People have asked which are my favorite science fiction, _fill in the blank_, and there are just too many possibilities. This led to the following list. I hope you enjoy it. And if you know someone else who would enjoy it, please share it!
The different headings below are actually subgenres under the Science Fiction genre.
Science Fiction is a series which follows the same primary character in each installment — David Weber’s Honor Harrington is a good example.
Steampunk is is a book or series subgenre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery and/or gears. Inspired by industrialization, steampunk is generally a Victorian or Victorian-inspired setting in an alternate universe.
I have included a few single books in this, partly due to my hopes that they are only the first in a series the author hasn’t yet named . . . *grin* . . .
I’ve tried to categorize the various series by what seems to be an underlying theme or concept. Within each category, there may be a subset of Children, Middle Grade, or YA.
Caveat: These are only series which I have read. It does not include everyone who has ever written a science fiction series!
I do try to update this page once a year, adding new authors or series to the list. If you subscribe to my blog, you will get the updates as and when.
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| Anthology Apocalyptic Dystopian Exploring the Human Condition |
Fantasy Funny Military Romance |
Space Opera Steampunk Time Travel |
Anthologies
There are certain editors who put together anthologies — various authors whose short stories are in the same literary form, the same period, or on the same subject — that are always a winner.
John Joseph Adams’ The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination: Original Short Fiction for the Modern Evil Genius is a pip with 22 short stories revolving around the mad scientist, his assistant, and/or descendants.
George R.R. Martin and Gardner R. Dozois frequently collaborate as editors on anthologies, including Dangerous Women.
Jonathan Strahan‘s The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year. This is only the first of a number of volumes of short stories.
Apocalyptic
Faith Hunter‘s Rogue Mage features Thorn St. Croix, a salvager who sells her found goods in her shop in a post-apocalypse world. It also has scary angels in it.
Richelle Mead‘s Age of X drops you into a schizophrenic sort of world. One in which a couple nations are the haves and the rest all want. Dr. Justin March and Mae are agents for the haves who are sent out to uncover religious zealots about to run amuck. It’s a fascinating world.
If you’re at all concerned about the apocalypse coming, read S.M. Stirling‘s Emberverse as we follow the survivors reorganizing their world and working to create new laws to fit the situation.
Detectives, Agents, Oh My
Angela Knight‘s Time Hunters follows the sci-fi romances of an alien, enhanced group of agents who police time.
Detectives, Agents, Oh My – Middle-Grade Readers
Eoin Colfer‘s W.A.R.P. is really more middle-grade than young adult and finds a young FBI agent caught up in a struggle over who will control time through a time machine. It’s great fun.
Dystopian
Richelle Mead‘s Age of X finds the world divided into different political entities with an emphasis on religious investigations in this intriguing mix of 1984, a little bit Brave New World with a dose of ancient Greece’s and Rome’s politics and myths.
Dystopian – YA
Marie Lu‘s Legend is a science fiction dystopian alternate history in which teens from opposing sides learn the truth of their world and battle to right the wrongs. Reminds me of Veronica Roth’s Divergent.
NEW Stephenie Meyer‘s Host finds earth occupied by aliens.
Veronica Roth‘s Divergent finds teens on the run from one of the traitorous branches of their current government who are intent on ruling them all. It’s George Orwell’s 1984 with a hint of Lord of the Flies — a The Hunger Games wanna-be.
Exploring the Human Condition
I know, it’s something of a catch-all category and includes science fiction classics.
Aldous Huxley‘s Brave New World is a classic (the society of 2540 is separated into different classes forbidden to indulge while the mores and behaviors of OUR society are seen as savage) which any author should read several times. I always get this one confused with __’s 1984.
Kurt Vonnegut. Absolutely anything he’s done.
Fantasy
Fantasy – Middle Grade
Alexander Key‘s The Case of the Vanishing Boy and The Forgotten Door were childhood favorites. He also wrote the Witch Mountain seres which most of you may recall as the films: Escape to Witch Mountain and Return to Witch Mountain.
Fantasy – YA
I’m reluctant to include Orson Scott Card simply because he supports anti-gay legislation. He is, however, a good writer, so if you can, please don’t buy his books but read the ones at the library. His Ender Quintet and Ender’s Shadow are parallel series (you may want to refer to my chronological listing of how the two series intersect.
R.C. Lewis‘ Stitching Snow is one of those stories that I hope will turn into a series.
Funny
John Scalzi‘s Redshirts is an absolute crack-up! If you are a Star Trek fan, you absolutely must read this. Be warned it is a bit confusing, and I think having read Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next was a major help for me in navigating Redshirts.
Historical
Susanna Kearsley‘s Slains combines history, romance, and time travel and revolves around Slains Castle. She does have other standalone novels that involve romance, history, and time travel.
Military
Tanya Huff‘s Confederation was a PIP. A nasty interspecies war with the galaxy at risk with Torin Kerr, a formidable sergeant who gets the job done and leaves no one behind. The end of Confederation finds Torin at loose ends and a spin-off series has begun with Torin and her new partner (in all things) as a, ahem, Peacekeeper. Excellent series.
Romance
Science fiction romances are on KD’s Own List of Romance Series.
Space Opera
Larry Niven is one of those sci-fi writers I’ve been meaning to read, god knows I have enough of his books in my own library! His Ringworld is a classic.
Anything by John Varley! I loved the terror of his Millennium and his Thunder and Lightning is quite different with its Florida setting and the start with “seven suburban misfits constructing a spaceship out of old tanker cars. All to beat the Chinese to Mars.
David Weber‘s space opera (I’ll always consider it military sci-fi), Honor Harrington, is fabulous with a woman hero who rises through horrific adventures and wins the day.
Steampunk
Meljean Brook‘s Iron Seas (it used to be known as Tale of the Iron Seas) is fascinating with a range of historical scenarios. Definitely a paranormal romance series.
NEW Jim Butcher‘s The Cinder Spires has started with a dystopian feel amidst the betrayals.
Gail Carriger‘s Parasol Protectorate is an hysterically funny paranormal fantasy about the very commanding and astonishingly prosaic Alexia Tarrabotti who gets involved with werewolves and vampires. Based in Victorian England. There are two spin-off series from this: Finishing School which is a prequel series to the Parasol Protectorate and more of a YA urban fantasy with a school that emphasizes assassination techniques over history while The Custard Protocol, a.k.a., the Parasol Protectorate Abroad, is a sequel following Alexia and Conall’s daughter and her friends as they misadventure abroad in the British Empire.
Devon Monk‘s Age of Steam is an excellent urban fantasy set in the Old West.
Steampunk – Middle-Grade Readers
Scott Westerfeld‘s Leviathan is a fascinating re-write of World War I history in this children’s military adventure series. An urban fantasy.
Steampunk – YA
Gail Carriger‘s Finishing School is a scream. You’ll be laughing throughout this Victorian finishing school for young spies as Sophronia learns her trade in a most unexpected manner.
Caitlin Kittredge‘s Iron Codex is an urban fantasy YA series that finds Aoithe fighting an assortment of bigots and the fae.
Mercedes Lackey, Rosemary Edghill, and Jane Hodson‘s Dead Reckoning is only one story in the steampunk tradition (and I’m hoping it will become a series). It finds a odd collection of characters battling zombies in the Old West.
Cherie Priest‘s The Clockwork Century is a rather terrifying YA apocalyptic steampunk scenario set in Seattle.
Time Travel
Time Travel – YA
Dani Atkins‘ Then and Always is a twist on the movie Sliding Doors.
Ann Brashares‘ The Here and Now is a romantic thriller involving an apocalyptic future which these immigrants fled.
Eoin Colfer‘s W.A.R.P. involves a young Victorian boy whisked into the future and the FBI’s covert W.A.R.P. operation (Witness Anonymous Relocation Program) with a mad man after him.
