Science fiction is one of the most popular genres around in the reading world, and for good reason! These novels take us on amazing adventures to new worlds, or even into the future. They can be thrilling, thought-provoking, and just plain addicting. In this list, we have compiled 50 science fiction novels that you will love. Whether you are a fan of hard science fiction or space opera, there is something for everyone here. So grab a cup of coffee (or your favorite beverage) and get ready to lose yourself in these fantastic stories!
Looking for science fiction movies? Check out our list of the top 101 sci fi movies!
1. Dune
by Frank Herbert
Dune is one of the most famous science fiction novels of all time. Set in a future world where interstellar travel is common, the novel tells the story of Paul Atreides, who must become ruler of the desert planet Arrakis. This book is packed with action, adventure, and intrigue!
“He who controls the Spice controls the universe.”
-Frank Herbert, Dune
2. Ender’s Game
by Orson Scott Card
Ender’s Game is about an Earth that has been invaded twice by aliens. In order to prepare for the third invasion, a military program trains children to become commanders in space combat. Ender Wiggin, one of these child prodigies, must learn how use strategy and leadership skills if he wants to save humanity from extinction!
3. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the first book in a science fiction comedy series. Arthur Dent, an Earthman, finds himself hitchhiking through space after his planet was destroyed by aliens who were building a hyperspace bypass. Along with Ford Prefect (who turns out not to be human at all!), Zaphod Beeblebrox (an alien with three heads), Marvin the Paranoid Android, and Trillian McMillan (who has been traveling around the universe for years). Together they go on many adventures that involve time travel, God’s Final Message to His Creation, Ford’s quest for a good cup of tea… and much more!
“Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.”
-Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
4. Neuromancer
by William Gibson
Neuromancer is a science fiction novel set in the future where computers have become the most powerful machines on earth. The main character, Case, was once one of these hackers until his nervous system was damaged during an attack by rival hackers. Now he must find a way to get revenge against those who wronged him while also saving himself from certain death!
“The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.”
-William Gibson, Neuromancer
5. The War of the Worlds
by H.G. Wells
The War of the Worlds is a science fiction novel set in England during an alien invasion. The narrator, an astronomer named Herbert George Wells, tells us how he and his wife fled from their home to escape being captured by Martians who wanted to use humans as slaves or food. He describes what happened when they were finally rescued from this nightmare situation and how they were able to survive.
“No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s…”
-H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds
6. 1984
by George Orwell
1984 is a science fiction novel set in a future world where the government controls everything. The main character, Winston Smith, hates the government and wants to overthrow it. However, he soon learns that this is not as easy as it seems…
“He loved Big Brother.”
-George Orwell, 1984
7. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner)
by Philip K. Dick
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a science fiction novel set in the future where androids (machines that look like humans) have been created to do menial jobs. The main character, Rick Deckard, is a bounty hunter who is hired to kill these androids. However, as he starts to track them down, he begins to question his own humanity…
“All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.”
-Roy Batty, Blade Runner
8. Snow Crash
by Neal Stephenson
Snow Crash is a science fiction novel set in the future where an assassin named Hiro Protagonist teams up with Y.T., a skateboarder and courier, to fight off evil forces that are trying to destroy America!
“I want my phone call.”
-Y.T., Snow Crash
9. Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 is a science fiction novel set in the future where books are outlawed and “firemen” burn any that are found. The main character, Guy Montag, starts to question this way of life and soon realizes that he wants to save the books instead of burning them!
“It was a pleasure to burn.”
-Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
10. The Man in the High Castle
(alternate history science fiction) by Philip K. Dick
The Man in the High Castle is a science fiction novel set in an alternate history where America loses World War II. The main character, Juliana Crain, learns about a film that shows what the world would have been like if America had won the war. She decides to travel to San Francisco to find out more about this film and soon discovers that there is more at stake than just a movie…
“If you want to select the best science fiction novel, this book will be helpful.”
-Amazon review of The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
11. The Martian Chronicles
(short stories) by Ray Bradbury
The Martian Chronicles is a science fiction collection of short stories set in the future. The main character, Charles Burroughs, tells us about his journey to Mars and the adventures he has there. He also tells us about the humans who have settled on Mars and how they are dealing with life on a new planet…
“He saw himself not as an individual but as a small part of something larger.”
-Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles
12. The Time Machine
by H.G. Wells
The Time Machine is science fiction novel set in the future where humans have evolved into two different races: one that lives underground and another on the surface. The narrator, an inventor named H.G Wells, builds a time machine so he can see what happens to these people when they are all gone!
“No one would believe it.”
-H.G. Wells, The Time Machine
13. The Forever War
(military science fiction) by Joe Haldeman
The Forever War is science fiction novel set in the future where space travel has been discovered and humans are fighting a war against aliens on other planets. The main character, William Mandella, joins up with the military to fight this war but soon realizes that time moves differently for him than it does for those back home…
“When you’re in the service, you’re not an individual.”
-William Mandella, The Forever War
14. A Scanner Darkly
(dystopian science fiction) by Philip K. Dick
A Scanner Darkly is science fiction novel set in the future where a drug called Substance D has been created which causes people to see things that aren’t really there. The main character, Bob Arctor, is a police officer who is undercover as a drug addict and soon realizes that he may be losing his mind…
“I’m not crazy. I’m just not normal.”
-Bob Arctor, A Scanner Darkly
15. Starship Troopers
(military science fiction) by Robert A Heinlein
Starship Troopers is science fiction novel set in the future where humans are fighting a war against aliens on other planets. The main character, Johnny Rico, joins up with the military and soon realizes that he may not be cut out for life as an interstellar soldier…
“It was hard to tell who was winning.”
-Robert A Hein
16. The Left Hand of Darkness
by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Left Hand of Darkness is science fiction novel set in the future where humans are exploring other planets and meeting alien species. The main character, Genly Ai, travels to Gethen (a planet with no gender) and soon realizes that he may not belong there…
“He was an Earthling.”
-Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness
17. The Chronicles of Narnia
by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven science fiction and fantasy novels written by C.S. Lewis. It’s one of the most famous science fiction book series in the world, and for good reason – it’s amazing. If you’re looking for an exciting, magical read that will keep you entertained for hours on end, you need to check out The Chronicles of Narnia.
18. Animal Farm
by George Orwell
Animal Farm is a science fiction novel that was written by George Orwell. It tells the story of a group of animals who live in a farm, and their struggle against their human farmer. The book is an allegory for the Russian Revolution, and it addresses themes such as propaganda, totalitarianism, and revolution. Animal Farm is considered one of the most important science fiction novels ever written, and it has been translated into dozens of languages.
19. Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley
Brave New World is a science fiction novel that was written by Aldous Huxley. It tells the story of a futuristic society where people are controlled through science and technology, and they live in an utopian world without war or disease. The book has been translated into dozens of languages, and it is considered one of the most important science fiction novels of all time.
20. Dune: Messiah
(sequel to Dune) by Frank Herbert
Dune: Messiah is a science fiction novel that was written by Frank Herbert. It is the sequel to his previous science fiction novel, Dune. The book tells the story of Paul Atreides and his fight against the Harkonnens in order to take control of Arrakis (a planet with an abundant supply of “spice”). Dune: Messiah is a critically acclaimed science fiction novel, and it was nominated for the Hugo Award.
21. The Andromeda Strain
by Michael Crichton
The Andromeda Strain is a science fiction novel that was written by Michael Crichton. The book tells the story of scientists who are sent to investigate an extraterrestrial organism (which has killed everyone in a small town). The novel was adapted into a film, and it is considered one of the best science fiction novels ever written.
22. Jurassic Park
by Michael Crichton
Jurassic Park is a science fiction novel that was written by Michael Crichton. The book tells the story of scientists who create a theme park full of dinosaurs, and the chaos that ensues when the dinosaurs escape. Jurassic Park was adapted into a film, and it is considered one of the best science fiction movies ever made.
23. The Island of Dr. Moreau
by H.G. Wells
The Island of Dr. Moreau is a science fiction novel that was written by H.G. Wells. The book tells the story of a man who is stranded on an island, and he discovers that the island is home to a mad scientist who performs experiments on animals. The Island of Dr. Moreau is considered one of the best science fiction novels ever written, and it was adapted into a film.
24. Ender’s Game
by Orson Scott Card
Ender’s Game is a science fiction novel that was written by Orson Scott Card. The book tells the story of Ender Wiggin and his training to become a military commander (in order to fight against an alien race). Ender’s Game is considered one of the best science fiction novels ever written, and it was adapted into a film.
25. Speaker for the Dead
(sequel to Ender’s Game) by Orson Scott Card
The Speaker for the Dead is set three thousand years after the events of Ender’s Game. Andrew Wiggin – known to the world as Ender Wiggins, the only human ever to defeat an alien race – is now a man in his thirties. He has been living on another planet for the past two decades, married to Jane and father to three children.
26. Artemis
by Andy Weir
In the late 2080s in Artemis, the first and so far only city on the Moon, smuggler Jasmine “Jazz” Bashara gets caught in a coup for control of the city government.
27. Halo: The Fall Of Reach
by Eric Nylund
The novel adaptation of the first Halo video game released in 2001. The story follows Humanity’s loss of the planet Reach from the religious alien Covenant force and John 117’s subsequent escape and discovery of the ancient Halo ringworld.
28. The Forever Peace
(military science fiction and sequel to The Forever War) by Joe Haldeman (1997)
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (1974) is one of science fiction’s best science-fiction war novels. In 1997, 23 years after the publication of The Forever War, science-fiction writer Joe Haldeman published the sequel to his science fiction masterpiece, The Forever Peace.
29. Red Mars
by Kim Stanley Robinson
Red Mars is a science fiction novel by Kim Stanley Robinson, published in 1992. It is the first book of the Mars trilogy, followed by Green Mars and Blue Mars. The trilogy depicts life on Mars from the first human landing to the eventual terraforming of the planet centuries later.
30. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
(drug science fiction) by Philip K. Dick (1965)
Palmer Eldritch is a drug manufacturer who has returned from outer space with an amazing new drug called CAN-D. It allows people to enter into a shared hallucination in which they can escape the drab and depressing reality of their lives. But when Eldritch begins to offer this drug for free, things quickly spiral out of control.
31. Chasm City
(sequel to Revelation Space science fiction novel) by Alastair Reynolds (2001)
Revelation Space is a science fiction novel by Welsh author Alastair Reynolds. It was published in 2000, and won the British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel. The novel is set in the year 2551, and follows the inhabitants of the human colony planets of Yellowstone and Resurgam. Chasm City is a 2001 science fiction novel by Alastair Reynolds, set as a direct sequel to Revelation Space.
32. A Canticle for Leibowitz
by Walter M. Miller Jr. (1959)
A Canticle for Leibowitz is a science fiction novel by Walter M. Miller Jr., first published in 1959. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the novel tells the story of a monk who attempts to preserve knowledge from before the cataclysm that destroyed civilization. A Canticle for Leibowitz won the 1961 Hugo Award for Best Novel and tied with The Man in the High Castle for the Locus Award. It is widely considered science fiction’s seminal novel of nuclear war, and has been reissued many times in hardcover, paperback, audio CD (recorded by George Guidall), as an ebook and audiobook download.
33. The Martian
by Andy Weir (2011)
Mark Watney is a botanist and mechanical engineer. When he gets stranded on Mars, he has to figure out how to survive until a rescue mission arrives from Earth. He needs to grow food, create water sources, find shelter and more! However, along the way there are multiple complications that put him in even more danger than he was when he first arrived.
34. Cryptonomicon
by Neal Stephenson (1999)
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson is a science fiction novel that was published in 1999. The book follows the story of Lawrence Waterhouse, a mathematician and codes breaker, as he helps to create an algorithm to break the Enigma code during World War II. The novel also tells the parallel story of Bobby Shaftoe, a Marine Raider turned guerilla fighter, who is also breaking the Enigma code. In addition to these two stories, the book focuses on Lawrence’s grandson Randy Waterhouse and his business partner Avi Halaby as they attempt to create a data haven in Southeast Asia during the late 1990s.
35. Altered Carbon
(cyberpunk science fiction) by Richard K. Morgan (2002)
The science fiction novel Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan was nominated for the Hugo Award in 2003 and the Philip K. Dick Award in 2002. Altered Carbon is set 500 years into the future where human personalities can be stored digitally, allowing people to live forever through clones and bodies (sleeves). Takeshi Kovacs is a former soldier turned mercenary who is downloaded into a new body after being killed. He is hired by the wealthy aristocrat Laurens Bancroft to investigate his own murder. Altered Carbon is an exciting, fast-paced science fiction thriller that will keep you hooked until the end.
36. Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus
by Mary Shelley (1818)
Shelley’s Frankenstein is the science fiction novel that arguably did more to shape science fiction than any other book. It was first published in 1818, and has since been adapted into countless movies, television series, comic books and plays (including a rock opera called Frankenstein: The Musical). Shelley wrote it while she was on vacation with her husband, Percy Shelley and Lord Byron.
37. Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse-Five is a science fiction novel by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., first published in 1969. The book tells the story of Billy Pilgrim, a soldier who becomes “unstuck in time” and witnesses the Dresden bombing as a prisoner of war, the firebombing of Hiroshima while working as a chaplain’s assistant, and the trial of Joseph Stalin.
38. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
(sequel to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) by Douglas Adams
In this science fiction classic by Douglas Adams, the character Arthur Dent is whisked off into space after Earth is destroyed to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. On his journey through space he encounters many strange planets and life forms, including Trillian (the only other surviving human), Marvin the Paranoid Android, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and Slartibartfast.
This science fiction novel is a humorous take on science fiction that will have you laughing out loud one minute and deep in thought the next. The sequel to this book is also worth reading, as it picks up right where this one left off.
39. Roadside Picnic
by Boris Strugatsky and Arkady Strugatsky
A science fiction novel originally published in 1972, Roadside Picnic tells the story of Red and his friend Black as they venture out into the Zone to collect artifacts. A mysterious event has occurred in the area, leaving behind strange objects and phenomena that have been dubbed “the Zones.” As the two friends venture out, they encounter many dangers that could end their lives.
40. World War Z
by Max Brooks
Max Brooks is the son of Mel Brooks but he’s also an author in his own right. He is best known for his science fiction and zombie-based books, as well as for making science fiction a more mainstream genre. His most famous work to date is World War Z, which was made into a blockbuster movie starring Brad Pitt. It tells the story of a zombie apocalypse from the perspective of various survivors.
41. The Handmaid’s Tale
by Margaret Atwood (1985)
A science fiction novel set in the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian and theocratic state that has replaced the United States. The Handmaid’s Tale is a story about Offred, one of many fertile females forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate the world. A dystopian science fiction masterpiece.
42. The Road
(post-apocalyptic science fiction) by Cormac McCarthy
The Road is a science fiction novel by Cormac McCarthy. The Road is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel that centers around the journey of a father and his young son over an unspecified period after some unknown catastrophe has depopulated the world, bottomed out technology, destroyed the environment, and more or less ended civilization as we know it. The science fiction book is written in the first person, and takes place on an empty road that runs through a post-apocalyptic wasteland of ash and debris. A science fiction novel about survival, morality, despair, hope, love—and what makes life worth living when all seems lost.
43. I, Robot
by Isaac Asimov
I, Robot explores science and ethics. It follows a robot-hating detective as he investigates the death of a science fiction writer who was working on an unfinished novel predicting the murder of US Robots founder Dr. Susan Calvin by one of her robots. The book is composed of nine science fiction stories written between 1940 and 1950, which are connected together by a frame story.
44. The Foundation Trilogy
(space science fiction) by Isaac Asimov
The Foundation Trilogy is a science fiction series written by Isaac Asimov. The series consists of three novels: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation. The books follow the rise and fall of a galactic empire, and the attempt by a small group of scientists to preserve knowledge in the face of an impending dark age.
45. Watchmen
by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
This science fiction is considered to be the greatest comic book of all time. It has been adapted into a movie and made its way on Time’s list of 100 greatest novels in 2005. The story revolves around superheroes who are brought back together by murder, which sparks off an investigation that leads them to many different discoveries about themselves, their predecessors, and the world they live in.
46. Metro 2033
by Dmitry Glukhovsky
After nuclear war, humanity in Metro Moscow now live in the metro system, safe from the irradiated and uninhabitable surface infested by mutants and fighting other human factions who had fallen back to old world political ideals like Nazism and Fascism as if the nuclear war never happened.
47. Contact
by Carl Sagan
The science science fiction novel Contact has been made into a movie starring Jodie Foster, directed by Robert Zemeckis. The science science fiction novel is about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and features many scientific references to subjects such as wormholes, time dilation and SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence).
48. Hyperion Cantos
(sci-fi science fantasy) by Dan Simmons
Hyperion Cantos is a series of novels by Dan Simmons that are among the most beloved science fiction books out there. The story centers around an intergalactic war involving alien creatures called Shrike, leading to an epic adventure.
49. Ringworld
by Larry Niven
The science fiction novel that created the Ringworld itself and inspired a whole science fictional subgenre of ring-like structures. And it’s such a great science fiction story, too! If you’ve only seen the movie adaptation, don’t be put off by its cheesy special effects because this book is one hell of an epic science fiction adventure.
50. The Stand
by Stephen King
The Stand is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It expands upon the scenario of his earlier short story “Night Surf” and outlines the total breakdown of society after the accidental release of a strain of influenza that had been modified for biological warfare causes an apocalyptic pandemic, killing off over 99% of the world’s population.
The End
Or is it?
New sci fi novels are being written every year and who knows what wild fantastical worlds are abound.
Pick up your next novel and who knows, you might be thrust into a world you’ve never imagined.
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