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The Best Science Fiction Books (According to Reddit) ↗

The books people recommended

2011-09-09 · 466 points · 287 comments · 117 books named by at least one person here and at least 3 people overall. The number on the left is how many people named it in this thread.

  1. 26

    Dune

    Frank Herbert

    26 here · 250 all-time · #3 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 104,032 ratings on Amazon
  2. 15

    Anathem

    Neal Stephenson

    15 here · 83 all-time · #40 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 5,275 ratings on Amazon
  3. 9Permutation City

    Permutation City

    Greg Egan

    9 here · 73 all-time · #45 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 2,604 ratings on Amazon
  4. 9

    Stranger in a Strange Land

    Robert A. Heinlein

    9 here · 55 all-time · #70 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 12,077 ratings on Amazon
  5. 8

    The Diamond Age

    Neal Stephenson

    8 here · 64 all-time · #58 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 5,358 ratings on Amazon
  6. 7

    Neuromancer

    William Gibson

    7 here · 117 all-time · #17 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 20,213 ratings on Amazon
  7. 7

    Ender's Game

    Orson Scott Card

    7 here · 109 all-time · #21 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 45,794 ratings on Amazon
  8. 7

    Cryptonomicon

    Neal Stephenson

    7 here · 106 all-time · #23 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 8,425 ratings on Amazon
  9. 6

    Snow Crash

    Neal Stephenson

    6 here · 119 all-time · #16 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 20,720 ratings on Amazon
  10. 6

    Foundation

    Isaac Asimov

    6 here · 110 all-time · #20 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 36,591 ratings on Amazon
  11. 5

    Diaspora

    Greg Egan

    5 here · 45 all-time · #101 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 2,393 ratings on Amazon
  12. 5Lord of Light

    Lord of Light

    Roger Zelazny

    5 here · 16 all-time · #405 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 1,960 ratings on Amazon
  13. 4

    Hyperion

    Dan Simmons

    4 here · 56 all-time · #69 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 30,786 ratings on Amazon
  14. 4

    A Fire Upon the Deep

    Vernor Vinge

    4 here · 47 all-time · #93 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 5,097 ratings on Amazon
  15. 4

    A Deepness in the Sky

    Vernor Vinge

    4 here · 41 all-time · #121 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 3,418 ratings on Amazon
  16. 4Solaris

    Solaris

    Stanisław Lem

    4 here · 29 all-time · #197 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.1 out of 5, 6,713 ratings on Amazon
  17. 4

    Roadside Picnic

    Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

    4 here · 25 all-time · #237 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 4,708 ratings on Amazon
  18. 4The Cyberiad

    The Cyberiad

    Stanisław Lem

    4 here · 21 all-time · #304 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 805 ratings on Amazon
  19. 4

    The Stars My Destination

    Alfred Bester

    4 here · 20 all-time · #317 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 4,493 ratings on Amazon
  20. 4God Emperor of Dune

    God Emperor of Dune

    Frank Herbert

    4 here · 11 all-time · #610 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 13,901 ratings on Amazon
  21. 4Chasm City

    Chasm City

    Alastair Reynolds

    4 here · 7 all-time · #1048 overall

  22. 3Revelation Space

    Revelation Space

    Alastair Reynolds

    3 here · 24 all-time · #251 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 10,275 ratings on Amazon
  23. 3The Windup Girl

    The Windup Girl

    Paolo Bacigalupi

    3 here · 12 all-time · #527 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 5,206 ratings on Amazon
  24. 3Pandora's Star

    Pandora's Star

    Peter F. Hamilton

    3 here · 12 all-time · #538 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 7,049 ratings on Amazon
  25. 3New Sun

    New Sun

    Gene Wolfe

    3 here · 7 all-time · #1047 overall

  26. 3Lilith's Brood

    Lilith's Brood

    Octavia E. Butler

    3 here · 6 all-time · #1185 overall

  27. 3Eon

    Eon

    Greg Bear

    3 here · 5 all-time · #1482 overall

  28. 3Void Trilogy

    Void Trilogy

    Peter F. Hamilton

    3 here · 4 all-time · #1886 overall

  29. 2

    The Lord of the Rings

    J.R.R. Tolkien

    2 here · 114 all-time · #18 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.9 out of 5, 14,620 ratings on Amazon
  30. 2

    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    Douglas Adams

    2 here · 101 all-time · #28 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 30,738 ratings on Amazon
  31. 2

    Brave New World

    Aldous Huxley

    2 here · 67 all-time · #55 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 48,055 ratings on Amazon
  32. 2The Culture

    The Culture

    Iain M. Banks

    2 here · 37 all-time · #133 overall

    Buy on Amazon3.8 out of 5, 182 ratings on Amazon
  33. 2

    Slaughterhouse-Five

    Kurt Vonnegut

    2 here · 34 all-time · #153 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 40,601 ratings on Amazon
  34. 2

    Accelerando

    Charles Stross

    2 here · 33 all-time · #162 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 1,553 ratings on Amazon
  35. 2

    The Baroque Cycle

    Neal Stephenson

    2 here · 32 all-time · #176 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 2,191 ratings on Amazon
  36. 2

    Gravity's Rainbow

    Thomas Pynchon

    2 here · 25 all-time · #229 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 2,472 ratings on Amazon
  37. 2Starship Troopers

    Starship Troopers

    Robert A. Heinlein

    2 here · 21 all-time · #292 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 20,764 ratings on Amazon
  38. 2

    The Forever War

    Joe Haldeman

    2 here · 21 all-time · #294 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 18,724 ratings on Amazon
  39. 2The Last Question

    The Last Question

    Isaac Asimov

    2 here · 17 all-time · #383 overall

    Buy on Amazon3.8 out of 5, 25 ratings on Amazon
  40. 2Excession

    Excession

    Iain M. Banks

    2 here · 16 all-time · #394 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 6,008 ratings on Amazon
  41. 2A Scanner Darkly

    A Scanner Darkly

    Philip K. Dick

    2 here · 14 all-time · #455 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 4,019 ratings on Amazon
  42. 2The Quantum Thief

    The Quantum Thief

    Hannu Rajaniemi

    2 here · 12 all-time · #530 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 2,607 ratings on Amazon
  43. 2Altered Carbon

    Altered Carbon

    Richard K. Morgan

    2 here · 10 all-time · #628 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 15,405 ratings on Amazon
  44. 2The Dying Earth

    The Dying Earth

    Jack Vance

    2 here · 9 all-time · #767 overall

  45. 2Oryx and Crake

    Oryx and Crake

    Margaret Atwood

    2 here · 8 all-time · #823 overall

  46. 2The Shockwave Rider

    The Shockwave Rider

    John Brunner

    2 here · 7 all-time · #1000 overall

  47. 2Zodiac

    Zodiac

    Neal Stephenson

    2 here · 6 all-time · #1101 overall

  48. 2The War of the Worlds

    The War of the Worlds

    H.G. Wells

    2 here · 6 all-time · #1148 overall

  49. 2Cyteen

    Cyteen

    C. J. Cherryh

    2 here · 6 all-time · #1168 overall

  50. 2The Gap

    The Gap

    Stephen R. Donaldson

    2 here · 5 all-time · #1359 overall

  51. 2Quarantine

    Quarantine

    Greg Egan

    2 here · 5 all-time · #1360 overall

  52. 2Light

    Light

    M. John Harrison

    2 here · 5 all-time · #1441 overall

  53. 2Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity

    Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity

    David W. Galenson

    2 here · 3 all-time · #2413 overall

  54. 2The Carpet Makers

    The Carpet Makers

    Andreas Eschbach

    2 here · 3 all-time · #2496 overall

  55. 2Vorkosigan series

    Vorkosigan series

    Lois McMaster Bujold

    2 here · 3 all-time · #2580 overall

  56. 2The Polity

    The Polity

    Neal Asher

    2 here · 3 all-time · #2618 overall

  57. 2The Uplift Trilogy

    The Uplift Trilogy

    David Brin

    2 here · 3 all-time · #2626 overall

  58. 1

    Blindsight

    Peter Watts

    1 here · 70 all-time · #48 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 8,527 ratings on Amazon
  59. 1

    Daemon

    Daniel Suarez

    1 here · 52 all-time · #78 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 6,091 ratings on Amazon
  60. 1

    The Wheel of Time

    Robert Jordan

    1 here · 43 all-time · #109 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 45,874 ratings on Amazon
  61. 1

    The Dispossessed

    Ursula K. Le Guin

    1 here · 42 all-time · #113 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 9,037 ratings on Amazon
  62. 1

    The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

    Robert A. Heinlein

    1 here · 38 all-time · #127 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 9,404 ratings on Amazon
  63. 1

    The Left Hand of Darkness

    Ursula K. Le Guin

    1 here · 36 all-time · #140 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 15,332 ratings on Amazon
  64. 1

    Stories of Your Life and Others

    Ted Chiang

    1 here · 34 all-time · #154 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 16,602 ratings on Amazon
  65. 1

    Flowers for Algernon

    Daniel Keyes

    1 here · 33 all-time · #160 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 40,104 ratings on Amazon
  66. 1

    A Song of Ice and Fire

    George R. R. Martin

    1 here · 26 all-time · #219 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 83,380 ratings on Amazon
  67. 1

    Ubik

    Philip K. Dick

    1 here · 25 all-time · #234 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 7,135 ratings on Amazon
  68. 1

    The Sirens of Titan

    Kurt Vonnegut

    1 here · 23 all-time · #257 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 8,999 ratings on Amazon
  69. 1

    Flatland

    Edwin A. Abbott

    1 here · 23 all-time · #261 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 5,255 ratings on Amazon
  70. 1Old Man's War

    Old Man's War

    John Scalzi

    1 here · 21 all-time · #295 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 32,356 ratings on Amazon
  71. 1Dark Tower Series

    Dark Tower Series

    Stephen King

    1 here · 18 all-time · #343 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 34,581 ratings on Amazon
  72. 1Speaker for the Dead

    Speaker for the Dead

    Orson Scott Card

    1 here · 18 all-time · #355 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 14,675 ratings on Amazon
  73. 1Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

    Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

    Philip K. Dick

    1 here · 17 all-time · #367 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 25,618 ratings on Amazon
  74. 1Time Enough for Love

    Time Enough for Love

    Robert A. Heinlein

    1 here · 17 all-time · #373 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 2,709 ratings on Amazon
  75. 1Frankenstein

    Frankenstein

    Mary Shelley

    1 here · 15 all-time · #429 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 30,870 ratings on Amazon
  76. 1The Handmaid's Tale

    The Handmaid's Tale

    Margaret Atwood

    1 here · 14 all-time · #451 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 180,443 ratings on Amazon
  77. 1The Lathe of Heaven

    The Lathe of Heaven

    Ursula K. Le Guin

    1 here · 14 all-time · #452 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 8,654 ratings on Amazon
  78. 1Consider Phlebas

    Consider Phlebas

    Iain M. Banks

    1 here · 13 all-time · #477 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.1 out of 5, 14,019 ratings on Amazon
  79. 1Childhood's End

    Childhood's End

    Arthur C. Clarke

    1 here · 13 all-time · #480 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 15,230 ratings on Amazon
  80. 1The Mote in God's Eye

    The Mote in God's Eye

    Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle

    1 here · 13 all-time · #496 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.1 out of 5, 22 ratings on Amazon
  81. 1Ringworld

    Ringworld

    Larry Niven

    1 here · 11 all-time · #569 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 8,555 ratings on Amazon
  82. 1His Master's Voice

    His Master's Voice

    Stanisław Lem

    1 here · 11 all-time · #576 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.1 out of 5, 438 ratings on Amazon
  83. 1Sprawl trilogy

    Sprawl trilogy

    William Gibson

    1 here · 11 all-time · #586 overall

  84. 1The Shadow of the Wind

    The Shadow of the Wind

    Carlos Ruiz Zafón

    1 here · 10 all-time · #641 overall

  85. 1Commonwealth Saga

    Commonwealth Saga

    Peter F. Hamilton

    1 here · 10 all-time · #651 overall

  86. 1Fall of Hyperion

    Fall of Hyperion

    Dan Simmons

    1 here · 9 all-time · #701 overall

  87. 1The Man in the High Castle

    The Man in the High Castle

    Philip K. Dick

    1 here · 9 all-time · #747 overall

  88. 1Stand on Zanzibar

    Stand on Zanzibar

    John Brunner

    1 here · 9 all-time · #750 overall

  89. 1The Time Machine

    The Time Machine

    H.G. Wells

    1 here · 8 all-time · #798 overall

  90. 1I, Robot

    I, Robot

    Isaac Asimov

    1 here · 7 all-time · #907 overall

  91. 1Gateway

    Gateway

    Frederik Pohl

    1 here · 7 all-time · #921 overall

  92. 1The Man Who Was Thursday

    The Man Who Was Thursday

    G. K. Chesterton

    1 here · 7 all-time · #926 overall

  93. 1Leviathan Wakes

    Leviathan Wakes

    James S. A. Corey

    1 here · 7 all-time · #938 overall

  94. 1The Earth Abides

    The Earth Abides

    George R. Stewart

    1 here · 7 all-time · #952 overall

  95. 1Fiasco

    Fiasco

    Stanisław Lem

    1 here · 7 all-time · #975 overall

  96. 1The Sheep Look Up

    The Sheep Look Up

    John Brunner

    1 here · 7 all-time · #1001 overall

  97. 1Dhalgren

    Dhalgren

    Samuel R. Delany

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1126 overall

  98. 1Star Diaries

    Star Diaries

    Stanisław Lem

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1156 overall

  99. 1Tau Zero

    Tau Zero

    Poul Anderson

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1181 overall

  100. 1The Invincible

    The Invincible

    Stanislaw Lem

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1184 overall

  101. 1Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

    Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

    Jules Verne

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1189 overall

  102. 1Blood Music

    Blood Music

    Greg Bear

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1281 overall

  103. 1The Difference Engine

    The Difference Engine

    William Gibson, Bruce Sterling

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1316 overall

  104. 1The Culture novels

    The Culture novels

    Iain M. Banks

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1361 overall

  105. 1Battlefield Earth

    Battlefield Earth

    L. Ron Hubbard

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1420 overall

  106. 1Foundation's Edge

    Foundation's Edge

    Isaac Asimov

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1425 overall

  107. 1Freedom(tm)

    Freedom(tm)

    Daniel Suarez

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1455 overall

  108. 1Clockwork Rocket

    Clockwork Rocket

    Greg Egan

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1543 overall

  109. 1Distress

    Distress

    Greg Egan

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1544 overall

  110. 1The End of Eternity

    The End of Eternity

    Isaac Asimov

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1545 overall

  111. 1Judas Unchained

    Judas Unchained

    Peter F. Hamilton

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1597 overall

  112. 1Journey to the Center of the Earth

    Journey to the Center of the Earth

    Jules Verne

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1783 overall

  113. 1A Night In Lonesome October

    A Night In Lonesome October

    Roger Zelazny

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2207 overall

  114. 1The Fifth Head of Cerberus

    The Fifth Head of Cerberus

    Gene Wolfe

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2323 overall

  115. 1Steel Beach

    Steel Beach

    Michael Connelly

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2376 overall

  116. 1Black Oceans

    Black Oceans

    Jacek Dukaj

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2407 overall

  117. 1The Lifecycle of Software Objects

    The Lifecycle of Software Objects

    Ted Chiang

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2547 overall