3 Sci Fi Novels Worth a Look

Much more than schlocky B-rated fare like Attack of the 50-Foot Woman, science fiction can be groundbreaking and eye-opening as well as incredibly entertaining. Marked by authors who have significant powers of imagination, sci fi novels can introduce us to new worlds as well as teach us how to look at our own world through different eyes. If you’re a lover of sci fi or want to dip your toe into the genre, here are three sci fi novels that are definitely worth taking a look at.

Dune

Sci fi aficionados must not overlook the epic science fiction novel Dune, which was originally published in 1965 and turned into both a movie and a miniseries. American author Frank Herbert won the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel for Dune and, in 2003, it was cited as the best-selling science fiction novel of all time. Like many sci fi novels, Dune is set in the distant future and centers around a feud between families controlling two different planets. Incorporating religion, politics, technology, and the human heart, Dune is as multi-layered and though-provoking as it is fun to read. Though it can be read and enjoyed on its own, Herbert wrote five more in this series and they are all worth checking out.

The Fifth Season

Winner of the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Novel and called ‘intricate and extraordinary’ by the New York Times, N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season is an example of how readable and deeply felt contemporary sci fi novels can be. Centered around the world of The Stillness, a super continent that experiences frequent environmental catastrophes, The Fifth Season is written in a fresh voice that features mind-blowing feats of creativity. Jemisin introduces readers to those who can control the elements, characters who can move through solid rock, and an ultra-threatening continent that is a character all on its own. Part thriller, part ecological commentary, and pure entertainment, The Fifth Season should keep even newbies to the genre glued to the page.

Oryx and Crake

Though the author herself describes Oryx and Crake as speculative fiction, it landed on many lists of the best science fiction books released in the 2000s. The story of a biotech company’s virus that gets loose and causes an apocalypse, the novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Orange Prize for Fiction. The book follows a character named Snowman as he leaves the group of primitive humanoids he’s been living among to return to his childhood home There he meets a brilliant science student he refers to as Crake and, as their paths converge, the future will be irrevocably changed. Portraying a future even gloomier than that of the author’s widely regarded The Handmaid’s Tale, Oryx and Crake is a cautionary story about the dangers of innovation and greed and the powers of connection.

Genre-hopping readers should always make sure to include a good sci fi novel on their to-read list. For those who have not yet tried out this type of fiction or who are looking for something new to read, you can’t go wrong with any of the sci fi selections on this list.