Science fiction · Similar reads
Books like Dune
The best books like Dune are Homage to Catalonia, The Castle, and Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Dune by Frank Herbert is about ecology and environment, religion and messianic prophecy, power and political control. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- Homage to Catalonia
01
George Orwell · Memoir
Homage to Catalonia is George Orwell's firsthand account of fighting in the Spanish Civil War, which he joined in late 1936 as a volunteer with the POUM militia — a Trotskyist revolutionary organization that was later suppressed by the Soviet-backed Stalinist wing of the Republican forces.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - The Castle
- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
03
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari · History
Sapiens traces the full arc of human history from the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa roughly 70,000 years ago to the present.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies
04
Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies
Nick Bostrom · Science
Superintelligence is Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom's systematic analysis of what might happen if artificial intelligence systems become more capable than humans — and why that transition might represent one of the most significant risks in human history.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - 2001: A Space Odyssey
05
Arthur C. Clarke · Science fiction
2001: A Space Odyssey begins with prehistoric man-apes encountering a featureless black monolith that somehow catalyzes their cognitive leap from prey to hunter.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - A Fire Upon the Deep
06
Vernor Vinge · Science fiction
The galaxy in A Fire Upon the Deep is zoned by the speed of thought: near the galactic core, the Slowness, where intelligence itself is limited; farther out, the Unthinking Depths; and further still, the Transcend, where entities of incomprehensible intelligence emerge and occasionally intervene in the affairs of the merely civilized.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
07
A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Becky Chambers · Science fiction
Rosemary Harper boards the Wayfarer under a false identity, hoping to escape a family history she cannot speak about.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - A Memory Called Empire
08
Arkady Martine · Science fiction
Mahit Dzmare, ambassador from a small, semi-independent mining station to the vast Teixcalaanli Empire, arrives at the capital to find her predecessor has died under suspicious circumstances and the neural implant that was supposed to give her access to his memories and knowledge is three years out of date.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - All Systems Red
09
Martha Wells · Science fiction
Murderbot is a SecUnit — part robot, part cloned human tissue — that has hacked its own governor module and is technically free, though it has chosen not to tell anyone.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - Annihilation
10
Jeff VanderMeer · Science fiction
A team of four unnamed women — the biologist, the anthropologist, the surveyor, and the psychologist — enter Area X, a forbidden coastal wilderness where something has gone wrong for decades.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - Blindsight
11
Peter Watts · Science fiction
Blindsight follows a crew of post-human specialists sent to intercept an alien object at the edge of the solar system in 2082.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - Blood Music
12
Greg Bear · Science fiction
Blood Music begins with Vergil Ulam, a maverick biologist who has been engineering intelligent lymphocytes — white blood cells he has modified to carry genetic information processors, effectively creating thinking microorganisms.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary →
Books like Dune: quick answers
What are the best books like Dune?
The best books like Dune by Frank Herbert are Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, The Castle by Franz Kafka, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom, 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with Dune, such as ecology and environment, religion and messianic prophecy, power and political control.
What should I read after Dune?
A natural next read after Dune is Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell. A kindred science fiction read. Other strong choices are The Castle by Franz Kafka, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom.
What books are similar to Dune by Frank Herbert?
Dune centers on ecology and environment, religion and messianic prophecy, power and political control. Books with a similar feel include Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, The Castle by Franz Kafka, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom, 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
