Are you a faithful lover of the best science fiction books? Without a doubt, this literary and cinematographic genre usually generates mixed feelings in the public. There are as many people who love it as there are people who hate it. Some enjoy reading science fiction literature and imagining what the future will be like or what other alternate realities might be like. They even lose their fantasies among the best science fiction movies…
others more, Instead, they get bored thinking that they are stories of mere speculation that have little or nothing to do with reality or with a possible reality. Even so, science fiction literature has exponents of great prestige, as is the case of Julio Verne or of George Orwell.
Of course, when it comes to literary tastes, subjectivity rules. From Supercurioso we want to present you this list of what are, in our opinion, the best science fiction books. From now on we invite you to comment with your own favorites. Let us begin!
Top 10 Science Fiction Books You Should Know
1. Foundation (Foundation Saga) – Isaac Asivomv
We begin this journey through the best science fiction books, with Fundación. Russian-born writer Isaac Asimov is undoubtedly one of the brightest minds in science fiction. The predictions of future technologies that he makes in his books are very close to the scientific advances that are discovered decades later.
It is extremely difficult to choose between one of their books to add to this ranking since all of them masterfully deal with very interesting topics, ranging from the artificial intelligence of the robot series, to the expansion of the human being throughout the galaxy in the foundation cycle.
For this occasion we have chosen a book that kicks off one of the most impressive sagas of this genre. It takes place in a very distant future in which the human being has expanded throughout the universe under a form of government called the Galactic Empire.
Hari Sheldon is a scientist who develops a new science called psychohistory through which he is able to mathematically predict that this Galactic Empire will collapse, weighed down by the corruption and inactivity of its politicians. From this moment on, dozens of characters will be caught up in an intriguing plot that will unfold throughout the cold universe.
2. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Another milestone in science fiction literature is the extraordinary Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. This work by Douglas Adams is the first book in a series that shares the same name. It is a great combination of humor and science fiction that could be compared to Terry Pratchett’s books, in which he makes this same combination but with fantastic literature.
It is a fairly quick book to read, with a crazy plot capable of getting a good laugh out of the most serious of its readers. For those who have not read the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, this is part of its synopsis that reflects very well the charisma of this work:
“One Thursday at lunchtime, the Earth is unexpectedly demolished in order to build a new hyperspace highway. Arthur Dent, a very ordinary guy who just that morning saw his own house torn down, considers that this exceeds what a person can bear. But alas, the weekend has only just begun, and the galaxy is a strange and amazing place.”
3. Dune (The Dune Chronicles) – Frank Herbert
We advance with the best science fiction books, with the famous dune. It is one of the most emblematic works of the science fiction genre. Written by Frank Herbert in 1965, it was such a resounding success that the author continued to write new books that would end up completing a 6-volume saga. Its success was also adapted to the big screen by the famous and controversial director David Lynch and a television series was also made, a game was created and several comics were published.
Dune is an epic work that revolves around the planet “Arrakis” (also known as Dune) from which a substance called “spice” or “melange” is extracted. of great value, since it is an essential material for intergalactic travel. In this future that Herbert proposes to us, the galaxies and the planets are controlled by houses of nobles in the most feudal style. The power struggle between the houses, betrayals, love and adventures are mixed in this work with Arrakis as the epicenter of the plot.
4. Mecanoscript of the second origin – Manuel de Pedrolo
Adding “Second Origin Typescript” to this list of the best of science fiction literature is a little license we’ve allowed ourselves to take. Surely it is not considered one of the best science fiction books nor is it known at the level of the rest of the works that we deal with in this article, but It is a little gem, atypical, original and highly recommended.
Typescript of the Second Origin is a work by Manuel de Pedrolo that recreates a dystopian land in which a large part of the population has died due to a strange event (We do not specify it to avoid spoilers). It tells us the story of Alba and Didac, two children who will be forced to survive in this new world. Two children forced to mature quickly in order to face the dangers that lie ahead and the responsibility that comes with being one of the few humans left alive.
5. Ender’s Game (Ender Saga) – Orson Scott Card
This novel by Orson Scott Card has won the Nebula and Hugo awards (two of the most important in the science fiction and fantasy genres). It is not for nothing that it is considered one of the best science fiction books. It is the first of the books in what is known as the “Saga of Ender” and has become in its own right an essential modern classic for all regulars of the genre. In 2013, the film of this novel was released in theaters, but unfortunately for many, it did not reach the quality of Orson Scott Card’s literary work.
The book tells the adventures of Andrew, a young man who, at only six years old, is recruited by the “Battle School”. to be trained for the war that humans wage with the Buggers, an extremely aggressive alien race that may end the future of the earth. Andrew may seem like a normal kid, maybe even a kid with too many problems, but… will he be able to prove that he is worth much more than he appears?
6. Starship Troopers – Robert A. Heinlein
This work by Robert A. Heinlein is a bit controversial, since for many it provides a vision and argument that is too pro-military. In any case, it is undoubtedly a classic of science fiction literature, which would also be known by many thanks to its mediocre film directed by Paul Verhoeven.
This novel tells the story (in the first person) of a young man who has to complete compulsory military service in a future in which the human race will be forced to fight for its survival against an alien species that devastates the Argentine city of Buenos Aires, causing millions of deaths. Starship Troopers is considered to be one of the first military science fiction novels: War, politics, insect-like aliens, military battle suits. What more could you want?
7. 1984 – George Orwell
Written under the pseudonym George Orwell and published in 1949, it is possibly one of the best science fiction books in history, has managed to masterfully capture the fear of control of the population by almost omnipresent powers that see everything, a kind of big brother capable of preventing any rebellion of the humblest classes.
When you read this novel it is easy for you to understand the great similarity that the 1984 world (which Orwell tells us about) with our society today. That is why the message of this book is still valid and its reading is more than recommended. If you like stories in which some characters fight against the control and tyranny of a government You can’t stop reading this wonderful book.
1984 (Contemporary)
- In the year 1984, London is a gloomy city in which the Thought Police stiflingly controls the…
- : POCKET-SIZE
- : George Oswell
8. Solaris – Stanislaw Lem
Another milestone in science fiction literature is Solaris, the famous novel written by the Polish author Stanislaw Lem, which is known to many thanks to the film adaptations that have been made of it.
Among them, one in 2002 starring George Clooney. The premise on which the Solaris novel starts is one of the ones that has made us reflect the most, What would happen if we discovered an intelligent alien life form so different from us that we were unable to communicate with it? Undoubtedly it could be a quite plausible event.
Solaris tells the story of researchers who discover a (possibly intelligent) life form in a planet’s ocean. This form of life is really different and interesting, since it is a substance that covers the entire ocean and behaves as a single thinking entity. Throughout the novel, this way of life will begin to “play” with the protagonists and will lead us to reflect on the psyche of the human being.
9. Portico (Heechee Saga) – Frederik Pohl
We add to the best science fiction books the novel Pórtico, written by Frederik Pohl and winner of numerous literary awards. This is the first book in a saga of four that talk about the exploration of the universe thanks to a mysterious technology discovered in an abandoned alien base that humans find inside an asteroid.
Portico It manages to “hook” the reader easily since it knows how to convey very well the feeling of exploring unknown places, that same feeling that Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo or even Neil Armstrong must have felt centuries ago.
Can you imagine being able to travel to places not yet discovered? In the future that Frederik Pohl imagines, you can travel to other places in the universe through the Gateway, a mysterious portal that charges a very high price… If you haven’t read Pórtico yet, you should do it right now, a novel that will hook you from start to finish.
10. Hyperion (The Songs of Hyperion) – Dan Simmons
And we close this journey through the best of science fiction literature with Hyperio, the first of the four books written by Dan Simmons of the Hyperion song cycle. Simmons’s work keeps the same structure as the Canterbury Tales, but of course the time where it takes place is still in a very distant future. The book Hyperion describes a time when Humans have spread throughout the galaxy and are capable of traveling and teleporting long distances.
In this context tells the story of six characters who must face their destiny, a pilgrimage destination that seems inevitably doomed to death. They must travel to the tombs of time, a place where artifacts from the future are found that, when opened, will release the Shrike, a kind of god-creature that will kill them all except one who will grant a wish. The entire galaxy is interested in reaching the Tombs of Time before they open, this is where this epic story begins.
And you, Did you know this list of the best science fiction books? If you know of any others that you want to add to the list, leave it in a comment. We will be delighted to read you and share with you our passion for reading!