If you enjoyed the way The Forever War follows William Mandella through the harrowing and ever-evolving mission of interstellar warfare, you’ll love Old Man’s War. John Perry, its protagonist, enlists for a dangerous military campaign in space, with the story propelled by the high-stakes goal of defending humanity. The sense of purpose and the military structure will feel familiar and engaging.

If the technical realism and attention to the effects of relativity and future military technology were what drew you into The Forever War, Leviathan Wakes will be right up your alley. The novel deeply explores the physics of space travel, realistic depictions of life off-Earth, and the gritty consequences of advanced technology, all grounded in plausible science.

If you were fascinated by how time dilation in The Forever War distorts Mandella’s connections to Earth and his own sense of identity, you’ll be captivated by Kindred. Dana, a modern woman, is repeatedly pulled back in time to the antebellum South, and her struggle to adapt to shifting eras powerfully echoes the dislocation and emotional impact of Mandella’s journey.

If the morally complex choices and the ambiguous ethics of soldiers in The Forever War resonated with you, Altered Carbon will intrigue you with its antihero Takeshi Kovacs. He navigates a brutal, futuristic society, forced to make difficult—and sometimes questionable—decisions that challenge the very definition of right and wrong.

If you appreciated the sweeping temporal and spatial scale of The Forever War—where centuries pass as Mandella fights a seemingly endless conflict—you’ll be enthralled by Tau Zero. The crew of the starship Leonora Christine experiences an odyssey across millennia and galaxies, their journey capturing the same sense of epic, existential scope.