60 books like John Carter of Mars

This entire series was amazing. Okay, a few of the books were a bit slow, but overall, it was great. The new worlds, the political intrigue, everything about this story was great. There were histories that drove the characters that were only hinted at or mentioned in passing, but they brought life to them. Just like we are all shaped by our past, our countries, and our places in society, so are all the characters in this book.

My favorite character wasn’t Paul, though; it was Duncan Idaho. I was so sad when he was killed, but I was fascinated when they brought him back from the dead in the second book and others because Herbert made it so interesting. The bodyguard programmed, created even, to kill the one he once died to protect. Now, that’s some drama right there. 😊 

The twists, turns, and world-building were amazing. I learned… show more.

I first encountered Douglas Adams when I caught The Hitchhiker’s Guide on late-night radio, and I was hooked. The novel is slightly different, with Adams giving a bit more consideration to plot and logic, but it has the same wonderful, rapid-fire dialogue style, which has seldom been replicated.

I absolutely love Arthur Dent’s ludicrous accidental odyssey, meeting characters like Zaphod Beeblebrox and the wonderfully named Slartibartfast. The Guide sits in the background, popping up to provide superbly funny explanations of the history of the universe, humanity’s obsession with money, and a lot more.

For me, the thing that sets this apart from a lot of SFF humor is its ‘Britishness’—there’s a distinct feel of the surreal comic legacy of, for example, Monty Python and The Goon Show.

This is a Gaslamp costume drama set in 1899, which might have motivated the author to overdo the period atmosphere, but she did not. Ten pages in, I was hooked. It was a clever story, masterful execution on a random pull off a new arrivals shelf after I’d done everything else I could think of to find something good to read.

Published in 2024 to wide acclaim, a debut novel by a young writer is exactly what I was looking for, except not space opera. No matter. We may now be certain that Western Civilization has not yet crumbled into the oceans post-literate, nor has the morality play been forgotten by the purveyors of speculative fiction. 

It’s the first long-form publication I’ve read since I started writing my own novels. The fact that it held my attention is the most persuasive evidence I can offer that you might want to… show more.

To read an adventure of The Shadow is to white-knuckle a trip through the underworld, upon whose end there is only justice for the guilty. Much like the dark avenger’s dual identities, “Maxwell Grant” is, in reality, Walter B. Gibson, reporter, magician, and author of hundreds of Shadow magazines across 18 years.

Gibson is a role model of mine for both his productivity and craft, of which this is a stellar example of both. From the tightly-paced action to the dastardly eponymous villain to The Shadow’s ingenious thwarting, its a quintessential pulp thriller from top to bottom, the kind of clever crime-fighting that always leaves readers (myself included) with smile on their face, and proves to all that “crime does NOT pay!”

I always had a love of all things maritime growing up, so it’s no wonder that, upon discovering an audiobook version read by none other than literary maverick Harlan Ellison, I fell madly for this icon of nautical adventure. It has everything you could want: the archetypal mad genius Captain Nemo, the ornate submarine Nautilus, exotic creatures and locales, and a unique cast of “guests.”

From the touching dedication of servant Conseil to our narrator, Professor Aronnax, to the forthright harpooner Ned Land, this exploration of uncharted waters and unwilling captives paints as vivid a picture of a life and world unseen as it does the costs of leading such a life. Few tales earn classic status quite like this one.

I read it at eleven and thought it was cool and exciting and different. I read it at seventeen and thought there might be some meaning behind the story.

I read it as a young father and thought, “Holy cow! It’s the meaning of life! A sci-fi/fantasy exploration of the creation and the fall of man… it’s an allegory for Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden. And it’s so good!” But don’t let the depth intimidate you; it’s a super compelling story about a young man in hyper-advanced society who has a gift that gets him in trouble. A total page-turner.

Now I want to go read it again. I wonder what I’ll notice this time…

My second true love where speculative fiction universes are concerned is undoubtedly the Apprentice Adept series. The way it so deftly blends fantasy and science fiction, the iconic, unforgettable characters and concepts, and the, frankly, epic way the story evolves and eventually resolves absolutely blew my mind as a kid, and I’ve found revisiting it as an adult just as satisfying and enjoyable.

This fun story from the 1990s revived my youthful joy in reading at a time when the busy-ness of adulthood had stolen it away. Siri has forgotten who she is and is swept into multiple space adventures as she tries to reconstruct her lost memories and regain the power and place she once held with her people. In the process, she finds friendships (the Drapsk!) and romance (Morgan!), and comes to understand herself better.

In reading this book, I realized that the science fiction stories I like best are ones that deal with relationships, mystery, and discovery and not just complicated technologies and their implications for society. I realized that I could have fun reading again if I had some fun science fiction with adventure, romance, and exploration!

High school student Kip Morgan wins an internship at an oceanographic institute in Hawaii where he, with help of new friend Julie Scott, overcomes multiple personal and engineering challenges to solve an archaeological mystery and raise a sunken ship from the sea floor. This story from the 1970s was key in guiding me toward a life of science, and the portrayal of a realistic, mentored research experience gave me a vision for what I might do in my own journey through college and into science.

I loved the exotic location, scuba diving, and seafloor exploration, mystery, adventure, and romance!

I’ve picked this story from the 1950s because, as a teenager, it stirred my sense of wonder at time and space.

Dard Nordis must get safely to the ship that will carry him, his family, and his friends from the tyranny that has overtaken Earth to freedom among the stars. Halfway into the book, hundreds of years pass with the turn of a page, the tyranny of old Earth is just a distant memory, and Dard is in a new world far from the troubled world that he knew.

The story opened up for me the potential for a profoundly new life.  It stirred my desire to discover the universe through scientific exploration. There is no romance here, but there is family, friends, and an adventure like no other!