Books like…

Books Like Contact

by Carl Sagan · about this book

Loved Contact by Carl Sagan? If its science fiction, first contact and female lead hooked you, these 20 books hit the same notes — starting with 2001: A Space Odyssey, We Are Legion (We Are Bob) and The Three-Body Problem. Every pick is matched by what’s actually inside the book, not just its genre, and we skip other books by the same author so you find someone new.

What’s inside Contact: Science Fiction · First Contact · Female Lead · Scientist Protagonist · Space Exploration

1. 

   2001: A Space Odyssey

   Arthur C. Clarke

   Space Exploration · First Contact · Science Fiction · Scientist Protagonist · Slow-Paced

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2. 

   We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

   Dennis E. Taylor

   Space Exploration · First Contact · Scientist Protagonist · Science Fiction · Technology and Society

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3. 

   The Three-Body Problem

   Liu Cixin

   First Contact · Scientist Protagonist · Technology and Society · Science Fiction · Plot-Driven

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4. 

   Project Hail Mary

   Andy Weir

   Space Exploration · First Contact · Scientist Protagonist · Science Fiction · Plot-Driven

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5. 

   2312

   Kim Stanley Robinson

   Space Exploration · Technology and Society · Science Fiction · Slow-Paced · Political Intrigue

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6. 

   Infinity Gate

   M.R. Carey

   Scientist Protagonist · First Contact · Science Fiction · Political Intrigue · Female Lead

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7. 

   Orbital

   Samantha Harvey

   Space Exploration · Technology and Society · Science Fiction · Slow-Paced · Hopeful

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8. 

   Shroud

   Adrian Tchaikovsky

   First Contact · Scientist Protagonist · Science Fiction · Female Lead · Ensemble Cast

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9. 

   I, Robot

   Isaac Asimov

   Scientist Protagonist · Science Fiction · Technology and Society · Plot-Driven · Female Lead

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10. 

    The Toll

    Neal Shusterman

    Science Fiction · Space Exploration · Technology and Society · Plot-Driven · Political Intrigue

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11. 

    Jurassic Park

    Michael Crichton

    Scientist Protagonist · Science Fiction · Technology and Society · Plot-Driven · Classics

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12. 

    Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark

    Sarafina El-Badry Nance

    Women in STEM · Scientist Protagonist · Hopeful · Female Lead

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13. 

    The Left Hand of Darkness

    Ursula K. Le Guin

    First Contact · Science Fiction · Slow-Paced · Political Intrigue · Dense Prose

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14. 

    The Mercy of Gods

    James S. A. Corey

    First Contact · Scientist Protagonist · Science Fiction · Political Intrigue · Ensemble Cast

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15. 

    The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

    Becky Chambers

    Space Exploration · Science Fiction · Slow-Paced · Hopeful · Female Lead

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16. 

    The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race

    Walter Isaacson

    Scientist Protagonist · Technology and Society · Hopeful · Female Lead · Ensemble Cast

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17. 

    Skyward Flight

    Brandon Sanderson

    Science Fiction · First Contact · Plot-Driven · Political Intrigue · Female Lead

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18. 

    Empire of Silence

    Christopher Ruocchio

    First Contact · Science Fiction · Slow-Paced · Political Intrigue · Dense Prose

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19. 

    The Wall of Storms

    Ken Liu

    Technology and Society · Slow-Paced · Political Intrigue · Female Lead · Science Fiction

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20. 

    Frankenstein

    Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

    Scientist Protagonist · Science Fiction · Technology and Society · Dense Prose · Classics

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