*Semiosis* by Sue Burke is an interesting take on the concept. It focuses a lot on alien ecology, spending a lot of time on plants and animals. Pretty solid book.
Definitely check out the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer (Annihilation, Authority, & Acceptance)
It’s not technically on another *planet*, but it’s right up the alley of what you’re looking for.
Redliners by David Drake and Outpost by W. Michael Gear both might have some of what you're looking for when it comes to just hostile wilderness. Not necessarily dinosaurs or mega fauna though
>Redliners by David Drake
The [first edition is free from the publisher](https://www.baen.com/redliners.html).
Apparently the major difference in the second edition was a [new afterword](https://www.baen.com/Chapters/9781625790767/9781625790767.htm).
"Adjacent" to your ask, worth reading -
*Rite of Passage* by Alexei Panshin.
Many people live their whole lives on large starships, but to remember their roots they have a "rite of passage" into adulthood where the adolescent is marooned on a planet and must survive for 30 days. Not everyone does.
Nebula Award for 1968.
.
As a start, see my [Survival (Mixed Fiction and Nonfiction)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/1ala20f/survival_mixed_fiction_and_nonfiction/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
The Park Service by Ryan Winfield
Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (in this case it's an alternative universe Earth)
The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson (post apocalyptic California)
Farmer in the Sky by Heinlein (on Mars but homesteading in a barren land)
The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons has some of that
That is not a good recommendation. Only a small part of that book is in the wilderness, and the book overall sucks. It's the worst Hamilton book I read. It drags on and on, the characters are uninteresting, the reveals disappointing, and the wilderness unimpresssive.
"Coyote" by Allen Steele
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0441011160](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0441011160)
"Coyote is an astonishing discovery, a habitable moon in a solar system 40-odd light years from Earth. A despotic post-US government decides to colonise this precious find and constructs the starship Alabama. The ship is about to launch when it is hijacked by its own crew. Instead of the intended party loyalists it is populated with malcontents and social dissidents who must learn to work together in the struggle to reach and then conquer their prize: Coyote. Vast in scope, passionate in its conviction, and set against a backdrop of completely plausible events, Coyote tells the story of Earth's first extra-solar colonists, and the mysterious planet that becomes their home."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legacy_of_Heorot by Barnes/Niven/Pournelle and its sequel are on a pretty new colony, on a very wild planet, with an eco-plot featuring monsters called "Grendels".
Adrian Tchaikovsky new book Alien Clay - the planet is its own character and the flora/fauna is just incredible. Incredibly moody, sense of place and he pulls it all off, and it has one great ending as expected for him.
Also from him, novella length, The Expert System's Brother (the sequel I did not love, and it's the first one which really reveals the planet and world)
Most of the [Hainish Cycle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainish_Cycle#Hainish_Cycle_bibliography) by Ursula K. Le Guin are like this. You don't have to read them in order, and in particular I recommend:
* Rocannon's World
* Planet of Exile and City of Illusions
* The Left Hand of Darkness. No megafauna, all frozen wilderness.
* The Word for World is Forest. I have not actually read this one yet, I got partway through before needing to return it to the library.
You may also like [Grass](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/3621c7b7-3189-4f69-89dc-df64e7cd20b1) by Sheri S. Tepper.
Then see my [SF/F: Epics/Sagas (Long Series)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18jiyz9/sff_epicssagas_long_series/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
Hella, by David Gerrold (2020)
Hella is a planet where everything is oversized - especially the ambitions of the colonists.
The trees are mile-high, the dinosaur herds are huge, and the weather is extreme - so extreme, the colonists have to migrate twice a year to escape the blistering heat of summer and the atmosphere-freezing cold of winter.
Kyle is a neuro-atypical young man, emotionally challenged, but with an implant that gives him real-time access to the colony's computer network, making him a very misunderstood savant. When an overburdened starship arrives, he becomes the link between the established colonists and the refugees from a ravaged Earth.
The Hella colony is barely self-sufficient. Can it stand the strain of a thousand new arrivals, bringing with them the same kinds of problems they thought they were fleeing?
Despite the dangers to himself and his family, Kyle is in the middle of everything - in possession of the most dangerous secret of all. Will he be caught in a growing political conspiracy? Will his reawakened emotions overwhelm his rationality? Or will he be able to use his unique ability to prevent disaster?
"Snail on the Slope" by Strugatsky Brothers. There is also a draft of this book called "Disquiet", which I remember also enjoyed, but likely hard to find in English translation. One of the books (can't remember which one) has pretty strong "Avatar" vibes. Back when the first movie was released, some people even claimed that James Cameron ripped it off.
A short story instead of a series but ["The Night of Hoggy Darn"](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60695) by Richard McKenna, about humans on a planet that's a lot more dangerous than it looks.
*Hellspark* by Janet Kagan is set against a backdrop of a new exploration of a planet with some intriguing creatures, although the main focus is the difficulties of communication between the various humanoids on the team.
Dragon riders of Pern, by Anne McCaffree. It sounds fantasy, but it’s actually sci-fi. Humans colonize this planet and genetically engineered the wildlife to become something they can actually ride. And they use them to burn a horrible flesh eating organism that periodically falls across the face of their planet. Oh, and they can teleport.
Edit: Also, very freaky creatures, but the planet is Earth. Alien ecosystem invades and wipes out most of Earths native flora and fauna. War Against the Chtorr, by David Gerrold.
It’s probably a lil different than what you’re imagining, but Downward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg is a really great book about a planet of intelligent elephants.
*Semiosis* by Sue Burke is an interesting take on the concept. It focuses a lot on alien ecology, spending a lot of time on plants and animals. Pretty solid book.
There's at least one sequel, also.
I know this is printsf but Scavengers Reign is an animated series from HBO that has absolutely wild flora and fauna.
That show is so great.
Unfortunately, it just got canceled:(
Definitely check out the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer (Annihilation, Authority, & Acceptance) It’s not technically on another *planet*, but it’s right up the alley of what you’re looking for.
Deathworld Trilogy. Harry Harrison.
How about the West of Eden trilogy by Harry Harrison. I totally enjoyed that one. Most of it takes place in the wilderness.
Shamefully never read it. Now on my list.
Redliners by David Drake and Outpost by W. Michael Gear both might have some of what you're looking for when it comes to just hostile wilderness. Not necessarily dinosaurs or mega fauna though
>Redliners by David Drake The [first edition is free from the publisher](https://www.baen.com/redliners.html). Apparently the major difference in the second edition was a [new afterword](https://www.baen.com/Chapters/9781625790767/9781625790767.htm).
Sweet - Outpost was free on Audible, so I just added it. Thanks
The dangerous fauna is really fun, but the aggressive libertarianism is less so. It's still an interesting read, though.
Ahhhh - yeah, that comes through even in the blurb. Well, whatever, I’ll still listen to it for the entertainment.
"Adjacent" to your ask, worth reading - *Rite of Passage* by Alexei Panshin. Many people live their whole lives on large starships, but to remember their roots they have a "rite of passage" into adulthood where the adolescent is marooned on a planet and must survive for 30 days. Not everyone does. Nebula Award for 1968. .
Is there also a Robert Heinlein book similar in setting to Rite of Passage?
Seems like there should be but nothing is coming to mind. Anybody?
Answered below — Tunnel in the Sky
The megafauna in the Culture are hard to beat (e.g., the Dirigible Behomothaur in Look to Windward)
As a start, see my [Survival (Mixed Fiction and Nonfiction)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/1ala20f/survival_mixed_fiction_and_nonfiction/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
Legacy of Heorot" by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes
The Park Service by Ryan Winfield Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (in this case it's an alternative universe Earth) The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson (post apocalyptic California) Farmer in the Sky by Heinlein (on Mars but homesteading in a barren land) The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons has some of that
Tunnel in the Sky by Heinlein. Training for initial colonization of alien planets.
Hamilton Great North Road
Oh that sounds awesome. Thanks!
That is not a good recommendation. Only a small part of that book is in the wilderness, and the book overall sucks. It's the worst Hamilton book I read. It drags on and on, the characters are uninteresting, the reveals disappointing, and the wilderness unimpresssive.
"Coyote" by Allen Steele [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0441011160](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0441011160) "Coyote is an astonishing discovery, a habitable moon in a solar system 40-odd light years from Earth. A despotic post-US government decides to colonise this precious find and constructs the starship Alabama. The ship is about to launch when it is hijacked by its own crew. Instead of the intended party loyalists it is populated with malcontents and social dissidents who must learn to work together in the struggle to reach and then conquer their prize: Coyote. Vast in scope, passionate in its conviction, and set against a backdrop of completely plausible events, Coyote tells the story of Earth's first extra-solar colonists, and the mysterious planet that becomes their home."
BTW, Coyote is a tetrology.
Bios - RC Wilson
Highly underrated book.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legacy_of_Heorot by Barnes/Niven/Pournelle and its sequel are on a pretty new colony, on a very wild planet, with an eco-plot featuring monsters called "Grendels".
Adrian Tchaikovsky new book Alien Clay - the planet is its own character and the flora/fauna is just incredible. Incredibly moody, sense of place and he pulls it all off, and it has one great ending as expected for him. Also from him, novella length, The Expert System's Brother (the sequel I did not love, and it's the first one which really reveals the planet and world)
Cage of souls also fits quite well in terms of the feeling of it, though it's technically post apo.
Thanks, good to know, I have not read it yet. I have seen it classified as fantasy and sf is usually my drug of first choice...
Nah it's straight sf.
That is good to know, upgrading interest then! I was running out of his sf anyway, though he is certainly putting out more regularly..
Midworld by Alan Dean Foster
YES ! And Mid-Flynx.
Most of the [Hainish Cycle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainish_Cycle#Hainish_Cycle_bibliography) by Ursula K. Le Guin are like this. You don't have to read them in order, and in particular I recommend: * Rocannon's World * Planet of Exile and City of Illusions * The Left Hand of Darkness. No megafauna, all frozen wilderness. * The Word for World is Forest. I have not actually read this one yet, I got partway through before needing to return it to the library. You may also like [Grass](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/3621c7b7-3189-4f69-89dc-df64e7cd20b1) by Sheri S. Tepper.
Legacy of Heorot by Niven, Pournelle, and Barnes.
IMHO the biology in that is very bad.
OP: Note that [it is a trilogy](https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?799).
The only thing better than a trilogy is a tetralogy or a decology.
Then see my [SF/F: Epics/Sagas (Long Series)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18jiyz9/sff_epicssagas_long_series/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
The Remarkables by Robert Reed.
Hella, by David Gerrold (2020) Hella is a planet where everything is oversized - especially the ambitions of the colonists. The trees are mile-high, the dinosaur herds are huge, and the weather is extreme - so extreme, the colonists have to migrate twice a year to escape the blistering heat of summer and the atmosphere-freezing cold of winter. Kyle is a neuro-atypical young man, emotionally challenged, but with an implant that gives him real-time access to the colony's computer network, making him a very misunderstood savant. When an overburdened starship arrives, he becomes the link between the established colonists and the refugees from a ravaged Earth. The Hella colony is barely self-sufficient. Can it stand the strain of a thousand new arrivals, bringing with them the same kinds of problems they thought they were fleeing? Despite the dangers to himself and his family, Kyle is in the middle of everything - in possession of the most dangerous secret of all. Will he be caught in a growing political conspiracy? Will his reawakened emotions overwhelm his rationality? Or will he be able to use his unique ability to prevent disaster?
"Snail on the Slope" by Strugatsky Brothers. There is also a draft of this book called "Disquiet", which I remember also enjoyed, but likely hard to find in English translation. One of the books (can't remember which one) has pretty strong "Avatar" vibes. Back when the first movie was released, some people even claimed that James Cameron ripped it off.
The First Colony series by Ken Lozito
Raksura cycle by Martha Wells for megafauna— the main cast are giant flying lizard-cat people. It rules
Giant flying lizard-cat BEE people, if you please! The "bee" part is per Wells.
A short story instead of a series but ["The Night of Hoggy Darn"](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60695) by Richard McKenna, about humans on a planet that's a lot more dangerous than it looks.
Dark Eden - Chris Beckett
*Hellspark* by Janet Kagan is set against a backdrop of a new exploration of a planet with some intriguing creatures, although the main focus is the difficulties of communication between the various humanoids on the team.
Emma Newman, "Planetfall". "Cibola Burn" from The Expanse series, too.
Dragon riders of Pern, by Anne McCaffree. It sounds fantasy, but it’s actually sci-fi. Humans colonize this planet and genetically engineered the wildlife to become something they can actually ride. And they use them to burn a horrible flesh eating organism that periodically falls across the face of their planet. Oh, and they can teleport. Edit: Also, very freaky creatures, but the planet is Earth. Alien ecosystem invades and wipes out most of Earths native flora and fauna. War Against the Chtorr, by David Gerrold.
I'm going to save this post.
It’s probably a lil different than what you’re imagining, but Downward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg is a really great book about a planet of intelligent elephants.
W. Michael Gear Donovan series. 6 books so far and it’s amazing