Others: Mixed "Generations after leaving earth, a starship draws near to the planet that may serve as a new home world for those on board. But the journey has brought unexpected changes and their best laid plans may not be enough to survive. "--
Genres: science fiction
Lists: …
Thomas M. Disch
1970 · 1 review
Others: PositiveIn the near future, there will be two of every man--but only world enough for ONE!
What made the match, strongest first
Ann Leckie
2013 · 409 pages · 12 reviews
Others: Leaning positiveOn a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest. Once, she was the Justice of Toren--a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy. Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance. Sequels: Ancillary Sword; Ancillary Mercy.
What made the match, strongest first
Roger Zelazny
1967 · 259 pages · 6 reviews
Others: Leaning negativeA colony of humankind is subjugated by the First Colonists, the crew of the starship that brought them to their new home 1000 years before. They have taken control of ancient technologies and enhanced themselves with godlike psychic powers and virtual immortality. Adopting the panoply of the venerable Hindu religion, they live lives as its Gods, surrounded by advanced technology within the trappings of a primitive civilization. Our hero Sam, unready to battle the tyrannical forces of the Celestial City allied with his former wife, now the rapturous Kali, Goddess of Destruction. A story of the classic drama of power, love, honor, pride, and fantasy erupting in an epic war of the Gods and ultimate transcendence.
What made the match, strongest first
John Scalzi
2005 · 319 pages · 3 reviews
Others: Leaning positiveJohn Scalzi channels Robert Heinlein (including a wry sense of humor) in a novel about a future Earth engaged in an interstellar war against more advanced species. Citizens volunteer for the Colonial Defense Forces after retirement, in exchange for which they have their consciousness transferred into a young body, cloned from their DNA but enhanced. If, against the odds, they survive two years of combat (or 10 years if things aren't going well, which they're not), they get another body and enjoy a fresh start on a colony. This is Scalzi's first novel, and it creates a future he will revisit in subsequent stories. John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife’s grave. Then he joined the army. The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce—and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding. Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity’s resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don’t want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You’ll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You’ll serve two years at the front. And if you survive, you’ll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets. John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine—and what he will become is far stranger.
What made the match, strongest first
Kim Stanley Robinson
1996 · 761 pages · 4 reviews
Others: Leaning positiveThe red planet is red no longer, as Mars has become a perfectly inhabitable world. But while Mars flourishes, Earth is threatened by overpopulation and ecological disaster. Soon people look to Mars as a refuge, initiating a possible interplanetary conflict, as well as political strife between the Reds, who wish to preserve the planet in its desert state, and the Green "terraformers". The ultimate fate of Earth, as well as the possibility of new explorations into the solar system, stand in the balance.From the Paperback edition.
What made the match, strongest first
George R. R. Martin
1985 · 208 pages · 1 review
Others: NegativeThe crew of the starship Nightflyer is heading into the outer reaches of known space in search of a legendary alien race known as the volcryn. The mission is led by Karoly d'Branin and the ship captained by the mysterious Royd Eris, who appears only as a hologram who drifts among them, sometimes playing chess with the beautiful and brilliant warrior, Melantha Jhirl. Soon the explorers begin to feel they are being watched. Macabre accidents befall them one by one. Is there someone else on board? Royd won't say. And there is no turning back: the volcryn are near...
What made the match, strongest first
MixedI think that for me, the problem with this book was the ending rather than the actual rest of the story. I thought he did a really good job and had a very unique take on generation ship story. But there's also quite a few decisions that he makes with his narration choice and with the ending that kind of ruins some of the fun of the story for me.
