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My favorite cult sci-fi and fantasy books you may not have heard of before ↗

The books people recommended

2025-10-26 · 145 points · 173 comments · 69 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. 4Star Wars

    Star Wars

    Timothy Zahn

    4 here · 7 all-time · #1013 overall

  2. 3

    Dune

    Frank Herbert

    3 here · 250 all-time · #3 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 104,032 ratings on Amazon
  3. 3The Culture

    The Culture

    Iain M. Banks

    3 here · 37 all-time · #133 overall

    Buy on Amazon3.8 out of 5, 182 ratings on Amazon
  4. 3Solaris

    Solaris

    Stanisław Lem

    3 here · 29 all-time · #197 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.1 out of 5, 6,713 ratings on Amazon
  5. 3The Cyberiad

    The Cyberiad

    Stanisław Lem

    3 here · 21 all-time · #304 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 805 ratings on Amazon
  6. 3Inversions

    Inversions

    Iain M. Banks

    3 here · 4 all-time · #1910 overall

  7. 3The Worm Ouroboros

    The Worm Ouroboros

    E. R. Eddison

    3 here · 4 all-time · #1943 overall

  8. 3The Night Land

    The Night Land

    William Hope Hodgson

    3 here · 3 all-time · #2641 overall

  9. 3Voyage to Arcturus

    Voyage to Arcturus

    3 here · 3 all-time · #2642 overall

  10. 3There Is No Antimimetics Division

    There Is No Antimimetics Division

    qntm

    3 here · 3 all-time · #2643 overall

  11. 2

    Foundation

    Isaac Asimov

    2 here · 110 all-time · #20 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 36,591 ratings on Amazon
  12. 2

    The Martian

    Andy Weir

    2 here · 103 all-time · #25 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 187,449 ratings on Amazon
  13. 2

    Red Rising

    Pierce Brown

    2 here · 35 all-time · #147 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 111,087 ratings on Amazon
  14. 2

    A Canticle for Leibowitz

    Walter M. Miller Jr.

    2 here · 28 all-time · #205 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 5,243 ratings on Amazon
  15. 2

    Roadside Picnic

    Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

    2 here · 25 all-time · #237 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 4,708 ratings on Amazon
  16. 2Ender's Shadow

    Ender's Shadow

    Orson Scott Card

    2 here · 16 all-time · #407 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 5,741 ratings on Amazon
  17. 2Consider Phlebas

    Consider Phlebas

    Iain M. Banks

    2 here · 13 all-time · #477 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.1 out of 5, 14,019 ratings on Amazon
  18. 2The Dying Earth

    The Dying Earth

    Jack Vance

    2 here · 9 all-time · #767 overall

  19. 2Story of Your Life

    Story of Your Life

    Ted Chiang

    2 here · 8 all-time · #896 overall

  20. 2Tau Zero

    Tau Zero

    Poul Anderson

    2 here · 6 all-time · #1181 overall

  21. 2Little, Big

    Little, Big

    John Crowley

    2 here · 5 all-time · #1390 overall

  22. 2Dragon's Egg

    Dragon's Egg

    Robert L. Forward

    2 here · 5 all-time · #1416 overall

  23. 2Star Trek

    Star Trek

    2 here · 3 all-time · #2414 overall

  24. 2Norstrilia

    Norstrilia

    Cordwainer Smith

    2 here · 3 all-time · #2595 overall

  25. 1

    Ender's Game

    Orson Scott Card

    1 here · 109 all-time · #21 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 45,794 ratings on Amazon
  26. 1Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

    Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

    Eliezer Yudkowsky

    1 here · 101 all-time · #27 overall

    Buy on Amazon
  27. 1

    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    Douglas Adams

    1 here · 101 all-time · #28 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 30,738 ratings on Amazon
  28. 1

    Project Hail Mary

    Andy Weir

    1 here · 88 all-time · #38 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 281,070 ratings on Amazon
  29. 1Permutation City

    Permutation City

    Greg Egan

    1 here · 73 all-time · #45 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 2,604 ratings on Amazon
  30. 1

    Blindsight

    Peter Watts

    1 here · 70 all-time · #48 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 8,527 ratings on Amazon
  31. 1

    A Fire Upon the Deep

    Vernor Vinge

    1 here · 47 all-time · #93 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 5,097 ratings on Amazon
  32. 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
  33. 1

    The Murderbot Diaries

    Martha Wells

    1 here · 29 all-time · #198 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 69,410 ratings on Amazon
  34. 1Bobiverse

    Bobiverse

    Dennis E. Taylor

    1 here · 28 all-time · #207 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 34,413 ratings on Amazon
  35. 1

    Nexus

    Ramez Naam

    1 here · 21 all-time · #288 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 3,715 ratings on Amazon
  36. 1

    The Forever War

    Joe Haldeman

    1 here · 21 all-time · #294 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 18,724 ratings on Amazon
  37. 1Ancillary Justice

    Ancillary Justice

    Ann Leckie

    1 here · 21 all-time · #301 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 21,235 ratings on Amazon
  38. 1

    The Stars My Destination

    Alfred Bester

    1 here · 20 all-time · #317 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 4,493 ratings on Amazon
  39. 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
  40. 1Frankenstein

    Frankenstein

    Mary Shelley

    1 here · 15 all-time · #429 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 30,870 ratings on Amazon
  41. 1This Is How You Lose the Time War

    This Is How You Lose the Time War

    Amal El-Mohtar

    1 here · 13 all-time · #502 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 20,359 ratings on Amazon
  42. 1Off to Be the Wizard

    Off to Be the Wizard

    Scott Meyer

    1 here · 12 all-time · #519 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 8,733 ratings on Amazon
  43. 1There Is No Antimemetics Division

    There Is No Antimemetics Division

    qntm

    1 here · 12 all-time · #547 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 13,323 ratings on Amazon
  44. 1The City & the City

    The City & the City

    China Miéville

    1 here · 11 all-time · #568 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 5,610 ratings on Amazon
  45. 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
  46. 1Commonwealth Saga

    Commonwealth Saga

    Peter F. Hamilton

    1 here · 10 all-time · #651 overall

  47. 1Station Eleven

    Station Eleven

    Emily St. John Mandel

    1 here · 9 all-time · #704 overall

  48. 1The Magus

    The Magus

    John Fowles

    1 here · 8 all-time · #846 overall

  49. 1Gateway

    Gateway

    Frederik Pohl

    1 here · 7 all-time · #921 overall

  50. 1Last and First Men

    Last and First Men

    Olaf Stapledon

    1 here · 7 all-time · #954 overall

  51. 1Fiasco

    Fiasco

    Stanisław Lem

    1 here · 7 all-time · #975 overall

  52. 1Expeditionary Force

    Expeditionary Force

    Craig Alanson

    1 here · 7 all-time · #1002 overall

  53. 1The Black Company

    The Black Company

    Glen Cook

    1 here · 7 all-time · #1011 overall

  54. 1The Laundry Files

    The Laundry Files

    Charles Stross

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1075 overall

  55. 1Axiomatic

    Axiomatic

    Greg Egan

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1079 overall

  56. 1The City and the Stars

    The City and the Stars

    Arthur C. Clarke

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1116 overall

  57. 1Perdido Street Station

    Perdido Street Station

    China Miéville

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1141 overall

  58. 1More Than Human

    More Than Human

    Theodore Sturgeon

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1154 overall

  59. 1Colossus

    Colossus

    D. F. Jones

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1158 overall

  60. 1Embassytown

    Embassytown

    China Miéville

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1259 overall

  61. 1The Egg

    The Egg

    Andy Weir

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1377 overall

  62. 1The Long Run

    The Long Run

    Daniel Keys Moran

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1664 overall

  63. 1The Wandering Inn

    The Wandering Inn

    Pirateaba

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1680 overall

  64. 1Dream Park

    Dream Park

    Roger Zelazny and Robert Sheckley

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2028 overall

  65. 1Railsea

    Railsea

    China Miéville

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2045 overall

  66. 1Titus Groan

    Titus Groan

    Mervyn Peake

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2054 overall

  67. 1Kallocain

    Kallocain

    Karin Boye

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2228 overall

  68. 1To Your Scattered Bodies Go

    To Your Scattered Bodies Go

    Philip José Farmer

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2307 overall

  69. 1The Carpet Makers

    The Carpet Makers

    Andreas Eschbach

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2496 overall