More like Needle in a Timestack

anchored on:science fictionfar futureshort story cycletime travelidentitymysterious

but

Narrow

The Fifth Head of CerberusSeries
series4 books1972
Science fiction, mysterious in tone, about identity, set in far future and other star systems.
“The novella was included in the anthology Nebula Award Stories Eight.”
from the catalogue
Start with The Fifth Head of Cerberus →
TeixcalaanSeries
series2 books2019
Space opera, tense in tone, about political intrigue.
“A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace pair court intrigue with Mahit's conflicted, outsider fascination with an empire she can't help admiring.”
from the catalogue
Start with A Memory Called Empire →
The Werewolf PrincipleNovel
Clifford D. Simakstandalone novel1967
About amnesia and shapeshifters, set in north america.
“Tormented by eerie sensations and a loss of memory, he didn't know who he really was nor exactly where he came from.”
from the catalogue
EmbassytownNovel
China Miévillestandalone novel2011
First contact, about aliens and space colonization.
“In the far future, humans have colonized a distant planet, home to the enigmatic Ariekei, sentient beings famed for a language unique in the universe, one that only a few altered human ambassadors can speak.”
from the catalogue
Citizen of the GalaxyNovel
Robert A. Heinleinstandalone novel1957
Space opera, adventurous in tone, about coming of age and slavery.
“On a planet far distant from Earth, a lame beggar buys a young boy slave who has forgotten his origins.”
from the catalogue
A Time of ChangesNovel
Robert Silverbergstandalone novel1971
About faith and religion.