Want to Read Sci-Fi? Here’s Where to Start
Interested in dipping your toes into some sci-fi, but not sure where to begin? Here are my recommendations of titles that would be great introductions to the genre. I selected a variety of different subgenres and styles, so if you don’t enjoy one, try another!
ADULT NOVELS
The Martian by Andy Weir
Date Published: 2011
Summary: This novel began as a series of blog posts in which the author explored how someone might survive on Mars. It's hard sci-fi with a sarcastic protagonist. The movie with Matt Damon is also really good.
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
Date Published: 2011
Series: The Expanse #1
Number of Books in Series: 10
Summary: A fantastic space opera set in a galaxy where our solar system has been colonized. Politics are fracturing between Earth, Mars, and the Fringers, there's a noir-like mystery involving a missing girl, and the motley crew of a spaceship find themselves at the center of everything.
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
Date Published: 2015
Series: Binti #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: Binti is the first of the Himba people to go to the best university in the galaxy. On her journey, she encounters people who don't understand or respect her culture and an alien race who want her dead.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Date Published: 2017
Series: The Murderbot Diaries #1
Number of Books in Series: 7 (so far)
Summary: A self-aware security robot has hacked its own governor module and freed itself, though it's still pretending to be bound by the company protocols. Even though it just wants to be left alone to watch television, it does its job protecting the exploratory team its been contracted to—a job that's made more difficult as someone's out to murder them.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Date Published: 2020
Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl #1
Number of Books in Series: 7 (so far)
Summary: After aliens invade Earth, a guy and his cat participate in a sadistic intergalactic game show. An outrageously bloody and hilarious LitRPG.
More Exceptional Adult Sci-Fi:
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1979, comedy)
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (1993, dystopian)
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (2020, science fantasy)
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (2021, cozy)
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (2021, science fantasy, cozy)
YOUNG ADULT NOVELS
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Date Published: 1985
Series: Ender's Saga #1
Number of Books in Series: 6
Summary: While I'm not sure if this should be categorized as YA or adult, I'm throwing it on this list. Ender is a military genius, only six years old when he begins training on simulated war games in preparation for a fight against alien invaders. This is a beloved classic about war, growing up with huge expectations on your shoulders, and what makes a good leader.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Date Published: 2008
Series: The Hunger Games #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: I'm not sure this needs an introduction, but it's about a girl who takes the place of her sister to fight to the death in an arena against eleven other teenagers. The dystopian worldbuilding and characters are really, really good. This one holds up almost two decades later.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Date Published: 2012
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #1
Number of Books in Series: 4
Summary: Cinderella in space! A cyborg named Cinder is a second-class citizen because of her robotic parts. Her stepmother "volunteers" her to be experimented on by the government in an effort to cure a deadly plague. Romance and a galactic conspiracy, culminating in a grand ball, ensue.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Date Published: 2014
Series: Red Rising Saga #1
Number of Books in Series: 7
Summary: Darrow, a member of the lowest caste of society, works on Mars to make the surface livable for future generations. When he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago and his people are being abused, he infiltrates a school for members of the Gold caste and competes in a brutal competition to rise the ranks and defeat his enemies from within.
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
Date Published: 2018
Series: Skyward #1
Number of Books in Series: 4
Summary: Spensa lives on a planet where humans have almost gone extinct and live underground due to constant attacks from alien starfighters. She wants to become a pilot, but is not allowed due to family history. But when she finds an ancient, alien spaceship, her dream might be possible after all. This story has flight school, spaceship battles, a loveable A.I., a pet slug, and fascinating mysteries. It's one of my all-time favourites.
More Exceptional YA Sci-Fi:
Unwind by Neal Shusterman (2007, dystopian)
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2011, litRPG)
Divergent by Veronica Roth (2011, dystopian)
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (2015, space opera, epistolary)
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (2017, dystopian)
MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Date Published: 2016
Series: The Wild Robot #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: Robot Roz wakes up alone, having washed up on an island without any memories. In order to survive, she has to befriend animals and adapt to the wild, though her past will catch up with her eventually.
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
Date Published: 2019
Series: Thousand Worlds #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: Min is a fox spirit, but must hide her magic to appear human. She runs away to find her brother, who is said to have deserted his battle cruiser in search of a powerful object called a Dragon Pearl, but she knows he would never do that. This story is full of pirates, ghosts, lies, sabotage, and fox magic.
Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia
Date Published: 2021
Series: Last Gate of the Emperor #1
Number of Books in Series: 2
Summary: Yared is a Black boy living in a rundown city with uncle. He loves to play an augmented reality game, but one day, the rules change, his city is under attack, and he has to go on a quest to find his missing uncle and uncover a forgotten war. It's got a sarcastic protagonist, a bionic cat, fast-paced action, futuristic games, and tongue-in-cheek humour.
The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm
Date Published: 2021
Summary: 11-year-old Bell has been raised on Mars and knows what to do during an emergency—except for when all the adults are sick from a virus. He's been warned not to contact the other Mars colonies for mysterious reasons, but what else is he supposed to do?
A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga
Date Published: 2022
Summary: A NASA robot, built to explore Mars, develops emotions and empathy as it tries to survive the harsh environment under the watchful eyes of millions back on Earth.
More Exceptional Middle Grade Sci-Fi:
Space Case by Stuart Gibbs (2014, adventure, mystery)
Cog by Greg Van Eekhout (2019, adventure, robots)
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez (2019, adventure)
The Flicker by H.E. Edgmon (2024, post-apocalyptic)
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly (2024, time travel)
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org, so if you click through and purchase any of the books linked in this article, I will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie book store!
