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All That We See or Seem

Ken Liu

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Similar in characterization

These books are ranked using the characterization labels extracted for All That We See or Seem.

Characterization labels used: hacker protagonist, loner, reclusive, resourceful, brilliant, traumatized past, paranoid, awkward with people, young woman, teen prodigy, flawed protagonist, competent lead, antagonists as caricatures, cartoonish villains

Focused on “authority issues” where exact label matches exist.

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

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Navigating the Stars

Maria V. Snyder · 2018 · Sentinels of the Galaxy

A snarky teen follows her archaeologist parents through time-skewed space to solve a mystery tied to alien terracotta warriors.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonist · snarky heroine · illegal hacker · brave heroine · competent teen · troublemaker · relatable protagonist · headstrong · curious · resourceful · tenacious · authority issues · young love interest · security officer · archaeologist parents · supportive adults · flawed adults · chaotic good

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.1365

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Boy 7

Mirjam Mous · 2009 · Best of YA | XS

An amnesiac teen follows clues in his backpack to uncover his identity, and a secret experiment tied to his forgotten past.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonist · hacker · naive protagonist · resourceful protagonist · suspicious protagonist · helpful girl · antagonists · flat secondary characters · moral ambiguity

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.1200

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Otherearth

Jason Segel, Kirsten Miller · 2018 · Last Reality

On the run from a powerful game company, Simon and friends dive back into VR as reality begins to fracture.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonist · flawed protagonist · maturing protagonist · traumatized protagonist · hacker character · tech genius · evil conglomerate · secretive ally · romantic interest · sentient nonhuman characters · antagonistic friend · supportive side character

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.1250

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Off to Be the Wizard

Scott Meyer · 2014 · Magic 2.0

A hacker discovers reality is editable code, then escapes to medieval England to reinvent himself as a wizard.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: hacker protagonist · geek protagonist · immature protagonist · likable mentor · cranky mentor · awkward protagonist · self-centered protagonist · antiheroic lead · villainous antagonist · caricatured supporting cast

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.1279

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The Obake Code

Makana Yamamoto · 2026

A bored cyberpunk hacker is blackmailed into one last space-station heist that drags her into her own past.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: hacker · legendary hacker · superhacker · modded human · bored protagonist · loner · gifted kid · traumatized protagonist · morally gray protagonist · people-pleaser · self-doubting · resourceful · competent crew · female-led cast · nonbinary love interest · villainous men

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.1399

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This Alien Shore

C.S. Friedman · 1999 · The Outworlds

A runaway girl with hidden brain secrets and a deadly virus crisis threaten the balance of a posthuman interstellar network.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teenage protagonist · runaway heroine · hacker · programmer · scientist · guild pilot · security expert · genius hacker · multiple personalities · autistic character · neurodivergent characters · eccentric hackers · complex characters

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.1399

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The Navigator

Pittacus Lore · 2015 · Lorien Legacies: The Lost Files

A Loric hacker pilots a second escape ship from doomed Lorien, uncovering the hidden fate of Earth-bound survivors.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: hacker · pilot · loner · resourceful · competent · revolutionary · disaffected · bitter · protective · survivor · secret keeper · new character · side character · mentor figure · emotional

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.1415

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Don't Turn Around

Michelle Gagnon · 2012 · Persefone

A teen hacker on the run joins forces with a rich-boy hacktivist to expose a deadly conspiracy targeting forgotten kids.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: female hacker · resourceful heroine · strong female protagonist · underdog · orphan · foster kid · runaway teen · privileged hacker · vigilante hacker · vulnerable heroine · introverted · self-reliant

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.1489

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Evil Genius

Catherine Jinks · 2005 · Genius

A lonely child genius is groomed for villainy at a secret academy, then starts questioning who he is and who to trust.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: child genius · teen prodigy · loner · outsider · hacker · manipulative · morally ambiguous · cold protagonist · sarcastic · socially isolated · criminal mentor · psychologist mentor · evil mastermind · disguise teacher · disability representation

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.1497

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Homeland

Cory Doctorow · 2013 · Little Brother

A young hacker must leak a trove of explosive secrets without exposing himself or ruining a political campaign.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen hacker · young adult protagonist · political radicalization · traumatized protagonist · cautious protagonist · matured protagonist · ideological characters · supportive girlfriend · independent candidate

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.1517

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Exit Strategy

Martha Wells · 2018 · The Murderbot Diaries

A rogue security unit races home to rescue a respected human ally while evading a powerful corporation.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: snarky protagonist · introverted protagonist · socially anxious · paranoid attention to detail · competent hero · self-aware AI · emotional growth · antihero to hero · autonomous construct · tactical genius · technical genius · self-deprecating · relatable outsider

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.1528

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Abyss

Nicholas Binge · 2026

A lonely job-seeker enters a nearly empty office job that hides a surreal, AI-driven corporate nightmare.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: relatable protagonist · anxious protagonist · isolated protagonist · loner · everyman · jobless · terminally online · dejected · self-sabotaging · productive potential · erratic manager · AI assistant · paranoid supervisor

Semantic match: ranked by characterization

Distance: 0.1542

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