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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 251-300 of 521 (521 new)
Is Animal Farm scifi? I wouldn't classify it that way.
which among these is a 10/10 recommendation?
Davids wrote: "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."Thanks for mentioning Robert Silverberg. Agree.
Read about 40 of these and bounced off about another ten.Most disappointing omission author-wise would be Gene Wolfe.
This is a list of the books mostly read by people on goodreads.I have read Binti and Kindred
I have others on my list...keep reading people and the list evolves and changes
Fiona wrote: "Strange list - not one Anne McCaffrey title?!"Thought the same, then looked at her books on the site. Most of the Pern series is classified as 'Fantasy' even though anyone who has read them knows that they are Sci-Fi. She would've dominated this list if they had classified her books correctly.
Phil Hartley wrote: "Really? No Sanderson? Mistborn is absolutely epic, no Feist? Lawrence? GRRM? Gemmell? This list is terrible, old does not equal best."I think you are looking at the wrong list, those are some great authors with great books but few in the sci-fi pile
Only 7. I am proud to say that most were read in elementary and high school. I was a "weird" child. LOL
Read 27, and noticed I actually have several at home waiting to be read, plus more I'd like to acquire.
Foundation should be #1 without a doubt, with Dune close behind. Haldeman higher too along with anything by Philip K Dick. Others could be added that are missing ..
Nina wrote: "I do not understand why, there a so little recent scifi books"Look at the criteria. They pulled the most reviewed books. Newer books have had less time to gain readers.
So happy to see Red Rising on the list!!
Read 48. A very weird list. Not quite sure what the criteria are for drawing up these 100 novels. Often 'most reviewed' by Goodreads just means that it is on people's shelves.
What great list! Even if it is, sooo ironically, computer generated. To those with different opinions, why not post your own? I'd love to read a bunch of different top 100s, or 10s, or 50s, or however many you'd like to list.
Björn wrote: ""we ran the data to reveal the most reviewed books on our site"Obviously so many commenters failed to read this."
Exactly! Thank you!!
47 read, plus several that I'm pretty sure I read, but it's been so long I can't swear to it.Quite a few still on my TBR list.
Bit of a new reader to sci-fi and fantasy, only really last few years and love a bit of dystopia (classics like 1984, Handmaids tale, dune etc notwithstanding) so am happy to see Adrian Tchaikovsky and Justin Cronin on the list. Probably my favourites of this year that I’ve read. Admittedly only read 20 of the ones offered, but wonder why Eoin Colfer (come on it might be teen fiction) Claire North (especially the first 15 lives of Harry August) and Charlie Fletcher (oversight trilogy) didn’t get a mention. Am I mixing genres? Love urban fantasy like Ben Aaronovitch and Benedict Jacka also so am I just misguided ...?? Will definitely work through the list but if I need enlightening please advise. Always reading x
A little add on... am thinking of writing a book myself called“COVID 1984” An Orwellian review on how to get an entire planet to conform to new social constructs without questioning what is really being hidden from them. Anyone like to read that??
Goodreads has outdone themselves yet again. Another list with no diversity 👏🏾👏🏾
For everyone complaining about the order the books are in or the great books missing on the list, this is simply the most popular books, not the best, so it's just based on the number of ratings each book had, which is 100% objective (hope this doesn't sound aggressive, just wanted to clarify 😅)
Have read 25 of these. Surprised I had not read more. Dune is probably my favorite of all time.
Sci-Fi is pretty low on my genre list, so I feel not so bad that I've read 19.
Katie wrote: "Read 51 of these, for those commenting on the missing names etc. it is the all time most popular SF books on Goodreads so you are not likely to see all of your favourites, it is in my view a pretty..."48/100 for me. Interesting (and wonderful) that Tamsyn Muir made the list only a few months after her debut novel was published.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury should be in this list ahead of Farenheit 451 which, to me, is a bit too preachy.
His Dark Materials, trilogy by Philip Pullman should be in the top 100. You could take out Asimov's Foundation. Great idea, but like all his fiction wooden characters. Otoh his non-fiction, explaining the solar system etc., is brilliant.
Wow Atwood a real sci-fi writer, well whatever keeps ppl happy, anyway, u find a lot more in the comment section then in "the list"
0/100 ‼️ No desire to read any either! Ha! Wrong Pile 😝 Let me look somewhere else 🏃🏽♀️
Mike wrote: "26 of these, some many, many years ago. Those that stick in memory are Pratchett, Heinlein, Asimov, Adams and LeGuin."The Pratchett ones in this list are his worst work by a long shot thought?
Nina wrote: "I do not understand why, there a so little recent scifi books"The way the list is designed automatically favors older books - it is number of reviews, if average is 3.5+...
Liam wrote: "STOP PROMOTING ENDER'S GAME. THE AUTHOR IS DEEPLY HOMOPHOBIC AND ANTI-SEMITIC. STOP GIVING THESE PEOPLE A PLATFORM TO BOOST THEIR SALES."Stop shouting about things that are not important to the art of the writing.
I don't consider myself a big fan of sci-fi, but I've read 39 of these, so I guess that's pretty good. I do love Ray Bradbury, but I wouldn't consider him to be hardcore sci-fi.
Ms wrote: "Read 14. Started in 1960s with John Wyndham’s Chrysalids, still a readable book. Gradually moved onto the sci fi/fantasy spectrum. Favourite sci fi has to be Left Hand of Darkness. I own all Le Gui..."
Lol, this list is so US-centric... yes I understand a huge amount of Goodreads users are from there, so no reason to whine... But still, it's amazing what is called sci-fi these days... Also, can we next time have a list by men and women, I have a feeling the popular reviews are by "mainstream" readers... so no Alastair Reynolds, no Peter Hamilton, etc... no huge volumes, no epic tales, no WARHAMMER 40K series :D... plebs...
Liam wrote: "STOP PROMOTING ENDER'S GAME. THE AUTHOR IS DEEPLY HOMOPHOBIC AND ANTI-SEMITIC. STOP GIVING THESE PEOPLE A PLATFORM TO BOOST THEIR SALES."Go take a chill pill!
Ms wrote: "Read 14. Started in 1960s with John Wyndham’s Chrysalids, still a readable book. Gradually moved onto the sci fi/fantasy spectrum. Favourite sci fi has to be Left Hand of Darkness. I own all Le Gui..."I loved Left Hand of Darkness. Mainly because it was so different from anything I had ever read.
Lisa wrote: "Taalteek wrote: "For me the all-time number one is The Left Hand of Darknees by Ursula K. LeGuin."Mind-blowing."
I really like her stuff normally, but I've tried several times to read the left hand of darkness, and I can't manage to get through it. It's just too boring. Most of her stuff is great, the whole earthsea series, the gift, changing plains, and others, but I simply can't get through the let hand of darkness.
Agree with Angie that N. K. Jemisin, Broken Earth Series was extraordinary and novel. Also, how about David Brin? All the uplift tales set the stage for the genre.
For what it's worth, I've read around 30 of the books on this list. Scifi is my genre of choice, but interestingly enough, I have surprisingly few of the remaining 70 percent of the list on my to read shelf. Odd, but there it is.
Peter wrote: "I cannot understand why Greg Bear is missing.Aeon and Forge of God are my most favourite sci-fi reads."
Dittos. Nourse, Zelazny, Van Vogt..... many missing. Times change, the definition of "good" also. 🤔
Mike wrote: "26 of these, some many, many years ago. Those that stick in memory are Pratchett, Heinlein, Asimov, Adams and LeGuin."You betcher bippy! Tunnel in the Sky, Star Surgeon, Have Space Suit, Will Travel. Ahh, a glorious misspent youth.😄
I can't believe Dan Simmon's Hyperion isn't on this list
Great to see Dark Matter by Blake Crouch on the list. Read it last year and it's now at the top of my all time favorites list!
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 totally agree! I would have also expected Claire North.
Björn wrote: ""we ran the data to reveal the most reviewed books on our site"Obviously so many commenters failed to read this."
No, we're just surprised that's all! Luckily Commenters have this forum where we can express our disappointment and share our own favourite SF reads. Other lists exists.
Tastes vary so much that lists of this kind are barely relevant. I've been reading sf all my life, but this list contains only two of my 5-star books and four of my 4-star books. It also contains two of my 2-star books and two of my 1-star books.
Anne McCaffrey is fantasy, not science fiction. Different list."
Actually, she's both. She's written books about aliens and space. and the Pern series has a very scientific beginning. They're castaways on an alien world, regressing as they lose their technology. The dragons are adapted to fight the falling . . . and her Pegasus series, as well. Anne McCaffrey is very scifi.