Universe

Books like Birthright: 9 series to read next

Birthright is science fiction and space opera, about cloning, set in other star systems, adventurous in register. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

Birthright is 48 books across 9 series, 1981–2017.

“Around that spine turns a shelf of sub-cycles, sorted along the ages the race passes through as it rises and falls — Republic, Democracy, Oligarchy, Monarchy, Anarchy.”
from the catalogue description

The Birthright page →Narrow this list →

Old Man's War
Known Space
Dune
Vatta
Janissaries
Honorverse
Berserker (Fred Saberhagen)
Fifth Imperium
Conquerors

Old Man's WarSeries

seriesJohn Scalzi16 books2005

Science fiction and military science fiction, adventurous in tone, about war, set in far future and space.

“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 →

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 →

DuneUniverse

universe78 books1963

About political intrigue.

“The desert planet, where empire runs on a single substance: the spice melange, which folds space, prolongs life, and unlocks prescience, and which exists nowhere else in the known universe.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Dune →

VattaUniverse

universe10 books2003

Science fiction and space opera, adventurous and tense in tone, set in far future and space.

“Get kicked out of the Academy and the family still hands you a ship.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

JanissariesSeries

seriesJerry Pournelle, Roland J. Green, David Weber & Phillip Pournelle4 books1979

About political intrigue and slavery.

“Janissaries are an American series of military and political-based science fiction novels are set in an interstellar confederation of races, in which humans are a slave race entrusted with military affairs and law enforcement.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Janissaries →

HonorverseUniverse

universe83 books1993

Science fiction and space opera, set in far future and other star systems.

“At the center stands one officer, Honor Harrington — captain, then something far larger — and the six-limbed empathic treecat who rides her shoulder.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Berserker (Fred Saberhagen)Series

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

About robots and artificial intelligence.

Start with Berserker →

Fifth ImperiumSeries

seriesDavid Weber3 books1991

About artificial intelligence.

“The three novels were later collected as the omnibus Empire from the Ashes.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Mutineers' Moon →

ConquerorsSeries

seriesTimothy Zahn3 books1994

First contact, about political intrigue.

“Zahn alternates perspective between the human and alien chains of command, using the shifting viewpoints to slowly unpick why the conflict started in the first place.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Conquerors' Pride →

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 Birthright?: Old Man's War — the closest match to Birthright on what it is about, not on what sells.
How big is Birthright?: Birthright is 48 books across 9 series, 1981–2017.
Is Birthright finished?: Yes — 48 books across 9 series, 1981–2017.

Books like Birthright: 9 series to read next

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Why these

Questions readers ask

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