Best sci-fi literature on Reddit

161 reviews from r/scifi, r/printSF, r/sciencefiction

161 reviews from
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#1

Isaac Asimov

4.8
(8)
"One of the greatest sci-fi authors of all time, highly recommended for beginners."
·
"The Foundation series is a classic in science fiction."
·
"A true classic with off-screen action and maneuvering."
·
"A timeless classic that explores the rise and fall of civilizations."
·
"The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov is the best sci-fi books I've ever read."
·
"The Foundation series by Asimov is a classic and a must-read for any sci-fi fan."
·
"The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov."
·
"Nightfall and Other Stories - Isaac Asimov (Not Nightfall, but the short story collection)"
#2

Frank Herbert

4.7
(6)
"The Dune series is brilliant, with the first book being the most well-known."
·
"Dune is a classic sci-fi saga that is easier to read and highly recommended."
·
"Dune - Frank Herbert"
·
"A masterful blend of politics, religion, and ecology."
·
"The white plague, by Frank Herbert"
·
"Dated but engrossing, a grand story. Nothing mystical, entirely plausible."
#3

N/A

3.9
(7)
"Absolutely brilliant space opera. Many different character POVs with the final trilogy being some of the coolest stuff I’ve ever read."
·
"A bit more heady philosophically concerning ideas like Fermis paradox. Very well thought out."
·
"A human turned post singularity self replicating AI explores the universe. Lots of humor and whacky high jinx ensue."
·
"The moon explodes. Humanity tries to figure out how to survive."
·
"Just a very entertaining and fun read. The interactions between the two main characters will make you laugh."
·
"I liked it but felt that, while it was a good series, it could’ve been a GREAT series and didn’t quite hit the mark for me."
·
"I know Dune is highly lauded I just didn’t find it a very exciting read."
#4

Arthur C. Clarke

4.6
(5)
"Stuff that didn't get mentioned that are masterworks... "The Fountains of Paradise" Authur Clarke"
·
"For the greats / Classics: Arthur C Clarke, 2001 Space Oddesey but plenty more too"
·
"Currently half way through Arthur C. Clarke's 'Childhood's End' and think it might tick your boxes!"
·
"Rendezvous with Rama is a captivating science fiction novel."
·
"A fascinating exploration of alien life and human curiosity."
#5

Robert A. Heinlein

4.8
(4)
"Robert Heinlein: Friday, Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Beyond This Horizon."
·
"Robert Heinlein: Friday, Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Beyond This Horizon."
·
"Robert Heinlein: Friday, Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Beyond This Horizon."
·
"Starship Troopers - Heinlein"
#6

Gene Wolfe

5.0
(3)
"A masterful blend of science fiction and fantasy, this book is a must-read for any genre enthusiast."
·
"Gene Wolfe "The Book of the New Sun" novel series"
·
"The book of the new sun series - Gene Wolfe"
#7

Ursula K. Le Guin

5.0
(3)
"A profound exploration of anarchism and society."
·
"A groundbreaking work on gender and politics."
·
"A profound exploration of anarchism and utopia."
#8

Joe Haldeman

4.7
(3)
"Stuff that didn't get mentioned that are masterworks... "Forever War" Joe Haldeman"
·
"The Forever War is a classic."
·
"A great read, though somewhat dated."
#9

Margaret Atwood

4.7
(3)
"A thought-provoking and beautifully written trilogy that explores complex themes."
·
"The entire series is so good, the 2nd covers more of the pandemic taking hold."
·
"A great post-apocalyptic novel."
#10

Orson Scott Card

4.3
(3)
"Orson Scott Card, Enders Game series"
·
"Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is an easy first read."
·
"Ignore the movie adaptation."
#11

Greg Bear

4.3
(3)
"An unconventional take on a pandemic that is both thrilling and thought-provoking."
·
"Heavy on the science, you might learn a good deal about virology, but also gives a good social and governmental response narrative."
·
"Excellent exploration of Von Neumann machines."
#12

Robert Charles Wilson

5.0
(2)
"Maybe the most original story in this bunch."
·
"Despite winning the Hugo Science fiction Award for best novel in 2006, it remains off the beaten path for most readers. I highly recommend it."
#13

Alastair Reynolds

5.0
(2)
"Terminal World and Chasm City, by Alastair Reynolds, are excellent. Terminal world is a different kind of plague but still super interesting."
·
"Alastair Reynolds: Revelation space"
#14

Ted Chiang

5.0
(2)
"A great introduction to science fiction with fascinating stories."
·
"Ted Chiang "Stories of Your Life" short story collection"
#15

Dan Simmons

5.0
(2)
"I am going to throw in The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons and The Uplift Cycle by David Brin."
·
"I feel like Hyperion by Dan Simmonds is appropriate for beginners!"
#16

Anthony Burgess

5.0
(2)
"A thought-provoking look at societal issues."
·
"A brilliant exploration of a dystopic future."
#17

Tor Books

5.0
(2)
"Cixin Liu’s Three Body Problem series is amazing if you’re after more sciency sci-fi."
·
"Ted Chiang does amazing short stories, again on the more sciency side of things."
#18

A. G. Riddle

5.0
(2)
"I just read this over christmas and I've been thinking about it since. I have to say it is the thing that made me start preparing even when everyone else here was not paying attention to it yet."
·
"I liked his Long Winter trilogy even better (sun steadily getting dimmer). All his books are really addicting."
#19

Mira Grant

5.0
(2)
"The Newsflesh Trilogy is great, exploring the social aspect of living in a perpetual pandemic."
·
"Her latest novel Alien: Echo was very good. Her other novels are just as, if not better."
#20

Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

4.5
(2)
"Stuff that didn't get mentioned that are masterworks... "Footfall" Niven and Pournelle"
·
"Footfall by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle"
#21

Philip K. Dick

4.5
(2)
"If you enjoyed Blade Runner then I recommend you check out Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"
·
"Blade Runner is based off of 'Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep' by Phillip K Dick."
#22

Robert Heinlein

4.5
(2)
"Starship Troopers is a compelling and controversial military science fiction novel."
·
"Double Star is an engaging tale of identity and politics."
#23

Peter Watts

4.5
(2)
"An exceptional trilogy that captivates the reader!"
·
"The rifters trilogy by Peter watts"
#24

Albert Camus

4.0
(2)
"The Plague by Albert Camus."
·
"Quite good and short, maybe not sci-fi."
#25

Michael Crichton

3.5
(2)
"It is a gripping book that immerses you in the technology of the 1970s."
·
"Ignore the movie adaptation, please."
#26

The Stand

5.0
(1)
"The Stand"
#27

Frankenstein

5.0
(1)
"You might as well start at the beginning with Frankenstein by Mary Shelly."
#28

The Road

5.0
(1)
"Also Cormac McCarthy's The Road."
#29

Elizabeth Moon

5.0
(1)
"Stuff that didn't get mentioned that are masterworks... "The Speed of Dark" Elizabeth Moon"
#30

David Weber

5.0
(1)
"Stuff that didn't get mentioned that are masterworks... "The Road To Damascus" David Weber."
#31

C.J. Cherryh

5.0
(1)
"Stuff that didn't get mentioned that are masterworks... "Serpent's Reach" by CJ Cherryh"
#32

Sean McMullen

5.0
(1)
"Sean McMullen: Greatwinter Trilogy, Voyage of the Shadowmoon, Centurion's Empire."
#33

Donald Kingsbury

5.0
(1)
"Stuff that didn't get mentioned that are masterworks... "Courtship Rite" Donald Kingsbury"
#34

Doris Lessing

5.0
(1)
"Doris Lessing: Canopus in Argos: Archives"
#35

Children of Time

5.0
(1)
"**Children of Time** for uplifted spiders."
#36

Daemon

5.0
(1)
"**Daemon** for a post-mortem coup."
#37

Dune

5.0
(1)
"**Dune** for a desert planet messiah."
#38

Ender's Game

5.0
(1)
"**Ender's Game** for a battle school in space."
#39

Snow Crash

5.0
(1)
"**Snow Crash** for a spunky, wild ride."
#40

The Diamond Age

5.0
(1)
"**The Diamond Age** for a book about a girl reading a book about a girl."
#41

Black Ocean

5.0
(1)
"**Black Ocean** for more of that Firefly feeling."
#42

Empire of Silence

5.0
(1)
"**Empire of Silence** for 5 stars from me, but I only have vague re."
#43

Stephen King

5.0
(1)
"The Stand by Stephen King"
#44

C.S. Lewis

5.0
(1)
"C.S. Lewis, Space Trilogy"
#45

Nathan Lowell

5.0
(1)
"Here are some of my favorites."
#46

Travis J. I. Corcoran

5.0
(1)
"The books in the Aristillus Series are The Team (uplifted dogs - back story), Staking A Claim (on the moon - back story), The Powers of the Earth (Aristillus Book 1), Causes of Separation (Aristillus Book 2)."
#47

Gardner Dozois

5.0
(1)
"A great collection for current science fiction work."
#48

David Hartwell

5.0
(1)
"Another excellent collection, though the editor is no longer available."
#49

Heinlein

5.0
(1)
"He covers everything from hard sci-fi to the fantastical."
#50

Chuck Wendig

5.0
(1)
"Currently reading The Wanderers by Chuck Wendig. Scary relevant."
#51

Cixin Liu

5.0
(1)
"The Three Body Problem is a fascinating and complex narrative."
#52

Alfred Bester

5.0
(1)
"The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester is a must read."
#53

Delta

5.0
(1)
"Kurt Vonnegut is very satirical and silly on the surface but always has a powerful point to make underneath it all."
#54

Cormac McCarthy

5.0
(1)
"One of the most gripping books I’ve read."
#55

BBC

5.0
(1)
"BBC did an excellent three-part documentary on British sci-fi."
#56

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

5.0
(1)
"Ursula K. Le Guin is the absolute gold standard for me. It’s very political/social and always beautifully written."
#57

Book

5.0
(1)
"'The Death of Grass' is my favourite of this type."
#58

Stanislaw Lem

5.0
(1)
"*The Cyberiad* is a brilliant blend of humor and philosophy."
#59

Joshua Gayou

5.0
(1)
"The Commune series by Joshua Gayou was excellent."
#60

Terry Nation

5.0
(1)
"An excellent TV series adaptation of the book."
#61

Neal Stephenson

5.0
(1)
"A thrilling cyberpunk adventure that is both entertaining and thought-provoking."
#62

China Miéville

5.0
(1)
"A mixture of fantasy, sci-fi and general strangeness."
#63

Octavia Butler

5.0
(1)
"A thought-provoking exploration of society and resilience."
#64

Ken Liu

5.0
(1)
"An amazing and emotionally devastating mixture of science fiction and fantasy."
#65

Neil Asher

5.0
(1)
"Each book is delightfully detailed and he's a master at bringing out likeable characters, particularly in the AI and Prador aliens."
#66

Interzone

5.0
(1)
"Consistently good short stories covering a wide range of ideas and concepts."
#67

Asimov

5.0
(1)
"I Robot by Asimov is a great start with different stories inside."
#68

Phillip Pullman

5.0
(1)
"His Dark Materials is a beautifully crafted fantasy series."
#69

Brian Aldiss

5.0
(1)
"A fascinating survey of classic and forgotten stories illustrating the rise and fall of galactic empires."
#70

George R. Stewart

5.0
(1)
"I loved this one. It's more about the aftermath, though."
#71

John Wyndham

5.0
(1)
"Probably one of if not the earliest novels of the 'end of civilization' genre."
#72

Carl Sagan

5.0
(1)
"Contact is a thought-provoking exploration of humanity and the universe."
#73

Adrian Tchaikovsky

5.0
(1)
"It re-inspired my love for science fiction, full of big ideas like generational starships, civilisational collapse, terraforming, experimental evolution, artificial intelligence."
#74

William Gibson

5.0
(1)
"These books are set in near-future dystopia that in many ways have that Blade Runner feel."
#75

Edward W. Robertson

5.0
(1)
"I really loved the Breakers series by Edward W. Robertson. In the Breakers series, humanity faces not one apocalypse, but two: first a lethal pandemic, then a war against those who made the virus."
#76

Phillip K. Dick

5.0
(1)
"A thought-provoking collection of stories that challenge reality."
#77

Iain M. Banks

5.0
(1)
"Anything by Iain M. Banks is a must-read."
#78

Cordwainer Smith

5.0
(1)
"Cordwainer Smith's works are imaginative and profound."
#79

Station Eleven

5.0
(1)
"Great about life after the pandemic."
#80

Peter Hamilton

5.0
(1)
"If you want something long and epic then go for anything by Peter Hamilton. Naked God and Commonwealth Sagas are my favorite."
#81

I Am Legend

4.0
(1)
"I Am Legend. Just pretend the MC bought all of the toilet paper and the vampires are trying to steal it back"
#82

The Passage

4.0
(1)
"More of a zombie/vampire pandemic (so not much science), "The Passage" by Justin Cronin covers an end-of-the-world event and the extended post-apocalyptic outcome."
#83

The Stars My Destination

4.0
(1)
"The Stars My Destination was a classic read."
#84

Alan Nourse

4.0
(1)
"Alan Nourse, [*The Fourth Horseman*]"
#85

John Christopher

4.0
(1)
"The Death of Grass, by John Christopher, was also quite unnerving."
#86

Paolo Bacigalupi

4.0
(1)
"The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - not quite pandemic but some similar ideas"
#87

D. J. Molles

4.0
(1)
"The Remaining by D. J. molles"
#88

Ann Benson

4.0
(1)
"The Plague Tales by Ann Benson"
#89

David R. Palmer

4.0
(1)
"Emergence, by David R. Palmer. It's about survivors of a pandemic that wipes out most of humanity."
#90

Robert C. O'Brien

4.0
(1)
"Here's a list of five books that I recommend to beginners wanting to get into scifi."
#91

Frederik Pohl

4.0
(1)
"Gateway by Frederik Pohl, though I did not car"
#92

Daniel Keyes

4.0
(1)
"It's a bit young, but it's whimsical and smart."
#93

Clifford D Simak

4.0
(1)
"Way Station is a thought-provoking exploration of humanity."
#94

Zachary Mason

4.0
(1)
"A nice cyberpunk novel exploring AI, memory, and identity."
#95

Mary Shelley

4.0
(1)
"It’s not hard science, well not by our standards. But it’s still a solid read."
#96

Kinsbury

4.0
(1)
"An intriguing continuation of the Foundation series."
#97

John Scalzi

4.0
(1)
"Good action with an interesting premise, but not too dense."
#98

FKA USA

4.0
(1)
"FKA USA is a fun not hard science novel with pandemic themes throughout."
#99

Robert Silverberg

4.0
(1)
"A mix of fantasy and sci-fi that resonates."
#100

Julie Czerneda

4.0
(1)
"The depictions of the social fallout on space stations crowded with quarantined survivors was interesting."
#101

Anspatch and Cole

4.0
(1)
"Galaxy's Edge by Anspatch and Cole was entertaining for sure, and there's nine books!"
#102

Sarah Vaughn

4.0
(1)
"It's more a murder mystery than a disaster story, but the effects of the pandemic are foremost."
#103

The Last One

4.0
(1)
"Touching and funny about someone on a reality show when a pandemic hits."
#104

Hamilton

4.0
(1)
"A great recommendation, but be prepared for a lengthy read."
#105

Vorksogian

4.0
(1)
"Had a lot of fun reading the Vorksogian books. Very entertaining."
#106

The Expanse

4.0
(1)
"Currently reading The Expanse, very good for actual sciencey scifi."
#107

David Brin

2.0
(1)
"Judge not the book by the low quality of the movie."
#108

Severance

2.0
(1)
"Character motivations were hard to figure out and the narrative was very uneven."
#109

Jack London

1.0
(1)
"Terrifying."
#110

Hyperion

1.0
(1)
"Cannot recommend Hyperion novels at all. Utterly boring."

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