27. A book set on a different planet

[Sara]

I don't do a lot of sci-fi so this one may be tough for me, but here are some suggestions I've already read:

The Martian - fantastic book!
The Dragonriders of Pern series. I have only read the first few books, but they were good.
Cinder - well, it may be stretching things a little, but there's a settlement on the moon that becomes a big part of the story.

[Riley]

Dune

[Stefanie]

I think I will read Red Rising. It's set on Mars and it's part of a trilogy, so I can use #2 for the second book in a series prompt. :)

[Malaraa]

Damocles is an awesome first contact (on the alien's home) for those who like low-action character heavy books.

[Nicole]

Stefanie wrote: "I think I will read Red Rising. It's set on Mars and it's part of a trilogy, so I can use #2 for the second book in a series prompt. :)"

Oh, great idea! I have Red Rising on my TBR, and I can do the same thing with book #2 to knock out another prompt. Thanks for sharing. My first thought was The Martian by Andy Weir, but I just listened to the audiobook & watched the movie this year, so I should probably wait awhile before I do a re-read.

[Stefanie]

Nicole wrote: "Oh, great idea! I have Red Rising on my TBR, and I can do the same thing with book #2 to knock out another prompt. Thanks for sharing. My first thought was The Martian by Andy Weir, but I just listened to the audiobook & watched the movie this year, so I should probably wait awhile before I do a re-read. "

I just found that book #2, Golden Son, won the Goodreads Choice Awards a year or two ago, so I'll be using it for that prompt instead and use book #3 as the next book in a series. That's the entire series so far ticked off. :)

[Amanda]

Stefanie wrote: I just found that book #2, Golden Son, won the Goodreads Choice Awards a year or two ago, so I'll be using it for that prompt instead and use book #3 as the next book in a series. That's the entire series so far ticked off. :)"

#3, Morning Star won last year, so you could do either one for Choice Awards or next book in a series prompts. I read this series back in January so I won't be able to use it for these three prompts, unfortunately. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend it! The first book in a new trilogy in this universe is also coming out in January (Iron Gold). I have an ARC copy of it from NetGalley (so excited!) that I plan to read before the year is out so I still won't be able to use it for this prompt. I'm sure I can find something else though.

[Anabell]

I have never read this book so can anyone answer if it will work for this prompt?

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Cheers,

[Marilyn]

Red Mars
Starship Troopers
Foundation
A Wrinkle in Time

[Tara]

It's actually the moon but since it's colonized I may count Winter from the lunar chronicles

[Kenya]

The Martian, The Martian Chronicles, and Red Planet Blues are all excellent choices for this prompt. Think I'm going with "Red Mars" just to continue with the Red Planet theme...

[Ally]

I highly recommend Radiance for this one! Its a brilliant read, and actually set on MULTIPLE planets!

[Christine]

A quick scan of my 4+star rated books yields Fuzzy Nation, any of the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett, Black Sun Rising, The Final Empire, Saga, Vol. 1, and arguably The Gunslinger and The Talisman.

ETA: oh and Dune, duh.

[Chrissy]

I wonder if the upcoming Wayfarers book, Record of a Spaceborn Few, will be set on a planet...?

[Theresa]

Out of the Silent Planet

[Kate (KitKat07210)]

These Broken Stars

[Victoria]

Crystal Singer and The Rowan are two of my favorite sci-fi series by Anne McCaffrey although IMO the Prime series (second one) gets a little silly towards the end.

[Susan]

So, well, wondering if for this challenge the moon would be acceptable? I'm thinking Artemis.

[Dani]

Anabell wrote: "I have never read this book so can anyone answer if it will work for this prompt?

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Cheers,"

Heck yeah it would. I’m doing the third book for this prompt.

[Nadine in NY]

I enjoy science fiction so this will be an easy category for me to fill. I plan to read Ancillary Mercy, book 3 in Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch series (starts with Ancillary Justice) - this is a series I HIGHLY recommend if you enjoy that type of science fiction that has a complex plot, and you have no idea what is going on for the first half of the book. It's heavy on implied commentary of today's social constricts around gender, also, so I suppose it could count as "feminist" sci-fi, if such a sub-genre exists. It's also from a non-human POV, if anyone is still trying to fill that category for this year!! The protagonist is a spaceship AI, and she is badass!!

Another extremely weird sci-fi book that fits the above description (complex, confusing, feminist) and would work here is The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley - in this one, the planet IS the spaceship, and it is alive, although not sentient so far as we can tell in the book.

For more run-of-the-mill but still highly enjoyable set-on-another-planet sci-fi, I recommend the old David Brin Uplift series, starting with Sundiver.

And there's always Anne McCaffrey's Pern series!! I first fell in love with that reading the YA Dragonsong / Dragonsinger books, or you could start at the beginning with Dragonflight.

For some old-school feminist sci-fi (this does not come praised by everyone, some people find it too agenda-laden), I loved Sheri S. Tepper's Grass. I've also loved every other book I've ever read by Tepper, so maybe I'm biased?

And then there is even older school: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin set on a planet of Winter, aka Gethen. I think of this book often when we get feet of snow in Syracuse ;-)

Or, you could go TOTALLY retro (and this is so old it is available on Gutenberg!) with some classic Andre Norton: Star Born. This is completely pulpy and fun! but with none of the sexist claptrap that comes along with old sci-fi like Edgar Rice Burroughs's classic A Princess of Mars (which would certainly work here, but I'm not recommending it unless you are a hardcore pulp sci-fi fan)

And, if you haven't read The Martian yet, my goodness, what are you waiting for?? That book was GREAT!!

And really there are SO MANY more! it's hard to pick just one!!!

(I still have not yet read the classic, Solaris by Stanisław Lem, and I do plan to read that soon, and maybe I'll end up using it for this category.)

[Wendy]

Don't forget Dune!
Also the Vorkosigan Saga books by Lois McMaster Bujold

[Kristina]

The Sparrow and The Book of Strange New Things would both count for this category.

[Stina]

I had this as a prompt on a different challenge this year and read Planetfall, which was pretty amazing.

[Echo]

Ally wrote: "I highly recommend Radiance for this one! Its a brilliant read, and actually set on MULTIPLE planets!"

I second this, even if sci-fi is not usually your thing

[Fannie]

House of Suns in a spaceship and on different planets

[Anabell]

Dani wrote: "Anabell wrote: "I have never read this book so can anyone answer if it will work for this prompt?

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Cheers,"

Heck yeah it would. I’m doing the t..."

Thanks! it's already on my TBR list, then I have found my book :-)

[Ashly]

Last Day on Mars
Zeroboxer
Avalon

[Kristy]

Isn’t there an Octavia Butler book on a different planet? Dawn maybe??

Red Rising is a great book!!

[Jess]

Nadine wrote: "I enjoy science fiction so this will be an easy category for me to fill. I plan to read Ancillary Mercy, book 3 in Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch series (starts with [..."

I came here to suggest "Solaris"! So good!

[Brandyn]

The third book in the Illuminae trilogy takes place on another planet and that comes out in March (Obsidio) so I'm set. The first book at least starts on another planet (but mostly takes place in space), but it would work as a stretch if someone wanted to start the series.

[Eujean2]

Chrissy wrote: "I wonder if the upcoming Wayfarers book, Record of a Spaceborn Few, will be set on a planet...?"

The description makes it sound like it is set on a spaceship. (But I *will* be reading it in 2018!)

For anyone who hasn't read the 2 previous Becky Chambers books, I highly recommend them. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet primarily takes place in space, but they visit several planets. A Closed and Common Orbit definitely takes place on a "different planet"

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

If you're a Star Trek fan you have lots of options here. :-) The Vulcan Academy Murders is a particularly fun one.

Red Planet was a childhood favorite that I haven't read in a long time, so I may consider re-reading it for the challenge.

Also, some of the Ender's Game sequels would qualify, such as Speaker for the Dead. (If you've never read Ender's Game, I'd highly recommend that for the 'movie I've already seen' challenge as the movie doesn't do the book justice. The sequels actually get kind of weird though.)

[Stephanie]

I'm embracing my inner geek and reading Thrawn for this one. I read the original Thrawn trilogy wayyyy back in the early 90s!

[Thegirlintheafternoon]

I'm going with either The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps or the second book in the Binti series, Home.

If anyone decides to read The Book of Strange New Things, give yourself the gift of listening to it on audio. It's a big commitment - around 20 hours - but it is an absolutely magnificent performance.

[Chinook]

Stephanie wrote: "I'm embracing my inner geek and reading Thrawn for this one. I read the original Thrawn trilogy wayyyy back in the early 90s!"

I’m presently rereading the original. It’s still good.

[Mary-jo]

Would Game of Thrones; A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin count for this prompt?

[Tytti]

Mary-jo wrote: "Would Game of Thrones; A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin count for this prompt?"

No, it's fantasy but it's still set on Earth.

[Jessica]

Marilyn wrote: "Red Mars
Starship Troopers
Foundation
A Wrinkle in Time"

I read the description for A Wrinkle in Time---it looks awesome!! Does it take place on a different planet?

[Chinook]

Jessica wrote: "Marilyn wrote: "Red Mars
Starship Troopers
Foundation
A Wrinkle in Time"

I read the description for A Wrinkle in Time---it looks awesome!! Does ..."

They travel to a series of other planets to rescue the father. So while some is set on Earth at the beginning and end, I’d count it.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

After thinking again about the options here, it would be so much fun to read a bunch of different books from different eras and perspectives all set on the same planet.

Mars is the obvious choice:
The Martian
Out of the Silent Planet
A Princess of Mars
Red Planet
The Martian Chronicles
David Starr, Space Ranger

Maybe if I get way ahead on the challenge, or find other prompts some of those books could work for. :-)

[Christina]

Artemis

[Lindi]

The Martian gets rave reviews and I could stick it in a few different prompts, including a book you meant to read in 2017. 2018 is the year!

[Rachael]

Stefanie wrote: "I think I will read Red Rising. It's set on Mars and it's part of a trilogy, so I can use #2 for the second book in a series prompt. :)"

Well, if the third book is also set on Mars, then Red Rising sorts the alliteration prompt, the second book fills the second book prompt, and the third one would fill this prompt

[Ashley]

Susan wrote: "So, well, wondering if for this challenge the moon would be acceptable? I'm thinking Artemis."

I just thought about reading Artemis for this challenge, so I would count the moon. Now I'm really excited about this prompt.

[Sarah]

Farmer in the Sky would be a good one, it's a sci fi classic.

[Lisa]

Marion Zimmer Bradley has a Darkover series that takes place on other planets.

[Ronni]

I'm a big sci-fi fan, so I won't have trouble checking off this category. I often recommend Remnant Population to people who don't read science fiction though and are interested in giving science fiction a try.

The main character is an old woman (not your typical sci-fi protagonist!) who chooses to stay behind on a planet when everyone else is forced to emigrate. It's partly a story about survival, making a house a home, and coming into your own ... but it's also part "first contact [with a new species]" story!

[Nadine in NY]

Ronni wrote: "I'm a big sci-fi fan, so I won't have trouble checking off this category. I often recommend Remnant Population to people who don't read science fiction though and are interested in giv..."



Thanks for that rec! I love science fiction (so I won't have a problem w this category!) but I have not yet read Elizabeth Moon. She's on my list of women I need to read, so I'm glad to have a starting point for her.

[Jessica]

Awesome!!! Thank you... I am going to count it for this category, and actually read it with my 9 year old son! :) Then we can watch the movie together as a family!

[JoAnna]

I know it's not really on another planet, but I am *DYING* to read Andy Weir's new book, Artemis, which is set on the Moon. So I'm going to change this on my challenge to "a book set on another astronomical object" :-)