Series
Existence
David Brin · 1 novel · 1 novella · 3 novelettes · 1 short story · 1986–2014
David Brin's Existence centers on Gerald Livingstone, an orbital garbage collector who hauls in an object that turns out not to match any known piece of space debris. Within hours, word spreads across Earth's global network that he may have found a genuine alien artifact, one that appears to want to communicate, and the ensuing novel tracks how a fractious, hyperconnected humanity reacts with equal parts fear, hope, and opportunism. It's Brin's near-future take on first contact filtered through a world already drowning in information.
Summary by Loreful, from public sources
- Genre
- Theme
- Place
- Time
- Audience
The order the books came out.
Best read in the order they were published.
Map
Existence at the centre, its books fanned around what holds them. Pick anything for its details, and zoom out for similar series in orbit — the reading order above lists the same books as text.
Stats
By decade
- 1980s1
- 1990s0
- 2000s1
- 2010s4
Shape
1 novel · 1 novella · 3 novelettes · 1 short story
1 author
reads like:science fictionaliensother star systemsfar futureadult
Mood
Bright and calm: 33% of this series' placed works, the catalog's 6%.
this series · the catalog · one dot = one book3 of 6 works carry a tone
Edges of the map
- Lungfishdarkest · most intense
- Shoresteadingbrightest · calmest