25 Best Sci-Fi Book Series That Are Hard To Ignore

What are some of the best sci-fi book series you cannot ignore? Wonder which science fiction book series to pick up next? Don’t know where to start reading sci-fi? Need recommendations? You have come to the right place!

Contents

From traditional sci-fi to genetic engineering, from military sci-fi book series to sci-fi fantasy books, here are 25 of the best sci-fi book series that are hard to ignore.

1. The Hunger Games

The first science fiction book series on our list is The Hunger Games by the American author Suzanne Collins, a popular sci-fi Y/A book series based in a dystopian world. The series follows the teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen. It is a trilogy and includes the following books:

The Hunger Games (Novel published in 2008)
Catching Fire (Novel published in 2009)
Mocking Jay (Novel published in 2010)

You can get the series here:

2. Remembrance of Earth’s Past

Remembrance of Earth’s Past, also popularly known as the title of its first novel, is a sci-fi series by the Chinese author Lin Cixin. The series focuses on invasion by alien species and is very careful about actual science accuracy and logic. The series is a trilogy that includes the following books:

The Three-Body Problem (Novel published in English in 2014)
The Dark Forest (Novel published in English in 2015)
Death’s End (Novel published in English in 2016)

You can get the series here:

3. Red Rising Series

The Red Rising series is a dystopian Y/A sci-fi series written by the American author Pierce Brown. The series is a trilogy that includes the following books:

Red Rising (Novel published in 2014)
Golden Son (Novel published in 2015)
Morning Star (Novel published in 2016)

You can get the series here:

4. The Illuminae Files

The Illuminae Files is a trilogy by the Australian authors Amie Kaufmann and Jay Kristoff. The series is a Y/A space opera sci-fi written in the form of an epistolary novel. It includes the following books:

Illuminae (Novel published in 2015)
Gemina (Novel published in 2016)
Obsidio (Novel published in 2016)

You can get the series here:

5. Silo

This science fiction book series written by Hugh Howey is based on a post-apocalyptic world. It is a trilogy that includes the following books:

Wool (Novel published in 2013)
Shift (Novel published in 2013)
Dust (Novel published in 2013)

You can get the series here:

6. Imperial Radch Series

The Imperial Radch book series, written by the American author Ann Leckie follows Breq, the sole survivor of a spaceship destroyed by the evilness of the ship’s mental abilities due to artificial intelligence, as she attempts to attain revenge. The series focuses primarily on science

fiction and fantasy. It is a trilogy that includes the following books:

Ancillary Justice (Novel published in 2013)
Ancillary Sword (Novel published in 2014)
Ancillary Mercy (Novel published in 2015)

You can get the series here:

7. Commonwealth saga

The Commonwealth saga is a classic sci-fi series written by the British author Peter F. Hamilton. The series has two main novels:

Pandora’s Star (Novel published in 2004)
Judas Unchained (Novel published in 2005)

Peter F. Hamilton has written many other novels based in the same universe, such as The Void Trilogy, whose events occurred 1,200 years after Judas Unchained. The Void Trilogy includes the following books:

The Dreaming Void (Novel published in 2008)
The Temporal Void (Novel published in 2009)
The Evolutionary Void (Novel published in 2010)

Two more novels that are based in the same universe are:

The Abyss Beyond Dreams (Novel published in 2014). The events of this novel take place 203 years before those of The Void Trilogy.
Night Without Stars (Novel published in 2016). The events of this novel take place 5 years after the Void Trilogy.

You can get Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained here:

You can get The Void Trilogy here:

You can get The Abyss Beyond Dreams here:

You can get Night Without Stars here:

8. Revelation Space

The Revelation Space Series, written by the Welsh author Alastair Reynolds explores science fiction in a myriad of science fiction novels and spinoff series. The primary trilogy of this series is The Inhibitor Trilogy which includes the following books:

Redemption Space (Novel published in 2000)
Redemption Ark (Novel published in 2002)
Absolution Gap (Novel published in 2003)

Chasm City (Published in 2001) is a standalone novel that exists in the same universe.

A Prefect Dreyfus Emergency Series is also a trilogy in this universe. It includes the following books:

Aurora Rising (Novel published in 2007)
Open and Shut (Short story published in 2018)
Elysium Fire (Novel published in 2018)

You can get The Inhibitor Series here:

You can get Chasm City here:

You can get A Prefect Dreyfus Emergency Series here:

9. The Culture series

The Culture series, written by the Scottish author Ian M. Banks is a science fiction series set in a post-scarcity society. The series comprises nine novels and one short story collection:

Consider Phlebas (Novel published in 1987)
The Player Of Games (Novel published in 1988)
Use Of Weapons (Novel published in 1990)
The State of the Art (A short story collection published in 1991)
Excession (Novel published in 1996)
Inversions (Novel published in 1998)
Look to Windward (Novel published in 2000)
Matter (Novel published in 2008)
Surface Detail (Novel published in 2010)
The Hydrogen Sonata (Novel published in 2012)

You can get The Culture Series here.

10. The Foundation series

The Foundation series is a space opera written by the American writer Issac Asimov. The series includes some of the best sci-fi books ever written. The series has prequels and an extended series in addition to the primary series. The original Foundation Trilogy comprises the following books:

Foundation (Novel published in 1951)
Foundation and Empire (Novel published in 1952)
Second Foundation (Novel published in 1953)

Following are the Foundation prequels:

Prelude to Foundation (Novel published in 1988)
Forward the Foundation (Novel published in 1993)

Following are the extended Foundation sequels:

Foundation’s Edge (Novel published in 1982)
Foundation and Earth (Novel published in 1986)

You can get The Foundation series here:

11. Broken Earth series

The Broken Earth series is a sci-fi series written by the American author N.K. Jemisin addresses many important themes, such as the consequences of systemic racism and the long-term effects of climate change. The series includes some of the best sci-fi books ever written:

The Fifth Season (Novel published in 2015)
The Obelisk Gate (Novel published in 2016)
The Stone Sky (Novel published in 2017)

You can get the series here:

12. Dying Earth series

The Dying Earth series written by the American author Jack Vance has been called picaresque sci-fi in its style of reading. It includes the following books:

The Dying Earth (A collection of related stories published in 1950)
The Eyes of the Overworld (A fix-up published in 1966)
Cugel’s Saga (Novel published in 1983)
Rhialto the Marvellous (A collection of related stories published in 1984 )

You can get the series here:

13. Mars trilogy

The Mars trilogy is written by the American author Kim Stanley Robinson. It is one of the best sci-fi book series. In this series, Kim Stanley Robinson explores world-building via the chronicles of terraforming the planet Mars. It includes the following books:

Red Mars (Novel published in 1992)
Green Mars (Novel published in 1993)
Blue Mars (Novel published in 1996)

You can get the series here:

14. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a book series written collectively by the English author Douglas Adams, the Irish author Eoin Colfer, and the Swedish author Thomas Tidholm.

The series began as a sci-fi comedy radio broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978. It then got into various forms such as book series, stage shows, comic books, TV series, computer games, and feature films. The book series includes the following books:

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Novel published in 1979)
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Novel published in 1980)
Life, the Universe and Everything (Novel published in 1982)
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (Novel published in 1984)
Mostly Harmless (Novel published in 1992)
And Another Thing… (Novel published in 2009)

You can get The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series here:

15. The Uplift Storm series

The Uplift Storm series is a book series based in the Uplift universe, created and written by the American author David Brin. The series explores a galactic society. It includes the following books:

Brightness Reef (Novel published in 1995)
Infinity’s Shore (Novel published in 1996)
Heaven’s Reach (Novel published in 1998)

You can get The Uplift Storm series here.

16. Ender’s Game series

The Ender’s Game series is written by the American author Orson Scott Card. The series is often referred to as the Ender Saga and the Enderverse. There are 19 publications in the series, including five novels and one novella in the Ender series, five novels in the Shadow Saga, five novels in the Formic Wars series, one in the Fleet School series, and one collection of short stories. These are as follows:

Ender Series.

Ender’s Game (Novel published in 1985) is the first book in the Ender series.
Speaker for the Dead (Novel published in 1986) is the second book in the Ender series.
Xenocide (Novel published in 1991) is the third book in the Ender series.
Children of the Mind (Novel published in 1996) is the fourth book in the Ender series.
First Meetings (A collection of three novellas and Ender’s Game published in 2002) is the fifth book in the Ender series.
A War of Gifts: An Ender Story (Novella published in 2007) is the sixth book in the Ender series.
Ender in Exile (Novel published in 2008) is the seventh book in the Ender series.

Shadow Saga.

Ender’s Shadow (Novel published in 1999) is the first book in the Shadow Saga.
Shadow of the Hegemon (Novel published in 2001) is the second book in the Shadow Saga.
Shadow Puppets (Novel published in 2002) is the third book in the Shadow Saga.
Shadow of the Giant (Novel published in 2005) is the fourth book in the Shadow Saga.
Shadows in Flight (Novella published in 2012) is the fifth book in the Shadow Saga.
The Last Shadow (Novel published in 2021) is the sixth book in the Shadow Saga.

Formic Wars.

Earth Unaware (Novel published in 2012) is the first book in the Formic Wars series.
Earth Afire (Novel published in 2013) is the second book in the Formic Wars series.
Earth Awakens (Novel published in 2014) is the third book in the Formic Wars series.
The Swarm (Novel published in 2016) is the fourth book in the Formic Wars series.
The Hive (Novel published in 2019) is the fifth book in the Formic Wars series.

You can get the Ender series here.

You can get the Shadow Saga here.

You can get the Formic Wars series here:

17. Lensman Series

The Lensman Series is written by the American author Edward Elmer “Doc” Smith and has seven books:

Triplanetary (Novel published in 1948)
First Lensman (Novel published in 1950)
Galactic Patrol (Novel published in 1950)
Gray Lensman (Novel published in 1951)
Second Stage Lensman (Novel published in 1953)
Children of the Lens (Novel published in 1954)
The Vortex Blaster (Side story novel published in 1960)

You can get the series here.

18. Expanse series

The Expanse series is written under James S.A. Corey, the joint pen name of the American authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. It includes the following novels:

Leviathan Wakes (Novel published in 2011)
Caliban’s War (Novel published in 2012)
Abaddon’s Gate (Novel published in 2013)
Cibola Burn (Novel published in 2014)
Nemesis Games (Novel published in 2015)
Babylon’s Ashes (Novel published in 2016)
Persepolis Rising (Novel published in 2017)
Tiamat’s Wrath (Novel published in 2019)
Leviathan Falls (Novel published in 2021)

You can get the series here:

19. Lilith’s Brood

The Lilith’s Brood series is a trilogy by the American author Octavia E. Butler. It includes the following books:

Dawn (Novel published in 1987)
Adulthood (Novel published in 1988)
Imago (Novel published in 1989)

You can get the Lilith’s Brood series here.

20. The Murderbot Diaries

The Murderbot Diaries is a series written by the American author Martha Wells. It includes the following books:

All Systems Red (Novella published in 2017)
Artificial Condition (Novel published in 2018)
Rogue Protocol (Novel published in 2018)
Exit Strategy (Novel published in 2018)
Network Effect (Novel published in 2020)
Fugitive Telemetry (Novel published in 2021)

You can get The Murderbot Diaries series here.

21. Roboteer series

The Roboteer series is a sci-fi space opera trilogy by American author Alex Lamb. It includes the following books:

Roboteer (Novel published in 2015)
Nemesis (Novel published in 2016)
Exodus (Novel published in 2017)

You can get The Roboteer series here.

22. Fallen Empire series

The Fallen Empire series is a sci-fi book mainly written by the American author Lindsay Buroker. The series also has contributions from the American authors Anthea Sharp, Theresa Kay, Jill Hand, and the Australian author Patty Jansen. The series includes the following books:

Star Nomad (Novel)
Honor’s Flight (Novel)
Star Rebels (Stories of space exploration)
Starseers (Novel)
Relic of Sorrows (Novel)
Cleon Moon (Novel)
Arkadian Skies (Novel)
Perilous Hunt (Novel)
End Game (Novel)
Beyond the Stars: New Worlds, New Suns (An anthology)
Cyborg legacy (Novel)

You can get the series here:

23. The Axiom Series

The Axiom series explores the sci-fi world while maintaining accurate scientific logic. It is written by the American author Tim Pratt and includes the following books:

The Wrong Stars (Novel published in 2017)
The Dreaming Stars (Novel published in 2018)
The Forbidden Stars (Novel published in 2019)

You can get The Axiom series here.

24. Zones of Thought series

The Zones of Thought series is written by the American author Vernor Vinge. It includes the following books:

A Fire Upon The Deep (Novel published in 1992)
A Deepness In The Sky (Novel published in 1999)
The Children Of The Sky (Novel published in 2011)

You can get The Zones of Thought series here.

25. Riverworld series

The Riverworld series is one of the best sci-fi book series ever written. It was written by the American author Philip Jose Farmer. It includes the following books:

To Your Scattered Bodies Go (Novel published in 1971)
The Fabulous Riverboat (Novel published in 1971)
The Dark Design (Novel published in 1977)
The Magic Labyrinth (Novel published in 1980)
The Gods Of Riverworld (Novel published in 1983)
River Of Eternity (Novel published in 1983)

You can get The Riverworld series here.

The lovers of sci-fi books, fill up your coffee cup, take a deep dive into the world of sci-fi classics, and discover some of the best science fiction you have ever read! We have carefully curated this list for you; let us know which one of them is the best sci-fi book series and which novel is the best in that series.

Begin your deep space odyssey, visit alien races and star systems, travel into the far future, go beyond the solar system and ponder upon the future of the human race and society, all with the help of these books. Happy reading!

Last Updated on August 31, 2023 by K