wikipedia)
The Seven-Percent Solution
by Nicholas Meyer
Sherlock Holmes seeks help from Sigmund Freud to overcome his cocaine addiction and solve a kidnapping case.
An introduction states that two canonical Holmes adventures were fabrications. These are " The Final Problem ", in which Holmes apparently died along with Prof. James Moriarty , and " The Empty House ... (Wikipedia)
Life, the Universe and Everything
by Douglas Adams
An intergalactic quest to find the answer to the ultimate question of life.
After being stranded on pre-historic Earth after the events in, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, , Arthur Dent is met by his old friend Ford Prefect , who drags him into a space-time eddy , ... (Wikipedia)
Citizen of the Galaxy
by Robert A. Heinlein
A young slave's journey to find his place in a chaotic galaxy, discovering the power of friendship and freedom.
The novel is set in the future when the human race has developed interstellar spaceflight and is engaged in trade with a number of alien races. However human slavery has reappeared on some planets. ... (Wikipedia)
Armor
by John Steakley
A soldier's journey through a war-torn land to protect those he loves from a tyrannical enemy.
Armor is the story of humanity's war against an alien race whose foot soldiers are three-meter-tall insects, referred to in the book as "ants". , It is also the story of a research colony on the ... (Wikipedia)
The Wise Man's Fear
by Patrick Rothfuss
Epic fantasy adventure of a young man's quest for knowledge, power and love.
On the second day of his recounting the story of his life to Chronicler at the Waystone Inn, Kvothe continues the narrative commenced in, The Name of the Wind, , wherein a younger Kvothe pursues his ... (Wikipedia)
The Fountains of Paradise
by Arthur C. Clarke
An engineer's mission to build a space elevator, connecting Earth to the heavens.
The novel focuses primarily on a project proposed by the main character, Vannevar Morgan, known as the Orbital Tower. The tower is to stretch from the Earth's equator to a satellite that is in ... (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)
Pirate Latitudes
by Michael Crichton
An epic swashbuckling adventure set in the Caribbean of the 17th century.
In 1665, Captain Charles Hunter is hired as a privateer by the Governor of Jamaica , Sir James Almont, to lead an expedition to the island fortress of Matanceros. , It is there that a galleon , ... (Wikipedia)
Neverwhere
by Neil Gaiman
A mysterious journey through a hidden realm of London, filled with danger and unexpected allies.
Neverwhere is the story of Richard Mayhew and his trials and tribulations in London. At the start of the story, he is a young businessman, recently moved from Scotland and with a normal life ahead. ... (Wikipedia)
