Series

Books like Future History: 9 series to read next

Future History is science fiction. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

Future History is 42 books, 1939–2020.

“The term Future History was coined by John W. Campbell Jr. in the February 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

The Future History page →Narrow this list →

Ender's Game
Dune
Cities in Flight
Hainish
Old Man's War
Known Space
Commonwealth
Forever War
Thunder and Lightning

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 →

DuneUniverse

universe78 books1963

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

“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 →

Cities in FlightSeries

seriesJames Blish10 books1950

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

“The stories cover roughly two thousand years, from the very near future to the end of the universe.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with They Shall Have Stars →

HainishSeries

seriesUrsula K. Le Guin33 books1964

Science fiction, reflective in tone, set in far future and other star systems.

“The Hainish Cycle consists of a number of science fiction novels and stories by Ursula K. Le Guin.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Rocannon's World →

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 →

Known SpaceUniverse

universe142 books1964

About aliens.

“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 →

CommonwealthUniverse

universe12 books2002

Science fiction and space opera, set in far future.

“Step aboard the train at the Second Chance terminal and ride the wormhole to another star.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Forever WarSeries

seriesJoe Haldeman10 books1972

Military science fiction.

Start with The Forever War →

Thunder and LightningSeries

seriesJohn Varley4 books2003

Science fiction, adventurous in tone, about space exploration, set in near future and space.

“Red Thunder and Red Lightning follow the first generation's improvised trip to Mars; Rolling Thunder and Dark Lightning pick up decades later with their descendants.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Red Thunder →

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 Future History?: Ender's Game — the closest match to Future History on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with Future History?: Life-Line. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for Future History.
How big is Future History?: Future History is 42 books, 1939–2020.
Is Future History finished?: Yes — 42 books, 1939–2020.

Books like Future History: 9 series to read next

Read next in Future History

Why these

Questions readers ask

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