Hiddensci-fi
Cover of Passage by Connie Willis
Exploring from

Passage

Connie Willis

Book page

Find similar books by

Combine common axes

← Back to graph Explore

Similar in characterization + relationships

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

Characterization labels used: psychologist protagonist, neurologist protagonist, scientist characters, charlatan figure, quirky supporting cast, sick child, elderly patient, alzheimer's character, researchers, obsessive curiosity, competent professional, stock figures

Relationships labels used: research partnership, romantic tension, friendship, professional rivalry, caregiving, parent-child concern, community of patients

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

Exclude same author
No limit
Cover of Recursion by Blake Crouch

Recursion

Blake Crouch · 2019

A cop and a neuroscientist confront a memory epidemic that warps identity, time, and reality itself.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: detective protagonist · neuroscientist protagonist · brilliant scientist · grieving father · traumatized cop · well-intentioned inventor · wealthy benefactor · mysterious billionaire · obsessive investigator · idealistic researcher · emotionally driven characters · genius inventor

Relationships labels: romantic relationship · family grief · mother-daughter bond · parent-child loss · partnership · collaboration · power imbalance · mentor-like funding relationship · love story · marriage

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1630

Continue from here
Cover of Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman

Einstein's Dreams

Alan Lightman · 1993

Einstein dreams alternate worlds where time behaves differently, turning physics questions into lyrical philosophical vignettes.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young genius · patent clerk · scientist protagonist · nameless figures · ordinary people · observer protagonist · philosophical character types · human condition focus

Relationships labels: lovers · parents and children · friends · colleague relationship · community · isolation · family bonds · social dependence · shared loss · separation

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1679

Continue from here
Cover of Last Man Standing by Craig A. Falconer

Last Man Standing

Craig A. Falconer · 2022 · The Earthburst Saga

A lone scientist stranded on a sabotaged space station must survive, uncover the truth, and race to protect his family.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientist · researcher · protagonist genius · resourceful protagonist · likable protagonist · relatable protagonist · witty protagonist · quirky protagonist · handicap representation · emotionally restrained · determined · self-questioning · problem solver · heroic lead · father · husband · stepfather · caregiver motivation · optimistic protagonist

Relationships labels: family bond · parental motivation · marriage · stepfamily · friendship · colleague relationship · protection of loved ones · human and animal companionship · rivalry with antagonists · loyalty

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1749

Continue from here
Cover of To Protect by Mickey Zucker Reichert

To Protect

Mickey Zucker Reichert · 2011 · I, Robot (Reichert)

A young psychiatrist in 2035 uncovers a conspiracy linking child patients, nanobots, and a human-like robot.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: brilliant doctor · genius protagonist · resident doctor · psychiatrist · child specialist · robot psychologist · humaniform robot · arrogant resident · handsome love interest · protective partner · perfect patient-solver · naive heroine · superhuman diagnostician · manipulative child · sociopathic child · anti-tech antagonists · shadowy villains · idealized professionals

Relationships labels: romantic subplot · doctor romance · mentor-mentee · professional rivalry · parent-child · hospital hierarchy · colleague tension · friendship · protector role · trust and betrayal · community conflict

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1780

Continue from here
Cover of The Annals of the Heechee by Frederik Pohl

The Annals of the Heechee

Frederik Pohl · 1993 · Heechee Saga

An uploaded man and his allies race to stop an ancient cosmic enemy threatening all intelligent life.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: whiny protagonist · neurotic lead · billionaire protagonist · immortal protagonist · stored intelligence · AI companion · alien characters · child viewpoint characters · cynical narrator · therapeutic self-examination

Relationships labels: marriage · human alien relations · human cooperation · mentor mentee · family bond · romantic attachment · community network · partnership

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1795

Continue from here
Cover of Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll

Show Us Who You Are

Elle McNicoll · 2021

An autistic girl befriends a boy with ADHD and uncovers unsettling secrets inside a tech company making AI holograms of the dead.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: autistic protagonist · ADHD character · brave protagonist · strong-willed protagonist · investigative journalist · neurodivergent characters · grieving child

Relationships labels: friendship · platonic bond · sibling relationship · parent-child relationship · peer connection

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1868

Continue from here
Cover of Ball Lightning by Liu Cixin

Ball Lightning

Liu Cixin · 2018

A scientist haunted by childhood tragedy pursues the mystery of ball lightning, pulling him into military research and radical physics.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: obsessive protagonist · physicist · soldier-scientist · brilliant scientist · eccentric scientist · mentally unstable characters · flat characters · cipher protagonist · morally driven scientist · female military officer

Relationships labels: parent-child loss · scientist-military · scientist collaboration · professional rivalry · shared obsession · power imbalance · romance · friendship · institutional pressure

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1879

Continue from here
Cover of Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Turnabout

Margaret Peterson Haddix · 2012

Two elderly women reverse-age through a secret experiment, then must find a caretaker before they become too young.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: elderly protagonists · teen protagonists · female protagonists · scientists · reporter · outspoken character · quiet character · impulsive character · careful character · relatable characters

Relationships labels: female friendship · caretaker relationship · family ties · grandchildren · scientist-subject · agency control · trust issues · betrayal · adoptive care

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1893

Continue from here
Cover of One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford

One Yellow Eye

Leigh Radford · 2025

A grieving scientist hides her infected husband while racing a covert lab to find a cure after a zombie outbreak.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientist protagonist · microbiologist · virologist · brilliant scientist · grieving widow · obsessive caregiver · difficult protagonist · selfish protagonist · resourceful protagonist · ethical transgressor · burnout · exhaustion · obsession · desperation · reckless · humanized monster

Relationships labels: marriage · spousal devotion · caregiver relationship · friendship strain · colleague tension · romantic grief · codependency · power imbalance · secrecy

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1894

Continue from here
Cover of Awakened by Laura Elliott

Awakened

Laura Elliott · 2025

In a post-sleep apocalypse, guilt-ridden scientists trapped in the Tower of London race to cure the monsters they helped create.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientist protagonist · morally grey · guilty · introspective · flawed · resilient · panicked · analytical · clinical · chronically ill caregiver · love interest tension · enigmatic outsider · survivor group · biomedical researcher

Relationships labels: caregiver child · mother daughter · romantic tension · forbidden attraction · foil relationship · scientific colleagues · survivor group · power imbalance · interrogation dynamic · betrayal by science

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1898

Continue from here
Cover of Earth by David Brin

Earth

David Brin · 1991 · Earth

A near-future scientific accident and a worsening planet force rival factions to race to save Earth.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientist protagonist · brilliant scientist · ensemble characters · genius characters · activist characters · authoritarian antagonists · moral ambiguity

Relationships labels: family dynamics · grandmother-grandchild · romantic grief · team cooperation · power struggle · community conflict · human-nature relation

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1901

Continue from here
Cover of A Case of Need by Michael Crichton

A Case of Need

Michael Crichton, Jeffery Hudson · 2017

A Boston pathologist investigates when a doctor friend is jailed over a woman’s death after an alleged illegal abortion.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: pathologist · obstetrician · doctor-detective · loyal friend · professional colleague · prominent physician · medical authority · upright doctor · scapegoat · imperfect protagonist · driven investigator · arrogant doctors · many characters

Relationships labels: friendship · professional loyalty · doctor colleague · family secrets · parent-child conflict · doctor-patient · hospital hierarchy · romantic infidelity · marital tension · power imbalance · community suspicion

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1902

Continue from here
Show more