What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Wandering Earth
Frant Gwo · Film · 2019
If you loved The Wandering Earth, start with The Wandering Earth II (Frant Gwo, 2023) — a film from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Wandering Earth across media.
If you loved the way The Wandering Earth makes the survival of our entire species feel like a deeply personal, high-stakes mission.
Start with the source
Adaptation
The Wandering Earth II
Frant Gwo · Film · 2023
Books on the same thread
The Wanderer
Fritz Leiber · Book · 1964
Explores: Existential Threat, Cosmic Horror, Humanity's Response to Crisis.
Like The Wandering Earth, this story forces humanity to confront a sudden existential threat, focusing on the chaotic response of a population facing certain destruction from the cosmos.
The Three-Body Problem
Cixin Liu · Book
Shares a thread with The Wandering Earth: Hard science fiction.
Fans of The Wandering Earth will recognize the same scale of existential dread as global society attempts to organize against a looming, unstoppable alien threat from deep space.
The Songs of Distant Earth
Arthur Charles Clarke · Book · 1986
Shares 2 threads with The Wandering Earth: Hard Science Fiction, Space Opera.
This narrative mirrors the planetary displacement found in The Wandering Earth, exploring the long-term consequences for humanity when the sun ceases to be a viable source of life.
The Martian
Andy Weir · Book · 2015
Shares a thread with The Wandering Earth: Hard Science Fiction.
If you appreciated the technical problem-solving required to move a planet in The Wandering Earth, you will admire how this story centers on human ingenuity under impossible survival conditions.
Series on the same thread
The Expanse
Mark Fergus · Series · 2015
Shares 2 threads with The Wandering Earth: Space Opera, Hard Science Fiction.
Much like the expansive scope of The Wandering Earth, this series depicts a fractured future where human survival depends on navigating massive technological and political conspiracies across the system.
3 Body Problem
David Benioff · Series · 2024
Shares a thread with The Wandering Earth: Hard Science Fiction.
This series captures the same scientific mystery and existential urgency seen in The Wandering Earth, illustrating how humanity must unite to face an unraveling of physical laws.
For All Mankind
Ronald D. Moore · Series · 2019
Explores: Space Exploration, Cold War, Technological Advancement.
If the grand, aspirational engineering projects of The Wandering Earth resonated with you, this show provides a grounded look at how space exploration defines our collective future and identity.
The Ark
Dean Devlin · Series · 2023
Explores: catastrophic failure, resource scarcity, leadership crisis.
This show echoes the desperate, high-stakes survival missions of The Wandering Earth, focusing on the intense leadership and resource challenges that arise during humanity's attempt to escape extinction.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Orphans
The Light and Tragic Company · Podcast · 2025
You will find the same themes of resilience and loss present in The Wandering Earth, as these characters navigate the harsh realities of surviving in a cold, unforgiving universe.
The Realignment
The Realignment · Podcast · 2026
Explores: institutional change, populism, technological disruption.
This podcast explores the political and technological shifts that mirror the societal realignments depicted in The Wandering Earth, focusing on how governments manage disruption during periods of extreme change.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Wandering Earth II a direct sequel to the 2019 movie?
The Wandering Earth II, released in 2023, serves as a prequel to the original 2019 film. It explores the events leading up to the decision to move the planet, providing context for the massive engine project depicted in The Wandering Earth.
How long is the journey described in The Wandering Earth?
In The Wandering Earth, mankind attempts to move the planet to a new star system located four light years away. This epic migration journey is projected to last for thousands of years as the Earth travels through space away from the expanding Sun.
What is the primary threat facing humanity in The Wandering Earth?
The primary threat in The Wandering Earth is the Sun beginning to expand. This expansion will inevitably engulf and destroy the Earth within a hundred years, forcing humanity to unite and propel the planet out of the Solar System to ensure survival.
Should I watch The Wandering Earth before watching the 2023 film?
While The Wandering Earth II is a prequel, you can watch the 2019 original film first to understand the established premise of moving the Earth using gigantic engines. Watching them in release order allows you to see how the franchise expands its narrative scope.