sci-fi books that contain more science than fiction. Regardless of how a writer tackles the genre, there is much to explore in science fiction. Many authors attempt to go big with bold storylines, limitless imagination, and broken scientific boundaries.
Science fiction authors can be very ambitious, but it does not necessarily always work out. However, the sci-fi writers who succeed in setting out what they plan to do often produce big, ambitious stories that defy expectations and make the book worth reading. These works of fiction depict narratives that require extensive research, thorough details, and riveting characters. Whether these books are standalone sci-fi novels or full-length series, they definitely represent the best of science fiction.
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10 The Fifth Season (2015 – 2017)
Written by N.K. Jemisin
The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin is a rare series that perfectly blends fantasy and sci-fi. The fantasy aspect is quite evident since the books have talking stones and people with the power to manipulate earth textures. However, the most impressive part about The Broken Earth trilogy is how N.K. Jemisin integrated science fiction with the fantastical aspects. The Stillness is the only continent left on Earth, thousands of years from now and after many catastrophic natural disasters that have reshaped the world known as Seasons.
Given the circumstances, The Broken Earth trilogy needs a lot of thorough world-building and consistency, but N.K. Jemisin successfully achieved this goal while delivering a compelling narrative with complex characters.
The Broken Earth's fantasy characteristics were born from a scientific accident, and the supernatural and science are forever entwined. Given the circumstances, The Broken Earth trilogy needs a lot of thorough world-building and consistency, but N.K. Jemisin successfully achieved this goal while delivering a compelling narrative with complex characters. The series also touches upon themes of motherhood, oppression, survival, and love. There is nothing quite like The Broken Earth trilogy; it is uniquely ambitious and pays off immensely.
9 Red Rising Saga (2014 – Present)
Written by Pierce Brown
The Red Rising Saga is a series that takes place in the future, when humanity has efficiently colonized the Solar System, running society on color codes. Golds rule the world, while Reds are at the bottom of the barrel. The Red Rising Saga follows the protagonist, Darrow, as he s a rebellion against the system and infiltrates Gold society by pretending to be one of them. There are six books, with the seventh and final installment expected to be released soon. The Red Rising Saga is an ambitious series, given the complex societal system that author Pierce Brown created.
The Red Rising Saga |
Publication Date |
Narrative Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
Red Rising |
January 28, 2014 |
Book events take place over the course of a year |
Golden Son |
January 6, 2015 |
Begins two years after Red Rising; book events take place in several months |
Morning Star |
February 9, 2016 |
Begins one year after Golden Son; book events take place over two years |
Iron Gold |
January 16, 2018 |
Begins ten years after Morning Star; book events take place over two months |
Dark Age |
July 30, 2019 |
Begins six weeks after Iron Gold; book events take place over a few months |
Light Bringer |
July 25, 2023 |
Begins the same year as Dark Age; book events take place over a few months |
Red God |
TBA |
N/A |
The Red Rising Saga is an intricate story, and it is not just because humanity has colonized space—many stories have similar premises. Red Rising Saga is unique because Brown's vision includes revitalizing society entirely, making each planet inhabitable, enslaving the lowest classes, and including plot twists that shake up the main characters' lives. The book series also introduces advanced technology that does not currently exist but could be possible in the future. Pierce Browne put a lot of time, effort, and heart into Red Rising Saga, and it pays off in this epic story.
8 The Hunger Games (2008 – 2010)
Written By Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a young adult sci-fi dystopian trilogy that takes place in a futuristic United States where children from each district are sent to fight and die until there is one champion to entertain the upper class. The trilogy was so successful that it spawned a movie series and a new Haymitch Hunger Games prequel is set to be released on March 18, 2025, with the film adaptation coming to theaters on November 20, 2026.
The Hunger Games is an ambitious series because of its ability to tackle critical themes under intense and gruesome circumstances while still making it suitable for a young adult audience. The trilogy covers themes such as oppression, resistance, war, and media ethics in one of the most brutal ways possible, given the gory nature of the Games. However, Suzanne Collins takes extra measures to ensure that The Hunger Games is suitable for a young audience all while exploring imperative themes.
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7 The 5th Wave (2013 – 2016)
Written By Rick Yancey
The 5th Wave is a trilogy by Rick Yancey that tells the story of a futuristic world in which aliens take over Earth in waves. Although aliens are often explored in science fiction, Yancey's series is different because of the systemic way aliens take over Earth. The aliens in The 5th Wave trilogy also introduces the 12th System, technology that subdues humans by implanting them with special nanobot technology to become like the aliens. Rick Yancey crafted a story rooted in possible reality; everything that occurs is not a far stretch of the imagination, incorporating real themes from today's world.
6 Jurassic Park (1990 – 1995)
Written By Michael Crichton
Jurassic Park is a duology by scientific writer and filmmaker Michael Crichton. Although there are only two books, Jurassic Park became a multimedia franchise with several blockbuster movies, animated TV shows, comics, merchandise, and theme park attractions. However, the real gem is the original duology. Michael Crichton did not write about fantastical dinosaurs; he provided a scientific explanation as to how humans were able to bring dinosaurs back. His extensive background includes literature, biological anthropology, and medicine, which all aided him in writing this epic series.
Reading Jurassic Park and its sequel, The Lost World, illustrates the time, dedication, and research that Michael Crichton put into crafting these books. Not only is the premise for Jurassic Park thoroughly established, but the characters and dynamics Michael Crichton created are also compelling and complex. It is only a shame that the film franchise did not follow the books as closely as they should have. Jurassic Park might only have two books, but Michael Crichton built an ambitious and broad universe.
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5 The Space Between Worlds (2020)
Written By Micaiah Johnson
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson is set in a multiverse world with parallel universes. However, there is a catch—one can only travel to a parallel universe if their counterpart in said universe is already dead. The book follows Cara, who can travel almost freely because most of her counterparts have ed away. She leads three different lives that could not be more different from each other. The premise for The Space Between Worlds is risky and ambitious because it can easily fall apart. However, Micaiah Johnson succeeds because each setting serves a different purpose for Cara.
4 How High We Go in the Dark (2022)
Written By Sequoia Nagamatsu
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu is about a doctor who accidentally releases a plague that devastates humanity to the brink of extinction. The book takes place across hundreds of years in different scenarios to illustrate how humanity adapts in the most dire circumstances. A story like How High We Go in the Dark cannot have one cast of characters; it needs multiple plots to portray humanity's fight for survival. The novel works because Sequoia Nagamatsu connects each segment through common themes such as grief and loss, tied together by survival instincts and willingness to endure.
3 Brave New World (1932)
Written By Aldous Huxley
Brave New World is a sci-fi dystopian novel that takes place 500 years in the future when the concept of the family is extinct, and people are born and raised through artificial wombs, then classified based on their physical and mental abilities. Aldous Huxley set out to create an ambitious narrative with the various themes he wanted to explore, but it worked because of the two protagonists. There is Bernard Marx, who does not conform to society, and John, born naturally and raised by a single mother in a community that has not transitioned into Bernard's world.
Brave New World portrays Bernard Marx's desperation to leave his society, contrasting John's desperation to . The dystopian world that Aldous Huxley created covers themes such as motherhood, conformity, societal expectations, sexuality, and reproduction. Brave New World explores and unpacks various aspects of these themes, but Huxley's ambitious novel pays off because of Bernard and John's parallel trajectories. Once society accepts Bernard, he is ousted against his will, and once John s this futuristic society, he cannot tolerate it.
2 Binti (2015 – 2018)
Written By Nnedi Okorafor
Binti is a trilogy of novellas by Nnedi Okorafor about the titular character, who attends Oomza University, a school where various species across multiple galaxies can attend. Outerspace, including other planets such as Mars, often frequents sci-fi, but Binti is ambitious because of how Nnedi Okorafor entwines various humanity-related themes in the trilogy. These themes include otherness, knowledge, selfhood, and empathy. Although the Binti books are short, they work well for the narrative and what Nnedi Okorafor wants to explore in these novellas.
1 Remembrance of Earth's Past (2006 – 2010)
Written By Liu Cixin
The Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, more known as The 3 Body Problem, is a series by Cixin Liu about an advanced species, Trisolarans, looking to infiltrate and invade Earth due to their home planet, Trisolaris, no longer being inhabitable. Trisolarans discover Earth because Ye Wenjie uses the Sun to echo sounds across the universe, which reaches Trisolaris. Remembrance of Earth's Past touches upon many themes relating to humanity, especially as humans attempt to defeat Trisolarans as they approach the planet.
The 3 Body Problem explores the Chinese Cultural Revolution, relations between various alien species, global power, revolution, colonialism, and scientific progress. What makes Remembrance of Earth's Past so ambitious is how the story spans thousands of years to illustrate how humans and aliens interact and how said interactions change over time. The premise can easily lead to a messy narrative, but Cixin Liu crafts an epic sci-fi narrative with complex characters without losing sight of the bigger story.