Is there any better genre than science fiction? Reasonable people may disagree, but the answer is no.
Sci-fi novels take us out to the stars or force us to confront our pasts or lock us inside the dark cages of our minds. Sci-fi can do anything and everything, and the best novels of the genre can change your life.
Because the rankings would completely change if you asked me again in a week, here are the 10 best sci-fi books of all time in chronological order.
Frankenstein – 1818
No “best of science fiction” list would be complete without the book that unofficially gave birth to the genre. Some people might not immediately associate the story of Frankenstein with sci-fi, but when you read Mary Shelley’s original novel, all the hallmarks of the genre are there. Frankenstein, or a Modern Prometheus is basically the first speculative sci-fi novel all about how far some men are willing to go in order to pursue scientific discovery. It’s as prescient today as it was back in the 19th century.
Dune – 1965
Frank Herbert’s novel is a classic for a reason. Dune is not just an action-packed sci-fi epic set on one of the most memorable alien planets in the entire genre. It’s also a dense story about politics, religion, and intergenerational trauma. When his family is betrayed shortly after taking control of the desert planet Arrakis, Paul Atreides rises up against the planet’s imperial oppressors, but just because he saves Dune doesn’t mean Paul is really a hero.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – 1968
There is hardly any sci-fi author more influential than Philip K. Dick. He was a prolific writer who produced a seemingly endless amount of novels and short stories, many of which have been adapted into hugely popular sci-fi movies like Total Recall and Minority Report. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was the inspiration for Blade Runner, and it tells the story of an ecologically destroyed Earth, super advanced robots, and tired bounty hunters struggling to make a life for themselves.
The Left Hand of Darkness – 1969
There are few sci-fi authors as beloved as Ursula K. Le Guin. She could expertly shift between genres, and though she’s created some great sci-fi novels, she’s also responsible for the enthralling Earthsea fantasy series. The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a human diplomat named Genly Ai, who’s sent to the planet Gethen to convince them to join his planet’s federation. Ai experiences extreme culture shock as the novel explores the utterly alien culture of the Gethen people.
Rendezvous with Rama – 1973
Arthur C. Clarke is probably best known for writing 2001: A Space Odyssey, but honestly any of his novels deserves a spot on this list. I’m particularly fond of Childhood’s End, a deeply haunting first contact story like no other, but Rendezvous with Rama might just be Clarke’s masterpiece. The book is set in the 22nd century and begins as a strange alien object enters the solar system. The crew of the Endeavour go to scout the object out, but they couldn’t be less prepared for what they discover.
Dhalgren – 1975
You really can’t pin author Samuel R. Delany down. Sometimes he wrote silly space epics and other times he wrote hard sci-fi thrillers. Dhalgren is one of his most complicated, and most disturbing, works of fiction. The book takes readers on a journey through the city of Bellona, which has been completely isolated from the rest of the world after some unnamed catastrophe took place. An amnesiac man known only as the Kid wanders the streets and meets the city’s bizarre inhabitants. If you’re a fan of Joycean tales or unsolvable mysteries, then this one’s for you.
Kindred – 1979
Octavia E. Butler’s brilliant novel weaves together the world of 1970s Los Angeles and antebellum Maryland to explore themes of race, power, gender, and love. The book follows a writer named Dana who finds herself shifting through time, stuck between life with her white husband in California and another life on a plantation with her enslaved ancestors. Dana is forced to confront a dark history while trying to find a way to stay locked in the present.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – 1979
Not every sci-fi novel needs to take itself seriously to tell a great story. Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a tongue-in-cheek romp through a wildly imaginative version of outer space. After Earth is destroyed for the construction of a hyperspace express route, surviving human Arthur Dent is thrust into the universe against his will. The novel’s world is rich with characters and exotic settings, and just about every page will have you laughing until you’re in tears.
Neuromancer – 1984
Neuromancer is William Gibson’s debut novel and the book that really kicked off the cyberpunk subgenre. The story is set in a high-tech, low-life future where corporations control just about every aspect of modern life, and cyberspace cowboys are the stars of society’s criminal underbelly. Neuromancer elevates a typical heist plot into an enchanting tale about the birth of AI and how the past haunts people. Cyberpunk has never been more popular than it is today, but the genre’s also never been better than it was in Neuromancer.
Oryx and Crake – 2003
Margaret Atwood is a masterful writer whose contributions to fiction span multiple genres. Her best-known work, The Handmaid’s Tale, leans into some sci-fi tropes while telling what’s essentially an alternate history story, but Oryx and Crake dives headfirst into heavy sci-fi elements. The book explores an Earth decimated by climate change and other apocalyptic catastrophes, but it’s as touching and human as anything Atwood has ever written.
