The 5 Best Science Fiction Books That You Must Read

The science fiction genre is packed with incredible stories—both timeless classics and modern masterpieces. But with so many great options out there, figuring out where to start can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve put together a list of 5 must-read science fiction books that deserve a spot on every reader’s list. Keep reading to see which sci-fi novels made the cut!

Of course, no list can include every amazing sci-fi book out there. Just because a novel didn’t make this list doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your time. In fact, once you’ve finished the books below, we highly recommend exploring even more of the genre’s hidden gems. For now, check out the full list of our top picks below!

The 5 Best Science Fiction Books That You Must Read

• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick  
• Dune by Frank Herbert  
• Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell  
• The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide by Douglas Adams  
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

One of my favorite books on this list is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. It is a brilliant novel that will have you thinking a lot. This was one of the earlier sci-fi novels that I read and it made me fall in love with this genre.

Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter in San Fracisco and works for the police department. He is given the assignment to retire (kill) six androids that have escaped from Mars to Earth. These androids are new and highly intelligent and are made of organic matter making it difficult to tell them apart from humans.  

To tell the androids apart from humans, an empathy test is given to the subject in question. The latest empathy test however, is not fully reliable. The Rosen Association tries to get Deckard to drop the case and will go to any lengths to do so.  

Deckard heads out and hunts the androids and tries to make them take the empathy test. But this task turns out to be a lot more difficult than Deckard imagined. He wanted to use the money from this mission to replace his electric sheep and buy a live animal for his depressed wife. Now, Deckard must come to terms that the androids he is supposed to kill are more human than anyone could have imagined.  

Dune

A novel that jumps out from the sci-fi genre has to be Dune by Frank Herbert. Whether or not you have read much sci-fi books, there is a good chance that you heard about this novel. It is a sci-fi novel that has amazing world building and has resonated with many readers. Many critics consider this the best sci-fi book ever written

Duke Leto Atreides of House Atreides, the ruler of Caladan, is being relocated to serve as ruler of Arrakis. He is moving his whole house to Arrakis which includes his concubine Jessica and son Paul as well as the people that serve him. Where Caladan is rich in water, Arrakis, also known as Dune, is a desert planet where water is scarce and thus very important. The planet’s main export is spice and it is vital to the Guild who control space and maintains the balance between the Houses.

The move is forced upon Duke Leto from Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV who is conspiring with House Harkonnen to kill House Atreides. While the Duke knows this, he willingly goes into the trap and faces it head on. Soon after the family lands on Arrakis, the family comes under attack as one of their own has been compromised. Duke Leto’s plans to befriend the natives of Arrakis, the Freman, and fight back against House Harkonnen.

The betrayal catches House Atreidas by surprise and Paul and Jessica are captured by the enemies. Around this time, Paul learns the truth of what he really is and how his mother has trained

1984

1984

1984 by George Orwell is a classic dystopian novel by George Orwell that imagines a future where the government watches and controls our every movement. It is a novel that many people read in school and it tends to stay with people long after they read it.

The novel is based on Soviet Union in the era of Stalinism, and Nazi Germany. But when Americans realized that their government was secretly spying on them, this novel soared in popularity.

As digital media has taken over the world, many people have seen their privacy invaded. Orwell’s novel was a grim prediction that has come to become a reality. The trust in governments has been eroded and has led to many people turning to this novel for its accuracy.

The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

One of my all-time favorite novels and series on the list has to be The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. The writing is brilliant and the humor is timeless. The fate of planet Earth is at stake yet Adams has the reader laughing throughout the book. This novel changed the way I saw sci-fi novels and became a lifelong fan after reading the series.

The title of the novel comes from a book that is carried by Ford Prefect, the protagonist. Ford is an alien researcher traveling around the galaxy to update the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy encyclopedia. It is a book that has information on every planet. Ford saves his friend Arthur Dent when Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace expressway. 

The duo hitch a ride on a spaceship that is heading to Barnard’s Star but are found out by the Vogons who torture them by making them listen to their poetry and throw them out via airlock. They are saved by Ford’s “cousin” and board his spaceship The Heart of Gold. On the spaceship they meet a depressed robot who tells them the meaning of life.

Ford and Arthur journey across the galaxy with their new friends as they visit new planets. They get caught up in life-threatening adventures and learn new things about the galaxy that they never could have imagined. 

The Handmaid’s Tale

One of the most popular dystopian novels must be The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Some people may have read it in school while others read it for fun but either way, it is an impactful novel. It is just as popular as 1984 for different reasons and it is also taught in class. I am glad that I was able to read these novels early on because they powerful works of literature.

The President of the United States is killed in a staged attack as well as most members of the Congress. The ones behind the attack are a radical political group that call themselves the “Sons of Jacob” and start a revolution. This group believes that judicial laws of the Old Testament should be used to govern modern society.

The group suspends the United States Constitution and newspapers are censored. They rename the United States of America to the Republic of Gilead and change it to a military dictatorship. 

The new regime changes the laws using the Old Testament as a guide and restructure the social classes. In this new structure, women have become the lowest-ranking class and cannot own money, property, or read and write. And they lose the right over their own reproductive functions. 

The story is told in first person by Offred, a fertile woman that is assigned the title Handmaid. Her job is to produce children for the Commanders, the ruling class of men in Gilead. She undergoes trainer with other women to become a handmaid. 

Offred shares her story of how she was treated and what her job as a handmaid led to and how she ended up joining the resistance to fight back against the ruling class. 

Conclusion

That is the end of this list of the 5 best science fiction books that you must read. All five novels on this novel are incredible works of literature that I believe fans of reading need to read. Even if you don’t end up liking them, you won’t know unless you give them a read.

These novels made me a fan of sci-fi novels over the years. I can list a bunch more novels that nurtured my love for science fiction. And I will be sharing those recommendations in a future list.

How many of these novels have you read or plan to read? What novels would you have included on the list? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!

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