In each book they struggle to figure out what is happening while having to deal with losing someone close to them. The structure of the two books are different, but they deal with similar themes and each builds to a similar climax with the protagonists coming to terms with their world and themselves. Two quest fantasies about death, magic and storytelling, that are revealed to be more than they at first seem. The Songs of Distant Earth , Arthur C. Clarke Individuals must come to grip with the loss of earth, despite the fact that future generations have no memory of our homeworld. This theme always gets to me.
Aquatic environments are central to each.
Treason , Orson Scott Card Characters struggle to leave their planet against overwhelming odds. As a result, they reject their current home, always looking for something better. Technology exists, but people's knowledge and understanding of its nature seems to have been lost. Religious themes are very prominent. Neal Stephenson Both are archetypal cyberpunk dominated by gadgets and computers.