Series

Books like Orphan Universe: 9 series to read next

Orphan Universe is science fiction and military science fiction, 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.

Orphan Universe is 9 books, 2004–2014.

The Orphan Universe page →Narrow this list →

Known Space
Ender's Game
Honorverse
Old Man's War
CoDominium
Vatta
Janissaries
Conquerors
Nicholas Seafort

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 →

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 →

HonorverseUniverse

universe83 books1993

Science fiction and military science fiction, 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 →

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 →

CoDominiumUniverse

universe98 books1971

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

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

Reading order →

VattaUniverse

universe10 books2003

Science fiction and military science fiction, tense and adventurous 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 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 →

ConquerorsSeries

seriesTimothy Zahn3 books1994

First contact.

“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 →

Nicholas SeafortSeries

seriesDavid Feintuch7 books1994

“Additionally, Children of Hope is narrated by Randy Carr, the son of a close friend of Seafort.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Midshipman's Hope →

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 Orphan Universe?: Known Space — the closest match to Orphan Universe on what it is about, not on what sells.
How big is Orphan Universe?: Orphan Universe is 9 books, 2004–2014.

Why these

Questions readers ask

Other series like this one