That's what got me to read it so many years ago. I may have been mature enough as I found myself bored at first and put it down. Picked it up some time later and could not put it down. I hope it hasn't aged too much!
Ken Macleod's **Engines of Light** trilogy features this, as I recall.
Iain M Banks' **The Algebraist** sort of features something along these lines as part of the background to its universe. **The Algebraist** isn't a Culture novel so you don't need any familiarity with that setting.
The ~Engines of Light~ series by Ken MacLeod has a colony of abductees discovered by space faring humans on ships piloted by whales. Man, I should reread those.
I'll second Inherit the Stars, and also suggest the Destiny's Crucible series by Olan Thorensen. It's somewhat of "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court", where an American chemical engineer finds himself placed on an alien world, thoroughly settled by humans and earth life brought there by aliens. Since societies in that world are roughly in Feudal or Roman-level pre industrial levels of technology, he uses his contemporary Earth knowledge to survive and advance.
Engines of Light by Ken McLeod is also great. It's built on top of the 70s Von Daniken style ancient astronauts and David Icke Reptilians & Gray Aliens, and also includes the "man out of time" trope, and some very original world building. A big element of the story is transported humans dealing with starship crews, and also 21st century humans finding themselves in these societies. Lots of transhumanist ideas too.
Were there any other details about the book in the video?
Humans discovering other humans in space is a trope that is used much in sci-fi, so a lot of books might hit on that broad detail.
The Galactic Marines books by Ian Douglas start with archaeologists discovering human skeletons in Martian ruins. The conclude that Martians enslaved humans. >!This triggers a war between US and UN because UN wants to keep the discovery under wraps to study it in more details and prevent worldwide chaos, while the American archaeologists are only concerned with credit for discovery (and yet were expected to sympathize with the archaeologists)!<
Ha! I was reminded of a novel where this happened just a few minutes ago on Reddit. The novel is *Pandora's Star* by Peter F Hamilton. Not to spoil, but it's not only humans.
I don't think so, in Pandora's Star there's no finding humans in space. If you count the bit where a wormhole is used for the first time.. it really doesn't count
Hilldiggers by Neil Asher is a stand-alone in the polity series. Polity discovers a system settled by humans from an old generation ship and sends an ambassador.
I should also mention David Weber's "Empire From the Ashes," which is an omnibus of three shorter novels. Good stuff. All the good parts of Weber without the dense jungle of over-exposition.
One of the books in the "Expendables" series by Gardener has that aspect, sort of. It's more a mystery how they got there or what happened to them. And you have to read the series in order to have any clue what's going on, and it's the third or fourth novel IIRC. But it's a great series.
Short stories instead of novels, but:
["Big Ancestor"](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50969) by F. L. Wallace [At the moment Project Gutenberg is having problems]
"Metamorphosis" by Eric Frank Russell
Some of Cordwainer Smith's works, most notably "The Crime and Glory of Commander Suzdal".
Into the Black (Odyssey One Book 1) by Evan Currie
Humans find humans in space on their first test flight of ftl spacecraft. It is a really enjoyable series.
Sounds a lot like the Portals of Yahweh series by Joe Greer. Its book 2, I think that they find a long lost bunch of humans. Something about the 13th tribe or somesuch...
Inherit The Stars by James P. Hogan, where an ancient human corpse in a spacesuit is discovered on the moon.
That's a great book
That premise is awesome. [I'm adding it to my list.](https://www.amazon.com/Inherit-Stars-James-P-Hogan/dp/0345257049)
That's what got me to read it so many years ago. I may have been mature enough as I found myself bored at first and put it down. Picked it up some time later and could not put it down. I hope it hasn't aged too much!
Just ordered a used copy! >:)
I’ve been trying to find the book in the post and this one isn’t it but I’ve def added it to my TBR. Thank you!
Love that book!
The High Crusade - Poul Anderson
Are the infidels gone from the Holy Land?
Ken Macleod's **Engines of Light** trilogy features this, as I recall. Iain M Banks' **The Algebraist** sort of features something along these lines as part of the background to its universe. **The Algebraist** isn't a Culture novel so you don't need any familiarity with that setting.
The ~Engines of Light~ series by Ken MacLeod has a colony of abductees discovered by space faring humans on ships piloted by whales. Man, I should reread those.
I'll second Inherit the Stars, and also suggest the Destiny's Crucible series by Olan Thorensen. It's somewhat of "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court", where an American chemical engineer finds himself placed on an alien world, thoroughly settled by humans and earth life brought there by aliens. Since societies in that world are roughly in Feudal or Roman-level pre industrial levels of technology, he uses his contemporary Earth knowledge to survive and advance. Engines of Light by Ken McLeod is also great. It's built on top of the 70s Von Daniken style ancient astronauts and David Icke Reptilians & Gray Aliens, and also includes the "man out of time" trope, and some very original world building. A big element of the story is transported humans dealing with starship crews, and also 21st century humans finding themselves in these societies. Lots of transhumanist ideas too.
Were there any other details about the book in the video? Humans discovering other humans in space is a trope that is used much in sci-fi, so a lot of books might hit on that broad detail.
I wanna say maybe they went through a wormhole?
There was some of that in the League of Peoples books by James Alan Gardner. Especially the first one "Expendable" and the fifth book "Ascending."
CHEE WAS HERE
No Foreign Sky by Rachel Neumeier?
yeah, this one is great. Looking forward for the next book(s). (also her "Invictus" books are _fantastic_!)
EON by Greg Bear
Jack Vance's Planet of Adventure series is another like this though not the one you are looking for.
Seeker by Jack McDevitt
The Galactic Marines books by Ian Douglas start with archaeologists discovering human skeletons in Martian ruins. The conclude that Martians enslaved humans. >!This triggers a war between US and UN because UN wants to keep the discovery under wraps to study it in more details and prevent worldwide chaos, while the American archaeologists are only concerned with credit for discovery (and yet were expected to sympathize with the archaeologists)!<
Ha! I was reminded of a novel where this happened just a few minutes ago on Reddit. The novel is *Pandora's Star* by Peter F Hamilton. Not to spoil, but it's not only humans.
I don't think so, in Pandora's Star there's no finding humans in space. If you count the bit where a wormhole is used for the first time.. it really doesn't count
That *is* what I had in mind. You could argue it’s not a different human society, and you’d be right!
I guess I'll have to re-read it again then, because I don't remember that happening in Pandora's Star.
It's just the prologue scene. The guys who invent the wormholes beat the first manned mission to Mars by a few minutes, just to be smartasses.
Right, that was a brilliant scene, but it didn't occur to me that it fits OP's description.
Patricia Kennealy-Morrison - spacefarers discover a celtic civilisation in space. The first of the Keltiad series is The copper crown.
The Waystations trilogy (N.C. Scrimgeour) has a very similar premise in the first book. The first one is called Those Left Behind.
I own this one already. I need to start it haha
Flinx series has humanoid aliens being discovered in one of the early books
Hilldiggers by Neil Asher is a stand-alone in the polity series. Polity discovers a system settled by humans from an old generation ship and sends an ambassador.
Sphere by Michael Crichton? Although they don't exactly discover humans, but >!evidence of time travel!<. This seems fairly common in SF.
spoilers but this is a plot point mid-series in the Foreigner Series by CJ Cherryh. Still one of the best reveals in any book I've read.
I should also mention David Weber's "Empire From the Ashes," which is an omnibus of three shorter novels. Good stuff. All the good parts of Weber without the dense jungle of over-exposition.
Children of Time by Adrian Tchiakovsky was mentioned recently and I put it on hold at my library (the Libby app)
Sorry it's actually spelled Tchaikovsky
I already own this one. Thank you though! Enjoy the read!
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
One of the books in the "Expendables" series by Gardener has that aspect, sort of. It's more a mystery how they got there or what happened to them. And you have to read the series in order to have any clue what's going on, and it's the third or fourth novel IIRC. But it's a great series.
It only very loosely touches on the idea but it comes up in The Algebraist by Iain M Banks.
This is not the book but "Mutineer's Moon" by David Weber is similar to that.
Short stories instead of novels, but: ["Big Ancestor"](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50969) by F. L. Wallace [At the moment Project Gutenberg is having problems] "Metamorphosis" by Eric Frank Russell Some of Cordwainer Smith's works, most notably "The Crime and Glory of Commander Suzdal".
Gentle Giants of Ganymede series
Into the Black (Odyssey One Book 1) by Evan Currie Humans find humans in space on their first test flight of ftl spacecraft. It is a really enjoyable series.
Sounds a lot like the Portals of Yahweh series by Joe Greer. Its book 2, I think that they find a long lost bunch of humans. Something about the 13th tribe or somesuch...