Science fiction novels are some of the most fascinating books out there. They can be about anything from time travel to aliens and anything in between. But not every science fiction book is equal. That is why we decided to list the 25 best science fiction books of all time to see which ones are the best of the best! Keep reading to find out which ones made our list.
There are many classics and modern novels that are page turners. With thousands of science fiction books released each year, it makes it hard to find ones that will keep you reading late. Choosing 25 feels like a good amount because it gets most of the classics as well as newer books that deserve recognition.
The 25 Best Science Fiction Books of All Time
- Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
- Dune by Frank Herbert
- 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
- Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
- Foundation by Isaac Asimov
- The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
- The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide by Douglas Adams
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- The Martian by Andy Weir
- Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- Hyperion by Dan Simmons
- Ringworld by Larry Niven
- I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
- Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
- The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
- Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
- Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
- A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller
Famous Books and Authors
Choosing 25 books for this list was easier than expected. Most of the classics that are highly regarded made the list. Some of them may have just missed the cut because they aren’t as popular or critically acclaimed.
This list includes some of the best science fiction books of all time such as Dune by Frank Herbert, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. Besides those, authors that defined the genre such as Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clare also made the list.
Conclusion
What did you think of the 25 best science fiction books of all-time list? Which books should have made the list? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!
I Robot is one of my cult favorites. However, Contact by Carl Sagan can be added in this list. It is a classic science fiction best seller published in 1985.
Iain m banks series should be on this. List
Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, as well as Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes IMO.
Flowers For Algernon, Daniel Keys
John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War,
Dennis E Taylor’s Bobiverse
are books (series) that I liked and admire.
They definitely deserve a mention.
Great list. Heinlein’s (kind of) inaptly named Starship Troopers should be required reading, too, as well as Orwell’s Animal Farm.
Finally, a top SF list that includes Altered Carbon!!! Brilliant book!!!
… writen by man. Wow… not even Ursula makes this list and she has become the token female author in this “best of…”
Interesting list, with — obviously — many great books. Completely vitiated by the absence of Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination, certainly one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written. It would be like having a list of the hundred best films of all time without Citizen Kane or the Godfather.
I have read all the books in your list (and many others).
The 3 folloing books are by far much better than most books in your list:
Zenna Henderson: Ingathering
Cordwainer Smith: Norstrilia and The Rediscovery of Man
You also don’t have any of the great Clifford Simak’s books:
City
Time is the simplest Thing
SUE BURKE!
Bold to not include Neuromancer
Check out The Culture series by Iain Banks. Each book is stand alone in the same universe. Consider. Pleobas is great.
Glad to see two of my all time favorites on the list – Stranger in a Strange Land and a Canticle for Liebovitz. Although not strictly speaking S.F., I would add The Lord of the Rings to the list.
Where are Vonnegut and Peter F Hamilton? Your Heinlein selection was too conformist. Why not try best 100, or best 1000.
Anyone who puts Brave New World on a list of best books has never read it
Lol… Huxley ain’t for everyone, e.g. Delta Gamma Semi-Morons – “Soma! Soma!”
Ender’s Game? Someone has set the bar very low to let that onto the list.
No “Neuromancer”? Hogwash. Rubbish.
Planet of the Apes. Forget the movies, read the book. And nothing by Gregory Benford? Hmm.
No lord of the rings ? That’s ridiculous !
I can’t believe that not even one of the Perelandra series was included.
STARS MY DESTINATION Alfred Bester, CHILDHOODS END, Arthur C Clarke, MORE THAN HUMAN, Theodore Sturgeon, ROGUE MOON, Algis Budrys, major omissions!
“Solaris” by Stanislaw Lem.
“Picnic on the Roadside” by A.B.Strugatsky
I would add Neromancer by William Gibson
I think, the Moon is a Harsh Mistress, is Heinlein’s best work. Stranger is more iconic, but not in the same league.
Childhoods End. Top 5!