Universe

Books like Alien: 9 series to read next

Alien is science fiction and horror, about aliens, set in far future, tense in register. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

Alien is 133 books across 10 series, 1979–2025.

“In space, the distance between a distress call and a rescue is measured in the years it takes your body to become worth something to the company.”
from the catalogue description

The Alien page →Narrow this list →

Known Space
Forge of God
The Hunger Games
Old Man's War
Ender's Game
Xan-Sskarn War
The 5th Wave
Berserker (Fred Saberhagen)
Halo

Known SpaceUniverse

universe142 books1964

Science fiction, about aliens, set in far future and other star systems.

“Give a clever species a few centuries and a working fusion drive, and it will fill the sky with problems.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Forge of GodSeries

seriesGreg Bear2 books1987

Science fiction, tense and dark in tone, about aliens and survival.

“Earth faces destruction when an inscrutable and overwhelming alien form of life attacks.”
from the catalogue description of The Forge of God

Start with The Forge of God →

The Hunger GamesUniverse

universe5 books2008

Dystopia, about rebellion and revolution and totalitarianism.

“Panem, they call it now — a nation raised on the drowned bones of North America, a glittering Capitol ringed by twelve districts it once starved into obedience.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Old Man's WarSeries

seriesJohn Scalzi16 books2005

Science fiction and military science fiction, adventurous in tone, about war, set in far future and other star systems.

“Sign a document at 65, saying you intend to join up 10 years later.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Old Man's War →

Ender's GameUniverse

universe39 books1977

Science fiction, set in far future.

“To beat your enemy you must first understand him so completely that you love him — and in the instant you love him, you destroy him.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Xan-Sskarn WarSeries

seriesPatrick A. Vanner1 book2010

About revenge.

“Under her petite exterior is a spine of solid steel and a disposition to laugh in the face of impending death.”
from the catalogue description of Ragnarok

Start with Ragnarok →

The 5th WaveSeries

seriesRick Yancey4 books2013

Alien invasion and post-apocalyptic, set in near future.

“Cassie Sullivan, the survivor of an alien invasion, must rescue her young brother from the enemy with help from a boy who may be one of them.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The 5th Wave →

Berserker (Fred Saberhagen)Series

seriesFred Saberhagen, Connie Willis, Edward Bryant, Jane Lindskold, Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, Roger Zelazny & Stephen R. Donaldson59 books1963

Science fiction, tense in tone, about war and artificial intelligence, set in far future and other star systems.

Start with Berserker →

HaloUniverse

universe70 books2001

Science fiction and military science fiction, set in far future and other star systems.

“The shelf grows out of a 2001 video game, but it reads as its own body of military science fiction, built by many hands.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Why these

No sales rank, no star ratings, no readers also bought.

Shared terms are not a promise that a book feels the same. Two series can be far-future political intrigue and read nothing alike — what the ranking can say is what they are about, and each card says which parts it shares.

Questions readers ask

What should I read after Alien?: Known Space — the closest match to Alien on what it is about, not on what sells.
How big is Alien?: Alien is 133 books across 10 series, 1979–2025.

Books like Alien: 9 series to read next

Read next in Alien

Why these

Questions readers ask

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