Sign in with Facebook
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.
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15
#16
#17
#18
#19
#20
#21
#22
#23
#24
#25
#26
#27
#28
#29
#30
#31
#32
#33
#34
#35
#36
#37
#38
#39
#40
#41
#42
#43
#44
#45
#46
#47
#48
#49
#50
#51
#52
#53
#54
#55
#56
#57
#58
#59
#60
#61
#62
#63
#64
#65
#66
#67
#68
#69
#70
#71
#72
#73
#74
#75
#76
#77
#78
#79
#80
#81
#82
#83
#84
#85
#86
#87
#88
#89
#90
#91
#92
#93
#94
#95
#96
#97
#98
#99
#100
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 351-400 of 521 (521 new)
message 351:
by
Holli
(new)
Jul 16, 2020 09:37AM
39 and most of the others on my want to read list already. 4 that I am currently reading!
flag
I'm really surprised that "Encounter with Tiber" by Buzz Aldrin and John Barnes is not on this list.
This list proves how badly the Fantasy one is broken. I read so much more Fantasy than Sci-Fi and I've only read 1/50 of those, meanwhile I've read at least 6/50 of these.So happy that these were on the list;
All Systems Red - Martha Wells
Artemis - Andy Weir
Enders Game - Orson Scott Card
Do you listen in to the chart show? and then go and download the No.1? I cannot bring myself to read a book simply because lots of other people have read it and fill in their reviews. Having said that, some of these make me think "I should try that one." So, thank you for the chart, Goodreads. I've read maybe 15 or 20 and am amazed some are in because so new. And others are so old and likely voted for by middle agers like me, and that are now superseded, like The Beatles are. And I am! My favourites are not in the list and that makes me feel quite good, as much as I would like everyone to read them.
How "The Sparrow" continues to make these lists I'll never know. Unbelievably bad. Awful writing and worse science. It was impossible to suspend disbelief with this novel.
Read 41. I would add The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi, The Descent, by Jeff Long, and more by H.G. Wells: The Food of the Gods, The War in the Air, The Island of Doctor Moreau, and When the Sleeper Wakes.
Am I the only one who thinks Margaret Atwood is ridiculously overrated ? Pedestrian at best
I really enjoyed "To Say Nothing of the Dog", (not on the list), which is a follow-on to "Doomsday Book" (on the list). Yes, it involves time travel, to find an artifact lost during WW2, but I'd classify it as a comedy of manners, both in the past and in the near future. Its tone is light and humorous, with references to "Three Men in a Boat", and my sister, who is not a scifi buff, also was delighted with it.
28. Sentiment that appears to be common here is that there are many non-sci-fi books in that list, and I agree with that. Also: Who on (or off) earth decided that C. J. Cherryh and Anne McCaffery didn't get into the top 100? Hugo award winners both - yet not in top 100. Really?
A very interesting list that will spark a lot of debate. I have read roughly half of them. The disappointing thing for me was the top 10.George Orwell has written the 2 best science fiction books of all time? One of the most overrated authors ever and the books are dreadful. The rest of the top ten that I have read deserve to be on the list but not in such a high position. There are several candidates for the number one slot already on this list. Niven and Pournelles The Mote in Gods Eye, Asimov's Foundation and Joe Haldemans Forever War for example .But where are great and imaginative more recent books like Peter Hamilton's Nights Dawn Trilogy, Neil Ashers The Skinner , Alistair Reynolds House of Suns or Kevin J Anderson's Saga of the Seven Suns. Other authors that I think should be in there somewhere would be Poul Anderson and Julian May. Surely one of the Milieu series or the Many Coloured Land stories deserve a place? Kudos for such an interesting list.
An interesting list! There's a good few here that I've read and some many years ago but I'm really pleased that there are plenty I don't know which means more on the list...and more!!!!
Gene wrote: "Is there any reason "The Expanse" series books are not mentioned?"Leviathan Wakes is #42. ;)
Robert Charles Wilson has written many fascinating, entertaining novels and deserves to be on this list.
I loved Vox & Q both written by Christina Dalcher.
Jim wrote: "Ray Van Houte wrote "This looks like a popularity contest, not a list of the best SciFi. So missing a lot of the books that would make my top 100 list." Exactly what I was thinking."
It is a popularity contest. Says so write in the title.
No love for Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun series? For shame!
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..."If you don't get any help here try the group "What is the Name of that Book". If I recall correctly Heinlein did write a novel of a male whose mind is transplanted into a woman's body but I just can't pull the title from the recesses of my brain.
Joanne wrote: "Not sure how Animal Farm is science fiction. Talking animals might allow for it to be classed as fantasy, but I wouldn’t say it was science fiction, unlike 1984, which certainly is.Also, I think ..."
Alternative history is a branch of Science Fiction. Sci Fi is like the hydra of old. a beast with many heads.
I've read 63 of these (give or take), but I think I'll gather a better set of recommendations from the comments than from the list.
Katie wrote: "Ley wrote: "Ivan L Hutton, just by the way hate the term Si Fi or Sci Fi, SF much preferable in my humble opinion."You are so right, the SF community spent years trying to get rid of the Sci-Fi n..."
Correctiion: some within the community attempted to get rid of the term but were never completely successful. I myself use Sci-Fi, SF and even scft (short for scientifiction, the original name of the genre.)
Melissa wrote: "Andy wrote: "Fiona wrote: "Strange list - not one Anne McCaffrey title?!"Anne McCaffrey mostly wrote fantasy. Dragons of Pern, for example."
That's a common misconception. It's actually pretty s..."
I agree about The Ship Who Sang
Fiona wrote: "Where is Anne maccaffrey books, the pern series. In particular. And what about Terry Pratchett disc World series..."This is a science-fiction list; I gather there's a separate fantasy list. I haven't read the Pern series, but I have read the Discworld series, and it's about as fantastic as you can get. Definitely not sf.
I would include books by Robert Charles Wilson, at least Spin and The Chronoliths.
Rain wrote: "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""Atwood is not a science fiction writer, but that specific book is considered Sci-Fi by some. Hence its inclusion on this list.
Steve wrote: "I'm sorry, but Tiger Tiger (The Stars my Destination) by Alfred Bester is the real No. 1"Yo Steve, I'm really happy for you, and I'mma let you finish - but The Mote In God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle was one of the greatest novels Of All Time!
Now having read all the previous posts and responded to a few I can make a few comments of my own. I have read seven of the books in the list plus for two of them I read the novelette they were developed from. There are a few I would like to eventually read and others I have no intention of ever reading. Such is the nature of these lists.There are two problems with lists like this. One is that older books tend to get marked "read" by people who read them a long time ago and thus don't want to review them. As well younger readers aren't reading them so they don't grow that much. As for newer authors they simply have the problem of older books in front of them. Over time I am sure they will accumulate enough ratings and reviews to make it onto a list such as this.
Like everyone else I have favourite authors who are not here. However at sixty-five I realize that they are older and hence not likely to make their presence felt. SF is a genre with a long history (if you believe some, Cyrano de Bergerac wrote a work of Science Fiction) so there is plenty to be enjoyed that does not appear on anyone lists.
Oh yes, someone mentioned Edgar Rice Burroughs. Sorry but the Tarzan books do not qualify as SF, with the possible exception of the novel "Tarzan at the Earth's Core" which crossed over with his Pellucidar series.
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. He was a remarkable scifi writer and his Culture novels were indeed epic (his non-scifi was also fantastic). Such a loss.
Angie wrote: "You missed any book by N. K. Jemisin, especially The Fifth Season (Broken Earth Series, #1)."Yes, I thought she should have been there too.
No David Brin on this list? Did I miss somehow. The Uplift War is one of the best books I've ever read. And no Harry Harrison? The Stainless Steel Rat series is fantastic.
48 read here. I would put Dune #1. Some missing for me are Slan, Foundation, and Wolf’s Book of the New Sun.
First of all let me say that Gene Wolf being left of here is a tragedy. Shadow of the Torturer and Claw of the Concilator are the peak of Sci-Fi writing albeit they are not easy reads. Difficult to learn or get comfortable with his prose but they payoff is incredible. I had no idea where these novels were going and in the end I was surprised. I suppose it’s all relative tho right? What’s the best etc...can’t argue with many of them here and I believe the sequels to some of these are as good if not better than other titles. The Hyperion series by Dan Simmons, the Dune series and the next two novels after Ender’s Game (Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide are great) Either way there are some great reads on this list.
Fiona wrote: "Strange list - not one Anne McCaffrey title?!"Maybe people considered them more fantasy? Great series!
I've read 7 for certain, but probably more from the days before I was a GoodReads member and didn't record what I read.Top 100s based on 'ratings'...eeek...not sure I would have done that as ratings can be quite skewed and often rated by spammers too. A bummer that...
I read 25 and will work through this list.
Federico wrote: "I was disappointed not to find any of Jack McDevitt's works in this list. After reading pretty much everything he's published, I would strongly recommend:The Hercules Text
Eternity Road
Ancient Sh..."
Yes, I was looking for him. These are some of my favorites!
Station 11 didn't make the list? One of the best books I've ever read.
Missing a couple of PKD titles, (Ubik for example) Anyways, there are definitely some books here that look interesting and I didn't know.
Rawzer wrote: "Mark Reynolds wrote: "Dune is #1, sorry | both Children of and Chapterhouse should also be in the list.The list should also include Friday (Heinlein) for a good old fashioned romp.
The Caves of St..."
I read Dune 1, 2, and 3. I couldn’t finish God Emperor of Dune and it remains the only book I have thrown in the bin.
Notice that the "best" books on this list are the ones that are read most often in high school and freshman university classes. That's why they get so many reviews. Consider this a list of good books for science fiction fans sprinkled with books that English teachers and liberal school boards think are good reads for impressionable minds. Agree with others that Dune is #1.
What a bad list some of the books in the list are not even Sci Fi , even missing some of the great Sci Fi writters like Peter F Hamiliton etc
Peter L Hamilton's dawns night trilogy needs to be on this list, same with Greg bear's eon and Robert Sawyer's Neanderthal.
I am surprised how many of these titles I have never heard of, and how many classic Sci fi authors didn't make the list. And the ones that did, didn't see their best works.
Michi wrote: "Peter L Hamilton's dawns night trilogy needs to be on this list, same with Greg bear's eon and Robert Sawyer's Neanderthal."Yes cant believe one of the current great Sci Fi writter Peter F Hamilton not on this list .
I don't understand how Snow Crash made this list.
What happened to Richard Matheson and I'm a legend ... Brian Aldiss Non-Stop, olaf stapleton StarMaker, Karel Capec, the war of the salamanders, etc.
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..."
Try "Player of Games" next and see how you go. "Consider..." is not that representative of the rest of the Culture novels, imho.
It's a shame that one of the best SF writes is not in the list. Jack Vance must have been in the list with several books!
So happy to see Scalzi there!! So good :)
