Hiddensci-fi
Cover of World Running Down by Al Hess
Exploring from

World Running Down

Al Hess

Book page

Find similar books by

Combine common axes

← Back to graph Explore

Similar in themes

These books are ranked using the themes labels extracted for World Running Down.

Themes labels used: bodily autonomy, identity, sentience, personhood, free will, consent, gender dysphoria, trans joy, trans pain, self-determination, class inequality, liberation, community, kindness, humanity, social justice, access to healthcare, prejudice, neurodivergence

Focused on “dehumanization” where exact label matches exist.

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

Exclude same author
No limit
Cover of Volatile Memory by Seth Haddon

Volatile Memory

Seth Haddon · 2025 · The Volatile Memory Duology

A scavenger finds a sentient animal mask, and the two are pulled into a revenge-fueled, queer sci-fi chase.

Why this is here

Themes labels: identity · personhood · gender identity · bodily autonomy · consent · transphobia · queerness · feminine rage · revenge · humanity · consciousness · self-acceptance · freedom · control · capitalism · misogyny · body-mind divide · survival · self-determination · embodiment · memory · privacy · dehumanization

Semantic match: ranked by themes

Distance: 0.0808

Continue from here
Cover of Overgrowth by Mira Grant

Overgrowth

Mira Grant · 2025

An alien who grew up on Earth warns of an invasion no one believes—until the signal arrives and her warning turns real.

Why this is here

Themes labels: identity · otherness · belonging · colonization · humanity · choice · acceptance · truth · dehumanization · immigration · trans identity · gender identity · neurodiversity · citizenship · rights · propaganda · fear mongering · xenophobia · love · family · survival · morality · ethics · climate change · environmental collapse · class · patriarchy · mental health

Semantic match: ranked by themes

Distance: 0.1106

Continue from here
Cover of Patternmaster by Octavia E. Butler

Patternmaster

Octavia E. Butler · 1976 · Patternist

A dying telepathic ruler’s sons battle for succession in a brutal future where power, slavery, and mutation shape society.

Why this is here

Themes labels: power · slavery · freedom · self-determination · oppression · hierarchy · control · personhood · humanity · eugenics · telepathy · gender power · patriarchy · race · empathy · survival · collective identity · social status · freedom vs submission · dehumanization

Semantic match: ranked by themes

Distance: 0.1122

Continue from here
Cover of Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie

Hullmetal Girls

Emily Skrutskie · 2018

Two teens become cyborg soldiers on a starship fleet and must survive training, secrets, and a brewing rebellion.

Why this is here

Themes labels: bodily autonomy · consent · agency · control · tyranny · classism · family duty · identity · memory · humanity · rebellion · loyalty · morality · religion · queerness · trans visibility · selfhood

Semantic match: ranked by themes

Distance: 0.0851

Continue from here
Cover of The World Wasn't Ready for You by Justin C. Key

The World Wasn't Ready for You

Justin C. Key · 2023

A debut short-story collection fusing horror, sci-fi, and fantasy to confront race, class, prejudice, and identity.

Why this is here

Themes labels: race · class · prejudice · love · exclusion · loneliness · identity · consent · ethics · systemic racism · oppression · dehumanization · empathy · humanity · grief · motherhood · fatherhood · technology and ethics · body autonomy · social justice · alienation · trauma · mental health · neurodiversity · immigration · Xenophobia · panic · survival

Semantic match: ranked by themes

Distance: 0.1163

Continue from here
Cover of The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

The Speed of Dark

Elizabeth Moon · 2003

An autistic man in a near-future workplace faces pressure to accept an experimental cure that could change who he is.

Why this is here

Themes labels: normality · identity · selfhood · disability rights · medicalization · acceptance · humanity · choice and consent · sensory experience · prejudice · change · autonomy · neurodiversity · ethics

Semantic match: ranked by themes

Distance: 0.0941

Continue from here
Cover of When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger

When Gravity Fails

George Alec Effinger · 2005 · Marîd Audran

A streetwise fixer in a Muslim future ghetto is pulled into a serial-killer hunt powered by brain implants and revenge.

Why this is here

Themes labels: identity · selfhood · transhumanism · bodily autonomy · gender fluidity · transgender identity · religion and modernity · morality · violence · addiction · agency · survival · power · choice · colonial aftereffects · cultural adaptation · humanity

Semantic match: ranked by themes

Distance: 0.0983

Continue from here
Cover of Rosebud by Paul Cornell

Rosebud

Paul Cornell · 2016

Five digital crew members on a microscopic survey ship encounter a mysterious sphere that warps memory, time, and identity.

Why this is here

Themes labels: identity · personhood · humanity · free will · corporate power · state oppression · transphobia · queer oppression · capitalism · memory · reality · self-discovery · conditioning · choice · social control · social commentary · transhumanism · time · freedom · forbidden knowledge · moral awakening

Semantic match: ranked by themes

Distance: 0.1010

Continue from here
Cover of I.D. by Emma Ríos

I.D.

Emma Ríos · 2016

In a red-tinted dystopian future, three strangers consider a risky body transplant that could change who they are.

Why this is here

Themes labels: identity · body image · gender identity · dysphoria · mind-body problem · selfhood · perception · human nature · ethics · medical ethics · choice · transformation · alienation · desire for escape · social unrest · technology and identity

Semantic match: ranked by themes

Distance: 0.1019

Continue from here
Cover of Everyone on the Moon Is Essential Personnel by Julian K. Jarboe

Everyone on the Moon Is Essential Personnel

Julian K. Jarboe · 2020

A queer speculative story collection uses body horror, myth, and dystopia to explore transness, survival, and belonging.

Why this is here

Themes labels: transness · queerness · identity · bodily autonomy · body dysphoria · transformation · capitalism · gentrification · climate catastrophe · religion · Catholic guilt · family trauma · abuse · community · survival · memory · myth · loss · age · love · safety · alienation · class · neoliberalism · social stratification · reproduction · women's bodies · righteous rage · solidarity · immigration gatekeeping · employment gatekeeping · disability · neurodivergence · autonomy

Semantic match: ranked by themes

Distance: 0.1028

Continue from here
Show more