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Fail-Safe

Eugene Burdick, Harvey Wheeler

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Similar in characterization + relationships

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

Characterization labels used: president, Soviet premier, military officers, civilian experts, policy wonks, academics, professors, hawks, translator, bombardier crew, leaders under pressure, bureaucrats, technocrats

Relationships labels used: US-Soviet standoff, leader-to-leader talks, military chain of command, translator relationship, command and control, mutual distrust, enemy cooperation, human-machine conflict, power struggle

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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The 2020 Commission Report On The North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against The United States: A Speculative Novel

Jeffrey Lewis · 2018

A faux commission report traces how a chain of misread signals could trigger a devastating nuclear war.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: political leaders · military leaders · government officials · bureaucrats · survivors · experts · decision-makers under pressure · erratic leader · conscientious public servants · cautious defense official

Relationships labels: superpower rivalry · allied coordination · US-South Korea relations · North Korea-South Korea tensions · leader-adviser tension · bureaucratic conflict · command and control · international dependency · misread intentions

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2111

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Eon

Greg Bear · 1985 · The Way

A mysterious hollow asteroid in Earth orbit becomes the battleground for science, geopolitics, and a warning from the future.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: mathematician · scientist protagonist · military officer · politician · administrator · astronaut · Soviet soldier · posthuman beings · female lead · brilliant genius · team-based cast

Relationships labels: international rivalry · US-Soviet conflict · scientist team · military-science operation · romantic subplot · supervisor-subordinate · factional conflict · human-future counterparts

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2504

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Red Alert

Peter Bryant, Peter George · 2008

A Cold War bomber crisis spirals toward nuclear war as commanders race to stop a rogue strike on Russia.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: rogue general · dying general · Air Force general · President · bomber crew · military officers · stoic men · thin characterization · one-dimensional characters · technically skilled operators

Relationships labels: chain of command · command hierarchy · crew loyalty · military obedience · superior-subordinate · US-Soviet confrontation · East-West conflict · human cooperation · president-general tension

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2512

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2034: A Novel of the Next World War

Elliot Ackerman, James G. Stavridis · 2021

Near-future US-China tensions spiral into a global crisis when cyber attacks cripple military power and trigger escalation.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: military officers · national security officials · naval commander · fighter pilot · admiral · interrogators · state actors · decision-makers · bureaucrats · one-dimensional characters · paper-thin characters

Relationships labels: alliance politics · rival powers · command hierarchy · civil-military relations · international antagonism · cross-border coordination · strategic mistrust · interagency coordination

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2583

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Nexus Uprising

Jason M. Hough, K.C. Alexander · 2017 · Mass Effect: Andromeda Novels

A damaged deep-space colony hub strains under crisis, forcing rival leaders to battle for survival before rebellion erupts.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: security director · interim leadership · political leader · engineer · bureaucrat · command under pressure · unlikeable characters

Relationships labels: power struggle · leadership conflict · factional conflict · group dysfunction · interpersonal tension · mutiny · mutual distrust · coalition strain

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2650

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Final Orbit

Chris Hadfield · 2025 · Apollo Murders

In 1975, a joint U.S.-Soviet space mission is thrown into chaos by disaster, espionage, and a secret Chinese launch.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: competent protagonist · action hero · recurring protagonist · one-eyed protagonist · fighter pilot · NASA flight controller · Soviet cosmonaut · female cosmonaut · steady heroine · technical expert · stoic hero · supporting cast (large) · real historical figures

Relationships labels: US-Soviet cooperation · Cold War rivalry · international collaboration · romantic tension · professional teamwork · gender tension · betrayal · colleague loyalty · crew dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2681

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The Apollo Murders

Chris Hadfield · 2021 · Apollo Murders

A secret Apollo 18 moon mission turns into a Cold War spy thriller when hidden agendas surface in deep space.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: astronauts · flight controller · test pilot · cosmonauts · scientist · engineer · military personnel · Commander · backup astronaut · female cosmonaut · female geologist · antagonist with hidden motive · competent professionals · real historical figures

Relationships labels: US vs USSR · American and Soviet rivalry · crew dynamics · Mission Control crew link · spy within team · romance subplot · love interest · power politics · trust and suspicion · rival astronauts · institutional hierarchy · betrayal

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2704

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Monroe Doctrine: Volume I

James Rosone, Miranda Watson · 2021 · Monroe Doctrine

A near-future AI-driven U.S.-China war ignites global conflict as cyber deception and military strategy collide.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: Brilliant engineer · AI creator · Political leaders · Military officers · Soldiers · Spies · Civilians · Many characters · Disposable characters · Competent antagonists · Humanized enemies

Relationships labels: Nation-state rivalry · Adversarial blocs · Command hierarchy · Betrayal · Defection · Alliance politics · Military coordination · Civilian-military link

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2747

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2010: Odyssey Two

Arthur C. Clarke · 1982 · Space Odyssey

A multinational rescue mission to Jupiter uncovers the fate of Discovery, HAL, Bowman, and a mysterious monolith.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientists · astronauts · crew ensemble · female captain · politician protagonist · computer character · enigmatic being · family man · competent professionals · thin characterization

Relationships labels: US-Soviet cooperation · crew camaraderie · family ties · marriage · parent-child · human-AI relationship · rival mission · institutional teamwork · tension between crews

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2781

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Call to Arms

Joshua Dalzelle · 2015 · Black Fleet Trilogy

A fleet captain races to unite fracturing human powers against an alien invasion while politics threaten survival.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: space captain · military commander · reluctant hero · flawed hero · strategist · rallying leader · politically targeted protagonist · supporting cast

Relationships labels: human factions · military hierarchy · crew dynamics · command conflict · political betrayal · bureaucratic obstruction · allied cooperation · us vs them

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2807

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Footfall

Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle · 1997

A near-future alien invasion turns Earth into a global war zone, forcing humans and a deeply alien foe to misread each other.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ensemble cast · large cast · military personnel · scientists · politicians · reporters · survivalists · cosmonauts · aliens · competent female character · strong alien culture

Relationships labels: human-alien contact · cross-cultural conflict · US-Soviet tensions · romantic intrigue · family ties · romance · rivalry · command hierarchy · cooperation under crisis · betrayal

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2819

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Vulcan's Hammer

Philip K. Dick · 1976

A postwar world is run by a supercomputer, but a rebel challenge exposes dangerous fractures in the machine-backed order.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: morally conflicted hero · bureaucrat protagonist · regional director · government officials · rebels · fanatics · religious zealots · technocrat · middle manager · self-doubt · thin characterization

Relationships labels: man vs machine · man vs bureaucracy · power struggle · human-machine dependency · leader and subordinate · factional conflict · rebel movement · institutional loyalty · betrayal · criss-crossing loyalties · parent-child · family of rebels

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2824

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