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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 4.0 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!
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What's your favorite science fiction book? Share it with us in the comments!
See the complete coverage of Sci-Fi & Fantasy Week including:
Top 50 Favorite Fantasy Novels on Goodreads
Top 10 YA Science Fiction Books
The Martian's Andy Weir Picks Space Colonization Sci-Fi
Comments Showing 51-100 of 454 (454 new)
message 51:
by
Endrinilla
(new)
Jul 30, 2017 07:16AM
He leído doce y tengo un par en mi lista de futuribles.
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Ready Player One was pretty good. I enjoyed the novel and audio book and hope they do the film adaptation justice and that it is true to the book too.
No The Stars my Destination or nothing by Alfred Bester, only 1(!) by Philip Dick? Star Wars (I think it is more Adventure than sci-fi (but thats another discussion)). Not a very good list, just the most rated.
I really wouldn't call Station Eleven science fiction, but it's amazing, as is Cloud Atlas. And The Left Hand of Darkness is one of my favorite books ever. I wish The Lathe of Heaven were on here too! Le Guin is phenomenal.
I've read 22 of them and IMO some are genuinely poor and don't deserve to be on the list. Its amazing how tastes differ....
I've read 5 from the list, with many more on my "To Read" shelf. 2 Notable-to-me sci-fi reads not on the list are1. The Andromeda Strain (Michael Crichton) because it was the very first sci-fi book I ever read, and well-introduced me to the genre.
2. The Speed of Dark (Elizabeth Moon) because the author's view of the near future introduced some concepts I hadn't considered before and because the writing and story were so different from her Paksennarion fantasy series.
Solaris, someone? How can such a list do without it?Zilazni (Ember, master of light)?
Bester - Stars are my destiny?
Dune?
War of Worlds (Old, but still good)?
These are some books that rightfully earned their place as genre classic. They should have been here
I've read 16 of this list, more on TBR. The list is good, but seems weighted toward later rather than earlier works; leaving off a lot of classics. I would suggest that graphic works deserve a separate list - they draw a different reader. That would open slots for several deserving novels missing from this list. Just a thought...
Ami wrote: "Solaris, someone? How can such a list do without it?Zilazni (Ember, master of light)?
Bester - Stars are my destiny?
Dune?
War of Worlds (Old, but still good)?
These are some books that rightfull..."
Agreed!
Read 28. One dnf (Parable of the Sower), one one-star (Mote in God's Eye) ... eight 5-star. Better than most similar lists in terms of breadth and balance.I loathe Mote so much that I have crossed people off of my trusted reference list for giving it more than 3 stars. If you like it, I probably don't want to read what you recommend. I just don't get it. (From my review ... "in 500-odd pages, there's one character more than tissue-thin, and he gets the girl.")
Childhood's End, on the other hand, I would give six stars if I could ...
Dave wrote: "Bester - Stars are my destiny?
Dune?
These are some books th..."
Agree on Bester ... Dune's here but with an odd cover so it's easy to overlook ...
I've only read 6. I haven't been a huge sci fi reader in the past, but I really love it!
Read 29 of these, several more awaiting reading. I realise that I've not really kept up to date so most of the unread 21 have been published in the last 5 to 10 years...
I would add Neuromancer, Brave New World, Rama, The Stars My Destination, Solaris and The Heechee Saga
10 read and nearly all left to read, expect the ones with movie adaptations, because one does only have so much time in life.
This is a really fun list. I've only read about 20 of these, some I totally forgot about!!
Gencer wrote: "I would add Neuromancer, Brave New World, Rama, The Stars My Destination, Solaris and The Heechee Saga"Rama -- Yesss!
I have read 16, seen movies based on another 3, and have a few on my want to read list.
Dave wrote: "Ami wrote: "Solaris, someone? How can such a list do without it?Zilazni (Ember, master of light)?
Bester - Stars are my destiny?
Dune?
War of Worlds (Old, but still good)?
These are some books th..."
It's the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazney, so peeps don't get confused: loved it when I read it in college but didn't list it since it's kind of a cross between sci-fi & fantasy.
Dune was on the list.
I'm delighted to see so many books I love here. My newest "discovered in the last year" books here are Ann Leckie's (all 3 should be read!) and Connie Willis'---she also has two in addition to the two here which should be on--Blackout and All Clear. Great books!
Also I'm glad to see Becky Chambers' first book here, but one really ought to also add A Closed and Common Orbit which is, amazingly, even BETTER.
I've read 22, 7 more already on to-read list, I'll have to add some more!I second Stranger in a Strange Land, and would also add The Martian Chronicles and A Planet Called Treason
I have read six of them. There are several I had not hear of that look good.
Phil wrote: "I've read 30. I've given 12 of them 5 stars and 3 of them 2 stars. It's funny that Speaker for the Dead but not Ender's Game is on the list. The same goes for [book:Ancil..."
I think a lot of them are highly-rated in part because they're recent ("The Martian", "Ancillary Sword"). In time, I suspect that they'll shed a star. You can see the same phenomenon at IMDb, where this and last year's movies are overrepresented in the top-100 list.
I'm not saying any of these are bad books; merely that time will tell which ones of them are lasting classics.
Russell wrote: "Phil wrote: "It's funny that Speaker for the Dead but not Ender's Game is on the list. "
It's there, fourth row down. That would have been an unfortunate omission.
I'd ad..."
I'm assuming Ness will be on Top YA Sci-Fi? 0.O
The list of all science fiction on goodreads with 50,000 or more ratings is a few more than 50 - actually it's 138. But I think it is a more accurate list for top sf on goodreads.
I like Arthur C Clarke's "The Fountains of Paradise".
I've only read 3 in the list. Not my usual genre but nonetheless, I still enjoyed reading them.
Some really good books on the list but no Ian M Banks? Really?
Add 'A Fire Upon the Deep' by Vernor Vinge, you wankers.
Trevor wrote: "Some really good books on the list but no Ian M Banks? Really?"For a local bookclub, we read Concider Phlebas and most people did not like it, myself included. There are too many books out there to read to bother with a series where the first book is lousy. So yes, it is a good thing Ian M. Banks is not here.
I've read 6 and have 4 on my TBR list. Of the six I've read 'The Martian' and 'I, Robot' are my favorites. Both are true sci-fi combining both science and fiction when creating their worlds. There is no dystopian, post-apocalypse, YA angst to be found. Not to mention the quality writing.
JSWolf wrote: "Trevor wrote: "Some really good books on the list but no Ian M Banks? Really?"For a local bookclub, we read Concider Phlebas and most people did not like it, myself included. There are too many b..."
Concider Phlebas lol - pedantic, but it cracked me up.
I'd be hard pressed to come up with a author on this list his equal in imagination, world building, or storytelling ability. I firmly believe that if his several Culture novels were truly ahead of their time. His egalitarian utopias, sentient AI, and overall positive outlook on humanity, would be critically and commercially stupendously received, if released to a contemporary audience.
That being said, Consider Phlebas was not his best novel. However, I really think you are mislead if you believe that the rest of his novels are not worth reading or that he does not belong on this list.
Read 29 of these. A rather odd list though, and many influencial novels/authors absent. Suggests more about Goodreads readers than about SF!
Nick wrote: "JSWolf wrote: "Trevor wrote: "Some really good books on the list but no Ian M Banks? Really?"For a local bookclub, we read Concider Phlebas and most people did not like it, myself included. There..."
There is no point in any argument, we all have our own favourites and preferences. I read widely in the genre and for me there is no equal to Bank's Culture series that I've read so far. Allen Steele's Coyote series is exceptionally good but not even in the same league as Banks. Alex Lamb's Roboteer trilogy is coming along very nicely too but modern day SF authors have a long way to go to even come close to Banks.
Of course this is my opinion and yours will differ, which is a good thing.
I read READY PLAYER ONE as soon as I found it. I've been a sci-fi fan for years. It is my favorite of currently written books but my favorites of all the the Riverworld series by Phillip Jose Farmer.
Iain Banks is woefully missing.and, if you are a true sci-fi fan, read the Culture series in order.
He takes the genre to a whole new level. Then he died on us!!
Iain Banks was a Scottish author. He wrote mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, including the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies.
Born: February 16, 1954, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Died: June 9, 2013, Kirkcaldy, United Kingdom
Tony wrote: "Iain Banks is woefully missing.and, if you are a true sci-fi fan, read the Culture series in order.
He takes the genre to a whole new level. Then he died on us!!
Iain Banks was a Scottish author...."
Life's a frigging B*stard sometimes. He had so much more to give us all, both SF and fiction. Great author much missed.
Mitchell wrote: "The list of all science fiction on goodreads with 50,000 or more ratings is a few more than 50 - actually it's 138. But I think it is a more accurate list for top sf on goodreads."Even this list misses Iain M Banks and many other serious contenders, just shows mainly modern day popular authors whose work has been converted to the silver screen. A sad reflection on what many readers see as SF
Asaria wrote: "Nothing from Stanisław Lem at all? He was one of the most imaginative sci fi writers..."I have Solaris pending, I thought it too.
Science fiction needs to have some scientific speculation in it. Since when is V for Vendetta a science fiction book? Dystopian future fantasy is a different genre.
Ive read 11 really happy to see A Dark Matter on the list, I've been recommending that to a lot of people, and Red Rising.
Phil wrote: "I've read 30. I've given 12 of them 5 stars and 3 of them 2 stars.
It's funny that Speaker for the Dead but not Ender's Game is on the list. The same goes for [book:Ancil..."
The Ancillary series in one of the few that I thought got better with each book. I actually would have picked Ancillary Mercy as my favorite.
It's funny that Speaker for the Dead but not Ender's Game is on the list. The same goes for [book:Ancil..."
The Ancillary series in one of the few that I thought got better with each book. I actually would have picked Ancillary Mercy as my favorite.
