The Dark Forest

By Cixin Liu, Joel Martinsen (translator),

Book cover of The Dark Forest

Book description

Read the award-winning, critically acclaimed, multi-million-copy-selling science-fiction phenomenon - soon to be a Netflix Original Series from the creators of Game of Thrones.

Imagine the universe as a forest, patrolled by numberless and nameless predators. In this forest, stealth is survival - any civilisation that reveals its location is prey.…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep the lights on. Or join the rebellion as a member.

Why read it?

2 authors picked The Dark Forest as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Multidimensional books tend to focus on either the existence of higher and lower dimensions, or on parallel universes. The Dark Forest (book 3), like my novel, is one of very few that take the string theory approach rather than show parallel universes.

The Three-Body Problem is an epic three-novel series that takes you from the cultural revolution in the ’60s, all the way to…well, the end. There’s a lot of cryogenic freezing to get the main character through time. 

The final theme of the series, introduced in The Dark Forest, is the unfolding and collapsing of dimensions. In the…

From Gabriella's list on set in multiple dimensions.

What was Cixin thinking when he plotted the second and third novels in his Three-Body series? “Juggling six different narratives isn’t enough of a challenge. I know: I’ll jump forward in time by 200 years and have a stab at describing what life on Earth could be like.” The result, in The Dark Forest, is a world where hedonism reigns supreme and human beings live in plant-like high-rise structures underground to avoid the scouring sunshine. Death’s End goes one better, imagining a future in which four-dimensional existence is possible….and two-dimensional space is weaponized. In terms of imagination, these two…

Falcon's Call

By Mike Waller,

Book cover of Falcon's Call

Mike Waller Author Of Falcon's Call

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child, I lived in a small valley sheltered from the night city lights. I could see the stars, and from that time, that is where my imagination dwelled. As a teenager, I read several of the books I have listed here, and from that point, I was inspired to read more and also to write myself. I sincerely believe that despite our current problems, humanity will outlive its troubled childhood and reach for the stars. We are destined for the stars, and only in the works of science fiction writers is that future explored. The books below helped me to become a successful author in my own right.

Mike's book list on scifi humanity’s future in space and time

What is my book about?

An alien starship appears in the Solar System! Humanity faces a glorious future, or total extinction, and only Joe Falcon can make the choice. Never would Joe have imagined it would fall to him to make the decision that would alter the destiny of two worlds, launching humanity towards a glorious future, or to extinction.

Falcon's Call is an action packed dive into the unknown, written in the style of the great, classic, science-fiction stories. If you like surprising plot twists, compelling characters and a hero who actually cares, you must read this new novel by Mike Waller.

Falcon's Call

By Mike Waller,

What is this book about?

Reader's Favorite Gold Medal winner 2019
B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree 2019
Chill With A Book Premier Award 2019

In a heart-pounding battle for humanity's survival, one man holds the key to a glorious future or utter extinction.

In a race against time, Earth and Mars race to claim a derelict alien ship as it enters the Solar System, both aware that whichever planet succeeds might in so doing achieve technological advantage over the other. But who should they send? Joe Falcon, an unlikely candidate, never saw himself as the "right" person. Accompanied by a crew of misfits, each fleeing their own…


Want books like The Dark Forest?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 62 books like The Dark Forest.

Browse books like The Dark Forest

Book cover of The Dispossessed
Book cover of Fahrenheit 451
Book cover of Dark Matter

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,080

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in extraterrestrial life, space horror, and alien invasions?

Space Horror 27 books
Alien Invasions 15 books