# Generation-Ship Hard SF ## [[Aurora]] - Author:: Kim Stanley Robinson - Year:: 2015 - Tech level:: Realistic late‑21st/22nd‑century starship - Propulsion model:: Fusion or high‑performance nuclear; sub‑light cruise (no FTL) - Human-factors focus:: Closed ecosystems; microbiome drift; psychological decay over centuries - Societal themes:: Mission legitimacy; obligation to descendants; failure of colonization projects ## [[Non-Stop (Starship)]] - Author:: Brian Aldiss - Year:: 1958 - Tech level:: Mid‑20th‑century extrapolated generational craft - Propulsion model:: Unspecified sub‑light, assumed conventional/advanced rocket - Human-factors focus:: Loss of mission memory; cargo cult science; life in decaying infrastructure - Societal themes:: Mythologized origins; class and control on the ship; discovery and revelation ## [[Children of Time]] (and sequels) - Author:: Adrian Tchaikovsky - Year:: 2015– - Tech level:: Far‑future but mostly physics‑respecting (no casual FTL) - Propulsion model:: Advanced sub‑light drives; cryosleep; relativistic travel - Human-factors focus:: Long‑term cultural change; crew politics; AI–human relationships - Societal themes:: Species uplift; coexistence vs. domination; post‑collapse rebuilding ## [[An Unkindness of Ghosts]] - Author:: Rivers Solomon - Year:: 2017 - Tech level:: Large generation ship with mature but non‑magical tech - Propulsion model:: Off‑stage sub‑light drive; shipboard life is the focus - Human-factors focus:: Trauma; medical care; marginalization within closed systems - Societal themes:: Racial caste systems; resistance; justice in a finite, controlled world ## [[The Deep Sky]] - Author:: Yume Kitasei - Year:: 2023 - Tech level:: Near‑future interstellar colonization vehicle - Propulsion model:: High‑efficiency rockets/fusion; sub‑light cruise - Human-factors focus:: Crew selection; espionage, trust, and paranoia on a closed ship - Societal themes:: Competing agendas (Earth politics vs. mission goals); surveillance and autonomy ## [[Other generation-ship hard SF (list note)]] - Author:: Various - Year:: Various - Tech level:: Usually sub‑light, engineering‑constrained settings - Propulsion model:: Generation ships, fusion, beam‑driven sails; no FTL or only tightly‑bounded FTL - Human-factors focus:: Multi‑generational memory; education; cultural drift; life support fragility - Societal themes:: Governance models in closed systems; religion and myth; rebellion vs. conformity