Herbert went on to write a number of sequels to Dune, and it remains as much of an essential sci-fi read today as ever before. This spectacular series consists of nine books: Leviathan Wakes, Caliban’s War, Abaddon’s Gate, Cibola Burn, Nemesis Games, Babylon’s Ashes, Persepolis Rising, Tiamat’s Wrath.


A great introduction for newcomers to Niven, and an essential sci fi read in general.

Asimov’s prose can be stilted, and betrays the attitudes of its time in the portrayal of female characters, but it has left a lasting legacy. Anthologies rarely make “Best Of” lists, but this one belongs on here — because it contains stories by many of the great science fiction writers we are discussing in our list.

Buy on Amazon or start a 30-day Audible trial, If you think you know Solaris from the 2002 Steven Soderbergh film, the original book may come as a bit of a surprise.

We feel that all of these best science fiction books either have or will stand the test of time. $25.00.

Kindred allows you, the reader, to engage with the emotional impacts of slavery, something unfortunately often lost in too many of today’s teachings of the subject.

However, Lovecraft’s literary style is not for everyone.

Originally released piece by piece, Weir gave in to fan demand and released The Martian as a conventional book.

Ray Bradbury is one of the most critically acclaimed and imaginative science fiction authors to ever pick up a pen. Margaret Atwood. Ultimately, we feel that hard science fiction is something of an acquired taste. : The inspiration for the films Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049, 2001: a Space Odyssey (Space Odyssey Series), The Ender Quartet Boxed Set: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind (The Ender Quintet), Old Man's War Boxed Set I: Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony, The Ultimate Guide to Dieselpunk 101 [2020], 896 Pages - 09/01/1990 (Publication Date) - Ace (Publisher), 255 Pages - 06/01/2004 (Publication Date) - Spectra (Publisher), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep The inspiration for the films Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049, 240 Pages - 05/28/1996 (Publication Date) - Del Rey (Publisher), 296 Pages - 09/01/2000 (Publication Date) - Ace (Publisher), 1760 Pages - 11/04/2008 (Publication Date) - Tor Science Fiction (Publisher), 610 Pages - 05/15/1987 (Publication Date) - Ace (Publisher), 268 Pages - 07/01/2000 (Publication Date) - Ace (Publisher), 256 Pages - 04/17/2012 (Publication Date) - Simon & Schuster (Publisher), 384 Pages - 06/05/2012 (Publication Date) - Ballantine Books (Publisher), 264 Pages - 02/17/2009 (Publication Date) - St. Martin's Griffin (Publisher), 387 Pages - 10/28/2014 (Publication Date) - Broadway Books (Publisher), 256 Pages - 05/01/2007 (Publication Date) - Square Fish (Publisher), 08/26/2014 (Publication Date) - Tor Science Fiction (Publisher), 352 Pages - 09/12/1985 (Publication Date) - Del Rey (Publisher), 385 Pages - 12/20/2016 (Publication Date) - Simon & Schuster (Publisher).

Buy on Amazon or start a 30-day Audible trial, Andy Weir's debut novel literally puts the science into science fiction, packing in tonnes of well-researched detail about life on Mars. ​If you're ready to try the best of the best when it comes to science fiction, you can do so without paying a cent.

First published as Tiger!

Science fiction is my favorite literary genre by far—I’ve written five sci-fi books myself—so making this list was going to be difficult. You will hear from us shortly. He frequently crosses paths with the Warden, the sometimes-husband but also captor of the young woman, who is always one step ahead.

One of Elon Musk's favourite books, apparently, this gripping novel paints a plausible picture of life on Earth's satellite, three years before man set foot on the moon for the first time.

Its depictions of the challenges of life in orbit, and the ingenuity of human solutions to the problem – even among the exiles and misfits who make up the lunar population – are memorable. It’s a science-fiction story married to fantasy elements that is one of the most stunning pieces of literature in the genre. Sci fi fans tend to praise the immersive detail found in the story as well as the dry humor featured throughout.

The book follows main character Hiro Protagonist (yes, really), an elite hacker and swordsman, as he tries to stop the spread of a dangerous virus being propagated by a religious cult.

Banks melds this conflict with something approaching a traditional fantasy quest: the search for a rogue Mind that has hidden itself on a forbidden world in an attempt to evade destruction.

The male protagonist and narrator of the story (who is nameless) is eternally chasing after an elusive and ethereal young woman, while contemplating feelings that become darker and more violent towards her as the ice closes in.

However, Ringworld is arguably the finest of them all. Buy on Amazon or start a 30-day Audible trial, Margaret Atwood also had a hand in this gripping novel, which inverts the premise of The Handmaid’s Tale, and puts women in the ascendancy.

If you would like to listen to all of Playsters books you will need to use the premium which is $29.95.

A must-read for fans of Sagan in particular or science fiction in general.

All Positron’s couples must spend every other month working in a prison, temporarily swapping homes with another couple, called “alternates”. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman is widely regarded as one of the best and most serious examples of military science fiction out there.

In an age where the space between technical life and death is narrower than ever, and scientists are playing with the makeup of what makes us humans, Frankenstein can still teach an important lesson: just because you can, doesn't mean you should. WIRED.

Thank You.
I also wrote The Earthborn Trilogy.

Let’s hope there are multiple universes, each containing a slightly different version of this list! Honestly, this list could probably contain over 100 books and still be worthy of the title. Elsewhere on this site you can find our dedicated lists of best subgenre science fiction reads, so here we tried to cast a broad net. In 2012, Wired US readers voted Dune the best science-fiction novel of all time.

But hidden in the tunnels between the stations hide terrifying flesh-eating mutants and a voice that is driving people mad… This is the premise of Dmitry Glukhovsky’s wildly successful novel, which was later made into a series of video games.

Every book on this list has a diehard fandom behind it. Asimov was a prolific writer, but many of his best works are classic short stories such as Nightfall, or The Last Question, which play out like long jokes with a punchline twist at the end. We focus on the planet Arrakis, which holds a material used as a currency throughout the Universe for its rarity and mind-enhancing powers. Written by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem in 1961, this short novel is heavier on philosophy than plot. However, as much as she is able to masterfully paint a dystopian picture, Atwood has publicly stated she doesn’t consider her own work to be science fiction. Read my new sci-fi thriller novel Herokiller, available now in print and online.