If you like "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline, then you might enjoy...


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Book cover: Ready Player One

If you like Ready Player One and want more like it then keep reading. We have made a huge list of the best recommendations similar to Ready Player One.

Most of our suggestions are other Books similar to Ready Player One. But we have also added some Anime, TV-Shows, and Movies that are similar to Ready Player One in our list of recommendations.

Ready Player One is not fully in the LitRPG genre, but it is flirting with it. If you are curious about LitRPG the check out this article on what LitRPG is and to get some recommendations.

Another Anime genre that is closely related is the Isekai genre. Check out this article for a short intro to Isekai Anime and some good recommendations.

Description:

Wade Watts is a poor teen living with his aunt in the stacks, a trailer park with the trailers stacked atop each other. A place for the poor.

Wade only feels alive when he`s inside the OASIS, a popular online game that most of the world is obsessed with.

Even with the basic headgear and gloves, it's almost like you are inside the game. It gets even better for those with the money for specialized bodysuits.

The creator of OASIS, James Halliday, told everyone before he died that he had hidden an easter egg inside the game. And whoever finds it first will inherit his entire multi-billion-dollar fortune.

Wade is among the most dedicated hunters that label themselves as gunters. To find the egg they study the life of Halliday, especially his earlier days in the 80s. And gunters are really dedicated to their studies.

When Wade is the first to find the first clue thing takes a nasty turn when he discovers that people are willing to kill him in the real world to get it.

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Books like Ready Player One

We have a good list of book recommendations that should be to your taste if you like Ready Player One. 

But if you want a list with slightly different recommendations then check out this article from bookriot for more recommendations like Ready Player One.

Awaken Online: Catharsis (Awaken Online #1) by Travis Bagwell

Awaken Online: Catharsis book cover
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Jason attends a prestigious private school and his parents are reasonably well off. But his parents are never home, and he is bullied by both students and faculty at this prestigious school.

Frustrated with his life, Jason escapes into the newly released full immersion VRMMORPG game Awaken Online.

Jason quickly finds himself on the path to be one of the game's greater villains. With his powerful necromantic power and newly won leadership of a new playable race, he becomes a target for all the rest.

Jason constantly logs on to the game for the freedom and power he gets in it. Something that he lacks in real life.

One of the reasons for Jasons growing power in the game is that one of the major AIs in Awaken Online has taken an interest in him, and in humanity.

Is Awaken Online good?

Awaken Online online is one of the best LitRPG series.

Usually, I don't like LitRPG books that are too much in the real world. But in this case, Travis Bagwell has managed to keep that part interesting too.

Awaken Online has interesting game mechanics, and I like how the AI overlords interact with the game.

Awaken Online is an amazing book series that is absolutely worth reading, especially if you like LitRPG books.

Why is Awaken Online recommended?

Awaken online is also about people playing immersive VR games. The main difference in the game world is that it is a fixed MMORPG world and not a free open sandbox world.

The story takes part in both the real world and in the VR world, but it is not set in our timeline so there are no nostalgic references all over the place.

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Survival Quest (Way of the Shaman #1) by Vasily Mahanenko

Survival Quest, Way of the Shaman book 1
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Daniel Mahan is unjustly sentenced to prison for eight years. Like most other criminals he has to serve his sentence in a full immersion chamber put in a prison work camp in the VRMMORPG game Barliona.

Barliona is a medieval-like virtual world with monsters and other players.

The game has become so popular that players now choose to spend months online at a time without returning to the real world.

In Barliona, anything goes: You can assault fellow players, level up, become a mythical hero, or just get a regular medieval job if you like. The only rule is that no player is allowed to feel actual pain.

But there's an exception to every rule.

People in Daniel Mahan's position, prisoners, feel just as much pain as they do in real life. For them, Barliona has become their personal hell.

Is Way of the Shaman good?

Way of the Shaman is one of the best LitRPG series I have read, it's also one of the first, so that might affect my judgment.

It has both well-developed characters and a good story. The LitRPG elements are also done in a very good way, which is important.

Why is Way of the Shaman recommended?

In Way of the Shaman, most players are not stuck, but some are temporarily stuck. Those that are temporarily stuck are people serving out their prison sentence in-game, and our main character is one fo them.

The Virtual world is also a propper game and not an open sandbox kind of world. Most of the story also takes part in-game.

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Video Game Plotline Tester (Dark Herbalist #1) by Michael Atamanov

Video Game Plotline Tester: Dark Herbalist Series, Book 1 cover
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Timothy has just started as a tester for the largest and most technologically advance VRMMORPG game in the world. The testers compete for some big reward by streaming their game. The tester with the most popular stream wins.

The company delegate the class and some skills for the tester to use. Their goal is both to test the less common combinations and to make them more popular. Timothy is given the goblin race with the herbalist class and put in a strange starting location.

Timothy and his sister secretly cooperate to make his chances to win the competition among the testers higher. She is both too young to work as a tester and disabled, so she has to join from their home.

Together they explore the game and make plans for dealing with the strange class and race combination. But it's not only in-game problems they have to overcome, but real-life dangers are also a problem.There is a huge award for the winner of the game

Is Dark Herbalist good?

The Dark Herbalist Series is a LitRPG book series with a good balance. Game and leveling mechanics are well mixed with a solid story and character development.

The characters are not helped out by random events and Deus Ex Machina. Instead, they use out-of-the-box and quick thinking to get out of problematic situations.

The Dark Herbalist Series is interesting and absolutely worth reading if you want a LitRPG book series.

Why is Dark Herbalist recommended?

The Dark Herbalist series also takes part in both the real world and in a VRMMORPG world. But it is not our world, so it does not contain real nostalgic references all over the place.

The VR world is also a propper game and not an open sandbox world.

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We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse #1)

Book cover: We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
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Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and now he is looking forward to a life of leisure as a rich man.

Sadly Bob dies in an accident right after reaching his dreams.

But before he died, Bob paid for a service to freeze his brain. It will be kept frozen until we have the technology to put it into a new body.

However, when he wakes up a century later, he discovers that dead people have been declared to be without rights. Bob is now the property of the state.

As if that wasn't enough, he has been uploaded into a computer. His new task is to be the controlling AI of an interstellar von Neumann probe. His goal is to search for new habitable planets humanity can colonize.

If he declines, he'll be switched off.

If he accepts, he becomes the main target of competing states with similar projects and goals.

Is Bobiverse good?

The Bobiverse series is the best sci-fi book series I have read in a long while. 

It's full of references to interesting science and popular culture.

It has a good story with cool humor. It's also very interesting and funny how the different bobs interact with each other.

Great books.

Why is Bobiverse recommended?

They are both funny and full of popular culture references.

Other than that they are not too similar. But if you are a fan of one then you probably also like the other.

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Otherlife Dreams (The Selfless Hero Trilogy #1) by William D Arand

Book cover: Otherlife Dreams
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Runner and 499,000 men and women in an army space ship are trapped in a fantasy game.

Runner is the only person from IT who could log everyone out safely if he only remembered the password. The problem is that he remembers almost nothing from the outside.

Luckily he can get his memory back piece by piece by playing the game and leveling up.

Another problem is that when you die in the game you also die in the real world.

Runner has to flex his power gaming muscles to gain levels as fast as possible to save as many as possible by remembering the password.

Is The Selfless Hero Trilogy good?

The first book in The Selfless Hero started out OK, at least if you have some interest in gaming. It might be boring if you do not like gaming and books in this genre.

If it was not for a slight twist in the end I would probably not go for the next book in the series, but now I`m curious. It's a decent book.

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Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 #1)

Book cover: Off to Be the Wizard
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Martin Banks is a guy with an above-normal interest in computers. He loves nothing more than snooping on files he should not have access to.

One day he makes an abnormal discovery.

He finds a file that changes reality when he edits it.

Implying that reality, himself included, is nothing more than an elaborate computer program.

Every little tweak he dos to make his life a little easier does not go unnoticed. Rather than face prosecution and trying to explain what he can do, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.

Is Magic 2.0 good?

I love the concept, and the humoristic story around it is marvelous. If you are afraid of laughing around strangers, then you should probably read it at home.

Sadly the third book was a huge disappointment, but the two first are extraordinary.

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City of Golden Shadow (Otherland #1) by Tad Williams

Book cover: City of Golden Shadow
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Renie Sulaweyo's younger brother, Stephen, ends up in a coma after visiting Mister J's. A virtual reality equivalent of the Hellfire Club on the Nets.

After Renie discovers that other children also are found in a coma while on the Nets she retraces her brother's steps. Renie barely escapes Mister J`s with her mind intact.

What follows is a series of mysterious and dangerous things that all indicate that she has enraged someone with near-unlimited power.

Is Otherland good?

I usually like Tad Williams, but this series is not his best.

It got a little too long, which usually does not bother me, but it did in this case.

It is still worth a chance if you like this type of virtual reality book.

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AlterWorld (Play to Live #1) by D. Rus

Book cover: AlterWorld
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A new pandemic has engulfed the world, it's called the Perma effect.

It makes it so that people might become stuck in the game they currently are playing online. Everything from Tetris to more involved MMOs.

Max is a terminal cancer patient and like others in his position often dos, he grasps at the opportunity to be infected with the Perma effect so he can live on, albeit in a game.

Together with a few trusted friends, he ends up in the AlterWorld.

Is Play to Live good?

AlterWorld is a great start to a great series with interesting characters.

If you like these kinds of books where the main character is inside a game, then you will likely love this one.

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The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

Book cover: The Hunger Games
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Panem is a nation consisting of a shining Capitol for the wealthy surrounded by twelve outlying poorer districts.

Long ago a rebellion led by a 13th district against the Capitol resulted in its destruction. As part of the surrender terms, each of the twelve surviving districts agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called,"The Hunger Games".

"The Hunger Games" is a fight to the death on live TV. Only one survives. 

Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen-year-old girl from district twelve, ends up as the female tribute from her district. She and her male counterpart Peeta, are pitted against bigger and stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives.

Is The Hunger Games good?

This is the first book in The Hunger Games trilogy. These books are worth reading, not among the best, but still worth the time if you like young adult dystopian books.

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Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Book cover: Snow Crash

Hiro is a pizza delivery guy for Uncle Enzo’s CosoNostra Pizza Inc. Yes, you guessed correctly, the pizza restaurant belongs to those guys. The Mafia.

Hiro is also a hacker in the metaverse.

He is plunging headlong into the enigma of a new computer virus that reaches out tho the physical body and strikes down hackers everywhere.

Hiro runs down a search-and-destroy mission after the shadowy virtual villain threatening to bring about infocalypse. He runs down leads leading from state of the art research to ancient culture and legends.

Is Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson good?

Snow Crash is a great book full of witty, sarcastic, and ironic lines.

It also has a good mix of computer science and old myths.

Great book.

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Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet #1) by Orson Scott Card

Book cover: Ender's Game
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The earth's government agencies started to breed child geniuses to train as soldiers. All in order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race.

The brilliant young boy Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader among his peers and respected in the Battle Room, where they play at mock battles in zero gravity.

Will Ender become the great general Earth needs to survive?

Is The Ender Quintet good?

Do not judge a book by its author's personal views. This is an excellent book, and you should not forego it because of Orson Scott Card's stupid personal views.

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Neuromancer by William Gibson

Book cover: Neuromancer
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Case was the sharpest data-thief in the business until a vengeful former employee crippled his nervous system.

But now a new and very mysterious employer recruits him for a last-chance run.

The target: an unthinkably powerful artificial intelligence orbiting Earth in service of the sinister Tessier-Ashpool business clan.

Is Neuromancer by William Gibson good?

A great science fiction classic.

Absolutely worth reading.

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Animes like Ready Player One

We have also added som Anime Recommendations similar to Ready Player One.

Hope you like them.

Log Horizon

Anime cover: Log Horizon
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MMORPG gamers find themself transported into the game they play.

Shiroe and the others in Log Horizon attempt to live their lives out in the new world they find themselves trapped in.

They form governments, deal with NPCs and other players.

Is Log Horizon good?

Log Horizon is a very good anime. It`s about more than simple fighting.

Why is Log Horizon recommended?

The protagonist in both Log Horizon and in Ready Player One are very clever people. But one of the main differences is that no one in Ready Player One is stuck in a game world and lots for the story takes part in the real world.

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.hack//Sign

Anime cover: .hack//Sign
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Tsukasa, a young Wavemaster, wakes up in the MMORPG calledThe World with amnesia.

He does do not remember what he did before waking up in the game and being unable to log out from the game. He wanders around looking for answers.

Is .hack//Sign good?

.hack//Sign is an OK anime.

I remember loving it the first time, but it was not as good the second time.

Why is .hack//Sign recommended?

.Hack//Sign is about a VR game. It's more of a classic RPG game and not a totally open virtual world. The main character can not log out of the game, but he is the only one.

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Sword Art Online

Anime cover: Sword Art Online
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Sword Art Online (SAO), a massive online role-playing game, is launched.

It uses "NerveGear" technology, a technology that lets players control their avatars within the game using nothing but their own thoughts.

Kazuto Kirigaya is one player among ten-thousand others that logs on to SAO as it launches. He was a beta tester for the game, so he has a leg up over most of the others.

The players soon realize they cannot log out. The game’s creator has trapped them in his new world until they complete all one hundred levels of the game.

Is Sword Art Online good?

The animation and sound work is good. Sword Art Online worth watching, but only if you like this kind of animes.

Why is Sword Art Online recommended?

Sword Art Online is also about VR games. But in the first season, they are stuck without the possibility to get out. The story also takes part only in the game.

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No Game No Life

No Game No Life Anime Cover 2
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Two siblings with social problems and gigantic gaming addiction are selected and sent into an alternate universe.

This universe is about gaming. All conflict and problems are solved by games. No murder or violence is possible.

They set out to get enough power and influence by winning games so they can play against the god of this universe, the god of gaming.

Is No Game No Life good?

The premise of this anime sounds a little silly, but the anime turns out to be really good.

If you like anime and gaming, then this is a must-watch.

Why is No Game No Life recommended?

No Game No Life is also focusing on games, but it is not a VR world. They are transported to an alternate world where games are a huge part of the culture.

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Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop Anime Cover
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Spike Spiegel is a bounty hunter.

Together with his partners Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Edward, and their dog Ein, they hunt across the galaxy. They are looking for any high bounty fugitives to bag.

Is Cowboy Bebop good?

This is one of the classics must-see anime.

Cowboy Bebop is recommended even if you are not a big fan of animes.

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BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense.

BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense. Anime Cover
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Kaede Honjou reluctantly agrees to try New World Online after a friend enthusiastically invites her. New World Online is a very popular VRMMO game with thousands of players across Japan.

Kaede Honjou names her character Maple. She is a total noob and afraid of getting hurt, so she puts all her points into vitality. This makes Mapel very hard to kill, but she deals almost no damage and walks very slowly.

Min-maxing to the extent Mapel has done usually ends badly, but she lucks out by gaining powerful skills and items to bolster her playstyle. 

Maple easily acquires some overpowered skills like; Total Defense, Poison Immunity, Devour, and later many more. These skills together with some overpowered items she also acquires make her an overpowered walking fortress that can kill most enemies in one hit.

After only a few days of playing Maple wins third place in an event including all players. This gains her the reputation of being both unkillable and totally overpowered.

Mapel gains infamy and is almost on a path to become a boss character her self. But Mapel is evil or power-hungry. She is kind and happy. All she wants is to play and have fun with old and new friends.

Is BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense. good?

BOFURI is an ok VRMMO anime. It not the best, but if you like this type of animes then its worth checking out.

Visit titlefindr for more recommendations like "BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense.".

Movies like Ready Player One

We have some movie recommendations similar to Ready Player One. 

But if you want more then check out these exciting movies like Rady Player One.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Movie Cover
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Space station Alpha is a city where beings from different planets live together exchanging their knowledge, culture, and merchandise.

The peace in this city is enforced by a human police force. Major Valerian and his partner Sergeant Laureline are part of this force.

Valerian and Laureline are given a dangerous mission where they have to retrieve something mysterious. The mission initially goes as planned, until it does not.

Is Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets good?

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets are a decent science fiction movie. It's not the best, but it's worth watching if you like these kinds of movies.

Hopefully, there will be more movies set in this universe.

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Alita: Battle Angel

Alita: Battle Angel Movie Cover
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Alita is an android. She is a creation from an age of despair. A time with technological advances that are now lost.

Dr. Ido finds Alita on the scrapyard in Iron City while searching for cyborg parts. He fixes her so she can start up again. She cannot remember who she is, or where she came from. But she still has her instinct, and they are the lethal instincts of a perfect combat machine.

As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the dangerous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious past.

Is Alita: Battle Angel good?

Alita: Battle Angel is an excellent movie. Good action and an interesting story.

The biggest issue is how it ended. If it does not get a sequel then it will go from being an excellent movie to a crappy one.

Visit titlefindr for more recommendations like "Alita: Battle Angel".

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)

Movie cover: The Hunger Games
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Every year the Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl as Tributes to compete in the Hunger Games. A game where they have to fight each other in aBattle Royale for survival, only one of the 24 contestants will survive.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her younger sister's place and must fight against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared their entire lives.

Is The Hunger Games good?

The Hunger Games is an ok movie, especially if you like post-apocalyptic dystopian stories.

It is probably better for a teenage audience, but it is still worth watching. 

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Ender's Game

Movie cover: Ender's Game
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The earth's government agencies started to breed child geniuses to train as soldiers. The goal is to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack.

The brilliant young boy Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training. Ender's skills make him a leader among his peers and respected in the Battle Room. The Battle Room is where they play at mock battles in zero gravity.

Will Ender become the great general Earth needs to survive?

Is Ender's Game good?

This is actually a quite good adoption of the book. It is not as good as the book, but it`s still a good movie.

You should watch this, especially if you like science fiction movies.

Visit titlefindr for more recommendations like "Ender's Game".

TV-Shows like Ready Player One

We have also added some TV-Show Recommendations similar to Ready Player One.

Not that many for now, but more might come in the future.

Stranger Things

Stranger Things TV-Show Cover
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In 1983 Hawkins Indian a boy suddenly vanishes into thin air. Friends, family, and the local police set out to search for him.

During their search, they discover that this is not an ordinary case. Something supernatural is going on.

The government has researched paranormal phenomena in this small town. An they have opened a gate that should have been kept close.

With the help of a strange new girl, the friends, family, and a local coop sets out to cross this gate to get the vanished boy back.

Is Stranger Things good?

Strangers Things is an amazing mystery show. It hooks you in immediately.

Someone described Strangers Things as a mix of Stephen King and an 80s Steven Spielberg movie. That's a perfect description.

Why is Stranger Things recommended?

The main similarities with Stranger Things are that Stranger Things is set in the time period where lots of the geek references in Ready Player One comes from. Both are nostalgic heavens for people that want to relive stuff from this time period.

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The Expanse

The Expanse TV-Show Cover
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Police detective Josephus Miller is a cynical belter. Belter's are people born and risen in the asteroid belt. His newest assignment is to find Julie Mao, a missing young rich girl turned political activist.

At the same time, James Holden, the first officer of an ice freighter, is witness to an unprovoked attack. An attack by a craft believed to be from Mars (MCRN Federation). News of the attack spreads throughout Earth, Mars and The Belt.

The already tenuous relationship between them is on the brink of no return.

Chrisjen Avasarala is a high ranking United Nations executive and diplomat. Far away from the struggles in deep space, on Earth, she works to prevent war between Earth and Mars by any means.

Police detective Josephus Miller, fright officer James Holden, and diplomat Chrisjen Avasarala, discovers something scary.

A vast covert conspiracy involving the missing woman and the ice freighter's fate which threatens all humanity.

Is The Expanse good?

The Expanse is one of the better space TV-Shows.

It has excellent world-building and well-paced story. This show has it all! From high-level political intrigues to low-level street action and with everything in between.

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Firefly

Tv Show cover: Firefly
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Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds is a former galactic war veteran.

Now Mal is the captain of the transport ship Serenity.

Mal is kind of like Han Solo from Star Wars. A small-time smuggler hiding behind his legal transport services.

His crew consists of. Zoe, his old war buddy. Wash, the pilot. Jayne Cobb, the muscle. Kaylee Frye, the mechanic. Simon Tam, the medic, and his sister River. Inara Serra, a courtesan. And the last one, Shepherd Book, a preacher.

Together they do any jobs, legal or illegal. They travel across the outskirts of outer space sparking up trouble wherever they go.

Is Firefly good?

Firefly is a superb show. I can't fathom why it got canceled after only one season. I want a new show like this.

Watch it now! Just do it.

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