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The Old Drift

Namwali Serpell

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Similar in characterization

These books are ranked using the characterization labels extracted for The Old Drift.

Characterization labels used: women-centered, large cast, intergenerational characters, flawed characters, vibrant characters, charismatic teacher, colonial settlers, revolutionaries, scientists, doctors, engineers, tennis player, AIDS researcher, Afronauts, immigrants, mixed-race characters, relatable flaws

This does not mean the books share the same plot, setting, quality, or difficulty. It means their characterization embeddings are close.

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Bitch Planet, Vol. 2: President Bitch

Kelly Sue DeConnick · 2017 · Bitch Planet (Collected Editions)

In a dystopian off-world prison, noncompliant women uncover the system behind their captivity and spark rebellion.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: strong women · flawed characters · diverse cast · ensemble cast · rebellious women · resistance leaders · former athlete · political figure · supportive father · trans character · black women · Asian women · lesbian character · badass heroine · complicit characters

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.2014

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A Game of Thrones / A Clash of Kings

George R.R. Martin · 2010 · A Song of Ice and Fire

In a fractured realm, rival houses, hidden heirs, and shifting loyalties battle for a throne as winter closes in.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ensemble cast · large cast · morally complex · flawed characters · antiheroic · strong female characters · scheming courtiers · young survivors · political operators · witty outsider · brutal realism

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.2051

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Semiosis

Sue Burke · 2018 · Semiosis

Human colonists on an alien world confront sentient plants, survival pressures, and shifting generations.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: idealists · colonists · scientists · activists · leaders · biologist · police chief · generation-spanning cast · strong women · supporting-character-to-POV

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.2138

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Strangers

Dean Koontz · 1989

A group of strangers across America share eerie fears and memory gaps that slowly draw them to a Nevada motel.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ensemble cast · large cast · diverse professions · interconnected strangers · psychological afflictions · quirky characters · good-hearted characters · idealized protagonists · protective male characters · capable female characters · religious crisis · military character · child character · doctor protagonist · writer protagonist

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.2143

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Everfair

Nisi Shawl · 2016 · Everfair

In an alternate Congo, a fragile multiracial utopia uses steam tech to resist colonial rule and survive upheaval.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ensemble cast · diverse cast · well-developed characters · thin characterization · political actors · idealists · inventors · missionaries · socialists · refugees · rulers · spies · queer women · bisexual characters · lesbian characters · interracial couples · polyamorous characters · disabled characters · bigoted characters · morally mixed characters

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.2209

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Symbiote

Michael Nayak · 2025 · Ice Plague Wars

At a South Pole research base, a cold-triggered parasite spreads violence, paranoia, and a dangerous hive mind.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ensemble cast · large cast · scientists · military personnel · researchers · technicians · support crew · unlikable characters · flawed characters · immature adults · paranoid characters · female underdevelopment · male gaze · morally compromised characters · survivor mindset · rivalrous colleagues

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.2264

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Ammonite

Nicola Griffith · 1993

An anthropologist visits a quarantined planet of women, where a deadly virus, culture, and identity are all in flux.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: anthropologist · commander · company representative · outsider protagonist · complex women · flawed characters · self-discovery arc · emotionally guarded protagonist · woman-centered cast · morally mixed cast

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.2284

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The Tower and the Hive

Anne McCaffrey · 2000 · The Tower and the Hive

Telepathic families and alien allies race to contain a deadly hive threat while managing power, births, and succession.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: telepaths · primes · psychoactive gifted · large ensemble · family saga · generational cast · dynasty · strong female characters · relatable characters · underdeveloped characters · nepotism · military personnel · political actors · villainous opposition

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.2333

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Lucifer's Hammer

Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle · 1983

A giant comet threatens Earth, and a sprawling cast struggles through warning, impact, and survival after civilization falls.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: large cast · ensemble cast · flawed characters · flat characterization · believable characters · stereotyped characters · character-driven · survivors · scientists · astronauts · politicians · amateur astronomer · documentary producer · mail carrier · religious zealot · warlord figures · criminals · wealthy amateur

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.2354

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Downbelow Station

C.J. Cherryh · 2001 · The Company Wars

A neutral space station is squeezed between warring powers, refugees, and shifting loyalties in a tense future crisis.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: large cast · ensemble cast · refugees · politicians · military leaders · spies · saboteurs · bureaucrats · merchanters · station administrators · strong female characters · competent women · morally gray characters · hard-nosed characters · sympathetic characters · unsympathetic characters · hard captain · family rulers · captured soldier · memory-wiped prisoner

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.2356

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The Psychology of Time Travel

Kate Mascarenhas · 2019

Four women invent time travel, then a future murder and a buried past force their world to confront its rules.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: female scientists · female-led cast · psychologist · granddaughter · grandmother · pioneer · investigator · former traveler · authority figure · marginalized outsider · complex women · flawed characters · diverse cast · queer characters · lesbian characters · non-white characters · multiple selves

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.2365

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Speaking Bones

Ken Liu · 2022 · The Dandelion Dynasty

Across two empires, rivals, exiles, and rulers race toward a hard-won endgame where war, history, and invention collide.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: complex characters · morally ambiguous · tragic figures · flawed characters · women characters · female leads · rulers · generals · engineers · schemers · villains · antiheroes · character arcs · changing loyalties

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.2368

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