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If you loved
Books like Translation State
A thoughtful, deeply empathetic space opera that explores the messy, beautiful boundaries of what it means to be a person. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Translation State.
- thoughtful
- mildly tense
- hopeful
- expansive
- 01
Ancillary Mercy
Ann Leckie
A cerebral, quietly triumphant space opera where the fate of an empire hinges on identity, rebellion, and a perfectly brewed cup of tea.
- 02
Provenance
Ann Leckie
A cozy, culturally intricate space caper about forged artifacts, crushing family expectations, and the quiet triumph of finding your own worth.
- 03
A Memory Called Empire
Arkady Martine
A brilliant, paranoid plunge into the seductive heart of an expansionist empire, where poetry is a weapon and memory is a ghost.
- 04
Embassytown
China Miéville
A mind-bending, linguistic puzzle box of a novel that explores the terrifying and transformative power of language.
- 05
Record of a Spaceborn Few
Becky Chambers
A warm, quiet slice-of-life journey through the everyday lives of people finding their place in a vast, changing universe.
- 06
Seven Surrenders
Ada Palmer
A dizzying, erudite plunge into the theatrical political machinations that tear a seemingly perfect utopia apart at the seams.
- 07
Artificial Condition
Martha Wells
A deeply relatable, socially anxious cyborg reluctantly makes a friend while trying to uncover the truth about its darkest memory.
- 08
Infomocracy
Malka Older
A cerebral, high-stakes political thriller where data is the ultimate weapon and democracy is a fragile, hackable experiment.
- 09
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Becky Chambers
A warm, character-driven journey through the stars that feels like coming home to a family you never knew you had.
- 10
Children of Memory
Adrian Tchaikovsky
A mind-bending, melancholic puzzle box that asks what it truly means to be sentient and to remember.
- 11
Children of Time
Adrian Tchaikovsky
A sweeping, deep-time evolutionary epic that will make you root for the most unlikely of sentient species.
- 12
All Systems Red
Martha Wells
A deeply relatable, socially anxious cyborg reluctantly saves the day while wishing it could just go back to binge-watching its favorite soap operas.
