Series

Books like Last and First Men: 9 series to read next

Last and First Men is science fiction, set in far future, challenging and reflective in register. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

Last and First Men is 14 books, 1930–2026.

The Last and First Men page →Narrow this list →

Dune
Helliconia
Brave New World
Ender's Game
Old Man's War
Hainish
Elysium Cycle
Foundation
Mars (Kim Stanley Robinson)

DuneUniverse

universe78 books1963

Space opera, 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 →

HelliconiaSeries

seriesBrian W. Aldiss4 books1982

Start with Helliconia Spring →

Brave New WorldSeries

seriesAldous Huxley & H. A. Cartledge8 books1932

Dystopia, about class conflict, set in otherworld.

“Some editions pair the novel with Huxley's own 1958 nonfiction essay collection, Brave New World Revisited, which reassesses the book's ideas rather than continuing its story.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Brave New World →

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 →

Old Man's WarSeries

seriesJohn Scalzi16 books2005

Military science fiction and space opera, adventurous in tone.

“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 →

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 →

Elysium CycleSeries

seriesJoan Slonczewski5 books1986

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

“Joan Slonczewski's A Door into Ocean opens the Elysium Cycle by testing whether a philosophy built on the idea that 'to hurt is to be hurt' can actually survive violent occupation.”
from the catalogue description

Start with A Door Into Ocean →

FoundationUniverse

universe123 books1940

About robots.

“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 →

Mars (Kim Stanley Robinson)Series

seriesKim Stanley Robinson36 books1982

Hard science fiction, about terraforming, set in mars.

“Ultimately more utopian than dystopian, the story focuses on egalitarian, sociological, and scientific advances made on Mars, while Earth suffers from overpopulation and ecological disaster.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Red Mars →

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 Last and First Men?: Dune — the closest match to Last and First Men on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with Last and First Men?: Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for Last and First Men.
How big is Last and First Men?: Last and First Men is 14 books, 1930–2026.
Is Last and First Men finished?: Yes — 14 books, 1930–2026.

Books like Last and First Men: 9 series to read next

Read next in Last and First Men

Why these

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