Book cover of Logan's Run

Book description

The bestselling dystopian novel that inspired the 1970s science-fiction classic starring Michael York, Jenny Agutter, and Richard Jordan.

In 2116, it is against the law to live beyond the age of twenty-one years. When the crystal flower in the palm of your hand turns from red to black, you have…

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

Why read it?

3 authors picked Logan's Run as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Set in Earth's future, humanity has been reduced to an ideal population. Living in domed cities humans live and die by the hand of the city's central computer. In this world, humanity has staved off the perils of overpopulation by surrendering human existence to the central computer's machine mind. 

With an enforced life span of only 21 years and every possible need and desire supplied and maintained by a central artificial intelligence, humanity has stagnated. Are we, today, in the real world, exploring the same path Nolan and Johnson presented in this book? We seem incapable of the political and…

This book embodies many of my favorite features of post-apocalyptic fiction—everything from rogue AI and hazardous underground encounters to trekking across devastated hellscapes. The concept of “Sanctuary” and its mythical connotations made a significant impression on me. The idea that there was a safe place, regardless of how bad things got, appealed to my sense of fairness in the universe and reinforced the idea that there is always hope.

I saw the 1976 film long before I discovered reading and love for dystopian fiction. The twenty-third century’s response to overpopulation is to ‘sleep’ on your twenty-first birthday, but those who refuse and choose to run are hunted down and killed by sandmen. As Last Day approaches, Logan 6 receives his final mission but discovers he is not ready to die.

I was shocked when I first read Logan’s Run. Partly because it is much harsher and darker than the film, but also because it painted a future I could not comprehend. I realised there are so many possible…

If you love Logan's Run...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Want books like Logan's Run?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Logan's Run.

Browse books like Logan's Run

Book cover of Red Mars
Book cover of 2001
Book cover of I, Robot

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

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

1,340

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Logan's Run, you might also like...

Book cover of Foxfire in the Snow

Foxfire in the Snow by J.S. Fields,

It's a time of change, between magic and alchemy.

Born the heir of a master woodcutter in a queendom defined by guilds and matrilineal inheritance, nonbinary Sorin can’t quite seem to find their place. At seventeen, an opportunity to attend an alchemical guild fair and secure an apprenticeship with the…

Book cover of The Main Gate

The Main Gate by Yvonne Kjorlien,

Dr. Elise Marquette has spent years burying the past—until the past refuses to stay buried.

Hired to join Earth’s first interstellar contact team, she hopes the vastness of space will finally offer distance from the ghosts of war and the wounds left by a mother who never let her be…

5 book lists we think you will like!