Best Science Fiction Books
The Ultimate Guide
Welcome to the ultimate guide on finding some of the best science fiction books out there that are going to have you hooked on the stories that are hidden inside. We are about to show you 35 of the best ones and you get to decide which one of these will be perfectly suitable for you.
It might be a few, it might be more than half of them, but there is no chance that you won’t like any of them if you are a huge science fiction enthusiast and just cannot resist stories like these.
Dune by Frank Herbert
Legendary
Here is the first book that will have the pleasure of starting off this article on some of the best science fiction books of all time as this one is the perfect example of one of good science fiction books that is a part of a series as well.
Arrakis
This is the first book in Frank Herbert’s science fiction series also called Dune and the story here is set on a desert planet called Arrakis. For more information about the series, take a look at our review of the top science fiction series. The book follows a character, a boy, named Paul Atreides who is the heir to a noble family that has a very important job to do.
The Spice
The family rules a world in which the only thing that is considered of any kind of value is the spice melange, a type of drug that is capable of extending the user’s life as well as offering enhanced consciousness which leads to all sorts of unique powers and advantages.
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Case
CaseHere is another amazing science fiction story by William Gibson that talks about a world filled with dangerous and powerful technology and all sorts of unique and skilled hackers. Neuromancer follows a character named Case who was one of the sharpest minds in the world of hacking until his nervous system was very badly damaged and he was left useless.
Mystery Man
His whole life changes again when a mysterious character offers him a cure which he immediately grabs while accepting whatever sort of job that this character offered to him. Having agreed to do a few hacking jobs for this mystery man, Case will soon find out what kind of new trouble he has gotten himself into.
You can probably also imagine that whatever it was, it would be worth it for being healthy again as his condition was tragic.
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Hegemony of Man
Hegemony of ManIn our next pick for one of the top science fiction books, we have a space opera series that takes place in the mysterious world of Hyperion. There is something special about this world as it is inhabited by an interesting civilization called the Hegemony of Man. Beyond the reach of them, there lies a strange and very feared creature, named Shrike.
Hyperion Cantos Series
You get to meet three types of characters in this book, the ones who admire this creature and believe it’s best to stay on its good side so they worship it with all of their heart and soul. The book is part of the series called Hyperion Cantos.
Shrike
Then there are those who are scared to death, so they decide to be neither with it nor against it and find that it’s best to stay away. And finally, those who have promised to destroy it once and for all so that they can finally put the people’s minds at ease. Amazing piece of science fiction work by Dan Simmons.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Exploration and Philosophy
Exploration and PhilosophyThe next choice in our best science fiction books list is a story called The Left Hand of Darkness. Without further ado, let’s find out more about this wonderful book full of exploration, discovery, philosophy, and action as well.
Lonely Character
It follows a lonely character who has been sent on a special mission to the planet called Winter. His goal is to make a connection and agreement with a newly discovered civilization and assure their inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization.
Alien Civilization
You will get to see a new point of view as to how humans would react in the face of an alien civilization and see how this science fiction author has imagined these great events. We covered it in our review of the LGBT science fiction books as well.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Ender’s Saga
Ender’s SagaEnder’s Game by Orson Scott Card is the dream book to any science fiction fan as the story in this fascinating science fiction book is one that many people have found themselves fantasizing about. It is the first book of the series called Ender’s Saga.
Andrew Ender Wiggin
The main character and protagonist in the book, Andrew Ender Wiggin believes that he is just playing another war game but he doesn’t know that he is attempting the simulated training course for a unique soldier that could be the key to winning a war between humans and aliens.
Exceptional Skill
After he shows exceptional skill in this game, his whole world changes as he finally gets to experience real danger in a war that is no place for a six-year-old, yes, that’s how old our main character is in this one of the best science fiction books written.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Fascinating Story
Fascinating StoryThis book is the first one of Douglas Adam’s science fiction adventure series that bears the same title as this book and in it, you get to read a fascinating story that takes you to a lot of unique and amazing places throughout space.
Arthur Dent
On top of that, there are a bunch of characters waiting to be introduced who are going to make you want to read more and more about their very unconventional lives. One of the main characters who you will be reading about in this one of the best science fiction books and hopeful the whole series is Arthur Dent.
Ford Prefect
His journey through the galaxy begins after he is saved by his friend Ford Prefect second before the Earth was completely wiped out so that a galactic freeway could be constructed. This is the perfect start to a fantastic story indeed.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Hiro Protagonist
Virtual Reality
The story talks about this character’s life as he lives in a world where he, and many others, have the ability to enter a virtual reality where a lot can be done but no one could be hurt. That was the case until a deadly virus called Snow Crash infiltrated the entire system and ended up hurting and almost killing anyone who dared to mess with or hack it.
As Exciting as Possible
This is a story that is going to show you a bunch of amazing characters who will surely make the events as exciting as possible for true science fiction enthusiasts.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
Blade Runner Series
Blade Runner SeriesDo Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? is the first book of the amazing and bestselling science fiction series called Blade Runner. The story was so good that it managed to be the reason for the creation of one of the most popular science fiction movies of all time, Blade Runner.
Rick Deckard
Anyway, this story by amazing Philip K. Dick starts out as you meet the main character and protagonist of this book and the whole series, Rick Deckard. He is a trained agent with a license to kill and he is about to witness a whole lot of action after a few rogue androids escape from a factory on Mars and manage to spread around and hide on Earth.
Indistinguishable
The problem here is that these androids are almost indistinguishable from humans and could be very deadly if provoked. Rick’s mission is to locate them and put them to sleep if you get what we mean.
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
Interstellar War
Interstellar WarThis science fiction story talks about another war between humans and an alien species that they don’t know a whole lot about. The interstellar war is taking place very far away from Earth and in order to get to the battle, one must perform interstellar travel which has all sorts of flaws and consequences.
Private Mandella
A character named Private Mandella will be the next person traveling this way to reach the battlefield and contribute to the fight. He will do whatever it takes to survive and win this war so that he can get back to his home safely.
Very Different World
After he miraculously gets the chance to go back home, after interstellar travel, he witnesses that the world that he left not so long ago is a very different one and you get to find how interstellar travel has managed to change this man’s entire life and world. We dedicated a whole article to this amazing series, for more info take a look at our Forever War series review.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Strange Laws
Strange LawsCheck out one of the strangest science fiction books on our list as this one holds a story that might just leave you wondering and saying “What just happened?”. This tale by Ray Bradbury talks about a world in which the laws and rules are so strange that you could hardly ever imagine living in a world like that.
Montag
The story follows a character called Montag who belongs in a special unit of the fire brigade who has a very ironic duty to perform, that duty involves starting fires instead of stopping them.
Reading Prohibited
The reason for this is to burn books because, in the world that he lives in, reading is strictly prohibited because it prevents the people from being happy and everyone in this world must be happy whether they like it or not, you could say that they are forced to be happy.
1984 by George Orwell
Classic
ClassicHere is our 11th pick of one of the best science fiction books ever as it might not seem like it from any description about the book that you read but you will understand exactly why this is only after you read the book for yourself.
Winston Smith
The main character in this story is Winston Smith, he is a developer, an open-source one, who prefers to do his work offline as his ISP has installed something called packet sniffers and these things are regulated by the government under the patriot act.
Big Brother
This character and all of the others that you get to meet in this book all live in a terrible totalitarian world where “Big Brother” controls every single aspect of the people’s lives. There is a unique story to be told in this book as you will find out for yourself if you decide to check out the book.
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Against the Programming
Against the ProgrammingThis amazing book has a bunch of stories to tell you that all relate to unique and exciting robots. We all know that robots have the potential to go about their own way and against their programming, but they also have a lot of potential that involves serving us and doing everything for us.
Mad Robots
The stories inside this amazing science fiction book will tell you a few things about robots who have gone mad and started disobeying their commands, about robots who have the ability to read minds, robots who can make you laugh out loud, and a lot more.
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Hari Seldon
Hari SeldonWe have Isaac Asimov again here and this guy knows how to write the best science fiction books as he has yet another one to present to you in our article.
The story follows a character called Hari Seldon, someone who has the ability to see into the future and it couldn’t come more in handy as the time when the Galactic Empire has finally started collapsing after twelve thousand years of ruling over everything and everyone.
Not Looking Good
What Hari sees isn’t looking good as he warns that the next thirty thousand years to come will involve a terrible, dark, and destroyed world full of barbarians and chaos.
But he doesn’t give up without a fight so he gathers some of the brightest minds in the Empire and forms a sanctuary called the Foundation which will stand as a beacon of hope that will try to prevent this horrible future from ever coming true.
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
War Against Bugs
War Against BugsTake a look at one of the best science fiction books for adults here as this one has tons of battles that are alarming which makes them perfect for the biggest of science fiction fans.
This story follows a bunch of characters, but mainly one soldier from the future who is about to become a part of a very dangerous war between humans and their deadliest and most merciless enemy, the bugs from another planet, huge bugs for that matter.
Brutal and Bloody
This interstellar war will be brutal for both sides and humans have never witnessed such mass killing and such suffering. The boot camp that is also discussed in this book is something so hard that no ordinary soldier would ever pass. You get to read about all this and so much more in this brilliant science fiction masterpiece by Robert Heinlein.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
Penal Colony
Penal ColonyThis action-packed science fiction story talks about a few characters who will be seriously important to the outcome of it as well as a world in which these characters don’t really enjoy living.
The story follows the planning and start of a rebellion that is carried out by a few people from a former penal colony living on the Moon against their masters on Earth.
Rules
You will get to see for yourself why exactly these people don’t enjoy living by the rules that are laid out for them as no man would. We don’t want to spoil all the fun for you in our article about the best science fiction books so be prepared to have a lot of fun with this one too and find out what all of the fuss about the start of this rebellion is all about.
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
Unique Story
Unique StoryArthur C. Clarke has hit the jackpot when it comes to writing a bestselling book as this book holds a unique and fun-to-read story that was so great that a brilliant movie was also made out of it. The science fiction content never appears dull in this book and you will get to find out exactly why as you open it up for yourself.
Alien Race
The story begins as you start reading about an alien race that has created a powerful artifact that has the ability to encourage intelligent life to evolve more quickly. Using this artifact, they find themselves on Earth around 3 million years ago in Africa where they use the artifact on a bunch of apes and that’s when the fun begins.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Dystopian World
Dystopian WorldThis story by Aldous Huxley might have you frightened to see such a dystopian world as this world inside is filled with tons of genetically modified citizens as it is made sure that a lot of aspects of their lives are controlled by the people above them.
New Technology
The science-fiction part of this one of the best science fiction books is wonderful to read about as you get to see tons of new technology that we don’t have even now and keep in mind that this book was written in 1998.
Against the Flow
This technology involves very advanced reproductive tech, the ability to learn anything you like while you sleep, psychological manipulation is too easy for the ones who live in this world, and all sorts of unique and amazing things like those. Then you get to meet the protagonist of this series who is about to make everything more exciting by refusing to live in a world like this.
The Martian by Andy Weir
Famous Adaptation
Famous AdaptationHere is another book that inspired the creation of one of the best science fiction movies of all time, also called The Martian.
Mark Watney
This story talks about a crew that has just landed on Mars. One specific character who will be taking you on the journey about to come is Mark Watney, he was super excited to come to Mars but not for long as now he believes that he will die on this planet.
Left Behind
The reason for this is because a dust storm nearly killed him and his crew so they leave before they all get killed and leave Mark behind thinking that he is dead. After that, you get to read a story about survival as you can’t even imagine what it takes to survive on Mars, completely alone.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Man and a Mouse
Man and a MouseYou have another tremendous story here as it might not be packed with a lot of action like some of the previous ones, but the events in this one are exciting as you will find out now. It follows a bunch of characters actually, one of them is a man and another is a mouse.
Super Intelligent
This mouse is special, however, as an experiment carried out by scientists has made it super intelligent, it has even surpassed the abilities of the scientists who made it super intelligent but unfortunately, things go sideways and it suddenly starts deteriorating.
Charlie
This experiment is later done on Charlie and the story continues as you get to find out if the same thing will happen to him or will he strive with the abnormal amount of intelligence that he is about to acquire, find out all of that for yourself as you start this story and one of the best science fiction books.
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
Invasion of Earth
Invasion of EarthThe War of the Worlds has a lot of action to show you as humans are about to experience the end of all civilization. You get to read a story in which a huge army of Martians has come to Earth on an invasion attempt as they are finally ready to claim Earth for their own race. They land in England and begin their invasion campaign.
Killing Machines
It all happens so fast, suddenly, there are tons of three-legged killing machines roaming around the streets of England, completely destroying everything in their path and incinerating everyone on the way. It would be completely normal if you can’t wait to find out what happens next as you can only do that after getting the book for yourself.
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Colonization of Mars
Colonization of MarsOur next choice for some of the best science fiction books is another one that will be talking about Mars again as it holds some of the most fascinating stories out there. This story talks about a journey that involves man’s attempts to colonize the red planet and form a whole new civilization there.
Great Loneliness
The attempts are interesting to read about as you get to find out how hard it is for humans to survive on Mars. The first people died of a disease called the Great Loneliness and the few who remained were locked up by the shape-changing Martians themselves.
Getting Serious
It gets even better as more and more rockets start arriving from Earth and you get to find out how humans and Martians will react to each other as things get more and more serious.
Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
Overlords
OverlordsHere is a book by a familiar face again as Arthur appears once more to show you one of his best science fiction books. This time, he talks about a story that involves another alien race that will be threatening human civilization and its very existence.
They are known as the Overlords and they suddenly appear from the sky, they don’t attack as they lay out a few demands first and if humans do not comply, then the terror will start.
Simple Demands
Their demands were simple, unite, eliminate poverty, and end all wars, this even seemed beneficial to Earth so they agree to live under their rule if they get to have all of these things finally. But then you get to see the hidden cost of all of these things and what it actually means to live under someone’s rule as all of those events will be shown to you in the book itself.
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Billy Pilgrim
This amazing science fiction book Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut talks about a character called Billy Pilgrim, this character is one of a kind as he is unstuck in time, what this means is that he is constantly going back and forth through time against his own will so he does not know when it will happen and when and where it will take him.
Rarely Dull
The story is too much to explain in one short review and a lot of important things happen all the time, the main thing you need to know is that the things that are happening in this book are rarely dull and you get to find out how this nerdy character will react to everything that this strange ability is doing to his life.
The Time Machine by H. G Wells
Successful Inventor
Successful InventorHere is a book from another author whose name you will see more than once in our list of some of the best science fiction books. This story talks about an inventor who has finally succeeded in creating a time machine and now all that is left is to test it.
800.000 Years
A few minutes into the future and it shows that it works but then, those few minutes turn into 800.000 years into the future where our explorer will be seeing a totally different world than his own. He is still on the same planet but so many things are different and almost nothing is the same as where he comes from. He discovers two very bizarre races inhabiting it who will make sure that the story that follows is never boring.
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
Jaunting
JauntingWhen it comes to great science fiction books, this one sure hits the jackpot again. There is one term in this science fiction book that you will be reading a lot, “Jaunting”.
Teleportation
“Jaunting” means the ability to teleport for thousands of miles with just mere thoughts and there are characters who have this ability in the book. What you get to see in this book is more fighting, more war, and plenty more interesting characters who will make the events that follow a lot more interesting.
Gully Foyle
The main character who you will be following around in this story is a man called Gully Foyle and when you meet him, he doesn’t seem at all special but you later find out that this man will become the most valuable man alive.
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
Valentine Michael Smith
Valentine Michael SmithWe suggest that you don’t miss out on this one if you adore science fiction stories with complex and beautiful characters as this one has just the type. The story involves Mars again as it is the place where the book opens as you get to meet the main character inside. You can also find this book on our list of the top science fiction fantasy books. His name is Valentine Michael Smith and he is a human who was born and raised on Mars.
Very Different
You would imagine that no matter where he was born and raised he would still be just like every human out there, but no, Valentine is different and you will find out why in the book itself. Anyway, the story follows him as he returns to Earth and is among his people for the first time, a total stranger. You get to read about his struggles as his own beliefs don’t exactly match with everyone else’s.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Journey of a Lifetime
Journey of a LifetimeMadeleine’s A Wrinkle in Time is among the most popular science fiction books out there and you are about to find out why. The story in this one introduces you to a few kids who are about to go on the journey of a lifetime. They will attempt to find their father who is on a secret mission somewhere distant and hopefully save their entire world.
Main Characters
These three main characters are Meg Wallace, her brother Charles, and their friend Calvin and they discover that a dark and terrible evil is swallowing planets throughout the universe and their planet happens to be next. An outstanding space adventure awaits now that is filled with mystery, danger, and a whole lot of action. Be prepared to bite your nails from all of the suspense too.
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
Unique
UniqueCheck out this very unique science fiction story if you want to have a quick laugh but also be amazed at some of the strange things you are about to see.
Old Man
The reason for this book being so unique is because it can be described as an average science fiction story with interstellar battle, but the special thing here is that the main character and soon to be a soldier is a 75-year-old man.
John Perry
His name is John Perry and he joins the one army that is not looking for young people, an army that will lead him far away from Earth in a battle between humans and aliens and where his skills will be tested. If he survives, a special award awaits him.
Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
Kris Kelvin
Kris KelvinSolaris presents a very mysterious science fiction story that many readers will find fascinating. Thanks to the complex and amazing characters inside, this story will be a superb read for many.
The main character who will be bringing most of the fun to you is Kris Kelvin and yes, there is space travel involved in this story as well but that’s always fun as who knows what kinds of unusual things you will discover.
Giant Ocean
The strange and unusual thing in this story is a planet called Solaris that has a giant ocean on its surface. Kris is one of the others who go there for research and soon the fun begins, he learns that there is something here that brings back painful memories to everyone who comes. The story only gets more deep from there as the characters believe that they are going crazy.
Contact by Carl Sagan
Very Realistic
Very RealisticCarl Sagan has managed to write one very fascinating story here that a lot of science fiction fans and space travel enthusiasts can relate to as this story might be more realistic than we can imagine.
It takes place in a world similar to ours, in one that getting a message back from space seems almost impossible, but in this world, it finally happened and the result was breathtaking.
Reply Received
After decades of waiting for a call back from tons of messages sent out, humans finally get an answer and the contents are instructions to build a machine that will have the ability for super-fast space travel and one that can take anyone who boards to the aliens who sent this message.
A scary thought indeed but curiosity will overcome here and the events that follow later are too exciting to spoil in our review.
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Dr. Felix Hoenikker
Dr. Felix HoenikkerThe next book in our best science fiction books review holds yet another fascinating story. This time, the main character is a brilliant mind called Dr. Felix Hoenikker. He is actually the man who originally came up with the atomic bomb in this world and he has yet another deadly creation to his name.
Ice-Nine
It is called ice-nine and this devastating chemical has the power to quickly freeze the entire planet, imagine that. This is the exciting story that involves a few other characters as the search for this hidden and deadly chemical begins and different people have different needs for it, some are for good reasons, some for evil.
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
Different America
Different AmericaYou get to read about a very interesting reality of our world that has been imagined in the science fiction world of author Philip K. Dick as this world has a few key differences than ours which is maybe for the better.
The story takes place in America in 1962 and slavery is completely legal once again as you can imagine what kinds of struggles this presents for many people.
Tiny Moment
The main goal of this book, so to say, is the author’s intention to show his readers that each tiny moment in history could have made possible a totally different outcome to our present. The book shows this fact very nicely through the story inside that you are about to see.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Colonization of Mars
Colonization of MarsYou have another Mars story in this book that will be taking you on yet another amazing colonization journey that the humans will be trying. The year is 2026 and 100 brave people have trained hard and applied to be the first colonists on Mars, let the journey begin.
Characters
John Boone, Frank Chalmers, Arkady Bogdanov, and Maya Toitavna are a few of the most important characters who will be taking you on this trip as they are the leaders of the terraforming mission. You get to see a lot of fantastic exploration, a lot of drama, love, hate, and so much more in this thrilling Hugo-award winner story.
A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge
No Limits
No LimitsWar throughout the galaxy and in space is never a dull topic as all sorts of things can happen in stories like that, you can easily say that there is no limit to galactic wars. This book is another science fiction masterpiece that tells you about a thrilling war that is filled with dangers.
Zones of Thought Trilogy
You get to see a bunch of alien races in here, struggles for power, battles that are just too good to spoil in any review, and so much more that will leave you wanting more of this amazing story, and luckily for you, this is only the first book of Vernor’s trilogy called Zones of Thought.
The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
Masterpiece
MasterpieceThe last book in our best science fiction books list is this fascinating masterpiece by a Chinese author Liu Cixin.
Brink of Extinction
Liu writes about a story that takes place during the Cultural Revolution in China and it follows a devastating event after an alien civilization that is on the brink of extinction finally catches signals that humans have been sending into space and finds their last hope on Earth as an invasion by them is approaching.
Preparations
The story then follows the people on Earth as they are preparing to either welcome this alien race or destroy them depending on their behavior. A wonderful story is to be expected by this amazing science fiction book.
Robert Hazley
Robert is a science fiction and fantasy geek. (He is also the best looking Ereads writer!) Besides reading and writing, he enjoys sports, cosplay, and good food (don't we all?). Currently works as an accountant (would you believe that?)
