Best Science Fiction Novels (28 books)

Discover new books on Goodreads

Meet your next favorite book

Listopia > Best Science Fiction Novels

NOT Fantasy
NOT Space Opera
NOT Horror
Science and/or its results should be the only reason the book works BUT it should also be well written - more literary than pulp fiction.

flag

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.09 avg rating — 239,024 ratings score: 199, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 94,260 ratings score: 193, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Red Mars (Mars Trilogy, #1) by Kim Stanley Robinson 3.85 avg rating — 91,041 ratings score: 190, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Martian by Andy Weir (Goodreads Author) 4.42 avg rating — 1,386,828 ratings score: 185, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Children of the New World by Alexander Weinstein (Goodreads Author) 3.73 avg rating — 4,127 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author) 3.85 avg rating — 918,661 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.08 avg rating — 50,000 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	1984 by George Orwell 4.21 avg rating — 5,788,853 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1) by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 2,571,926 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 4.10 avg rating — 1,531,730 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.26 avg rating — 164,201 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	The Telling by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.99 avg rating — 9,776 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Four Ways to Forgiveness (Hainish Cycle, #7) by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.20 avg rating — 5,070 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet, #1) by Madeleine L'Engle 3.97 avg rating — 1,315,098 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam, #1) by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 295,863 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) by Octavia E. Butler 4.18 avg rating — 300,442 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Green Mars (Mars Trilogy, #2) by Kim Stanley Robinson 3.96 avg rating — 41,863 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Dawn (Xenogenesis, #1) by Octavia E. Butler 4.15 avg rating — 68,701 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Giver (Giver, #1) by Lois Lowry (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 2,911,017 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Blue Mars (Mars Trilogy, #3) by Kim Stanley Robinson 3.95 avg rating — 33,917 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.12 avg rating — 96,227 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Planet of Exile by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.72 avg rating — 15,545 ratings score: 80, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 3.98 avg rating — 2,160,546 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Adulthood Rites (Xenogenesis, #2) by Octavia E. Butler 4.18 avg rating — 31,091 ratings score: 78, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Imago (Xenogenesis, #3) by Octavia E. Butler 4.19 avg rating — 26,573 ratings score: 77, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 3.97 avg rating — 3,003,678 ratings score: 76, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.79 avg rating — 26,343 ratings score: 75, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.96 avg rating — 12,718 ratings score: 74, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars