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The Glass Bead Game

Hermann Hesse

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Similar in characterization + relationships

These books are ranked using the characterization + relationships labels extracted for The Glass Bead Game. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Characterization labels used: gifted student, intellectual elite, philosopher-scholar, meditative protagonist, mature seeker, elite insider, young prodigy, teacher-mentor, wise elder, servant figure, restless idealist, dutiful administrator, isolated intellectual

Relationships labels used: mentor-student, master-apprentice, teacher-pupil, friendship, male homosociality, outside-insider tension, institution versus individual, community belonging, intergenerational exchange, withdrawal from society

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

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The Way of the Apprentice

Jude Watson · 2002 · Star Wars: Jedi Quest

A young Jedi apprentice and his master are split during a toxic disaster, forcing him to work with rival padawans to survive.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young prodigy · chosen one · gifted apprentice · emotionally intense · impulsive · hot-headed · arrogant · lonely · isolated · self-critical · rival · mentor · stern master · supportive master · team player arc · mature beyond age · popular student · competent peer · perceptive child · rule-skirted

Relationships labels: mentor-student · master-apprentice · friendship · rivalry · trust · affection · protectiveness · miscommunication · bickering · teamwork · peer bonding · professional rivalry · attachment

Reader-connected: no

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1527

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The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain

Sofia Samatar · 2024

A boy lifted from a mining ship’s underclass and a professor from within the system uncover the chains binding them both.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: archetypal characters · unnamed protagonists · boy · woman · professor · prophet · mentor-mentee dynamic · artistic outsider · marginalized student · careerist academic · symbolic characters

Relationships labels: mentor-mentee · teacher-student · class divide · solidarity · community · power imbalance · oppressor-oppressed · family legacy · collegial rivalry · dependency

Reader-connected: no

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1573

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Anathem

Neal Stephenson · 2008 · Anathem

A young monk-scholar in an isolated world of ideas is thrust into a first-contact crisis that could reshape civilization.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young protagonist · student · monk-scholar · intellectual · naive narrator · rational · curious · likable cast · supportive cast · academic rivals · mentor figures

Relationships labels: mentor-student · brotherhood · sisterhood · community bonds · intellectual camaraderie · romantic subplot · intergroup alliance · us-vs-them · outside-inside divide · friendship

Reader-connected: no

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1657

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A Wizard of Earthsea

Ursula K. Le Guin · 2004 · Earthsea Cycle

A gifted boy enters a wizard school, unleashes a shadow, and must learn true power through balance and self-knowledge.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: flawed protagonist · arrogant youth · gifted child · apprentice wizard · brooding wizard · wise mentor · true friend · rival apprentice · relatable protagonist · self-correcting arc

Relationships labels: mentor-apprentice · friendship · rivalry · classroom rivalry · dependence · guidance · responsibility · self vs self · community ties · platonic friendship

Reader-connected: no

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1696

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Dragonsinger

Anne McCaffrey · 2003 · Harper Hall of Pern

A gifted teen musician enters Harper Hall, where training, jealousy, and prejudice test her path to belonging.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young prodigy · modest protagonist · shy protagonist · misfit girl · talented musician · apprentice · supportive mentors · jealous peers · mean girls · male-dominated environment · underestimated heroine · determined heroine · self-doubting heroine · gifted artist · child prodigy · supportive adult allies

Relationships labels: mentor-apprentice · friendship · female rivalry · peer jealousy · teacher-student · parental abuse · platonic love · community belonging · found family · supportive adults

Reader-connected: no

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1703

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Against the Fall of Night

Arthur C. Clarke · 2003

A curious young man in Earth’s last city uncovers buried truths that could shatter a stagnant immortal civilization.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young hero · curious protagonist · rebellious youth · brash protagonist · explorer · observer · wise elder · keeper of records · tutor · telepath · immortal citizens · flat characters · paper-thin characters · archetypal characters

Relationships labels: mentor-student · youth vs elders · protagonist vs society · civilizational divide · cultural isolation · power imbalance · community conformity · two societies · rival societies

Reader-connected: no

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1707

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Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

Eliezer Yudkowsky · 2015 · Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

A science-minded Harry Potter retools magic with logic and rationality in a sprawling alternate-universe first year.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: child prodigy · hyperintelligent child · rationalist protagonist · manipulative protagonist · arrogant protagonist · know-it-all · science nerd · social manipulator · cynical mentor · smart rival · out of character cast · villain intelligence uplift · character growth · morally ambiguous

Relationships labels: mentor-student · friendship · rivalry · romantic tension · parent-child · found family · power imbalance · manipulation

Reader-connected: no

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1757

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The Giver

Lois Lowry · 1999 · The Giver

A boy chosen to receive hidden memories discovers the cost of his community’s perfect, controlled sameness.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young protagonist · curious protagonist · selected outsider · mentor figure · emotionally restrained community · assigned roles · authoritarian elders

Relationships labels: mentor-student · family unit · community control · friendship · parent-child

Reader-connected: no

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1799

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The City and the Stars

Arthur C. Clarke · 2001

In a billion-years-later domed city, a restless outsider seeks the truth beyond a stagnant, immortal society.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young protagonist · chosen one · unique individual · curious protagonist · restless protagonist · arrogant protagonist · thin characterization · flat characters · sidekick · mentor figure · jester figure · human catalyst · social outlier · coming-of-age

Relationships labels: friendship · mentor-student · social outsider · community pressure · institutional control · collective conformity · partnership · city rivalry · civilizational split

Reader-connected: no

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1802

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Star Wars: Obi-Wan & Anakin

Charles Soule, Marco Checchetto · 2016 · Star Wars: Canon Miniseries

Obi-Wan and a conflicted young Anakin answer a distress call on a war-torn world as Palpatine’s influence deepens.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: mentor · padawan · young hero · gifted student · conflicted apprentice · emotional struggle · patient teacher · manipulative mentor · maturing protagonist · idealized role model

Relationships labels: master-apprentice · mentor-mentee · friendship · brotherhood · loyalty · rival factions · student-teacher tension · corruption dynamic

Reader-connected: no

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1813

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Star Wars: Yoda

Cavan Scott, Jody Houser, Marc Guggenheim · 2023 · Star Wars: Yoda (2022)

Exiled on Dagobah, Yoda relives key lessons from across his long life through three linked Star Wars-era tales.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: wise mentor · exiled elder · fallible hero · burdened teacher · self-doubting protagonist · wizened master · legendary figure · student of his own teachings · morally reflective

Relationships labels: mentor-student · teacher and learner · old friends · rival species · Force ghost interaction · master-apprentice · peer relationship · team-up · friendship tested · community protection

Reader-connected: no

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1836

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Children of the Fleet

Orson Scott Card · 2017 · Fleet School

A gifted boy enters a retooled Battle School and gets pulled into secrets, sabotage, and leadership trials in space.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: genius child · arrogant protagonist · loner · gifted student · immigrant child · overprotective mother · manipulative adult · mentor figure · team leader · gifted but flawed · unlikable protagonist · reluctant leader

Relationships labels: mother-son · mentor-protégé · peer friendship · team rivalry · adult-child power imbalance · classmate bonding · family secret · dependency · protective parent · manipulation

Reader-connected: no

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1848

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