Series

Books like Retief: 9 series to read next

Retief is science fiction and space opera, set in far future and space. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

Retief is 61 books, 1960–2020.

“Retief follows Jame Retief, a wry, capable diplomat in the Terran Corps Diplomatique who solves interstellar crises through unorthodox action while his blustering, status-obsessed superiors busy themselves with protocol.”
from the catalogue description

The Retief page →Narrow this list →

CoDominium
Old Man's War
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Known Space
Alliance-Union
Heaven Chronicles / Zones of Thought
Janissaries
The Stainless Steel Rat
Commonwealth

CoDominiumUniverse

universe98 books1971

Military science fiction.

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

Reading order →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Alliance-UnionUniverse

universe173 books1976

Science fiction, set in far future.

“Around that spine cluster the merchanter novels of trader Families, the Faded Sun trilogy of human envoys among the martial alien Mri, and the Chanur books, narrated from the hierarchical, whiskered viewpoint of the hani.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Heaven Chronicles / Zones of ThoughtSeries

seriesJoan D. Vinge & Vernor Vinge8 books1976

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

Reading order →

JanissariesSeries

seriesJerry Pournelle, Roland J. Green, David Weber & Phillip Pournelle4 books1979

Military science fiction, tense in tone, about war and 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 →

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 →

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 →

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 Retief?: CoDominium — the closest match to Retief on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with Retief?: Envoy to New Worlds. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for Retief.
How big is Retief?: Retief is 61 books, 1960–2020.

Books like Retief: 9 series to read next

Read next in Retief

Why these

Questions readers ask

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