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I'm the first to admit it took me some time to get into science fiction. As a kid, I fell asleep to my mom reading me the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I graduated to C.S. Lewis once I could take over from there. But even though I spent hours trying to push through the back of my parents' closet and trying on every ring in mom's jewelry box in the hopes that one would turn me invisible, I always considered sci-fi the realm of the sweaty boys gathered in the living room with my brother.
But now that I'm older and wiser, I've completely changed my tune. The best sci-fi books aren't obtuse and inaccessible like I once thought. They're not written in some other language that relegates them to the math and science-brained. On the contrary, sci-fi's rich world-building, imaginative plot lines and deeply human thematic elements bring other worlds right down to Earth. We've rounded up the science fiction heavy-hitters that have made a real impact on the genre, have changed the literary world for the better or have just burst onto the scene with a comet-sized splash. Whether you're into near-future dystopias that imagine what the next hundred years might look like or prefer to send your brain to a galaxy far, far away, you'll have a wild ride on one of these fantastic sci-fi journey.
Want to find your next page flipper after you finish this list? Check out these YA books for teens, best reads for kids and ones that are exclusively for adults.
When Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in 1816, she didn't set out to create a cultural touchstone that would spin out into an entire genre. But that's exactly what she did. You probably think you know the story of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his captivating creation but if you haven't actually read it, you owe it to yourself to crack open the granddaddy of sci-fi.
If you loved Station Eleven, you'll devour this dystopian novel that's as much about time travel as what happens when we lose sight of what's truly important. It hurtles from a plague-ravaged earth to colonies on the moon, from 1912 to the near future in a triumph that cements the author in the canon for good.
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I first read Dune as a teenager after my uncle passed me his dog-eared copy, and the far-future plant of Arrakis, where spice reigns supreme, immediately captured my imagination. Not only does Dune lay the foundation for such greats as Star Wars, Star Trek and futuristic space fiction as we know it. It's also a deeply original examination of religion, industrialization and the environment, class and society as a whole.
Square Fish A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
This bewitching story has served as many children's introduction to the genre for generations, and it's well worth a reread if you haven't done so since grade school. Remember: there is such a thing as a tesseract.
W. W. Norton & Company A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Teenage gangster Alex leads his gang of miscreants through brutal acts of what he calls "ultra-violence" in this 1962 classic that sparked a Stanley Kubric film and scores of imitators. Its distinctive style and sneakily prescient message about state control more than holds up today.
The spiritual descendant of George Orwell's 1984, this Murakami triumph follows two star-crossed lovers across two storylines under two moons, interweaving seemingly disparate elements into a novel that will leave you blinking back to reality.
Think science fiction takes itself too seriously? Let this absurdist classic by Douglas Adams disprove that theory. Its strangely wonderful cast of characters, distinctly droll voice and hilarious romp across a post-Earth galaxy has cemented its place in our hearts and pop culture for very good reason.
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
An archeologist witnesses the unleashing of an ancient plague buried in the Arctic and things just get worse from there. This hauntingly beautiful story explores the resilience of the human spirit through vignettes that take us through the cosmic search for home to a theme park for terminally ill kids and even a talking pig who has more wisdom than any of us.
The lush, brain-bending Area X has been left to its own devices and each exploration has returned with different (often horrifying) effects. As we join the twelfth group to venture inside, we find a weird, sometimes terrifying world that's only slightly less scary than what starts to happen between the explorers themselves.
Dial Press Trade Paperback The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
Truly, any Vonnegut would be right at home on this list, but if you loved Slaughterhouse Five, you'll devour this one. It's a space adventure with all the sci-fi master's signature wit, whimsy and the originality that made him a household name.
Library of America Kindred, Fledgling, Collected Stories by Octavia E. Butler
Literature is at its best when it holds up a mirror to a problem in the world we inhabit, and Butler's breathtaking work does just that. This collection includes two of her most famous works of Afrofuturism that also turn a keen eye on the horrors of our country's history, as well as other stories that serve as a primer to one of the genre's greats.
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If you haven't hopped aboard the Cixin Liu fan train yet, get aboard before the upcoming Netflix series. This first-contact story set during China's Cultural Revolution is an examination of the responsibilities that come with scientific progress with lots of exciting mysteries and adventure along the way.
Even though these 37 robot stories were written in the 60s and technology has, admittedly, advanced a bit since then, they're still an absolute delight to read. This collection includes some of Asimov's most beloved tales that have influenced both sci-fi and robotics as a field.
Penguin Classics The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Yes, feminist science fiction is a thing and Le Guin is one of the best we've got. This groundbreaking novel about what happens when an earthling seeks an interplanetary alliance with a world that has very different values than ours is a beautiful exploration of gender, sex, love, family and what our society could be.
You've probably heard the phrase, "the heart of the city." Well, not like this. In this magical sci-fi that straddles the line between science fiction and fantasy, New York City is as alive as any of its residents—maybe even more so.
After nuclear war decimates our planet, Earthlings pack it in and head to Mars to start afresh. But what they find when they land far exceeds their expectations, in just about every direction. If you thought Fahrenheit 451 was great, wait until you read this one.
In post-apocalyptic Africa, one woman escapes the still-raging genocide to give birth to her daughter in the desert. When she realizes the girl is special, she names her Onyesonwu, which means "Who fears death?" As the child grows, she realizes she has powers—and a powerful enemy.
This Nobel Prize-winning novel about three boarding school students who grow up to learn the terrible truth behind their sheltered upbringing is a masterpiece of Gothic boarding school suspense, tear-jerking romance and arresting science fiction with one of the best twists you'll ever read.
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From the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey comes this haunting tale of what happens when the aliens arrive. As spaceships hover over every major city on Earth, they appear to come in peace—at first. But with the prosperity that flourishes under their reign comes stifling of everything that makes us human in this beautiful examination of what we lose when our humanity slips away.
Before we ever heard of Neo and the Matrix, Gibson basically created the cyberpunk we have to thank for that, not to mention a little show called The X-Files. Case, an ex-cyber cowboy banned from the matrix by his former bosses, gets sent on a mission to take on a super-powerful AI in a wild ride that'll have you holding on for dear life.
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