Are there any classic books that depict the smartest and greatest minds on earth, departing our world and colonizing a utopia on another planet?
Title. Are there any books like this out there?
Posted Jan 30, 2019, 4:08 PM UTC
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Who is John Galt?
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My first thought too. Sounds like Galt's Gulch
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Well, there's a story about some Golgafrinchans who left their home planet, travelled billions of miles, and settled on prehistoric Earth. The only problem is that those who were sent first weren't the sharpest knives out of the box, and those that were decided to stay at home and be, sort of... well, you know... creative, inventive and productive. The rest, as they say, is history. And the answer is 42.
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[deleted]
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Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series is exactly what you describe.
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Thank you so much, I will order them. I read that Elon Musk loved the Foundation series so I think it's worth getting into.
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Not exactly what the OP was asking for. There are plenty of books describing human interstellar diasporas. Asimov's original Foundation trilogy is justly famous of course, although his prequels are not nearly as good. Iain M. Banks's Culture books are notable, as are Neal Asher's Polity books. Dan Simmons's Hyperion tetralogy is outstanding.
Edit: Iain. M. Banks's Feersum Endjinn tells of those who were left behind after the diaspora. Recommended.
Arthur C. Clarke wrote some books dealing with interstellar travel, but it's been years since I read them. The City and the Stars is lovely, almost a fable, but it also deals with those who remained behind after the diaspora.
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You would be interested in Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy. 100 of Earth's most talented people are sent to form a colony on Mars, but there are some personality conflicts. Then Earth starts sending more colonists and things get complicated.
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Not another planet, but Atlas Shrugged has a similar concept at play.
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The Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad.
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Mate, come on. I was being serious lol. I just looked that up and the cover is Hitler sitting on a rocket.
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Revolt in 2100 & Methuselah's Children By Robert Heinlein