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Top 50 Science Fiction Books on Goodreads
-Ray Bradbury
Don't pack up your dinosaurs, fellow sci-fi readers. You're among friends here.
When we set out to uncover the top science fiction books on Goodreads, our journey—searching through hundreds of books and thousands of ratings and reviews—was a spacewalk down memory lane, from revisiting the sci-fi heroes we grew up with, like young brainiac Ender and hapless (and homeless) Arthur Dent, to returning to beloved worlds created by Ursula K. Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, Octavia Butler, and many more.
The bar needed to be high. Every book on our list has at least a four-star average rating from Goodreads members. Unfortunately, this means that dinosaur king himself Michael Crichton failed to make the cut, along with other big names in the genre like Kim Stanley Robinson, William Gibson, and H.G. Wells. But while some classics may be missing, recent favorites from Emily St. John Mandel, Nnedi Okorafor, and Pierce Brown round out the list.
Without further ado, let's boldly go where many readers have gone before. Tell us how many of the top 50 sci-fi books you've read in the comments!
How many have you read? Tell us in the comments!
Check out complete coverage of Sci-Fi & Fantasy Week:
The New Frontier of Science Fiction
The Most Anticipated Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Top 50 Science Fiction Books on Goodreads
Check out complete coverage of Sci-Fi & Fantasy Week:
The New Frontier of Science Fiction
The Most Anticipated Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Top 50 Science Fiction Books on Goodreads
Comments Showing 101-150 of 934 (934 new)
I've read 19 of these. Of those, I disagree with including The Mote in God's Eye. The story did not stand the test of time since its first publication. Personally, I feel Ringworld was a far better story (though not enough others felt the same, I guess).
I'm surprised that I didn't see any Catherine Asaro and just Shards of Honor by C.J. Cherryh... what about Downbelow Station or Cyteen?
I've read 27 but surprised that Leguin's "The Lathe of Heaven" isn't on the list (heartily agree with "The Left Hand of Darkness" being listed.) I guess everyone has their own preferences.
Amber wrote: "Paul wrote: "Dune is one of the best books ever."It also inspired this song by Iron Maiden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y3o4..."
wow, really? I have to remember to come back and check this out when I'm not at work :p Dune is one of my favorite books and metal is my music genre \m/ It would be so cool if a band like Vektor would make a metal opera of Dune, hehe
Sorry-typo, lois mcmaster bujold wrote Shards of Honour
23 read. A couple of more are on my "to read" list. I'm surprised that none of Alistair Reynolds, Vernor Vinge or Iain M. Banks exceptional science fiction novels made the list. And surprised as well (pleasantly) that CIxin Liu's "Three Body Problem" did make the list.Overall, like others, I am please that this list separates good science fiction from fantasy novels, although some clearly could fall either way. Thank you.
Wowzers, I have read most of this list! And now I know what to read next, thanx! =)
TalviLinna wrote: "Amber wrote: "Paul wrote: "Dune is one of the best books ever."It also inspired this song by Iron Maiden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y3o4..."
wow, really? I have to remember to come bac..."
I agree that Dune is wonderful - but also probably the most difficult "great" book I ever read. Starts sooooo slow. Put it down a couple of times and only came back to it because of wonderful reviews/comments. Glad I did
I've read many of these without knowing that they were on anyone's list but mine. If I live long enough, I should do them all again and add some of the others I've never experienced.
26 of 50. Really, a very solid list though I read very little sci-fi these days. Would have been nice to see Roger Zelazny in there.
I've read at least 27 from the list. I'm hoping that my own new book, A Once-Dead Genius in the Kennel of Master Morticue Ambergrand may make the list someday!
Not listened to any of these. I love Star Trek The Next Generation and Voyager books. Thanks for the recommendations.
I've read about a dozen; several more on my "to read" list. Pleased to see Wool (Hugh Howey) is included in the 50 but Wool is just the beginning. In fact I read most of Howey's books after Wool because I could not get enough of this author. Excellent reads!
I've read 26. Station Eleven is next on my list.
I've read 33, with another ten or so on my "to read list." I was also surprised Dune wasn't on here. It is a classic. I'd at least heard of every book except Binti. Maybe since it is a novella I just didn't put it in the mental category as these other works.
Kindred and Parable of the Sower look very interesting.
22. I appreciate the diversity of the list and i read how they culled the list. However there are glaring omissions. Stranger in a Strange Land, Brave New World, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, E.E. "Doc" Smith, Edgar Rice Burroughs
Jean wrote: "I've read 13 of these, with The Sparrow being my favorite."I love The Sparrow, too! Have you also read the sequel, The Children of God?
35 and one on hand...Ones that belong but didn't make it: Watchmen, Ringworld, Lucifer's Hammer, Anathem (maybe replace The Diamond age, as it's in the same continuity as Snow Crash), A Canticle for Liebowitz, Flowers for Algernon (aka Charlie), The Stars My Destination and/or The Demolished Man, City, The Player or Games (or Matter, or The Hydrogen Sonata, or any of Banks' The Culture books), The Jericho Iteration. Yeah. That'll do.
17. (Plus a few movies that haven't inspired me to read the books...)
25, and can't figure out how I missed The Mote in God's Eye, which, according to Bradbury, is the best book he'd ever read.
I’ve read 12 (and am working my way through 2 others) I think Joe Abercrombie’s Shattered Seas Trilogy should definitely be included in this list. Amazing series!
Ted wrote: "Not one Jack Chalker book on this list. Read Midnight At The Well of Souls... bet you can't read just one."Now, I like Jack Chalker, and he's entertaining as all get out, but he is brain candy, so I wouldn't put him on this list. That said, If I had to pick one of his to go there? Lilith: A Snake in the Grass.
TalviLinna wrote: "Amber wrote: "Paul wrote: "Dune is one of the best books ever."It also inspired this song by Iron Maiden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y3o4..."
wow, really? I have to remember to come bac..."
Yes it did, and I think NPR did a list of songs inspired by science fiction and fantasy stories. Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven was inspired by LOTR. In fact, here are two other songs about that. The first is about the author himself and the other is by an Italian symphonic power metal band. 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAAp_...
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlM0k... (Spanish subtitles)
You're not the only one, Robert. I had to do that the first time I read Dune...in third grade. I reread it every year now and I'm 40.
I've read 5 of these and some others by these authors, all of the foundation books by Asimov, all of the books by Orson Scott Card, many books by Octavia Butler and most books by Heinlein. I've been reading sci-fi since I was 9. That's 65 years. I still have the first book I ever read, one by Andre Norton.
Only read 9 of them, with a few others on my to read list. How do "V for Vendetta", "Do Androids dream of electric sheep" and "Martian" compare to their movie counterparts?
Wendy wrote: "I've read 12, and another 7 are in my "gotta get around to reading these" stack. I've also got about 20 titles that I think should be in this list, including most of the H.G. Wells novels; Heinlein..."I agree.
surprisingly only 10 with 8 more on my to read list (some already on my shelf) top 50 hard to name, so many good books missing from this list, of course it depends on personal taste.
Ted wrote: "Not one Jack Chalker book on this list. Read Midnight At The Well of Souls... bet you can't read just one."I've also read Midnight at the Well of Souls
Anissa wrote: "I just need to thank GR for giving Science Fiction its own list this time out. I've been thinking it's a shame SF isn't allowed to have its own chair as a genre. I'm much more a fan of it than Fant..."I'm in total agreement! Sci-Fi is usually very different than Fantasy. And while I have lots of friends that read both happily, I've always tended more toward scifi!
16. The Dispossessed is one of the finest books of any genre.
Critics of the list need to do a little critical thinking. GR criteria to define 'Top SF on GR' is (naturally) GR-centric. and by 'top', they mean 'popular', since books needed a 4-star rating. So enjoy the list for what it is -- "What Every-day GR Folks Like in SF-ish Books".Then come on over to the Science Fiction and Fantasy book Club on GR, and get a taste of 10 years of wisdom testing the deeper waters.
I've read 34 with 6 more on either TBR or 'maybe'
Kathy 21 I also enjoy the older sci-fi more.
Amber wrote: "Mystery wrote: "These lists are farcical because they are voted by folks who have read maybe five sci fi books in their life. "Hey! I read that! I'll vote for it!
Heinlein? Never heard of him? ..."
The correct answer to Team Edward or Team Jacob is always "Team Van Helsing".
16 for me - and I'm a little ashamed that I've missed some of the classics over the years. I think it's time to knuckle down and hit a bookstore.
Sheila wrote: "Kindred and Parable of the Sower look very interesting."The Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Talents should be read back to back. They are mindblowing.
Janice wrote: "I've read 5 of these and some others by these authors, all of the foundation books by Asimov, all of the books by Orson Scott Card, many books by Octavia Butler and most books by Heinlein. I've bee..."I LOVED Andre (AKA Alice Mary) Norton when I was young. She created a wonderful universe for her stories - I still remember the Forerunners, Hosteen Storm, Ross Murdock, Murdoc Jern and Eet from The Zero Stone and Uncharted Stars, so many more.
15 on the list. I grew up reading scifi, probably because my dad loved it.
Doren wrote: "Anissa wrote: "I just need to thank GR for giving Science Fiction its own list this time out. I've been thinking it's a shame SF isn't allowed to have its own chair as a genre. I'm much more a fan ..."I like either one, as long as they're well written, have good character development, etc. I've found I can even like military books (Moon) which was a surprise to me.
Matthew Kossler wrote: "26 of 50. Really, a very solid list though I read very little sci-fi these days. Would have been nice to see Roger Zelazny in there."The thing with Zelazny is he rode the line between Sci Fi and Fantasy. Lord of Light? Sci Fi? When you've finished it, but Fantasy while you read it. I can't figure if Creatures of Light and Darkness is Sci Fi with fantasy Elements, or simply far future fantasy. And, to my mind, his best two pure SF works virtually no one has heard of (To Die in Italbar and The Isle of the Dead).
"Hey! I read that! I'll vote for it!
Heinlein? Never heard of him? David Brin, Will..."
You sound like I did when I was getting pissed off and damn near got into fisticuffs with a woman when I called her functionally illiterate for NOT knowing (a)who Bram Stoker and Anne Rice are, (b) for not know what folklore is and (c) thinking that "illiterate" means that she doesn't know who her father is. She had the gall to ask me if i was on "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob"! I told her "I'm on 'Team kill them both!' Bram Stoker, Anne Rice and folklore all say that vampires DON'T FUCKING SPARKLE!" (I didn't actually say "fucking" out of respect for the senior citizens who were standing around watching the confrontation at the ticket counter for the local movie theater). As if you couldn't tell this was when the Twitlight Saga movies finished coming out... .