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First Meetings in Ender's Universe

Orson Scott Card

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Similar in premise + setting

These books are ranked using the premise + setting labels extracted for First Meetings in Ender's Universe. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Premise labels used: origin stories, character backstory, series backfill, prequel collection, connected stories, worldbuilding expansion, first encounters, alternate version, bridge story, franchise supplement

Setting labels used: space opera, future Earth, interstellar travel, planetary travel, Battle School, Command School, postwar setting, Poland, America, university setting, colony world, alternate future

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

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Gleanings

Neal Shusterman, David Yoon, Jarrod Shusterman, Joelle Shusterman, Michael H. Payne, Michelle Knowlden, Sofía Lapuente · 2022 · Arc of a Scythe

A short-story anthology returns to the Scythedom across its past, present, and future, revealing backstories and new angles.

Why this is here

Premise labels: world expansion · origin stories · backstories · new characters · familiar characters · future glimpse · supplemental tales · world revisit

Setting labels: dystopian future · post-death society · immortal society · Scythedom · Mars · space settlement · multiple continents · multiple regions · future timeline · world-building

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1723

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The New World

Patrick Ness · 2013 · Chaos Walking

A brief prequel follows Viola’s journey to a new planet, revealing the emotional backstory behind her arrival.

Why this is here

Premise labels: prequel · origin story · character backstory · space voyage · colonist journey · arrival on new planet · survival journey · family separation · crash aftermath

Setting labels: spaceship · space colony · new planet · future world · dystopian future · terraforming · landing ship · colonization

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1777

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Stars Above

Marissa Meyer · 2016 · The Lunar Chronicles

A companion collection of prequels, interludes, and an epilogue that fills in beloved characters’ hidden histories.

Why this is here

Premise labels: series companion · origin stories · backstory collection · epilogue

Setting labels: fictional future · spacefaring world · Earth and Luna · New Beijing · satellite setting

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1837

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The Andalite Chronicles

K.A. Applegate, Katherine Applegate · 1997 · Animorphs

A dying alien warrior records his hidden past, revealing the origins of a war, a romance, and a world-changing choice.

Why this is here

Premise labels: prequel origin story · alien backstory · war story · coming-of-age · time travel · morphing power origin · galactic conflict · mission gone wrong

Setting labels: space opera · alien worlds · planetary travel · war-torn galaxy · Andalite culture · Taxxon homeworld · interstellar conflict · deep space

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1851

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The Shepherd's Tale

Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, Chris Samnee · 2010 · Serenity

A reverse-chronology graphic novel uncovers Shepherd Book’s secret past and how he became part of Serenity’s crew.

Why this is here

Premise labels: origin story · backstory reveal · mystery answer · hidden past · identity reveal · prequel backstory · found family

Setting labels: space opera · interplanetary setting · Firefly universe · future setting · spacefaring crew

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.2006

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The Butcher of Anderson Station

James S.A. Corey · 2011 · The Expanse

A short Expanse prequel reveals how Fred Johnson earned the name “The Butcher of Anderson Station.”

Why this is here

Premise labels: backstory · origin story · military backstory · nickname origin · political defection · moral reckoning · hidden truth · character backstory

Setting labels: space station · space habitat · solar system · outer planets · belter space · near-future · military setting · political future · science fictional future

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.2021

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Green Lantern, Volume 6: Secret Origin

Geoff Johns · 2008 · Green Lantern (2005) (Collected Editions)

Hal Jordan’s origin is retold as a cosmic training ground for a rookie hero and a setup for larger Green Lantern lore.

Why this is here

Premise labels: origin story · hero origin · ring selection · mentor figure · space corps · cosmic police

Setting labels: Earth · outer space · intergalactic · space opera · futuristic mythology · military setting

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.2033

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Buried Deep and Other Stories

Naomi Novik · 2024

Thirteen fantasy and SF short stories span Novik’s worlds, retellings, and a tease of her next series.

Why this is here

Premise labels: story collection · interlinked worlds · fairy tale retellings · myth retellings · alternate history · new world teaser · destiny quest

Setting labels: ancient Greece · ancient Rome · Middle Ages · Black Death · modern era · Regency · World War I · interstellar · alternate history · magical school · fantasy worlds · new world · alien civilization

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.2044

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UnBound

Neal Shusterman, Brendan Shusterman, Jarrod Shusterman, Michelle Knowlden, Terry Black · 2015 · Unwind Dystology

A dark anthology returns to a dystopian world, revisiting old wounds, new angles, and possible futures.

Why this is here

Premise labels: dystopian worldbuilding · backstory collection · series expansion · character snapshots · alternate perspectives · future glimpses · prequel and sequel mix · companion stories · loose ends

Setting labels: dystopian future · alternate world · world after war · post-war society · Heartland War era · Thailand · Hawaii · boarding school · orphanage · state home · reservation · black market · medicalized society

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.2057

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Nine's Legacy

Pittacus Lore · 2012 · Lorien Legacies: The Lost Files

A teen alien fighter’s hidden past is revealed as captivity, first love, and betrayal shape the warrior he becomes.

Why this is here

Premise labels: backstory · origin story · character study · prequel · captivity and escape · survival · identity formation · power awakening

Setting labels: Earth · Chicago · Ohio · New Mexico · Mogadorian base · captivity · hiding in plain sight · urban setting · school setting · normal-life disguise · science fiction world

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.2071

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Galactic North

Alastair Reynolds · 2007 · Revelation Space

Eight linked Revelation Space stories trace humanity’s far-future evolution, factions, and secrets across millennia.

Why this is here

Premise labels: future history · universe expansion · backstory collection · shared universe · far-future humanity · posthuman factions · spacefaring civilization · interconnected stories

Setting labels: deep space · solar system · Mars · Europa · Yellowstone · space stations · ice world · future history · far future · colonized worlds · post-human future · interplanetary society · shared universe

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.2075

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Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe

Frank O'Connor, Tobias S. Buckell, Jonathan Goff, Robert McLees, Karen Traviss, Kevin Grace, Eric Raab, Fred Van Lente, Tessa Kum, Eric S. Nylund, Jeff Vandermeer, B.K. Evenson, Robt McLees · 2009 · Halo

Halo-universe anthology of short stories and poems that expands the human-Covenant war through many perspectives.

Why this is here

Premise labels: war anthology · shared universe · human-alien conflict · lore expansion · side stories · multiple perspectives

Setting labels: far future · space opera · outer colonies · alien worlds · space warfare · Halo universe · post-contact war · military future · Covenant war

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.2106

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