Best Science fiction books

The 200 highest-rated Science fiction books, scored from 239.7K reader ratings.

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Sort byDecadeMinimum ratingsAdaptation200 results

By year of first publication, 1949–2026. The busiest stretch is 2010–2019, with 71. Select a bar to narrow the list.

1
9.19.1 / 10
Light BringerPierce Brown636 ratings“Light Bringer” is the sixth Red Rising novel, and it delivers the emotional swings that devoted readers of the saga come for.Our view
2
9.09.0 / 10
Project Hail MaryAndy Weir8.3K ratingsThe steady drip of mystery makes this very hard to stop reading.Our view
3
8.98.9 / 10
Network EffectMartha Wells1.6K ratingsThe first full-length Murderbot novel uses its extra room well.Our view

Why Light Bringer is #1

Light Bringer (Pierce Brown) scores 9.1/10 from 636 ratings — 0.1 points ahead of Project Hail Mary in second place.

The score is a weighted average across 3 independent rating sources. A title with few ratings is pulled toward the category average, so a handful of enthusiastic reviews cannot outrank a book that thousands of readers have judged. To keep the list varied, the top 20 holds at most two books from one series and three by one author; the rest follow further down. Method →

What good science fiction does

Good science fiction tests what one idea does to people, not just to the scenery.

The idea reshapes a societyA gadget is not enough. See whether the change rearranges law, work, family and power.
Hard or soft: pick one“The Martian” counts oxygen; “A Psalm for the Wild-Built” asks what people need. Both are here.
Someone has something to loseA book of ideas alone reads like a lecture. The idea works once somebody pays for it.

Frequently asked questions

Which title here has the most ratings?

Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell) — 9.3K ratings and 8.5/10, which puts it at #33 on this list.

What is the best book of recent years in Science fiction?

Of the books here published since 2022, Light Bringer (2023) ranks highest: #1, 9.1/10.