Series

Books like Barnum System: 9 series to read next

Barnum System is science fiction, set in far future. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

Barnum System is 31 books, 1964–1988.

The Barnum System page →Narrow this list →

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Stainless Steel Rat
Known Space
Foundation
The Culture
Bill, the Galactic Hero
The Early Jack Vance
CoDominium
Old Man's War

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyUniverse

universe18 books1979

Science fiction and humor, funny in tone, set in far future and space.

“The Earth is scheduled for demolition to make way for a hyperspace bypass, and honestly, nobody filed the paperwork properly.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

The Stainless Steel RatSeries

seriesHarry Harrison21 books1957

Science fiction and space opera, funny and adventurous in tone, about con artists, set in far future and space.

“An adolescent boy on a dull planet resolves to live by his wits outside the law, and enacts a plan which leads to risk and reward.”
from the catalogue description of A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born →

Known SpaceUniverse

universe142 books1964

Science fiction, about aliens, set in far future and space.

“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 →

FoundationUniverse

universe123 books1940

Science fiction, about robots, set in far future.

“There is a science that reads the future of quadrillions the way an astronomer reads the orbits of stars.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Foundation →

The CultureUniverse

universe21 books1987

About artificial intelligence, set in galactic scale.

“No money, no laws, no hunger, no death you didn't choose; a galaxy-spanning anarchy of humans and drones administered, gently and with enormous irony, by superintelligent Minds who name their warships things like *Frank Exchange Of Views*.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Bill, the Galactic HeroSeries

seriesHarry Harrison, David Bischoff, David Harris, Jack C. Haldeman, II & Robert Sheckley10 books1964

Science fiction and space opera, set in far future and space.

“Harry Harrison's Bill, the Galactic Hero is a satire of militaristic science fiction, following a hapless draftee named Bill through a galactic war run by an absurd, dehumanizing military bureaucracy.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Bill, the Galactic Hero →

The Early Jack VanceSeries

seriesJack Vance14 books1951

Science fiction, set in far future.

Start with Hard-Luck Diggings: The Early Jack Vance →

CoDominiumUniverse

universe98 books1971

Military science fiction.

“The body of work runs along a few hard threads rather than one line.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Old Man's WarSeries

seriesJohn Scalzi16 books2005

Military science fiction, about war.

“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 →

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 Barnum System?: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy — the closest match to Barnum System on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with Barnum System?: Society for the Prevention. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for Barnum System.
How big is Barnum System?: Barnum System is 31 books, 1964–1988.
Is Barnum System finished?: Yes — 31 books, 1964–1988.

Books like Barnum System: 9 series to read next

Read next in Barnum System

Why these

Questions readers ask

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