best new sci fi books

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The 40 best sci-fi books of all time

We take a look at the most exciting new sci-fi books and choose the best science fiction novels of all time..

From spectacular sequels and award-winning novels , to continuing adventures in science fiction's most popular universes, our list of sci-fi books includes some of the best new reads of 2024, the best of 2023 and our all-time picks. No matter what kind of science fiction fan you are – space opera, dystopian , or even classic sci-fi – our edit is packed full of must-reads . 

The best sci-fi books of 2024

By adrian tchaikovsky.

On the distant world of Kiln lie the ruins of an alien civilization. A great mystery awaits mankind: who were the builders and where are they now? These questions become brutally real for Professor Arton Daghdev, exiled from Earth to Kiln’s off-world labour camp due to his political activism. Facing the planet’s dangerous ecosystem and the camp's harsh regime, Arton fights for survival. Amidst these threats, Kiln holds a profound, fearsome secret, challenging the understanding of life and intelligence, and might be Arton's key to freedom.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky's books in order

Stories of your life and others, by ted chiang.

A sci-fi classic in a brand-new edition. From a soaring Babylonian tower that connects a flat Earth to the firmament above, to a world where angelic visitations are a wondrous and terrifying part of everyday life; from a neural modification that eliminates the appeal of physical beauty, to an alien language that challenges our very perception of time and reality, Chiang’s unique imagination invites us to question our understanding of the universe and our place in it.  Stories of Your Life and Others  is Ted Chiang's masterful debut collection.

In the Lives of Puppets

By tj klune.

In the Lives of Puppets  is a queer retelling of the Pinocchio tale, from bestselling author TJ Klune. In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees live three robots – fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Vic Lawson, a human, lives there too. The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled ‘HAP’, he learns of a shared dark past between the robots – a past spent hunting humans. The family, once hidden and safe, are now exposed. 

A complete guide to TJ Klune's books

By neal asher.

Rebellion could be their salvation – or their doom. War Bodies is a gripping, high-octane standalone set in Neal Asher's expansive Polity universe. In a world ruled by machines, the Cyberat face a rebellion when the human Polity arrives. Piper, raised as a weapon, seeks help from the Polity after his parents are captured by the oppressive regime. As war escalates, Piper must confront the enigmatic technology implanted in his own body. It could be the answer to their fight or the trigger for catastrophic consequences. The fate of civilization hangs in the balance as the battle unfolds.

The best sci-fi books of 2023

Fractal noise, by christopher paolini.

On the planet Talos VII, twenty-three years before the events of  To Sleep in a Sea of Stars , an anomaly is detected: a vast circular pit, with dimensions so perfect that it could only have been the result of conscious design. So a small team is assembled to learn more – perhaps even who built the hole and why. Their mission will take them on a hazardous trek to the very edge of existence. For xenobiologist Alex Crichton this opportunity is a desperate attempt to find meaning in an uncaring universe.  Fractal Noise  is the thrilling prequel to  To Sleep in a Sea of Stars  by   Christopher Paolini.

Starter Villain

By john scalzi.

John Scalzi brings us a turbo-charged tale of a family business with a difference, as Charlie discovers when he inherits it. It’s also way more dangerous than Charlie could ever have imagined, because his uncle had kept his supervillain status a secret. Divorced and emotionally dependent on his cat, Charlie wasn’t loving life. Now Charlie must decide if he should stay stuck in his rut, or step up to take on the business, the enemies, the minions, the hidden volcano lair. But there’s much more to being an Evil Mastermind than he suspected. Yet could this also, finally, be his chance to shine?

Douglas Adams's Starship Titanic

By terry jones.

From the minds of Douglas Adams and Terry Jones comes Starship Titanic. This is the 2023 edition of the hilarious novelization of the third-best adventure game of 1999. Get ready for the launch of the Starship Titanic, the grandest and most advanced spaceship ever built. But as architect Leovinus inspects the ship, he discovers alarming flaws: shoddy craftsmanship, malfunctioning cybersystems, and clumsy robots. The next day, as the galaxy watches, the ship starts its journey but quickly succumbs to a catastrophic failure. In mere moments, the ambitious project meets its end, setting the stage for an intriguing tale to unfold.

by Blake Crouch

Upgrade  is the mind-bending sci-fi thriller from Blake Crouch, author of Matter  and  Recursion . What if you were the next step in human evolution? If your concentration was better, if you could multitask quicker, read faster, memorize more? For Logan Ramsay, it’s happening. He knows that it’s not natural, that his genes have been hacked. He has been targeted for an upgrade, and with a terrifying plan in place to replicate his upgrade throughout the world’s population, he may be the only person capable of stopping what has already been set in motion.

Lords of Uncreation

After releasing Eyes of the Void earlier this year, Adrian Tchaikovsky brings us Lords of Uncreation, the final high-octane instalment in the Final Architecture space opera trilogy. Idris Telemmier has uncovered a secret that changes everything – the Architects’ greatest weakness. A shadowy Cartel scrambles to turn his discovery into a weapon against these alien destroyers of worlds. But between them and victory stands self-interest. The galaxy’s great powers would rather pursue their own agendas than stand together against this shared terror. If you are new to the series, discover all of Adrian Tchaikovsky's books in order below. 

by Hiron Ennes

A masterpiece of gothic sci-fi, Leech is unlike anything you've read before. In an isolated chateau, the baron's doctor has committed suicide, and the Interprovincial Medical Institute sends out a replacement. But the new physician soon discovers that his predecessor was hosting a parasite, which should have been impossible, as the physician was already possessed – by the Institute. For hundreds of years, the Institute has taken root in young minds and shaped them into doctors to protect humanity from the horrors their ancestors unleashed, but now there’s competition: a parasite is spreading.

by Sarah K Jackson

In the aftermath of a devastating microplastics storm that decimated humanity, Not Alone follows the journey of Katie and her son in a tale that intertwines heart-stopping adventure with the profound bond between a mother and child. Trapped within the confines of their apartment, they navigate a world where survival hinges on scavenging for sustenance. Katie, braves the dangers outside while Harry remains sheltered, oblivious to the truth of their existence. This remarkable debut delves into themes of love, trust, and hope while unmasking the imminent peril that looms over humanity as a whole.

The Kaiju Preservation Society

In New York, Jamie is a driver for food delivery apps, looking for any opportunity to escape his daily schedule. Then, after making a delivery to old acquaintance Tom, he gets the chance to escape more than just his delivery gig. Tom works for an animal rights organisation – but not any that you've heard of. Known as the 'Kaiju Preservation Society', Jamie unwittingly signs on with Tom to venture to the Earth of an alternate dimension, where massive dinosaur-like creatures called 'Kaiju' roam a human-free world. But they’re in trouble – the Society are not the only ones who have found their way to the Kaiju world. . .

Sea of Tranquillity

By emily st. john mandel.

It's 1912, and eighteen-year-old Edwin St. Andrew is on a journey across the Atlantic, having been exiled from society in England. Arriving in British Columbia, he enters a forest, mesmerised by the Canadian wilderness. All is silent, before the notes of a violin reverberate through the air. Two centuries later, and acclaimed author Olive Llewelyn is travelling over the earth, on a break from her home in the second moon colony. At the heart of her bestselling novel, a man plays a violin for spare change in the corridor of an airship terminal, as a forest rises around him. This compelling novel immerses the reader in parallel worlds, and multiple possibilities.

A complete guide to Emily St. John Mandel

Ursula has lived twice the normal human lifespan, courtesy of the latest technology. But now she’s struggling to find excitement and purpose, so signs up to the Polity’s military. But after botching a powerful new ammunition test, she’s dismissed from service. Hunting for a simpler, more meaningful existence, she heads for the stars. And after founding a colony on the hostile planet of Threpsis, Ursula finally feels alive. Then deadly raptors attack and the colonists are forced to adapt in unprecedented ways. The raptors also raise a deeply troubling question: how could the Polity miss these apex predators? And alien ruins? 

Exodus: The Archimedes Engine

By peter f. hamilton.

Forty-thousand years ago, humanity fled a dying Earth and found a far cluster of stars with thousands of potentially habitable planets. In the years since, the Centauri Cluster has flourished. The original settlers evolved into advanced beings known as Celestials, and any remaining humans must fight for survival against overwhelming odds. Enter Finn. When another ark ship from Earth, previously thought lost, unexpectedly arrives, he sees his chance to embrace a greater destiny and become a Traveler – brave heroes dedicated to ensuring humanity’s future by journeying into the vast unknown of distant space.

Peter F. Hamilton's far-future novel is set in the same universe as new online RP game Exodus on which the author is a creative consultant.

The best sci-fi books of 2022

By terry miles.

Rabbits is an electrifying, compulsive read based on the hit podcast from the Public Radio Alliance – perfect for fans of  Stranger Things  and  Black Mirror . Rabbits is a secret, dangerous and sometimes fatal underground game. The rewards for winning are unclear, but there are rumours of money, CIA recruitment or even immortality. Or it might unlock the universe’s greatest secrets. But everyone knows that the deeper you get, the more deadly the game becomes – and the body count is rising. The eleventh round is about to begin, and what happens in the game, stays in the game . . . 

Children of Memory

Spanning generations, species and galaxies, best-selling author Adrian Tchaikovsky gives us the unmissable follow-up to Children of Time and Children of Ruin. Years after arkships were sent to establish new outposts following the failure of Earth, a fragile colony has managed to survive on Imir. But, existence here is a far cry from the paradise the initial mission intended. When strangers appear, society on Imir begins to fracture as neighbour turns against neighbour. But, perhaps some other intelligence is also at work, toying with colonists and space-fearing scientists alike . . .

Set in the same world as Neal Asher's acclaimed Polity universe, Jack Four is a thrilling, fast-paced standalone novel packed with action. Jack Four – one of twenty human clones – has been created to be sold. His purchasers are the alien prador and they only want him for their experimentation program. But there is something different about Jack. No clone should possess the knowledge that’s been loaded into his mind. And no normal citizen of humanity’s Polity worlds would have this information. . .

A Desolation Called Peace

By arkady martine.

This spectacular sequel to Arkady Martine’s Hugo Award-winning debut sci-fi book sees the Teixcalaanli Empire facing an alien threat which could bring about its complete destruction. Fleet Captain Nine Hibiscus is all that stands between the empire and all-out war, so in desperation, he sends an envoy to negotiate with the mysterious invaders. Whether they succeed or fail could change the face of Teixcalaan forever. Arkady Martine’s Teixcalaan duology is a must-read for fans of epic space opera. 

Invisible Sun

By charles stross.

In this chillingly resonant dystopian adventure, two versions of America are locked in conflict. The New American Commonwealth is caught in a deadly arms race with the USA, its parallel-world rival. And the USA’s technology is decades ahead. Yet the Commonweath might self-combust first – for its leader has just died, leaving a crippling power vacuum. Minister Miriam Burgeson must face allegations of treason without his support, in a power grab by her oldest adversary. Invisible Sun  is the final installment in Charles Stross’s Empire Games trilogy.

The Black Locomotive

By rian hughes.

Prepare for a riveting tale that explores the delicate balance between progress and the timeless wisdom of bygone eras. Within the robust framework of London's concrete and steel, the city thrives on innovation and progress. However, as the clandestine Crossrail extension beneath Buckingham Palace is constructed, an enigmatic anomaly emerges, presenting an archaeological enigma that has the potential to reshape our perception of history and the very genesis of London. Should our contemporary society crumble, we may find ourselves compelled to embrace the ancient technologies of the past to safeguard our future.

Shards of Earth

Shoot into outer space with Adrian Tchaikovsky's high-octane, far-future space opera series. Eighty years ago, Earth was destroyed by an alien enemy. So mankind created enhanced humans ­such as Idris – who could communicate mind-to-mind with our aggressors. Then these ‘Architects’ simply disappeared and Idris and his kind became obsolete. Now, Idris and his crew have something strange, abandoned in space. It’s clearly the work of the Architects – but are they really returning? Shards of Earth is the first epic story in the Final Architecture trilogy. 

The best sci-fi books of all time

Named in Barack Obama's 2019 summer reading list, this groundbreaking collection of science fiction short stories is the second from acclaimed author Ted Chiang. In these nine stunningly original and poignant stories, we encounter a portal through time in ancient Baghdad, a scientist who makes a shocking discovery that will affect all of humanity and a woman who cares for an AI ‘pet’ for over twenty years. Addressing, among others, essential questions around the nature of the universe and what it means to be human, this is science fiction writing at its most thoughtful.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

By douglas adams.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy began life as a Radio 4 show in 1978 and has since spawned adaptations across almost every format, making it a staple on every respectable list of the best sci-fi books. Following the galactic adventures of Arthur Dent after his house's untimely demolition to make way for a new hyperspace express route, this new edition of 'The Guide' features exclusive bonus archive material and a new introduction from Russell T. Davies. This classic science fiction novel is a must-read for fans of the genre. 

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books: a complete guide

Classic science fiction stories, by adam roberts.

Bringing you aliens from outer space, intriguing inventions, zany future tech and whole imaginative worlds to explore, this collection of short stories is a treasure. From the 1750s to the start of the twentieth century, it includes work by star authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, H. G. Wells and H. P. Lovecraft, as well as giving a voice to less acclaimed but equally brilliant writers including Florence McLandburgh and Ambrose Bierce. Macmillan Collector’s Library titles come cloth-bound, with gold foil edges and handy ribbon markers.

Station Eleven

On a snowy night in Toronto, renowned actor Arthur Leander dies on stage, coinciding with the arrival of a devastating virus in North America. Two decades later, Kirsten, a member of the Travelling Symphony, brings Shakespeare's words to life in the settlements that have emerged post-collapse. However, her newfound hope is jeopardized, prompting a critical question: in a world devoid of civilization, what is worth safeguarding? And to what lengths would one go to ensure its preservation? A dreamily atmospheric novel set in the eerie days of civilization's collapse, Emily St John Mandel's Station Eleven is a must-read. 

Pandora's Star

Earth 2329: Humanity has spread across the galaxy, colonising hundreds of planets linked by wormholes. Finally, there is peace. But when stars thousands of light years away start to vanish, ex-NASA astronaut Wilson Kime is sent to discover the cause. Travelling in his faster-than-light spaceship, Kime arrives to find the stars imprisoned in an immense force field. Entire star systems are sealed off. But who could possess this technology? And were they trying to keep us out, or keep something else in? Pandora's Star is the first part of Peter F. Hamilton's epic Commonwealth Saga duology. 

The City & The City

By china miéville.

A mind-bending tale of two cities that exist alongside each other in the same time and space, this award-winning book is a murder mystery taken to dazzling metaphysical and artistic heights. When the body of a woman is found in the decaying city of Beszel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks like a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. But as he probes, the evidence begins to point to conspiracies far stranger and more deadly than anything he could have imagined. China Miéville combines crime fiction with sci-fi in this strange and gripping tale of murder and conspiracy.

by Colson Whitehead

  Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Colson Whitehead was inspired to write this apocalyptic sci-fi novel because of his teenage fascination with the work of Stephen King and Issac Asimov. A plague has ravaged the planet, and the population is divided into the living and the living dead. Mark Spitz is working on a task force to clear the infested from ‘Zone One’, but things quickly go from bad to worse . . . 

This high concept sci-fi thriller asks the question: what if someone could rewrite your entire life? When Detective Barry Sutton is called to help a woman threatening to jump from a building, he’s unaware of the series of events the incident will trigger. Unable to stop the woman taking her own life, the last words she says to him are ‘My son has been erased.’ As Barry begins to investigate her case, he finds she’s not the only one making such claims. All over the country, people are waking up to different lives, an epidemic the media have dubbed ‘False Memory Syndrome’. But what if the cause is more sinister than a disease?

A Memory Called Empire

Arkady Martine's debut sci-fi book is an immersive political space opera for fans of Ann Leckie and Iain M. Banks.  A Memory Called Empire  introduces the idea of a technology by which a select few can carry their predecessors in their minds and take advantage of their wisdom and memories. Ambassador Mahit Dzmare travels to the Teixcalaanli Empire’s interstellar capital, eager to take up her new post. Yet when she arrives, she discovers her predecessor was murdered. But no one will admit his death wasn’t accidental – and she might be next. This is the first book in the  Texicalaan duology . 

War of the Worlds

By h. g. wells.

The inspiration for countless science fiction stories and novels, H. G. Wells’s sci-fi classic is a must for any science fiction fan’s bookshelf. Written in semi-documentary style, the 1938 radio adaptation famously caused panic when listeners believed the fictional new bulletins were real, and this novel about a terrifying alien invasion still grips readers to this day. 

by Nnedi Okorafor

Binti is the first person in her family to be accepted at the prestigious Oomza University, but to take up the place will mean leaving all she knows for a new life travelling among the stars. And there are dangers in this new life, for the university has long warred with a nightmare alien race called the Meduse . . . This Hugo Award-winning novella is the first in Nnedi Okorafor’s science fiction series. 

by Frank Herbert

Frank Herbert’s science fiction classic is one of the bestselling sci-fi books of all time and was adapted into the film of the same name directed by David Lynch. Set 20,000 years in the future, the universe depends on the supply of Melange, a rare element, which can be used for everything from extending life-spans to interstellar travel. This precious element is found on only a single planet, Arrakis. And whoever controls Arrakis controls the universe . . . 

Frankenstein

By mary shelley.

Mary Shelley's story of a man who creates a monster he cannot control was a precursor of modern science fiction and a must-read for any sci-fi fans wanting to understand the history of the genre. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but wayward scientist, builds a human from dead flesh. Horrified at what he has done, he abandons his creation. The hideous creature learns language and becomes civilized but society rejects him. Spurned, he seeks vengeance on his creator. 

Lovecraft Country

By matt ruff.

An imaginative blend of magic, power, hope, and freedom that stretches across time, touching diverse members of two Black families, Matt Ruff's sci-fi horror is a devastating kaleidoscopic portrait of racism – the terrifying specter that continues to haunt us today. Set in Chicago, 1954 – Atticus Turner embarks on a road trip, along with his uncle and childhood friend, in search of his missing father. But soon they encounter both mundane terrors of white America and malevolent spirits that seem straight out of the weird tales Uncle George devours. 

by Octavia E. Butler

The first science fiction written by a black woman, Kindred is a cornerstone of American literature. Dana's 26th birthday takes a surreal turn when dizziness overcomes her during a move into a new apartment.  In an instant, she is transported to a verdant wood by a sprawling river, where a distressed child's cries pierce the air. Acting instinctively, she rescues him, only to face the alarming sight of an aged rifle in the hands of the boy's father.  The next thing she knows she's back in her apartment, soaking wet. It's the most terrifying experience of her life . . .  until it happens again.

2001: A Space Odyssey

By arthur c. clarke.

2001: A Space Odyssey takes readers from the ancient savannas of Africa to the outer reaches of our solar system. It is an allegory of humanity's quest for knowledge in the vast universe, and the universe's mysterious response. Follow the crew of the Discovery spacecraft as they venture towards Saturn, their mission overseen by the formidable HAL 9000, an advanced AI that challenges the boundaries of human intellect. Exploring themes of space exploration, technological risks, and the bounds of human potential, this marvel remains an enduring classic of monumental proportions.

Consider Phlebas

By iain m. banks.

First published in 1987, Consider Phlebas is the first book in Iain M. Banks's The Culture series, a classic space opera about an interstellar post-scarcity society. The Idirans fought for their Faith, while the Culture defended its moral existence. Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and with it their own destruction.

by Isaac Asimov

In the first novel in Isaac Asimov's classic science-fiction masterpiece, we travel to a sprawling galaxy on the brink of collapse. But a brilliant mathematician named Hari Seldon predicts the impending downfall. To safeguard civilization's future, Seldon establishes the Foundation, a covert organization tasked with preserving knowledge and shaping the course of history. As empires rise and fall, political intrigue intertwines with scientific brilliance, offering a captivating blend of epic scope, intricate plotting, and profound exploration of humanity's destiny.

Leviathan Wakes

By james s. a. corey.

Set in a future where humanity has colonized the solar system, tensions between Earth, Mars, and the Belt threaten to ignite a catastrophic war. Amidst this turmoil, a missing person's case leads a hardened detective and a disillusioned ship captain to uncover a conspiracy that could plunge the entire system into chaos. James S.A. Corey weaves a masterful tale, blending exhilarating action, intricate world-building, and complex characters. With its seamless blend of mystery, political intrigue, and interstellar adventure, Leviathan Wakes is the first book in The Expanse series, now also a major TV series. 

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

By philip k. dick.

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, where the line between humans and androids blurs, Do Andorids Dream of Electric Sheep? follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter tasked with tracking down rogue androids hiding among society. As Deckard's pursuit intensifies, moral dilemmas arise, blurring the boundaries of empathy and identity. Dick's mesmerizing prose transports you to a world filled with existential questions, intricate plot twists, and profound reflections on what it means to be human. This masterpiece served as the basis for the 1982 film Blade Runner and is a dystopian sci-fi must-read. 

Brave New World

By aldous huxley.

Largely set in a futuristic World State, inhabited by genetically modified citizens and an intelligence-based social hierarchy, Brave New World anticipates huge scientific advancements in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation and classical conditioning that are combined to make a dystopian society which is challenged by only a single individual: the story's protagonist. With its seamless fusion of science fiction, social critique, and philosophical depth, the book challenges societal norms, sparks introspection, and reveals the delicate balance between freedom and conformity. 

The Martian

By andy weir.

A survival story for the 21st century and the international bestseller behind the major film by Ridley Scott. Stranded alone on Mars after a mission gone awry, astronaut Mark Watney must summon every ounce of his resourcefulness and resilience to survive. With limited supplies, daunting challenges, and a tenacious spirit, Watney uses his scientific expertise to defy the odds and find a way back home. Weir's masterful storytelling, filled with equal parts wit and tension, immerses you in the harsh beauty of Mars while showcasing the indomitable human spirit. 

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The best new science fiction books of January 2024

From Machine Vendetta by Alastair Reynolds to Tlotlo Tsamaase’s Womb City and Ali Millar’s Ava Anna Ada , January’s sci-fi will chase the New Year blues away

By Alison Flood

2 January 2024

Alastair Reynolds and Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson are two of the authors setting their novels in space this January.

Alamy Stock Photo

New science fiction isn’t thick on the ground this January, but there are some gems to look forward to – including a new novel from sci-fi supremo Alastair Reynolds, who wrote our fab New Scientist Christmas short story this year, Lottie and the River . I am also really looking forward to Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson’s debut novel, which is a space opera with grand ambitions, and to Alice McIlroy’s creepy psychological thriller The Glass Woman , in which a scientist is implanted with tech that has resulted in the loss of her memories. And if I’m feeling brave enough, I’ll be reading Tlotlo Tsamaase’s Womb City. If that isn’t enough and you’re looking for more suggestions for the year ahead, do check out our sci-fi columnist Sally Adee’s tips for 2024 reading .

The best new science fiction books of March 2024

Machine Vendetta by Alastair Reynolds . I’ll always snap up a new Alastair Reynolds. This latest is in his Prefect Dreyfus series, and sees Dreyfus investigating the death of Invar Tench, a police officer who worked to maintain democracy among the 10,000 city-states orbiting the planet Yellowstone.

The Principle of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson . This space opera is the first novel from Jikiemi-Pearson and it sounds amazing, moving from 6066 on the planet Garahan, where humans are indentured labourers for the emperor’s war machine, to London in 1812 and the time-travelling Obi, who meets a girl from another time in the British Museum. We are told it’s for fans of Becky Chambers, V.E. Schwab and N. K. Jemisin – all must-reads for me. It sounds like the perfect antidote to any January blues.

The Glass Woman by Alice McIlroy . This is a psychological thriller pitched as “B lack Mirror meets Before I Go to Sleep by way of Severance “:­ it follows a scientist, Iris, who volunteers to be the test subject for an experimental therapy that will see tech inserted into her brain. But she now no longer has her memories, so doesn’t know why she volunteered for the treatment in the first place – or even what it is. This sounds creepily brilliant, and I’ll be whiling away January commutes and evenings with it for sure.

Strange tech is implanted into a scientist’s brain in Alice McIlroy’s The Glass Woman.

Shutterstock / MDV Edwards

Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase . The Handmaid’s Tale meets Get Out ? That’s quite a tall order, but this Africanfuturist horror novel sounds like it will be enjoyably terrifying. It takes place in a cruel surveillance state, where Nelah is trapped in a loveless marriage in which her every move is monitored by her police officer husband, via microchip. When she buries a body following a car accident, the ghost of her victim starts hunting down the people she loves. Our sci-fi columnist Sally Adee has tipped it as one to watch out for.

Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock by Maud Woolf . This sounds like a lot of fun. It’s set in the near future, where celebrities can make clones of themselves (known as “Portraits”) to take on their various duties. We are following the story of the 13 th copy of the actor Lulabelle Rock, who is out to eliminate her predecessors.

Ava Anna Ada by Ali Millar . Set in the near future, when the heat is spiralling, this novel takes place over a week when Anna and Ava become caught up in their own world and find themselves reckoning with who they really are. Ian Rankin, no less, describes it as “[Philip K.] Dick’s They meets early Iain Banks or Ian McEwan in this novel of a near-future family meltdown”, which is every bit “as gripping as it is horrifying”.

The best new science fiction books of December 2023

Klova by Karen Langston . A decade after the death of his partner Neav, Ink wakes to find he has no concept of the past, and can only think of her in the present tense. He appears to be part of a new “amnesia crisis”. But could this be down to a corruption in the code of the artificial language, Klova, that enables everyone to think and speak?

Necropolis Alpha by Chris M. Arnone . This slice of cyberpunk sci-fi is Arnone’s follow-up to his novel The Hermes Protocol and follows an “Intel Operative” with cybernetic enhancements as she tries to steal data from the offices of an evangelical preacher.

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The 19 best science fiction books of 2022 so far, according to Goodreads

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• Science fiction is a wide genre that includes dystopias, space epics , and apocalyptic fiction.
• We turned to Goodreads to rank the best new science fiction books of 2022.
• For more great novels, check out the best books of 2022 so far .

Science fiction stories have been entertaining readers for decades , from iconic reads like "Jurassic Park" to epic space adventures that take us across galaxies, through time, and in between dimensions. Science fiction classics will always have a place in readers' hearts, but new science fiction releases offer more and more mind-bending dystopias, speculations, and unique beings beyond our wildest imaginations. 

Goodreads is the world's largest platform for readers to rate, review, and recommend their favorite books, so we turned to Goodreads reviewers to rank the best new science fiction releases of 2022. These titles are ranked by how often they've been added to readers' "Want to Read" shelves and had to have been published this year to make the list.

The 19 best science fiction books of 2022 so far, according to Goodreads:

"the school for good mothers" by jessamine chan.

"The School for Good Mothers" by Jessamine Chan, available at Amazon and Bookshop ,  from $18.19 

With over 21,000 ratings on Goodreads, "The School for Good Mothers" is the most popular science fiction novel amongst Goodreads reviewers so far in 2022. Though Frida Liu is already struggling in nearly every aspect of her life, everything gets monumentally worse when a lapse in judgment leaves her in the hands of a Big Brother-like institution that will determine whether or not Frida is a "good" mother and thus, whether or not she is worthy of keeping her daughter.

"Sea of Tranquility" by Emily St. John Mandel

"Sea of Tranquility" by Emily St. John Mandel , available at Amazon and Bookshop ,  from $16.25 

Readers are loving Emily St. John Mandel's latest release, an expansive story of three people in vastly different situations across time and space, from the Canadian wilderness in 1912 to an Earthly book tour in the 22nd century to a detective sent to investigate an anomaly but discovers much more. From the bestselling author of " Station Eleven ," "Sea of Tranquility" is a playfully dynamic novel that begins with quickly shifting timelines but transforms into a masterful and gripping narrative.

"How High We Go in the Dark" by Sequoia Nagamatsu

"How High We Go in the Dark" by Sequoia Nagamatsu , available at Amazon and Bookshop ,  from $17.99 

In 2030, researchers discover the perfectly preserved remains of a girl who seems to have died of an ancient virus, accidentally unleashing a plague that will devastate and reshape humanity for generations. Told in a series of intricate and interwoven stories, readers love the compassionate and ambitious nature of this 2022 release.

"The Candy House" by Jennifer Egan

"The Candy House" by Jennifer Egan, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $19.69

Own Your Unconscious is a revolutionary technology that allows people to access, download, and share every memory they've ever had. Though some have embraced the technology wholeheartedly, others see its greatest consequences. Told through a collection of linked narratives across different lives, families, and decades, "The Candy House" offers an intriguing science fiction novel about humanity's need for connection.

"The Kaiju Preservation Society" by John Scalzi

"The Kaiju Preservation Society" by John Scalzi, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $21.99

From the author of the bestselling "Interdependency" series comes a new standalone novel set in New York City at the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. When Jamie makes a food delivery to an old acquaintance, he's pulled into what he's told is an "animal rights organization," though the animals are not from our Earth. Now part of the Kaiju Preservation Society, Jamie discovers the dinosaur-like creatures that roam an alternate, human-free dimension of Earth in this new novel that's an exciting mix of science fiction, fantasy, adventure, and comedy.

"Tell Me an Ending" by Jo Harkin

"Tell Me an Ending" by Jo Harkin, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $23.35

"Tell Me an Ending" follows four characters who are part of thousands across the world that have just learned they once chose to have a memory removed, but now have the opportunity to get it back. As psychologist Noor works to reinstate people's lost memory, she digs deeper into the technology in this speculative, dystopian sci-fi novel about the consequences of forgetting. 

"Dead Silence" by S.A. Barnes

"Dead Silence" by S.A. Barnes, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $20.59

When Claire Kovalik and her crew pick up a strange distress signal in space, they find the Aurora, a luxury space-liner that famously disappeared on its maiden voyage over 20 years ago. As they begin to investigate, this fast-paced sci-fi horror novel unfolds with paranormal elements and terrifying turns in a story that's been described as "The Titanic" meets "The Shining."

"The Paradox Hotel" by Rob Hart

"The Paradox Hotel" by Rob Hart, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $20.49

In The Paradox Hotel, the super-rich gather before and after their time-traveling trips at the nearby timeport. As head of security for the hotel and former security for the US government's time travel organization, January Cole is puzzled why she can see what others can't, though her mental state and grip on reality are rapidly declining from traveling so drastically through time. When dark secrets and a possible killer emerge, January must uncover what is happening and why as her past, present, and future collide. 

"The Starless Crown" by James Rollins

"The Starless Crown" by James Rollins, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $17.10

In this first book of a new science fiction/adventure series, a gifted young student foretells an apocalyptic future, for which she is sentenced to death. On the run with a banded team of outcasts including a soldier, a prince, and a thief, she must work with the others to uncover the dark secrets of the past to save the future of their world.

"Goliath" by Tochi Onyebuchi

"Goliath" by Tochi Onyebuchi, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $18.59

Set in 2050, "Goliath" explores a slowly emptying futuristic Earth where the wealthy have abandoned the planet in favor of space colonies, leaving the less fortunate to fend for themselves in a rapidly deteriorating landscape. This speculative, literary science fiction novel features several narratives in a story about race, class, and gentrification.

"Hunt the Stars" by Jessie Mihalik

"Hunt the Stars" by Jessie Mihalik, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $15.29

Desperately in need of enough credits to keep her crew together, bounty hunter Octavia Zarola agrees to take a job from her sworn enemy, Torran Fletcher, even though he insists on taking his crew along as well. As the crews set out on the hunt, Octavia begins to suspect a deeper, more sinister plot in which she may be a pawn, leaving her to decide where her loyalties lie.

"End of the World House" by Adrienne Celt

"End of the World House" by Adrienne Celt, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $25.49

In Paris on a last-hurrah friends' trip before an upcoming move, Bertie and Kate are offered a private tour of the Louvre by a strange man and soon find themselves alone in the museum. When the two get separated, Bertie finds herself in the middle of a strange mystery that forces her to confront the control she has over her own life in this genre- and mind-bending story set in a world on the edge of an apocalypse.

"The Memory Librarian" by Janelle Monáe

"The Memory Librarian" by Janelle Monáe, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $19.65

"The Memory Librarian" is a collection of science fiction short stories that bring one of Janelle Monáe's albums to life with stories of liberation in a futuristic, totalitarian landscape. In collaboration with other talented writers, the themes of this read are expressed in stories of technology, memory, queerness, race, and love.

"City of Orange" by David Yoon

"City of Orange" by David Yoon, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $27

Loved for its character-driven narrative, "City of Orange" is the story of a man who wakes up in an apocalyptic, desolate landscape with only injuries and vague memories to guide him forward. As he tries to survive, the man encounters a young boy who seems to be the key to understanding where he is, how he got there, and what really happened. 

"The Blood Trials" by N.E. Davenport

"The Blood Trials" by N.E. Davenport, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $25.49

When Ikenna's grandfather, the former Legatus, is murdered, she is certain that someone on the Tribunal ordered his death and is determined to uncover who. To get closer to the truth, Ikenna pledges herself to the Praetorian Trials, a brutal and violent initiation with a staggering mortality rate, and faces unprecedented dangers and prejudices, all for the chance of justice.

"Light Years From Home" by Mike Chen

"Light Years From Home" by Mike Chen, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $21.10

15 years ago, Evie and Kass's dad and brother disappeared on a camping trip and though their father returned days later, convinced he'd been abducted by aliens, their brother remained missing. Evie never stopped searching for Jakob, so when her UFO network discovers a new event, she investigates and discovers her brother has finally returned — and has the FBI close on his tail.

"The Impossible Us" by Sarah Lotz

"The Impossible Us" by Sarah Lotz, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $14.99

In this science-fiction love story, Nick and Bee's paths cross over a misdirected email and sparks fly as they continue to send messages back and forth. When they decide to meet in person, nothing goes according to plan and it seems Nick and Bee are impossibly farther apart than they could have imagined. 

"Mickey7" by Edward Ashton

"Mickey7" by Edward Ashton, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $23.07

Mickey7 is an Expendable, an entirely disposable and replaceable person sent on a dangerous expedition to colonize Niflheim, ready to be replaced once again the moment this iteration of himself dies. When Mickey7 goes missing on a mission, his colony has already replaced him with a new clone, Mickey8. Knowing he'll be thrown in the recycler if his clone is discovered, Mickey7 must keep their existence a secret as the threat of native species and unsuitable human conditions on Niflheim threaten everyone's survival.

"Primitives" by Erich Krauss

"Primitives" by Erich Krauss, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $20.66

Set 30 years after The Great Fatigue ended most of humanity and left the human race in a primitive state, two people make shocking and gruesome discoveries a world apart. As Seth and Sarah find themselves in a deadly race to save humanity against fear, reality, and other survivors, their fates will intertwine in this new post-apocalyptic tale.

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The Best Fiction Books » Science Fiction

The best science fiction of 2023: the arthur c. clarke award shortlist, recommended by tom hunter.

Venomous Lumpsucker: A Novel by Ned Beauman

Every year, the judges of the Arthur C Clarke Award select the best sci-fi novels of the previous twelve months. We asked prize director Tom Hunter to talk us through the six science fiction books that made the 2023 shortlist—including a space opera romance and a high-concept action thriller that has already won the most prestigious award in Francophone literature.

Interview by Cal Flyn , Deputy Editor

The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard

Plutoshine by Lucy Kissick

The Anomaly by Hervé le Tellier, translated by Adriana Hunter

The Coral Bones by E.J. Swift

Metronome by Tom Watson

1 Venomous Lumpsucker: A Novel by Ned Beauman

2 the red scholar's wake by aliette de bodard, 3 plutoshine by lucy kissick, 4 the anomaly by hervé le tellier, translated by adriana hunter, 5 the coral bones by e.j. swift, 6 metronome by tom watson.

H as 2023 been a good year for science fiction?

I think it has. In fact, I might go further and suggest that it has been a good few years for science fiction literature, both from a Clarke Award perspective and more broadly. Using the range of science fiction awards as a measure, we can see a strong current of diversity running across the genre, and a range and scope of storytelling that is truly inspiring; and, of course, you only have to look back to our winning novel of 2022, Deep Wheel Orcadia , a verse-novel written in English and the Orkney dialect, to see precisely how original and creative contemporary science fiction can be.

Looking specifically at our own shortlist for 2023, all six of our nominated authors are new to our lists. Two of them, Lucy Kissick and Tom Watson, are debut novelists, and books have been submitted to our judging panel from across the publishing industry. I think this last point is especially important for measuring the health of the field as more imprints bring their own specialisms and interests into the mix. Editors have more comparisons for the purposes of pitching new books and authors to their own sales teams and book buyers, and the opportunity for readers to find great science fiction expands from a specific section of a bookstore to literature at large.

If you’re reading this article as someone new to science fiction I don’t think you could have timed your arrival any better than right now!

Did the judges notice any trends among this year’s submissions? What’s fashionable in science fiction in 2023?

We’re always cautious about talking about trends for several reasons. First, our judging panel is different every year, so not only are we receiving a lot of very different books every year, they are also being reviewed and discussed by a different cohort of award judges. That said, I think this year’s shortlist is a good introduction to some of the bigger themes and conversations underway within the science fiction space, and I’ll aim to talk to some of those points as we discuss each book.

More broadly, though, one major project we have is the public release of all of our submissions data every year, so people can get a full sense of the year in UK science fiction publishing for themselves. This is all available online via our Medium blog . We can use the diversity of authors being submitted as a lens to look at equity, diversity and inclusion issues within the publishing industry, and reflect that in our own efforts to call in books from across the full spectrum of the field.

“This year’s shortlist is a good introduction to some of the bigger themes and conversations underway within the science fiction space”

You’ll also be able to get a sense of the challenge our judges face from these submission lists. This year for example, with just under 100 books received, there were over 988 million possible different combinations of titles that could have come together to make our final shortlist.

Walk us through the books shortlisted for the 2023 Arthur C. Clarke Award for Science Fiction, starting with Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman. What is it about, and why do you admire it?

So, this is where I can start talking about trends in depth. This book is set in a near future where human-led environmental degradation and climate catastrophe are the central focus of the plot, and the eponymous lumpsucker is just one of the many critically endangered species being ruthlessly traded for extinction credits (a tradable stock-like asset companies acquire specifically in order to legally cover themselves should their resource extraction terminate a species).

If that brief description sounds brutal, I can only agree. This is a dark, satirical, deeply angry book about our species. This is a book where the characters are deliciously unlikeable, the contempt for our powers-that-be is palpable, and the prospects for the future of our planet negligible; at least in terms of that narrow goldilocks zone required for sustaining the civilisations of carbon-based bipeds like ourselves.

It’s also eminently readable, oddly hopeful at times, and very, very funny. I’d be tempted to compare Ned Beauman’s humour here to our sci-fi satirist grandmaster Douglas Adams, or maybe his evil twin.

Beauman was longlisted for the Booker Prize for an earlier novel, The Teleportation Accident , and was picked out as one of Granta’s best young British novelists in 2013 . Is Venomous Lumpsucker a work of literary fiction as well as science fiction?

Science fiction is often called the literature of ideas, so yes absolutely I think we can make that claim. That said, however, I also think the conversation or clash between what is ‘literary’ and what is ‘science fiction’ is an argument that has raged as long as our genre has existed, and is perhaps one we should strive to evolve beyond wherever we can. When I first became involved with the Clarke Award, a big part of the conversation around our shortlists every year was precisely located in that tension between the literary and the core of the genre. While that conversation is likely to keep going in various human outposts until some point around the heat-death of the universe, I also genuinely think it has moved on.

One sign of that is the publishing industry’s own willingness to cross-categorise books more—a decision that is doubtless as commercial as it is editorial if it means more book sales!—which is one of the reasons we’ve seen our submissions double in the past ten years or so. Put simply, more publishers are happy for their books to be considered science fiction , and you can see that in those shortlisted and winning titles from recent years proudly displaying the Clarke Award sigil on their covers and in their marketing blurbs.

And coming back to trends again for a moment, I think that convergence is only going to continue and that the global challenges of human-led climate crisis, viral pandemics, resource scarcity, migration, and so forth are all topics we’re increasingly seeing explored by authors of every kind. They say write what you know, and so much of what we know now is on this—hopefully reversible—trend.

The Red Scholar’s Wake by Aliette de Bodard is the next science fiction book that made the 2023 shortlist; it sounds like a lot of fun. Space pirates, a marriage of convenience, interstellar war—there’s a lot going on. Tell us more.

So, first I wanted to go back to an earlier point I made about this being the first time all six of these authors have been shortlisted for the Clarke Award, which is true but doesn’t mean that they are new to science fiction, or indeed other awards. Aliette is a fantastic author, and one I have long expected to see shortlisted here by the Clarke Award, and the fact she hasn’t been already perhaps speaks more to how much she moves across the breadth of science fiction and fantasy in her work.

This book though, as you say, is absolutely all-caps SCIENCE FICTION. It is space opera , with an emphasis on the operatic although it has a very human centre.

What do you mean by that?

A convenient criticism of science fiction is that it often sacrifices the human in favour of the grand sweep of ‘big events’ or long explanations of warp drives, worm holes, parallel universes, and the like. I’m not sure those criticisms are based on any science fiction actually being written or read these days, but what a book like The Red Scholar’s Wake tells us more than anything is that science fiction can be fun and thematically serious and well-crafted while easy to lose yourself in all at the same time.

If there’s one book on this year’s list that really speaks to the joy of contemporary science fiction, and remind us why we first fell in love with the genre and all its most popular tropes while still being highly original and distinctly voiced, this is that book.

Is it unusual to combine sci-fi with romance?

This is a great question, and an important one as well, I think, as we consider all of the different modes that science fiction can potentially take.

It’s worth noting that before the term science fiction became the popular way to define our field, a previous term was ‘science-‘ or ‘scientific romance’. It’s also worth noting that the term romance had different contextual meanings then as well, so I don’t want to overlabour this point to the err of real sci-fi historians, but no I don’t think it is unusual to see science fiction combining with romance or other genre tropes at all. Science fiction is a vigorously hybrid genre, which perhaps explains its continued success, and is very capable of having its tropes adapt and merge with other narrative approaches. Just think of how many of our classic science fiction narratives are built upon the plots of other genres— for example, detective fiction.

Ah yes, I love China Miéville’s  The City and the City . That’s a proper noir, a moody murder investigation in a strange world.

Great, yes. Let’s talk about Plutoshine by Lucy Kissick, the third book on your 2023 science fiction shortlist. 

So, when we’re in the call for submissions phase of the award asking publishers for books, we pay a lot of attention to what’s out there, who’s talking about what, to make sure we get every book we possibly can for our judges. One thing I’ve learnt is that the more people from different parts of the science fiction community enthuse about a book to me, the more likely it is to also appeal to our judges. I saw this in the early days of publication for Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice , which of course went on to win not only the Clarke Award but a whole slew of other major science fiction prizes as well.

I can’t guarantee that we’ll see the same for Plutoshine , of course, but I would say that the enthusiasm for Lucy’s book that I’ve seen took me right back to that moment with Ann in 2013 and 2014, and I’m already looking forward to her future books!

The New Scientist said that it was “worth the admission fee for the fantastical depictions of Pluto alone.” Is there a lot of rich, descriptive writing?

And now we get to the ‘why’ of why this book has some great buzz about it! It’s surprising, given science fiction’s identification with space, that more of it isn’t set within our home solar system. Or maybe it isn’t as the pace of scientific discovery around those worlds most immediately beyond our own is now so advanced it’s a brave author who is going to hinge their plot on a world that might be redefined in real life before their book even hits the shelves.

Either way, when a book like Plutoshine does comes out I think people automatically notice it more both because of that relative difference to so much intergalactic science fiction and also because our human curiosity about our solar system remains even if outside of the realms of fiction its more usually the robots who get to do all the actual space exploring right now!

I think Pluto has also held a unique place in our planetary—or dwarf planetary—fascination precisely because of its distance from us and its unstable categorisation as a celestial body. For writers, I can only imagine how much resonance there must be with it being the namesake of the Roman god of the underworld.

So, you have here a twin challenge of a world that exists and we are learning more about all the time alongside a readership who is not only keen to read solar system-based science fiction and is, in all likelihood, going to be just as up on the research as you are. What to do?

Next, let’s turn to The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier, translated by Adriana Hunter. This book has quite the reputation; it won France’s prestigious Prix Goncourt in 2020, and has since sold over a million copies on the continent. I just read it myself during a summer holiday—it unfolds like a Hollywood action movie.

Right, so I’ve tried to talk about all of our shortlisted books in ways that will give readers an insight into the kinds of books they are and what made them appealing to our judges without moving into spoiler territory, and I’m going to have to be extra careful with these next three books!

There’s a high-concept plot trigger here which I can talk about: the ‘anomaly’ of the title relates to an inexplicable event whereby a plane and all onboard are duplicated. One plane lands as normal, the other three months later, but other than that small fact they are identical. The repercussions from this, told across a multi-viewpoint narrative, the attempts to understand what happened and to uncover if indeed such an anomaly may have occurred before, are what drives this book, and indeed its million-plus readers to find out what happened.

To say more would be to say too much, but I can say this is a book that garnered a lot of discussion from our judging panel just as it has driven conversations all around the world.

How often have you seen translated fiction on your shortlists? Is it common for sci-fi to find foreign-language audiences?

The Coral Bones by E. J. Swift, the next book on the shortlist for the 2023 Arthur C. Clarke Award for Science Fiction, is also an environmental book about extinction. This one is set around the Great Barrier Reef, over three distinct time periods. 

This might sound strange, but I had a feeling this book might be shortlisted even before it was written or I’d ever heard of it. Let me explain: E.J. Swift is a UK author who has been on the Clarke Award radar since she first began her career, and her books have been discussed and praised by many of our previous judging panels.

Now, the members of our judging panel change every year so you can never predict exactly how they might make their decisions from one year to the next, but when you’ve been doing this award thing as long as I have, you can sometimes make good on the odd prediction or two. To that end, I’ve long suspected it was only a matter of time until E.J graced our shortlists. When you combine that with this novel being such a powerful evocation of our current global climate crisis, you can see why I might have been on the money just this once.

If that’s not enough of a personal recommendation for you, the multiple time periods aspect of this novel you mentioned is one that many people have spoken about in the same way they did with novels such as David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas (itself a Clarke Award shortlist alum) and I can’t wait to see where E.J. takes us next.

I was sad to see that the small press that published this book will shortly be closing down. I suppose that indicates one value of a shortlist like this—to give extra airtime to books that might otherwise have flown under the radar, for one reason or another.

Small presses are a vital part of the science fiction ecosystem, and we’re always the poorer for their absence. It’s always a pleasure to see a small press title make the shortlists, and we always work hard to make sure this kind of title is submitted. Unsung Stories exemplified the best of the small press world. Utterly professional, a delight to work with and have brought us not one but two shortlisted authors in recent years: the other being Aliya Whiteley .

Cheerleading for small presses is one thing, but of course what they really need is our book-buying. Our shortlists work as recommendations, not definitive statements—no matter how much we believe in them ourselves. Reading is a pleasure, so I would much rather people came to one of two of our shortlisted titles rather than read all six out of a sense of obligation.

How then to square the circle of buying books to support the publishing ecosystem and boost more diverse authors, while also pursuing our own individual passions and tastes?

That’s a nice way to think about it. That brings us to Metronome by Tom Watson—might you call this a ‘feminist dystopia’, in the vein of The Handmaid’s Tale , Blue Ticket , and the like? Tell us about it.

I think it’s fair to say that, ever since Margaret Atwood won our inaugural prize for The Handmaid’s Tale , that dystopian fiction has loomed darkly over the Clarke Award—although I for one always welcome a good dystopia to our shortlists!

As well as the books you’ve mentioned above, I would also point to recent Clarke titles such as Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed. That’s also set on an island. There is something distinctly dystopic about island settings I feel. I’m sure there’s a PhD thesis in there somewhere for someone, if indeed this topic hasn’t already been explored by brighter minds than mine already. I’m also hearing lots of people use Emily St. John Mandel ’s name in comparison to this book as well.

Tom Watson is one of our other shortlisted debut novelists, and to find yourself in the kind of comparative company of Atwood or Mandel must be hugely inspiring for him and hopefully recommendation enough to have people adding this book to their shopping carts now. But for those craving more, here’s a little extra, spoiler-free, flavour:

This is a tight, intimate, book, focusing primarily on just two characters exiled to the aforementioned island and surviving well enough, at least until we move past page one. It’s not a lockdown book, but the recent experience of that that so many of us shared will doubtless inform many a reading. We follow lead character Alina’s increasing conviction that she is trapped, not all is as it seems and that escape is the only solution—but how, and to where?

You might think you know where this is heading, but it’s surprisingly difficult to second-guess. Our judges this year found themselves compelled by this novel, and inflict it on you all in turn, dear readers. Enjoy!

Did you come away from the judging process optimistic about the state of science fiction in 2023?

One of the joys of being an organiser for the Clarke Award is getting to sit like a fly on the wall and listen in as our judges deliberate. What makes me optimistic more than anything is that, after reading 100 or more books, our judges are still finding new ideas and themes and authors to enthuse about. It’s always my pleasure to receive a new shortlist and have the opportunity to recommend new books to people.

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I would love for everyone to go out and read all six of our shortlisted titles immediately so you can get your own sense of just how vibrant and diverse contemporary science fiction can be.

I’d also like to thank all of your judges for this year, and our supporting organisations, The British Science Fiction Association , the Science Fiction Foundation , and the Sci-Fi-London Film Festival , who nominate them to us each year. These organisations are three more reasons to be optimistic about science fiction today, and I recommend them all to you as well.

Whoever our winner is this year, I wanted to offer my personal congratulations once again to all of our shortlisted authors. It’s been a pleasure to welcome six new authors to the Clarke Award, and I look forward to all of their future works with monolith-sized anticipation.

Part of our  best books of 2023  series.

August 6, 2023

Five Books aims to keep its book recommendations and interviews up to date. If you are the interviewee and would like to update your choice of books (or even just what you say about them) please email us at [email protected]

Tom Hunter is the current Director of the Arthur C Clarke Award, an annual award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. The award was established with a generous grant given by Sir Arthur C Clarke and the first prize was awarded in 1987 to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale .

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Den of Geek

Best New Science Fiction Books in January 2023

Interplanetary exploration and resistance against dystopian oppression feature in our picks for the top new science fiction books in January 2023.

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January tends to be a quiet time for publishing as people come back from the holidays and booksellers trust in old favorites. It’s slim pickings, but there are still some options for brand-new space exploration and social commentary this month. Here are our picks for the top new science fiction books in January 2023.

The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor Books Release date: Jan. 31

Den of Geek says: Ecological mystery turns cozy in this novel that has been compared to Becky Chambers’ quiet, thoughtful “hopepunk.”

Publisher’s summary: Destry’s life is dedicated to terraforming Sask-E. As part of the Environmental Rescue Team, she cares for the planet and its burgeoning eco-systems as her parents and their parents did before her.

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But the bright, clean future they’re building comes under threat when Destry discovers a city full of people that shouldn’t exist, hidden inside a massive volcano.

As she uncovers more about their past, Destry begins to question the mission she’s devoted her life to, and must make a choice that will reverberate through Sask-E’s future for generations to come.

Critical Mass by Daniel Suarez

Type: Novel Publisher: Dutton Release date: Jan. 31 Den of Geek says: It’s nice to see some hard science fiction now and then. This novel focuses on engineering marvels in high-tension situations, casting forward to a near future that will repeat Earth’s cycles of exploration, exploitation and warring powers. Publisher’s summary: When unforeseen circumstances during an innovative — and unsanctioned — commercial asteroid-mining mission leave two crew members stranded, those who make it back must engineer a rescue, all while navigating a shifting web of global political alliances and renewed Cold War tensions. With Earth governments consumed by the ravages of climate change and unable to take the risks necessary to make rapid progress in space, the crew must build their own nextgen spacecraft capable of mounting a rescue in time for the asteroid’s next swing by Earth.   In the process they’ll need to establish the first spin-gravity station in deep space, the first orbiting solar power satellite and refinery, and historic infrastructure on the moon’s surface — all of which could alleviate a deepening ecological, political, and economic crisis back on Earth, and prove that space-based industry is not only profitable ,  but possibly humanity’s best hope for a livable, peaceful future.

I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself by Marisa Crane

Type: Novel Publisher: Catapult Release date: Jan. 17

Den of Geek says: Catapult tends to produce precise, moving literary speculative fiction. Crane’s novel debut looks like an eerie and powerful continuation of that track record.

Publisher’s summary: In a United States not so unlike our own, the Department of Balance has adopted a radical new form of law enforcement: rather than incarceration, wrongdoers are given a second (and sometimes, third, fourth, and fifth) shadow as a reminder of their crime—and a warning to those they encounter. Within the Department, corruption and prejudice run rampant, giving rise to an underclass of so-called Shadesters who are disenfranchised, publicly shamed, and deprived of civil rights protections. Kris is a Shadester and a new mother to a baby born with a second shadow of her own. Grieving the loss of her wife and thoroughly unprepared for the reality of raising a child alone, Kris teeters on the edge of collapse, fumbling in a daze of alcohol, shame, and self-loathing. Yet as the kid grows, Kris finds her footing, raising a child whose irrepressible spark cannot be dampened by the harsh realities of the world. She can’t forget her wife, but with time, she can make a new life for herself and the kid, supported by a community of fellow misfits who defy the Department to lift one another up in solidarity and hope. With a first-person register reminiscent of the fierce self-disclosure of Sheila Heti and the poetic precision of Ocean Vuong,  I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself  is a bold debut novel that examines the long shadow of grief, the hard work of parenting, and the power of queer resistance.

Megan Crouse

Megan Crouse writes for Star Wars Insider and Star Wars.com and is a co-host on Den of Geek's Star Wars podcast, Blaster Canon. Twitter: @blogfullofwords

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12 new sci-fi and fantasy books to grab in fall 2023

It’s going to be a great fall for new books

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To say fall 2023 is packing some truly stellar sci-fi and fantasy releases would be something of an understatement. The next few months include a return to the world of Red London, two truly unsettling houses, and giant cats that wear business suits (which is as adorable as it is terrifying to think about).

Below you’ll find 12 highly anticipated sci-fi and fantasy titles hitting shelves soon.

The Free People’s Village by Sim Kern

Do you ever catch yourself wondering what our world would look like if Al Gore had won the 2000 election and proceeded to declare a war on climate change? In Sim Kern’s upcoming novel The Free People’s Village (the first adult title to be published by Levine Querido, previously known for its diverse, award-winning children’s literature), the answer is considerably greener and more eco-friendly, but not for everyone.

When the historically Black neighborhood in Houston where she teaches — and where the queer punk band she’s part of meets to play - is threatened by the development of a new electromagnetic hyperway, disillusioned Maddie Ryan decides it’s time to take a stand. In an effort to keep her band together — and, importantly, to spend more time with her crush — Maggie joins a local, Black-led movement on the brink of an anti-capitalist revolution that will change history forever.

A timely tale that feels like it could be ripped from the headlines, The Free People’s Village could easily fall prey to the white savior trope. Kern instead has Maddie reckon with her whiteness and the damage that she has unwittingly caused to the community she calls home in a thought-provoking and unflinching story of revolution.

Rouge by Mona Awad

Don’t plan on starting Rouge if you have any chores that need to be completed sometime in the near future. Mona Awad is an expert when it comes to crafting surreal (and often horrific) gothic tales that suck you in from the very first page and stick with you long after you’ve finished reading it.

In Rouge , Awad ruthlessly tackles the beauty industry and the often unachievable standards it holds modern society to, drawing inspiration along the way from Snow White, Egyptian mythology, and of all people, Tom Cruise. Rouge ’s protagonist, Belle, is lured to a reportedly transformative and undeniably cultlike spa known as La Maison de Méduse (a name that should be enough to raise a few eyebrows) after her glamorous mother’s mysterious death. Once there, Belle learns of her mother’s unhealthy obsessions and the monsters (both of the fairy-tale variety and otherwise) that seemingly lurk around every corner.

Inspired by the skinfluencers that populate TikTok, Awad has crafted a cinematic and gripping tale about the relationship between mothers and daughters, and what we’re prepared to do to “fit in.”

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

Following in the footsteps of sci-fi greats like Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, who embraced the absurd and tackled larger subjects like workers’ rights, trade unions, and late-stage capitalism, John Scalzi is truly a must-read no matter the subject. His new novel, Starter Villain , is no exception.

Divorced and living alone with his cat, it’s fair to say Charlie’s life hasn’t gone exactly according to plan. It’s not a bad life, but it’s not a particularly remarkable one, either. All of that changes when Charlie’s estranged uncle, a notorious supervillain, passes away and leaves him his business. Being a supervillain isn’t all sunshine, secret lairs, and super-intelligent spy cats. Charlie’s uncle had enemies, and now it’s up to him to put these soulless goons in their place and follow in his family’s footsteps. Starter Villain is a madcap, hilarious adventure and a truly delightful story of a villain you’ll end up rooting for.

The Navigating Fox by Christopher Rowe

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but Quintus Shu’al, the world’s only navigating fox, learns the hard way this isn’t always the case.

In Christopher Rowe’s novella, animals are divided into two categories: “knowledgeable” and “voiceless.” Quintus, being knowledgeable, has been gifted with human intelligence and the ability to communicate using spoken language, and he can maneuver his way through a network of mysterious pathways otherwise invisible to the human eye. After a trip to the gates of hell goes horribly awry, Quintus is pressed into guiding a second expedition (consisting of a sinister priest, a bison ambassador, and twin raccoons, among others) in order to save his own skin.

Set in an alternate North America and taking inspiration from Roman history, The Navigating Fox is perfect for readers who grew up on a steady diet of Redwall and enjoy complex philosophical debates about creation. It’s part tall tale, part intricate heist novel and, quite frankly, downright weird in the best way possible.

The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth

What do you get when three witches and a ghost stuck for eternity in a cat costume join forces to solve supernatural mysteries together? Courtney Smyth’s downright delightful and unapologetically queer new novel, The Undetectables .

The citizens of the occult town of Wrackton have a big problem. There’s a serial killer on the loose, and the hypnotic whistling that heralds their arrival is causing victims to chew off their own tongues in a truly gruesome act of violence. With very little evidence to go on, virtually no leads, and a less-than-stellar track record when it comes to solving mysteries — their first case is technically still open — the job of catching the killer falls to Mallory, Cornelia, Diana, and Theodore (the aforementioned unlucky ghost). What transpires is a compulsively readable race against the clock to stop a supernatural killer before they strike again.

The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

Everyone’s favorite world-hopping magicians are back in the start of a brand-new series from V.E. Schwab, beloved author of the Shades of Magic trilogy.

Seven years have come to pass since Kell Maresh and his fellow Antari saved the world from devastation. He and Lila have since been spending life at sea, living as privateers, while Kell struggles to cope with the loss of his magical abilities. When news of an assassination attempt on his brother reaches them, Kell and Lila are forced to return to Red London. It’s there that they learn of a precocious new Antari, Kosika, who has claimed White London’s throne in Holland’s absence, and of a rebellion set on tearing down the monarchy in its entirety. Amid all of this magical chaos and political intrigue, a young thief discovers a device that could bring friends and enemies together, and change the world as they know it.

The Fragile Threads of Power is a delightfully nostalgic addition to the world V.E. Schwab has created that still keeps things fresh with the introduction of new characters and the promise of more story to come.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

As sumptuous and romantic as it is sinister, Alix E. Harrow’s foray into Southern gothic literature is a perfect book to ring in the start of spooky season.

Set in the rapidly decaying town of Eden, Kentucky, Starling House tells the story of a hardscrabble young woman named Opal, the sentient manor house that haunts her dreams, and its stubborn, self-sacrificing (and frustratingly handsome) heir, Arthur Starling. Destitute and desperate for work, Opal takes a job as a house cleaner for Arthur despite her initial misgivings about him — he’s far too broody — and the Starling House, both of which are fueled by small-town rumors about a reclusive 19th-century author who mysteriously vanished years ago. But what begins as a relationship built on mutual mistrust soon turns into a tenuous alliance and undeniable attraction as Opal and Arthur spend increasingly more time together in the face of the sinister forces that threaten both of their lives.

Menewood by Nicola Griffith

Ten years after the release of Hild , Nicola Griffith is finally returning to the meticulously researched and gorgeously rendered seventh-century Britain that St. Hilda of Whitby — known for turning snakes into stone and leading one of the most important abbeys in Anglo-Saxon history — called home.

Like its predecessor, Menewood continues to expand upon the canon of what little is known about Hild’s life and her rumored otherworldly abilities. No longer a bright-eyed young girl, though still as fierce and determined as ever, Hild is faced with a world on the brink of war. Former alliances are tested and surprising new friendships are struck as she strives to protect her kingdom and navigates the unconventional community that has built itself around her.

Clocking in at just over 700 pages, Menewood is easily the longest book on this list, and is sure to keep you reading through the fall months and into the winter.

Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs

If you’re someone who can’t resist a story based on epic mythology or who couldn’t put down Maria Dahvana Headley’s recent, powerfully feminist translation of Beowulf , then you might want to put Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs on your TBR pile.

Subversive and action-packed from start to finish, Shield Maiden tells the story of Beowulf from a very different perspective. Fryda, raised on tales of her uncle, King Beowulf, wants nothing more in the world than to be a shield maiden, but a childhood accident has kept her from achieving her dreams. At least until now. Fryda must muster her courage and what power she wields when her father’s kingdom is threatened by foreign lords and a dragon of legend begins to stir in its fabled lair.

A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand

With three Shirley Jackson awards to her name, it should come as no surprise that Elizabeth Hand’s upcoming novel, A Haunting on the Hill , is “the first-ever authorized novel to return to the world of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. ” And what better time to read a chilling tale of isolation and madness than when the weather grows suddenly colder and the sun begins to set earlier in the day. It’s incredibly creepy, and will have you jumping at every sound your house makes at night.

Desperate to find the perfect space to work on her new play, Holly Sherwin jumps at the opportunity to rent Hill House when she discovers it on a weekend getaway. The old mansion — massive and unsettling — speaks to her the moment Holly sets eyes on it. Her girlfriend is less sure about it, but agrees to accompany Holly to the house. As they settle in, strange things begin to occur. Time begins to play tricks on them, and disturbing sounds are heard echoing in the empty halls. Soon, what begins as a writing retreat turns into a fight with something ancient and sinister that refuses to stand alone.

Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly McGhee

Death is present from the first page in Molly McGhee’s hotly anticipated and surprisingly touching debut novel, Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind . It’s a delightfully searing critique of late-stage capitalism in which McGhee examines what might happen if the worst of the worst in our society figured out a way to audit dreams.

Jonathan Abernathy has had a bad string of luck. He’s lonely, broke, and spinning his metaphorical wheels in the mud. When a job opportunity comes to him in a dream (literally), Jonathan jumps at the chance to change his life. He soon finds himself marking anxieties for removal from the dreams of white-collar workers, which is all well and good until the lines between his life and his work become increasingly unclear .

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske

If I had the ability to make everyone read one trilogy of books, it would be The Last Binding , Freya Marske’s phenomenal (and extremely spicy) fantasy series. No one intersperses gleeful, squeal-inducing sexual tension with tender and painfully human interactions between characters quite like Marske does. Think of your favorite romance trope. Is it rivals to lovers? Enemies to something more? Sunshine and grump? Forced proximity? Chances are you’ll find it in one of these books.

A Power Unbound is a deeply satisfying conclusion to this series. Not long after the devastating death of his twin sister, Jack Alston finds himself drawn back to an alluring world of magic and mystery he wants nothing to do with. Waiting for him is a bizarre London townhouse, a group of eccentric and unlikely friends, and the inimitable Alan Ross. A writer and a thief by trade, Alan finds Jack to be absolutely insufferable. Jack, on the other hand, finds Alan to be insufferable and very attractive.

When Jack’s ancestral home and the very foundations of magic are threatened, the two are forced to join forces and work out some kinks (both literally and figuratively, thanks to some clever pamphlets).

Polygon’s 2023 Fall Preview

• The 18 most exciting video game releases of fall 2023
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder brings awe back to 2D Mario
• Assassin’s Creed Mirage feels like more of a throwback than it should
• Alan Wake’s half of Alan Wake 2 is very Alan Wake
• Starfield design director Emil Pagliarulo says you may find God in its space — or lose faith
• Mortal Kombat 1 crams a multiverse of pain into one game
• I’m worried about the Persona 3 remake
• Sonic Superstars puts a glossy spin on old Sonic the Hedgehog gameplay
• Quest for Balance is the Lego Star Wars of Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Lords of the Fallen sure is a Soulslike video game
• Turns out, Persona 5 and XCOM make a promising match
• The biggest new movies to watch out for this fall
• Rebel Moon is meant to be Zack Snyder’s Star Wars — and an ultimate vindication
• The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes isn’t ‘a sequel for the sake of a sequel,’ says producer — it’s trickier
• 2023’s most original movies are still on their way
• Daryl Dixon’s creators want the Walking Dead spinoff to return to the show’s glory years
• Invincible’s creator previews season 2: ‘We know what you want, and we’re going to give it to you’
• The major new and returning TV shows to watch in fall 2023
• The 5 best Korean dramas to stream on Netflix this fall
• The Wheel of Time season 2 is just getting started
• The first adventure published for D&D’s 5th edition finally comes to a close
• Dungeons & Dragons introduces its first canonically autistic character
• To Ms. Marvel actor Iman Vellani, joining the X-Men is a lot like joining the MCU
• The best and biggest comics coming up in fall 2023
• The must-watch anime to look out for in fall 2023

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NPR Books Summer Poll 2021: A Decade Of Great Sci-Fi And Fantasy

We asked, you answered: your 50 favorite sci-fi and fantasy books of the past decade.

Petra Mayer

The question at the heart of science fiction and fantasy is "what if?" What if gods were real, but you could kill them ? What if humans finally made it out among the stars — only to discover we're the shabby newcomers in a grand galactic alliance ? What if an asteroid destroyed the East Coast in 1952 and jump-started the space race years early?

Summer Reader Poll 2021: Meet our expert judges

Summer Reader Poll 2018: Horror

Click if you dare: 100 favorite horror stories.

Summer Reader Poll 2019: Funny Books

We did it for the lols: 100 favorite funny books.

This year's summer reader poll was also shaped by a series of "what ifs" — most importantly, what if, instead of looking at the entire history of the field the way we did in our 2011 poll , we focused only on what has happened in the decade since? These past 10 years have brought seismic change to science fiction and fantasy (sometimes literally, in the case of N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth series), and we wanted to celebrate the world-shaking rush of new voices, new perspectives, new styles and new stories. And though we limited ourselves to 50 books this time around, the result is a list that's truly stellar — as poll judge Tochi Onyebuchi put it, "Alive."

As always, a pretty extensive decision-making process went into the list, involving our fabulous panel of expert judges — but we know you eager readers want to get right to the books. So if you're inclined, follow these links to find out how we built the list (and what, sadly, didn't make it this year ). Otherwise, scroll on for the list!

We've broken it up into categories to help you find the reading experience you're looking for, and you can click on these links to go directly to each category:

Worlds To Get Lost In · Words To Get Lost In · Will Take You On A Journey · Will Mess With Your Head · Will Mess With Your Heart · Will Make You Feel Good

Worlds To Get Lost In

Are you (like me) a world-building fanatic? These authors have built worlds so real you can almost smell them.

The Imperial Radch Trilogy

Breq is a human now — but once she was a starship. Once she was an AI with a vast and ancient metal body and troops of ancillaries, barely animate bodies that all carried her consciousness. Poll judge Ann Leckie has created a massive yet intricate interstellar empire where twisty galactic intrigues and multiple clashing cultures form a brilliant backdrop for the story of a starship learning to be a human being. Your humble editor got a copy of Ancillary Justice when it came out and promptly forced her entire family to read it.

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The Dead Djinn Universe (series)

What a wonderful world P. Djélì Clarke has created here — an Arab world never colonized, where magic-powered trams glide through a cosmopolitan Cairo and where djinns make mischief among humans. Clarke's novella Ring Shout also showed up on our semifinalists list, and it was hard to decide between them, but ultimately our judges felt the Dead Djinn Universe offered more to explore. But you should still read Ring Shout , a wild ride of a read where gun-toting demon-hunters go up against Ku Klux Klan members who are actual, pointy-headed white demons. Go on, go get a copy! We'll wait.

The Age of Madness Trilogy

One of my pet peeves with fantasy novels is they sometimes don't allow for the progression of time and technology — but in Joe Abercrombie's Age of Madness series, the follow-up to his debut First Law trilogy, industrialization has come to the world of The Union, and it's brought no good in its wake. More than that — machines may be rising, but magic will not give way, and all over the world, those at the bottom of the heap are beginning to get really, really angry. This series works as a standalone — but you should also read the excellent First Law series (even though it's old enough to fall outside the scope of this list).

The Green Bone Saga

This sprawling saga of family, honor, blood and magical jade will suck you in from the very first page. Poll judge Fonda Lee's story works on every conceivable level, from minute but meaningful character beats to solid, elegantly conveyed world-building to political intrigue to big, overarching themes of clan, loyalty and identity. Plus, wow, the jade-powered martial arts sequences are as fine as anything the Shaw Brothers ever put on screen. "Reviewing books is my actual job," says fellow judge Amal El-Mohtar, "but I still have to fight my husband for the advance copies of Fonda's books, and we're both THIS CLOSE to learning actual martial arts to assist us in our dueling for dibs."

The Expanse (series)

Yes, sure, you've seen the TV show (you HAVE, right? Right?) about the ragtag crew of spacers caught up in a three-way power struggle between Earth, Mars and the society that's developed on far-off asteroid belts. But there's much, much more to explore in the books — other planets, other characters, storylines and concepts that didn't make it to the screen. Often, when a book gets adapted for film or TV, there's a clear argument about which version is better. With The Expanse , we can confidently say you should watch and read. The only downside? Book- Avasarala doesn't show up until a few volumes in.

The Daevabad Trilogy

Nahri is a con woman (with a mysteriously real healing talent) scraping a living in the alleys of 18th century Cairo — until she accidentally summons some true magic and discovers her fate is bound to a legendary city named Daevabad, far from human civilization, home of djinns and bloody intrigues. Author S.A. Chakraborty converted to Islam as a teenager and after college began writing what she describes as "historical fanfiction" about medieval Islam; then characters appeared, inspired by people she met at her mosque. "A sly heroine capable of saving herself, a dashing hero who'd break for the noon prayer," she told an interviewer . "I wanted to write a story for us, about us, with the grandeur and magic of a summer blockbuster."

Teixcalaan (series)

The Aztecs meet the Byzantines in outer space in this intricately imagined story of diplomatic intrigue and fashionable poetic forms. Mahit Dzmare is an ambassador from a small space station clinging desperately to its independence in the face of the massive Teixcalaanli empire . But when she arrives in its glittering capital, her predecessor's dead, and she soon discovers she's been sabotaged herself. Luckily, it turns out she's incredibly good at her job, even without her guiding neural implant. "I'm a sucker for elegant worldbuilding that portrays all the finer nuances of society and culture in addition to the grandness of empire and the complexity of politics," says judge Fonda Lee. "Arkady Martine delivers all that in droves."

The Thessaly Trilogy

Apollo, spurned by Daphne, is trying to understand free will and consent by living as a mortal. Athena is trying to create a utopia by plucking men and women from all across history and dropping them on an island to live according to Plato's Republic. Will it all go according to plan? Not likely. "Brilliant, compelling, and frankly unputdownable," wrote poll judge Amal El-Mohtar , "this will do what your Intro to Philosophy courses probably couldn't: make you want to read The Republic ."

Shades of Magic Trilogy

V.E. Schwab has created a world with four Londons lying atop one another : our own dull Grey, warm magic-suffused Red, tyrannical White, and dead, terrifying Black. Once, movement among them was easy, but now only a few have the ability — including our hero, Kell. So naturally, he's a smuggler, and the action kicks off when Grey London thief Lila steals a dangerous artifact from him, a stone that could upset the balance among the Londons. Rich world building, complex characters and really scary bad guys make Schwab's London a city — or cities — well worth spending time in.

The Divine Cities Trilogy

On the Continent, you must not, you cannot, talk about the gods — the gods are dead. Or are they? Robert Jackson Bennett's Divine Cities trilogy builds a fully, gloriously realized world where gods are the source of power, miracles and oppression, and gods can also be killed. But what happens next, when the gods are gone and the work of running the world is left to regular human men and women? What happens in that unsettled moment when divinity gives way to technology? This series spans a long timeline; the heroes of the first volume are old by the end. "And as ancient powers clash among gleaming, modern skyscrapers, those who have survived from the first page to these last have a heaviness about them," writes reviewer Jason Sheehan , "a sense that they have seen remarkable things, done deeds both heroic and terrible, and that they can see a far and final horizon in the distance, quickly approaching."

The Wormwood Trilogy

Part of a recent wave of work celebrating and centering Nigerian culture, this trilogy is set in a future where a fungal alien invader has swallowed big global cities, America has shut itself away and gone dark, and a new city, Rosewater, has grown up around a mysterious alien dome in rural Nigeria. It's a wild mashup of alien invasion, cyberpunk, Afro-futurism and even a touch of zombie horror. "I started reading Rosewater on vacation and quickly set it down until I got home, because Tade Thompson's work is no light beach read," says judge Fonda Lee. "His writing demands your full attention — and amply rewards it."

Black Sun (series)

Author Rebecca Roanhorse was tired of reading epic fantasy with quasi-European settings, so she decided to write her own . The result is Black Sun , set in a world influenced by pre-Columbian mythology and rich with storms, intrigue, giant bugs, mysterious sea people, ritual, myth and some very scary crows. (They hold grudges, did you know?) This is only Book 1 of a forthcoming series, but we felt it was so strong it deserved to be here, no matter where Roanhorse goes next.

Words To Get Lost In

If you're one of those people who thought genre fiction writing was workmanlike and uninspiring, these books will change your mind.

Susanna Clarke at last returns to our shelves with this mind-bendingly glorious story — that's a bit hard to describe without spoiling. So we'll say it's about a mysterious man and the House that he dearly loves, a marvelous place full of changing light and surging tides, statues and corridors and crossings, birds and old bones and passing days and one persistent visitor who brings strangely familiar gifts. Clarke "limns a magic far more intrinsic than the kind commanded through spells," wrote reviewer Vikki Valentine , "a magic that is seemingly part of the fabric of the universe and as powerful as a cosmic engine — yet fragile nonetheless."

Imagine Circe, the fearsome witch of the Odyssey, as an awkward teenager, growing up lonely among scornful gods and falling for what we modern folks would call a f***boy, before coming into her own, using her exile on the island of Aiaia to hone her powers and build an independent life. Circe only shows up briefly in the Odyssey, but Madeline Miller gives her a lush, complex life in these pages. She has worked as a classics teacher, and as our reviewer Annalisa Quinn noted , Miller "extracts worlds of meaning from Homer's short phrases."

Mexican Gothic

A sharp young socialite in 1950s Mexico City travels to a creepy rural mansion to check on her cousin, who has fallen ill after marrying into a mysterious family of English landowners. What could possibly go wrong? Silvia Moreno-Garcia "makes you uneasy about invisible things by writing around them," said reviewer Jessica P. Wick. "Even when you think you know what lurks, the power to unsettle isn't diminished." Not to be too spoilery — but after reading this stylishly chilling novel, you'll never look at mushrooms the same way again.

The Paper Menagerie And Other Stories

"I taught Liu's 'The Man Who Ended History' in a graduate seminar one semester," says judge Tochi Onyebuchi, "and one of the toughest tasks I've ever faced in adulthood was crafting a lesson plan that went beyond me just going 'wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf' for the whole two hours. Some story collections are like those albums where the artist or record label just threw a bunch of songs together and said 'here,' and some collections arrive as a complete, cohesive, emotionally catholic whole. The Paper Menagerie is that."

Spinning Silver

Judges had a hard time deciding between Spinning Silver and Uprooted , Novik's previous fairy tale retelling. Ultimately, we decided that this reclamation of "Rumpelstiltskin" has a chewier, more interesting project, with much to say about money, labor, debt and friendship, explored in unflinching yet tender ways. Judge Amal El-Mohtar reviewed Spinning Silver for NPR when it came out in 2018. "There are so many mathemagicians in this book, be they moneylenders turning silver into gold or knitters working to a pattern," she wrote at the time . "It's gold and silver all the way down."

Exhalation: Stories

"I often get the same feeling reading a Ted Chiang story as I did listening to a Prince song while he was still with us," says judge Tochi Onyebuchi. "What a glorious privilege it is that we get to share a universe with this genius!" This poll can be a discovery tool for editors and judges as much as audience, so hearing that, your humble editor went straight to the library and downloaded a copy of this collection.

Olondria (series)

In Olondria, you can smell the ocean wind coming off the page, soldiers ride birds, angels haunt humans, and written dreams are terribly dangerous. "Have you ever seen something so beautiful that you'd be content to just sit and watch the light around it change for a whole day because every passing moment reveals even more unbearable loveliness and transforms you in ways you can't articulate?" asks judge Amal El-Mohtar. "You will if you read these books."

Her Body And Other Parties: Stories

These eight stories dance across the borders of fairy tale, horror, erotica and urban legend, spinning the familiar, lived experiences of women into something rich and strange. As the title suggests, Machado focuses on the unruly female body and all of its pleasures and risks (there's one story that's just increasingly bizarre rewrites of Law & Order: SVU episodes). At one point, a character implies that kind of writing is "tiresome and regressive," too much about stereotypical crazy lesbians and madwomen in the attic. But as our critic Annalisa Quinn wrote , "Machado seems to answer: The world makes madwomen, and the least you can do is make sure the attic is your own."

The Buried Giant

Axl and Beatrice are an elderly couple, living in a fictional Britain just after Arthur's time, where everyone suffers from what they call "mist," a kind of amnesia that hits long-term memories. They believe, they vaguely remember that they once had a son, so they set out to find him — encountering an elderly Sir Gawain along the way, and long-forgotten connections to Arthur's court and the dark deeds the mist is hiding. Poll judge Ann Leckie loves Arthurian legends. What she does not love are authors who don't do them justice — but with The Buried Giant , she says, Kazuo Ishiguro gets it solidly right.

Do you love space opera? Alternate history? Silent film? (OK, are you me?) Then you should pick up Catherynne M. Valente's Radiance , which mashes up all three in a gloriously surreal saga about spacefaring filmmakers in an alternate version of 1986, in which you might be able to go to Jupiter, but Thomas Edison's death grip on his patents means talkies are still a novelty. Yes, Space Opera did get more votes, but our judges genuinely felt that Radiance was the stronger book. Reviewing it in 2015, judge Amal El-Mohtar wrote , " Radiance is the sort of novel about which you have to speak for hours or hardly speak at all: either stop at 'it's magnificent' or roll on to talk about form, voice, ambition, originality, innovation for more thousands of words than are available to me here before even touching on the plot."

Will Take You On A Journey

Sure, all books are some kind of journey, but these reads really go the distance.

The Changeling

It's easy(ish) to summarize The Changeling : Rare book dealer Apollo Kagwa has a baby son with his wife, Emma, but she's been acting strange — and when she vanishes after doing something unspeakable, he sets out to find her. But his journey loops through a New York you've never seen before: mysterious islands and haunted forests, strange characters and shifting rhythms. The Changeling is a modern urban fairy tale with one toe over the line into horror, and wherever it goes, it will draw you along with it.

Wayfarers (series)

Becky Chambers writes aliens like no one else — in fact, humans are the backward newcomers in her generous, peaceful galactic vision. The Wayfarers books are only loosely linked: They all take place in the same universe, but apart from that you'll meet a new set of characters, a new culture and a new world (or an old world transformed). Cranky space pacifists, questing AIs, fugitives, gravediggers and fluffy, multi-limbed aliens who love pudding — the only flaw in this series is you'll wish you could spend more time with all of them.

Binti (series)

Binti is the first of her people, the Himba, to be offered a place at the legendary Oomza University, finest institution of learning in the galaxy — and as if leaving Earth to live among the stars weren't enough, Binti finds herself caught between warring human and alien factions. Over and over again throughout these novellas, Binti makes peace, bridges cultures, brings home with her even as she leaves and returns, changed by her experiences. Our judges agreed that the first two Binti stories are the strongest — but even if the third stumbles, as judge and critic Amal El-Mohtar wrote, "Perhaps the point is just having a Black girl with tentacles for hair possessing the power and freedom to float among Saturn's rings."

Lady Astronaut (series)

What would America's space program have looked like if, say, a gigantic asteroid had wiped out the East Coast in 1952 — and started a countdown to destruction for the rest of the world? We'd have had to get into space much sooner. And all the female pilots who served in World War II and were unceremoniously dumped back at home might have had another chance to fly. Mary Robinette Kowal's Hugo Award-winning series plays that out with Elma York, a former WASP pilot and future Lady Astronaut whose skill and determination help all of humanity escape the bonds of Earth. Adds judge Amal El-Mohtar: "Audiobook readers are in for a special treat here in that Kowal narrates the books herself, and if you've never had the pleasure of attending one of her readings, you get to experience her wonderful performance with bonus production values. It's especially cool given that the seed for the series was an audio-first short story."

Children of Time (duology)

Far in the future, the dregs of humanity escape a ruined Earth and find what they think is a new hope deep in space — a planet that past spacefarers terraformed and left for them. But the evolutionary virus that was supposed to jump-start a cargo of monkeys, creating ready-made workers, instead latched on to ... something else, and in the intervening years, something terrible has arisen there. Poll judge Ann Leckie says she can't stand spiders (BIG SAME), but even so, she was adamant that the Children of Time books deserve their spot here.

Wayward Children (series)

Everyone loves a good portal fantasy. Who hasn't looked in the back of the closet hoping, faintly, to see snow and a street lamp? In the Wayward Children series, Seanan McGuire reminds us that portals go both ways: What happens to those children who get booted back through the door into the real world, starry-eyed and scarred? Well, a lot of them end up at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children. The prolific McGuire turned up on our semifinalists list A Lot. We had a hard time deciding between this and her killer stand-alone Middlegame , but the Wayward Children won the day with their shimmering mix of fairy tale, fantasy and emotional heft — not to mention body positivity and solid queer and trans representation. (As with a lot of the also-rans, though, you should really read Middlegame too.)

The Space Between Worlds

There are 382 parallel worlds in Micaiah Johnson's debut novel, and humanity can finally travel between them — but there's a deadly catch. You can visit only a world where the parallel version of you is already dead. And that makes Cara — whose marginal wastelands existence means only a few versions of her are left — valuable to the high and mighty of her own Earth. "They needed trash people," Cara says, to gather information from other worlds. But her existence, already precarious, is threatened when a powerful scientist figures out how to grab that information remotely. "At a time when I was really struggling with the cognitive demands of reading anything for work or pleasure, this book flooded me with oxygen and lit me on fire," says judge Amal El-Mohtar. "I can't say for certain that it enabled me to read again, but in its wake, I could."

Will Mess With Your Head

Do you love twisty tales, loopy logic, unsolved mysteries and cosmic weirdness? Scroll on!

Black Leopard, Red Wolf

Poll judge Amal El-Mohtar once described Black Leopard, Red Wolf as " like being slowly eaten by a bear ." Fellow judge Tochi Onyebuchi chimes in: " Black Leopard, Red Wolf is a Slipknot album of a book. In all the best ways." Set in a dazzling, dangerous fantasy Africa, it is — at least on the surface — about a man named Tracker, in prison when we meet him and telling his life story to an inquisitor. Beyond that, it's fairly indescribable, full of roof-crawling demons, dust-cloud assassins, blood and (fair warning) sexual violence. A gnarly book, a difficult book, sometimes actively hostile to the reader — yet necessary, and stunning.

Southern Reach (series)

The Southern Reach books are, at least on the surface, a simple tale of a world gone wrong, of a mysterious "Area X" and the expeditions that have suffered and died trying to map it — and the strange government agency that keeps sending them in. But there's a lot seething under that surface: monsters, hauntings, a slowly building sense of wrong and terror that will twist your brain around sideways. "If the guys who wrote Lost had brought H.P. Lovecraft into the room as a script doctor in the first season," our critic Jason Sheehan wrote , "the Southern Reach trilogy is what they would've come up with."

The Echo Wife

Part sci-fi cautionary tale, part murder mystery, The Echo Wife is a twisty treat . At its center are a famed genetic researcher and her duplicitous husband, who uses her breakthrough technology to clone himself a sweeter, more compliant version of his wife before ending up dead. "As expertly constructed as a Patek Philippe watch," says poll judge Tochi Onyebuchi. "Seamlessly blends domestic thriller and science fiction," adds fellow judge Fonda Lee. "This book is going to haunt my thoughts for a long time."

The Locked Tomb (series)

This series is often described as "lesbian necromancers in space," but trust us, it's so much more than that. Wildly inventive, gruesome, emotional, twisty and funny as hell, the Locked Tomb books are like nothing you've ever read before. And we defy you to read them and not give serious consideration to corpse paint and mirror shades as a workable fashion statement. There are only two books out now, of a planned four-book series, but Gideon the Ninth alone is enough to earn Tamsyn Muir a place on this list: "Too funny to be horror, too gooey to be science fiction, has too many spaceships and autodoors to be fantasy, and has far more bloody dismemberings than your average parlor romance," says critic Jason Sheehan. "It is altogether its own thing."

Remembrance of Earth's Past (series)

Liu Cixin became the first author from Asia to win a Hugo Award for Best Novel, for The Three-Body Problem , the first volume in this series about one of the oldest questions in science fiction: What will happen when we meet aliens? Liu is writing the hardest of hard sci-fi here, full of brain-twisting passages about quantum mechanics and artificial intelligence (if you didn't actually know what the three-body problem was, you will now), grafted onto the backbone of a high-stakes political thriller. Poll judge Tochi Onyebuchi says, "These books divided me by zero. And, yes, that is a compliment."

Machineries of Empire (series)

In the Hexarchate, numbers are power: This interstellar empire draws its strength from rigidly enforced adherence to the imperial calendar, a system of numbers that can alter reality. But now, a "calendrical rot" is eating away at that structure, and it's up to a mathematically talented young soldier — and the ghost of an infamous traitor — to try to repair the rot while a war blazes across the stars around them. " Ninefox Gambit is a book with math in its heart, but also one which understands that even numbers can lie," our critic Jason Sheehan wrote . "That it's what you see in the numbers that matters most."

Will Mess With Your Heart

Books that'll make you cry, make you think — and sometimes make you want to hide under the bed.

The Broken Earth (series)

In the world of the Stillness, geological convulsions cause upheavals that can last for centuries — and only the orogenes, despised yet essential to the status quo — can control them. N.K. Jemisin deservedly won three back-to-back Hugo awards for these books, which use magnificent world building and lapidary prose to smack you in the face about your own complicity in systems of oppression. "Jemisin is the first — and so far only — person ever to have won a Hugo Award for Best Novel for every single book in a series. These books upheaved the terrain of epic fantasy as surely and completely as Fifth Seasons transform the geography of the Stillness," says poll judge Amal El-Mohtar.

Station Eleven

Author Emily St. John Mandel went on Twitter in 2020 and advised people not to read Station Eleven , not in the midst of the pandemic. But we beg to disagree. A story in which art (and particularly Shakespeare) helps humanity come back to itself after a pandemic wipes out the world as we know it might be just the thing we need. "Survival is insufficient," say Mandel's traveling players (a line she says she lifted from Star Trek ), and that's a solid motto any time.

This Is How You Lose the Time War

Enemies-to-lovers is a classic romance novel trope, and it's rarely been done with as much strange beauty as poll judge Amal El-Mohtar and co-author Max Gladstone pull off in this tale of Red and Blue, two agents on opposite sides of a war that's sprawled across time and space. "Most books I read are objects of study. And more often than not, I can figure out how the prose happened, how the character arcs are constructed, the story's architecture," says judge Tochi Onyebuchi. "But then along comes a thing so dazzling you can't help but stare at and ask 'how.' Amal and Max wrote a cheat code of a book. They unlocked all the power-ups, caught all the Chaos Emeralds, mastered all the jutsus, and honestly, I'd say it's downright unfair how much they flexed on us with Time War , except I'm so damn grateful they gave it to us in the first place." (As we noted above, having Time War on the list meant that Max Gladstone couldn't make a second appearance for his outstanding solo work with the Craft Sequence . But you should absolutely read those, too.)

The Poppy War Trilogy

What if Mao Zedong were a teenage girl? That's how author R.F. Kuang describes the central question in her Poppy War series . Fiery, ruthless war orphan Fang Runin grows up, attends an elite military academy, develops fire magic and wins a war — but finds herself becoming the kind of monster she once fought against. Kuang has turned her own rage and anger at historical atrocities into a gripping, award-winning story that will drag you along with it, all the way to the end. "If this were football, Kuang might be under investigation for PEDs," jokes judge Tochi Onyebuchi, referring to performance-enhancing drugs. "But, no, she's really just that good."

The Masquerade (series)

Baru Cormorant was born to a free-living, free-loving nation, but all that changed when the repressive Empire of Masks swept in, tearing apart her family, yet singling her out for advancement through its new school system. Baru decides the only way to free her people is to claw her way up the ranks of Empire — but she risks becoming the monster she's fighting against. "I've loved every volume of this more than the one before it, and the first one was devastatingly strong," says judge Amal El-Mohtar — who said of that first volume, "This book is a tar pit, and I mean that as a compliment."

An Unkindness of Ghosts

The Matilda is a generation ship, a vast repository of human life among the stars, cruelly organized like an antebellum plantation: Black and brown people on the lower decks, working under vicious overseers to provide the white upper-deck passengers with comfortable lives. Aster, an orphaned outsider, uses her late mother's medical knowledge to bring healing where she can and to solve the mystery of Matilda 's failing power source. Poll judge Amal El-Mohtar originally reviewed An Unkindness of Ghosts for us , writing "What Solomon achieves with this debut — the sharpness, the depth, the precision — puts me in mind of a syringe full of stars."

The Bird King

G. Willow Wilson's beautiful novel, set during the last days of Muslim Granada, follows a royal concubine who yearns for freedom and the queer mapmaker who's her best friend. "It is really devastating to a critic to find that the only truly accurate way of describing an author's prose is the word 'luminous,' but here we are," says judge Amal El-Mohtar. "This book is luminous. It is full of light, in searing mirror-flashes and warm candleflame flickers and dappled twists of heart-breaking insight into empire, war and religion."

American War

This was judge Tochi Onyebuchi's personal pick — a devastating portrait of a post-climate-apocalypse, post-Second Civil War America that's chosen to use its most terrifying and oppressive policies against its own people. "It despairs me how careless we are with the word 'prescient' these days, but when I finished American War , I truly felt that I'd glimpsed our future," Onyebuchi says. "Charred and scarred and shot through with shards of hope."

Poll judge Tochi Onyebuchi centers this story on the kind of person who's more often a statistic, rarely a fully rounded character: Kevin, who's young, Black and in prison . Born amid the upheaval around the Rodney King verdict, Kevin is hemmed in by structural and individual racism at every turn; meanwhile, his sister Ella has developed mysterious, frightening powers — but she still can't do the one thing she truly wants to do, which is to rescue her brother. This slim novella packs a punch with all the weight of history behind it; fellow judge Amal El-Mohtar says, "I've said it in reviews and I'll say it again here: This book reads like hot diamonds, as searing as it is precise."

On Fragile Waves

Every year, we ask our judges to add some of their own favorites to the list, and this year, Amal El-Mohtar teared up talking about her passion for E. Lily Yu's haunted refugee story On Fragile Waves . "I need everyone to read this book," she says. "I wept throughout it and for a solid half-hour once I had finished it, and I know it's hard to recommend books that make you cry right now, but I have no chill about this one: It is so important, it is so beautiful, and I feel like maybe if everyone read it the world would be a slightly less terrible place."

Will Make You Feel Good

Maybe, after the year we've just had, you want to read a book where good things happen, eventually? We've got you.

The Goblin Emperor

In a far corner of an elven empire, young half-goblin Maia learns that a mysterious accident has left him heir to the throne. But he has been in exile almost all his life — how can he possibly negotiate the intricate treacheries of the imperial court? Fairly well, as it turns out. Maia is a wonderful character, hesitant and shy at first, but deeply good and surprisingly adept at the whole being-an-emperor thing. The only thing wrong with The Goblin Emperor was that it was, for a long time, a stand-alone. But now there's a sequel, The Witness for the Dead — so if you love the world Katherine Addison has created, you've got a way back to it. "I just love this book utterly," says judge Amal El-Mohtar. "So warm, so kind, so generous."

Murderbot (series)

Oh Murderbot — we know you just want to be left alone to watch your shows, but we can't quit you. Martha Wells' series about a murderous security robot that's hacked its own governing module and become self-aware is expansive, action-packed, funny and deeply human . Also, your humble poll editor deeply wishes that someone would write a fic in which Murderbot meets Ancillary Justice 's Breq and they swap tips about how to be human over tea (which Murderbot can't really drink).

The Interdependency (series)

John Scalzi didn't mean to be quite so prescient when he started this trilogy about a galactic empire facing destruction as its interstellar routes collapse — a problem the empire knew about but ignored for all the same reasons we punt our problems today. "Some of that was completely unintentional," he told Scott Simon . "But some of it was. I live in the world." The Interdependency series is funny, heartfelt and ultimately hopeful, and packed with fantastic characters. To the reader who said they voted "because of Kiva Lagos," we say, us too.

The Martian

You don't expect a hard sci-fi novel to start with the phrase "I'm pretty much f****d," but it definitely sets the tone for Andy Weir's massive hit. Astronaut Mark Watney, stranded alone on Mars after an accident, is a profane and engaging narrator who'll let you know just how f****d he is and then just how he plans to science his way out of it. If you've only seen the movie, there's so much more to dig into in the book (including, well, that very first line).

Sorcerer to the Crown/The True Queen

A Regency romp with squabbling magicians, romance and intrigue, with women and people of color center stage? Yes, please! These two books form a wonderful balance. Sorcerer to the Crown is more whimsical and occasionally riotously funny despite its serious underlying themes. The True Queen builds out from there, looking at the characters and events of the first book with a different, more serious perspective. But both volumes are charming, thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable.

How We Built This

Wow, you're some dedicated readers! Thanks for coming all the way down here to find out more. As I said above, we decided to limit ourselves to 50 books this year instead of our usual 100, which made winnowing down the list a particular challenge. As you may know, this poll isn't a straight-up popularity contest, though, if it were, the Broken Earth books would have crushed all comers — y'all have good taste! Instead, we take your votes (over 16,000 this year) and pare them down to about 250 semifinalists, and then during a truly epic conference call, our panel of expert judges goes through those titles, cuts some, adds some and hammers out a final curated list.

What Didn't Make It — And Why

As always, there were works readers loved and voted for that didn't make our final list of 50 — it's not a favorites list if you can't argue about it, right? Sometimes, we left things out because we felt like the authors were well known enough not to need our help (farewell, The Ocean at the End of the Lane , Neil Gaiman, we hope you'll forgive us!), but mostly it happened because the books either came out before our cutoff date or already appeared on the original 2011 list. (Sorry, Brandon Sanderson! The first Mistborn book was actually on this year's list, until I looked more closely and realized it was a repeat from 2011.)

Some books didn't make it this year because we're almost positive they'll come around next year — next year being the 10th anniversary of our original 2012 YA poll, when (spoiler alert!) we're planning a similar redo. So we say "not farewell, but fare forward, voyagers" to the likes of Raybearer , Children of Blood and Bone and the Grishaverse books; if they don't show up on next year's list I'll, I don't know, I'll eat my kefta .

And this year, because we had only 50 titles to play with, we did not apply the famous Nora Roberts rule, which allows particularly beloved and prolific authors onto the list twice. So as much as it pains me, there's only one Seanan McGuire entry here, and Max Gladstone appears alongside poll judge Amal El-Mohtar for This Is How You Lose the Time War but not on his own for the excellent Craft Sequence . Which — as we said above — you should ABSOLUTELY read.

One Final Note

Usually, readers will vote at least some works by members of our judging panel onto the list, and usually, we let the judges themselves decide whether or not to include them. But this year, I put my editorial foot down — all four judges made it to the semifinals, and had we not included them, the final product would have been the less for it. So you'll find all four on the list. And we hope you enjoy going through it as much as we enjoyed putting it together!

Best sci-fi books: modern masterpieces & all-time classics

Here’s a scintillating selection of the best sci-fi books, with modern hits and sci-fi classics for you to enjoy.

• New sci-fi books
• Modern sci-fi books
• Classic sci-fi books

Explore the unknown from the comfort of your home, with the best sci-fi books of all time.

As we drift ever further into a fresh new year, it’s only natural for curious minds to hunger for something far-out and exotic and science fiction literature is the answer. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the occasion, whether it’s finding the perfect transportive book or discovering a rare gem to cozy up with during these cold, dark days.

Sci-fi comes in a wealth of varieties and flavors, and that’s what makes the genre so enticing for readers of all persuasions, from gung-ho military sci-fi, dire dystopian sagas, and revealing concept art editions, to old-fashioned space operas and terrifying extraterrestrial encounters.

If you're interested in checking out more of the science that inspires some of these amazing sci-fi tales, then check out our best space and astronomy books guide.

To cover more ground, we've split our guide into three categories: newly released sci-fi books (within the last year), modern sci-fi books, and classic sci-fi books. Now, sit back and enjoy our collection of the best sci-fi books out there.

Best new sci-fi books

1. the simulated multiverse.

Why you can trust Space.com Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test and review products.

• Author: Rizwan Virk
• Publisher: Bayview Books (2021)

MIT computer scientist, Silicon Valley video game guru, and bestselling author Rizwan Virk (“The Simulation Hypothesis”) explores the wild notion of a complex multiverse that has generated legions of believers over the past decade. 

Here Virk offers up mind-scrambling dissections of provocative topics like parallel universes, infinite timelines, quantum computing, alternate simulated realities, contorted definitions of space and time, and the Mandela Effect (a phenomenon in which the minority of the population recalls memories of past events different from the consensus). Think “The Man in the High Castle” high on both the blue and red pill from “ The Matrix .” It’s a fascinating explanation of our world that might shake the foundations of your digital reality, but does so in a totally digestible style.

2. The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

• Author: Amy Ratcliffe
• Publisher: Abrams (2021)

This isn’t nearly as exciting as an actual trip to Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World, but it costs far less and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the theme parks’ newest Star Wars lands. Written by pop culture expert and theme park aficionado, Amy Ratcliffe, this deluxe 256-page coffee table book displays the incredible portfolio of pre-visualization art that inspired the creation of the fictional world of Galaxy’s Edge and its bustling Black Spire Outpost on the Outer Rim planet of Batuu. 

“We looked back on work that happened over five years ago in some cases, but everyone recalled their thought processes and their excitement about working in the Star Wars galaxy,” Ratcliffe told Space.com. “I think readers will not only get an idea of the immense amount of work that went into developing such an ambitious land, but they’ll also see how much care and thoughtfulness went into it.” 

Walt Disney Imagineering’s trademark creative method comes alive using a constellation of vivid concept artworks, sketches, attraction blueprints, photos, and exclusive interviews with the talented team of Imagineers who helped construct the illusion of a life-size Star Wars trading destination.

• Buy “The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” now on Amazon

3. Providence

• Author: Max Berry
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons (2020)

Quietly released during the height of the global pandemic panic, Max Barry’s (“Lexicon”) novel deserves a spot on our list as it’s one of the best sci-fi novels of the decade. It spins a compelling yarn about a weird race of hive-like, amorphous aliens that spit miniature black holes as defensive weapons and the AI-driven battleship called the Providence Five and its small four-person crew sent to deep space to annihilate them. 

Seven years after a tragic first contact event that left several astronauts dead, this hyper-aware spaceship gradually travels inside enemy territory where it becomes paranoid ala HAL-9000 in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” resulting in some frightening encounters transmitted back to Earth to a captivated global audience. Fans of The Expanse will devour this book before another plasma round explodes!

• Buy “Providence” now on Amazon

4. Leviathan Falls

• Author:  James S. A. Corey
• Publisher: Orbit (2021)

As wise minds once said, all good things must end, and so it is with the best-selling series of military sci-fi novels “The Expanse”. On Nov. 30, the ninth and final book of Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham’s (writing as James S. A. Corey) immensely popular saga landed on Earth. The book dropped just before the sixth and last season of Amazon Prime’s “The Expanse” TV series began airing in December (psst... if you like this TV show, you might like some other of the best sci-fi TV shows based on books ). Following 2019’s “Tiamat’s Wrath,” this climactic volume picks up after the Laconian Empire falls and 1,300 systems are free of the tyrannical rule of Winston Duarte.

In this intense grand finale, Elvi Okoye commands a last-ditch quest to the Adro system to learn more about the enigmatic alien presence known as the gate builders and what long-lost nemesis ended their cosmic construction projects. Back aboard the Rocinante, Captain James Holden and his intrepid colleagues attempt to peaceably reunite Mankind out of the innumerable calamities that have come before.

“We’re going to pay off the promises we’ve been making in the first eight books and complete the story,” Abraham told Space.com. “That’s all we can really promise. And it is the last one. We’re not leaving it open for sequels and prequels and side stories. We wanted to tell one complete story and have a satisfying finish and hopefully that’s what we’re delivering.”

• Buy “Leviathan Falls” now on Amazon

5. Shards of Earth

• Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky 

Adrian Tchaikovsky is the Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author of “Children of Time” and if you’ve never read his tight, rhythmic prose, you’re in for a real treat.

The storyline is set in the aftermath of an 80-year war against angry aliens called the Architects. Idris Telemmier is a genetically-modified soldier once used as a telepathic weapon in the decades-long battle. With the inability to grow older or sleep since the conflict ceased, Idris now exists aboard a salvage spaceship named Vulture God. Humans created these intimidating soldiers who could connect mentally with the enemy when the Earth died.

A half-century later, Idris and his team have happened upon some discarded object that’s clearly of the Architects’ design. Does this signal the aggressive race’s resurgence in this part of the galaxy? Chased by criminals, fanatics, and politicians while custodians of a rare alien item, Idris zooms through the heavens trying to evade his pursuers while seeking the ultimate truth.

• Buy “Shards of Earth” now on Amazon

6. At the Mountains of Madness: Volumes 1 and 2

• Author: H. P. Lovecraft
• Illustrator: François Baranger
• Publisher: Design Studio Press (2020/21)

Fans of H. P. Lovecraft’s unforgettable sci-fi horror novella will savor this impressive oversized hardback adaptation showcasing the absorbing art of French illustrator François Baranger. The recounting of a doomed Miskatonic University expedition to sub-zero Antarctica where specimens of an ancient alien species are discovered in a crumbling stone city is now accompanied by frozen landscapes of otherworldly dread.

Baranger is well known for his work as an internationally-recognized concept designer for popular movies and video games, and here he’s achieved the difficult task of reimagining one of Lovecraft’s most terrifying tales into pure nightmare material. Volume 2 was just released on December 22 to complete the set!

• Buy “At the Mountains of Madness: Volume 1” now on Amazon
• Buy “At the Mountains of Madness: Volume 2” now on Amazon

7. Frank Herbert’s Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 1

• Author: Frank Herbert
• Adapted by: Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
• Illustrators: Bill Sienkiewicz (cover), Raúl Allén, and Patricia Martín
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (2020)

With the success of director Denis Villeneuve’s epic rendition of the seminal 1965 sci-fi novel last year, you might want to check out this stunning graphic novel rendition adapted by Herbert’s son, Brian Herbert, and collaborator Kevin J. Anderson. This pair of writers has vastly expanded the scale and scope of the original “Dune” with over a dozen prequel and sequel novels over the last 22 years. This is the first time the masterwork has been offered in a premium illustrated format (the debut release of a trilogy), now richly adorned with artwork by artists Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín, and an epic cover by Eisner Award-winning illustrator Bill Sienkiewicz. 

“His vast library did not include very many comics or graphic novels, but in his newspaper career he was not only a feature writer but also a professional photographer,” Herbert told Space.com , speaking about his father’s cinematic eye. “He used to tell me that he wrote scenes in his novels – and especially in “Dune” – with a camera in mind, as if he were looking at each scene through the lens of a camera.”

• Buy “Frank Herbert’s Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 1” now on Amazon

8. The Empire Strikes Back: From a Certain Point of View

• Authors and artists: Tom Angleberger, Sarwat Chadda, S. A. Chakraborty, Mike Chen, Adam Christopher, Katie Cook, Zoraida Córdova, Delilah S. Dawson, Tracy Deonn, Seth Dickinson, Alexander Freed, Jason Fry, Hank Green, Christie Golden, Rob Hart, Lydia Kang, Michael Kogge, R. F. Kuang, C. B. Lee, Mackenzi Lee, John Jackson Miller, Michael Moreci, Daniel José Older, Mark Oshiro, Amy Ratcliffe, Beth Revis, Lilliam Rivera, Cavan Scott, Emily Skrutskie, Karen Strong, Anne Toole, Catherynne M. Valente, Austin Walker, Martha Wells, Django Wexler, Kiersten White, Gary Whitta, Brittany N. Williams, Charles Yu, and Jim Zub
• Publisher: Del Rey (2020)

To help celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Del Rey released a stout, 576-page hardcover stuffed with 40 short stories featuring unsung supporting Star Wars heroes, villains, droids, and aliens from the 1980 film. Ever wondered what it’s like caring for tauntauns on the icy world of Hoth? Or about the goings on in the dark depths of Cloud City? Well, now you can find out!

This entertaining anthology showcases contributions by bestselling authors and well-known artists like Austin Walker, Hank Green, Tracy Deonn, Delilah Dawson, Alexander Freed, John Jackson Miller, Anne Toole, and many more. Participating writers generously donated compensations for their tales and proceeds will be given to First Book, a nonprofit providing learning materials to educators and organizations serving kids in need.

• Buy “The Empire Strikes Back: From a Certain Point of View” now on Amazon

9. Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry

• Authors: Dan Curry and Ben Robinson
• Publisher: Titan Books (2020)

For Star Trek junkies and tech-heads wanting to delve deep into the sensational special effects and worldbuilding of the Star Trek franchise, there’s no bolder release than this lavish volume written by seven-time Emmy Award-winning visual effects supervisor and director, Dan Curry. For three decades, Curry has contributed concept art, title sequences, matte paintings, spaceship design, and practical weapons to numerous series and spin offs including The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. Written by Curry and Ben Robinson, this is a 204-page treasure packed with rare sketches, concept art, behind-the-scenes stills, and never-seen storyboards celebrating the accomplishments of one of Star Trek’s most acclaimed artisans.

“The illusions that created the universe of Star Trek were the result of many gifted and dedicated artists,” Curry told Space.com. “There was no single hero of its visual effects. I was very fortunate to design and create a lot of things that became part of the Star Trek franchise. I feel it was a decent legacy to leave behind when I ultimately move into the non-biological phase of existence.”

• Buy “Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry” now on Amazon

10. The Last Watch

• Authors: J. S. Dewes
• Publisher: Tor Books (2021)

Here’s a rousing space adventure by author J. S. Dewes that chronicles the vigilant crew of the Argus as they perform guard duty against an extraterrestrial threat at the far limits of the universe. This impressive series debut is part of a two-book project called “The Divide” and boasts a motley collection of soldiers led by commander Adequin Rake, who endeavors to protect her crew and humanity from a collapsing cosmic anomaly.

It’s basically “The Expanse” meets “The Dirty Dozen” where a rag-tag group of Sentinels must pull together to save themselves and ensure a viable future. An excellent example of military sci-fi pumped up with pathos, memorable characters, and a relentless juggernaut of a plot. Its sequel, “The Exiled Fleet,” arrived this past August so you won’t have to wait for the follow up!

• Buy “The Last Watch” (The Divide Series, 1) now on Amazon
• Buy “The Exiled Fleet” (The Divide Series, 2) now on Amazon

Best modern sci-fi books

• Authors: Daniel Suarez
• Publisher: Dutton (2019)

In "Delta-v," an unpredictable billionaire recruits an adventurous cave diver to join the first-ever effort to mine an asteroid. The crew's target is asteroid Ryugu, which in real life Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft has been exploring since June 2018. 

From the use of actual trajectories in space and scientific accuracy, to the title itself, Delta-v — the engineering term for exactly how much energy is expended performing a maneuver or reaching a target — Suarez pulls true-to-life details into describing the exciting and perilous mission. The reward for successful asteroid mining is incredible, but the cost could be devastating.

2. The Lady Astronaut series - The Calculating Stars/The Fated Sky/The Relentless Moon 

• Author: Mary Robinette Kowal
• Publisher: Tor Books (2018-2020)

What if space exploration wasn't a choice but a necessity, driven by the knowledge that Earth would soon become uninhabitable and powered by international coalitions built after a catastrophic meteorite impact? That's the alternative history novelist Mary Robinette Kowal explores in her Lady Astronaut series. 

The books follow mathematician and World War II pilot Elma York, who dreams of becoming an astronaut herself. Kowal intricately melds real history with her fictional plot to create a series that is simultaneously hopeful and pragmatic. The Lady Astronaut offers a powerful vision of how spaceflight could be a positive force in society.

3. Red Moon

• Author: Kim Stanley Robinson
• Publisher: Orbit (2018)

Red Moon, the latest novel from legendary science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, blends realism and drama in a way that instantly transports the reader to the lunar surface. The book, which takes place 30 years into the future, opens on the journeys of Fred Fredericks, an American quantum engineer working for a Swiss company, and Ta Shu, a poet, feng shui expert and celebrity travel reporter to the moon where they are traveling to work. In the world of the book, China has become the first political and technological entity to inhabit the moon in a serious, long-term way.

At first, as a reader, you may find yourself adjusting to the character's clumsy movements in lunar gravity and anticipating what life on the moon might really be like, but the story takes a shocking turn and life on the moon turns out to be much different from what you may have expected. "Red Moon" does an incredible job immersing the reader in a captivating alien, yet still familiar, world while at the same time staying grounded in a reality that we could truly one day face.

4. Before Mars

• Author: Emma Newman
• Publisher: Ace (2018)

Emma Newman's latest book set in her "Planetfall" universe, "Before Mars," sees a geologist arriving at a small Mars base after a lengthy journey only to realize that things aren't as they seem. The base's AI is untrustworthy, the psychologist seems sinister, and the main characters finds a note to herself she has no memory of writing. In a world of perfectly immersive virtual reality, can she trust what she sees? Or did the long trip take a toll on her sanity? "Before Mars" takes place on an eerie, largely empty Mars after a giant corporation buys the rights to the planet.

It's a thrilling read but — like Newman's other "Planetfall" books — also a deep dive into the protagonist's psychology as she grapples with what she discovers on the Red Planet. "Before Mars" and the other books in the same universe (" Planetfall " and " After Atlas ") can be read in any order, but Space.com highly recommends giving them all a look.

• Author: Andy Weir
• Publisher: Crown (2017)

In " The Martian " (Crown, 2014) first-time author Andy Weir gave voice to the sardonic, resourceful botanist Mark Watney as he struggled for survival stranded on Mars. In his second novel, "Artemis," he follows Jazz Bashara, a porter (and smuggler) on the moon who's drawn into a crime caper. 

Weir brings a similar meticulous detail to his descriptions of the moon as the ultimate tourist destination as he did to Watney's misadventures on Mars, but his characterization of Jazz doesn't play to his writing strengths like Watney's log entries did. Still, "Artemis" is an entertaining romp through a really intriguing future moon base, with plenty of one-sixth-gravity action and memorable twists. It's well worth the read. Plus, there's an audiobook version  read by Rosario Dawson .

6. Provenance

• Author: Ann Leckie
• Publisher: Orbit (2017)

A young woman plots to find stolen artifacts in "Provenance," which takes place in the same universe as author Ann Leckie's award-winning  "Ancillary" trilogy  of books — but introduces readers to a new selection of future human cultures with a more straightforward and less high-concept adventure story. 

Don't let that fool you, though: The book's exploration of multiculture, multispecies conflict (with aliens called the Geck) works just as much intriguing worldbuilding into the mix as her previous books. Plus, there are mind-controlled robots, stolen alien ships and a society with three genders.

7. Leviathan Wakes - The Expanse series

• Author: James S.A. Corey
• Publisher: Orbit (2011)

200 years in the future, humanity has colonized the solar system and is split among three factions on the brink of conflict: Earth, Mars and the Asteroid Belt, which includes the spinning Ceres asteroid colony. As multiple viewpoint characters are ensnared in a system-wide mystery, the story's scope slowly broadens to reveal the full complexity of the novels' science fiction world. The books, co-written by Dan Abraham and Ty Franck, originally stemmed from a  tabletop roleplaying game idea , and it shows through the detailed worldbuilding and exploration of a solar system remade in humanity's image. Plus, it's a fun, tightly-plotted set of spacefaring adventure stories.

The series is slated for nine books, and they've appeared steadily one per year from 2011-2015 for a total of five so far (plus some tie-in novellas). They're also the basis for Syfy's TV show "The Expanse," recently renewed for a 13-episode second season. Book six, "Babylon's Ashes," is slated for release December 2016.

See  here  and  here  for Q&As with the series' authors describing the book's inception and the TV show's development (plus, the coolest sci-fi in the series).

• Publisher: Orbit (2015)

After numerous novels and short stories probing humanity's trials in the near future, far future and distant past, science fiction master Kim Stanley Robinson offers his own highly detailed spin on the challenge of interstellar travel in his new book "Aurora" (Orbit, 2015).

Humanity's first trip to another star is incredibly ambitious, impeccably planned and executed on a grand scale in "Aurora." The novel begins near the end of a 170-year mission aboard a spaceship carrying roughly 2,000 humans to the seemingly Earth-like moon of a planet orbiting a nearby star, Tau Ceti.

Told largely from the perspective of the ship's computer, "Aurora" emphasizes the fragile unity of all the living and nonliving parts aboard the starship as it hurtles through space. As the story of the landing unfolds, the narrative doesn't shy away from the science or the incredible complexity of a 2,000-person, multigenerational ship. The spacecraft is portrayed as one organism that can have conflicting interests or fall out of balance but that ultimately has to work in concert to reach its destination intact.

Best classic sci-fi books

1. the martian chronicles.

• Author: Ray Bradbury
• Publisher: Doubleday (1951)

In case you haven't heard of him, Ray Bradbury is an  icon of science fiction writing . In "The Martian Chronicles," Bradbury explores the gradual human settlement of the Red Planet, through a series of lightly connected stories. Bradbury paints the Martian landscape and its inhabitants with master strokes, but equally strong is his portrayal of the psychological dangers that await the human settlers who arrive there. 

This, as well as the space-themed stories in Bradbury's other classic collection "The Illustrated Man," struck a chord with me when I was young and dreamed about traveling to the stars. Reading his work today, it is amazing to see that although Bradbury writes from a time when human space travel hadn't yet begun (the book was first published in 1950), the issues and questions his stories raise are still relevant as humanity takes its first steps into that great frontier.

2. Ender's Game

• Author: Orson Scott Card
• Publisher: Tor Books (1985)

This classic science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card should be ever-present on any space fan's bookshelf. Card's novel follows the life of Ender Wiggin as he learns to fight the Formics, a horrifying alien race that almost killed off all humans when they attacked years and years ago. 

Wiggin learns the art of space war aboard a military space station built to help train young people to fight the cosmic invaders. Basically, this book is a coming-of-age tale that makes you want to fly to space and also forces you to think about some serious social issues presented in its pages. (The book is the first in a quintet, and inspired a much larger body of work that takes place in the same universe.)

3. The Martian

• Publisher: Random House (2014)

"The Martian," by Andy Weir, is a truly great science fiction book that's heavy on the science. Weir tells the story of Mark Watney, a fictional NASA astronaut stranded on Mars, and his difficult mission to save himself from potential doom in the harsh Red Planet environment. Watney seems to have everything against him, yet Weir deftly explains not only what Watney's survival needs are but also how he goes about trying to make them work. "The Martian" also was made into a movie, which was released in 2015. The film stars Matt Damon as Watney and is directed by space movie veteran Ridley Scott.

• Publisher: Chilton Books (1965)

In "Dune," Frank Herbert imagines a vast, intricate future universe ruled by an emperor who sets the Atreides and Harkonnen families warring over the desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. The arid world holds the only source of the spice mélange, necessary for space travel. Spread across star systems, "Dune" teems with wild characters: human computers (Mentats), tribal fighters (Fremen), mind-controlling "witches" (Bene Gesserit Sisterhood) and humans ranging from the corrupt Baron Harkonnen to Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides, whose journey from a sheltered childhood anchors the story. 

Early on, the Baron says, "Observe the plans within plans within plans," summing up the adversaries' wary analyses of each faction's complex motivations. This cerebral second-guessing balances with epic action throughout the book, centering on the perhaps best-known feature of the Duniverse: the monstrous spice-producing sandworms. The best-selling novel raised science fiction literature to greater sophistication by including themes of technology, science, politics, religion and ecology, although the burgeoning Dune franchise remains less popular than Star Wars (which borrowed heavily from "Dune").

5. Hyperion - Hyperion Cantos Series

• Author: Dan Simmons
• Publisher: Doubleday (1989)

Part space epic, part "Canterbury Tales," "Hyperion" tells the story of seven pilgrims who travel across the universe to meet their fate, and the unspeakably evil Shrike, who guards the Time Tombs on the planet Hyperion. 

On the way, each pilgrim tells his or her own tale, and each world is so exquisitely created that it's hard to believe it all came from the mind of one author. The tale of the scholar whose daughter ages backward after her visit to the Tombs, and his quest to save her as she returns to childhood, is my favorite — it's heartbreaking and terrifying at the same time.

• Author: Frederik Pohl
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (1977)

"Gateway" is the first science fiction book I ever read, because my father, a longtime sci-fi junkie, had loved it. It's an intense read that explores why we make the choices we do, and how we deal with the consequences of those choices in the black vacuum of space. In "Gateway," those with the money to leave the dying Earth can hitch a ride on a starship that will either make them wealthy beyond their wildest dreams or lead them to a grim and possibly violent death. Or, like our hero, you could wind up in the grip of a massive black hole and have to make difficult decisions that lead you to the couch of an electronic shrink.

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Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.

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29 of the Best Science Fiction Books Everyone Should Read

Looking for your next sci-fi must-read? Cyberpunk, space operas, dystopias – we've pulled together some of the WIRED team's favourite science fiction novels. Some are eerily plausible, others are wild trips of the imagination, but all present compelling visions of our possible future. Listed here in chronological order for completists.

You may also enjoy our guides to best sci-fi movies and the best space movies , too. If you're after more reading inspiration, try our selection of the best fantasy books and we have a guide to the best audiobooks if you're feeling lazy.

It's Prime Day 2023, so we've uncovered the top discounts. Check out the best Prime Day deals in the UK here.​​

The Blazing World, by Margaret Cavendish (1666)

This book is arguably the first science fiction book ever written. The Blazing World's language may be dated, but this fearless feminist text from Margaret Cavendish is packed full of imagination is not just incredibly brave for its time. It's also still incredibly relevant; cited as inspiration by writers including China Miéville and Alan Moore.

Cavendish's utopian tale follows the adventures of a kidnapped woman, who travels to another world run by part-humans, part animals - fox men, fish men, geese men, the list goes on. As she is a very beautiful woman, she becomes their Empress, and organises an an almighty invasion of her own world, complete with literal fire(stones) raining from the sky.

Price: £10 | Amazon | Waterstones | Wordery | Audible trial

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley (1818)

Mary Shelley started writing classic gothic thriller Frankenstein when she was 18 years old. Two centuries later, it is a major ancestor of both the science fiction and horror genres, tackling huge themes like the nature of life and death, immortality and genetic engineering. It is a pro-science novel that at its heart shows Dr Frankenstein as the callous fiend of the story, who created a being and was not willing to accept responsibility for his actions. 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.

Price: £6 | Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells | Audible trial

Foundation, by Isaac Asimov (1951)

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. In the Foundation series, he’s in another mode entirely, charting the rise and fall of empires in sweeping brush strokes. 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.

Will Knight

The Foundation series follows Hari Seldon, who is the architect of psychohistory – a branch of mathematics that can make accurate predictions thousands of years in advance, and which Seldon believes is necessary to save the human race from the dark ages. You can see why it’s one of Elon Musk’s favourite books (along with The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy , and The Moon is A Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein – also recommended). A long-awaited screen adaptation is one of the flagship shows of Apple TV+.

Price: £8 | Amazon | Waterstones | Wordery | Audible trial

The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester (1957)

This landmark novel begins with a simple proposition – what if humans could teleport? – and sprawls into a tale of rebirth and vengeance that winds across the Solar System: The Count of Monte Cristo for the interstellar age. First published as Tiger! Tiger! in the UK, named after the William Blake poem, it follows Gully Foyle – a violent, uneducated brute who spends six months marooned in deep space, and the rest of the book seeking retribution for it.

Price: £9 | Amazon | Waterstones | Audible trial

Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem (1961)

If you think you know Solaris from the 2002 Steven Soderbergh film, the original book may come as a bit of a surprise. Written by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem in 1961, this short novel is heavier on philosophy than plot. It follows a team of humans on a space station who are trying to understand the mysterious living ocean on the planet Solaris, with little success – their research is limited to lengthy descriptions that paint a vibrant picture of the alien planet but fail to elucidate how it works. As they poke and prod, Solaris ends up exposing more about them than it does about itself, with the book demonstrating the futility of humans trying to comprehend something not of their world.

Price: £9 | Amazon | Waterstones | Wordery | Audible trial

Dune, by Frank Herbert (1965)

In 2012, WIRED US readers voted Dune the best science-fiction novel of all time. It’s also the best-selling of all time, and has inspired a mammoth universe, including 18 books set over 34,000 years and a terrible 1984 movie adaptation by David Lynch, his worst film by far. A very different effort was released in 2021, directed by Denis Villeneuve. The series is set 20,000 years in the future in galaxies stuck in the feudal ages, where computers are banned for religious reasons and noble families rule whole planets. We focus on the planet Arrakis, which holds a material used as a currency throughout the Universe for its rarity and mind-enhancing powers. Lots of giant sandworms, too.

Price: £10 | Amazon | Waterstones | Foyles | Audible trial

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein (1966)

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.

Ice, by Anna Kavan (1967)

Anna Kavan's last (and best) sci fi novel provides a haunting, claustrophobic vision of the end of the world, where an unstoppable monolithic ice shelf is slowly engulfing the earth and killing everything in its wake. 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. He frequently crosses paths with the Warden, the sometimes-husband but also captor of the young woman, who is always one step ahead. And as the ice closes off almost all paths by land and sea, he is running out of time to catch them up.

The novel reads like a grown-up, nightmarish version of Alice in Wonderland : Kavan takes you on a journey that is hallucinogenic and unsettling, with no regard to whether the narrator is dreaming or awake. But the true genius of the book is its language - depicting a powerful allegory crushing pain of addiction, loneliness and mental illness will do little to cheer you up, but will capture your attention.

Price: £8 | Amazon | Waterstones | Foyles | Audible trial

The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin (1969)

Le Guin alternated between genres during her prolific career, and this intricate novel came out the year after the classic fantasy book A Wizard of Earthsea . The bulk of the action takes place on Winter, a remote Earth-like planet where it’s cold all year round, and everyone is the same gender. It was one of the first novels to touch on ideas of androgyny – which is viewed from the lens of protagonist Genly Ai, a visitor from Earth who struggles to understand this alien culture.

A Scanner Darkly, by Philip K Dick (1977)

A curious novel that reads less like sci-fi and more like a hallucinated autobiography detailing the author’s struggle with drug addiction. In a near-future California, vice cop Bob Arctor lives undercover with a community of drug addicts hooked on devastating psychoactive dope Substance D. Arctor, who needs to don a special “scramble suit” to hide his face and voice when meeting his fellow cops, has to grapple with gradually losing his sense of self.

Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler (1979)

Though Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred was published more than 40 years ago, it carries lessons and learnings that we can all still use today. When African-American writer, Dana finds herself transported from 1979 Los Angeles to the pre-Civil War Antebellum south to repeatedly save her white slave-owning ancestor, she must confront the horrendous reality of surviving slavery while not losing her modern day identity. This is only more complicated when she accidentally transports back with her white husband.

The novel explores major themes of power, race and inequality. Butler’s contextualising of this era is devastating; the way in which she contrasts modern day 1979 with the pre-Civil War age offers a different perspective on the complicated and degrading reality of slavery. 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.

Neuromancer, by William Gibson (1984)

The definitive cyberpunk novel, William Gibson’s Neuromancer follows hacker-turned-junkie Henry Case as he tries to pull off one last, rather dodgy sounding job in the hope of reversing a toxin that prevents him from accessing cyberspace. Set in a dystopian Japanese underworld, the novel touches on all manner of futuristic technology, from AI to cryonics, and features a cast of creative characters that will stick with you long after you turn the last page.

Consider Phlebas, by Iain Banks (1987)

Back in 1987, after four acclaimed fiction novels, Iain Banks published his first sci-fi book, Consider Phlebas , a true space opera and his first book of many to feature the Culture, an interstellar utopian society of humanoids, aliens and sentient machines ostensibly run by hyper-intelligent AI "Minds". A war rages across the galaxy with one side fighting for faith, the other a moral right to exist. 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.

Hyperion, by Dan Simmons (1989)

Winner of the 1990 Hugo Award for Best Novel and part of a two-book series, Hyperion is a richly woven sci-fi epic told in the style of The Canterbury Tales . In the world of Hyperion , humanity has spread to thousands of worlds, none more intriguing or dangerous as Hyperion. It's home to the Time Tombs, ageless structures which are mysteriously travelling backward through time, and guarding them is the terrifying creature known as the Shrike. It kills anyone who dares encroach on the Time Tombs and has inspired a fanatical religious group who control pilgrimages to the tombs. On the eve of an invasion, a group of travellers convene what's likely to be the last Shrike pilgrimage and share their tales of what brought them there.

Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton (1990)

Before it mutated into the mega media franchise “Jurassic World”, Jurassic Park was a smart, thoughtful and gripping sci-fi classic written by Michael Crichton, author of the equally brilliant Andromeda Strain. Crichton's tale remains a great parable about the dangers of genetic engineering, (as well as a slightly heady exploration of chaos theory). His descriptions of dinosaurs are also brilliant, like the T-Rex: "Tim felt a chill, but then, as he looked down the animal's body, moving down from the massive head and jaws, he saw the smaller, muscular forelimb. It waved in the air and then it gripped the fence."

Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson (1992)

Frantic, fun and almost suspiciously prescient, Snow Crash grabs you from its opening sequence – a high-speed race through an anarchic Los Angeles that has been carved up into corporate-owned ‘burbclaves’ – and barely lets up. 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. It combines neurolinguistics, ancient mythology and computer science, and eerily predicts social networks, cryptocurrency and Google Earth.

Price: £9 | Amazon | Waterstones | Wondery | Audible trial

Vurt, by Jeff Noon (1993)

“Vurt is a feather - a drug, a dimension, a dream state, a virtual reality.” That’s what the back of this 1993 cyberpunk novel reads, and it’s a perfect way into the chaotic and surreal world of Vurt . Set in a gritty future Manchester, Vurt follows the story of Scribble, who’s on a mission to find his sister Desdemona who he believes is trapped inside a feather called Curious Yellow. That’s right, a feather. Vurt is about virtual reality, but not the strapping on a headset kind. Instead, people put feathers into their mouths to visit different dimensions and states of consciousness. Written in a frantic, dark and funny way that makes the action feel like it’s bouncing along beside you, Vurt won the Arthur C. Clarke award in 1994 and has since become a cult classic – although it’s not always easy to find a copy.

Price: £17 | Amazon | Audible trial

Under The Skin, by Michel Faber (2000)

Set in Scotland, Under The Skin is about an alien who’s sent to Earth to drug hitchhikers that she then delivers to her home planet. Despite being here to lead people to their deaths, she’s contemplative about Earth and nature. We’re used to considering what an alien visiting Earth for the first time might think about certain things, but the way Faber writes about Isserley’s experiences feels fresh, strange and, at times, oddly beautiful.

At times, Under The Skin is profoundly unnerving and difficult to read. But it’s not gratuitous. Elements of the novel are meant to be satirical, touching on present-day themes of our treatment of each other, animals and the Earth. We also highly recommend Jonathan Glazer’s 2013 movie adaptation, which is loosely based on the book but is a brilliant and intensely dark movie full of haunting imagery and a breath-taking score.

Price: £8 | Amazon | Waterstones | Audible trial

Metro 2033, by Dmitry Glukhovsky (2002)

It’s 2033, and a nuclear apocalypse has forced the rag-tag remains of the human population of Moscow to flee to the underground maze of tunnels below the city. Here they develop independent tribes in each metro station, trade goods and fight against each other. 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. Part epic tale, part thriller, the translated story follows a teenager called Artyom, who has to travel to the heart of the Metro through unpredictable dangers to save the remains of humankind. Expect to be shocked.

Price: £9 | Amazon | Waterstones | Foyles | Audible trial

Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood (2003)

While The Handmaid’s Tale describes a world that seems more plausible by the day, in Oryx and Crake Atwood spins a genetically-modified circus of current trends taken to their absolute extreme – a “bio-engineered apocalypse,” is how one reviewer put it. A number of television adaptations have been mooted, including a now-defunct HBO project with Darren Aronofsky, but this might be one to place alongside The Stars My Destination in the impossible-to-adapt file. The world of the book is vibrant, surreal and disturbing enough.

Read more: The best sci-fi movies everyone should watch once

The Three-Body Problem, Liu Cixin (2008)

Liu Cixin was already one of China’s most revered science fiction writers when, in 2008, he decided to turn his hand to a full-length novel. The Three-Body Problem is the result – an era-spanning novel that jumps between the Cultural Revolution, the present day, and a mysterious video game. The first part of a trilogy, it’s a fascinating departure from the tropes of Western science fiction, and loaded with enough actual science that you might learn something as well as being entertained.

Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2015)

Children of Time is an epic book about a dying Earth. People are leaving, and there’s a plan to keep some of them safe and the human race flourishing elsewhere. However, things don’t quite pan out how they should. This is a saga of a story spanning many, many generations. That’s a tricky thing to pull off and ensure readers still follow with care and attention. But Adrian Tchaikovsky infuses interest, humanity and authenticity into every character and storyline so well. You’ll find yourself rooting for every new character that comes next – even when they’re only distantly related to the one you met a few chapters ago. The book deals with small interactions and feuds through to huge themes about belief, artificial intelligence, legacy, discovery, alienness and much more. It’s no surprise it won the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke Award. There’s a follow-up called Children of Ruin and (fingers crossed) a possible movie adaptation in the works.

The Martian, by Andy Weir (2015)

Andy Weir's debut novel literally puts the science into science fiction, packing in tonnes of well-researched detail about life on Mars. There's descriptions of how to fertilise potatoes with your own excrement, and hack a life-support system for a Martian rover – in levels of detail that the movie adaptation starring Matt Damon came nowhere near to reaching. The sassy, pop-culture laden writing style won't be to everyone's taste – this book probably won't get taught in English Literature lessons – but the first-person perspective makes sense for this story of an astronaut stranded on the Red Planet with no way to get home.

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The Heart Goes Last, by Margaret Atwood (2015)

An odd cocktail of a novel: part techno dystopia, part satire, part sex comedy, part classic Atwood. In a bleak, postlapsarian version of the US, young lovebirds Charmaine and Stan endure a miserable existence sleeping in their car and dodging criminals’ knives. Salvation arrives under the guise of an offer to move to the Positron Project – a gated community modelled after an American 1950s suburb. The rub? All Positron’s couples must spend every other month working in a prison, temporarily swapping homes with another couple, called “alternates”. When both Charmaine and Stan start developing oddball sexual relations with their alternates, things move rapidly south.

The Power, by Naomi Alderman (2016)

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. Atwood mentored the author, Naomi Alderman, as she wrote this inventive thriller about women and girls discovering a powerful new ability to emit electricity from their hands, up-ending civilisation in different ways across the world. The Power is paced like a television series, and it is, in fact, coming to screens soon via Amazon Studios.

Borne, by Jeff VanderMeer (2017)

The Annihilation series showcased Jeff VanderMeer's gift for the surreal, and he turns it up a notch in Borne – which starts with an unknown scavenger plucking an object from the fur of a giant flying bear in a post-apocalyptic city, and only gets weirder from there as the main character strikes up a friendship with an intelligent sea anemone-like creature called Borne. The story is, it eventually transpires, one of biotechnology run amok – which makes for the most colourful dystopia you're likely to come across.

Moonrise: The Golden Age of Lunar Adventures, by Mike Ashley (2018)

Moonrise , from the British Library's Science Fiction Classics series, could just have easily appeared in the 1950s or even the 1900s in this list. It's a brilliantly curated anthology of twelve SF short stories about the moon – getting to it, exploring it, contemplating it – with lunar-inclined fiction from H.G. Wells and Arthur C. Clarke present and correct but also the likes of Judith Merril's 1954 Dead Centre , which distills all the potential tragedies of space programs into just a handful of haunting images. From author and science fiction historian Mike Ashley.

Exhalation, by Ted Chiang (2019)

Exhalation is a book of short stories rather than a novel, but hear us out. Ted Chiang is a fantastic science-fiction writer who weaves real science and theory into his tales. This makes them feel somehow part of this world despite dealing with a range of classic sci-fi themes, including parallel realities, robot pets and time travel.

From a circular time travelling portal in ancient Baghdad to a device that allows you to meet your parallel self that you can trade-in at a local store in the present day, it’s glorious science-fiction filled with wonder and mystery. There are stories and ideas nestled in Exhalation’s pages that stick with you long after you’ve finished reading. Chiang has breathed life into the science-fiction genre, creating stories that feel refreshing and human rather than concerning distant worlds and ideas that can lead to a disconnect. This is evident in his short story Story of Your Life , the source material for Denis Villeneuve's Arrival .

The Resisters, by Gish Jen (2020)

A speculative dystopia set in an 'Auto America', Gish Jen's The Resisters , which was published in early 2020, puts the sport of baseball – of all the things – at the centre of her world, which is divided into people who still get to have jobs, the Netted, as in 'Aunt Nettie', as in the internet, and the rest: the Surplus. The story centres on Gwen, who comes from a Surplus family but who has the chance to rise in status when her baseball skills get attention, with Jen taking on surveillance culture and the value of work and leisure.

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This article was originally published by WIRED UK

Amit Katwala

Jennifer M. Wood

Angela Watercutter

Megan Farokhmanesh

Benj Edwards, Ars Technica

30 Best New Science Fiction Books (2024)

Best new science fiction books, something refreshing.

Do you feel like you’ve read every old mainstream science fiction book out there? Sure, there are tons of science fiction books that were amazing coming from the old days when science fiction was first born, but the world of science fiction has evolved so much and there are some pretty unbelievable stories nowadays that have what it takes to blow your mind away.

This best new science fiction books review will show you some of the best sci-fi books that have been published recently and you will find out just what the new science fiction stories have to offer.

Recursion by Blake Crouch

False memory syndrome.

The first book that will be launching our review happens in our own world and there are two characters who will be taking you on this exciting journey. The main plot revolves around something known as False Memory Syndrome and people have been experiencing this a lot lately.

Berry and Helena

What this does to people is it creates painful memories of a life they have never lived and quickly starts driving them crazy. The first of the two main characters is a New York City cop named Berry Sutton and he is investigating this whole situation. The next one is Helena Smith and she is a neuroscientist who is researching what exactly is causing this. These two are about to reveal a lot of secrets that are enough to scare anyone.

Dark Age by Pierce Brown

Complex storyline.

This book is a long one, about 750 pages, and it talks about a lot of things inside that are related to war, space travel, a whole lot of politics, complex characters, and much more. The plot in this story revolves around a few main characters who are involved deeply in politics and the story can get a bit complicated so you’d better keep focused.

One of the main characters here is a guy called Darrow, he is the one who has been the leader of a revolution against the corrupt color-coded Society for almost a decade now. There are a lot of political talks inside but there is also action from all of the wars that you are about to see. The book has plenty of exciting sci-fi material to offer, that’s why it’s on our best new science fiction books list.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Necromancer.

Gideon is a necromancer, she has been brought up by scary and definitely not innocent nuns, ancient retainers, and a bunch of skeletons, and her life is the result of all of their teachings.

Escaping the Old Life

You will find out that she is sick of serving and living as an undead reanimated corpse so she decides to pack her bags and escape her old life to start a new one, completely abandoning everyone she knows. You will also find out that this won’t be as easy as it seems as the story finally starts showing you some action and even more thrill.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Vast universe.

We have another book that comes to us from the year 2019 and this one packs another great sci-fi story. It definitely fits into any top new science fiction book lists and you are about to find out why.

The majority of exciting events in this story come from outer space as this story talks about many different characters from many different worlds.

Mahit Dzmare

It is also a murder mystery, one that will reveal a ton of secrets that are definitely going to make this plot a lot more exciting. The main character who will be showing you around is Ambassador Mahit Dzmare as he starts his investigation on who performed this murder and finds herself in even more danger than ever before.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

Terraforming people.

This bestselling author has created a story that talks about humans trying to colonize other planets but instead of trying to terraform the entire planet to suit their needs, they transform themselves to be able to live anywhere.

Ariadne is the main character in this story who will be showing you how this process exactly happens. The book is not very long, unfortunately, but it is still enough to show you the plot in this story in detail and introduce you to a whole new idea in science fiction writing.

Network Effect by Martha Wells

This next book on our list about some of the best new science fiction books will be introducing you to Murderbot, a very interesting character who is full of surprises. But first, you have to meet him. Murderbot will do anything besides be social but even he is conscious enough to know when a person is in need of help.

The Murderbot Diaries

This is the fifth book of the Murderbot series and this time, one of his coworkers is in trouble and Murderbot must choose whether to go home and binge-watch his favorite series or take action and cause some trouble while saving his coworker, of course.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar

Here is a new science fiction book that might be best for the more experienced sci-fi readers as the story here is a bit complex and it actually resembles a sort of love story. The main characters in this book are two women who will later fall in love through reading letters from each other.

Red and Blue

These women are referred to as Red and Blue and there is a devastating war going on in their world, one that doesn’t look like it could end very soon. Red represents a future in which technology is the main focus of every aspect of life, and Blue represents a world where nature is still enough for the perfect life. The book is definitely one interesting read, you can be sure of that.

Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang

Second collection.

Exhalation is a science fiction book alright, but it’s one that holds a bunch of thrilling sci-fi stories that will leave you wanting more. It’s actually Ted Chiang’s second collection of this type and if you have read the first one, then you know what to expect, some really exciting reading material.

Amazing Stories

Some of the stories inside include Exhalation, of course, where you read about a discovery that an alien scientist makes, one that will reveal a shocking secret that might just affect all of reality. Another story inside is The Lifecycle of Software Objects where a woman cares for and nurtures an artificial intelligence for 20 years and witnesses this digital being becoming a living and conscious one.

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

Charlie Jane Anders has managed to create one of the best new science fiction books out there with the story presented inside.

It talks about humanity again, but this time they have colonized a planet called January, a planet that is divided into two sides, one is always filled with endless darkness and cold nights and the other is always sunny with blazing hot days.

The main character who will be showing you around is called Sophie, a young student who has a rough life thanks to the fact that she was a part of a failed revolution. She is now exiled to the dark wastelands of this world and from there, she meets a few other exiles.

Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone

Feminist novel.

If you have ever heard about a story called Guardians of the Galaxy, well this book is similar to it and it is sort of the feminist version of that same story. This space adventure will introduce you to a bunch of unique characters who will make sure that everything ahead is always worth your time.

Vivian Liao

Vivian Liao is one of the main characters in this story, she has a unique set of skills that will serve her well in what is about to come. The antagonist of this story is a powerful and cruel Empress who lives deep in space and has the power to either bless or blast an entire planet with a single thought.

Eden by Tim Lebbon

Global warming.

Eden addresses a very real problem we ourselves have at this moment, global warming. The story in this amazing sci-fi book tells us about how global warming has managed to bring so much of this world to ruins and something has to be done.

Virgin Zones

The author introduces you to something called the Virgin Zones, huge territories spread out into a couple of locations that serve as Earth’s lungs. These places hold nature in its purest form and those who wish to travel there are rare. The ones who seek danger and extreme adrenaline levels will be taking you on their journey into these deadly places where nature kills very easily.

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Here is a perfect example of what one of the best new science fiction books should look like. This book holds a story that tells you of a very unique and well thought out adventure. The main character in the story is a girl named Shana and her little sister.

Specific Location

The story follows these two as Shana wakes up one night to discover her little sister sleepwalking. This was no ordinary sleepwalking as her sister was determined to travel to a location that only she knows.

Destination Unknown

Then you find out that there are many other sleepwalkers who are traveling in the same way and most of them have friends and family who are joining them on the journey to protect them. The story that follows when these characters reach the destination is one you wouldn’t want to miss.

Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear

Haimey Dz is a character who you will be reading about in this new sci-fi novel and her story is one that is not short of excitement, it might be a bit too much even. During her routine salvage mission, she discovers information that has the capabilities of changing the entire universe.

After this fact becomes known and Haimey realizes that authorities are badly corrupt and cannot be trusted, she makes it her own duty to save everyone from what she has discovered. So begins her journey into mysterious depths of space to find a supermassive black hole and on the way, many more secrets will be discovered, secrets about herself and of ancient intelligence that haven’t been seen for countless centuries.

Tiamat’s Wrath by James S. A. Corey

Interstellar travel.

Humanity rises to interstellar travel once more in this book by James Corey and you can imagine all of the opportunities that come with this new discovery. Thirteen hundred gates have been opened to solar systems all around and humanity is now building their space empire on top of alien ruins.

Many things will present exciting in this book, one of those is the search that a character named Elvi Okoye will begin that focuses on discovering what caused a massive genocide that happened before humans ever existed.

Deadly Foes

You also see humanity facing deadly foes that they couldn’t have even imagined, things are definitely not looking good for us but there is much more to the story and that’s for you to find out. Corey’s name can be also found on our list of the top hard science fiction books .

A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker

Luce cannon.

This fun and the addicting story will be introducing you to a former music star who is living in a world that has ruined her dreams. Before the devastating events, Luce Cannon was rising to the top as her music career was kicking off.

Attacks and Viruses

Then, her whole world changes as deadly terror attacks and even deadlier viruses have made this world completely rid of freedom, and many people are simply locked at home all day, kind of similar to the whole coronavirus thing, don’t you think? Anyway, you get to read the story of what is really going on in this world and how Luce will deal with her new situation. Small spoiler, it has something to do with virtual reality.

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

Here is one of the best science fiction books out there that you will gladly read in one sitting, in fact, it’s best to do so because this addicting masterpiece will be holding on to you until you finish the whole thing.

This story by Sylvian Neuvel is a very thrilling one that follows the life of a character named Idir, an Iranian man, husband, and father who is about to take the British citizenship test.

25 Questions

These 25 questions are about to determine so much of his future and the strangest thing happens mid-way through and for the sake of not spoiling too much of this story, you will get to find out what exactly happens that turns this man’s whole life into a great science fiction story.

The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz

This fascinating story starts in the year 1992 and you quickly get to meet a 17-year-old girl named Beth who is currently sitting in a car with the abusive boyfriend of her best friend and she and her friends immediately find a way to get rid of his body. This even motivates these girls to a life of violence and vengeance as there are more girls that need protection.

Then the story jumps to the year 2022 when you meet Tess, a girl who uses time travel to make sure she corrects some mistakes in history. She has the intention of making a safer future but when she meets Beth and her group of avengers, they tell Tess to stop what she is doing at all costs as she has no idea what is about to happen.

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi

The interdependency series.

The third book of John Scalzi’s The Interdependency book series is finally here in 2020. If you haven’t read any of the books in the series, we suggest you do because the stories are directly connected and you would simply be lost starting here.

Anyway, the story in this book happens in a world where humanity is on good terms with many empires from all around the galaxy and it’s also a story in which you get to read about struggles for power, profit, survival, and things like that.

Fall; or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson

Virtual reality.

All of the books we have on our list so far are some pretty good new science fiction books and this one is no less. Neal Stephenson ’s Fall; or, Dodge in Hell is a story that talks about the concept of virtual reality as it is becoming more and more popular these days.

Richard “Dodge” Forthrast

The main character in the story is a multi-billionaire called Richard “Dodge” Forthrast. The story follows him as one day, just like that, he is pronounced braindead and his decision a while back was to be put in cryosleep until he can be revived.

Plenty More

So begins the story as a few years later, a virtual reality world is perfected. Make sure to check out our Snow Crash book review, which is another amazing book written by Stephenson.

One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence

The next brilliant piece of content in our best new science fiction books list is a story about a teenage genius boy named Nick Hayes. Nick is only 15 years old and he has just discovered truly terrible news, he is dying.

Different Game

This is not even the strangest thing that happens to him in this short period of time. Nick has a few friends with whom he enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons and when Mia joins their group, they get to experience the game in a whole different way. Then the story shows you some events that involve Mia as her life becomes threatened and Nick will have to save her as time is running out for him too.

Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen

Kin stewart.

Here you get to meet a character who might prove like an everyday boring man, but he will surprise you as more and more is revealed about him.

His name is Kin Stewart and when the book starts, you meet him as an average working family man who is trying to spend more time and connect more with his daughter, Miranda.

Time Traveler

But he has a strange past, one that no one would believe about this normal man who works in IT. Kin was a time traveler back in the day and you get to see this man now as his life becomes weirder as ever as he is torn between two different lives thanks to his time traveler past.

Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan

Prepare to have another thrilling reading experience with this one as this is an interesting and unique kind of science fiction story that you don’t get to find very often.

One of the main characters here is Charlie, a lazy day-trader who will do anything to avoid working a full-time job. He likes a girl, an attractive young student named Miranda, and is figuring out a way to bond with her.

Love Triangle

When Charlie comes into a bit of money, he buys one of the first-ever human-like androids and calls him Adam. He asks Miranda to help him work on him together to form his personality and so begins a love triangle that will surely have your mind blown. If you are interested in Ian’s work, take a look at our The Daydreamer book review.

You Look Like a Thing and I Love You by Janelle Shane

Understanding ai.

This is the ultimate book on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and you will find that author Janelle Shane has definitely put in a lot of thought into this book and her many others as this author is just fascinated with understanding AI and spreading her learnings in her books.

Don’t Miss Out

If you too are fascinated by AI and want to understand a lot more about it, it’s practical uses, how it all works, what else it can be used for, and stuff like that, then be sure not to miss out on this one of the best new science fiction books out there.

Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Space travel.

This story will give you chills once you get to know what actually goes on inside. It all starts as humans develop a sophisticated form of space travel and finally take to the stars to begin their terraform program and try to expand human civilization on other planets.

A suitable planet they find called Nod seems perfect but it has alien life on it. Humans try to overwrite the alien life with human memory but once this fails, humans are left to crawl back to Earth. Then, countless years later, humans detect a signal coming from this same place, the old Earth, and what they discover is something that you wouldn’t want to wish on your worst enemy.

The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

Complicated war.

The Light Brigade

There are those known as The Light Brigade, they are the ones who come back different from the war against Mars, and what different means is that they have experienced the princess that involves them being turned into light in order to travel quickly between battlefronts. The main character who will be showing you around in this one is Dietz, a fresh recruit who is about to learn just what kind of war this actually is.

The Redemption of Time by Baoshu

Yun tianming.

Decades of Torture

After being captured by the enemy, his torture begins but he also gets a new, healthy clone body and his decades of torture begin and he finally becomes a traitor for his people on Earth. When a new problem arrives, Yun decides to not be a pawn in their game anymore and he creates his own path to save his fellow species back on Earth.

Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O’Keefe

Sanda and biran.

This one is another science fiction war story that will be talking about the lives of two main characters, Sanda and Biran Greeve, two sisters who have unique and powerful skills. Sanda is a high-flying sergeant with amazing fighting skills and her sister Biran is a politician who plans to use her new position for good.

But then, their lives start going downhill and Sanda’s ship is blasted and she wakes up 230 later on a deserted enemy warship that is controlled only by an AI named Bero. So begins another adventure of Sanda and Biran as they both fight to make things right as their people and the enemy have managed to rid each other of the Universe.

FKA USA by Reed King

Environmental disaster.

Speaking of the best new science fiction books out there, this one fits this description as you get to read an amusing story about an environmentally destroyed USA and the events that are currently going on in that world.

Truckee Wallace

The year when all of this takes place is 2085 and the main character of this story is a guy called Truckee Wallace. He is an average factory worker without any major ambitions and one day, his life will become a lot more serious when the president chooses him for an important mission. So begins another interesting story with this character and a cool android with a lot of surprises.

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu

Mind-blowing.

Here is a book that is perfect for the readers who have trouble focusing on one long story for a long time as this book is a collection of short science fiction stories that will blow your mind away.

You get to see some of Ken Liu’s best work over the years and few new ones that will definitely surprise you. A total of seventeen stories are stored here and all of them have their own unique sci-fi events inside with interesting and fun characters.

Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh

10 astronauts.

And the last book in our review is not least as this exciting story will be taking on you one of the best adventures through space ever. This new science fiction story talks about a group of 10 astronauts who are about to leave a dying Earth to explore and search for a planet that is said to be able to sustain human life.

Dalton Academy

Four of the group are decorated veterans of the 20th-century space race and the rest are teenagers who just graduated from an elite astronaut academy called Dalton Academy. That’s it from our review so be sure to pick your favorite and start reading some epic adventures that will leave you wanting more sci-fi reading material.

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?)

The 50 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time

Plenty of imitators have tried to match the heights of our No.1, but none have come close.

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links.

Since time immemorial, mankind has been looking up at the stars and dreaming, but it was only centuries ago that we started turning those dreams into fiction. And what remarkable dreams they are—dreams of distant worlds, unearthly creatures, parallel universes, artificial intelligence, and so much more. Today, we call those dreams science fiction.

Sci-fi brings out the best in our imaginations and evokes a sense of wonder, but it also inspires a spirit of questioning. Through the enduring themes of sci-fi, we can examine the zeitgeist’s cultural context and ethical questions. Our favorite works in the genre make good on this promise, meditating on everything from identity to oppression to morality. As the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Doris Lessing said, "Science fiction is some of the best social fiction of our time.”

Choosing the fifty best science fiction books of all time wasn’t easy, so to get the job done, we had to establish some guardrails. Though we assessed single installments as representatives of their series, we limited the list to one book per author. We also emphasized books that brought something new and innovative to the genre; to borrow a great sci-fi turn of phrase, books that “boldly go where no one has gone before.”

Now, in ranked order, here are the best science fiction books of all time.

Tor Books The Echo Wife, by Sarah Gailey

Westworld meets The Stepford Wives in this gripping revenge thriller about the unlikely alliance between a woman and her clone. When geneticist Evelyn Caldwell learns that her husband Nathan is cheating on her, she soon ferrets out the truth—rather than work on their strained marriage, Nathan stole Evelyn’s proprietary cloning technology and replaced her with a more docile substitute. But when Evelyn finds her clone standing over Nathan’s dead body, crying, “It was self-defense,” these quasi-sisters will have to work together to conceal the crime and preserve Evelyn’s scientific reputation. The Echo Wife ’s juicy premise runs deep, raising eerie questions about love, justice, and individuality.

Del Rey Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson

Long before Facebook’s Metaverse, Stephenson coined the term in this cyberpunk acid trip of a novel. Snow Crash ’s Hiro Protagonist lives a double life: in reality, he delivers pizzas for the Mafia, but in the Metaverse, he’s a hacker and a warrior prince. When he learns about a lethal virus picking off hackers one by one, his race to find its dastardly architect sends him pinballing through everything from technological conspiracy to ancient Sumerian mythology. Sexy, action-packed, and downright prophetic in its vision of our virtual future, you'll want to strap in tight for this dizzying techno-thriller.

Gallery Books Contact, by Carl Sagan

The great Carl Sagan wrote dozens of works of nonfiction, but just one novel: Contact , a 1985 bestseller that later became a Jodie Foster flick. Sagan’s preoccupations with intelligent life come into view through Dr. Ellie Arroway, a principled astronomer who detects and decrypts a deep-space transmission from a planetary system far, far away. At the transmission’s urging, the nations of the world race to build a mysterious machine, but faith leaders call the enterprise (and the rationality of science) into question. Through this thoughtful, layered story, Sagan plumbs the often antagonistic relationship between science and religion, asking if perhaps both are seeking contact in different forms. After all, disciples from each camp can agree on one thing: “The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space.”

Voyager A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller Jr.

After World War III, Earth has fallen into a new Dark Age; most of the United States is a radioactive wasteland, and civilization is in tatters. While violent packs of survivors burn books and slaughter those who can read, the monks of St. Leibowitz preserve the heritage of the past by smuggling important volumes into their monastery. As the novel progresses throughout the centuries and a new Renaissance gives way to a second space age, so much about modern life changes, but at the monastery, much remains the same. Miller’s ambitious sci-fi classic captures the human tendency for self-destruction, as viewed through the cyclical rise and fall of civilization, but it’s not all doom, gloom, and nuclear warfare— A Canticle for Leibowitz is a moving paean to the power of knowledge and hope.

Mariner Books Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem

No one writes about intelligent life quite like Stanislaw Lem, who scoffed at little green men and instead put the alien in alien. In this dense and brainy novel, scientist Kris Kelvin lands on the planet Solaris to study the mysterious ocean enveloping its surface. Kelvin and his crew soon discover that this massive ocean is sentient: aloof, unknowable, and mysterious, it explores these explorers, reflecting their most painful memories back at them. What if aliens don’t care to know us, and what if we can’t possibly dream of understanding them anyway? Lem never tired of asking these questions, but of all his novels, Solaris makes our list for its perfect encapsulation of his singular vision.

Ace Neuromancer, by William Gibson

“Cyberspace: a consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation.” This is the setting of William Gibson’s Neuromancer —sounds awfully familiar, doesn’t it? The winner of Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards, Neuromancer is often called the definitive novel of the cyberpunk genre (it went on to heavily influence the creators of The X-Files and The Matrix ). Our hero is Case, an ex-cyber cowboy banished from cyberspace by his former employers. When a criminal syndicate comes knocking, promising to restore Case’s uplink in exchange for his hacking services, the novel transforms into a kaleidoscopic espionage thriller. Trippy, surreal, and slick as hell, Neuromancer is a ride you won’t soon forget.

DAW The Book of Phoenix, by Nnedi Okorafor

Science fiction and magical realism collide in this imaginative prequel to Okorafor’s World Fantasy Award-winning Who Fears Death . Here we meet Phoenix, an “accelerated woman” grown in New York’s Tower 7. Though she’s only two years old, she has the mind and body of a middle-aged adult, along with superhuman abilities. Phoenix suffers a painful awakening when her lover takes his life under dubious circumstances, proving that Tower 7 is less of a home and more of a prison. Her daring escape leads her to Ghana, where she learns brutal truths about colonialism, and vows to fight back against her oppressors. Blistering with love and rage, Phoenix’s fight for justice is downright electrifying.

W. W. Norton & Company A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess

In the many decades since its 1962 publication, A Clockwork Orange has become such a high school curriculum fixture that it’s easy to forget just how damn good it is. Burgess’ transgressive dystopia is the story of Alex, a teenage gangster who leads his fellow droogs in shocking acts of “ultra-violence”—until he’s apprehended by the draconian police. In prison, Alex is subjected to a brutal reconditioning, leaving him a changed and diminished man. Told in high-flying, pyrotechnic patois that’s since bled into the cultural lexicon, A Clockwork Orange is a postmodern triumph.

Del Rey The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

Few science fiction novels can claim to have inspired their own holiday, but The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy isn’t your ordinary science fiction novel (the holiday is Towel Day, if you must know). Adams’s signature work has cast a long shadow over popular culture, and for good reason. This absurdist comedy is the story of Arthur Dent, a hapless everyman who wanders the universe after Earth is destroyed to make way for the galactic highway. As he romps through space with alien travel writer Ford Prefect and a crew of android oddballs, Dent’s adventures illuminate how “utterly insignificant” our “little blue green planet” truly is. In the face of absurdity, Adams reminds us, what else can we do but laugh?

Gallery / Saga Press This Is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Structured as a poetic correspondence between two time-traveling spies, this forbidden romance puts the “distance” in “long-distance relationship.” As Agents Red and Blue hopscotch through the multiverse, altering history on behalf of their respective military superpowers, they leave behind secret messages for one another—first taunting, then flirtatious, then flowering with love and devotion. “There’s a kind of time travel in letters, isn’t there?” Blue muses. “Letters are structures, not events,” Red replies. “Yours give me a place to live inside.” Amid the dangerous chaos of their circumstances, Red and Blue find constants in one another. Playful and imaginative, told with lyrical grace, this is a dazzling puzzle box of a novella.

Ace The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert A. Heinlein

Though Heinlein is considered one of “The Big Three” science fiction writers (along with Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke), he’s arguably the least well-known among casual sci-fi readers. If you’re new here, start your Heinlein odyssey with his best novel, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress . In the year 2076, a penal colony on the moon rises up against the tyranny of Earth, declaring themselves the Free State of Luna, and themselves "the loonies." It’s a parable for the American Revolution, but instead of tea dumped in the Boston harbor, we’ve got electromagnetic catapults hurling moon rocks at Earth with the force of atomic bombs. Fun fact: the phrase, “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch” originated in this novel.

Square Fish A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle

Who says science fiction is only for adults? L’Engle’s enduring young adult classic is the story of tweenage siblings Meg and Charles Murray, who travel through the universe by way of a space-time-folding tesseract. In search of their missing father, Meg and Charles encounter galactic marvels of all kinds, from a utopian planet to the source of all evil in the universe. A Wrinkle in Time never makes the mistake of assuming that young readers can’t handle all the brainy concepts and mature themes that science fiction has to offer. Though it’s an unforgettable read at any age, it’s perhaps best-loved by the generations of readers who remember it as their gateway to sci-fi.

The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells

Published way back in 1895, The Time Machine was one small step for H.G. Wells, but one giant leap for science fiction. The novel popularized the concept of time travel by vehicle, lighting the way for everything from Back to the Future to Doctor Who . The Time Machine is the story of the Traveler’s journey 800,000 years into the future, where he discovers that mankind has evolved into two races: the ethereal Eloi and the predatory Morlocks. Through the Traveler’s exciting, nail-biting adventure, we see an entire generation’s fin-de-siècle anxieties about industrialization and the future of humanity. This short, seminal book is a must-read for any sci-fi fan.

Orbit Rosewater, by Tade Thompson

Tade Thompson’s award-winning Wormwood Trilogy opens in Nigeria circa 2066, where the town of Rosewater has formed around a mysterious alien biodome rumored to have extraordinary healing powers. Enter Kaaro, a government security officer known as a “sensitive”—essentially, a bioengineered race of psychics with access to an alien informational network called the xenosphere. When sensitives start dying off mysteriously, Kaaro embarks on a hardboiled detective mission, bringing the true nature of sensitives’ existence into the cold, hard light of day. A work of dazzling cyberpunk imagination and visionary Afrofuturism, Rosewater masterfully fuses a story of postcolonial trauma with a first contact narrative.

Anchor The Stand, by Stephen King

Horror, fantasy, and science fiction converge in The Stand , a master storyteller’s doorstopper about the eternal struggle between good and evil. After a bioengineered influenza virus escapes from a government laboratory, mankind succumbs to the deadly pandemic in just weeks, leaving survivors scattered across the barren United States. Two communities coalesce around very different leaders: Mother Abagail, a benevolent holy woman seeking utopia, and Randall Flagg, the human personification of violence and chaos. As the communities fight to wipe one another out, King weaves an epic tale about theology, morality, and human nature. In the wake of our own pandemic, The Stand has only grown in resonance and prescience.

Vintage The Children of Men, by PD James

Before it was a grim Alfonso Cuarón film, The Children of Men was a grim, remarkable novel. The year is 2021: with all men inexplicably sterile, no child has been born for 25 years, and the human race faces extinction. England is ruled by the Warden, a despotic leader who prizes the youngest generation above all others. Theo Faren, the Warden’s estranged cousin, sleepwalks through life as an Oxford historian until he receives a visit from a group of dissidents, whose company includes a pregnant woman. Packed with prescient insight about politics, power, and tyranny, The Children of Men will rattle you for years to come.

Tor Books Radiance, by Catherynne M. Valente

When documentary filmmaker Severin Unck fails to return from her latest project on Venus, so begins a metafictional odyssey into her life, work, and disappearance. Constructed in patchwork fashion from scripts, depositions, and interviews with people who knew Unck, Radiance ushers us into Valente’s pulpy alternate universe, where Hollywood is an interplanetary system with backlots on the moon, but cinema never progressed beyond silent black and white films, thanks to the Edison family’s tight grip on the patent process. Hopscotching through this kaleidoscopic universe of beauty, adventure, and artistry, Valente tells a moving story about why we tell stories at all.

Red Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson

Plenty of writers have contemplated the colonization of Mars, but few have done it with such extraordinary granularity as Robinson, who dug in with gusto through his Mars Trilogy. Arthur C. Clarke himself called Red Mars “the best novel on the colonization of Mars that’s ever been written.” The novel takes place in 2026, when colonists fleeing an overpopulated Earth touch down on the red planet. Carefully selected and trained, they set about the task of terraforming hostile, sandswept Mars, but establishing a viable settlement will demand everything they have to give. Robinson looks at planetary colonization through every conceivable lens: politics, biology, ecology, medicine, psychology, and morality, just to name a few. The result is speculative fiction that feels astoundingly real.

Del Rey The City & The City, by China Miéville

That this novel won a constellation of awards spanning science fiction, fantasy, and weird fiction is proof of Miéville’s gift for straddling genres. The City & The City is set in two fictional Eastern European cities occupying the same physical space; from birth, residents are trained to “unsee” the opposing city, under the threat of criminal penalties. When a murdered woman is found lying in the wastelands, Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad is called to the scene, but the crime defies logic: this woman was murdered in one city, and her body was dumped in the other. Borlú’s investigation exposes startling secrets about this strange way of life, taking us on a noirish metaphysical journey through the doors of perception.

Del Rey Hyperion, by Dan Simmons

Inspired by Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales , Simmons’ Hyperion Cantos begins with this story of seven pilgrims sent on a potentially fatal mission to the Time Tombs of Hyperion. There, they hope to confront the Shrike, a cosmic being with the power to bend space and time. Throughout the journey, they share their stories of suffering under the Hegemony of Man, the intergalactic government that sold humanity out to a civilization of AIs. From aging in reverse to encounters with immortality, each story is a cerebral fable, rich in Lovecraftian terror, mythological import, and breathtaking worldbuilding.

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When life imitates art.

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Some works that seem obviously sci-fi (like Star Wars ) are really not ( Star Wars is a space western inspired by myth and samurai films, damnit. Fight us.) While other works that seem far from sci-fi (the early nineteenth-century’s Frankenstein , for instance) are the genre’s very DNA.

At its core, science fiction is a conceit. It’s a thought experiment beginning with a “what if X” or an “imagine a world in which Y.” It has something we might call a Device. And the Device cannot be peripheral, some incidental feature of the world. No, the narrative must turn upon this make-believe conceit. It must be its axis, it’s inciting incident, its reason for existence. The story cannot be the story without the Device. (You might then say, well isn’t “the Force” this Device? Or is more of a “power,” closer to the superhero genre. But would you not call something like X-Men science-fiction? Yes? You can see how tricky this becomes.)

The Device can be both a Thing or an Event. And so works centered on some “extinction-like event”—books like The Road , o r The Handmaid’s Tale , or The Leftovers —do, in effect, count as science-fiction. (Though, we’ve included far less of this type of sci-f, what we’ll call “naturalistic sci-fi,” versus other, more traditional tech-driven sub-genres.)

And while loosening the sci-fi definition may open up just about the entire library, we’ve narrowed a list down to (in no particular order) some amazing reads. Here are the best sci-fi books for all readers, whether you haven’t touched a book since high school or you daily burn incense to the alter of Arthur C. Clarke.

Ubik by Philip K. Dick

If you're gonna take a trip down the sci-fi rabbit hole, there's no better guide than PKD. Dick may not appear on college syllabi (for whatever reason, "sci-fi" tends to get caught in the academic's throat when discussing essential literature), but make no mistake: Dick is as great and important an American novelist as there ever was. Prolific, prophetic, and hilarious. Start with Ubik , one of his best.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Dune is epic sci-fi. Operatic sci-fi. It’s the sci-fi of world (nay, universe) building, and in that sense it shares much with the fantasy genre—those works inspired by myth, geopolitics, and Arthurian romance. Maybe we call Dune "fantasy sc-fi"? Also, if you can judge the strength and epicness of a book based on the number of failed adaptation attempts , Dune is certainly up there. Need another incentive? Look at how cool Timothée Chalamet looks in the most recent movie version, and picture him in your head the entire time reading. You're welcome.

Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges

Jorge Luis Borges is your favorite writer who is not yet your favorite writer, simply because you haven't yet read him. While Labyrinths is actually a short story collection (Borges' preferred form), each story is as expansive and brain-prodding as any massive or epic work of literature. Sci-fi's debt to Borges deserves to be proclaimed.

1984 by George Orwell

In a sense, 1984 has become increasingly more difficult to even consider science fiction—it’s Device (complete and utter surveillance of an entire state during war) no longer feels, well, like fiction. The work helped launch a thousand similar sci-fi stories in the "dystopian" sub genre. It's a goddamn classic.

Neuromancer by William Gibson

Neuromancer IS cyberpunk. The dystopian hacker hero who faces off against the underworld and the artificial intelligence therein — yep, Neuromancer brought that genre westward. Add it to the sci-fi syllabus.

The Ghost in the Shell by Shirow Masamune

Just as Star Wars owes debt to the Japanese samurai films of Akira Kurosawa, so does The Matrix (that other seminal and largely imitated American film series) owe it’s basic narrative conceit to Eastern cinema, and, in particular, Japanese anime: the film, Ghost in the Shell . That film was adapted from the manga. And given the impact The Matrix had on global sci-fi storytelling, The Ghost in the Shell is maybe one of the most influential pieces of sci-fi literature in recent memory.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

Yeah, we weren't gonna just put one PKD book on here. Androids is a property you probably know by another name: Blade Runner . Which is a cool title. But not as cool as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? If the answer is "yes," boy are we in trouble.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Like all great novelists, Murakami is his own genre. Only after he has written, does "Miruakami-like" become a term; he creates his own predecessors. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is thus its own unique sub-genre of sci-fi we might call "surrealist detective sci-fi." It's amazing. And totally original.

Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo

Before it became one of the best anime films ever , Akira ran as a manga between 1982-1990. The manga falls in the cyberpunk (that's cyberpunk before even Gibson) , and features a teenage biker gang leader in post-apocalyptic Tokyo. The work also helped popularize the manga medium in the United States.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro charges into the sci-fi genre with this one, about a group of children synthetically grown to have their organs later harvested. It was ranked by Time as one of the best English language novels since 1923.

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

In the spirit of Borges, here's another fantastic collection of short stories. It features Chiang's most well-known and award winning work, including the titular piece, the inspiration for the breakout film Arrival . Let this be a hint, Hollywood: adapt more Chiang.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Yes, Frankenstein , a work published in 1818 and well before the "tech" of modern "sci-fi " . Still, it's the story of a scientist synthetically creating a sentient being whose existence throws into question social, political, and physical identity—and, yeah, that's some archetypal sci-fi stuff right there.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

While we're riffing on sci-fi a bit, we might go into the surreal. Kafka's The Metamorphosis resists most categorization, but its absurd and impossible conceit (waking up one day as a giant beetle/cockroach/something your father will throw fruit at) is pretty much what we mean by "Device." It's the perfect example of a thought experiment novel: simple and affecting.

Three-Body Problem Trilogy by Cixin Liu

Named after a problem in physics, Three-Body definitely puts the "science" in science fiction. Maybe one of the most famous works of Chinese sci-fi, it's also lauded by George R.R. Martin and President Barack Obama , who said reading the book made his problems with congress "seem fairly petty." If you want a trilogy that you can really sink your teeth into, you'll love this one.

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

From China to Poland. Lem's Solaris (the basis for the famous Tarkovsky film) is an endlessly-dissectible novel seemingly about orbiting astronauts confronting a strange planet, but also really about our failure to confront foreignness and artificial intelligence, which itself might be a stand-in for communism, the USSR, or just everything.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Hitchhiker's Guide is, in short, a phenomena, something between outright parody and philosophical opus. It also provides the answer to everything you will ever need to know, all in a nice two-digit number.

The Martian by Andy Weir

The Martian was published serially through author Andy Weir's website. Literary agents that had scoffed him then came calling and the book soon took shape, became a New York Times best seller, and turned into a fun movie in the series of People Trying to Rescue Matt Damon .

The Children of Men by P.D. James

The Children of Men exists in that same subgenre of world-ending events and what we might term “naturalistic science-fiction”— the Device acts as a kind of deprivation, a return to nature. In this case, the Device is sudden, widespread infertility. Of all the books on the list, this one has by far the best film adaptation .

Slaughterhouse-Five: A Novel by Kurt Vonnegut

Perhaps more than any other novel, Slaughterhouse-Five showcases how sci-fi is best used. Here, time travel (the Device) isn't employed as a plot convenience or drama-inducing spectacle; it's used in the service of character and as a means to better understanding everything that's very much not fiction: here, war.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

In the same spirit: Aldous Huxley. Brave New World reads more as cautionary allegory than an other-worldly drama. Published during an age of eugenics fever and developing European genocide, its conceit of hierarchies and castes feels, in all eras, too close to home.

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The 100 sci-fi novels everyone should read at least once

Posted: April 9, 2023 | Last updated: July 29, 2023

100 of the best science fiction novels of all time

In 2018, while making an appearance on the " Geek's Guide to the Galaxy " podcast, Yuval Noah Harari, author of "Sapiens" and "Homo Deus," said that he believes science fiction to be the most important artistic genre in today's world. He went on to argue that sci-fi writing, which has long been seen as nothing more than a little bit of lighthearted fun, will shape society's understanding of things like artificial intelligence and biotechnology more than any other sort of writing. Reading science fiction, and grappling with issues like AI replacing entire classes of workers, is an excellent way to help us determine how we really feel before we deal with the same issues in real life.

Fiction can be a powerful tool for helping individuals navigate the real world. Sci-fi is no different. In light of that, Stacker  has rounded up 100 of the best science fiction novels of all time.

Using sources like Goodreads, Amazon, and The New York Times Best Seller list, we've identified 100 books that had a powerful impact on readers. We've included books that fall under the hard sci-fi, cyberpunk, space opera, aliens, and utopia/dystopia categories while steering clear of books that are strictly fantasy (think "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter"). We've also made sure to highlight books from authors of color, female authors, LGBTQIA+ authors, and authors from various countries and backgrounds, dispelling the myth that science fiction is only written for and by cis white males.

From comical takes on the genre like "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" to controversial titles like "Starship Troopers" to classics like H.G. Wells "War of the Worlds," dark tales like "Who Fears Death," and new titles like "How Long 'til Black Future Month?" there's sure to be something on this list for every taste.

Read on for 100 of the best science fiction novels of all time.

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- Author: Frank Herbert - Date published: 1965

One of the most beloved sci-fi epics of all time, Frank Herbert's " Dune " is set to receive a theatrical release in the final months of 2020. It won't be the first time the coming-of-age story about a young man named Paul Atreides who must fight for his own life as well as the existence of his planet, Arrakis, after his family is betrayed, hits the big screen. But with a star-studded cast, this adaptation is almost guaranteed to be a box office hit.

The Martian

- Author: Andy Weir - Date published: 2014

Andy Weir first began publishing chapters of his novel " The Martian " on his personal blog in 2009. In 2011, he self-published his story , about an astronaut who gets separated from his crew during a major dust storm and ends up stranded on Mars, on Amazon. Then, in 2014, Random House reached out to Weir offering to give the book a wide release, and Hollywood optioned the rights to the tale, all within the same week. The book eventually made its debut at #12 on The New York Times Best Seller List.

Neuromancer

- Author: William Gibson - Date published: 1984

A multi-award winner, " Neuromancer " is a cyberpunk classic. It follows Henry Dorsett Case, a damaged computer hacker, as he undertakes one last job in the matrix, encountering some incredibly powerful artificial intelligence and shady characters along the way.

The War of the Worlds

- Author: H.G. Wells - Date published: 1898

The father of science fiction, H.G. Wells, wrote a host of early sci-fi novels including " The War of the Worlds ." In this alien novel, a group of Martians invades Earth, decimating everything in their path and terrorizing humans who are forced to reckon with the fact that the world may truly be ending. When the novel was first turned into a radio broadcast in 1938, it was so thrilling and realistic; it actually caused public panic as many listeners didn't realize it was fiction.

Ancillary Justice

- Author: Ann Leckie - Date published: 2013

The first installation in a space opera trilogy, " Ancillary Justice ," is told from the perspective of the artificial consciousness of a starship, the only survivor of a treacherous attack, who has set out in search of vengeance. Ann Leckie's work is groundbreaking both in its content and in the fact that every single character in her trilogy is given female pronouns or is genderless—there's not a single male in the book's more than 400 pages.

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- Author: Lois Lowry - Date published: 1993

Arguably the most widely read science fiction novel on this list, Lois Lowry's " The Giver ," has become assigned reading in many schools across the country. Set in a seemingly utopian society, the story follows a young man named Jonas, who is set to become the Receiver of Memory within his society. As his training gets underway, he begins to realize that the utopia he's been handed may not be all that perfect or desirable after all.

The Fifth Season

- Author: N.K. Jemisin - Date published: 2015

One of sci-fi's most beloved modern writers, N.K. Jemisin has turned out some of the most enthralling, original work in the genre. In " The Fifth Season ," the world begins to end on the same day Essun's life falls apart. In the midst of a war for survival, Essun sets out to find her daughter, and her plight, along with Jemisin's masterful world-building and beautiful prose, will keep you drawn in for all 450-plus pages.

Ender's Game

- Author: Orson Scott Card - Date published: 1985

Set an unidentified period of time in the future, " Ender's Game " is a military science fiction novel about humanity's fight against an alien race that's determined to annihilate Earth. The book, whose protagonist is a 10-year-old prodigy, is the first in a series, with four direct sequels that tell the rest of Andrew "Ender" Wiggins' story.

The Three-Body Problem

- Author: Liu Cixin - Date published: 2006

Liu Cixin is one of China's most beloved science fiction authors, and his 2006 book " The Three-Body Problem " marks English-speaking readers' first opportunity to engage with his work. In the book, which is set during China's Cultural Revolution, the government has established contact with a group of aliens who plan to take advantage of the chaos and invade Earth. Back on Earth, humans are splitting into various groups, some who plan to side with the aliens and others who plan to resist invasion.

The Martian Chronicles

- Author: Ray Bradbury - Date published: 1984

An episodic novel, " The Martian Chronicles " is often considered some of Ray Bradbury's best work. The short work tells the story of the colonization of Mars by humans who are fleeing an Earth that is headed for destruction.

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Starship Troopers

- Author: Robert A. Heinlein - Date published: 1959

A military sci-fi novel, and one of Heinlein's most controversial works, " Starship Troopers " was written in response to the United States' decision to halt their nuclear tests . Overtly glorifying the military, the book follows a group of men as they endure the most difficult training in the universe before setting off to fight a species of aliens in the Bug War. While readers may not agree with all of the viewpoints presented in the novel's 300 pages, it's still an important read in the science fiction canon.

The Blazing World

- Author: Margaret Cavendish - Date published: 1666

Considered by some to be the first science fiction book ever written, Margaret Cavendish published " The Blazing World " in 1666. The bizarre tale follows a young woman who falls into another world populated with talking animals, half-men, half-fish, and other strange creatures. After becoming their empress, she leads them on an invasion of her homeworld in an effort to create a more utopian society.

The Simoqin Prophecies

- Author: Samit Basu - Date published: 2004

" The Simoqin Prophecies " is a blend of classic science fiction and sci-fi spoof, described as Monty Python meets "The Lord of the Rings" meets "Ramayana." In this world, created by Samit Basu, two world-changing prophecies were made centuries ago. As the day of their fulfillment draws closer, two young men begin journeys that will change them just as much as they will change the world around them.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

- Author: Haruki Murakami - Date published: 1994

A bizarre tome of a novel, HM's " The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle " is, in short, about a Japanese man who treks into the netherworld to save his wife and her cat. In turns comic and dramatic, this acclaimed story bridges the gap between true sci-fi and urban fantasy, dabbling in historical criticism along the way.

- Author: Blake Crouch - Date published: 2019

In Blake Crouch's " Recursion ," an epidemic is sweeping the nation, one that replaces people's real memories with memories of things that never happened. A detective and a neuroscientist must team up to uncover the dark force behind the epidemic, traveling through time to do so, in this dark sci-fi thriller mystery.

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- Author: Dan Simmons - Date published: 1989

In 1990, Dan Simmons' " Hyperion " won the Hugo Award for best novel. The book, which is similar in structure to Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," follows a group of pilgrims on their journey to the Shrike, a legendary creature who guards time and can answer the riddles of each of their lives. Set in the midst of an intergalactic war and on the eve of Armageddon, each of the pilgrims has their own motive for making the journey, including, possibly, saving all of humanity.

The Fall of Hyperion

- Author: Dan Simmons - Date published: 1990

It's not often that a sequel can hold up as well as the original, but that's certainly the case for Dan Simmons' " The Fall of Hyperion ." In this second book, the time caves the Shrike had been tasked with guarding begin to open up, releasing secrets that will alter the world forever. Simmons' outstanding sequel won and was nominated for several of the genre's most prestigious awards.

Out of the Silent Planet

- Author: C.S. Lewis - Date published: 1938

C.S. Lewis is best known for his fantasy and Christian writing, but his foray into science fiction in " Out of the Silent Planet " is also notable. In the book, the first in a trilogy, a Cambridge academic, Dr. Ransom, is kidnapped by aliens and taken to Mars, where he learns he is to be offered as a sacrifice. As with most of Lewis' other writings, the novel is allegorical and, at times, satirical.

The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

- Author: H.P. Lovecraft - Date published: 1943

While it may not be considered strictly science fiction today, there's no denying that the genre itself wouldn't exist without the pioneering work of H.P. Lovecraft. His novella " The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath " is a prime example of Lovecraft's alien and alternate reality-heavy writing. In this particular work, Lovecraft's main character Randolph Carter has had repeated dreams about a mysterious city he's dying to visit—the problem is, gods from another planet are determined to keep him from it.

- Author: Isaac Asimov - Date published: 1950

This collection of nine interrelated short stories, " I, Robot ," crafts a fictional history of robots. The stories dive into the morality of creating and including robots in our universe, and it looks closely at the tension between humanity and technology. Readers have called the short book stunning, addictive, and easily accessible for even the most casual sci-fi readers.

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Leviathan Wakes

- Author: James S.A. Corey - Date published: 2011

In " Leviathan Wakes ," Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, the authors behind the pen name James S.A. Corey, have spun a tale about two men, Jim Holden and Detective Miller, who stumble upon a derelict spaceship floating in outer space. Each man seeks to solve his own mystery in regards to the ship, but as they begin to pull at the threads, they realize they must team up to unravel the whole story before someone else beats them to it.

Lord of Light

- Author: Roger Zelazny - Date published: 1967

In " Lord of Light ," Earth has vanished. A small group of survivors has colonized another planet where they've managed to upload their consciousnesses into technology, essentially turning themselves into gods. These "gods" adhere to the Hindu pantheon and practices, except for one, Sam, who prefers a Buddhist approach to life and religion. What follows is a battle for control over the planet and a revolution against the powers that be.

Ready Player One

- Author: Ernest Cline - Date published: 2011

Part ode to the '80s, part dystopian sci-fi story, " Ready Player One " follows Wade Watts, a teenager who lives in the slums, as he attempts to solve a puzzle buried inside the world's biggest video game, OASIS, by its creator. The action-driven tale is a super fun read, especially for pop-culture aficionados and those who prefer the lighter side of science fiction.

How Long 'til Black Future Month?

- Author: N.K. Jemisin - Date published: 2018

Another offering from N.K. Jemisin, " How Long 'til Black Future Month? " is a collection of short stories, including the Hugo-nominated "The City Born Great." As is usual in Jemisin's writing, the individual stories are beautifully written, containing fleshed-out worlds and characters, and tackling difficult topics like racism and gender.

The Stars My Destination

- Author: Alfred Bester - Date published: 1955

A revenge tale based on "The Count of Monte Cristo," " The Stars My Destination ," is about a teleporter named Gully, who is hell-bent on revenge. It all begins when Gully is marooned in space and ignored by a passing ship after signaling for help. The next decades of his life are all shaped by his desire for vengeance against this clan who ignored him, but eventually, Gully comes to learn that revenge isn't all it's cracked up to be.

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Slaughterhouse-Five

- Author: Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Date published: 1969

" Slaughterhouse-Five " is a unique sci-fi book, in that it's equal parts anti-war manifesto and time travel tale. Perhaps Kurt Vonnegut's best-known work, the book has been banned and burned, all the while selling more than 800,000 copies in the U.S.

- Author: Frederik Pohl - Date published: 1977

Winning almost every science fiction award out there, " Gateway " is truly the best of what the genre has to offer. The title alludes to a space station left behind by a long-vanished alien race. Only the most daring humans, including Rob Broadhead, dare to experiment with the technology that was left behind, but when they get it right, it can lead to unimaginable riches.

- Author: Carl Sagan - Date published: 1985

" Contact " is science fiction written by a real-life scientist. Carl Sagan's 1985 novel is about what happens when humanity makes contact with an extraterrestrial race that's far more advanced. After receiving a radio signal that tells them how to build a spacecraft that can travel through wormholes, a group of explorers sets out to meet those who sent the message in hopes of understanding more of the universe than we ever could otherwise.

Strange Bodies

- Author: Marcel Theroux - Date published: 2013

When Nicky Slopen comes back from the dead, it becomes clear very quickly that something's not right. As he tells his story from a secure unit of a mental hospital, Nicky begins to unveil a metaphysical conspiracy that goes far beyond the hold of death. " Strange Bodies " is a sci-fi explanation of what makes a person a person, and allows us all to be individuals.

The Tomorrow People

- Author: Judith Merril - Date published: 1960

Judith Merril's " The Tomorrow People " is light, campy fun, and one of the first examples of a sci-fi mystery story. In the book, Merril spins a story about Johnny Wendt, the only person to have ever been to Mars and lived to tell the tale. The only problem is, he remembers very little of what happened there, including what, exactly, killed all the other members of his crew.

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Re: Colonised Planet 5, Shikasta

- Author: Doris Lessing - Date published: 1979

Unique in its composition, " Re: Colonised Planet 5, Shikasta " is a collection of documents, reports, speeches, letters, and journal entries that together make up a study of the planet Shikasta (a thinly veiled Earth). Complied by a higher race, the Canopeans, the book demonstrates how they've been traveling to Shikasta for millennia, warning its inhabitants against evil, predicting World War III, or the Apocalypse.

2001: A Space Odyssey

- Author: Arthur C. Clarke - Date published: 1968

The " 2001: A Space Odyssey " novel was written concurrently with the 1968 film version directed by Stanley Kubrick. A bizarre tale, the book follows an astronaut who embarks on a mysterious, dangerous mission that takes him far into outer space, and eventually brings him into contact with an alien race. Written before man ever set foot on the Moon, the book explores what this kind of advancement could mean for humankind and the implications it could have on our future.

Childhood's End

- Author: Arthur C. Clarke - Date published: 1953

Another novel by Arthur C. Clarke, " Childhood's End " was actually the author's first popular release. In this tale, an apparently benevolent alien race has taken over the universe, turning it into a utopia, but as things progress, it becomes clear that this new arrangement may not be that utopic after all. Dealing with the themes of identity, culture, and freedom, the work is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

All Systems Red

- Author: Martha Wells - Date published: 2017

The first in the "Murderbot Diaries" series, " All Systems Red " by Martha Wells, is about an artificial construct that has figured out how to disable its governor unit, thereby becoming completely independent. The titular Murderbot works as a security unit on exploratory missions, and when a job it's assigned goes wrong, Murderbot finds itself empathizing with the humans it's supposed to be protecting.

Frankenstein

- Author: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - Date published: 1818

A true classic, " Frankenstein " tells the story of a young scientist who creates a sapient being that turns into a monster after being rejected by society. Told from alternating perspectives, the novel laid the groundwork for many science fiction tropes still used today.

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- Author: Robert A. Heinlein - Date published: 1963

Robert A. Heinlein's one attempt at science fantasy, " Glory Road ," instantly became a classic of the genre. The story follows E.C. Gordon, who answers a classified ad that leads him to Star, the Empress of Twenty Universes, who sends him on a quest for the Egg of the Phoenix. Romantic, fun, and adventure-filled, the novel is a great antidote to many of the heavier works on this list.

A Wrinkle in Time

- Author: Madeleine L'Engle - Date published: 1962

In the first installation in Madeleine L'Engle's "Time Quintet," " A Wrinkle in Time ," three children set out to find a missing father, reckon with evil, and save the world. A Newbery Medal winner, the book is often considered a classic in children's sci-fi literature.

A Canticle for Leibowitz

- Author: Walter M. Miller Jr. - Date published: 1959

A post-apocalyptic novel set in a Catholic monastery in the United States, " A Canticle for Leibowitz " covers centuries of history as humanity rebuilds itself following a nuclear war. In this world, it's the church, rather than the state, that's ultimately in control– and a group of monks is tasked with protecting what remains of man's scientific knowledge, deciding if, or when, civilization is ready for it.

A Journey to the Center of the Earth

- Author: Jules Verne - Date published: 1864

At one point in time, science fiction centered more around what lies under our feet than what could possibly be above our heads. Jules Verne's " A Journey to the Center of the Earth " is just one classic example of this subterranean science fiction. The story follows professor Otto Lidenbrock, his nephew Axel, and their guide Hans, as they travel down through an Icelandic volcano, encountering several strange creatures along the way.

Annihilation

- Author: Jeff VanderMeer - Date published: 2014

The first novel in Jeff VanderMeer's "Southern Reach" trilogy, " Annihilation ," follows the four women who make up the 12th expedition into Area X, a region of the world that has been closed off for decades for unspecified reasons. Strange things have happened to the previous teams who've explored the region, and when the women arrive, they quickly learn that the stories they've heard are just the tip of the iceberg.

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Stranger in a Strange Land

- Author: Robert A. Heinlein - Date published: 1961

There is some dispute over which version of " Stranger in a Strange Land " is better: the one published in 1961 or the original, unedited manuscript published in 1991 after author Robert A. Heinlein's death. Both books tell the same story, one of a human born on Mars and raised by Martians, who returns to Earth as an adult and must readjust to life on this planet. Science fiction purists should seek out the 1991 version, which was the author's favorite, as he thought the overall style of the original was more " graceful and readable ."

Downbelow Station

- Author: C.J. Cherryh - Date published: 1981

Although it was written as a part of C.J. Cherryh's "Company Wars" stories, the epic space opera " Downbelow Station " works as a standalone novel as well. Set on a space station orbiting a universe nicknamed Downbelow, the story follows a cast of characters tasked with exploring new star systems and creating new colonies. A long read, the book feels like a historical epic from a time that has yet to pass.

- Author: Stanislaw Lem - Date published: 1961

Translated from its original Polish, Stanislaw Lem's " Solaris " opens with scientist Kris Kelvin arriving on the titular planet to study its expansive ocean. He and his team quickly realize they aren't dealing with a body of water but a sentient being, one who is determined to bring out the worst in them without revealing anything of itself.

Gideon the Ninth

- Author: Tamsyn Muir - Date published: 2019

" Gideon the Ninth " is New Zealand author Tamsyn Muir's debut novel. Set in a galactic empire composed of nine planets, the Y.A. novel is about lesbian necromancers, a deadly trial of wits and skill, and a culture locked in political turmoil. Dubbed one of the best books of 2019, this certainly isn't one to miss.

A Fire Upon the Deep

- Author: Vernor Vinge - Date published: 1992

Vernor Vinge's space opera " A Fire Upon the Deep " takes place in a world where one's location in space determines their intelligence. When a dangerous power is unleashed during an intergalactic war, two children are kidnapped, and a group of beings of all types and levels of intelligence sets out to save them and restore order to their collective world.

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

- Author: Douglas Adams - Date published: 1979

" The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy " is a comedy sci-fi novel that was adapted from a BBC radio broadcast. It follows a human named Arthur Dent, who is rescued from Earth by his travel-writer, alien-in-disguise buddy, Ford Prefect, moments before the planet is destroyed. Truly an international phenomenon, the book, the first in a series, has sold millions of copies around the world.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

- Author: Douglas Adams - Date published: 1987

While none of Douglas Adams' other works quite measure up to "Hitchhiker's Guide," " Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency " comes awfully close. In this comic sci-fi mystery tale, Dirk Gently, a self-styled private investigator, who knows more about eating pizza than solving crimes, sets out to prove the interconnectedness of all things by unraveling a murder.

The Handmaid's Tale

- Author: Margaret Atwood - Date published: 1985

In a near-future version of New England, a totalitarian state called Gilead has overthrown the government, and women have become second-class citizens. Offred, a Handmaid in Gilead whose sole job is to get pregnant and provide offspring to a strange man, loathes her current life, mourns her old one, and serves as a dire warning to readers about the dangers of total government control. Margaret Atwood's " The Handmaid's Tale " became a cultural phenomenon all over again in 2017 when Hulu released a TV show based on the novel.

The Caves of Steel

- Author: Isaac Asimov - Date published: 1954

A science fiction version of a hardboiled detective story, " The Caves of Steel " is about a human detective, Elijah Baley, and his robot assistant, R. Daneel Olivaw, who are tasked with solving the murder of a prominent spacer, aka a wealthy individual who has fled an overcrowded Earth for a new planet. Following the success of this first book, Isaac Asimov wrote a series of other stories for these two detectives where they solved all sorts of futuristic crimes.

The Hunger Games

- Author: Suzanne Collins - Date published: 2008

In the early '00s, " The Hunger Games " trilogy sold 100 million copies and spent 260 consecutive weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. In the first Y.A. dystopian novel in the series, a young woman named Katniss Everdeen steps up to take her sister's place in a government-sponsored death game, accidentally becoming the face of a revolution along the way.

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Never Let Me Go

- Author: Kazuo Ishiguro - Date published: 2005

A shining example of a dystopian, sci-fi, literary novel, " Never Let Me Go " follows a trio of school friends through their education at a boarding school, Hailsham, and into adulthood, where they uncover their real purpose in society. A love story, a mystery, and a sharp reminder that we are only as good as the way we treat others, the book is an emotional, horrific ride.

Double Star

- Author: Robert A. Heinlein - Date published: 1956

In " Double Star ," a down-on-his-luck actor agrees to impersonate a kidnapped politician in an effort to avoid interplanetary war. When things go amiss, he realizes he may be stuck in the role for life. A commentary on politics and doing what's right, the book is among Robert A. Heinlein's first and another Hugo award winner.

Roadside Picnic

- Author: Arkady and Boris Strugatsky - Date published: 1972

When " Roadside Picnic ," written by brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, was first published in their native Soviet Union, it was heavily censored and significantly different from the serialized version that had been published in magazines in the '70s. The novel follows a "stalker" who illegally ventures into a former alien zone to collect items left behind by the extraterrestrial beings. When one of these missions goes awry, the stalker commits to continuing these expeditions until everything is righted, even if it costs him his life.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

- Author: Philip K. Dick - Date published: 1968

This classic sci-fi novel, written by Philip K. Dick, served as the basis for the 1982 blockbuster "Blade Runner." Set in San Francisco, after a global nuclear war has essentially ended life as we know it, a bounty hunter named Rick Deckard is tasked with finding and eliminating six escaped androids who have no interest in being found. " Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? " set the stage for many of the cyberpunk novels that have been published in the last 50 years.

This Is How You Lose the Time War

- Author: Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone - Date published: 2019

Told in an epistolary fashion, " This Is How You Lose the Time War " is about two agents from warring factions who travel back and forth through time, altering history for their own group's purposes. Throughout their travels, the men begin leaving notes for each other, and gradually fall in love along the way. The winner of multiple awards, including a Nebula and Hugo, this certainly qualifies as one of the best sci-fi books of the past decade.

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China Mountain Zhang

- Author: Maureen F. McHugh - Date published: 1992

A selection of loosely interconnected stories, " China Mountain Zhang " is set in a 22nd-century world where China is the leading global power, everything is socialist, Mars is being colonized, and the Cleansing Winds Campaign has just been completed. The folks in these stories are coping with everyday issues in a world that's almost, but not quite, like our own. It's a tale of ordinary people in an extraordinary setting, just trying to get by the same way we are in the here and now.

- Author: Samuel R. Delany - Date published: 1975

When Bellona, a city in the American Midwest, is hit by an unknown catastrophe, things begin changing, and everything seems off-kilter: there are suddenly two moons in the sky, landmarks keep disappearing all over town, buildings burn for days with no signs of damage, etc. Many former residents leave, but some, like the Kid, are drawn to the city looking for answers they can't find anywhere else. More than 1 million copies of " Dhalgren " have sold, marking this book as a true sci-fi classic.

Who Fears Death

- Author: Nnedi Okorafor - Date published: 2010

A brutal read, Nnedi Okorafor's " Who Fears Death " should come with a host of content warnings, and will not be a good fit for the faint of heart. Set in post-apocalyptic Africa, the books follow a young woman named Onyesonwu, who is destined to end the genocide of her people and unlock the secrets of the universe. An exploration of power in all its forms, this novel is well on its way to becoming a modern classic.

The Forever War

- Author: Joe Haldeman - Date published: 1974

After being conscripted by an elite military unit, physicist William Mandella is drawn into a war against an alien race. On top of fighting an almost unbeatable enemy, Mandella finds himself fighting against time, as this new galaxy causes him to grow older much slower than those he left behind. The first in a series, " The Forever War ," has won several awards and inspired a host of time dilation stories.

The Outside

- Author: Ada Hoffman - Date published: 2019

While " The Outside " by Ada Hoffman is a new release, it's well on its way to becoming one of the best science fiction novels of all time. When an autistic scientist's new invention malfunctions, warping time and destroying everyone on her spaceship, the AI gods of her universe give her a choice: be sentenced to death or track down her vanished mentor who poses a huge threat to the existence of their world. Readers have described the book as being "Lovecraftian."

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Altered Carbon

- Author: Richard K. Morgan - Date published: 2002

The events of " Altered Carbon " take place 400 years into the future, when mankind is spread out all over the galaxy, and interstellar travel happens through the transfer of consciousness between bodies. When an ex-envoy wakes up in the body of an ex-convict, he finds himself contracted to hunt down a billionaire's killer and uncovers a massive, interstellar conspiracy along the way.

- Author: Alastair Reynolds - Date published: 2001

In " Chasm City ," the titular society, once the most advanced in all the galaxy, has been hit with an alien plague that's corrupted the once utopian world. When Tanner Mirabel, a security expert, arrives on the planet to avenge the death of his client's wife, he also sets out to unwind the mystery behind the virus, aided by his own illness-induced symptoms.

The Glass Bead Game

- Author: Hermann Hesse - Date published: 1943

Hermann Hesse's final novel, " The Glass Bead Game ," is a unique work of science fiction in that there's very little technology involved. Instead, the book is set in a monastery-like village in a post-apocalyptic future, where scholars devote all their time and energy to mastering the mysterious glass bead game. The book serves up a deeper message about the difference between scholarship and wisdom, but even a light reading is sure to be entertaining and absorbing.

- Author: George Orwell - Date published: 1949

Regarded as one of the most defining works of the 20th century, it's eerie how prophetic George Orwell's sci-fi novel " 1984 " has proven to be. Satiric in tone, the book is about life under a totalitarian government. In the weeks after Donald Trump was elected president, the 70-year-old book saw a 9,500% increase in sales .

A Memory Called Empire

- Author: Arkady Martine - Date published: 2019

Arkady Martine's debut novel, " A Memory Called Empire ," follows an ambassador from a small space station as she sets out for the center of the empire to investigate the murder of her predecessor. Swept up in the empire's mysterious alien culture, the ambassador is also hiding secrets of her own, more than one of which could lead to the destruction of her space station and the end of life as she knows it. The book won the 2020 Hugo Award for best novel.

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The Road to Mars

- Author: Eric Idle - Date published: 1990

Written by a former member of the comedy group Monty Python, " The Road to Mars " is a bizarre, side-splittingly hilarious book about a comedy team who's taking their act on the interplanetary road. When the duo and their robot assistant unwittingly land themselves in the middle of a terrorist plot, they must act fast in order to get out alive and find their way back to the stage.

Doomsday Book

- Author: Connie Willis - Date published: 1992

The first in a series about time-traveling historians, " Doomsday Book ," follows a young woman named Kirvin Engle as she travels back to 14th-century Oxford. Although she gets stranded some 700 years in the past, scared and alone, she becomes a beacon of hope to a community ravaged by disease.

The Left Hand of Darkness

- Author: Ursula K. Le Guin - Date published: 1969

Regarded as one of the most famous science fiction books ever written, " The Left Hand of Darkness " follows a human emissary, Genly Ai, who's sent to negotiate a planet's entry into a confederation. Things get complicated when Ai fails to grasp the culture on this planet, beginning with the fact that all individuals are ambisexual. An intellectual read, this book will have you thinking long after you turn the last page.

Flowers for Algernon

- Author: Daniel Keyes - Date published: 1966

In " Flowers for Algernon ," a mentally disabled man, Charlie Gordon, undergoes a procedure that is supposed to increase his IQ. Things go swimmingly at first, until a mouse, who underwent the procedure first begins to unexpectedly deteriorate. As Charlie journals the changes in his mental and emotional state, he makes sobering points about the way our society treats the disabled and those we perceive to be different from us.

- Author: Tade Thompson - Date published: 2018

Set in Nigeria, " Rosewater " is about a community that has sprung up around the perimeter of an alien biodome. When a mysterious force begins killing people in the community, Kaaro, a government agent who has insider knowledge of the dome, begins to seek answers, even as everything in him is telling him to stay away.

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The Time Machine

- Author: H.G. Wells - Date published: 1895

The first novel to popularize the concept of time travel, H. G. Wells' " The Time Machine " celebrated its 125th birthday this year. Set in Victorian England, the novel follows a scientist who develops a machine that can move him forwards and backward in time. Traveling to 802,701 A.D., the scientist encounters two bizarre races, the Eloi and the Morlocks, who represent the future of humanity, and embarks on a host of adventures.

Old Man's War

- Author: John Scalzi - Date published: 2005

In "Old Man's War," humanity has finally made it into space, but, late to the game, they are forced to fight for any new holds they wish to claim. As a result, they've created the Colonial Defense Force, an army of retirement-aged people who can use the knowledge they've earned through decades of living to win and colonize new outposts. On his 75th birthday, John Perry joins the CDP and finds, in good ways and bad, that it's more than he ever imagined it would be.

The Dispossessed

- Author: Ursula K. Le Guin - Date published: 1974

Set in the same universe as "The Left Hand of Darkness," " The Dispossessed " is about a physicist named Shevek who sets out to shake up life on the utopian mother planet, Urras, in hopes that these actions will tear down the walls of hate surrounding his own planet. Although the book is first in the chronology of Ursula K. Le Guin's "Hainish Cycle," it was the fifth one published.

- Author: Kim Stanley Robinson - Date published: 1992

In " Red Mars ," the first in an epic saga trilogy, the year is 2026, and the first group of humans is set to begin colonizing Mars. Featuring incredible world-building and legitimate science, this chunker of a book (it closes in on 600 pages) is certainly worth the time investment.

- Author: Octavia E. Butler - Date published: 1987

Lilith Iyapo, the main character in " Dawn ," opens her eyes after centuries asleep to find herself trapped in the bowls of an alien spaceship. Many moons ago, these aliens managed to save Lilith and a few other humans before Earth was uninhabitable. Now that they've managed to restore the planet, they want to bring humans home, with one condition: they must agree to interbreed, and Lilith must convince her fellow man to allow this plan to happen.

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Rendezvous with Rama

- Author: Arthur C. Clarke - Date published: 1973

" Rendezvous with Rama " is about mankind's first encounter with alien life. When an object scientists have dubbed Rama is revealed to be an interstellar spacecraft, a group of explorers is sent to intercept the ship and determine whether or not it's friendly before it touches down on Earth. The traditional sci-fi book would make a great starting place for those who are new to the genre.

Time Enough for Love

- Author: Robert A. Heinlein - Date published: 1973

Lazarus Long, the oldest living human, has been alive for more than 2,000 years. With so much life under his belt, he's beginning to tire of this planet and begins to tell some of his best stories in hopes of falling in love with life all over again. A series of interconnected novellas, " Time Enough for Love ," is one of Robert A. Heinlein's most acclaimed works.

The Intuitionist

- Author: Colson Whitehead - Date published: 1999

Teetering on the edge of science fiction and speculative fiction, Colson Whitehead's " The Intuitionist " earned itself a place on this list thanks to its fresh, and often funny, take on politics and race. Set in an alternate universe where two parties of elevator inspectors, the Empiricists & the Intuitionists, are at war, the book begins with an elevator crash. A young woman named Lila Mae sets out to clear her and her party's name and uncovers some wild, futuristic secrets along the way.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

- Author: Becky Chambers - Date published: 2014

A lighthearted space opera, Becky Chambers' " The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet ," sees Rosemary Harper join the motley, multi-species crew of a dated spaceship called the Wayfarer. As the group travels through galaxies completing missions, encountering aliens, and occasionally risking life and limb, readers get to watch them grow and develop a close kinship with each other.

Fahrenheit 451

- Author: Ray Bradbury - Date published: 1953

In the dystopian world presented in Ray Bradbury's " Fahrenheit 451 " books are outlawed, censorship runs wild, and Guy Montag, the protagonist, is a fireman tasked with burning books and destroying knowledge. Modern-day readers will find that the book's commentary on the control and distillation of knowledge, as well as our duty to protect it, still rings true some 65 years later.

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Infomocracy

- Author: Malka Ann Older - Date published: 2016

The first installation in a cyberpunk political thriller series, " Infomocracy ," is set in a world where a global democracy is run by corporations. With an election on the horizon, three separate political figures have to reckon with their places in this political experiment, all while the stakes get increasingly higher. "Infomocracy" would make a great election year read and leave you thinking deeply about our own democracy's paradoxes.

The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer

- Author: Neal Stephenson - Date published: 1995

" The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer " is a coming of age story that follows a young girl named Nell, who lives in a futuristic world where nanotechnology controls all aspects of life. Nell receives an illegal interactive book that is supposed to teach her how to adhere to the status quo but instead leads her down another path, one that might change the future of humanity.

The Man in the High Castle

- Author: Philip K. Dick - Date published: 1962

Philip K. Dick's alternate history novel " The Man in the High Castle " takes place in a world where the Axis powers beat the Allies, and the world now lives under totalitarian rule. A Hugo Award winner, the book was turned into a TV series produced by Amazon.

The Sparrow

- Author: Mary Doria Russell - Date published: 1996

Set in 2019, " The Sparrow " is about a Jesuit priest who is the lone survivor of a mission meant to establish contact with the first extraterrestrial race humans have ever made contact with. The meeting nearly destroys him physically and spiritually, highlighting the fact that humans are far too arrogant in our assumption that we can ever really understand others—extraterrestrial or not.

- Author: Larry Niven - Date published: 1970

A classic of sci-fi literature, " Ringworld " follows a ragtag group of explorers, headed by 200-year-old human Louis Wu, who set out to explore a 600 million miles long alien spaceship floating in outer space and end up crash landing. The first in a series, the book is lighthearted, imaginative, and truly mind-blowing.

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- Author: Nicola Griffith - Date published: 1992

" Ammonite " is a novel that pushes the reader's understanding of gender, and does it well. The winner of the Lambda Literary Award and the James Tiptree Jr. Award, the book takes place on a planet called Jeep, which is inhabited only by women after a pandemic wiped out all the men. In the book, an anthropologist travels to Jeep to study the women and to bring a vaccine that may allow men to once again flourish on the planet but finds she's adapting to their way of life and may not want to complete her mission after all.

- Author: Prayaag Akbar - Date published: 2017

A dystopian novel set in India in the 2040s, " Leila " follows a mother, Shalini, who's desperately searching for her disappeared daughter, Leila, as the world crumbles under a totalitarian regime. A story of love and loss, the book was turned into a Netflix series that premiered in 2019.

Station Eleven

- Author: Emily St. John Mandel - Date published: 2014

In " Station Eleven ," a pandemic essentially causes the end of the world, and the few survivors must come together to save the best parts of humanity. Things get even more complicated when a strange prophet and his creepy cult of followers begin to stage a takeover. Told through the alternating perspectives of a few loosely connected characters, this book was a bestseller upon its release in 2014.

The Stars are Legion

- Author: Kameron Hurley - Date published: 2017

Kameron Hurley's " The Stars are Legion " reimagines women's roles in science fiction. While men are often the stars of these adventure stories, in this 2017 tale, a woman, in a world filled only with women, is the hero. When Zan awakes on a spaceship with no memories of her own, she must determine if what she's being told about herself is true before her actions lead to the genocide of an entire group of people.

The City & The City

- Author: - Date published:

While " The City & The City " has all the regular elements of a police procedural and murder mystery, it's far from the standard offerings of either genre. When a young woman is murdered in Borlu, a hardened police inspector sets out to solve the case, soliciting the help of the police force in the Borlu's "twin city" Ul Qoma. Along the way, he finds that something sinister might be at work, hiding in the gaps between these two cities.

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Broken Stars

- Author: Ken Liu (editor) - Date published: 2019

An anthology of Chinese science fiction short stories and novellas, " Broken Stars " is thrilling, absorbing, and imaginative. Including work from authors like Xia Jia and Liu Cixin, almost every story in the book, from the cyberpunk to the space operas to the hard sci-fi, has been published in the last decade. No science fiction reader can consider themselves truly well-read until they've read at least a selection of stories from this collection.

Every Heart a Doorway

- Author: Seanan McGuire - Date published: 2016

" Every Heart a Doorway " is set in a home for children who, at one time or another, managed to slip into a magical world, and have now returned to our ordinary land, changed and unsatisfied with all this place has to offer. After a newcomer named Nancy arrives at the home and a string of murders begins, the children must unravel the mystery of who or what wants them dead. A mix of fantasy and sci-fi, this book is a fun read for both Y.A. fans and adults alike.

Parable of the Sower

- Author: Octavia E. Butler - Date published: 1993

One of the most legendary science fiction writers of all time, Octavia E. Butler made The New York Times Best Seller list for the first time in September 2020 , with her 1993 book " Parable of the Sower ." Many readers liken the events in the story, which take place in 2025 on an Earth that has been ravaged by war, disease, a lack of clean water, and drugs, to our current circumstances. The young, orphaned protagonist, Lauren Oya Olamina, struggles with a condition called hyperempathy but comes to find that this sensitivity may be the key to saving humanity.

- Author: Isaac Asimov - Date published: 1951

A collection of five interrelated stories, Isaac Asimov's " Foundation " is about a psychohistorian's attempt to save the best parts of humanity when his galaxy is faced with total destruction. Described as ambitious and highly imaginative, the book certainly appeals to a specific sort of reader, but those who are able to get into the story always rank it among their favorite sci-fi books of all time.

An Unkindness of Ghosts

- Author: Rivers Solomon - Date published: 2017

In " An Unkindness of Ghosts ," Rivers Solomon explores what systematic racism could look like on a generational starship, centuries in the future. The story follows Aster, a young woman whose dark skin has kept her relegated to the bottom decks of the starship Matilda for her entire life. As she unwittingly begins to uncover family secrets, Aster finds that there may be a way to put an end to the legacy of racism she's trapped under once and for all.

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The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

- Author: Robert A. Heinlein - Date published: 1966

" The Moon is a Harsh Mistress " is one part political treatise (it heavily discusses libertarian ideals), one part sci-fi tale of a human colony on the moon revolting against their absentee earthly rulers. Originally serialized in "If," a science fiction magazine, the book got a full release in 1966 and won the Hugo Award in 1967.

Jurassic Park

- Author: Michael Crichton - Date published: 1990

Most folks are familiar with " Jurassic Park ," the bio sci-fi story about an island amusement park filled with manufactured dinosaurs. However, far fewer people have actually read the Michael Crichton book, as most just opt to watch the Steven Spielberg movie instead. We're here to tell you that the book is well worth a read, especially for die-hard sci-fi fans.

- Author: Neal Stephenson - Date published: 1992

The main character in " Snow Crash ," Hiro Protagonist, is a delivery man by day and a computer hacker by night. When a terrifying computer virus begins knocking out tech wizards all over the world, Hiro Protagonist embarks on a race against time to unmask the mastermind behind the virus and put an end to the whole thing before this futuristic version of America finds itself in an info apocalypse.

The Female Man

- Author: Joanna Russ - Date published: 1975

This classic feminist sci-fi novel follows four women who cross over into each other's realities. After crossing over, each of them finds their existing notions of gender challenged and must reevaluate their lives upon returning to their own worlds. " The Female Man " is a must-read for all science fiction lovers.

Brave New World

- Author: Aldous Huxley - Date published: 1932

Written almost 100 years ago, Aldous Huxley's " Brave New World " is set in a dystopian universe, where a World State rules, determining every aspect of its citizens' lives. In similar fashion to George Orwell's "1984," only one man challenges this sort of totalitarian rule and attempts to bring humanity back to the individuality that makes it so special.

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Erica Ezeifedi

Erica Ezeifedi, Associate Editor, is a transplant from Nashville, TN that has settled in the North East. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a victim advocate and in public libraries, where she has focused on creating safe spaces for queer teens, mentorship, and providing test prep instruction free to students. Outside of work, much of her free time is spent looking for her next great read and planning her next snack. Find her on Twitter at @Erica_Eze_ .

View All posts by Erica Ezeifedi

Make sure to check out the Trans Readathon when you have a moment. It ends on March 29th.

And, Rebecca Joines Schinsky gets into some of the latest bookish goings-on in this roundup of Today in Books , which includes common myths surrounding book bans.

When it comes to new releases, I’ve been loving the Black horror girlie surge that’s been part of the Horror Renaissance , the latest of which is Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis. It’s a YA slasher that follows a girl looking for her mother’s body at the summer camp that — get this — her serial killer father once owned. Supreme horror mess of the highest order.

Another new horror title, albeit an adult one, is Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne. Diavola also has some family drama going on, this time set against a haunted Italian villa during a vacation. Finally, there’s the conclusion to troubled, half-Native teen Jade Daniels’s Indian Lake saga in The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones.

Stepping outside of horror, Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura sees protagonist Tatum Vega getting her newfound peace upended when news breaks that a famous author — someone she dated years ago — has been accused of assault. And, from the author of The Enchanted — which I inhaled when it was first published years ago — comes Sleeping Giants , a tale of foster kids, abuse, and real-life monsters. Lastly, Worry by Alexandra Tanner, is a debut described as “a Seinfeldian novel of existentialism and sisterhood.”

In the featured books below, there’s an entry into a popular cozy mystery series, queer love across timelines, a reimagining of Icarus , and more.

The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Sutanto stays with her foot on our necks with these new releases, phew . After last year’s über popular Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers , she’s back with another cozy mystery, this time a continuation of her bestselling Aunties series. Here, Meddy Chan travels to Jakarta to spend the Chinese New Year with family. But then, a former fling of one of Meddy’s Aunties — affectionately known as Second Aunt — shows up trying to stunt with bougie gifts. Well, one of the gifts was actually meant for a business rival, and it being accidentally given to Meddy’s family sets her and her Aunties up to become mixed up in a decades-long feud between Jakarta’s business organizations. When things get really real — and Meddy and her family are put in harm’s way — it’s up to Meddy to save them all.

There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib

Hanif Abdurraqib is the National Book Award-nominated author of A Little Devil in America , and here he aims his poetic eye at basketball. With his usual mix of the personal and communal, he looks at one of America’s favorite sports, examining its history, who makes it and who doesn’t, and LeBron James.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

This is being compared to Knives Out , which makes it perfect for the fun-seeking cozy mystery reader. Almost 60 years ago, Frances was just a teenager at a fair with friends when a fortune-teller told her that someone would kill her. She spends the rest of her life trying to figure out her own future murderer. Then, one day, Annie is called to her great-aunt Frances’ huge country estate. She’s been murdered, and it’s up to Annie to figure out who did it. Good thing the dearly departed Frances kept detailed notes on potential suspects…

Icarus  by K. Ancrum 

In this queer Icarus retelling, the titular character is an art thief, but one with a victim who kind of has it coming. Icarus only steals from the wealthy Mr. Black by replacing his priceless art with his father’s flawless forgeries as part of revenge for Icarus’ mother’s death. A strict set of rules keeps Icarus from being exposed, until he gets caught by Mr. Black’s son, Helios, one night. But the enigmatic Helios doesn’t turn him in — instead, he asks for Icarus’ friendship. This friendship turns into something more that threatens everything — even what Icarus and his father hold dear.

The Emperor and the Endless Palace  by Justinian Huang

Across multiple timelines and lives, two men are reborn, each life proving to them the eternity of love: a young emperor gets seduced by a courtier in 4 BCE, an innkeeper helps a mysterious visitor in 1740, and a college student meets an intriguing stranger in modern-day L.A.

The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic: Reconstruction, 1860-1920 by Manisha Sinha

Sinha gives us a new look at a pivotal moment in U.S. history: Reconstruction. Despite Reconstruction’s claim of granting true freedom to Black people after the Civil War, the country’s leaders proved to not be very concerned with equality after all. And, by looking at imperialist desires, northern labor conflict, women’s suffrage, and the Chinese Exclusion Act, Sinha shows how the failed promise of Reconstruction resulted in capitalism running amok and a special kind of race-based tyranny.

Other Book Riot New Releases Resources:

• All the Books , our weekly new book releases podcast, where Liberty and a cast of co-hosts talk about eight books out that week that we’ve read and loved.
• The New Books Newsletter , where we send you an email of the books out this week that are getting buzz.
• Finally, if you want the real inside scoop on new releases, you have to check out Book Riot’s New Release Index! That’s where I find 90% of new releases, and you can filter by trending books, Rioters’ picks, and even LGBTQ new releases!

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• Pop Culture

‘The Three-Body Problem’ Is Brilliant. ‘3 Body Problem’ Is Better.

Netflix’s new sci-fi series from the makers of ‘Game of Thrones’ doesn’t just honor Liu Cixin’s remarkable books—it improves on them

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My favorite quote about science fiction comes from longtime editor Frederik Pohl, who paraphrased Isaac Asimov when he wrote, “Somebody once said that a good science-fiction story should be able to predict not the automobile but the traffic jam.”

In other words, it’s not the piece of technology or scientific advance itself that matters in spinning a sci-fi yarn, but rather the advance’s ramifications for humanity. Anyone can predict that humanity might one day, say, make first contact with aliens. But under what circumstances? And what might that contact say about our place in the universe? And what would those events mean for successive generations?

In the Three-Body Problem trilogy, Chinese author Liu Cixin constructs the most magnificently intricate, wildly ambitious traffic jam ever imagined. After the series’ first book was translated into English in 2014, Liu became the first Asian winner of the annual Hugo Award for best science-fiction or fantasy novel. His work received praise from the likes of Barack Obama and George R.R. Martin. It was so influential that it even coined a name for an actual scientific theory. (Don’t Google “the dark forest,” the title of the series’ second book, or else you will encounter massive spoilers.)

And now former Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with True Blood ’s Alexander Woo, have brought that impeccable cosmic traffic jam to Netflix, in what The New York Times called the “apotheosis of the nerd-tech takeover of our storytelling culture.” All eight episodes of the adaptation’s first season will be released on Thursday, with the streamer hoping to rival the book series’ smash success.

3 Body Problem (as the show’s title is stylized) is a proper fit for Benioff and Weiss, even though one of their adaptive sagas takes place in a medieval fantasy world and the other is in modern and futuristic sci-fi settings. 3 Body Problem is sexless, but in tone, it’s sci-fi’s answer to Thrones ’ grimdark sensibilities: In his essay anthology A View From the Stars , which reaches shelves next month, Liu writes that this series was his attempt to “try and imagine the worst universe possible” and that the second book’s title is fitting because “my universe is unbelievably dark.”

His story exploring this “worst universe possible” is the hardest of hard science fiction, with long passages about orbital mechanics, quantum physics, solar radiation, and the speed of light. Both the books and show open with a dual-timeline story. In one timeline, set in China during the Cultural Revolution, a traumatized young woman finds a home at a mysterious military base; in the other, modern-day law enforcement officers investigate a string of scientist suicides while other characters are invited to play a state-of-the-art virtual reality game.

Such a hard sci-fi story would seem “unadaptable”—but Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series was viewed the same way, once upon a time, before evolving into a creative and cultural darling, a show that simultaneously set records for both Emmy Awards and HBO viewership. Crucially, while Thrones faltered at the finish line as it outran its still-incomplete source material, 3 Body Problem won’t face the same challenge, as the ending to Liu’s book series is already written. That difference gives Benioff and Weiss the opportunity to do what they do best: adapt an unadaptable genre story for the masses.

They have a “knack … for making what seems like completely inaccessible material totally accessible,” actor John Bradley, who played Samwell Tarly in Thrones and features as a snack-food tycoon in 3 Body , said in a press packet provided by Netflix. “I just couldn’t see how they were going to do it, but then as I started to read the scripts, I realized what a magic touch they’ve got in terms of taking this very dense source material and making it into an entertaining mainstream show.”

Bradley’s right. I’ve seen screeners for the entire season, and I was astonished by its quality; 3 Body Problem holds mostly true to the spirit of the source text, preserving its strengths while also shoring up its weaknesses. The book series is remarkable. The Netflix show might be an even better version of the story.

When I first discovered Liu’s trilogy and tore through all three books, their plots and themes dominated my waking thoughts and dreams for months afterward. I have since read everything Liu has ever written that’s been translated into English. When I joined an online baseball simulation league—my sci-fi fandom is not my only über-nerdy interest—I named my team the Trisolaris Droplets. (If you know, you know.) My wife’s gift to me for our first wedding anniversary (traditionally associated with a “paper” theme) was a gorgeous art book inspired by the series.

I offer all these anecdotes to establish my bona fides as a massive fan of the trilogy, so you’ll know I’m speaking in good faith when I admit that it’s also weighed down by several major flaws. The books’ timelines can grow confusing, especially when Liu doubles back to previous events and shares confusing flashbacks. His treatment of romantic subplots—and of some gender dynamics more broadly—is uncomfortable. His characters, most of all, tend to exist as two-dimensional vehicles for ideas rather than as 3D flesh-and-blood creations.

Fictional stories can draw readers in because of beautiful prose or compelling characters or a riveting plot; rare success stories, like Martin’s ASoIaF, combine all three. But Liu thrives through plot alone. He devotes far more attention to building his ideas and worlds than to building his characters. (This is especially true of a main character in the first book, whom a coworker—who didn’t enjoy her reading experience—called “the most boring man in the world.”)

This imbalance is partly a matter of cultural exchange. In a New Yorker profile of Liu, Chinese American writer Jiayang Fan wrote of China’s development over the course of Liu’s life, “The scale and the speed of China’s economic transformation were conducive to a fictive mode that concerns itself with the fate of whole societies, planets, and galaxies, and in which individuals are presented as cogs in larger systems.”

Yet the lack of individually compelling characters is also a choice (or a limitation) of Liu’s. He’s a power plant engineer by trade, not a trained writer. As he told Fan for that profile, “I did not begin writing for love of literature. I did so for love of science.”

That inversion wouldn’t work on television, which is, at its heart, a medium driven by character and dialogue. “I started as a playwright, so that’s the only way I know how to write: character first,” Woo said via Netflix. “For a television series, that’s the thing that gives you an emotional attachment to the story and makes you think about it after the credits roll.”

Part of the creators’ adaptive solution was structural. In Liu’s trilogy, the sequels’ protagonists don’t appear in the first book, and the various main characters don’t know each other before the events of the series.

So Benioff, Weiss, and Woo decided to pull those later protagonists (under different names) to the start of the first season of TV. They also connected those characters in a manner that might be less realistic—is it actually likely that the most important characters in a world-spanning story would have been friends before the crisis began?—but makes for a more cohesive viewing experience. Audiences love an ensemble.

“What you gain by making these changes is a greater level of emotional engagement, which is at the heart of any TV show,” Woo said.

In the case of 3 Body , that ensemble consists of five characters whose friendship dates back to their days as physics students at Oxford. The members of the quintet have since branched out into different scientific subfields: Jin (Jess Hong) is a theoretical physicist, Saul (Jovan Adepo) works in a lab, Auggie (Eiza González) applies her education to a job constructing nanomaterials, Jack (Bradley) owns a popular snack-food company, and Will (Alex Sharp) is a schoolteacher.

Those characters offer not only more emotional engagement than their book counterparts, but also a greater variety in tone. Jack, for instance, adds welcome humor and sarcasm to an otherwise overly serious show. (Benedict Wong’s Da Shi, an intelligence officer, supplies his fair share of levity, too.)

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Altering character presentation is a common tactic for hard sci-fi shows that move from the page to the screen. The Foundation adaptation on Apple TV+ took a similar approach to its ostensibly unfilmable source material, another dense sci-fi story that emphasizes world-building over character-building. As Asimov’s story skips across time, most characters appear for no more than a few chapters. (Incidentally, Liu directly references Foundation in the second book in his series.)

The Foundation adaptation introduces cloning and cryogenic procedures to extend its characters’ life spans—and keep its high-profile actors on-screen. “I think the secret sauce for adapting Foundation was really rooting it in emotion,” showrunner David S. Goyer said in 2021. “Really rooting it in character.”

Elsewhere in the realm of hard sci-fi adaptations, Dune: Part Two condensed its time frame and cut out the book’s precocious toddler , which would have been trickier to depict on-screen. The Expanse TV show also fiddled with character timelines, including introducing a fan favorite who doesn’t appear until the second book in the pilot episode. His Dark Materials is more fantasy than sci-fi, but HBO’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s trilogy employed the same solution in transporting a character who debuts in the second book to the show’s second episode.

The Expanse adaptation also added more dialogue and banter in place of a detective character’s mostly internal narration. Daniel Abraham, one of the coauthors and executive producers of the series, told me this change was necessary because “watching the guy sit at home and drink whiskey and think—not great television.”

The same rationale shapes the 3 Body adaptation. Where in the book one character plays the virtual reality game alone and must think through its problems by himself, the show engages multiple characters in the VR world so that they can collaborate and share their thoughts with both one another and the audience.

One other major change in the 3 Body cast, versus its book equivalent, stems from the globalization of a story that originally transpired almost entirely in China. (The sequels spend more time globe-trotting and even traveling beyond our pale blue dot .) While the first season’s two largest roles went to actors of Chinese descent, other Chinese characters from the book are, in the show, played by white, Black, Pakistani, and Mexican actors. And while flashbacks are still centered in China, much of the present-day action shifts to London instead.

According to the creators, Liu gave them his blessing to swap characters’ races and genders, and the cast and creators have stressed repeatedly that these changes were intended to tell a better global story, not to whitewash an inherently Chinese tale.

“We wanted to represent, as much as possible, all of humanity,” Benioff said, per Netflix. “We wanted people from all over the world. We tried to make this a very diverse, international cast to represent the idea that this isn’t just one country’s struggle against the threat of aliens; it’s a global struggle to survive.”

Some viewers may rebel against these changes, but cast members quoted in Netflix’s press materials applauded the resulting opportunities for greater representation. Switching a scientist character from a Chinese man to a Latina woman, said González, “allowed me to be a bit more subversive in this take on a scientist. I feel like we have a very specific idea when it comes to doctors or scientists that’s very sterile and clean-cut. Being a woman from Latin America, I really wanted to create a role that reflected a Latin American woman in a different, more beautiful light.”

Not all of 3 Body ’s adaptive changes can compensate for the source material’s relative weaknesses. To return to the Thrones comparison, none of 3 Body ’s characters are as rich or complex as Tyrion Lannister, Arya Stark, or many of Martin’s other creations. Nor does 3 Body ’s dialogue crackle like Thrones ’ at its best.

But elements of production design—such as props, costumes, effects, and score—unique to the screen elevate other aspects beyond the capabilities of plain words on a page.

“The thing that’s amazing about filmed entertainment,” The Expanse ’s Abraham said, “is it has a musical score, and there’s this whole layer of emotional evocation that you just get for free. It’s amazing. It’s a powerful tool. If you could do that in a book, it would be astounding.”

In addition to reconvening Thrones actors like Bradley, Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), and Jonathan Pryce (the High Sparrow), 3 Body calls on many of the below-the-line standouts who shaped Thrones ’ look, sound, and feel, including composer Ramin Djawadi, who’s back with a delightful soundtrack for the new show. Thrones and 3 Body visual effects producer Steve Kullback said via Netflix that “the level of complexity of the visual effects is similar, in many ways, to some of the things we did on Game of Thrones .”

This series looks expensive, and it feels all the more immersive for its attention to portraying an entire world. 3 Body expands even beyond Thrones ’ great sprawl, leaping, in the VR world, from ancient China to Tudor England to 13th-century Mongolia to 16th-century Italy and, in the real world, from England to Panama to Switzerland to Florida.

The effects work carries over to the show’s infrequent action scenes. A midseason sequence on an oil tanker, which transforms a one-page event into a jaw-dropping visual spectacle, is one of the best set pieces Benioff and Weiss have ever produced. It’s not quite Hardhome or the Red Wedding , but it’s not far behind. ( 3 Body ’s actual version of the Red Wedding would come in Season 2, if the show is renewed.)

This action is played up in part because, as my colleague Justin Charity wrote , both the books and show are “sci-fi thrillers, but the books put the emphasis on sci-fi where the show puts the emphasis on thriller .” This streamlining mostly works. The most confusing part of the first book—and, in my opinion, the entire series—unfolds over 25 dense pages, as Liu details the construction of a new piece of advanced technology that makes use of extra dimensions. On the screen, however, 3 Body condenses this sequence via a quick summary before moving on—again, focusing more on the traffic jam than the automobile itself.

Still, cutting down on the science nerdery in the interest of broader viewer comprehension means that, for some fans, the books’ appeal will be lost in translation. I couldn’t help but wish that other missing parts had been included in the adaptation: a scene that uses a billiard table as a metaphor for a particle accelerator; Liu’s deeper exploration of the VR game, which allows the reader to try to untangle its collection of mysteries along with the characters instead of just watching them solve it; more details about the ingenious “human computer” in VR, which looks cool but isn’t really explained on-screen.

For viewers who want more sci-fi in their sci-fi thriller, or frankly more sci in their sci-fi, a competing Chinese-language adaptation aired in 2023 and is now streaming on Peacock. This version of the story, produced by the Chinese conglomerate Tencent, is almost unflinchingly faithful to the book, as it stretches over 30 episodes and thus has much more room to delve into all of the novel’s scientific minutiae. Tencent’s series is not entirely faithful, however: It elides the integral aspects of Chinese history that influence characters and catalyze the plot.

When drafting his book, Liu front-loaded scenes showing the brutality of the Cultural Revolution, but as a New York Times piece explained , his “Chinese publisher worried that the opening scenes were too politically charged and would never make it past government censors, so they were placed later in the narrative, he says, to make them less conspicuous. Liu reluctantly agreed to the change, but felt the novel was diminished.” Now, Liu recommends that bilingual readers choose the English translation of his book—which returned those chapters to the front of the novel—instead of the Chinese version.

The same dynamic apparently played out in the dueling adaptations. The Tencent adaptation downplays these scenes, while the Netflix show—just like the English translation of the book—opens with them, as a physics professor faces opprobrium from a mob because of his beliefs about science and religion.

Liu himself is an atheist, but he still believes it’s his role to inspire a spiritual response in his readers. In one of his essays in A View From the Stars , he writes, “The religious feeling of science fiction is a deep sense of awe at the great mysteries of the universe.”

The show captures that same sense of wonder and reflects it back to the audience from the start. At the end of the first episode, when the stars in the night sky behave in an unusual way, the hair on my arms stood up, just as it had when I discovered the great mysteries in the book.

“We want to do justice to the books and create a show that makes people feel the way the books made us feel,” Benioff said. “And the best way to do that is not to just schematically take things from the book and put them on-screen in the order and manner in which they appear in the books.”

Those more holistic changes alter character and story structure but not Liu’s propulsive plot or, most of all, the way his books made so many readers feel. With the aid of TV-friendly tweaks and Netflix’s massive reach, the 3 Body adaptation has the opportunity to fill even more audience members with that deep sense of awe.

“A lot of people who said, ‘I don’t like fantasy’ became big fans of Game of Thrones ,” Benioff added. “And our hope is that we’ll get a lot of people who normally are not into science fiction to love 3 Body Problem .”

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8 New Books We Recommend This Week

Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times.

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Our fiction recommendations this week include a “gleeful romp” of a series mystery, along with three novels by some heavy-hitting young writers: Téa Obreht, Helen Oyeyemi and Tommy Orange. (How heavy-hitting, and how young? Consider that Obreht was included in The New Yorker’s “20 Under 40” issue in 2010 — and she’s still under 40 today. So is Oyeyemi, who was one of Granta’s “Best Young British Novelists” in 2013, while Orange, at 42, has won the PEN/Hemingway Award, the John Leonard Prize and the American Book Award. The future is in good hands.)

In nonfiction, we recommend a painter’s memoir, a group biography of three jazz giants, a posthumous essay collection by the great critic Joan Acocella and a journalist’s look at American citizens trying to come to terms with a divided country. Happy reading. — Gregory Cowles

THE MORNINGSIDE Téa Obreht

After being displaced from their homeland, Silvia and her mother move into the Morningside, a weather-beaten luxury apartment building in “Island City,” a sinking version of New York in the middle of all-out climate collapse. Silvia learns about her heritage through the folk tales her aunt Ena tells her, and becomes fascinated with the mysterious woman who lives in the penthouse apartment.

“I marveled at the subtle beauty and precision of Obreht’s prose. … Even in the face of catastrophe, there’s solace to be found in art.”

From Jessamine Chan’s review

Random House | $29

A GRAVE ROBBERY Deanna Raybourn

In their ninth crime-solving tale, the Victorian-era adventuress and butterfly hunter Veronica Speedwell and her partner discover that a wax mannequin is actually a dead young woman, expertly preserved.

“Throw in an assortment of delightful side characters and an engaging tamarin monkey, and what you have is the very definition of a gleeful romp.”

From Sarah Weinman’s crime column

Berkley | $28

THE BLOODIED NIGHTGOWN: And Other Essays Joan Acocella

Acocella, who died in January, may have been best known as one of our finest dance critics. But as this posthumous collection shows, she brought the same rigor, passion and insight to all the art she consumed. Whether her subject is genre fiction, “Beowulf” or Marilynne Robinson, Acocella’s knowledge and enthusiasm are hard to match. We will not see her like again.

"Some critics are haters, but Acocella began writing criticism because she loved — first dance, and then much of the best of Western culture. She let life bring her closer to art."

From Joanna Biggs’s review

Farrar, Straus & Giroux | $35

WANDERING STARS Tommy Orange

This follow-up to Orange’s debut, “There There,” is part prequel and part sequel; it trails the young survivor of a 19th-century massacre of Native Americans, chronicling not just his harsh fate but those of his descendants. In its second half, the novel enters 21st-century Oakland, following the family in the aftermath of a shooting.

“Orange’s ability to highlight the contradictory forces that coexist within friendships, familial relationships and the characters themselves ... makes ‘Wandering Stars’ a towering achievement.”

From Jonathan Escoffery’s review

Knopf | $29

PARASOL AGAINST THE AXE Helen Oyeyemi

In Oyeyemi’s latest magical realist adventure, our hero is a woman named Hero, and she is hurtling through the city of Prague, with a shape-shifting book about Prague, during a bachelorette weekend. But Hero doesn’t seem to be directing the novel’s action; the story itself seems to be calling the shots.

“Her stock-in-trade has always been tales at their least domesticated. … In this novel, they have all the autonomy, charisma and messiness of living beings — and demand the same respect.”

From Chelsea Leu’s review

Riverhead | $28

3 SHADES OF BLUE: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool James Kaplan

On one memorable occasion in 1959, three outstanding musicians came together for what may be the greatest jazz record ever, Davis’s “Kind of Blue.” Kaplan, the author of a Frank Sinatra biography, traces the lives of his protagonists in compelling fashion; he may not be a jazz expert but he knows how to tell a good story.

“Kaplan has framed '3 Shades of Blue' as both a chronicle of a golden age and a lament for its decline and fall. One doesn’t have to accept the decline-and-fall part to acknowledge that he has done a lovely job of evoking the golden age.”

From Peter Keepnews’s review

Penguin Press | $35

WITH DARKNESS CAME STARS: A Memoir Audrey Flack

From her early days as an Abstract Expressionist who hung out with Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning at the Cedar Bar to her later success as a pioneering photorealist, Flack worked and lived at the center of New York’s art world over her long career; here she chronicles the triumphs, the slights, the sexism and the gossip, all with equal relish.

“Flack is a natural, unfiltered storyteller. … The person who emerges from her pages is someone who never doubts she has somewhere to go.”

From Prudence Peiffer’s review

Penn State University Press | $37.50

AN AMERICAN DREAMER: Life in a Divided Country David Finkel

Agile and bracing, Finkel’s book trails a small network of people struggling in the tumultuous period between the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections. At the center is Brent Cummings, a white Iraq war veteran who is trying to cope with a country he no longer recognizes.

“Adroitly assembles these stories into a poignant account of the social and political mood in the United States. … A timely and compelling argument for tolerance and moral character in times of extreme antagonism.”

From John Knight’s review

Random House | $32

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

James McBride’s novel sold a million copies, and he isn’t sure how he feels about that, as he considers the critical and commercial success  of “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.”

How did gender become a scary word? Judith Butler, the theorist who got us talking about the subject , has answers.

You never know what’s going to go wrong in these graphic novels, where Circus tigers, giant spiders, shifting borders and motherhood all threaten to end life as we know it .

When the author Tommy Orange received an impassioned email from a teacher in the Bronx, he dropped everything to visit the students  who inspired it.

Do you want to be a better reader?   Here’s some helpful advice to show you how to get the most out of your literary endeavor .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

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