What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedCaliban
Robert Silverberg · Book · 2023
If you loved Caliban, start with Altered Carbon (Laeta Kalogridis, 2018) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 2 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Caliban across media.
If Caliban captivated you, explore these stories that examine the tension between individual identity and the suffocating pressure of societal conformity.
Films on the same thread
A Clockwork Orange
Stanley Kubrick · Film · 1971
Shares a thread with Caliban: Dystopian Fiction.
Like Caliban, this film interrogates the ethics of forced behavioral modification, challenging your perspective on whether true individuality can survive when a society mandates rigid, artificial moral compliance.
Sleeper
Woody Allen · Film · 1973
Explores: Fish Out of Water, Rebellion, Technophobia.
This satire mirrors the disorienting revival trope found in Caliban, forcing a man from a different era to navigate a future where enforced uniformity has replaced human nuance.
Poor Things
Yorgos Lanthimos · Film · 2023
Explores: Feminist Awakening, Artificial Intelligence Ethics, Societal Critique.
Much like the protagonist in Caliban, this story features a person brought back to life who must define their own identity while resisting the restrictive expectations of their surrounding society.
Logan's Run
Michael Anderson · Film · 1976
Explores: Overpopulation, Forced Population Control, The Price of Utopia.
This exploration of a controlled, stagnant future echoes the themes of Caliban by showing the high stakes involved when humans must break free from a system that demands total conformity.
Series on the same thread
Altered Carbon
Laeta Kalogridis · Series · 2018
Shares a thread with Caliban: Identity.
If the revival narrative in Caliban intrigued you, this series offers a similar premise, focusing on an individual grappling with their sense of self after being thrust into a new body.
Pluribus
Vince Gilligan · Series · 2025
Explores: Existential dread, The cost of happiness, Reluctant hero.
This series captures the satirical edge of Caliban, examining the hollow nature of a society obsessed with standardized happiness and the cost of resisting that programmed, superficial existence.
Podcasts on the same thread
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Dan Carlin · Podcast · 2026
Explores: civilizational collapse, human nature, moral ambiguity.
The analytical, skeptical lens used to examine human nature in Caliban finds a real-world counterpart here, where history is dissected to reveal the recurring patterns of civilizational identity and collapse.
Revolutions
Mike Duncan · Podcast · 2025
Explores: societal collapse, power dynamics, cyclical history.
Just as Caliban explores the evolution of society, this podcast tracks the systemic shifts and power dynamics of revolutions, offering a historical perspective on the themes of identity and upheaval.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Caliban a standalone novel or part of a series?
Caliban is a 2023 novel written by Robert Silverberg. The provided information does not indicate that it is part of a series, and there are no listed sequels or related books mentioned in the catalog for this specific title.
What is the primary theme explored in Caliban?
Caliban explores the inanity of conformity within a future society. The story focuses on a protagonist thrust into a world where humanity has evolved to breathe underwater and maintains a standardized appearance to avoid standing out in a superficial culture.
Who is the author of Caliban?
Caliban was written by Robert Silverberg. He is a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author known for his science fiction work. This particular tale examines the societal pressures of a future human population that has undergone significant biological and cultural changes.
What kind of world is depicted in Caliban?
In Caliban, the world is set in a future where humans have evolved to breathe underwater. Reproduction in this society is quite uncommon, and the inhabitants have adopted standardized appearances to conform to the expectations of their superficial civilization.