Looking for Civilization-spanning sagas

[J.W.]

My wife and I have been watching Star Trek: Voyager and just encountered another Star Trek episode in which you basically get to see a society's evolution over thousands of years. I have enjoyed basically every single episode of any show that does this, and it made me wonder: are there any novels out there that focus on this idea? Any books that have such a huge, sweeping scope where the story takes place not over years of the life of the characters, but over the life of civilizations?

Would love recommendations.

[Karl]

The Boat of a Million Years is a science fiction novel by American writer Poul Anderson, first published in 1989

[Anna]

I immediately have to say Noumenon because it's on my mind. The third book comes out today (Tuesday, it's 4AM where I am.) It spans several generations/centuries and takes place on a fleet of generation ships. So not a civilization on Earth or any other planet, but entirely in space, starting when humanity leaves Earth.

[Faith]

A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom

[Meagan]

Semiosis by Sue Burke comes to mind. Each chapter/section is a new generation (I only read about 23% but I think the entire book is set in that format). it's on a small scale though because it's about a small colony of humans who have left the dying Earth and found a habitable planet, which they call Pax, in another solar system. it's all about their life on that planet and the encounters with the sentient, alien lifeforms on Pax.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Forty Thousand in Gehenna and Foundation both do, too!

[J.W.]

Thanks for the recommendations, keep 'em coming.

Someone elsewhere brought up Tchaikovsky's "Children of Time," which is 100% correct and a wonderful, wonderful book.

I want MANY new reads, so please if you think of any, keep sending them in. I've read a few of these. The Poul Anderson one sounds intriguing, but I've not liked anything I've read from him yet. I'll see if the library system has that one.

[CBRetriever]

The Passage by Justin Cronins the first book in a trilogy that spans hundreds of years

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell goes backwards and forwards in time

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson spans 5000 years

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson goes through a lot of martian history from the first colonists to the far future

[Eva]

House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds spans a time period of 6 million years and the rise and fall of several galactic empires, I think it would be right up your alley. :-)

Others I know of but haven't yet read myself:
Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward
Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon
Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon
The Eternal Champion saga by Michael Moorcock: https://www.goodreads.com/series/40846 , e.g. The Dancers at the End of Time

James A. Michener's novels often cover hundreds or even thousands of years of well-researched history (he's won the Pulitzer for best novel):
The Source
The Covenant
Poland
Caribbean
Chesapeake
Hawaii
etc.!

Edward Rutherfurd also spans 2,000 years of history in London, Russka: The Novel of Russia, Paris, and New York.

And 1,000 years: Roma and Empire by Steven Saylor.

[Sarah]

I think technically Liu Cixin’s series that starts with The Three Body Problem spans several civilizations but the books don’t focus a whole lot on them if that makes any sense. It’s also across books not in a single book.

[Beth]

The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson

[Tania]

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

[Faith]

The classic civilisation-spanning saga is the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov: Foundation, Second Foundation and Foundation and Empire are the main three but he wrote 500 books altogether so you can dig deeper. Almost every character is male and smokes, so it is a product of 1950s thinking but the good bits are very clever indeed and it does span a thousand years or so of a civilisation.
Foundation

[Midiain]

I was going to recommend Children of Time but you beat me to it.

Lilith's Brood
Cyteen and its sequel Regenesis

[Paul]

One that springs to mind is Brian W. Aldiss' wonderful Helliconia trilogy starting with Helliconia Spring. It features a world orbiting a binary star system where there are both short and long seasons and the civilisation thereon waxes and wanes with these seasons, while being observed by a mission sent from Earth.


I am also racking my brains as I read a fantasy in the last couple of years that reminded me of this, a timescale where a civilisation grew with the fluctuations of long season cycles, but I can't find it for the life of me. I'm sure I'll jump back on later with an "A-HA!"

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Fifth Season maybe?

[Grace]

My very biased recommendation: Children of Time and Children of Ruin.

Three Body Problem not bad too.

Of course Foundation.

Maybe Dune?? But the multi generation is only covered as context and not part of the main plot.

[MadProfessah]

I love this thread!! I Definitely endorse the CHILDREN OF... books!!

I would add THE SALVATION SAGA by Peter Hamilton to this thread.

I have had NOUMENON on my list for quite a while.

Funny I just heard about the YEARS OF SALT AND RICE by KS Robinson last weekend when he was interviewed on NPR about “New York 2140.” His books can be hit or miss for me but generally if the average ratings get below 3.75 I become more hesitant.

[Bonnie]

Dawn is #1 of the Xenogenesis series -
Octavia E. Butler
That is a purposeful change in evolution, they are trying to engineer some changes

The Rediscovery of Man: The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith, the Instrumentality of Mankind world -
Cordwainer Smith
Whole histories and mythologies rise and fall in that one, it covers such an Expanse of Time.

[Evan]

Castings trilogy - Pamela Freeman
and the classic of Sci Fi Foundation series by Asimov

[Matt]

Dune- both Frank and Brian Herbert

Peter F Hamilton Commenwealth & Void sagas.

[MadProfessah]

Do NOT read the Brian Herbert books in the Dune series!!

[Infosifter]

I just wanted to say that I really appreciated this thread. I don't have any recommendations to add because the ones I've read have already been covered, but I love this kind of story and wouldn't have thought to ask about them. I definitely have a few additions to my TBR from this discussion! :-)

Thanks everyone,

[Heidi]

Cities in Flight James Blish; Ringworld series Larry Niven

[Mindy]

Hi, Eva,

I love THE SOURCE!

[Mindy]

THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH series by Ken Follett.

[Mindy]

Tania wrote: "A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr."

YES!