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The Great Silence

Ted Chiang

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Similar in characterization + relationships

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

Characterization labels used: sentient parrot, endangered animal, humble narrator, reflective narrator, wise narrator, nonhuman consciousness, humanity as collective character

Relationships labels used: human-animal relationship, species coexistence, inter-species communication, carelessness, neglect, ethical obligation, human responsibility, shared habitat

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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Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr

John Crowley · 2017

An immortal crow tells a human his long, strange story across ages, worlds, and the many meanings of death.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: immortal protagonist · nonhuman protagonist · outsider · trickster figure · witness figure · storyteller · shamanic figures · monks · mystics · widower narrator · wise elder · animal consciousness

Relationships labels: human-animal bond · friendship across species · mentor relationship · framing companionship · mate relationship · community ties · caretaking relationship · story transmission

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1714

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Demain les chats

Bernard Werber · 2016 · Les chats

A Parisian cat narrates the rise of feline knowledge as human society collapses into violence, plague, and upheaval.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: curious protagonist · anthropomorphic animals · philosophical cat · highly intelligent animal · egocentric protagonist · knowledge-seeking · morally ambiguous humans

Relationships labels: human-pet bond · owner-servant dynamic · inter-species friendship · rivalry · alliance · romantic tension · community survival

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1814

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Planet of the Apes

Pierre Boulle · 2001 · Planet of the Apes

A human cast into a planet ruled by intelligent apes must prove his mind and survive a world turned upside down.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: journalist protagonist · scientist protagonist · captured outsider · arrogant narrator · intelligent captive · ape scientists · ape rulers · compassionate ally · humanity under pressure

Relationships labels: species hierarchy · captor-captive · scientific authority · cross-species contact · power imbalance · human-animal relations

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1815

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Stages of Rot

Linnea Sterte · 2017

A mostly wordless graphic novel about life, decay, and change unfolding around the carcass of a giant whale.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: mysterious beings · nonhuman beings · human-like figures · scientist · observer · scavengers · mystical beings · civilizations · tribal cultures · alien creatures

Relationships labels: human-nature conflict · humans and animals · community survival · exploitation · coexistence · dependence on environment · inter-species interaction

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1837

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Last and First Men

Olaf Stapledon · 2000 · Last and First Men

A future narrator recounts humanity’s rise, mutations, wars, and extinctions across billions of years.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: human species · collective protagonist · no individual focus · civilizational archetypes · evolving species · superintelligence · group mind · giant brains · telepathic beings · transhuman forms · alien mindsets · philosophical narrator

Relationships labels: collective identity · species rivalry · interspecies conflict · world government · colonizer-colonized · parent species · civilizational succession · war and alliance · social hierarchy · community survival

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1902

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Of Ants and Dinosaurs

Liu Cixin · 2012

In the Cretaceous, ants and dinosaurs build a joint civilization whose progress brings both wonder and ruin.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: nonhuman protagonists · collective characters · caricatured leaders · limited characterization · idea-driven characters · wise ants · arrogant dinosaurs · inventive dinosaurs · industrious ants · cardboard characters

Relationships labels: symbiosis · mutual dependence · cooperation · conflict · rivalry · interdependence · power imbalance · betrayal · civilizational partnership · species competition

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1967

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Usurpation

Sue Burke · 2024 · Semiosis

Sentient bamboo on future Earth must stay hidden, then help humans survive war, robots, and a deadly plague.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: sentient plant protagonist · ensemble cast · human factions · robot intelligence · wild robots · religious order · cults · political actors · alien species · nonhuman intelligence · morally mixed

Relationships labels: human-plant relations · interspecies coexistence · human-robot conflict · human faction conflict · plant-network bonds · plant-human cooperation · community interdependence · family dynamics · mentor guidance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1976

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The War of the Worlds

H.G. Wells · 2002 · War of the Worlds

Martians invade Victorian England, and one unnamed man struggles to survive as civilization collapses around him.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: unnamed narrator · academic narrator · speculative philosopher · ordinary man · brother figure · curate · artilleryman · panic reactions · survival instincts · humans as herd

Relationships labels: marriage · siblings · companions · authority conflict · social fragmentation · human solidarity · human-animal parallel

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2004

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At the Mouth of the River of Bees: Stories

Kij Johnson · 2012

A varied speculative short story collection where animals, myth, and strange worlds expose grief, wonder, and change.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: animals as central characters · strong women · sympathetic protagonists

Relationships labels: human-animal relationships

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2005

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Fauna

Christiane Vadnais · 2020

In a flooded near-future town, a biologist and other recurring figures confront a climate-warped world where humans begin to change.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: biologist · scientist · desperate scientist · recurring protagonist · human characters · animalistic hunger · transformed bodies · mutating humans · feral humans · devout fanatics · cult leader · nurse

Relationships labels: human vs nature · human-animal relation · human-environment conflict · species boundary · cohabitation · predator-prey · dependency · community under strain · scientist-subject relation · recurring character links

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2018

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Evolution

Stephen Baxter · 2004 · Évolution

An episodic deep-time saga follows a primate lineage from dinosaur age survival to humanity’s far future.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: nonhuman protagonists · primates · hominids · humans · posthumans · individualized animals · thin characterization · scientific illustration · survival-driven · species-level characters

Relationships labels: parent-offspring · sexual selection · predator-prey · community care · tribal life · family lineage · intergenerational · mating conflict · social selection · species continuity

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2052

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Sixth of the Dusk

Brandon Sanderson · 2014 · The Cosmere Universe

A trapper on a deadly island archipelago confronts magical wildlife, outside interference, and a world on the brink of change.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: solitary protagonist · taciturn protagonist · trapper · guardian role · competent female character · curious outsider · traditionalist · survivalist

Relationships labels: human-animal bond · symbiosis · cultural conflict · trade conflict · outsider contact · grudging alliance · community vs individual

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2090

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