Series

Books like The Illuminatus Trilogy: 9 series to read next

The Illuminatus Trilogy is satire and postmodern, about political intrigue, set in our world, challenging in register. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

The Illuminatus Trilogy is 3 books, from 1975.

“The narrative often switches between third- and first-person perspectives in a nonlinear narrative.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

The The Illuminatus Trilogy page →Narrow this list →

Illuminatus
D. O. D. O. (Department of Diachronic Operations)
Dune
Atlas (Olivie Blake)
Terra Ignota
The Merchant Princes
Nova Trilogy
Foundation
Jerry Cornelius

IlluminatusSeries

seriesRobert Anton Wilson & Robert Shea8 books1975

Satire and postmodern, challenging in tone, about political intrigue.

Reading order →

D. O. D. O. (Department of Diachronic Operations)Series

seriesNicole Galland & Neal Stephenson2 books2017

Time travel and historical fantasy, adventurous in tone, set in europe.

“The young man from a shadowy government entity approaches Mel, a low-level faculty member, with an incredible offer.”
from the catalogue description of The Rise and Fall of D. O. D. O.

Start with The Rise and Fall of D. O. D. O. →

DuneUniverse

universe78 books1963

Space opera, set in far future and other star systems.

“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 →

Atlas (Olivie Blake)Series

seriesOlivie Blake3 books2020

Fantasy, about magic schools.

“Olivie Blake's Atlas trilogy follows six magical scholars recruited into a secretive society that grants near-limitless magical resources in exchange for a mortal cost only revealed after they've already committed.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Atlas Six →

Terra IgnotaSeries

seriesAda Palmer4 books2016

Set in far future.

“After three centuries of a global near-utopia, a minor crime and a miracle child begin to unravel the social system and lead the world to technologically advanced total war.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Too Like the Lightning →

The Merchant PrincesSeries

seriesCharles Stross14 books2004

Science fantasy and alternate history, tense in tone, set in parallel universe.

“In the series, there exist a number of parallel worlds, all of which are on the same geographical Earth but with different societies at different points of development.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with The Family Trade →

Nova TrilogySeries

seriesWilliam S. Burroughs3 books1961

Literary & general, about surveillance, set in mid 20th century.

“Across the three books, the shadowy Nova Mob, personified as viral, parasitic forces of language and image, is opposed by an equally strange Nova Police, in an allegory for how societies are manipulated through media and addiction.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Soft Machine →

FoundationUniverse

universe123 books1940

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 →

Jerry CorneliusSeries

seriesMichael Moorcock, M. John Harrison, Brian W. Aldiss, Colin Greenland, James Cawthorn, James Sallis, Langdon Jones & Norman Spinrad50 books1965

About identity.

“Jerry Cornelius is a fictional character created by English author Michael Moorcock.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Preliminary Data →

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 The Illuminatus Trilogy?: Illuminatus — the closest match to The Illuminatus Trilogy on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with The Illuminatus Trilogy?: The Eye in the Pyramid. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for The Illuminatus Trilogy.
How big is The Illuminatus Trilogy?: The Illuminatus Trilogy is 3 books, from 1975.
Is The Illuminatus Trilogy finished?: Yes — 3 books, from 1975.

Books like The Illuminatus Trilogy: 9 series to read next

Read next in The Illuminatus Trilogy

Why these

Questions readers ask

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