Essential Sci-Fi (29 books)

Discover new books on Goodreads

Meet your next favorite book

Listopia > Essential Sci-Fi

The books that represent the most original and best works of the various authors who have shaped Sci-Fi in the last 100 years.

flag

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) by Martha Wells (Goodreads Author) 4.10 avg rating — 415,841 ratings score: 196, 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	Triplanetary (Lensman, #1) by E.E. "Doc" Smith 3.66 avg rating — 7,754 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
3	The Complete Venus Equilateral by George O. Smith 4.10 avg rating — 100 ratings score: 99, 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
4	I, Robot (Robot, #0.1) by Isaac Asimov 4.21 avg rating — 392,305 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
5	The Uplift War (The Uplift Saga, #3) by David Brin (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 27,677 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
6	Neuromancer (Sprawl #1) by William Gibson 3.89 avg rating — 382,842 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
7	Altered Carbon (Takeshi Kovacs, #1) by Richard K. Morgan 4.03 avg rating — 118,690 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
8	The Stainless Steel Rat (Stainless Steel Rat, #4) by Harry Harrison 3.92 avg rating — 17,107 ratings score: 93, 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	Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 4.15 avg rating — 451,144 ratings score: 92, 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	Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1) by Orson Scott Card 4.31 avg rating — 1,508,434 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
11	Cobra (Cobra, #1) by Timothy Zahn (Goodreads Author) 3.84 avg rating — 2,532 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
12	Counting Heads (Counting Heads, #1) by David Marusek (Goodreads Author) 3.76 avg rating — 1,253 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
13	Ringworld (Ringworld #1) by Larry Niven 3.93 avg rating — 131,588 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
14	Firestar (Firestar, #1) by Michael Flynn 3.66 avg rating — 798 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
15	The Quantum Thief (Jean le Flambeur, #1) by Hannu Rajaniemi 3.83 avg rating — 24,595 ratings score: 86, 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	The Two Faces of Tomorrow by James P. Hogan 3.91 avg rating — 907 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
17	The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1) by Liu Cixin (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 543,586 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
18	The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 94,351 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
19	Downbelow Station (The Company Wars, #1) by C.J. Cherryh (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 16,823 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
20	The Golden Age (Golden Age, #1) by John C. Wright 4.08 avg rating — 3,385 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
21	Pegasus in Flight (The Talent, #2) by Anne McCaffrey 4.19 avg rating — 9,198 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
22	The Engines of God (The Academy, #1) by Jack McDevitt 3.83 avg rating — 10,583 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
23	Ill Wind by Kevin J. Anderson (Goodreads Author) 3.60 avg rating — 825 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
24	Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan 4.05 avg rating — 6,338 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
25	Steel Beach by John Varley 3.96 avg rating — 3,435 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
26	Gridlinked (Agent Cormac #1, Polity Universe #3) by Neal Asher (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 13,130 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
27	Little Fuzzy (Fuzzy Sapiens, #1) by H. Beam Piper 4.04 avg rating — 11,074 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
28	The Peripheral (Jackpot #1) by William Gibson 3.89 avg rating — 34,438 ratings score: 73, 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
29	Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 304,477 ratings score: 72, 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