If you were fascinated by the way Children of Ruin immerses you in the perspective of truly alien minds—like the octopuses and spiders—Blindsight will grip you with its depiction of first contact with utterly incomprehensible lifeforms. Watts crafts a tense, cerebral narrative aboard the Theseus, where the crew must decipher the motives of an alien presence that challenges all human assumptions about consciousness.

If you loved the vast scope and the way Children of Ruin hops between worlds and species over huge stretches of time, you'll be hooked by Leviathan Wakes. The story’s interplanetary politics, shifting alliances, and the gradual revelation of ancient mysteries provide that same epic sense of scale and interconnected destinies.

Were you captivated by the careful worldbuilding and the rise of intelligent spiders and octopuses in Children of Ruin? In Semiosis, you'll discover a colony on a new planet where plants develop sentience and co-evolve with human settlers. The narrative dives deep into the intricacies of communication, adaptation, and the gradual building of an entirely new society.

If the exploration of alien cultures—like the octopus civilization’s collective intelligence in Children of Ruin—was what drew you in, you’ll be fascinated by A Door Into Ocean. It centers on an all-female, ocean-dwelling species whose biology, language, and society are radically different from humans, leading to profound cultural clashes and revelations.

If you were moved by the philosophical undertones in Children of Ruin—the questions about consciousness, identity, and what it means to be 'alien'—then The Sparrow will resonate with you. It follows a Jesuit mission to another world, exploring the consequences, both wondrous and tragic, of making contact with a truly alien civilization.