We Value Your Privacy

This site uses cookies to improve user experience. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies.

I UNDERSTAND
LEARN MORE

Science Fiction Books Stories

Since the publication of the first-ever sci-fi book—arguably Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein—the genre has been in constant dialogue with our present. Sci-fi books encourage readers to envision new realities, and often prove prescient, both in imagining tech that eventually becomes real, and predicting events that come to pass.

The breadth of the genre can make it seem intimidating to new readers, but we recommend 50 of the best sci-fi novels ever to start your reading voyage. Or, you can explore sci-fi’s eras in chronological order, from the early classics by authors such as Jules Verne and H.G Wells and the so-called Golden Age of Sci-Fi, to the New Wave, to more recent must-reads from the past few decades. 

Alternatively, it’s possible to break your sci-fi book exploration down into subgenres. Do you prefer interstellar epics with drama on a galactic scale? Consider space opera. Do you want your stories to be grounded in reality and natural sciences? Then hard sci-fi is probably for you.

Or perhaps you’re a veteran sci-fi reader whose shelves are heavy with staples of the genre. In that case, The Portalist recommends hidden gems and underrated books to complete your collection. 

Regardless of where you are on your sci-fi reading journey, The Portalist’s sci-fi book stories can guide you on your voyage among the stars 

17886299aeac-spaceship.png

10 Books Like Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Gideon is purely original, but these books will please any fan.

10 Locus Award Winners and Nominees That Were Instant Classics

These Locus-recognized books deserve a spot in your home library.

9 SFF Books With a Hopeful Vision for the American Future

These stories articulate what a better America might look like.

9 Books by Black Fantasy Authors Getting Me Through 2020

These fantastical worlds and enchanting characters offer respite and rejuvenation.

Listen to the First Episode of Octavia's Parables, a New Podcast Dedicated to Octavia Butler

Parables launches June 22nd and is hosted by Toshi Reagon and Adrienne Maree Brown.

The 5th ‘Octavia Tried’ Webinar Focused On Pleasure Activism and a New Parables Podcast

The authors talked capitalism, creating new worlds, and the new Octavia's Parables podcast.

She Tried to Wake Me: My Humbling First Meeting With Octavia Butler

Octavia Butler's long-time editor Betsy Mitchell shares the story of their memorable first meeting.

9 Unmissable Books by Trans and Non-Binary Sci-Fi and Fantasy Authors

These reads deserve a home on your bookshelf — not just during Pride Month, but all year through.

9 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Novels That Celebrate and Honor Rebellion

Speculative fiction is filled with heroes standing up to the status quo.

The Fourth ‘Octavia Tried To Tell Us’ Webinar Explores Survival and the Myth of Saviors

This week, the speakers addressed systemic racism and the truth that 'no one is coming to save us.'

Congratulations to the 2019 Nebula Awards Winners! See the Complete List

The winners were announced this weekend during an unprecedented online ceremony.

The Third 'Octavia Tried to Tell Us' Webinar Explores Art & Fear in the Era of Corona

The 'parable for a pandemic' series looks to Butler's texts for guidance during unprecedented times.

Watch the Second Full 'Octavia Tried to Tell Us' Webinar Honoring Butler and Earthseed

Black authors and artists discuss Octavia Butler and art as a survival strategy in 2020.