A mysterious sickness is tearing by way of the US. The contaminated proceed to dwell their lives, however solely as a shell of their former selves. With no remedy in sight, a younger girl named Candace and different immune survivors navigate an unsure future. Like Pluribus, Severance imagines a distinct form of apocalypse during which the world continues to spin and efforts are made to retain “normalcy” at the same time as such an idea begins to really feel more and more absurd. 

Earth is upended by the arrival of an alien power often known as the Seep. Their takeover is swift, however proves to be oddly peaceable. A lot of Earth turns into an unlikely form of utopia during which the Seep join individuals and present them with the data that something is feasible. In that world, a trans girl named Trina Goldberg-Oneka and her spouse Deeba embark upon a mind-bending journey of self-discovery. There’s a fever dream high quality to The Seep we haven’t seen in Pluribus but, however it too raises unbelievable questions on what’s misplaced and gained when our identities are blurred. 

Cease me whenever you’ve heard this earlier than, however All Higher Now imagines what would occur if humanity had been all of the sudden contaminated by a virus that washes away all adverse emotions and leaves everybody feeling totally blissful. Sure, Pluribus drew connections to All Higher Now earlier than its launch, and each actually cope with the downsides of what initially seems to be a utopian (if disturbing) situation. Spoiler alert, however it seems a bit battle can go a great distance. 

Many post-apocalyptic tales (together with Pluribus) cope with the ache of isolation. Few deal with that theme as overtly and successfully as Marlen Haushofer does in The Wall. It follows a girl who all of the sudden finds herself minimize off from the remainder of the world by an invisible wall that mysteriously seems sooner or later. Her time is then spent looking for a approach out, benefiting from the world round her, and, progressively, making an attempt to just accept her circumstances. It’s a strong examination of our relationship with different people, nature, and the sheer will to outlive on the coronary heart of all of it. 

Think about, if you’ll, what could occur if we had been all taken over by an invading power of parasitic beings often known as “souls.” Many of the world is actually hijacked by these creatures, however your invader has a more durable time taking up your physique. As a substitute, you and your invader interact in a chronic battle of wills that finally ends up impacting each of your fates in addition to the remainder of the world. That core premise drives Stephenie Meyer’s The Host: a novel that overtly offers with the connection between the physique and soul whereas emphasizing the worth and shortage of a real residence. 

The Age of Miracles is a kind of fascinating sci-fi novels that explores the results of a quieter form of extinction. Right here, the inciting occasion is an unexplained phenomenon that causes the world to spin extra slowly than earlier than. The speedy outcomes are pretty trivial issues like barely longer days. Because the impact continues and escalates, although, individuals start to react to it in drastic (although not altogether stunning) methods. Very similar to The Leftovers, the hooks on this page-turner come not from its greatest moments however quite by watching how the individuals caught on the middle of all of it progressively reshape their lives in addition to the world round them. 

There are numerous sci-fi tales that cope with the idea of a hive thoughts, however there are few such tales fairly like The Bees. That’s as a result of its protagonist is an precise bee dwelling in a literal hive. It sounds gimmicky, however it’s a lot greater than that. Typically in comparison with Watership Down, The Bees is an adventurous exploration of each the intricate internal workings of a collective (which frequently reads like palace intrigue) and the ability of a person life inside that surroundings. 

Station Eleven is a narrative about what retains us going. Not simply the intuition to outlive, however the concept life (a lot much less civilization) should embrace issues which are finer and higher than our primal wants and urges. The “current day” chapters of Station Eleven largely concentrate on a gaggle of touring performers making an attempt to deliver hope and pleasure to the world by way of artwork and leisure. Their adventures are juxtaposed with flashbacks of the terrifying early days of the lethal flu that worn out a lot of society, which underscore each how a lot was misplaced and the significance of discovering it once more. As a bonus, Station Eleven obtained an distinctive HBO adaptation that continues to be tragically underrated, partially because of its proximity to our personal world pandemic. 

A traditional of the style that was later tailored into the Village of the Damned motion pictures (certainly one of which was nice, certainly one of which was… effectively, we nonetheless love John Carpenter), The Midwich Cuckoos is usually described as a comfortable form of disaster. Granted, that’s an odd option to describe a narrative that includes villainous youngsters inexplicably born the world over in droves following the looks of a mysterious object within the sky. But, there’s something darkly quaint about this story of a strong group that nefariously works its approach into our world which recollects a few of Pluribus’ extra quiet and menacing moments.

Lastly, this record would really feel incomplete with out mentioning Bloodsong of Wycaro: the third entry within the Winds of Wycaro sequence. Sure, Apple launched an actual part from Carol’s fictional romantasy ebook sequence within the Pluribus universe. Whereas the part’s actual writer stays a thriller I’ve been making an attempt to resolve, it’s a remarkably entertaining standalone work that additionally provides a bit context to the Pluribus universe. And hey, perhaps it’ll be your gateway into the thrilling world of pirate romantasy.