Fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, horror these are few of the many genres young people fall in love with these days. It does not matter if we love the books or the film adaptations, as long as the stories are great, we automatically add them to our “list”. Most of the books created by this generation’s writers are notable and well-received. However, we do not understand most of the genres they fall into, one of which is the so-called “speculative fiction”.

What are speculative fiction books?

If you are still unfamiliar with what speculative fiction is, it is basically a story that takes part in another world or dimension. The main genre may focus on horror, sci-fi, or anything fictional, but the main point of the story is that it takes place in another universe. If you are interested in reading one of these and you have nowhere to go, you are in the right place at the right time! Today, we are going to dive in this list of the best speculative fiction books for both young adults and new adults.

The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer, by Janelle Monáe (2022)

Janelle Monáe and other gifted storytellers have constructed a collection of LPs focused on Janelle's bold vision.

‘Dirty Computer' introduces a future where human minds could be controlled by a selected few. The life and fate is also determined, no place for free will at all. Until Jane 571821 remembered and picked up, she determined to get out of ‘the prison'.

Expanding from the original concept, these stories discover how everyday life would look like in a totalitarian regime. Anyway an interesting theme for a speculative story collection.

Tell Me an Ending, by Jo Harkin (2022)

For NA Psychological Fiction lovers

Finn, an architect from Ireland who lives in the Arizona desert, worries that his enchanting wife is having an affair. Mei, a troubled college dropout in Kuala Lumpur, ponders why she remembers a city she's never visited.

On top of all of his ailments, William, a former inspector with Scotland Yard, suffers from PTSD, a breakdown of his relationship, and his own familial secret. Oscar, a handsome man who has almost no memories left, has no confidence in himself or his tranquility.

Never Let Me Go meets Black Mirror in this thrilling dystopian debut about a tech company that deletes unwanted memories.

The Influencer, by Abhaidev (2021)

For New Adults

The Influencer is not just a speculative book to challenge your thoughts, but also a soft thriller that floats between different genres. There is a bit of science fiction, as well as a bit of action. You have fantasy and you have adventure. If you are about a deep conversational story, this book is for you.

Every character in this book has a story behind their actions. There are different people with strong opinions – while you may not always agree with them, you will certainly love the depth. Action starts on the first page and will hook you in straight away in a book that can be described as a whole universe.

The story follows Aditya, an actual influencer who can change people’s minds and points of view. His role is to help the prime minister gain as much as possible from every possible deal. Until one day, when his secret is discovered and things take a wrong turn…

Jade City, by Fonde Lee (2017)

For NA Historical Asian Thriller lovers

We love speculative fiction books, because of their wide range of story and theme picks.

The Jade gemstones are the unique treasure of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and sacrificed for for millennia by honorable Green Bone Warriors like the Kaul family.

The revolution has come to an end and now a new generation of Kauls controls the imperial Kekon's capital city. They prioritize protecting their jade trade entirely at the expense of all other concerns. Now old traditions have little place in this rapidly changing country.

The simmering tension between the Kauls and rival Attuks erupts into open violence soon after a powerful new drug emerges available to anyone who used to use Jade. The outcome of this struggle means the conclusion of the Green Bones and Kekon itself.

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood (1986)

For Dystopia lovers

Enjoy a mix of horror, fun and unexpected plot twists in one of the best speculative fiction books out there. The story follows Offred, who lives in the Republic of Gilead and works as a handmaid. The only time she leaves the Commander’s house is when she has to go for food.

Shopping is different in this world – there are pictures, rather than words. Women are not allowed to read, so stores had to adapt. Declining births in the republic make many women more than just handmaids. She needs the Commander to leave her pregnant as well and she tries hard once a month.

But Offred has lived better times too and her memories are not gone. Back in the day, she could spend time with her husband Luke and look after her daughter. She was allowed to read and she actually had a job. All those things are gone now, in a reality that often makes no sense.

The Three-Body Problem, by Liu Cixin (2014)

For New Adults Sci-fi lovers

The Three-Body Problem has gained a few awards soon after its release and for some good reasons. It is one of the most intriguing speculative fiction books, especially as it comes from China and analyzes the local cultural revolution from some points of view.

All in all, a secret military project in China has the simple purpose of getting in touch with aliens by sending space signals. Surprisingly for everyone, an alien civilization actually gets the signal and decides to invade the planet, seeing it as an easy target.

On Earth, the government comes up with different camps, not knowing what to expect. Some people expect to welcome the aliens, while others are getting ready for an invasion. No one knows their goal, but things are about to escalate in no time.

Before The Origin, by F.S. Bala (2020)

For Young Adults

Amy Taff was just a simple girl, enjoying her life in the world she set herself in. However, as she experiences an unfamiliar disturbance, Amy sets a personal mission to protect her perfect utopia. Her expertise in this area could be widely used for this new adventure, but she doesn't know what is waiting for her at the end of the line.

After being hurled in another world full of magic and mystery, Amy notices the familiarity of African folklore within the place. She then encounters Scythe, a secret organization devoted to saving the crumbling world that she just encountered. Now, Amy’s adventure has only begun, but the continuous threats on her life are making every second worth to live in. The fate of the entire world rests in her hands, and of course, the small group of people that she can definitely rely on.

We Hunt The Flame, by Hafsah Faizal (2019)

For Young Adults Fantasy lovers

What would you do if you had a reputation that you did not want? That is exactly the case of Zafira and Nasir. Being the Hunter and provider of her people, Zafira always goes out of her way to take care of them, even if that includes disguising herself to be a man. Being the son of an autocratic sultan, Nasir (The Prince of Death) is required to have a firm and deadly hand, especially because he is an assassin. Zafira cannot be caught as a woman since she would be rejected by society, and Nasir cannot show compassion because his father would punish him.

As the war continuously rages, the cursed forest (Arz) is slowly consuming the land. Their only hope is for Zafira to successfully get the ancient artifact that can get rid of Arz once and for all. However, the sultan wants his son to get there first, and Nasir is tasked to kill Zafira before getting the artifact. What they did not know is that the more they keep on playing this game, the ancient evil grows faster and stronger underneath them.

Chain of Gold, by Cassandra Clare (2020)

For Young Adults

Cassandra Clare is arguably one of the best writers of this generation. In this book, we will be diving once again into the world of the Shadowhunters, wherein we will find Cordelia Carstairs, a woman who has been trained as a warrior since she was a child.

After the terrible accusations towards her father, Cordelia travels to London with her brother in the hopes of saving her family. Their mother always wanted to marry Cordelia off, but she is determined to be a warrior rather than become a bride. After encountering her childhood friends and rediscovering the mythical world of the Shadowhunters, Cordelia starts to enjoy the other half of her life with a more welcoming attitude. However, all of these changes when a new breed of demons start to attack London, spreading chaos all around and triggering Cordelia’s fighting spirit.

The Elements of the Crown, by Kay L Moody (2019)

For Young Adult Fantasy lovers

Talise has lived her whole life in an unjust empire wherein society is divided into three rings. As a citizen of the outer ring, she is accustomed to facing danger on a daily basis. That is why she is determined to finish her training in the elite academy, wherein she constantly practices her skills of controlling the elements. However, her competitor Aaden is a pretty sly fellow, and he is willing to do everything to ruin Talise’s goals.

As they approach the emperor to become the Master Shaper, he is amazed by the skills both of them possess. This is where their trials take place, and they must now finish these quests within the palace walls. Talise is determined to finish this mission, but she is continually discovering the dirty secrets inside the palace, making it a lot more dangerous than her home in the outer ring. Now that she uncovered an unexpected enemy, she has no other choice but to go through with the emperor’s games, unless she wants to die in that horrible place.

The Passage, by Justin Cronin (2010)

For New Adults

A gripping and intricate narrative about survival of Amy, who was removed from her home when very young, followed and captured by a mysterious government agency.

But Special Agent Brad Wolgast, the lawman in charge of tracking her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl and risks everything to save her. Unfortunately, as the experiment goes horribly wrong, Wolgast is unable to secure her escape. Amy walks alone, across miles, and into future years full of violence and suffering, and she is imbued with the frightening conviction that only she has the power to preserve devastated worlds.

Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi (2018)

For Young Adults

Juliette Ferrars is probably the most extraordinary human you will ever meet. Imagine a living weapon, running free and able to get rid of anyone with just one touch. That is how her life goes.

She did not want this power at all, because for her, it seemed to be more like a curse than a blessing. However, The Reestablishment wanted her “gift” for something else – they want to use her as a deadly weapon. Despite her extreme capabilities, Juliette never had the chance to fight for herself in her entire life. That is why when she reunites with the person who cared for her the most, she is able to summon the type of strength that was not even there to begin with.

Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse (2018)

For Dystopia loving New Adults

Maggie Hoskie has a dangerous job. She is a monster hunter and she has chosen this career because of her supernatural abilities. A small town calls for help after a young girl disappears. However, as she starts investigating, she realizes that the monster is more powerful than what she had to deal with before.

Maggie teams up with Kai Arviso – an unconventional doctor – in order to solve the mystery. They have to find clues, solve mysteries, deal with all kinds of unscrupulous individuals and battle witchcraft trying to stop them.

However, as they get closer to the truth, Maggie realizes that everything is related to things from her past. She knows that she must confront this issue if she wants to solve the case and – more importantly – stay alive.

Crown of Feathers, by Nicki Pau Preto (2019)

For Young Adults

How cool would it be to ride on the back of a Phoenix? Soaring up above the sky, spreading fiery embers with their majestic wings – that is the only dream Veronyka had ever since she was a child. However, when her sister betrays her for personal gain, she sets out to join the Phoenix Riders alone. Of course, that means she has to go through the task of disguising herself as a boy to enter their ranks.

Veronyka eventually succeeds in joining the Riders. She goes out on adventures with them, until finally, her sister returns to the scene. As she began to untangle the series of lies that came between them, everything seemed to change in an instant. Aside from that, the Riders now have to face the threat of a new empire that is looking to destroy them permanently.

The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black (2018)

For YA Fantasy lovers

What would you do when your parents get murdered while you are only seven years old? Nothing much, right? That is exactly the case when Jude and her sisters were forcibly abducted by the Faerie. But then, after ten years of living in the cruel place, Jude actually adapted to the environment. Now, she does not want to leave the High Court at all, despite the dirty looks she gets from the locals because of her mortality.

In order to win a position in the High Court, Jude must defy the wishes of the cruel Prince Cardan. She then embarks on an unbelievable mission to go through the palace’s secrets. While doing this, she discovers that she has a unique talent for bloodshed, and she will use this with her other talents to create a life-threatening alliance. Jude must save her sisters and Faerie itself, no matter how hard it may seem.

The Cruel Prince is one the top speculative fiction books on Amazon.

Sorcery of Thorns, by Margaret Rogerson (2019)

For Young Adult Dark Fantasy lovers

Sorcery has always been evil in Elisabeth’s eyes. She believed that even before she discovered her skills. However, she has no choice but to take part in their ways because she is raised as a novice sorceress in the Great Library of Austermeer. She grew up witnessing the magical items all around her, from the whispering grimoires in the shelves to the rattling chains that have minds of their own.

However, when an unknown saboteur releases a dangerous grimoire from the library, Elisabeth becomes implicated. She has no one to turn to but her nemesis, Nathaniel Thorn, and they must work together to unravel the footsteps of their enemy. However, as they go deeper within the library, they discover a lot of conspiracies that puts the entire world at risk.

The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin (2015)

For New Adults

One day and three dramas. Essun lives in a small town. She gets home one day, only to realize that her husband has just killed their son. At the same time, he has kidnapped their daughter. The story flows to Sanze, an empire raised on technology and innovation, which collapses when many of the citizens are murdered.

As if all these were not enough, the continent of Stillness is about to get covered in dark ash for ages. The story goes back to Essun, who needs to figure out what happened. Her family is wrecked now and her future seems insecure.

There is no sunlight. Clean water is hard to get and supplies are limited. Everyone is expecting a war between all nations – not for land, but for resources. Essun only cares about her daughter though – everything else is irrelevant for her.

Chosen, by Kiersten White (2020)

For Young Adult Superhero Fiction lovers

Most people think that all demons are evil, but that is not the case for Nina. She has the ability to detect lonely and hurt demons, and she takes them back to Watcher’s Castle so that she can take care of them. Of course, she has to look out for her family as well, meaning that these tasks are taking up too much of her time. Aside from that, she just regained the Slayer powers she once had, and it seems like they are malfunctioning.

As Nina continues to take care of her internal struggles, a new threat brews up outside the Castle. Strange triangular symbols keep popping up everywhere, piquing her interest and introducing her to a whole new deadly adventure.

Ship of Smoke and Steel, by Django Wexler (2019)

For Young Adult Pirate Adventure lovers

Isoka is probably the best eighteen-year-old fighter you will ever see. By using Melos’ power from the Well of Combat, she can enforce the will of her masters anytime she wants. Of course, when the government finds out about her magic, she gets arrested and brought in front of the Emperor’s notable spymaster. He then assigns an almost impossible mission to Isoka, and that is to steal Soliton – the legendary ship from history in which no one ever came back.

Her journey to Soliton seems to be a bit easy. However, new adventures are waiting for Isoka in this ghost ship, and the twists and turns she will face would only keep on getting worse.

1984, by George Orwell (1949)

Dystopian Classics for New Adult

This speculative fiction book is also a prophecy. Released over seven decades ago, it has become a classic. The author tried to express his points of view about the future and one of them involved a government that will try anything to control the people. He was not far from the reality…

Winston Smith is part of the party and his role is to meet the demands coming from the Ministry of Truth. He is pretty good at what he does and can change destinies around. However, the more he has to lie to make the party look great, the more he gets to hate it as well.

Winston is now thinking for himself, rather than letting the party tell him what to believe. However, someone is watching and his points of view cannot really be expressed. The story is haunting at times, but it is also quite convincing and gets fairly close to the reality today.

The Hazel Wood, by Melissa Albert (2018)

For Young Adults

For seventeen years, Alice has been living on the road with her mother. She spent her life playing a constant game of tag with bad luck, and it seems to be winning every time. The source of this bad luck soon reveals itself in front of them, in the form of her grandmother, who suddenly died in her estate (the Hazel Wood). As the menacing stories come to life in front of Alice’s eyes, she then sets out on a mission to rescue her mother from the evil creature that originated from her grandmother’s dark fairy tales.

The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin (1969)

For New Adults

Action, speculation, science fiction and plenty of plot twists – this is what you need to expect from one of the most appreciated speculative fiction books out there. The book tells the story of a human with a simple goal.

The character is an emissary to Winter. Winter is a new world where inhabitants can choose or change genders. His role is to help Winter get included in a growing civilization that covers more galaxies.

The job is easy in theory, but it asks for plenty of self control. The character must find a balance between maintaining his points of view and dealing peacefully with others who are completely different. Human emotions and psychology make this book a masterpiece.

This Vicious Cure, by Emily Suvada (2020)

For Young Adult Mystery, Thriller lovers

Humanity is on the brink of extinction, and the more they try, the more the threat seems to grow stronger. Cat and her hacking skills are not doing well enough, and now everything has been taken away from her. Even though she is trapped in an unfortunate situation, she will continue to fight on. If there’s one thing Cat always believes, it’s that she’s a fighter.

After containing the virus outbreak, a new threat suddenly pops out of the blue, attempting to start a worldwide war. How will Cat manage to contain the genetic technology that is apparently “the root of all evil”? Join her and tickle your brain in this amazing futuristic adventure.

Conclusion

Speculative fiction is something that almost everyone appreciates. Aside from the amazing storylines and interesting twists and turns, we could never get enough of these fantastic books. It does not matter what age bracket you are in. If you have a playful imagination or maybe a mind that loves to wander, these stories can take you on a whole new adventure.

If you are torn between choosing the right book, you do not have to worry. Just take your time and let things run their course. Also, do not forget to go through this list of the best speculative fiction books for young & new adults. This way, you will always get to read a detailed guide on picking out your first book in this genre.

If you are looking for the top sci-fi novels, check our all time best sci-fi book list.

Updated on the 15th of February 2022

Joel Stafford

My profession is online marketing and development (10+ years experience), check my latest mobile app called Upcoming or my Chrome extensions for ChatGPT. But my real passion is reading books both fiction and non-fiction. I have several favorite authors like James Redfield or Daniel Keyes. If I read a book I always want to find the best part of it, every book has its unique value.

medium.com/@joelbooks

The post Top 23 Speculative Fiction Books To Spark YA & NA Minds appeared first on Joelbooks.

In case of sci-fi books the limit is only your own imagination.

Do you ever dream of a comprehensive collection of sci-fi books of our time? We attempt to mix and rank the classics with the newest works of science fiction books. Sci-fi novels are often written with out of the box ideas that may seem unbelievable, but that is precisely what makes them so appealing.

Part of the best sci-fi books are classics, known by nearly every person who reads. And yet there are still some new ones worth mentioning, they are simply a “must”.

What Are The Best Known Sci-fi Books Genres?

There are a great number of science fiction book categories, just some of the main ones:

• Adventure science fictions
• Space operas
• Cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk
• Military sci-fi
• Hard Science Fiction
• Humorous science fiction
• Sci-fi horror
• Historical science fiction books
• Far future sci-fi books
• Sci-fi romance novels
• Spiritual and Philosophical sci-fi books
• Novels on future society (visions about our future)
• Superhero books (soft science fiction)
• Video game fictions and Game fanfictions (part sci-fi, part fantasy)
• Speculative fictions (a great number of books connecting to science fictions)
• Techno-thrillers (part of this genre strongly connected to sci-fi)

Our list ranks the top science fiction novels ever written, starting with #1, but honestly in terms of story #20 is as good as the first, just different. Anyone can suggest new titles on our Twitter page via message, making it more accurate.

These books represent the greatest works in the world of science fiction. It doesn't really matter whether they're classic or modern, utopian or dystopian we tried to find the most relevant ones. We think fantasy is a separated genre so you won't find any Tolkien books here. We preserved not to put more than one work from the same author into this list.

What Are The Essential Must-read Science Fiction Novels of Our Time?

Foundation (Foundation Trilogy), by Isaac Asimov (1951)

The book first shows a “psychohistorian” named Hari Seldon, whose research uses mathematics in order to predict the future. The Emperor (Cleon I) does not have the ability to prevent the decline of the their civilization predicted by Seldon. Seldon collects clever scientists and students to an unkown planet to save the most important knowledge of the humankind, and to start a new society mastering technology, art and science. This is the “Foundation”.

Isaac Asimov's tremendous and influential Foundation series stood out for its mix of bold action, imaginative ideals, and extensive worldbuilding. If you want to read the series in chronological order, you need to know that the author wrote the first parts (Prelude to Foundation 1988) of the story years after the original Foundation trilogy (Foundation. 1951).

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Ender’s Game (Ender's Game Series), by Orson Scott Card (1985)

The army are recruiting young soldiers to prepare for the next attack of a hostile alien race. Ender, a brilliant young boy quickly becomes familiar with military tactics and mastered his leadership skills in order to lead the army against the aliens. But not every detail fits into the great picture.

Clearly, Ender’s Game is the mark of an excellent sci-fi book, so a lot of people probably share my assessment of author's work. This sci-fi book has aliens, ridiculously smart children, a fast-paced and interesting plot line and action and battle and war! It's beautiful written and should certainly be read.

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Pandora's Star (Commonwealth Saga), by Peter F. Hamilton (2004)

In 2380 humankind lives in different planets connected by a wormhole. Sentient alien races, independent AI and advanced biotechnology are all part of this future.
An astronomer Dudley Bose observes a strange thing on the sky: the Dyson Pair, two stars seemingly disappeared, which couldn't be a natural phenomenon. The Commonwealth creates “Second Chance” (an interstellar spaceship) to investigate the phenomena. After the ship comes closer to the foreign star system they discover an aggressive species called the Primes.

Overall, a splendid piece of science fiction escapism. Hamilton deftly creates an absolutely believable future set hundreds of years in the future, which in itself is rather impressive.

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Old Man's War (Old Man's War Series), by John Scalzi (2007)

A lot of people love Scalzi's writing raw style filled with natural humour. In this military science fiction Scalzi plays with the idea of immortality which is only available for the armed forces. Soon the protagonist John Perry found himself in the middle of a galactical war between Humankind and Consus. John Perry celebrated his 75th birthday celebration by going to the grave of his wife and in the army.

John Scalzi's Old Man's War is a series, that is ground breaking in modern sci-fi books. It uses humor and well developed characters to introduce some interesting hence not totally new technology and it's implications. Overall this novel by the author isn't accidentally on the 4th spot.

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Dune, by Frank Herbert (1965)

We found ourself 20,000 years in the future where people are living across the galaxy. One of their favorite resource is called “melange” a spice which is extremely rare. Two big house is facing against each other the House of Atreides and the Harkonnens. In Frank Herbert's book, we find some classic motives combined with a great story played in rather than strange universe.

A sympathetic, dramatic hero's journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his comprehension, who must travel to the most terrible place in the cosmos in order to ensure the safety of his loved ones and his people.

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Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos), by Dan Simmons (2011)

Seven people, seven stories, one thing in common. They have been chosen to visit the Shrike (an incredible strong creature of the universe) in the Time Tombs on Hyperion. There are people who worship this creature and there are the ones against it. Nearing Armageddon, the seven prophets set out to uncover the secrets of the mystery.

Dan Simmons has certainly added important values to today's modern sci-fi storytelling. The book is ultra intelligent and the parallels are phenomenal. If you into intelligent multiple storyline books this one is definitely a timeless sci-fi book.

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2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson (2012)

Scientific advances have opened new avenues for exploration, but numerous developments have occurred throughout space and time. in 2312 Earth is no longer our only home. The number of our habitats have expanded beyond our solar system. The next year, a sequence of events will challenge humanity to confront our past, present, and future.

The book includes a substantial amount of hypothetical information on how people can quickly and easily travel in and across the solar system. Some of these ideas are quite advanced, and in a sense sounds like a real world possibility. Anyway Kim Stanley Robinson's book is a real deal among hard science fiction novels.

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1984, by George Orwell (1949)

A timeless classic dystopia by George Orwell. In this book we meet The Party, which controls everything in this world. The eyes of the Big Brother is everywhere, and every intention which isn't matching the aspiration of the Party is considered against the Party.

The story starts when the Party is forcing the implementation of a new language called “Newspeak” in order to eliminate all rebellious thoughts and words from the language. Our protagonist Winston quickly finds himself in the middle of situation he never ever wanted to be in. In this unpleasant world, spies are in every corner and the abuse of power is a commonplace.

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Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline (2011)

2045, Earth. We jump into the world of Virtual Reality where a so-called OASIS is in the middle of everyday life. Everybody related somehow to this virtual world, but mainly the lower class, who finds a new opportunity, a new place where they could be famous and even rich.

The creator of OASIS hided several easter eggs in this virtual universe, anyone who founds these keys become instantly famous. Ready Player One is a fast-paced near-future sci-fi with a lot of relations to today's gaming world.

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Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir (2021)

Only Ryland Grace survived the last-chance mission, and in the event that he fails, the whole world itself will be destroyed. All he knows is that he's been asleep for quite a long time. And he's just been awoken to discover himself millions of miles away from his home with only two corpses as company. And the clock is ticking…

This book is even better then Andy Weir's Martian, more mystery, more uncertainty and a real adventure. Ryland Grace should face with unusual discoveries and a lot of danger.

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Recursion, by Blake Crouch (2019)

If you had the ability to go back to the exact same time and place from which a catastrophe occurred. Could you save the world from the disaster? What if this hope would be only a zero-sum game, and there is no real hope of changing things, or?

With the release of his novel, Dark Matter, Blake Crouch revealed himself to many readers as a master of psychological suspense. Three years later, it seems Crouch has established a strong genre of it's own to show to the global audience that sci-fi is more than just space travel.

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (2007)

If you are looking for sci-fi humor this book is definitely the no.1. Strange characters in a comedy collection featuring Marvin the paranoid robot, Arthur Dent the hapless protagonist and many others.

Douglas Adams’s popular novel refreshes our minds by posing cosmology-shattering puzzles, trampling years of relativistic physics, toying with bouncing balls and digital clocks, and providing us with excellent commentary on such matters as dot matrix printing, potted plants, and ballpoint pens.

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The Ghost in the Shell, by Masamune Shirow (1989)

The Ghost in the Shell begins in 2029, featuring Section 9 led by Chief Daisuke Aramaki and Major Motoko Kusanagi. As they investigate the Puppeteer, a cyber-criminal wanted for committing a large number of crimes by proxy through “ghost hacking” using the “cyberbrains” of the victims.

This story questions the entire existence of soul and the nature of mind. What motivation lies behind the intelligent existence. The storyline is somehow melancholic, but the questions and conversations reveal much more from the human psyche than any other books from this list.

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The Three-Body Problem, Liu Cixin (2008)

At the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in China, a woman named Ye Wenjie witnessed the brutal murder of her father by a mob, giving rise to the Three-Body Problem. While at a labor camp, she is now at an isolated scientific facility where she can utilize some of her astrophysics training. While there yet, she conducts some research, and ends up developing a way for a radio wave signal to be amplified to beam into space.

Fed up with humans and with the treatment that she has been through, she anwers to Trisolarans allowing them to come to Earth. Trisolaris are coming from another world. Their home orbits around three stars in an unpredictable way, repeatedly destroying their civilization over and over again.

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The Fifth Season (The Borken Earth Series), by N. K. Jemisin (2015)

A gifted woman (Essun) must hide her secret ability and find her abducted daughter in a strange world of mystery. On this planet, there exist orogenes , which are beings which possess superhuman strength. Characteristic abilities of orogenes include facilitating moderation of seismic activity, as well as causing natural disasters, such as earthquakes, which can also cause fatalities.

If two normal parents note their child has a orogenic power, they will either kill the child for being a monster as grownup, or allowing Fulcrum to take the child.

The story of three orogene women. A child, a young woman, and a middle-aged woman, all follow the adversities they endure and the racism they face as a result of their abilities.

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Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson (1992)

Snow Crash, a frenetic and somewhat eerie film, grabs you from the beginning in its opening sequence a thrilling race through an anarchic Los Angeles that has been cut up into corporate-owned ‘burbclaves.’

Our protagonist, Hiro Protagonist, a hacker and swordsman, must combat a virus that is endangering a religion. The station's central core appears to be occupied by apparitions related to fantasies.

The books makes connection between old sic-fi concepts and todays always connected world in poplar terms the ‘metaverse‘.

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Consider Phlebas (Culture Series), by Iain M. Banks (1987)

The Idirans strived for their independence, while the Culture was determined to defend their moral integrity. Principles had been at stake. No concession is possible.

The novel revolves around a war between the Idiran and Culture. This story is set in numerous microcosms. Its protagonist, Bora Horza Gobuchul, is an opponent of the Culture.

This is the first published novel of the Culture series. It presented the series from the viewpoint of an opposite party, namely, the enemy.

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Neuromancer (Sprawl Series), by William Gibson (1984)

A futuristic cyberpunk sci-fi book surrounds a group of mercenary criminals working to collect the data of an AI that's trying to break free. Neuromancer follows its protagonist Case, an unemployed computer hacker who is hired by a mysterious new organization named Armitage.

He’s teamed up with Molly (a cyborg) and Peter Riviera an illusionist to bring about a series of criminal activities meant to be the beginnings of a final mission. Which takes place on the orbiting space station called Freeside, home to the fortune-seeking Tessier-Ashpool family.

The family has made two AIs (Wintermute and Neuromancer) who are so powerful that they should be never linked together. Case and his partners discovered that they were hired by Wintermute to work towards accomplishing a connection between the two AIs.

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The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig (2020)

This is an uplifting sci-fi book also suitable for romance lovers.

Matt Haig's work The Midnight Library delves into the infinite realms of human existence. It is about a young woman named Nora Seed, who lives a dull, uninteresting life. One night, her despair reaches a peak and she commits suicide.

The story doesn't end there. Nora gets a chance to experience various ways her life could be had she done slightly different things. She finds herself in a place known as the Midnight Library, which occupies one of two areas between life and death, and is overflowing with infinite parallel lives she might have led.

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Altered Carbon (Takashi Kovacs Series), by Richard K. Morgan (2002)

By the beginning of the 25th century, humanity had spread across the entire galaxy. The world watched over by the U.N., which maintains the peace. Even in the era of modern science, there's still a lot of diversity and conflict left.

Takashi Kovacs has multiple lives, but now ha receives a new body once again. Kovacs dropped into a conspiracy of dark forces. Slowly he understand the motives and the huge gap between the wealthy and poor lives.

A well built story, and a very good world built in the future. This series reminds me of the cyberpunk novels of William Gibson.

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Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury (1953)

Fahrenheit 451 chronicles Guy Montag's progress from a fireman who hated books to a rebel reader. Montag lives in an oppressive civilization that strives to eliminate all problems, discrepancies, and inconsistencies to ensure simple pleasure for all its citizens.

Montag's perception of life begins to alter when his new friend Clarisse introduces him to a world, drawing him back to a time when society lived according to the ideas of books instead of the noise of television.

If you are into classics, than finding the starting line “It was a pleasure to burn.” will definitely warm up your heart at the very beginning of the book.

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Winter World (The Long Winter Trilogy), by A.G. Riddle (2019)

Mankind has had to grapple with imminent extinction, thanks to the onset of a new ice age. The latest refuge for survivors of the glaciers has been crowded out, forced to flee the only available, last habitable lands. From these lands, only they can escape their inherent desire to wage a war yet entirely inevitable.

At the very edge of the solar spectrum, a group of scientists notice a brief glimmer of something that shouldn't be there. Humankind must come to the conclusion that maybe they aren't entirely alone. And maybe this intelligence is only here to vanish our existence on this planet.

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Rama II, Arthur C. Clarke (1989)

In Rama II, many years have passed since a wildly unexpected rover was boarded by humans for a period of time as they passed through Earth's solar system. Humanity is now getting ready for the arrival of a second extraterrestrial spacecraft, determined to investigate its secrets.

A team of a dozen astronauts, with diverse personalities and abilities, will board the craft, ahead of them realizing that someone among them is a betrayer and a looming calamity accidentally strands three of them alone on board as the spacecraft leaves the solar system. Characters' lack of knowledge regarding places and their length of stay on board provide insight into various aspects of space survival.

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To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, by Christopher Paolini (2020)

Kira finds that an alien relic during her survey mission on a planet uncolonized. She is delighted upon discovering it, but the flash of ecstasy is extinguished when the alien dust around her begins to vibrate.

Kira is introduced through the course of a war into a voyage of self-discovery. Her first contact with beings far from Earth is quite different from her expectation, and it brings her to a place where she is not before.

While Kira and Earth fight for survival, the fate of humanity rest in their hands. Now, Kira might be humanity's only hope.

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Exhalation, by Ted Chiang (2019)

Exhalation is an awesome re-framing of the scientific laws inherent in entropy. What is Expected of Us illuminates the social consequences of experiential evidence that the notion of pure choice is an illusion.

People who study the book Exhalation felt like they were re-visiting a place of childhood. They felt like hearing a song they had only heard before. Perhaps I never found any similar collection of science-fiction short stories that resembled similar style and ideas.

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Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem (1961)

The book follows a team of researchers and scientist as they attempt to comprehend an extraterrestrial intelligence, which takes the form of a vast ocean on the titular alien world.

Scientists have observed intricate patterns of behavior, including a course that seems to almost rectify itself. But since only the water of the ocean looks like human biochemistry, its existence is hard to confirm.

Kris Kelvin, an overly objective psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting Earth. When he arrives, he finds out that a scientist has committed suicide dooming the others into nervous collapse.

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Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr (2021)

The book tells the tale of Aethon, a man who sets out to search for the “utopian city in the sky” called Cloud Cuckoo Land. Along the way, he has many adventures (transformed into a donkey, captured, escapes, transformed into a fish, eaten by a sea creature, transformed into a crow, etc.) before he at last finds Cloud Cuckoo Land.

Doerr's novel includes an orphaned girl and a farmer boy in the 1400's, an environmentalist setting off a bomb in a library in 2020, and a girl on a mission to a distant planet in the not-so-distant future.

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Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick (1968)

We follow the story of detective Rick Deckard in San Francisco as he tracks down runaway androids. These androids are made of organic matter so similar to a human's that only posthumous “bone marrow analysis” can differentiate them, making them nearly impossible to distinguish from real people.

Dextra tries this undertaking so he can acquire enough bounty money to obtain a live animal to replace his homed-in computer sheep to address his upset wife's depression. The protagonist lands one of the Rosen Association's headquarters in Seattle to verify what the newest empathy analysis implies for calculating android identities.

The author creates fascinating storyline so that it is difficult to tell what is really happening. But during reading the lines you simply fall under the magic of the author.

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88 Names, by Matt Ruff (2020)

Matt Ruff likes interesting speculative fictions, and he composes them usually in literary style.

John Chu is a “sherpa” who plays Call to Wizardry which is an online RPG. For money he supplies new players with a high experienced character equipped with the best weapons and armor. He can take you dragon-slaying in Asgarth's realms, hunt a rogue starship in the Alpha Sector or battle hordes of undead in the zombie apocalypse.

Chu has recently taken on new client Mr. Jones, who claims to be a rich and famous person with powerful enemies, and he's offering a staggering amount of money for an all-encompassing tour of the world of Call to Wizardy. For Chu, this mission is like a dream assignment, but as the tour gets underway. He begins to suspect that Mr. Jones is in fact the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, and plays under fake identity.

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Terms of Enlistment (Frontlines Series), by Marko Kloos (2013)

2108 and the North American Commonwealth are overrun by its rapid growth. For Andrew Grayson, there are only two options for struggling welfare rats like himself: He could send his younger sister into a lottery and hope to win a ticket on a colony ship off-world, or he could stay at the run-down tenement and hope that the authorities neglect to notice that it's not their own fault.

In order to get off the sheltered planet back home, Andrew decides to enlist in the Army. In response, Andrew finds himself worrying he will have nothing to show for it except a retirement bonus and a ticket off Earth. As he discovers, all of the good food and fair health care he bargained for don't come cheap.

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Invisible Planets, translated by Ken Liu (2016)

A contemporary Chinese sci-fi anthology.

I think the variety of characters and the writing were superior to a lot of the published stories in the United States and beyond. Furthermore, the stories in this book were pretty new for the eyes of the sci-fi fans in the western countries. They were unusual and intriguing than many mainstream writers' stories. This story collection had a lot of exceptional, original and diverse stories. I will be looking forward to the next sci-fi book from Ken Liu after his latest work Broken Stars.

My favorite stories from this collection were Folding Beijing by Hao Jingfang and Tongtong's Summer by Xia Jia.

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Red Rising (Red Rising Series), by Pierce Brown (2014)

Darrow is a ‘Red' native to the color coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he will make the surface of Mars livable for future generations. He put his faith that his hard work and blood will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been deceived. Soon he discovers that humanity exited the surface centuries ago. Vast cities and lush fertile plains cover the planet. Darrow and other Reds are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Darrow is driven by the desire to see justice, he goes to the Legendary Institute. A proving ground for the elite Gold caste, hoping to gain access to its powerful ruling class.

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games Series), by Suzanne Collins (2020)

It's the morning of the tenth annual Hunger Games that kickoffs the annual Hunger Games. In The Capitol, Coriolanus Snow is preparing for one game victory as a coach in the Games. Snow's once-prosperous mansion is currently struggling to hang on. Considering that Coriolanus is relying on some kind of self-sacrifice for winning the school contest, to which he is desperate to outdo all of his fellow classmates.

He has received the ill-favored assignment of instructing the District 12 female tribute. Coriolanus's future can no longer be untangled from any of his actions – each choice he makes will dictate whether he gets ahead or gets wiped out. Inside of the arena, it will be a war to the death. Outside of it, Coriolanus senses the depth of his powerlessness.

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Conjunction (The Wise Society Series), by A.D. Zoltan and Steven N. Nagy (2022)

When we first read Conjunction it didn't feel like a debut novel. The story blends a spiritual journey with a space opera which creates a unique and new sci-fi story concept.

Keat a young truth seeker born with the initial need to find answers to the big questions of life, finally gets into the mission of his life, to enter the first intergalactic spaceship that will visit alien planets with intelligent life and hopefully an advanced civilization.

But after Keat and his team arrives to Füzen the story shifts into a new dimension, almost literally.

The story has a coming of age nature, and utilizes the popular concept of reincarnation. Honestly the book has a potential to open new perspectives to people who want to believe something that is beyond the materialistic world.

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Final Thoughts on Science fiction books

In conclusion, I hope you will find this ranked list helpful in your search for the next sci-fi read! Hence our ranks are relative and highly reflects our taste for sci-fi novels, we wanted to keep our list modern and also ideal for Gen X and Z readers.

If you're still not sure, we recommend you check out some more specific book lists like military sci-fi books or the sci-fi books with mind blowing adventures.

Last updated 08.09.2022

Joel Stafford

My profession is online marketing and development (10+ years experience), check my latest mobile app called Upcoming or my Chrome extensions for ChatGPT. But my real passion is reading books both fiction and non-fiction. I have several favorite authors like James Redfield or Daniel Keyes. If I read a book I always want to find the best part of it, every book has its unique value.

medium.com/@joelbooks

The post 33 Remarkable Sci-Fi Books (Ranked) To Read In Your Lifetime (For 2024) appeared first on Joelbooks.

How far would you go to stop a war? To save a world? To save a child? To save everything?

A personal message from the author:

They say that everyone has a novel in them. I thought for twenty years before writing The Water Bear.

My dream was to write a cinematic fantasy, full of ideas, with characters people remember. I hope I succeeded. While I was writing, the book came alive in my mind. I could see all the scenes like I was watching a movie. My characters remain as real to me now as they were when I was sat up at midnight, night after night, writing.

I also wanted to build worlds. Covid isn't so bad, when you can go anywhere you want, in your imagination. The worlds in The Water bear are the worlds I'd want to visit. A lustrous white cube, with five billion people inside it, orbiting Aldebaran. A cinnabar world, with endless red forests. An industrial station, like all the world's factories.

And also the mind. The second half of the world is set in the human unconscious, which can be anything we dream it to be.

If my readers only experience a part of that, I'll be a happy paperback writer.

I also wanted to write a serious book, about the most vital problem we face as a species, which is our climate. This is a conservationist book, although climate plays no role in the story. Instead, an advanced civilization has to deal with a different threat. How to intervene, without destroying what they set out to save?

I'll give away some of the ending: they do pretty well.

How? Thanks to their young people.

— Groucho Jones

The year is 2075, and the people of Earth have been prevented from destroying their own planet. While protesters burn cars in the streets, Ophelia Box is recruited into a covert peacekeeping unit. Her mission is to prevent a genocide. The problem is the genocide is in the past. She becomes a player in an adventure that spans the quantum wavefunction, from the beginning to the end of time, in this universe and beyond. Her companions are soldiers of the Po, the special forces of the human galaxy. Their clever and deceptive ship is called the Water Bear.

Box had never liked rollercoasters. It wasn’t just the sickening feeling of weightlessness, which welled up from the pit of her stomach and filled her with a bone-jarring emptiness. It was a rat’s nest of primal horrors. The fear of heights. The fear of being cast into the abyss.
All that now changed. When the ship fell out of the Orbiter, into the gravity well of the gas-giant planet, and the lattice of seats swiveled smoothly to anticipate a change of direction, she whooped with exhilaration.
“Engaging gravity drive,” said the ship, delivering its lines like a Hollywood starlet playing Chuck Yeager. There were a few moments of intense acceleration, and they were falling in a new direction.
Box laughed out loud. So, this is what I’ve been missing out on. Except that she was falling through the ecliptic of Aldebaran, with some kind of black-ops space soldiers, not riding on a Blackpool rollercoaster with children.

With the help of a robot ghost, and time-traveling insects, and a cult that's a hedge fund, our heroes go as far as it's possible to go, and save everything.

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Joel Stafford

My profession is online marketing and development (10+ years experience), check my latest mobile app called Upcoming or my Chrome extensions for ChatGPT. But my real passion is reading books both fiction and non-fiction. I have several favorite authors like James Redfield or Daniel Keyes. If I read a book I always want to find the best part of it, every book has its unique value.

medium.com/@joelbooks

The post The Water Bear by Groucho Jones appeared first on Joelbooks.

Speed Must Have a Limit

What if we have been wrong about this world this whole time? What if only a few gifted individuals decide the fate of it? What if impossible is quite possible?

One of the prime minister’s many assistants, Aditya is no ordinary man. He is instead what some people call an Influencer. Yes! Literally! He is one of the few fortunate men who with the power of their minds can make other people agreeable and servile.

To the outside world, Aditya is just another employee on the government’s payroll. But secretly, he is part of a shadow organization called WIS. With his special abilities, Aditya helps the most powerful man in his country, the PM, to have the better end of the deal.

Life for Aditya had been smooth until one careless mistake precipitates into his wife knowing his big secret. WIS can tolerate anything but not a defector. It takes WIS some time but eventually they find out Aditya’s big goof up. It, therefore, declares war on the renegade. Aditya’s death is what they want.

What will Aditya do? How will he fight this decree of the behemoth that once nurtured him?

The Influencer is a story of a man who has never taken no for an answer. It’s a thrilling account of a single man who is facing the wrath of a powerful but dubious organization with highly-skilled, super assassins at its disposal.

Will Aditya succeed in dodging WIS? Or will the evil organization get what it wants? How far will this fugitive go to protect everything he cherishes?

Read online The Influencer by Abhaidev

Joel Stafford

My profession is online marketing and development (10+ years experience), check my latest mobile app called Upcoming or my Chrome extensions for ChatGPT. But my real passion is reading books both fiction and non-fiction. I have several favorite authors like James Redfield or Daniel Keyes. If I read a book I always want to find the best part of it, every book has its unique value.

medium.com/@joelbooks

The post The Influencer by Abhaidev appeared first on Joelbooks.

She has the choice to wipe out most of the human race, reset the world, and save the planet with only a few survivors… can she do it?

When Connie finds out she has a few months left to live, she's gripped by fear for her daughter and her father. Just when things can’t get any worse, a strange man draws her into a fight against the evil caused by modern human society and offers solutions that keep her awake at night.

Connie wants to leave a mark by helping the environment–but her support takes a dark turn when she has to personally aid in the death of millions. Could it be right, in the name of saving the planet, to release a deadly virus which will only spare a small group of chosen people, including Connie's loved ones?

Read online Less Than Little Time by Sabina Green

Joel Stafford

My profession is online marketing and development (10+ years experience), check my latest mobile app called Upcoming or my Chrome extensions for ChatGPT. But my real passion is reading books both fiction and non-fiction. I have several favorite authors like James Redfield or Daniel Keyes. If I read a book I always want to find the best part of it, every book has its unique value.

medium.com/@joelbooks

The post Less Than Little Time by Sabina Green appeared first on Joelbooks.