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The 100 Most Popular Sci-Fi Books on Goodreads
Dystopias, alien invasions, regenerated dinosaurs, space operas, multiverses, and more, the realm of science fiction takes readers out of this world to tackle all-too-real issues, including oppression, bigotry, censorship, and the horrors of war. To celebrate the most inventive of genres, we’re exploring readers’ 100 most popular science fiction novels of all time on Goodreads.
As all good sci-fi readers know, the science behind the story is half the fun. To create our list, we ran the data to reveal the most reviewed books on our site. Additionally, each title needed at least a 3.5-star rating from your fellow readers to join this list. And, since science fiction is known for its continuing voyages, in the case of multiple titles from the same series, we chose the one with the most reviews.
Here are the top science fiction novels on Goodreads, listed from 1 to 100. We hope you discover a book or two you’ll want to read in this lineup, whether it’s a classic of the genre or one of the newer entries to sci-fi.
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How many of these books have you read? What’s your favorite sci-fi novel of all time? Let’s talk books in the comments!
Comments Showing 151-200 of 521 (521 new)
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Brian Aherne
(last edited Jul 07, 2020 10:04PM)
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Jul 07, 2020 09:59PM
Been reading SciFi since age 7 (!) and am now 77. Even now it is too often only just outlandish fantasy rather than science stretched and pulled taut. While "popularity" is used as a measure it is more like a elusive moving average than a standard. I definitely have not read everything on the 100 list, and undoubtedly never will. I suppose one way to look at things in the form of trying to find a "best" is in groups of three (or a number of your choosing, but difficulty increases exponentially) as my wife and I do with our current cat. We think he is the sweetest cat ever, but of anyone asks we say he is in the top three ever. That way everyone is happy. First place is uncertain and open to interpretation, second pace is unnamed and unfilled, and no one really cares about third. Stay healthy, and ask, Who is that (un)masked man? ' I am sure it wasn't the Lone Ranger of my memory
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I have read 7 of the top 10, and 30 of the 100. Some here I thought were just plain bad (Sparrow really bad, Hyperion and Neuromancer not very good at all). Ursula LeGuin and Octavia Butler would be at the top of my list, and are way down on this. A favorite of mine, Gene Wolfe does not make in on the list at all. However, I see, as another commentator pointed out, the rankings--once they are in the 3.5+ category, is based on how many reviews they got, not on the ratings. So popular novels get higher rankings than ones that might be rated higher. I did a correlation of rating to ranking and it is 0.11 which means there is almost no correlation between the ranking (how many people reviewed it) and the rating (how good they thought it was).
Martin wrote: "Some very, very tired worthy stuff.Starship Trooper, Dirk Gently and Ready Player One ?
Really ? I liked the books but top 100 ?
Love Scalzi but 3 books by him and nothing from Peter Hamiliton, A..."
Well remember the rankings are based on popularity--number of reviews, NOT on their relative ratings.
69. I was surprised to discover that I first read 38 of them at least 40 years ago although I’ve reread a few of them since. I read 21 of them for the first time in the last 20 years.
John wrote: "How are these sorted? For example, Crouch's Recursion has about 5,000 more ratings than Morgan's Altered Carbon, and has an average rating of 4.17 vs. 4.05. But it's ranked lower?Not to mention A..."
Sorted by number of reviews on GoodReads as it says in their description.
Jane wrote: "I was disappointed that Iain M Banks was not higher on this list. Consider Phlebas is one of my favourite books of any genre. His culture novels are epic."Couldn't agree more!
Read 72, I agree this cannot be the definitive list. Where are Simak, Sheckley, Ellison, Pohl, Blish, Farmer, Lafferty, Silverberg plus a lot more. However there are seven I will hopefully read.
Phil Hartley wrote: "Really? No Sanderson? Mistborn is absolutely epic, no Feist? Lawrence? GRRM? Gemmell? This list is terrible, old does not equal best."Well, it is a list of the most popular books, i.e. books with most ratings.
silvia wrote: "I absolutely hated that book, could not finish it. I drew the line at the people eating the poop of their leader...."I have pushed this book at lots of people and many have just not been able to cope with the structure of the book - not sure if the poop was an issue too!
Okay but do all of you people saying "why not that book ?" or "that book is missing !" or "that book shouldn't be number 1!" don't understand it's a "most popular" list and not a "best" list ? It just represents the number of people that have read thoses books, so it's not a question of choice or of preference.
Jeremy wrote: Agreed! There are also novels here that aren't really SF... 'Animal Farm' for example...But still includes some really good books...
Try Dan Simmons Hyperion. Another favourite writer of mine.
I read the Hyperion series regularly - adore it!
Not a bad list; you could do much worse! My personal fave not on here is Roger Zelazny's "Lord of Light." As for N.K. Jemisin not being on the list she is firmly embedded in the fantasy genre; I'd expect her to have a big representation in a Top 100 Fantasy list.
I agree with earlier posts--Iain Banks should be higher on the list. I found the entire Culture series to be one of the most rewarding and effecting series I've ever read. If reincarnation was a thing, I'd want to come back as a Culture ship.
Romy wrote: "I agree with earlier posts--Iain Banks should be higher on the list. I found the entire Culture series to be one of the most rewarding and effecting series I've ever read. If reincarnation was a th..."Completely agree. And cool idea!
Do you already have a name?
Raymond wrote: "I have read 44.Le Guin's The Dispossessed should be higher.
Obviously we all have our own favourites that we would like to see included. Two of mine are McCaffrey's Dragonflight and Zelazny's Lo..."
I agree with those two, I reread McCaffrey when I want cheering up. Anything by Ursula Le Guin is worth a read.
Caryn wrote: "HEEEELLLLLLLOOOOOOO!!!! NK Jemison, people!!!!!!!!!!"
George wrote: "No John Brunner. His "The Sheep Looked Up" was ahead of its time with respect to the environment. Should be somewhere on that list."Peter wrote: "I cannot understand why Greg Bear is missing.
Aeon and Forge of God are my most favourite sci-fi reads."
Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner, should be required reading for all politicians.
Read 57, another 18 already on my to-read list. So many worthy books missing! Yes, let's do 101-200 and include:- Paolo Bacigalupi
- Elizabeth Bonesteel's Central Corps series
- Becky Chambers' excellent "To be Taught, if Fortunate" novella (a great introduction to people who don't know if they'd like SciFi)
- Alastair Reynolds
- Peter F. Hamilton
- Olaf Stapledon's Last & First Men
- Elizabeth Bear's Jenny Casey trilogy
- Michael Marshall Smith's Spares and/or Only Forward
- Frederick Pohl's Heechee Saga (Gateway)
- Daniel Suarez - Daemon, Change Agent
- Grant Naylor's Red Dwarf series
- Vernor Vinge - Rainbow's End
- Charles Stross
- Jeff Noon - Vurt
- Peter Heller - The Dog Stars
- Gary Shteyngart - Super Sade True Love Story
- Vonnegut's Welcome to the Monkey House
- and my favorite (and the best) Iain M. Banks: Player of Games
Happy reading!
Debbie Nutley wrote: "A Tale For Time Beinghttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1..."
Yes, that's a good one too, although I didn't shelve it as a SciFi read.
Omar wrote: "Jane wrote: "I was disappointed that Iain M Banks was not higher on this list. Consider Phlebas is one of my favourite books of any genre. His culture novels are epic."I'm not sure the Phlebas is..."
Consider Phlebas was good, but I would rate Matter and the The Algebraist among Banks's best works.
Any "most popular" list will leave out someone's favorite book. Overall, great selection.
Angie wrote: "You missed any book by N. K. Jemisin, especially The Fifth Season (Broken Earth Series, #1)."The Fifth Season is terrific, as is the rest of the Broken Earth trilogy. But I'm not sure if they would be considered strictly "sci-fi" by purists.
I am, however, surprised by the omission of Cixin Liu's The Three-Body Problem. Surely being the most read sci-fi author in the world's most populous country rates as "popular"?
Everybody upset that your favorite author or book didn't make the list -- y'all are all gonna go write reviews for all those books now, right? The power is in your hands.
I am, however, surprised by the omission of Cixin Liu's The Three-Body Problem.It's #50.
Larry wrote: "I am, however, surprised by the omission of Cixin Liu's The Three-Body Problem.It's #50."
Indeed it is. Point taken - I have some reviewing to do.
Gene wrote: "Is there any reason "The Expanse" series books are not mentioned?"Leviathan Wakes is right up there.
Omar wrote: "Jane wrote: "I was disappointed that Iain M Banks was not higher on this list. Consider Phlebas is one of my favourite books of any genre. His culture novels are epic."I'm not sure the Phlebas is..."
Too bad, Use of Weapons was the best of them and should also be on this list.
Andy wrote: "Fiona wrote: "Strange list - not one Anne McCaffrey title?!"Anne McCaffrey mostly wrote fantasy. Dragons of Pern, for example."
If you had read the Pern series, you would know that they are not fantasy. I think that it is in "The White Dragon" that you learn the science and history of the dragons.
Eh, The only good purpose for lists like these is to find books that others like that I have not read.Remember, this is based on the reviews on Goodreads. So many people have mentioned books not on the list or low. Likely just means that people who love those books have not posted reviews here. Have you?
Just treat it as a list of books a lot of people like and maybe you find some you have not read and find new books to love.
Surprised that I only read 25. Of course, several I have read multiple times, such as, "stranger in a Strange Land" and anything by Asimov.And anything by Ursula LeGuin. Began reading SF in the 60's, obviously.
Fiona wrote: "Strange list - not one Anne McCaffrey title?!"The Dragonworld series are Fantasy rather than SF but The Ship Who Sang is a very worthy consideration for the list. True SF.
Dirk wrote: "Rob wrote: "It's true. Ian M Banks is (tragically, was) the best sf writer and consider phloebas is not nearly his best tho v v good. Consider Against a dark background and Player of Games (definit..."I'm rereading The Algebraist at the moment and it deserves a mention as one of the non-Culture novels. Iain M Banks has to be one of the the best recent SF writers there is and deserves more than one on the list.
I was a sci-fi guy when I was younger. I’ve read 46 of these, but many not for a very long time. Well to remember this is not supposed to be the best sci-fi, but the most popular. There’s a difference.
CJ wrote: "Karolynn wrote: "Where was Foundation by Issac Asimov - my favorite sci fi book of all time!!! ??"It is on the list- #20 to be exact:-)"
Thank you. Somehow I missed it. Makes me happy!
Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke, a regular re-read. Looking forward to Atwood, more William Gibson, more LeGuinn.
Brian Aherne wrote: "Been reading SciFi since age 7 (!) and am now 77. Even now it is too often only just outlandish fantasy rather than science stretched and pulled taut. Yes, an author has an age/ reading level, not merely creativity quotient. Heinlein for my grandsons now, not just for the elementary school me. Catch up on William Gibson.
Jeremy wrote: "Joseph wrote: "Not read 1984 since I was in school. Must re-read it. I dont remember it being good enough to be in the top 50. Influential? Sure. But thats not the list title."
I don't know that y..."
Mike wrote: "26 of these, some many, many years ago. Those that stick in memory are Pratchett, Heinlein, Asimov, Adams and LeGuin."Good point - nor John Stith!
No Gene Wolfe on this list. Which is a shame.
Who can help me out. Read and loved loads of these but my favourite is gone and I can’t remember what’s the name. I thought Heinlein maybe, story is about a man (billionaire?) who has a heart (?) transplant from a woman and a brain transplant from her husband (maybe) and the three of them live in the same body. Maybe it’s the billionaires brain in the woman’s body with her husbands heart maybe. I read it nearly 40 years ago and it has stuck in my memory (except it’s name and it’s author !!) Anyone got any idea what and who it is ???
Good to see most of my all time favourite Authors made it high on the list. Sorry that none of Ian MacDonald's books from the Chaga series, or his 'River of Gods' made it. Also missing I think is Dorris Lessing's Shikaster, or any of that series, and the 'Door into Ocean', by Joan Slonczewski. 'The Wrong Unit' by Rob Dirks also deserves a place on this list for its humour and inventiveness.
Inveloveritas wrote: "Who can help me out. Read and loved loads of these but my favourite is gone and I can’t remember what’s the name. I thought Heinlein maybe, story is about a man (billionaire?) who has a heart (?) t..."This sounds as Heinlein, "I will fear no Evil"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
A useful list for future exploration, a lot of my favorites, but missing some of my very favorites, like Serpent's Reach by C J Cherryh and DreamSnake by Vonda McIntyre.
I have read 69 of these, only a couple that I have never heard of and a couple that I have no interest in.
Surprised that I had read 25 (though some as long ago as high school - a long time ago!). My reading definitely slants to Speculative fiction, so happy to see the Stephenson/Gibson books on the list. Would have thought that one of Gibson's Bridge trilogy (? Idoru) would have made the list.
Raymond wrote: "I have read 44.Le Guin's The Dispossessed should be higher.
Obviously we all have our own favourites that we would like to see included. Two of mine are McCaffrey's Dragonflight and Zelazny's Lo..."
+1 for Lord of Light. I couldn't believe it was missing from this list.
Monument by LLoyd Beaggle is my 2nd favorite and not on your list.Of course, without any doubt, Dune is #1. I wrote a paper in college explaining why Dune could not possibly have been written by Frank Herbert, but most likely by his wife -- at least the main story line. (When I first read it, it was called Dune World and published in Amazing magazine. I sure wish I had kept those three magazines).
And how about The Uplift Wars by David Brin?
Gene wrote: "Is there any reason "The Expanse" series books are not mentioned?"Actually Gene, Leviathan Wakes, #46 on the list, is the 1st novel in The Expanse series. That is assuming you are speaking of the novels the Sci-Fi channel series is based on. I haven't read these yet myself, perhaps I'll start.
