The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books

Titles in bold are on the Classics of Science Fiction v5 list.

Title↥ Author/Editor Year Citations Reviews
Accelerando Charles Stross 2005
Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
Hugo Award - Novel Finalist
2012Locus Poll Best 21st Century Science Fiction Novels
2012Science Fiction the 101 Best Novels 1985-2010 by Damien Broderick and Paul Di Filippo
2016Sci-Fi Lists Top 200 - novel
2016Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction: A Basic Science Fiction Library
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
All Systems Red Martha Wells 2017
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2021NPR Books Summer Poll 2021: A Decade of Great Sci-Fi and Fantasy
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
All the Birds in the Sky Charlie Jane Anders 2016
Nebula Award - Novel Winner
Hugo Award - Novel Finalist
2019100 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Reedsydiscovery
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2021Worlds Without End: Award Winning Books by Women Authors
Annihilation Jeff VanderMeer 2014
Nebula Award - Novel Winner
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century
2016Amazon: 100 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2021NPR Books Summer Poll 2021: A Decade of Great Sci-Fi and Fantasy
2022The 50 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Esquire Magazine
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
The Calculating Stars Mary Robinette Kowal 2018
Nebula Award - Novel Winner
Hugo Award - Novel Winner
Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2021Worlds Without End: Award Winning Books by Women Authors
2021NPR Books Summer Poll 2021: A Decade of Great Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson 1999
Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
Hugo Award - Novel Finalist
2003The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction edited by Edward James and Farah Mendlesohn
2004Anatomy of Wonder: A Critical Guide to Science Fiction, 5th Edition by Neil Barron
2011NPR Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books
2012Locus Poll Best 20th Century Science Fiction Novels
2012AbeBooks: 50 Essential Science Fiction Books
2016Ranker: The Greatest Science Fiction Novels of All Time
2019Worlds Without End: Most Read Books of All-Time
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
Daemon Daniel Suarez 2006
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
The Girl with All the Gifts M. R. Carey 2013
2019100 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Reedsydiscovery
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood 1985
Nebula Award - Novel Finalist
Arthur C. Clarke Awards
1996North American College Courses in Science Fiction, Utopian Literature, and Fantasy edited by Arthur B. Evans
2001200 Significant Science Fiction Books by Women, 1984-2001 by David G. Hartwell
2003The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction edited by Edward James and Farah Mendlesohn
2004Feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy by Cynthia Ward
2004Anatomy of Wonder: A Critical Guide to Science Fiction, 5th Edition by Neil Barron
2005ISFDB Top 100 Books (Balanced List)
20091000 novels everyone must read (science fiction section)
2009Mindblowing SF by Women and People of Color (Tor.com)
2011NPR Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books
2012Science Fiction the 101 Best Novels 1985-2010 by Damien Broderick and Paul Di Filippo
2012Locus Poll Best 20th Century Science Fiction Novels
2014Mistressworks by Ian Sales
2014Best-Sci-Fi-Books: The 23 Best Science Fiction Books by Female Authors
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction 100
2016Sci-Fi Lists Top 200 - novel
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 200
2016Goodreads Science Fiction Books by Female Authors
2016Amazon: 100 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime
2016Book Riot 100 Must-Read Sci-Fi Fantasy Novels by Female Authors
2016How Great Science Fiction Works by Gary K. Wolfe
2016Ranker: The Greatest Science Fiction Novels of All Time
2016Sci Femme: The Reading List edited by Shannon Turlington
2016Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction: A Basic Science Fiction Library
2016Best-Sci-Fi-Books: 31 Best Literary Science Fiction Books
2018The Great American Read - PBS
2019Worlds Without End: Most Read Books of All-Time
2019The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Penguin Random House
2019100 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Reedsydiscovery
2020Top 100 Sci Fi Books - Movie Death Cult
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2021Worlds Without End: Award Winning Books by Women Authors
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams 1979
1984The Science Fiction Source Book edited by David Wingrove
1996North American College Courses in Science Fiction, Utopian Literature, and Fantasy edited by Arthur B. Evans
1999The Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy List
2002Strictly Science Fiction: A Guide to Reading Interests by Diana Tixier Herald and Bonnie Kunzel
2003The Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy List
2003The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction edited by Edward James and Farah Mendlesohn
20091000 novels everyone must read (science fiction section)
2011NPR Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books
2011Forbidden Planet: The 50 Books You MUST Read
2011Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy List
2012Locus Poll Best 20th Century Science Fiction Novels
2012AbeBooks: 50 Essential Science Fiction Books
2016Amazon: 100 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction 100
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 200
2016Sci-Fi Lists Top 200 - novel
2016Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction: A Basic Science Fiction Library
2016SF Masterworks
201675 Best New Wave Sci-Fi (1964-1983) Novels by Josh Glenn
2016Easton Press Masterpieces of Science Fiction
2016Ranker: The Greatest Science Fiction Novels of All Time
2018The Great American Read - PBS
2019Worlds Without End: Most Read Books of All-Time
2019The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Penguin Random House
2019100 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Reedsydiscovery
2020Top 100 Sci Fi Books - Movie Death Cult
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2022The 50 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Esquire Magazine
Kindred Octavia E. Butler 1979
2003The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction edited by Edward James and Farah Mendlesohn
2009Mindblowing SF by Women and People of Color (Tor.com)
20091000 novels everyone must read (science fiction section)
2014Best-Sci-Fi-Books: The 23 Best Science Fiction Books by Female Authors
2014Mistressworks by Ian Sales
201675 Best New Wave Sci-Fi (1964-1983) Novels by Josh Glenn
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 200
2016Goodreads Science Fiction Books by Female Authors
2016Sci Femme: The Reading List edited by Shannon Turlington
2016Amazon: 100 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime
2016Best-Sci-Fi-Books: 31 Best Literary Science Fiction Books
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2022The 50 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Esquire Magazine
Leviathan Wakes Daniel AbrahamTy Franck 2011
Hugo Award - Novel Finalist
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction 100
2019Worlds Without End: Most Read Books of All-Time
2020Top 100 Sci Fi Books - Movie Death Cult
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2021NPR Books Summer Poll 2021: A Decade of Great Sci-Fi and Fantasy
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
The Martian Andy Weir 2012
2016Ranker: The Greatest Science Fiction Novels of All Time
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 200
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century
2016Amazon: 100 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction 100
2018The Great American Read - PBS
2019Worlds Without End: Most Read Books of All-Time
2019The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Penguin Random House
2019100 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Reedsydiscovery
2020Top 100 Sci Fi Books - Movie Death Cult
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2021NPR Books Summer Poll 2021: A Decade of Great Sci-Fi and Fantasy
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
Ninefox Gambit Yoon Ha Lee 2016
Hugo Award - Novel Finalist
Nebula Award - Novel Finalist
2019100 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Reedsydiscovery
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2021NPR Books Summer Poll 2021: A Decade of Great Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Old Man's War John Scalzi 2005
Hugo Award - Novel Finalist
2011NPR Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books
2012Locus Poll Best 21st Century Science Fiction Novels
2012AbeBooks: 50 Essential Science Fiction Books
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction 100
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century
2016Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction: A Basic Science Fiction Library
2016Amazon: 100 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 200
2016Sci-Fi Lists Top 200 - novel
2019Worlds Without End: Most Read Books of All-Time
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
Pandora's Star Peter F. Hamilton 2004
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 200
2016Sci-Fi Lists Top 200 - novel
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction 100
2019The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Penguin Random House
2019100 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Reedsydiscovery
2020Top 100 Sci Fi Books - Movie Death Cult
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
The Player of Games Iain M. Banks 1988
1999The Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy List
2003The Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy List
2006100 Must-Read Science Fiction Novels
2011NPR Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books
2011Forbidden Planet: The 50 Books You MUST Read
2011Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy List
2012Locus Poll Best 20th Century Science Fiction Novels
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction 100
2016Ranker: The Greatest Science Fiction Novels of All Time
2016Sci-Fi Lists Top 200 - novel
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 200
2019Worlds Without End: Most Read Books of All-Time
2019100 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Reedsydiscovery
2020Top 100 Sci Fi Books - Movie Death Cult
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
The Queue Basma Abdel Aziz 2016
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
Ready Player One Ernest Cline 2011
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 200
2016Sci-Fi Lists Top 200 - novel
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century
2016Amazon: 100 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction 100
2018The Great American Read - PBS
2019Worlds Without End: Most Read Books of All-Time
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
Red Mars Kim Stanley Robinson 1992
Hugo Award - Novel Finalist
British Science Fiction Association Awards
Nebula Award - Novel Winner
1994The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction by David Pringle
1996North American College Courses in Science Fiction, Utopian Literature, and Fantasy edited by Arthur B. Evans
2003The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction edited by Edward James and Farah Mendlesohn
2004Anatomy of Wonder: A Critical Guide to Science Fiction, 5th Edition by Neil Barron
2005ISFDB Top 100 Books (Balanced List)
2006100 Must-Read Science Fiction Novels
2011NPR Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books
2011Forbidden Planet: The 50 Books You MUST Read
2011Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy List
2012AbeBooks: 50 Essential Science Fiction Books
2012Locus Poll Best 20th Century Science Fiction Novels
2012Science Fiction the 101 Best Novels 1985-2010 by Damien Broderick and Paul Di Filippo
2016Amazon: 100 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction 100
2016Ranker: The Greatest Science Fiction Novels of All Time
2016Sci-Fi Lists Top 200 - novel
2016How Great Science Fiction Works by Gary K. Wolfe
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 200
2016Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction: A Basic Science Fiction Library
2019Worlds Without End: Most Read Books of All-Time
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2022The 50 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Esquire Magazine
Revelation Space Alastair Reynolds 2000
20091000 novels everyone must read (science fiction section)
2012Science Fiction the 101 Best Novels 1985-2010 by Damien Broderick and Paul Di Filippo
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 200
2016Sci-Fi Lists Top 200 - novel
2016SF Masterworks
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction 100
2016How Great Science Fiction Works by Gary K. Wolfe
2019Worlds Without End: Most Read Books of All-Time
2020Top 100 Sci Fi Books - Movie Death Cult
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
Riddley Walker Russell Hoban 1980
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
Nebula Award - Novel Finalist
1985Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels by David Pringle
1996North American College Courses in Science Fiction, Utopian Literature, and Fantasy edited by Arthur B. Evans
2005ISFDB Top 100 Books (Balanced List)
20091000 novels everyone must read (science fiction section)
2016Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction: A Basic Science Fiction Library
2016SF Masterworks
201675 Best New Wave Sci-Fi (1964-1983) Novels by Josh Glenn
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
The Road Cormac McCarthy 2006
20091000 novels everyone must read (science fiction section)
2011NPR Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books
2012Science Fiction the 101 Best Novels 1985-2010 by Damien Broderick and Paul Di Filippo
2012Locus Poll Best 21st Century Science Fiction Novels
2016Amazon: 100 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century
2016Sci-Fi Lists Top 200 - novel
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 200
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction 100
2016Ranker: The Greatest Science Fiction Novels of All Time
2016Best-Sci-Fi-Books: 31 Best Literary Science Fiction Books
2016How Great Science Fiction Works by Gary K. Wolfe
2019Worlds Without End: Most Read Books of All-Time
2020Top 100 Sci Fi Books - Movie Death Cult
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
Software Rudy Rucker 1982
Philip K. Dick Award
1987Anatomy of Wonder: A Critical Guide to Science Fiction, 3rd Edition by Neil Barron
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
Starfish Peter Watts 1999
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel 2014
Arthur C. Clarke Awards
2016Sci Femme: The Reading List edited by Shannon Turlington
2016Book Riot 100 Must-Read Sci-Fi Fantasy Novels by Female Authors
2016Best-Sci-Fi-Books: 31 Best Literary Science Fiction Books
2019The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Penguin Random House
2019100 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Reedsydiscovery
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2021Worlds Without End: Award Winning Books by Women Authors
2021NPR Books Summer Poll 2021: A Decade of Great Sci-Fi and Fantasy
2022The 50 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Esquire Magazine
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
The Three-Body Problem Cixin Liu 2014
Hugo Award - Novel Winner
Nebula Award - Novel Finalist
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2021NPR Books Summer Poll 2021: A Decade of Great Sci-Fi and Fantasy
2022The 50 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time - Esquire Magazine
2022Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century (Listopia/Goodreads 6/25/22)
To Say Nothing of the Dog Connie Willis 1998
Hugo Award - Novel Winner
Nebula Award - Novel Finalist
Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
2001200 Significant Science Fiction Books by Women, 1984-2001 by David G. Hartwell
2014Best-Sci-Fi-Books: The 23 Best Science Fiction Books by Female Authors
2016SF Masterworks
2016Goodreads Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 200
2016Goodreads Science Fiction Books by Female Authors
2016Sci Femme: The Reading List edited by Shannon Turlington
2016Sci-Fi Lists Top 200 - novel
2019Worlds Without End: Most Read Books of All-Time
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
2021Worlds Without End: Award Winning Books by Women Authors
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) Dennis E. Taylor 2016
2020The Best Modern Classic Science Fiction Books
Books: 29