If you love science fiction, you’ve probably realized it’s a great way to explore the seemingly impossible “what ifs” of life. What if aliens are real, and they’re out to conquer the earth? What if your fiancee was actually a robot spy? What if, what if, what if?
And, what if we could compile a list of all the best science fiction book series for you to enjoy? In this post, we hope to give you your next otherworldly binge-read experience!
15 of the Best Science Fiction Book Series
Here are some of the best science fiction worlds you can explore right now:
1. Dune by Frank Herbert
This series won the Nebula awards with its story of a young man who, along with his family, is given the stewardship of Arrakis, the planet which is the sole source of a drug known to improve mental capacity and life span.
This classic sci fi series is considered one fo the best series in science fiction history.
2. The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry
This dystopian series opens with the first book, a Newbery Medal awardee in 1994, featuring a society that seems to be utopian but actually has something dark lurking underneath.
Each succeeding book then follows a different protagonist but is set in the same future world.
3. The Expanse Series by James S. A. Corey
What if a colonization of the solar system were to take place hundreds of years from now?
Follow the tensions between Earth and Mars as a ship captain and his fellow survivors try to find out the reason they’ve been attacked.
4. The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold
This Hugo Award-winning series of 16 books and 5 novellas also comes in several omnibus versions, and may seen daunting for newbies to sci fi.
Still, readers are sure to enjoy the social intrigue issues, plot twists, and amazing escapes in this thrilling space opera.
5. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanna Collins
What happens if the government regularly sends 12 children to join in a reality show—of a battle to the death?
This trilogy has since been adapted into a movie, with Katniss Everdeen volunteering as Tribute in lieu of her younger sister.
6. The Patternist Series by Octavia Butler
Follow the secret race to power and the obsession to transform the world, starting from Ancient Egypt all the way to the 20th century. Explore issues like race, power, gender, and even biological engineering.
7. The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov
Follow the future rise and fall of empires that span entire galaxies in this Hugo Awardee for Best All-Time series.
This series focuses more on human society than on space opera themes, but you will surely enjoy the futuristic technology set forth in these tales.
8. The Three-Body Problem Series by Cixin Liu
This hard science fiction series is set during the Cultural Revolution of China. What if an extraterrestrial force receives a signal from Earth and comes to invade the planet?
How can humans resist the invasion, especially as other people aim to help the aliens conquer the world?
9. The Forever War Series by Joe Haldeman
Experience the thrill of being right smack in the middle of an interstellar war between humans and an alien species in this military science fiction series considered among the best of its kind!
10. Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
This sci-fi series is one of the best examples of climate fiction, featuring the super-continent Stillness which undergoes unparalleled climate change every “fifth season.”
Humans strive to help the members of their community survive and minimize the effects of the fifth season by controlling the energy on the earth.
11. Oxford Time Travel Series by Connie Willis
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to time travel? Read about the experiences of a group of Oxford history students as they explore time-traveling to the future, with a few scenes taking place in World War II.
12. The Silo Trilogy by Hugh Howey
Explore the post-apocalyptic world with this trilogy set in a subterranean city under the Earth’s surface, through the eyes of the different characters in this trilogy.
What mysteries will a sheriff and a mayor, among others, unveil about Silo? How will they restore hope to man along the way?
13. The Culture Series by Iain M. Banks
This dystopian series set on spaceships is one of the best stories to rekindle interest in space opera at a time when it was considered boring and out of date.
Banks effectively mixes the common space tropes with radical political issues.
14. The Centenal Cycle by Malka Older
Read through this sci fi-slash-political-thriller with a cyberpunk twist, which explores issues like election fraud, natural and man-made disasters, and other themes that you can really relate to in this modern day.
15. Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu
If you loved Divergent or The Hunger Games, this is another dystopian series for young adults that you will surely enjoy.
Set in a darkened version of Los Angeles in the future, with Martial Law in place, see what happens when a young prodigy crosses paths with a wanted criminal.
SciFi Series
If you love science fiction, nothing compares to finding a book series that you can enjoy volume after volume. After all, you get to experience the fantasy world in greater measure and over a longer period of time, without needing to worry about stretching your current read because you don’t know what to pick up next!
f you haven’t read all the books in this list yet, try some of them out, or consider gifting them to a friend who’s just starting out in the science fiction genre!
Do you have a favorite science fiction series? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
Well I’ve read the Expanse series now 4 times and I’m working on the 5th, I’ve read most of the Edgar Rice Burroughs books, all of the Tolkien books, the Dune series, and also the Rama series
The Expanse series is the one I enjoyed the most
I definitely include the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown in this list, if it were to be expanded to the top 20 list! Just finished Light Bringer, the sixth book in the series — it was definitely one of my favorites from the series.