6 Of The Greatest Sci-Fi Books Ever Written

Many would say Frankenstein is one of the original science fiction books written by a woman, who is considered the mother of the genre. The story follows our protagonist, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, in his ambitious pursuit to answer the question of whether the power of life and death can be harnessed by humanity.

Accumulating various limbs and organs recycled from his local graveyard, he fashions the pieces in place to repurpose them as his perfect reanimated subject. What comes after is a terrifying tragedy caused by Victor’s negligence toward his creature, and soon we find out what happens when the “monstrous” creature is ostracized.

Since publication, this book’s astounding impact has laid the groundwork for influencing the monster and gothic genres and even led to an entire monster movie franchise under Universal Pictures.

This book has become a social media phenomenon since being published. The plot follows correspondence between Red and Blue, two soldiers on opposite sides of a time war, as they slowly begin to fall in love with each other. But the devastating truth is that, in order to win the war, they must assassinate each other.

This is a queer romantic sci-fi book you didn’t know you needed, and even though it’s short, it still packs a punch and gives you characters to root for and love. It is a must-read if you’re a science fiction fan and love books with queer characters.

Gideon the Ninth is a sapphic magnet, which can be easily described as “necromancer lesbians in space!” And yet, this intriguing story is hard to put down and keeps you wanting more!

The plot follows Gideon Nav, the cavalier to Harrowhark "Harrow" Nonagesimus. Harrow is the heiress to the Ninth House and Gideon’s lifelong rival. The heirs and their cavaliers are summoned so that the heirs can compete to become Lyctors, immortal necromancers.

This is a queer book filled with murder, romance, and so many fandom references. The series is still going, and the fourth book has been announced, but the release date hasn’t been announced just yet.

Yet another book so good that it spawned film adaptations, which included Blade Runner and its sequel, Blade Runner 2049.

This book is set in a post-apocalyptic world following a nuclear global war, where most animals are extinct or on the brink of extinction. The plot follows two different characters who are on opposing sides. One is a bounty hunter, hunting the six escaped androids, and the other works to help the androids.

This book really gets you thinking about how science fiction could develop, especially in a post-apocalyptic world.

Dune is one of the world’s best-selling science fiction novels and has five sequels. In fact, it’s so good that it’s been made into not one but two movies, including Dune and Dune: Part 2, both of which made millions at the box office, and that’s why it deserves a spot on this list.

Originally published as two separate books, it's now been combined into one massive volume. Set in an interstellar society of noble houses, the book follows Paul Atreides, who’s from a noble house that rules over the planet Arrakis, which houses a drug called melange, or "spice,” that prolongs life and expands your awareness.

Paul and his family are given control of this planet by the Emperor, as Arrakis is the only planet that has this important resource, and therefore control is often contested.

When we talk about the science fiction genre, this book would be the first to come to mind for many people.

Last but by no means least, Jurassic Park, as foreshadowed earlier. Critically referred to as the “spiritual successor to Frankenstein,” Crichton’s novel explores the plausible revival of dinosaurs through science so they can coexist among modern humanity and the catastrophic consequences that could follow.

In the book, we follow a paleontologist and his paleobotanist colleague who venture to Costa Rica after many strange attacks and discover Jurassic Park, which is home to genetically recreated dinosaurs.

When eccentric billionaire John Hammond shows them around, things begin to go awry when dinosaurs escape and terrorize the workers and visitors.

This book has been adapted into six movies, and we’re hoping for more!