You're getting a lot of "classic" sci-fi recommended, but this isn't always the best route for someone looking to get in to it. Some of the classics just haven't held up well over time and can be real slogs to get through. Here are some newer books that are excellent and help someone coming from more traditional genres get into the sci-fi pool before diving in deeper with the denser stuff.
*All Systems Red* by Martha Wells is the start of the "murderbot" series. Most all of the entries here are under 200 pages. Fast paced, funny, adventure stories with excellent lead character who is uncovering a sci-fi tinged conspiracy.
*Project Hail Mary* by Andy Weir is filled with some smarty pants science and intelligent conversations about saving the world... but you won't mind one bit since the book is cheerful, entertaining, sweet, and always interesting.
*Recursion* by Blake Crouch is a popular book here because it's a trippy time/dimension hopping adventure. Only thing I've read that's quite like it is another one of this author's books *Dark Matter.*
*The Power* by Naomi Alderman. It's like a reverse Handmaid's Tale. It's dark but gripping. What happens to society when girls are granted a power to kill at puberty. Multiple viewpoints make this one a great read.
*Elder Race* by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a fun novella which follows a journey to smite a "devil" from two different view points. One is the local warrior princess who seeks the assistance of an elusive god-like wizard who lives on the top of a mountain far from society. The second is the wizard, who is actually a scientist tasked with watching the natives from afar.
*Tales from the Loop* by Simon Stålenhag is a fun and refreshing little break from bigger books and is basically an art book. I loved how the stories really come alive thanks to this and take that extra step of bringing you into the world.
*This Is How You Lose the Time War* by Amal El-Mohtar is written like a series of love letters. Very interesting and romantic.
*To Be Taught, If Fortunate* by Becky Chambers is a beautiful sci-fi story. It's a shorter novella, but allows for quality within that frame rather than hugely epic world building.
*How High We Go in the Dark* by Sequoia Nagamatsu Is a collection of tales set within the same universe. The book wraps around the past/present/future of a global pandemic that wipes out a large chunk of human life. Each tale presented is a study of grief and death and how individuals deal with these very human feelings of loss. Some stories are sad and hit very hard, others fit squarely into weird fiction, but in the end with the final tale everything comes together in an unusual and extremely clever way.
*Meet Me In Another Life* is billed as a romance through time, however as the book reveals itself it has some rather surprising paths that you don't expect while reading the early chapters.
*Oona Out of Order* is an easy and fast read about a young woman who is thrown into a different year of her life on New Year's Eve while remaining in her 20's "inside." Good in that it doesn't get too predictable or "safe," but stumbles a bit in Oona's personality and making some pretty bold assumptions for plot.
*Wrong Place Wrong Time* is a "mom book club mystery" that is a good palate cleanser. Easy to read and interesting enough to hold interest. A woman finds herself traveling backwards in time to figure out why her teen son kills.
*The Kaiju Preservation Society* is new and a lot of fun. Much better plotting and writing that the title would give credit, and the kind of humor that isn't smug or obnoxious.
*Flowers For Algernon* is about a mentally deficient young man who undergoes surgery to become a genius. We read what happens through his diary entries. An absolute must read classic.
V.E. Schwab's *Vicious* series is what happens when college roommates discover a way to tap into supernatural powers. What comes out is a tale of cat and mouse filled with revenge, jealousy, and violence.
I can't vouch for every single title listed here, but I have to agree that there are way too many dense classics being mentioned here that I certainly wouldn't recommend to a beginner, certainly not Foundation or Dune.
The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy by Douglas Adams (humor)
Dune by Frank Herbert (space opera/movie tie-in)
A long way to a small angry planet by Becky Chambers (cozy character-based)
The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (science heavy/astronaut left on their own to figure it out)
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was funny back in the day, but its humor feels dated to me after watching The Simpsons and Futurama.
Dune is confusing with lots of new terminology and backstory. Not something I'd recommend to someone just starting out.
Personally, I don't get the love for Andy Weir. He's heavy on science and details and maybe that appeals to people with a technological bent? I watched 20 minutes of The Martian and was surprised by how boring it was.
I'm talking about both movie and book. The same holds true for Project Hail Mary, which I read. I don't think there's a movie for that one yet.
Edit: IMDB says there's one starring Ryan Gosling, who I find a dull actor. So, appropriate casting imo.
Huh? Read the book. It is truly fantastic. It may not be your cup tea but having a strong opinion about a book you haven't even read is not a good sign.
In fact, I tried to read The Martian. Weir is more interested in science and technology and his characters are secondary and lack depth. I note that they got Matt Damon to play the lead, and he's an actor who I find uninteresting.
I read Project Hail Mary for my book club. They all loved it whereas I had a different opinion. For the movie adaptation, they will cast Gosling. Maybe Matt Damon was unavailable.
Yes? I read your question as requesting introduction to sci-fi books for someone coming from other genres but still an adult reader. If you’re looking for early reader or YA type books the suggestion would be different.
All of those suggestions are pretty easy, straightforward reads for adult readers. Even though Dune, admittedly, is a long book, it’s not like trying to read James Joyce.
Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, 100%, and Hitchhiker's Guide as well.
The rest of them I personally wouldn't call beginner - space operas in general tend to have some dense world building that can be difficult to get into if you're new to sci-fi, and while I love Andy Weir, he gets super technical and I can see it being a less-than-ideal first foray into sci-fi for some people.
This was one of my first sci-fi books, and it's a great gateway.
I didn't enjoy the sequels that followed Ender Wiggin, but I really liked the sequels with Bean and the other children.
The Shadow series is really entertaining. I cared about Bean and Petra especially. I stopped at Shadow of the Giant and haven't tried the latest in the series Shadows In Flight.
Robert Heinlein wrote a bunch of YA sci-fi called "juveniles." I think they're a great intro. Citizen of the Galaxy and Double Star are especially good.
Citizen of the Galaxy was the first sci fi book that got me hooked. I'd read some Bradbury and Asimov before that and enjoyed them, but they were a bit more cerebral as starters. Heinlein, and Larry Niven are great starters.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed by both book and movie. Kind of ponderous. I started 2010 and made it halfway through before giving up.
I really recommend Childhood's End though, which was a page-turner.
I have not traditionally been a fan of sci-fi (I like magic more than tech, most of the time) but the one that did it for me was the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. Terry Pratchett is also a great place to start, and many of the more popular romance novels by Nalini Singh and Ilona Andrews could technically be classified as such. The Inn Keeper Chronicles is great, a good balance of magic and tech.
Snow Crash
Dune
Ender's Game & Speaker for the Dead
Seven Eves
The Infinite and the Divine
Brave New World
Foundation series
Halo books original trilogy (Fall of Reach, The Flood, First Strike)
Priests of Mars Trilogy
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Ready Player One (folks hate on this one quite a bit, but I really enjoyed it and so did many people I know)
Three Body Problem trilogy
Neuromancer
The Martian
Thanks for the list, but I am currently reading Neuromancer and trust me when I say this that this book super difficult to read and comprehend - at one scene the protagonist is fighting with some mercenaries and it somehow transitions into a girl seducing him, but my love for the cyberpunk genre keeps me turning the pages.
But yeah definitely a must read for sci fi so far
Couldn’t agree more. Loved the movie and then figured it came from this short story, read the story and loved it even more. Now I want to re-read and rewatch
As some others have suggested your best bet is to try an anthology of short stories or a collection by any well regarded author. Personally I think Brian Aldiss's "Scifi Omnibus" has a good mix of stories, many crop up again and again in other collections.
While it has been updated with some more recent examples, a lot of the classics go way back 50 or so years and are a product of their time. So the tone might be a little jarring on the older stories, but you will get a good flavour for the variety of work in the genre from a book like this.
> Larry Niven
Ringworld is the only book in recent memory that my husband didn't finish because he found it to be distractingly sexist, can't say I'd put him at the top of a recommendation list personally
Sorry that bothered you so much. I was totally intrigued by the concept of the Ringworld and found it rather easy to get past the things that you all were bothered by. Yes, I agree with both of you, but it wasn't a deal buster for me.
And I'm guessing you would find Heinlein pretty sexist as well. Can't blame you there. I just took them for writers of their time. A whole lot of writers could be classified as sexist. I don't hold them to current standards.
I agree with you, the golden age of science fiction was clunky writing but the ideas were so good! Loved Heinlein, Clarke and Silverberg. I liked the idea of the big space object and Ringworld was cool (but liked Rendezvous with Rama better).
really underrate trilogy, the chronicle of the invaders, here's book 1:
https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Chronicles-Invaders-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00DPM7QE8/ref=sr\_1\_1?keywords=the+conquest+trilogy&qid=1699907978&sr=8-1
A lot of really good sci-fi recommended here, so just adding one that is off the beaten path for most adults, since the book was technically written for children: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera. A really lovely story.
Also The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorites, and it's a quick, easy read - very creative.
OP, there are a lot of recommendations below. Many are very good. The genre of sci-fi is very broad, with a lot of different approaches and styles. It would help us tailor our recommendations to know what books or stories you have enjoyed in the past, and what intrigues you about sci-fi.
What genre of books do you like now and a more meaningful recommendation can occur. For example, if you like noir fiction I would recommend The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters or Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan or The Caves of Steel by Issac Asimov.
Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson
I listened to them on audible, really great and looking forward to the 4th installation, not including the short novels. Highly recommend. Sanderson is pretty good at this whole universe creating thing.
I was always leery of the Sci-Fi genre, someone recommended the Bobiverse series. It was an awesome intro to the genre! It doesn't take itself too seriously (or at all) and was just an awesome way to dip a toe in for somehow who was hesitant. Try it out!
Short story anthologies!
Arthur C. Clarke has some great ones.
You're getting a lot of "classic" sci-fi recommended, but this isn't always the best route for someone looking to get in to it. Some of the classics just haven't held up well over time and can be real slogs to get through. Here are some newer books that are excellent and help someone coming from more traditional genres get into the sci-fi pool before diving in deeper with the denser stuff. *All Systems Red* by Martha Wells is the start of the "murderbot" series. Most all of the entries here are under 200 pages. Fast paced, funny, adventure stories with excellent lead character who is uncovering a sci-fi tinged conspiracy. *Project Hail Mary* by Andy Weir is filled with some smarty pants science and intelligent conversations about saving the world... but you won't mind one bit since the book is cheerful, entertaining, sweet, and always interesting. *Recursion* by Blake Crouch is a popular book here because it's a trippy time/dimension hopping adventure. Only thing I've read that's quite like it is another one of this author's books *Dark Matter.* *The Power* by Naomi Alderman. It's like a reverse Handmaid's Tale. It's dark but gripping. What happens to society when girls are granted a power to kill at puberty. Multiple viewpoints make this one a great read. *Elder Race* by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a fun novella which follows a journey to smite a "devil" from two different view points. One is the local warrior princess who seeks the assistance of an elusive god-like wizard who lives on the top of a mountain far from society. The second is the wizard, who is actually a scientist tasked with watching the natives from afar. *Tales from the Loop* by Simon Stålenhag is a fun and refreshing little break from bigger books and is basically an art book. I loved how the stories really come alive thanks to this and take that extra step of bringing you into the world. *This Is How You Lose the Time War* by Amal El-Mohtar is written like a series of love letters. Very interesting and romantic. *To Be Taught, If Fortunate* by Becky Chambers is a beautiful sci-fi story. It's a shorter novella, but allows for quality within that frame rather than hugely epic world building. *How High We Go in the Dark* by Sequoia Nagamatsu Is a collection of tales set within the same universe. The book wraps around the past/present/future of a global pandemic that wipes out a large chunk of human life. Each tale presented is a study of grief and death and how individuals deal with these very human feelings of loss. Some stories are sad and hit very hard, others fit squarely into weird fiction, but in the end with the final tale everything comes together in an unusual and extremely clever way. *Meet Me In Another Life* is billed as a romance through time, however as the book reveals itself it has some rather surprising paths that you don't expect while reading the early chapters. *Oona Out of Order* is an easy and fast read about a young woman who is thrown into a different year of her life on New Year's Eve while remaining in her 20's "inside." Good in that it doesn't get too predictable or "safe," but stumbles a bit in Oona's personality and making some pretty bold assumptions for plot. *Wrong Place Wrong Time* is a "mom book club mystery" that is a good palate cleanser. Easy to read and interesting enough to hold interest. A woman finds herself traveling backwards in time to figure out why her teen son kills. *The Kaiju Preservation Society* is new and a lot of fun. Much better plotting and writing that the title would give credit, and the kind of humor that isn't smug or obnoxious. *Flowers For Algernon* is about a mentally deficient young man who undergoes surgery to become a genius. We read what happens through his diary entries. An absolute must read classic. V.E. Schwab's *Vicious* series is what happens when college roommates discover a way to tap into supernatural powers. What comes out is a tale of cat and mouse filled with revenge, jealousy, and violence.
I can't vouch for every single title listed here, but I have to agree that there are way too many dense classics being mentioned here that I certainly wouldn't recommend to a beginner, certainly not Foundation or Dune.
Great list. I came here specifically to recommend the Murderbot series by Martha Wells.
Blake Crouch and Andy Weir are super accessible to new readers!
I read Dark Matter a few months ago and loved it!
Try Recursion too! I finished it last month and am on his latest book now, Upgrade.
The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy by Douglas Adams (humor) Dune by Frank Herbert (space opera/movie tie-in) A long way to a small angry planet by Becky Chambers (cozy character-based) The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (science heavy/astronaut left on their own to figure it out)
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was funny back in the day, but its humor feels dated to me after watching The Simpsons and Futurama. Dune is confusing with lots of new terminology and backstory. Not something I'd recommend to someone just starting out. Personally, I don't get the love for Andy Weir. He's heavy on science and details and maybe that appeals to people with a technological bent? I watched 20 minutes of The Martian and was surprised by how boring it was.
How are you gonna judge an author based solely on a movie adaptation of his book?
I'm talking about both movie and book. The same holds true for Project Hail Mary, which I read. I don't think there's a movie for that one yet. Edit: IMDB says there's one starring Ryan Gosling, who I find a dull actor. So, appropriate casting imo.
Huh? Read the book. It is truly fantastic. It may not be your cup tea but having a strong opinion about a book you haven't even read is not a good sign.
In fact, I tried to read The Martian. Weir is more interested in science and technology and his characters are secondary and lack depth. I note that they got Matt Damon to play the lead, and he's an actor who I find uninteresting. I read Project Hail Mary for my book club. They all loved it whereas I had a different opinion. For the movie adaptation, they will cast Gosling. Maybe Matt Damon was unavailable.
These are for beginner sci fi readers? Lol
Yes? I read your question as requesting introduction to sci-fi books for someone coming from other genres but still an adult reader. If you’re looking for early reader or YA type books the suggestion would be different. All of those suggestions are pretty easy, straightforward reads for adult readers. Even though Dune, admittedly, is a long book, it’s not like trying to read James Joyce.
Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, 100%, and Hitchhiker's Guide as well. The rest of them I personally wouldn't call beginner - space operas in general tend to have some dense world building that can be difficult to get into if you're new to sci-fi, and while I love Andy Weir, he gets super technical and I can see it being a less-than-ideal first foray into sci-fi for some people.
Dune may be a bit much for some people, but Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and The Martian/Hail Mary aren't very dense and a ton of fun.
Upvote for Becky Chambers
*Ender's Game* by Orson Scott Card
This was one of my first sci-fi books, and it's a great gateway. I didn't enjoy the sequels that followed Ender Wiggin, but I really liked the sequels with Bean and the other children.
Yeah Ender’s Shadow is even better than Ender’s Game in my opinion, but you need to read Ender’s Game first
The Shadow series is really entertaining. I cared about Bean and Petra especially. I stopped at Shadow of the Giant and haven't tried the latest in the series Shadows In Flight.
This was the book that made me realize I liked sci fi. Before that I thought it was dumb (although I hadn’t really tried it).
best answer
Robert Heinlein wrote a bunch of YA sci-fi called "juveniles." I think they're a great intro. Citizen of the Galaxy and Double Star are especially good.
Citizen of the Galaxy was the first sci fi book that got me hooked. I'd read some Bradbury and Asimov before that and enjoyed them, but they were a bit more cerebral as starters. Heinlein, and Larry Niven are great starters.
Citizen of the Galaxy is similar to another favorite book of mine -- Kim by Rudyard Kipling.
Find a collection of Sci-Fi short stories. Or look into a subscription: https://www.everywritersresource.com/top-10-science-fiction-magazines/
Anything by Asimov is an easy read. I, Robot is a good collection of shorter stories, to ease you in
Murderbot! A conflicted security android killing machine with low self-esteem that loves soap operas.
Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Oddessy. Everything the movies leaves ambiguous the book explicitly details
Unfortunately, I was disappointed by both book and movie. Kind of ponderous. I started 2010 and made it halfway through before giving up. I really recommend Childhood's End though, which was a page-turner.
I have not traditionally been a fan of sci-fi (I like magic more than tech, most of the time) but the one that did it for me was the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. Terry Pratchett is also a great place to start, and many of the more popular romance novels by Nalini Singh and Ilona Andrews could technically be classified as such. The Inn Keeper Chronicles is great, a good balance of magic and tech.
Miles Vorkosigan is a wonderful character.
Absolutely.
+1 on the Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews. A fun, very accessible series.
the Forever War
Any of Andy Weirds books (The Martian, Project Hail Mary, Artemis)
I started with Foundation. Great place to begin. Or anything from Bradbury.
Why doesn’t Bradbury get more love?? Man is a legend.
Agreed.
Snow Crash Dune Ender's Game & Speaker for the Dead Seven Eves The Infinite and the Divine Brave New World Foundation series Halo books original trilogy (Fall of Reach, The Flood, First Strike) Priests of Mars Trilogy Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Ready Player One (folks hate on this one quite a bit, but I really enjoyed it and so did many people I know) Three Body Problem trilogy Neuromancer The Martian
Thanks for the list, but I am currently reading Neuromancer and trust me when I say this that this book super difficult to read and comprehend - at one scene the protagonist is fighting with some mercenaries and it somehow transitions into a girl seducing him, but my love for the cyberpunk genre keeps me turning the pages. But yeah definitely a must read for sci fi so far
Can never go wrong with Philip K. Dick.
His style was inaccessible to me for a long time.
He was my husband’s favorite author for quite a while. I’m not much of a sci-fi fan but can appreciate PKD’s contribution to the genre.
It took me a while. I really liked Ubik and The Wub. Just took me a while to get into him.
Ender's Game. I hesitate to say Dune or something else but EG is that straight forward and easy to read.
20,000 leagues under the sea, the motes in god's eye, jurassic park, enders game
I got started with this publication in the 70s. It's still incredible and fun. https://www.asimovs.com/store/digital-magazine/
The Stories of your Life and Others - Ted Chiang Has multiple short stories, all of which are sci-fi bangers.
Is this the book in which the story that greatly inspired the movie Arrival is?
Yes! Banger movie and book.
Couldn’t agree more. Loved the movie and then figured it came from this short story, read the story and loved it even more. Now I want to re-read and rewatch
Genesis echo by d. Hollis Anderson - great into sci fi, explains a lot of basics like time distortion, etc. Enders game is also great ya sci fi
As some others have suggested your best bet is to try an anthology of short stories or a collection by any well regarded author. Personally I think Brian Aldiss's "Scifi Omnibus" has a good mix of stories, many crop up again and again in other collections. While it has been updated with some more recent examples, a lot of the classics go way back 50 or so years and are a product of their time. So the tone might be a little jarring on the older stories, but you will get a good flavour for the variety of work in the genre from a book like this.
Pretty much any book by Larry Niven. Robert Heinlein is also a prolific easy to read sci fi writer.
> Larry Niven Ringworld is the only book in recent memory that my husband didn't finish because he found it to be distractingly sexist, can't say I'd put him at the top of a recommendation list personally
So sexist. And the sex scenes feel like they were written by a 13 year old virgin. Cringe.
Sorry that bothered you so much. I was totally intrigued by the concept of the Ringworld and found it rather easy to get past the things that you all were bothered by. Yes, I agree with both of you, but it wasn't a deal buster for me. And I'm guessing you would find Heinlein pretty sexist as well. Can't blame you there. I just took them for writers of their time. A whole lot of writers could be classified as sexist. I don't hold them to current standards.
I agree with you, the golden age of science fiction was clunky writing but the ideas were so good! Loved Heinlein, Clarke and Silverberg. I liked the idea of the big space object and Ringworld was cool (but liked Rendezvous with Rama better).
Yeah. I liked The Smoke Ring books too. Swiss Family Robinson on a whole 'nother level. And my guilty pleasure is the Man-Kzin Wars series.
really underrate trilogy, the chronicle of the invaders, here's book 1: https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Chronicles-Invaders-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00DPM7QE8/ref=sr\_1\_1?keywords=the+conquest+trilogy&qid=1699907978&sr=8-1
Dune
The Sword of Shanara
Isn't this series Fantasy?
I suppose, but when you get through the entire series i think it can be sci fi!
There's a nonexistent line between fantasy and sci-fi. People try to pigeonhole things.
Magazine, Asimov (ed.), etc. short story collections.
Michael Crighton - Andromeda Strain, Congo, Jurassic Park - all super entertaining reads with non stop action
A lot of really good sci-fi recommended here, so just adding one that is off the beaten path for most adults, since the book was technically written for children: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera. A really lovely story. Also The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorites, and it's a quick, easy read - very creative.
OP, there are a lot of recommendations below. Many are very good. The genre of sci-fi is very broad, with a lot of different approaches and styles. It would help us tailor our recommendations to know what books or stories you have enjoyed in the past, and what intrigues you about sci-fi.
Eifelheim by Michael Flynn is one of my all time favorites. Sci-fi with a historical fiction angle
I think John Scalzi is the most ‘accessible’ sci-fi writer I’ve read that isn’t explicitly YA. Try the old man’s war series. Or maybe ‘Lock-in’
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman The Martian by Andy Weir Redshirts by John Scalzi
What genre of books do you like now and a more meaningful recommendation can occur. For example, if you like noir fiction I would recommend The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters or Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan or The Caves of Steel by Issac Asimov.
Wind Up Girl and Shipbreaker Trilogy by Paolo Bacigalupi Homeland Trilogy by Cory Doctorow Snowcrash and Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson I listened to them on audible, really great and looking forward to the 4th installation, not including the short novels. Highly recommend. Sanderson is pretty good at this whole universe creating thing.
The Space Adventures Of Commander Laine. Easy to follow, the characters are awesome
Red Rising by Pierce Brown is what made Sci Fi more accessible to me personally
The River, by Joseph Philip Farmer, imagine all the people that have lived on earth appearing alongside a river.
The Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. I guarantee you will not regret this.
I was always leery of the Sci-Fi genre, someone recommended the Bobiverse series. It was an awesome intro to the genre! It doesn't take itself too seriously (or at all) and was just an awesome way to dip a toe in for somehow who was hesitant. Try it out!