Best Science Fiction Novels

Description
Future worlds, alien vistas, speculative scientific developments... LibraryThing members choose the best of science fiction!
1
50,652 members
806 reviews
½ 4.3
171 Members
andyl, mark, Only2rs, jjwilson61, szarka, Quaisior, SchanleyMedia, mkunruh, Milesc, staffordcastle, pgmcc, anglemark, Awfki, eromsted, Stav, Storeetllr, Noisy, Rtrace, ayaeckel, Euryale, sdobie, tsangal, grizzly.anderson, mkjones, rarm, b1_, goldenmoon, bibliorex, absurdeist, mccin68, Sopoforic, BookWallah, amysisson, lluisanglada, oszymandias, amobogio, Surtac, Avron, mahsdad, Hibou8, feaelin, aulsmith, DeusXMachina, Julilla, avatiakh, rossarn, falkman, DugsBooks, pamur, asalamon, clong, stellarexplorer, indregard, CarltonC, hildretha, br77rino, okeres, blackdove07, hanna56, geitebukkeskjegg, Balkan, buk1968, scottd, santhony, questbird, jerry-book, Myyst, sturlington, freetrader, masiejames, RBeffa, sesanderson, majjacsobe, mrmapcase, calm, suitable1, jasmaynard, hoddybook, Sylak, souloftherose, marycloseburn, andomck, lewbs, alexdelarge, venza, LiveAndrew, brightcopy, Matteocalosi, JohnChic, smasler, LisaMaria_C, leigonj, Kristelh, Rbrancher2, Doey, alex68, zjakkelien, mike_frank, Ippotamus, Bluewolf0411, rretzler, wifilibrarian, RVerde, scificomics, Jarandel, Rick_Deckard, peterveen, mrobinson1201, BomboChipolata, gypsysmom, scriptus, al.vick, streetwa, MissJessie, Bookwomble, Tanya-dogearedcopy, thegreenmikado, Echinopsis, deerhorne, Verkruissen, Paulgnagy, linlef, ChrisKohout, beth623, horacio.salazar, toonami, emmendelson, binarydude, bruc79, Vulco1, bormgans, RecklessReader, erkanerener, Jim.Shine, polaritynk, RodgerA, David_Krajci, rcatalano, rodriguezcommaj, acousticmoose, borderdad, towermancn, brondy, willofthewind, ManWithAnAgenda, DreamEaterLibrary, A.J.Ponder, Comic-Cuz, SBCB, Antoavrg, Thelos12, DCJeffrey, auldhouse, Monty_Grover, PlatinumWarlock, shecht91, alyssamhope23, v_RuneBerg, JohnGault, Stefcxjo, cloud09, scstubbs, blasetvt, heidihetzel, ng218, PhiSchick, skydog59, buckarooBanzai, Underjoyed, presentist, guilloenlared,gilroy , ,psybre , ,lquilter ,Ragnell ,Jannes , ,cthulhuslibrarian ,enrique_molinero ,prosfilaes ,norabelle414 ,TLCrawford ,merrystar ,Rouge2507 ,dukeallen ,pwaites ,tottman ,dot.zen ,sandstone78 , ,FrancoisTremblay ,Bretzky1 ,rocketmac360 ,Vaclav_L , ,SF_fan_mae ,Pajamas , ,SpotofBorg ,lcl999
Explanations
gilroy: Just could not get into this book. Not even through a full chapter
lcl999 : Yes it's a good novel. But not good enough to be number one in this list.
2
43,937 members
806 reviews
4.2
157 Members
Edward, hailelib, mark, Only2rs, tardis, szarka, mkunruh, gennyt, hipdeep, conceptDawg, staffordcastle, devenish, pgmcc, Awfki, charlenemartel, pammab, psybre, Herenya, Ealhmund, Stav, Storeetllr, Rtrace, Euryale, sdobie, jain, tsangal, grizzly.anderson, rarm, foggidawn, trandism, MikeBriggs, Ragnell, ghilbrae, cthulhuslibrarian, enrique_molinero, Sopoforic, amobogio, Surtac, Avron, acenturyofsleep, mahsdad, norabelle414, EmScape, DeusXMachina, Julilla, ElBarto, rossarn, falkman, DugsBooks, pamur, midnightblues, bjornar, andejons, BeckyJG, Ross.Farnsworth, CarltonC, hildretha, br77rino, okeres, merrystar, blackdove07, Balkan, deldevries, birder4106, SylviaC, Myyst, sturlington, flips, freetrader, pwaites, nebula21, sesanderson, mrmapcase, susiesharp, igorken, jasmaynard, Sylak, dot.zen, souloftherose, marycloseburn, alexdelarge, venza, LiveAndrew, alanb1, brightcopy, Matteocalosi, JohnChic, LisaMaria_C, Kristelh, BonnieJune54, Rbrancher2, DavidGuegan, zjakkelien, mike_frank, eclecticdodo, Ippotamus, rretzler, Tomgraham, RVerde, cej1027, gypsysmom, bibliopolitan, al.vick, Risbom, streetwa, ahef1963, MissJessie, Tanya-dogearedcopy, Settings, thegreenmikado, kara.shamy, Paulgnagy, linlef, Peace2, beth623, Vaclav_L, toonami, emmendelson, bruc79, smitch521, timetunnel, RecklessReader, SF_fan_mae, viot.henri, erkanerener, Jim.Shine, polaritynk, RodgerA, Rwbyy, msemmag, wakawaka65, Dairyqueen84, acousticmoose, strongbear, towermancn, Jerriar, ManWithAnAgenda, SBCB, Julie_in_the_Library, Antoavrg, Trillian89, Thelos12, lcl999, BrandonAzzarella, Silu_1, SOShea, gregraubie, shecht91, alyssamhope23, bochkarev, blasetvt, mishok13, Underjoyed, presentist, LOREoftheREALMS, UtahTabby, guilloenlared,jjwilson61 ,anglemark ,eromsted ,lquilter ,prosfilaes ,feaelin ,aulsmith ,stellarexplorer ,santhony ,RBeffa ,suitable1 , ,hoddybook ,tottman ,alex68 ,Bluewolf0411 ,electrice , ,rocketmac360 ,Ctluster ,
Explanations
jjwilson61 : Not science fiction
aulsmith : Fun, but really poor in the sf area.
Bluewolf0411: Not scifi
electrice : read in 2013, silly story
lcl999: One of the few really funny SF stories. Makes Pratchett seem a bit childish.
3
94,233 members
1,451 reviews
4.2
142 Members
timspalding, mark, Only2rs, gilroy, szarka, Quaisior, mkunruh, devenish, pgmcc, SqueakyChu, charlenemartel, psybre, Ealhmund, Rtrace, ayaeckel, sdobie, longway, b1_, goldenmoon, Ragnell, bibliorex, mccin68, enrique_molinero, Sopoforic, BookWallah, amysisson, lluisanglada, Surtac, acenturyofsleep, mahsdad, Aerrin99, DeusXMachina, Julilla, falkman, DugsBooks, pamur, clong, Ross.Farnsworth, CarltonC, hildretha, br77rino, okeres, blackdove07, geitebukkeskjegg, Balkan, scottd, deldevries, artturnerjr, jerry-book, Myyst, sturlington, freetrader, pwaites, ncgraham, sesanderson, mrmapcase, mathgirl40, jasmaynard, Sylak, tottman, dot.zen, marycloseburn, thecoroner, lewbs, alexdelarge, LiveAndrew, alanb1, Matteocalosi, JohnChic, leigonj, Kristelh, BonnieJune54, Rbrancher2, Doey, DavidGuegan, alex68, mike_frank, rretzler, electrice, Tomgraham, RVerde, scificomics, Jarandel, BomboChipolata, gypsysmom, bibliopolitan, parasolofdoom, al.vick, streetwa, ahef1963, Tanya-dogearedcopy, Lovermont, Echinopsis, isakhnov, deerhorne, Paulgnagy, linlef, beth623, horacio.salazar, Stefano.Rodighiero, Laura1124, gendeg, toonami, bruc79, Vulco1, dianeham, RecklessReader, flicka82, viot.henri, hamhands, Jim.Shine, polaritynk, David_Krajci, wakawaka65, Dairyqueen84, rodriguezcommaj, acousticmoose, Fishmen, towermancn, FranzK72, Andrew_Orange, ManWithAnAgenda, Antoavrg, SpotofBorg, Thelos12, lcl999, skid0612, pgirl, Silu_1, feanor451, unadorned, gregraubie, alyssamhope23, JohnGault, Stefcxjo, seedcollection, blasetvt, mishok13, buckarooBanzai, presentist, UtahTabby, guilloenlared,pammab ,feaelin ,midnightblues ,santhony , ,Bluewolf0411 ,Bretzky1 ,shecht91 ,
Explanations
midnightblues : it's really not science fiction, more miseryfic / dystopia. But it always gets lumped in! (btw Brave New World is better imho)
: Not Sci-Fi
Bluewolf0411: Not science fiction.
electrice: read, science fiction, dystopia, bleak portraying of a possible future, big brother and all the jazz
Bretzky1 : This is not a science fiction story. Just because a story takes place in the future does not make it science fiction.
horacio.salazar: A classic. Big Brother is now almost real. :D
lcl999: A justly famous book. Yes it is also Science fiction. What about the TV sets that listen and watch?
5
45,575 members
1,125 reviews
½ 4.3
124 Members
timspalding, gilroy, szarka, joeldinda, conceptDawg, staffordcastle, Awfki, charlenemartel, pammab, psybre, limerts, Stav, Rtrace, ayaeckel, Euryale, sdobie, tsangal, KC9333, grizzly.anderson, mkjones, foggidawn, longway, b1_, MikeBriggs, goldenmoon, bibliorex, cthulhuslibrarian, mccin68, Sopoforic, BookWallah, lluisanglada, amobogio, mahsdad, Aerrin99, Hibou8, feaelin, norabelle414, EmScape, avatiakh, rossarn, falkman, pamur, asalamon, bestem, BeckyJG, br77rino, okeres, merrystar, blackdove07, Balkan, buk1968, scottd, santhony, sturlington, freetrader, RBeffa, sesanderson, majjacsobe, calm, suitable1, perennialreader, hoddybook, tottman, marycloseburn, lewbs, alexdelarge, brightcopy, LisaMaria_C, leigonj, Kristelh, Rbrancher2, Doey, baswood, DavidGuegan, zjakkelien, mike_frank, Ippotamus, Bluewolf0411, rretzler, RVerde, scificomics, Rick_Deckard, BomboChipolata, scriptus, parasolofdoom, al.vick, ahef1963, MissJessie, jeffza, Tanya-dogearedcopy, rocketmac360, Paulgnagy, linlef, ChrisKohout, beth623, Stefano.Rodighiero, gendeg, toonami, tourist68, WilGbn, Vulco1, smitch521, hamhands, RodgerA, Rwbyy, Dairyqueen84, rcatalano, borderdad, Fishmen, beanythesane, towermancn, SpotofBorg, Thelos12, DCJeffrey, pgirl, PlatinumWarlock, gregraubie, shecht91, alyssamhope23, blasetvt, mishok13, skydog59, a1electric, guilloenlared,andyl ,lorax ,Milesc ,anglemark ,AsYouKnow_Bob ,lquilter ,rarm ,trandism ,Ragnell ,Jannes , ,enrique_molinero ,DugsBooks , ,stellarexplorer ,dukeallen ,masiejames ,jasmaynard , ,souloftherose , ,StunnedTuna , , , ,ManWithAnAgenda , ,SOShea
6
63,386 members
1,141 reviews
4
122 Members
hailelib, mark, gilroy, szarka, gennyt, hipdeep, adsddy, devenish, pgmcc, SqueakyChu, charlenemartel, psybre, SRHarbin, Stav, Rtrace, ayaeckel, Euryale, grizzly.anderson, rarm, goldenmoon, Ragnell, bibliorex, mccin68, enrique_molinero, BookWallah, lluisanglada, Surtac, acenturyofsleep, mahsdad, feaelin, DeusXMachina, Julilla, falkman, DugsBooks, pamur, bookwormist, arne.frey, BeckyJG, Ross.Farnsworth, CarltonC, okeres, merrystar, blackdove07, geitebukkeskjegg, Balkan, scottd, deldevries, Myyst, sturlington, flips, pwaites, sesanderson, jasmaynard, perennialreader, Sylak, dot.zen, souloftherose, marycloseburn, thecoroner, lewbs, alexdelarge, LiveAndrew, alanb1, JohnChic, Kristelh, Rbrancher2, Doey, alex68, mike_frank, eclecticdodo, Ippotamus, rretzler, electrice, RVerde, scificomics, Jarandel, peterveen, gypsysmom, bibliopolitan, parasolofdoom, al.vick, ahef1963, Bookwomble, scog.as, Tanya-dogearedcopy, deerhorne, Paulgnagy, deven.bookman, Peace2, beth623, horacio.salazar, dsp501, Vaclav_L, Laura1124, gendeg, dianeham, timetunnel, RecklessReader, David_Krajci, Rwbyy, Dairyqueen84, acousticmoose, towermancn, FranzK72, Andrew_Orange, ManWithAnAgenda, Antoavrg, SpotofBorg, Thelos12, DCJeffrey, skid0612, PlatinumWarlock, unadorned, shecht91, v_RuneBerg, JohnGault, blasetvt, heidihetzel, FernandoLor, mishok13, UtahTabby, guilloenlared,Edward ,pammab ,santhony ,Bluewolf0411 ,Bretzky1 ,bormgans
Explanations
Bluewolf0411: Great book, but not scifi.
electrice: read, science fiction, dystopia, stories must be destroyed, one could think for himself, rays of hope at the end
Bretzky1 : This is not a science fiction story.
24
48,364 members
1,237 reviews
4.1
64
8,599 members
261 reviews
3.9
73
8,819 members
191 reviews
4
31 Members
andyl, mark, Stav, Rtrace, paradoxosalpha, cthulhuslibrarian, amobogio, clong, m_island, Pamela110, Balkan, scottd, Myyst, freetrader, sesanderson, dot.zen, thecoroner, alexdelarge, Matteocalosi, Endobiker, diagram, alex68, scificomics, beth623, timetunnel, viot.henri, FranzK72, Antoavrg, RuthMariah, v_RuneBerg, guilloenlared,santhony ,dukeallen ,sturlington
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: One of Dick's most head-on approaches to his metaphysical conundrums. Written with an eye to the screen, and the pacing and characterizations reflect that.
74
3,126 members
80 reviews
3.8
26 Members
Only2rs, tardis, Quaisior, joeldinda, AsYouKnow_Bob, lquilter, Rtrace, sdobie, grizzly.anderson, Surtac, TLCrawford, aulsmith, stellarexplorer, okeres, geitebukkeskjegg, Pamela110, Matteocalosi, RVerde, Jarandel, linlef, beth623, Antoavrg, DCJeffrey, RuthMariah, mjones329, oldminiclub,gilroy ,feaelin ,
Explanations
gilroy: Too much of the book felt like backstory. I don't see how it could be on a Best Of list
aulsmith: I'm a sucker for interesting aliens
81
12,728 members
290 reviews
½ 3.5
83
4,070 members
129 reviews
3.9
27 Members
mkunruh, psybre, SRHarbin, Rtrace, ayaeckel, sdobie, bibliorex, dhm, pamur, stellarexplorer, CarltonC, okeres, Pamela110, Balkan, scottd, sturlington, RBeffa, tottman, dot.zen, marycloseburn, lewbs, Doey, Bluewolf0411, spaceowl, RVerde, scificomics, Echinopsis,Aerrin99 ,santhony ,skydog59
Explanations
skydog59 : boring, tedious, makes no sense- a teacher with a very bright son who somehow can not find the time to teach the boy despite the fact that he basically does nothing all day every day
84
6,689 members
118 reviews
3.9
85
7,365 members
320 reviews
4.1