An interstellar ark is a conceptual space vehicle that some have speculated could be used for interstellar travel. These are sometimes referred to as "generation ships", with the intent of crossing interstellar space with the goal of colonization.
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88 books · 82 voters · list created December 5th, 2011 by Jamie (votes) .
61 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


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Comments Showing 1-13 of 13 (13 new)

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message 1: by Jamie (new)

Jamie Please feel free to post your favorites (and additional books I've left out), as this list is (so far) only compiled of books I learned about via Wikipedia.

Thanks!


message 2: by Jamie (new)

Jamie Thank you to all who have voted on this list so far. I started this a little over a year ago and then forgot about it until just recently (when someone "liked" the list).
I'll have to review all these new entries to see which ones should go on my "to-read" list.
Thanks again, and have a happy new year.


message 3: by Jamie (new)

Jamie Please do not spam this list with unrelated books.


message 4: by Empress (new)

Empress Jamie wrote: "Please do not spam this list with unrelated books."

As a creator you can set up rules and request librarians to remove unrelated books.


message 5: by Jamie (new)

Jamie Ellie [The Empress] wrote: "Jamie wrote: "Please do not spam this list with unrelated books."

As a creator you can set up rules and request librarians to remove unrelated books."


I have requested that librarians remove particular books.
I wasn't aware I could set up rules in the list, though. How would I go about doing that?


message 6: by Vikarti (new)

Vikarti If topic is 'generational ships' it's...why following books are here:
- Empire from Ashes - setting DOES has sublight ships but nobody ever thinks about using them as generational ships even in extreme situations (IF they are used for interstellar travel in situations when FTL ship is suddenly becomes unavailable for use, it's 'let's go sleep and wait several years until we come to nearest plane't). All regular interstellar travel is FTL. Several kinds of FTL in fact.
- Methuselah's Children - generation ships? Strictly speaking, New Horizons was DESIGNED as generation ship but it wasn't used this way, it was used as first FTL ship. Thanks to Andrew Libby.
- We are legion... original interstellar ships were not piloted by flesh-and-blood humans. Later ships have humans (not in command capacity) on board. None of them were generational. Distances were not THAT great.


message 7: by Vikarti (last edited Nov 03, 2018 08:52AM) (new)

Vikarti I also have a question - is it ok to add David Weber's Honeverse books? In this setting: first worlds (future Core Worlds of Solarian League) were colonized by sleeper (not generational) sublight ships. Next wave of worlds (like Manticore) were found by ships with hyperdrive but colonized by sublight ships again (hyper travel was TOO risky at this time).
At 1900 A.D. (Ante Diaspora, 0 A.D. = start of first interstellar ship) everybody use hyperdrive and related technologies but many worlds WERE colonized in STL (but sleeper ships and not generational) so answer should be 'NO!' but...what Ringworld does here in this case? in time of Ringworld's main events everybody can use FTL (Everybody EXCEPT Puppeteers and Outsiders use it if they can). Yes, technically speaking Puppeteers's Fleet of Worlds is giant generation ship but does it fit original definition?


message 8: by A (new)

A Added Seveneves because it is very much a generation ship. It doesn't quite fit the "interstellar" part of "interstellar ark", but it definitely fits the "ark" part and there is no separate list for generation ships; it seems like having lists for "generation ship" and "interstellar ark" would be redundant


message 9: by Dmitry (new)

Dmitry Many of the books in this list are not interstellar ark stories. In fact it would seem people just add stuff theyve not even read the blurb for. I wish users could vote on removal - it would certainly be easier than moderation.


message 10: by Dmitry (last edited Jan 31, 2020 05:14AM) (new)

Dmitry As a creator you can set up rules and request librarians to remove unrelated books."

Where is the button that will let me remove items? I am a librarian and i dont see it...


message 11: by Steve (new)

Steve Rendezvous with Rama is not an "Interstellar Ark" or generation ship. The list description could be clearer to indicate that these ships generally travel slower-than-light, taking multiple generations to reach their destination, with the occupants being awake for the duration.


message 12: by Francis (last edited Apr 15, 2021 12:06AM) (new)

Francis X James P. Hogan's Voyage from Yesteryear is also a generational ship as is Harlan Ellison and Edward Bryant's Phoenix without Ashes (seen as The Starlost TV series). Paul Chafe's Genesis is an interstellar ark too.


message 13: by Bargle (new)

Bargle Dmitry wrote: "As a creator you can set up rules and request librarians to remove unrelated books."

Where is the button that will let me remove items? I am a librarian and i dont see it..."


Up at the description, click on 'edit'. That will take you to the editing page for this list. The 'remove particular books' link is at the bottom.


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