Finding The Best Science Fiction Novels

When You Can’t Read Them All, Where do You Start?

I’ve read a lot of science fiction over the years. Hundreds if not thousands of books. Most of them interesting, many of them great, and a few that were better off as trees.

One thing that I learned early is that I’ll never be able to read them all. Even keeping up with what is published every year can be tricky. That doesn’t even count the years of great science fiction from before I was old enough to read.

For years I’ve wanted to try and read all of the essential science fiction along with the best from the different eras. What started as a haphazard gathering of opinions has evolved as I began to try and quantify all the feedback in the last year. Started with a list of all the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus winners. I then mixed-in the science fiction from the top half of NPR’s Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy. Finally I added books with multiple recommendations.

The result is a list of 147 Science Fiction books and series, of which I’ve only read 53. This tells me that I have missed a lot but when I look at what I have read, they have trended to the more well regarded books.

While I was asking for recommendations on Twitter and Facebook, people asked me to share the list. I’m not quite ready to share it in its entirety as I’m not satisfied with is composition. What I am going to do is share some of the key authors and books from the list that I have read and that I have clearly overlooked. I am confident that these all belong on the list if not where they sit relative to other books

I am still soliciting suggestions and researching sources for inclusion. Please comment on the list and tell me what you think I’ve missed, slighted, or otherwise gotten incorrect.

Good science fiction is something that should be shared and not allowed to fade away. It should also not depend upon one person’s opinion or experience. Help me make sure that is always true.

The Essential Authors

There are some authors whose books are simply great and they have created multiple universes worth exploring. You have likely heard of most of them. I am sure that there are other authors who belong in this list but until I’ve read enough of an author’s books I am hesitant to promote them to this list.

• Isaac Asimov: He created two universes that both define and predict where we are going. I, Robot gave us the three rules of robotics that are used in fiction and science today. His Foundation trilogy gives us the term psychohistory which is a study that takes big data and uses it to predict society’s future.
• Ray Bradbury: He crafts short stories that rivet you and weave together to creates amazing world. The Martian Chronicles makes us reflect on what really makes us human. Fahrenheit 451 paints the scariest post-apocalyptic future I’ve ever read; one with no books! While not on the list, Something Wicked This Way Comes always scared me.
• David Brin: When most people talk about David Brin they mention his Uplift series. It is an amazing universe and the first three books, Sundiver, Startide Rising, and The Uplift War are great standalone reads. My favorite Brin book, and the one I always tell people to read, is Earth. It is about the next stage of the Internet, written in 1990. Visionary and gripping.
• Arthur C. Clarke: One of the first science fiction books I borrowed from my mother was Islands in the Sky, an accessible book for a young teenager that was also shockingly visionary in the technology described. I had seen 2001: A Space Odyssey but I wasn’t ready to read it. I’ve now read it, his amazing Rendezvous with Rama series, and many others.
• Ursula Le Guin: I have never read any of her Science Fiction but she made this list because everyone cannot be wrong. I enjoyed her Wizard of Earthsea series and have recently had her Science Fiction highly recommended by a LOT of people I respect. When you add in all her awards, she belongs up here in this list. Many of her books are listed below.
• Robert Heinlein: I’ve read several of his books, many of which reflect the times in which they were written. Stranger in a Strange Land just screams the 1960s but it is a great book that still holds up. Starship Troopers, originally a two-part serial in The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy (a reliable source of good science fiction short stories), is a great early piece of military science fiction and not just the source for a quirky movie.
• H. G. Wells: War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, The Invisible Man...need I go on? Just go buy and read a complete anthology. Authors have been building on the concepts in Wells’s books for over a century for good reason.

Honorable Mention

These are authors I either I haven’t read enough of to vouch for yet or I have enjoyed them but I seem to be in the minority.

• Lois McMaster Bujold: I’ve read none of her books though I’ve seen them on the shelves of my mother’s library. She’s won a lot of Hugo’s and other awards so I need to explore her books. I’ll probably start with her Vorkosigan saga omnibus, Cordelia’s Honor.
• Octavia Butler: She has only won one award and I’ve only heard her mentioned by female readers but I want to say this, when I discovered her on my mother’s bookshelves after college, I devoured her books. The worlds were amazing and the characters were compelling. Dawn and Parable of the Sower are both great but really, just read them all. I need to go back and reread her Patternist universe as it has been too long since I read them.
• Phillip K. Dick: I’ve read so many of his short stories that it is a mild shock to have him on the honorable mention list. The thing is, I’ve read very few of his novels and I definitely haven’t read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the basis for Blade Runner. He crafts amazing stories and is a constant source for Hollywood.
• Gordon Dickson: I’ve read a large number of books in his Childe Cycle and I have several of his other books by my bed. Dorsai, the first book, is a solid piece of military science fiction. The thought-provoking concept of the Final Encyclopedia is a key piece of his book Soldier, Ask Not. It is an amazing universe he created and it is a shame that his works are slipping from the public eye.
• Neal Stephenson: A more recent author and one whom I’ve never read. I have since been told that if I don’t read Snow Crash my credibility will be forever destroyed. I plan on reading it and some of his other books this year to see what I have been missing.
• Connie Willis: I just finished her Blackout/All Clear books. They were quite enjoyable, especially as I love history, but they could have used a little tightening of story. The premise, characters, and dialog were solid and sections of the book were amazing. The need for a touch more editing is a problem that plagues many older, well established authors. I’ve been told to read her earlier works. Doomsday Book is next on my list from her.

The Essential Books

These books are classics. Each author is excellent in their own right but I left them out from the above section for various reasons, all subjective on my part. Books that are essential but mentioned above with their author are listed at the end without further comment.

• Dune, Frank Herbert: Dune is legendary. It creates a universe that is in-depth and makes you think about what it is that makes us human. If you enjoy it, read Dune Messiah but after that it depends upon your passion for the series.
• Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams: My favorite book. Period. Based on the radio play but unique in its own right, it is an irreverent trip through the galaxy. The second book, Restaurant at the End of the Universe is just as good. Read this now and thank me later.
• The Forever War, Joe Haldeman: What happens when you fight a war at relativistic speeds? As the world you left changes over millennia, what are you fighting for anymore? While it looks like a piece of military science fiction on the outside, it is so much more than that when you read it.
• Mars Trilogy, Kim Stanley Robinson: I debated putting Robinson in the author section but I have read a few of his books that weren’t up to snuff. Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars are all great books. If you are even remotely intrigued by humans colonizing other planets, start here.
• Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card: If you have ever been picked-on or bullied and you haven’t read this book then what are you waiting for? Card captures the psyche brilliantly while creating an amazing world. If you like strategy games, you also need to read this book but the inside of Ender’s mind is the amazing part. The sequel, Speaker for the Dead is also excellent though it is a different style of book. It is a book about redemption that extends the story from Ender’s Game without replicating it.
• Ringworld, Larry Niven: Another author I debated placing above but I decided that Niven’s best work was when he collaborated with others like Jerry Pournelle. Ringworld is Niven’s best solo effort and introduces us to an artificial world of amazing scale.
• The Dragonriders of Pern Series, Anne McCaffrey: Beginning with Dragonflight, McCaffrey created an amazing world on the planet Pern where dragons are not only real but the key to human survival. I’ve read several of the books and enjoyed them all.
• The Mote in God’s Eye, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle: Simply an amazing alien species that feels both very alien and very familiar at the same time. The society of the Moties and the ethical challenge they present humankind is worth many a long chat.
• Neuromancer, William Gibson: An excellent book by the creator of cyber-punk. I did not enjoy Virtual Light so delayed reading Neuromancer for years. After reading it I am open to reading more from Gibson.
• Foundation, Isaac Asimov
• Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
• Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
• Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein

Honorable Mention

These are books that are often mentioned as essential reads but as I haven’t read them I cannot move them up the list yet. These are all on my short-list for reading and I will either move them up or down based upon my thoughts and discussions with others.

• The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood: I’ve read her Madd Addam series, the first of which, Oryx and Crake, is well worth reading. This book is sitting next to my bedside patiently awaiting its turn.
• American Gods, Neil Gaiman
• The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin
• The Lathe of Heaven, Ursula Le Guin
• The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula Le Guin: I told you I’ve been hearing a lot of praise for her science fiction recently.
• The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Robert Heinlein
• Hyperion, Dan Simmons
• The Diamond, Age, Neal Stephenson

Other Books of Note

Creating a list of good books wouldn’t be a challenge if there were only a few good books to choose from in science fiction. These books have won awards, withstood the test of time, been repeatedly recommended, or are a combination of the above. This list is broken into two parts, those that I’ve read and those I haven’t read yet. It only includes books written by authors not in the Authors section. If you feel a book in this list is essential reading and needs to move to the previous section, let me know.

• 1984, George Orwell: A dystopian future that becomes more relevant as the technology and paranoia that drives the society depicted appears in our world.
• The Stand, Stephen King: An apocalypse that sets-up a showdown between good and evil. This early book by King is amazing and compelling.
• The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell: When we finally hear a radio signal from a nearby system, what do we do? Taking a page from western Europe’s age of exploration, Russell send a ship with some missionaries. The nature of religion is explored as well as all the dangers implicit in a first contact situation that Star Trek always seemed to avoid. While not an essential, The Sparrow will make you think.
• Frankenstein, Mary Shelley: The first science fiction book ever written. That pretty much defines visionary.
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne: A great book from another great author from the 19th century.
• Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut: A twisted little book. Slaughterhouse Five, which I have not read, is also on this list.
• Flatland, Edwin Abbot: Recommended repeatedly, this work from 1884 keeps asking me to read it.
• The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, Micheal Chabon: I read his book The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and enjoyed it. Between that and sweeping the big awards, this is a must read.
• Brave New World, Aldus Huxley
• The Road, Cormac McCarthy: A science fiction story that won a Pulitzer? On my to-read stack.
• A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter Miller, Jr.
• Contact, Carl Sagan: After being assured that it is different than the movie I’m willing to give this highly recommended book a try.
• Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut
• A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess: I love the movie and I am curious how the book measures up.

Any recommendations? This is a short list given the number of books science fiction books out there. I have many more books on my master list so a kind word about any of them will get them added.