Series

Books like Realtime: 9 series to read next

Realtime is science fiction, about survival, set in near future, tense in register. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

Realtime is 3 books, 1984–1986.

“Vernor Vinge's The Peace War introduces Paul Hoehler, inventor of the 'bobble' — an impenetrable force-field technology seized by the authoritarian Peace Authority to enforce global dominance.”
from the catalogue description

The Realtime page →Narrow this list →

Forge of God
The Hunger Games
Maze Runner
Library of America P. K. Dick Collection
Ship Breaker
The Andromeda Strain
To the Stars (Harrison)
The Jackpot Trilogy
Shadow Children

Forge of GodSeries

seriesGreg Bear2 books1987

Science fiction, tense and dark in tone, about survival and aliens.

“Earth faces destruction when an inscrutable and overwhelming alien form of life attacks.”
from the catalogue description of The Forge of God

Start with The Forge of God →

The Hunger GamesUniverse

universe5 books2008

Dystopia.

“Panem, they call it now — a nation raised on the drowned bones of North America, a glittering Capitol ringed by twelve districts it once starved into obedience.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Maze RunnerSeries

seriesJames Dashner11 books2009

Dystopia and post-apocalyptic.

“A 16 year old boy awakens with amnesia in a community of other youths in the center of a maze, and realizes they must cooperate to escape.”
from the catalogue description of The Maze Runner
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with The Maze Runner →

Library of America P. K. Dick CollectionSeries

seriesPhilip K. Dick9 books1962

Science fiction, set in near future.

“Technically banned, a novel called The Grasshopper Lies Heavy imagines a world where the Allies won instead — and its reclusive author, Hawthorne Abendsen, becomes an obsession for characters on every side.”
from the catalogue description of The Man in the High Castle

Start with The Man in the High Castle →

Ship BreakerSeries

seriesPaolo Bacigalupi3 books2010

Post-apocalyptic.

“Paolo Bacigalupi's Ship Breaker follows Nailer as helping her pulls him out of his abusive father's orbit and into a much larger, more dangerous game involving her family's fortune.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Ship Breaker →

The Andromeda StrainSeries

seriesDaniel H. Wilson & Michael Crichton2 books1969

About plague and pandemic, set in contemporary.

“Daniel H. Wilson's authorized 2019 sequel The Andromeda Evolution revisits the same threat five decades later.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Andromeda Strain →

To the Stars (Harrison)Series

seriesHarry Harrison3 books1980

Dystopia, set in other star systems.

“One of the elite stumbles onto the knowledge that news and opinions are being carefully managed to whitewash the situation, which leads him to throw his lot in with those who oppose it.”
from the catalogue description of Homeworld
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Homeworld →

The Jackpot TrilogySeries

seriesWilliam Gibson2 books2014

About surveillance.

“Gibson's 2020 book Agency is set in the same world.”
from the catalogue description of The Peripheral

Start with The Peripheral →

Shadow ChildrenSeries

seriesMargaret Peterson Haddix7 books1998

Dystopia.

“In some cases, a parent may choose to forge a child's identification card so a shadow child can live a normal life.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Among the Hidden →

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 Realtime?: Forge of God — the closest match to Realtime on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with Realtime?: The Peace War. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for Realtime.
How big is Realtime?: Realtime is 3 books, 1984–1986.
Is Realtime finished?: Yes — 3 books, 1984–1986.

Books like Realtime: 9 series to read next

Read next in Realtime

Why these

Questions readers ask

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