Series

Books like Red Dwarf: 9 series to read next

Red Dwarf is science fiction and humor, set in far future and spaceship, funny in register. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

Red Dwarf is 8 books, 1989–2026.

“All he remembered was going on a birthday celebration pub crawl through London.”
from the catalogue description of Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers

The Red Dwarf page →Narrow this list →

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Stainless Steel Rat
Known Space
Space Beagle
Phule's Company
Solar Queen
Hoka
Foundation
CoDominium

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyUniverse

universe18 books1979

Science fiction and humor, funny in tone, set in far future and space.

“The Earth is scheduled for demolition to make way for a hyperspace bypass, and honestly, nobody filed the paperwork properly.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

The Stainless Steel RatSeries

seriesHarry Harrison21 books1957

About con artists.

“An adolescent boy on a dull planet resolves to live by his wits outside the law, and enacts a plan which leads to risk and reward.”
from the catalogue description of A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born →

Known SpaceUniverse

universe142 books1964

About aliens, set in other star systems.

“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 →

Space BeagleSeries

seriesA. E. van Vogt5 books1939

Tense in tone, about aliens.

Start with Black Destroyer →

Phule's CompanySeries

seriesRobert Asprin & Peter Heck6 books1990

Military science fiction.

“A company of Space Legionnaires which has become the dumping ground for irremediable misfits and losers acquires a new commander who applies his leadership skills to bring them up to a standard of excellence.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Phule's Company →

Solar QueenSeries

seriesAndre Norton, Sherwood Smith & P. M. Griffin7 books1955

Science fiction and space opera, set in far future and spaceship.

“Andre Norton's Solar Queen novels follow the crew of a free-trader starship under Captain Jellico as they scrape by hauling cargo and making first contact on the fringes of settled space.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Sargasso of Space →

HokaSeries

seriesGordon R. Dickson & Poul Anderson33 books1951

About aliens, set in other star systems.

“Poul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson's Hoka stories follow the Hokas, a teddy-bear-like alien race who enthusiastically role-play human genres and history, to comic effect.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Sheriff of Canyon Gulch →

FoundationUniverse

universe123 books1940

Science fiction, about robots, set in far future.

“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 →

CoDominiumUniverse

universe98 books1971

Military science fiction, set in other star systems.

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

Reading order →

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 Red Dwarf?: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy — the closest match to Red Dwarf on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with Red Dwarf?: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for Red Dwarf.
How big is Red Dwarf?: Red Dwarf is 8 books, 1989–2026.

Books like Red Dwarf: 9 series to read next

Read next in Red Dwarf

Why these

Questions readers ask

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