What would happen if humans had access to unlimited energy? Would they become lazy or productive? What kind of society would we live in?

In the 20th century, science fiction became a genre of its own, stepping into the limelight as a moderately popular genre but overall a creative underdog in the face of more popular genres like westerns, dramas, and action/adventure films and novels. That’s not to say there aren’t great pieces of work to come out of science fiction, think Frank Herbert, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, etc.

But times have changed and in the 21st century, science fiction has taken center-stage in all forms of media, as writers and creatives of all corners of the globe vie for their vision of the future to be put on a mantlepiece. As humans grow with technology in their pockets, at their hands, and in their homes, it’s no wonder science fiction has become one of the most popular genres of all time.

Here’s some fairly new authors of science fiction works that explore more vibrant worlds and new ideas in the 21st century.

1. James S. A. Corey

James S. A. Corey is an American author, or uh, pen name for two collaborating authors, Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Corey has written the latest sci fi series to go to television/streaming, The Expanse, starting with their first novel, Leviathan Wakes, in 2011. Having been previously fantasy writers, Corey has skyrocketing success, with The Expanse becoming a live action series direct to streaming services.

The expanse is a space opera and sci-fi noire that takes place in the future where Mars, an Earth colony, gains it’s independence and holds an uneasy peace with Earth as both ravage the outer-planet colonies for their resources. In the outer planets, the people work the asteroid belts for its resources and earned the name Belters, are at the mercy of the inner planets, Earth and Mars. That’s until they make First Contact.

2. Cixin Liu

Cixin Liu has been a highly successful sci fi writer, with his smash success “The Three-Body Problem” releasing in 2007. Cixin Liu is considered China’s first Cyberpunk author and is renowned for his works released in China domestically as well.

The Three-Body Problem is a aliens-are-coming novel with the scope like that of Game of Thrones. Set on the backdrop of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, authority is upended with the threat of alien invasion, pushing humanity to a precipice, with some bands of humans wanted to help the aliens take over the corrupt governments of the earth and others wanting to defend their planet.

3. Andy Weir

Andy Weir is a hard-science fiction author, focusing on more science than fiction, he explores the math behind brazen fictional plots that bend the mind and create a thrilling ride for the reader. His 2011 breakthrough novel The Martian was a massive success, and in as little as 4 years later, released as a blockbuster film directed by none other than Riddley Scott.

The Martian takes place on Mars where humans have finally set foot on the red planet, and a team of astronauts at base camp are hit by a massive storm on the surface of the planet. Believing one of their team members dead, they high-tail it back to Earth, only to realize their colleague is very much alive and stranded on the planet with no rescue coming for many months. Now the stranded astronaut must use his wits and his constitution to survive with what precious little food and supplies he has until rescue arrives.

4. John Scalzi

John Scalzi is a military science fiction writer with a long line of novels that explore the expansion, colonization, and experience of a militarized humanity among the stars. Scalzi’s exhausting list of sci fi novels are widely revered among the sci fi writing community, with Old Man’s War and Redshirts being among his most popular.

Scalzi is an author that is more famous than his novels, often being asked as a creative consultant for other science fiction works including Battlestar Galactica, and providing storylines for anthologies like Love Death & Robots.

5. Richard K. Morgan

Richard K. Morgan is probably the latest smash success in Cyberpunk writing with the release of his novel Altered Carbon. Morgan often explores the relationship between humans and technology, often joining other videos games as a writer for stories where the player is entrusted with human augmentations, power suits, and so on.

In Altered Carbon, his biggest success, even becoming it’s own Netflix show, humans can be “re-sleeved” into new bodies, using implants that save their consciousness into a device that can be transferred between bodies. Takeshi Kovacs is a rebel super-soldier who’s sleeve gets killed and awakens hundreds of years later in a new body, a new planet, and new problems.

6. Blake Crouch

Blake Crouch is an author that leans into the mysteries of science fiction, making the advent of technologies and sci fi tropes a behind-the-scenes feature of his novels. His most successful series being Wayward Pines, explores the town of Wayward Pines where residents are trapped behind electric fences and walls. Behind the veil of security, the residents soon discover a conspiracy at large, cryogenics, and more.

7. Charles Stross

Charles Stross is a British science fiction novelist whose work focuses on the intersection of science and society. He is best known for his Merchant Princes series which follows the adventures of a group of people working for a company called Halcyon Freight. In this series, the company is tasked with delivering a mysterious cargo from space to earth, but when the ship crashes, the crew discovers something far stranger than they ever expected.

8. Alastair Reynolds

Alastair Reynolds is a science fiction author whose books focus on the exploration of alien worlds. His most recent book is House of Suns, which tells the story of a man who travels through time to find himself in a world where humans live alongside aliens. The book was named after the star system that the protagonist finds himself in.

9. Peter F. Hamilton

Peter F. Hamilton is one of the most prolific writers of hard sci-fi today, selling millions of copies around the globe. His books have been translated into dozens of languages and he has written over 40 novels and 300 short stories. His most well known series is The Night’s Dawn Trilogy, a three part epic about humanity’s first contact with intelligent extra-terrestrials.

10. Hao Jingfang

Hao Jingfang is a Chinese science fiction writer based in Beijing, China and veritably known as Cixin Liu’s contemporary among Chinese sci fi buffs. Her one and only sci fi novel, Vagabonds, was an immediate success and seen by many Chinese readers as the same level as that of Cixin Liu’s greatest works. Vagabonds is a story set in the future where Mars fights a war for independence. Centuries later, delegates from Mars visit earth and are suddenly faced with the reality that they must reconcile what they know on Mars with the beauty and culture of Earth.

And Other Great Authors

There are a plethora of other new and up-and coming writers this decade, with even more media exploring more sci fi worlds outside of novels as well. If you’re not sure where to start, narrow your search to some subgenres of sci fi and you’ll find communities around the internet that are up and coming.