23 best sci-fi books to help you escape reality: From Dune to The Martian

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Whether you’re craving distant galaxies, futuristic tech or alternate realities, sci‑fi offers the perfect escape from the everyday.

From the sprawling deserts of Dune to the high‑stakes survival of The Martian, these 23 unmissable books will take you on journeys that stretch the imagination, challenge perception and remind us why we fell in love with the genre in the first place.

There’s something for everyone on this list of the best sci-fi books, so buckle up and prepare to enter the stratosphere with us.

23 best sci-fi books

1. Dune by Frank Herbert

Before it became a blockbuster film starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, Dune was Frank Herbert’s bestselling sci-fi epic, followed by five sequels that many fans still consider the pinnacle of the genre.

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, it follows Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling a hostile world where the most precious resource is the “spice” melange, a substance that extends life and heightens awareness. When House Atreides is betrayed, Paul is thrust into a perilous journey; one that will shape not only his destiny, but the fate of an entire universe.

2. The Martian by Andy Weir

Some readers shy away from sci-fi set in our own universe, while others love it for that shred of possibility. And Andy Weir’s The Martian feels all too possible.

It follows astronaut Mark Watney, one of the first people to walk on Mars, and soon to be the first to be left for dead there. After a violent dust storm nearly kills him, his crew evacuates, believing he didn’t survive. Stranded, alone and unable to contact Earth, Mark has limited supplies that won’t last until a rescue mission. Even worse, starvation may not be the most pressing threat: failing machinery, the brutal Martian environment or a simple mistake could end his life far sooner.

But Mark refuses to give up. With ingenuity, dark humour and sheer determination, he tackles one obstacle at a time. The result is a tense, exhilarating survival story that feels terrifyingly real.

3. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Chances are you first encountered this book at school, although you might not have fully appreciated it at the time. Published in 1949, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four imagined a future that felt chillingly prescient by the time 1984 arrived, and in many ways feels even more relevant today, especially in an age of mass surveillance and advancing AI. It’s a novel that still feels less like fiction and more like a warning.

Set in Oceania, a totalitarian state ruled by the ever-watchful Party and its figurehead, Big Brother, the story follows Winston Smith, a man who quietly longs for truth, intimacy and freedom. Such “thought crimes” are punishable by imprisonment or death. When Winston begins an illicit affair, he’s drawn into the dangerous world of resistance and the brutal reality of what it means to challenge absolute power.

4. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Another classic sci-fi novel you may have first encountered in the classroom, Brave New World is well worth revisiting with a little more age and perspective. The best science fiction books endure because they reflect timeless fears and questions, and Aldous Huxley’s 1932 novel, written in the shadow of rising fascism, feels unsettlingly relevant today.

Huxley imagines a future where society is engineered for control: humans are genetically bred, socially conditioned, and chemically numbed to ensure passive obedience to an authoritarian order. It’s a world of dazzling technological advancement, but at the expense of freedom, individuality and perhaps even the soul.

5. The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

Don’t limit yourself to the best sci‑fi novels written in English, as Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem is a revolutionary leap for the genre. Its blend of grand, universal themes – humanity’s place in the cosmos, the nature of civilisation, and the ethics of survival – alongside a gripping narrative of mystery and suspense, has secured its place in the sci‑fi hall of fame.

Set during China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space, hoping to make contact with alien life. The message is received by a civilisation on the brink of extinction, which then plans to invade Earth. Back on our planet, factions form: some are intent on welcoming the newcomers and aiding their conquest of what they see as a corrupt world, while others are determined to resist at all costs.

6. Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Sci‑fi doesn’t just explore different worlds and societies; it can also reinvent the very structure of storytelling. Dan Simmons's Hyperion is a perfect example, framing its narrative like The Canterbury Tales within a sprawling science‑fiction epic. The result is a mysterious, emotionally rich journey filled with unique characters and profound questions about life, artificial intelligence and humanity’s future. Celebrated for its masterful space‑opera world‑building, Hyperion weaves the interconnected stories of seven pilgrims, exploring deep philosophical themes alongside the enigma of the Shrike.

On the world of Hyperion, beyond the reach of the Hegemony of Man, waits the creature known as the Shrike. Some worship it. Some fear it. Some have sworn to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs – monolithic structures moving backwards through time – the Shrike waits. On the eve of Armageddon, with the galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion. Each carries a desperate hope, a terrible secret and perhaps the fate of humanity itself.

7. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

One of the newest additions to the canon of great science fiction books, The Ministry of Time is a genre‑bending tale of time travel, politics, espionage and the transformative power of love. It asks questions that feel uncomfortably close to reality. A recently established government ministry is recruiting “expats” from across history to explore whether time travel is possible, not just for the body, but for the fabric of space‑time itself.

Our unnamed protagonist is promoted to the role of “bridge” and tasked with living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known only as “1847”, Commander Graham Gore. What begins as a mission she expects to be nothing more than a painfully awkward arrangement evolves into something far more profound. By the time the true scope of the Ministry’s project is revealed, the bridge has fallen headlong and irrevocably in love, with consequences she could never have foreseen. Facing choices that will shape the future, she must decide what she truly believes and what she is willing to risk to change it. This might just be one of the best time travel tales of the decade, raising questions we never thought to ask and couldn't possibly begin to answer.

8. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Sometimes we just need a good laugh with a side of sci‑fi. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy may be one of the most absurd novels ever written, yet it’s also strangely comforting and deeply thought‑provoking. It won’t make sense... until it does.

Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is rescued by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, who has spent the last 15 years posing as an out‑of‑work actor.

Together, they embark on a chaotic journey through space, guided by the Guide itself (“A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have”) and joined by a galaxy‑full of unforgettable characters: Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two‑headed, three‑armed, ex‑hippie president of the galaxy; Trillian, Arthur’s one‑time cocktail party crush; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, chronically depressed robot; and Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student obsessed with the mysterious disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he has ever owned. An unlikely crew that will have you giggling into the pages and scratching your head in bewonderment.

9. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

We return to Mars once again with Kim Stanley Robinson’s captivating trilogy about the colonisation of the red planet. More than 30 years old, it still feels eerily plausible in today’s climate, especially with renewed focus on Mars.

John Boone, Maya Toitavna, Frank Chalmers and Arkady Bogdanov lead a bold terraforming mission. For some, Mars becomes a passion that drives acts of courage and madness. For others, it is an opportunity to strip the planet of its riches. For the genetic alchemists, it offers the chance to create a biomedical miracle, reshaping everything we know about life and death. Colonists orbit giant satellite mirrors to channel light to the surface. Black dust on the polar caps captures warmth. Massive tunnels, kilometres deep, are drilled into the mantle to unleash stupendous vents of hot gases.

Against this backdrop of grand upheaval, rivalries will ignite, alliances will fracture and loves will form and fall apart. For there are those willing to fight to the death to keep Mars unchanged.

10. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Cover of Fahrenheit 451 with the title over a flame

Looking for a shorter science‑fiction novel? Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a masterwork of twentieth‑century literature, set in a chilling dystopian future where burning books becomes the ultimate tool of control. Bradbury’s warning still feels disturbingly relevant: strip away knowledge, and you strip away freedom.

In this world, television dominates and literature teeters on the brink of extinction. Guy Montag is a fireman tasked with destroying the most forbidden of commodities: printed books. He follows orders without question, returning each day to a dull life with his wife, Mildred, who is absorbed by her television “family”. But when Montag meets his curious neighbour Clarisse – who reveals a past without fear and a present shaped by ideas – he begins to question everything. After Mildred’s suicide attempt and Clarisse’s sudden disappearance, Montag starts hiding books in his home. When his secret is discovered, he must flee for his life.

11. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

This might be the strangest entry on this list of the best sci‑fi books, but stick with it, and you won’t be disappointed. I Who Have Never Known Men is a haunting, heartbreaking post‑apocalyptic novel about female friendship, intimacy and the lengths people will go to preserve their humanity in the face of devastation. Fair warning: it will make you cry.

Deep underground, 40 women are imprisoned in a cage. Watched over by guards, they have no memory of how they arrived, no sense of time and only fragments of their lives before captivity. As years pass in the burn of electric light that erases day and night, one young woman – the 40th prisoner – remains isolated and silent in a corner. But she will prove to be the key to the others’ escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above ground.

12. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

One of the strengths of science fiction is its ability to explore real‑world themes more deeply, free from the constraints of conventional fiction. Kindred is a powerful example, blending historical fiction with sci‑fi to examine the enduring impacts of racism, sexism and white supremacy.

Dana, a present-day Black woman, is celebrating her 26th birthday with her new husband when she is abruptly pulled from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned to save him. Time and again, Dana is drawn back to the slave quarters, each visit growing longer, more arduous and more dangerous, until it becomes uncertain whether her life will end before it truly begins.

13. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

At its core, Slaughterhouse‑Five is about the absurdity of existence and the ways we try to make sense of it. Celebrated for its blend of humour, tragedy and experimental storytelling, it explores war, trauma, and fatalism, cementing its place as a profoundly human and enduring anti‑war classic.

The novel follows Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes “unstuck in time” after surviving the firebombing of Dresden as a prisoner of war during World War II. His story leaps between childhood, wartime horrors, life as a post‑war optometrist and an otherworldly abduction by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. This is one of those novels you simply must read at least once in a lifetime.

14. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Cover of Never Let Me Go with a cassette tape

Let’s put a pin in other planets and space travel and turn to the medical side of sci‑fi, something that feels eerily close to reality. Never Let Me Go is a dystopian novel wrapped in romance, friendship and bittersweet coming‑of‑age hopefulness. Spoiler: you’re going to cry, a lot, even more than you think.

Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth grow up at Hailsham, a secluded private school in the English countryside, where children are sheltered from the outside world. Raised to believe they are special and that their well‑being matters not just to themselves but to society, they are blissfully unaware of the truth. Now adults, they must confront the dark secret behind Hailsham’s protective façade, and the shocking reality of their own existence. It captures the way that memories can deceive you, and new evidence can bring a sinister light to the past. Never Let Me Go also raises questions about bodily autonomy that have never been more relevant than in today's political climate.

15. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Alright, let’s give your tear ducts a break and head into the wild west of gaming sci‑fi. With gaming and virtual reality now dominating popular culture, immersive worlds have never been more tantalising. Fans describe this book as a geek fantasy, a nerd utopia.

It’s 2044 and the world is in a worse state than it is now – if that’s even possible. The only time teenager Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade has devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines; puzzles based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past, promising massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill for the ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win and confront the real world he’s always been desperate to escape. You might want to unplug your PlayStation after this one.

16. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

A searing, post‑apocalyptic novel that lingers in your mind long after the final page. Many argue that this is Cormac McCarthy’s masterpiece, though it faces stiff competition. The Road is a profoundly moving story of a journey, one that imagines a future where hope has all but vanished, yet love endures.

A father and his son walk alone through a burned America. Nothing stirs in the ravaged landscape except ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stone, and when snow falls, it is grey. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, though they have no certainty of what awaits them there. They have nothing but a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes on their backs, a cart of scavenged food and each other. It's a tale of how far a father will go for his son and the loss of humanity that occurs when societal rules are shed. It's not for the faint of heart, we'll tell you that much.

17. The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

Multiverse stories are all the rage in film and television, but few capture their complexity and politics as deftly as Micaiah Johnson’s The Space Between Worlds. Multiverse travel is possible, but with a catch: no one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Cara, however, has a rare track record as her parallel selves are exceptionally good at dying, whether from disease, turf wars or vendettas they couldn’t outrun. She’s already perished on 372 worlds.

On this Earth, though, Cara has survived. Identified as an outlier and deemed the perfect candidate for multiverse travel, she is plucked from the wastelands and given a new life in the lower levels of the wealthy, walled‑off Wiley City. Citizenship and security are hers, as long as she keeps her head down and avoids trouble. Trouble, however, has other plans; when one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances, Cara is drawn into a world where survival comes at the cost of unearthing a dangerous secret.

18. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

There is something uniquely affecting about love painted against the backdrop of the boundlessness of space and time. This Is How You Lose the Time War is a novel of war, betrayal, longing and the paradox of time – or rather, its absence.

Amid the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant discovers a letter marked: burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents, each determined to secure the best possible future for their warring factions. What starts as a taunt – a battlefield boast – becomes something far greater: something epic, something romantic, something that could alter the past and the future. But the discovery of their bond would mean certain death. After all, the war still rages, and someone must win.

19. Jade City by Fonda Lee

The first book in The Green Bone Saga and Fonda Lee’s adult fantasy debut does not disappoint. Praised for its masterful world-building and morally complex characters, Jade City creates a vibrant setting reminiscent of 1970s Asia, delivering a story of loyalty, power and ambition. Think The Godfather, but as gritty, lush sci-fi fantasy.

The Kaul family leads one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon, the only place in the world where rare magical jade is found. This jade grants those with the right training and heritage extraordinary abilities.

Once guardians of Kekon against foreign invasion, the Green Bone clans now exist in a bustling post-war metropolis full of fast cars, foreign money and political intrigue. Their influence is in commerce, construction and controlling the districts they protect. But when tensions between the Kauls and their greatest rivals erupt into open violence, the fate of all Green Bones – and the future of Kekon itself – hangs in the balance. Keep your entire weekend free, as you'll struggle to put this one down.

20. Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Cover of Red Rising with a bird's wing silhouette

Welcome back to Mars! Again! Red Rising by Pierce Brown launches you into a brutal, fast-paced saga of dystopia, space opera and revenge. Expect epic battles, political intrigue worthy of Game of Thrones, and a hero driven to extremes.

Darrow is a Red, the lowest caste in a colour-coded future society, toiling under the belief that he is making Mars habitable for future generations. But Darrow discovers humanity conquered Mars long ago, and Reds like him are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Fuelled by justice and the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute – a proving ground for the ruling Gold caste. There, he must fight for survival and the fate of civilisation, even if winning means becoming the very thing he despises.

21. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin has earned her place among the greatest sci-fi writers of all time. In this groundbreaking novel, a lone human emissary, Genly Ai, is sent to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants spend much of their lives without gender, to negotiate its inclusion in an intergalactic civilisation. To succeed, Ai must navigate a society shaped by unfamiliar customs and political intrigue.

Ai forms an uneasy alliance with Estravan, a high-ranking Winter politician who risks everything to help him. Together, they embark on a perilous journey across Winter’s frozen wilderness, confronting harsh elements, betrayal and the fragility of trust. Celebrated for its exploration of gender, identity and humanity, The Left Hand of Darkness blends political intrigue, survival and philosophical depth into a profound meditation on connection and empathy.

22. Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Anyone who delegates spider-killing duty to their spouse should probably steer clear of this novel; though that would be a shame, because Children of Time is a thrilling ride from start to finish. Revered for its breathtaking scope, the novel blends an epic generational ship story with the fascinating evolution of a non-human species – spiders – from simple creatures to a technologically advanced civilisation. It explores profound themes of identity, human failings, and the ethics of scientific progress.

The last remnants of humanity flee a dying Earth, searching for a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover a world terraformed and prepared for human life – a new Eden. But centuries of abandonment have turned it into something far darker. New masters have claimed the planet, transforming it into mankind’s worst nightmare.

Now two civilisations hurtle toward inevitable conflict, each testing the limits of survival. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, the question remains: who are the true heirs of this new Earth?

23. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

What sets A Memory Called Empire apart is its richly imagined culture – a dazzling blend of Byzantium and Aztec influences – woven with poetry and linguistic depth that make reading it a truly immersive experience. Layered atop this is a sprawling interstellar empire and a web of political intrigue that feels like Succession in space.

Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives at the heart of the Teixcalaanli Empire to find her predecessor dead. No one admits his death wasn’t an accident, or that Mahit might be next, as political instability threatens the highest echelons of the imperial court.

To survive, Mahit must uncover who is behind the murder, protect herself and safeguard her small but fiercely independent mining Station from the empire’s expansion. All while navigating a seductive alien culture, engaging in dangerous intrigue of her own and guarding a technological secret that could either annihilate her Station... or save it. No biggie, right?

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Fleurine Tideman