If you loved Helva’s sense of purpose and the driving force behind her missions in The Ship Who Sang, you’ll be drawn into Binti. The protagonist, Binti, leaves her home to attend a prestigious interstellar university, embarking on a journey that is part self-discovery and part high-stakes negotiation with mysterious alien forces. The book’s focus on Binti’s agency and the personal and cultural stakes of her quest will resonate with you.

If Helva’s moving journey as a human mind in a ship’s body spoke to you, A Closed and Common Orbit will feel like a kindred experience. The novel explores the lives of Lovelace, an AI forced into a new body, and Pepper, a genetically modified human, as they each seek belonging and meaning. Their poignant character growth and questions of selfhood echo the emotional heart of The Ship Who Sang.

If you enjoyed the camaraderie and teamwork aboard Helva’s ship, you’ll find the lively crew of the Wayfarer in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet irresistible. The book features a diverse group of humans and aliens, each with their own quirks, stories, and emotional arcs, working together and forging family-like bonds as they travel through space.

If the philosophical questions raised by Helva’s existence—what it means to be alive, to feel, to choose—captivated you, All Systems Red is your next read. The story follows Murderbot, a security android who hacks its own governor module and struggles with autonomy, identity, and human connections. The narrative delves deeply into the inner life of a non-human protagonist in a way that will feel both familiar and thought-provoking.

If you were fascinated by the depiction of human and non-human interaction in The Ship Who Sang, you’ll be swept away by The Left Hand of Darkness. Le Guin’s classic immerses you in the world of Gethen, where gender and society operate in ways entirely different from Earth’s. The careful exploration of alien cultures and the emotional resonance of cross-cultural connection make this a must-read.