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The 10 Best Science Fiction Books of All Time
Science fiction imagines other worlds and possible futures to say something about our own. These ten sci-fi books, from classic dystopias to funny space adventures, are still among the most-read science fiction today. Many have been turned into hit films and TV series.
Project Hail Mary#1Project Hail Mary
by Andy Weir · first published 2021
Why it is on the list: A top-two US bestseller after its 2026 film; No. 3 most-read book on Goodreads (US) this year.
A man wakes up alone on a spaceship far from Earth with no memory of who he is or why he is there. As his memory returns, he realizes he may be humanity's last hope against a threat to the Sun. Funny, science-packed adventure with a big heart.
Evidence and sources
- No. 2 on Publishers Weekly's Top 10 Overall bestsellers (Circana BookScan), week of April 6, 2026 (source)
- No. 3 on Goodreads Most Read Books in the US, last 12 months (generated Oct 2026) (source)
- No. 1 top-selling science fiction title in Canada, Q4 2025 (BookNet Canada) (source)
- Hugo Award finalist for Best Novel (2022) (source)
- 47 total weeks on the NYT best-seller list as of May 2026; film released March 20, 2026 (source)
- ISBN 9780593135228, Ballantine Books paperback (source)
1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)#21984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
by George Orwell · first published 1949
Why it is on the list: No. 3 best-selling backlist book of 2025 (BookScan); No. 1 on US indie reprint lists in 2026.
In a totalitarian state where the Party watches everyone and rewrites history, a low-level clerk begins to question the system he serves. The defining dystopian novel for anyone interested in power, surveillance and truth.
Evidence and sources
- No. 3 on the top 10 best-selling backlist books of 2025 (BookScan data via Book Riot) (source)
- No. 1 on the national IndieBound mass market list, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- No. 13 on Modern Library editors' list, No. 6 readers' list; on TIME 100; No. 8 in BBC Big Read; 8 million+ US copies sold by 1970 (source)
- No. 22 on Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century (source)
- No. 6 on NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books (source)
- ISBN 9780451524935, Signet (source)
Fahrenheit 451#3Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury · first published 1953
Why it is on the list: The No. 1 best-selling backlist book of 2025, according to BookScan data.
In a future America where firemen burn books instead of putting out fires, one fireman starts to wonder what he is destroying. A short, powerful dystopia about censorship and conformity that suits teens and adults alike.
Evidence and sources
- No. 1 on the top 10 best-selling backlist books of 2025 (BookScan data via Book Riot) (source)
- No. 19 on the ABA Indie SciFi/Fantasy bestseller list, eight weeks ending Oct 5, 2025 (source)
- Won the 1954 Retro Hugo for Best Novel (source)
- Listed among the Library of Congress's Books That Shaped America (1953) (mirror of the LoC list) (source)
- No. 7 on NPR's Top 100 SF&F (source)
- On Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (source)
- ISBN 9781451673319, Simon & Schuster (source)
Dune#4Dune
by Frank Herbert · first published 1965
Why it is on the list: Still on US indie bestseller lists in 2026; a top-five science fiction seller in late 2023.
On the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the universe's most precious substance, a young heir is caught up in a deadly struggle among noble houses, an empire and the planet's native people. Epic, world-building science fiction for readers who enjoy politics, ecology and myth.
Evidence and sources
- No. 4 on Publishers Weekly's science fiction bestseller list (Circana BookScan, 4 weeks ended Dec 30, 2023), 10,426 copies (source)
- No. 10 on MPIBA and No. 13 on PNBA mass market/reprint bestsellers, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- Won the 1966 Hugo (joint) for Best Novel (source)
- Won the Nebula Award for Best Novel (1965 publication year) (source)
- About 20 million copies sold (source)
- No. 4 on NPR's Top 100 SF&F (as The Dune Chronicles) (source)
- No. 39 in BBC's Big Read (source)
- ISBN 9780441172719, Ace paperback (source)
The Three-Body Problem#5The Three-Body Problem
by Liu Cixin (tr. Ken Liu) · first published 2008
Why it is on the list: Hugo Award winner that hit No. 1 in Amazon literary fiction after Netflix's 2024 series.
During China's Cultural Revolution, a young scientist secretly answers a signal from an alien world. Decades later, a researcher in Beijing looks into a wave of scientists' deaths and a strange online game, and finds that Earth may soon be invaded. Big-idea science fiction built around physics and first contact.
Evidence and sources
- The English edition became the No. 1 bestseller in Amazon's literary fiction section after Netflix released 3 Body Problem in March 2024 (China Daily HK, March 2024) (source)
- Among the top 5 most-borrowed science fiction titles in Canadian libraries in late 2025 (BookNet Canada, Feb 2026) (source)
- Won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel, the first translated novel by an Asian writer to win; adapted by Netflix (March 2024) (source)
- Tor paperback ISBN 9780765382030 (source)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy#6The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams · first published 1979
Why it is on the list: No. 3 on the national indie mass market chart in October 2026; No. 2 on NPR's SF list.
Seconds before Earth is demolished for a hyperspace bypass, an ordinary Englishman is whisked away by an alien friend on a ridiculous tour of the galaxy. Comic science fiction for anyone who likes absurd humor with a clever edge.
Evidence and sources
- No. 3 on the national IndieBound mass market list, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- Series was the No. 2 most-borrowed science fiction in Canadian libraries, Q4 2025 (BookNet Canada) (source)
- No. 2 on NPR's Top 100 SF&F (source)
- No. 4 in BBC's Big Read (source)
- About 14 million copies sold (source)
- Included in PBS's The Great American Read 100 (source)
- ISBN 9780345391803, Del Rey (source)
The Martian#7The Martian
by Andy Weir · first published 2011
Why it is on the list: Back on indie SF charts in 2026, with a new deluxe edition; on PBS's Great American Read.
After a dust storm forces his crew to evacuate, an astronaut is left for dead on Mars with limited supplies. Using science, engineering and stubborn humor, he works out how to stay alive until rescue might be possible. A crowd-pleasing survival story told with wit.
Evidence and sources
- No. 23 on the ABA Indie SciFi/Fantasy bestseller list, eight weeks ending June 14, 2026 (source)
- No. 6 on Publishers Weekly's science fiction bestseller list (Circana BookScan, 4 weeks ended Dec 30, 2023) (source)
- New deluxe hardcover edition published May 26, 2026 (Penguin Random House) (source)
- Included in PBS's The Great American Read 100 (source)
- Self-published 2011; Crown print edition 2014; 19 weeks at No. 1 on NYT paperback list (source)
- ISBN 9780553418026, Ballantine Books paperback (source)
The Left Hand of Darkness#8The Left Hand of Darkness
by Ursula K. Le Guin · first published 1969
Why it is on the list: No. 2 on Pacific Northwest indie reprint charts in October 2026; Hugo and Nebula winner.
An envoy from a league of worlds travels to an icy planet whose people have no fixed gender, trying to persuade its rival nations to join. A thoughtful, beautifully written novel for readers who like science fiction about culture and identity.
Evidence and sources
- No. 2 on PNBA mass market/reprint bestsellers, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- No. 6 on the national IndieBound mass market list, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- Won the 1970 Hugo Award for Best Novel (source)
- Won the Nebula Award for Best Novel (source)
- No. 45 on NPR's Top 100 SF&F (source)
- Still in print in a 50th-anniversary edition, ISBN 9780441478125, Ace (source)
Ender's Game#9Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card · first published 1985
Why it is on the list: Still on US indie reprint charts in October 2026; won both the Hugo and the Nebula.
A gifted boy is taken to an orbiting military academy where children train in zero-gravity war games to prepare for an alien invasion. A fast, absorbing story about strategy and pressure that appeals to teens and adults.
Evidence and sources
- No. 15 on MIBA mass market/reprint bestsellers, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- No. 13 on NAIBA mass market/reprint bestsellers, week ending Oct 11, 2026 (source)
- Won the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel (source)
- Won the Nebula Award for Best Novel (source)
- No. 3 on NPR's Top 100 SF&F (source)
- ISBN 9780812550702, Tor (source)
Foundation#10Foundation
by Isaac Asimov · first published 1951
Why it is on the list: On several US indie reprint bestseller lists in fall 2026; the series won a one-off Hugo for Best All-Time Series.
As a vast galactic empire begins to decay, a mathematician who can forecast the future of whole populations sets up a plan to shorten the coming dark age. Big-idea science fiction for readers who enjoy history, politics and puzzles across centuries.
Evidence and sources
- No. 12 on SIBA classics/reprint bestsellers, week ending Oct 18, 2026 (source)
- No. 14 on NCIBA mass market/reprint list, week ending Oct 4, 2026 (source)
- No. 14 on NEIBA mass market/reprint list, week ending Sep 27, 2026 (source)
- Foundation trilogy won the one-time 1966 Hugo for Best All-Time Series; first novel published by Gnome Press in 1951 (source)
- No. 8 on NPR's Top 100 SF&F (The Foundation Trilogy) (source)
- Included in PBS's The Great American Read 100 (source)
- ISBN 9780553293357, Spectra (source)
Frequently asked questions
What is the best science fiction book of all time?
On our list it is Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. A top-two US bestseller after its 2026 film; No. 3 most-read book on Goodreads (US) this year.
Which science fiction book should I read first?
Start with the top three: Project Hail Mary, 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) and Fahrenheit 451. They are the most popular books in this genre right now, and each one is a good way into the rest of the list.
Are these books still popular today?
Yes. Every book here has evidence of strong sales or readership from the last few years, which you can see under “Evidence and sources” on each book. That is the main difference between this list and lists that only look back at history.
How often is this list updated?
We review it about once a month against current bestseller charts and change a book only when the evidence clearly changes.
Apart from this list, see the books we love most, hand-picked by QuickOnlineTips.
How we chose these books
1. Still selling and read today
Every book shows current demand from roughly the last three years: Audible best-seller charts (Audible is owned by Amazon), US independent bookstore bestseller lists from the American Booksellers Association, Publishers Weekly and Circana BookScan sales figures, and similar charts. Old books that nobody buys any more do not make the cut.
2. Stood the test of time
Every book was first published at least five years ago and has a lasting credential: a major award (such as the Pulitzer, Booker, Newbery or Hugo), a place on a respected all-time list (such as the Modern Library 100, TIME 100 or the BBC Big Read), or very large total sales.
3. Suitable for most readers
We leave out books built around explicit sexual content or graphic abuse, and books best known for being banned. Some books on the list deal with hard themes such as war, crime or loss, and the summaries say so.
Within each genre, books are ranked with current popularity weighted most, then lasting reputation. We review the list about once a month and swap a book only when the evidence clearly changes.
Book covers: Open Library. Links to each book go to Amazon. Last reviewed: October 2026.
More of the best books of all time
See the full 200 best books of all time list, or explore more fiction genres: Classic Novels, Literary Fiction Books, Historical Fiction Books, Romance Novels, Children's Books, Mystery and Thriller Books, Fantasy Books, Horror Books, Young Adult Books.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, QuickOnlineTips earns from qualifying purchases.
