100 Must-Read Science Fiction Novels

Science fiction has always held a special place in my heart. There’s something thrilling about imagining other worlds, pondering the future, or exploring the big "what ifs" of existence. There is no better medium to consider this than that of print. Big budget productions are fine, but with a book the imagery is only bound by my imagination. Over the years, I’ve found that the best sci-fi books do more than dazzle with imaginative concepts—they probe the human condition, inspire awe, and often provide scathing critiques of society as we know it. 

I've set myself a variety of tasks this year (or at least start to do so this year, I'm quite accepting that this one will stretch into 2026), one of which is to start to read or re-read 100 of the greatest science fiction novels ever written, I’m excited to guide you through this list and the retrospectives to follow.

What Makes a Good Science Fiction Novel?

For me, a great sci-fi novel does three key things: it expands the boundaries of imagination, it poses questions that resonate deeply with readers, and it stands the test of time. Take Isaac Asimov’s Foundation, for instance. Written in 1951, it grapples with civilisation's rise and fall, and its psychohistory concept remains profoundly relevant as we tackle questions of predictive analytics and societal change.

Equally important is emotional resonance. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, often considered the progenitor of modern science fiction, offers more than just a Gothic tale of creation run amok. It’s a profoundly moving exploration of humanity, responsibility, and isolation that still speaks to readers two centuries later.

The genre also shines when it examines social structures. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale forces us to confront gender politics and authoritarianism, while Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred ingeniously uses time travel to illuminate the horrors of slavery and racism.

Building the List

Choosing 100 sci-fi novels is a subjective endeavour—there’s no denying that. Some choices, like Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey or Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, feel almost inevitable. But I’ve also sought to balance the classics with modern masterpieces, such as Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem and Becky Chambers’ The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.

I have no doubt that many titles which you might consider to be a favourite or a must-read could be missing from my list, but any list is subjective and my choices do not in any way discredit another's favourite title. (Why not add your choices in the comments below, I'm more than happy to then delve into further publications). 

I want to also clarify that, outside of the top 10, these list is not ranked, simply 100 amazing adventures of boundless possibilities. It would be folly to try and rank them as preference changes from day to day, week to week, year to year. Even the top 10 are not explicitly ordered. For instance, War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells was my favourite book for most of my younger years, but I have to put them in some kind of order and this is how those 10 fell today.

Anyway, here they all are...

100 Must-Read Science Fiction Novels 

1. Dune by Frank Herbert

2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov

3. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

4. 1984 by George Orwell

5. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

6. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

7. Neuromancer by William Gibson

8. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

9. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

10. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

11. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

12. Hyperion by Dan Simmons

13. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

14. The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

15. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

16. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

17. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

18. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

19. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

20. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

21. Contact by Carl Sagan

22. Journey to the Centre of the Earth by H.G. Wells

23. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

24. The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

25. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

26. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

27. World War Z by Max Brooks

28. Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

29. Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

30. Solaris by Stanisław Lem

31. Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

32. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein

33. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman

34. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

35. Ringworld by Larry Niven

36. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

37. Blindsight by Peter Watts

38. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

39. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

40. Anathem by Neal Stephenson

41. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

42. The Power by Naomi Alderman

43. City by Clifford D. Simak

44. The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

45. Shards of Honour by Lois McMaster Bujold

46. Gateway by Frederik Pohl

47. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

48. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

49. Embassytown by China Miéville

50. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

51. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick

52. Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

53. Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

54. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

55. Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds

56. The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

57. Light by M. John Harrison

58. Wool by Hugh Howey

59. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

60. The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson

61. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

62. Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

63. Red Rising by Pierce Brown

64. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

65. Under the Skin by Michel Faber

66. A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge

67. Morning Star by Pierce Brown

68. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

69. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

70. Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill

71. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

72. Earth Abides by George R. Stewart

73. Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky

74. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

75. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

76. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

77. Eon by Greg Bear

78. Diaspora by Greg Egan

79. The Postman by David Brin

80. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

81. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

82. The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard

83. The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham

84. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

85. Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

86. The Night Side of the Sun by David Wingrove

87. Pavane by Keith Roberts

88. The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

89. The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

90. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

91. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

92. A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

93. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

94. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

95. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

96. Recursion by Blake Crouch

97. The Rapture of the Nerds by Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross

98. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

99. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

100. The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

A Final Note

Starting right now, with approximately one title a week, I’ll re-read and then dive into each of these works with fresh retrospectives, reflecting on their relevance in 2025 (and then 2026). Why does Dune endure as a touchstone of political intrigue and ecological awareness? How does Kindred resonate amid our ongoing struggles with racial equity? These questions, and many more, will guide my exploration.

Whether you’re revisiting an old favourite or discovering a gem for the first time, I hope these reviews will illuminate why these stories matter. It’s not just about the “what ifs”; it’s about the “what now” as well. Here’s to unforgettable journeys—and the boundless possibilities of science fiction.