Science fiction can oftentimes feel intimidating – with its expansive world-building, complicated technology and mind-bending science. It’s an enormous genre and, with so much out there, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out where to start. Here we’ve selected some science fiction novels that ease you into the genre, with dashes of romance and fantasy that are sure to thrill and excite.
Dune by Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert’s Dune is the bestselling science fiction book of all time – for good reason!
Spice is a highly valuable and extremely rare element that can only be found in one place: the inhospitable desert world of Arrakis. Whoever controls Arrakis controls the spice. And whoever controls the spice controls the universe. When Paul Atreides suddenly becomes steward of Arrakis, he discovers the part he is to play in the future of the universe.
Perennially popular among readers of all genres and soft on the science, Dune is the perfect book to start with for your science fiction journey.
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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
If you’re looking to be charmed by a quirky cast and have your faith in humanity restored, we recommend The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.
Rosemary Harper has a troubled past and is looking for some peace and quiet. She joins the crew of the Wayfarer – filled with vibrant characters, all who have secrets of their own. The crew will soon discover that space may be vast, but spaceships are very small indeed.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is a delightful, heart-warming and cosy science fiction read.
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Mindwalker by Kate Dylan
In the mood for an action-packed young adult thriller? Look no further than Mindwalker.
Sil Sarrah has a supercomputer grafted to her brain which will shut down in twelve months – taking her with it. She uses this supercomputer in her work for the Syntex corporation, helping to rescue field agents. When a mission goes south and she is forced to flee, Sil joins rebel group Analog Army who fight against Syntex. Initially loyal to Syntex and hoping to take Analog Army – and its wild leader Ryder – down, Sil uncovers dark truths about her former employer that threaten everything she knows – and herself.
Mindwalker is a fast-paced page-turner with a dash of enemies-to-lovers!
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Frontier by Grace Curtis
Like queer romances? Like space cowboys? Like fiction that tackles climate change? We think you’ll love Frontier.
Thanks to climate change, Earth has become a wasteland. The people are divided – there are saints and sinners, sheriffs and gunslingers, lawmakers and horse thieves. Humanity is on the brink of collapse, but one thing unites them: suspicion of outsiders. So when a ship crashes to Earth – the first one in three hundred years – the Stranger sticks out like a sore thumb.
Frontier is equal parts (laser-)gunslinging adventure and sapphic yearning. What a ride!
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Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Want a read that’s The Hunger Games drama meets Star Wars epic? Try Red Rising.
Darrow lives and works with a thousand other people in enormous caves under the inhospitable surface of Mars. They are Helldivers, tasked with spending their lives underground mining precious elements that will one day help Mars become terraformed. Earth is dying and the Helldivers are humanity’s only hope to ready the planet for colonisation.
Until Darrow discovers the lie: not only is Mars habitable, but it has been inhabited by people who called themselves Golds for generations. The Golds have been happy to use the Helldivers as dispensable slave labour, working themselves to death, never revealing the truth. So Darrow – helped by a mysterious group – disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, in the hopes of breaking the system down from inside.
Red Rising is a gripping and pulse-pounding dystopian tale of vengeance and power.
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Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
If you're after a sci-fi story that’s just a touuuch steamy, make way for Obsidian.
Katy's just moved to West Virginia and can’t stand a lot of things – but especially her arrogant, cocky and . . . hot neighbour Daemon. When Katy gets into trouble, Daemon just happens to freeze time to get her out of it and Katy’s world is turned upside down. With the knowledge that her annoying neighbour and his sister are actually aliens, and a wave of weird alien enemies coming to attack them, Katy knows the only way to survive is to stick with Daemon. She doesn’t know whether she wants to kill him or kiss him.
Once you start Obsidian, you won’t be able to put it down, or stop your pulse racing . . . thank goodness there are four more in the series!
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The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis
The First Sister is the first book in an epic, gender-queer space opera, following a comfort woman as she claims her agency, a soldier questioning his allegiances, and a non-binary hero out to save the solar system.
The First Sister has no name, and no voice. Forced to travel the stars alongside the Gean soldiers of Earth and Mars with no control over her own destiny. Until her eyes are opened to a dangerous new path.
Lito Val Lucius has no faith, and no loyalty. An elite Icarii soldier of Venus, thrown into disgrace after the sudden disappearance of his partner, Hiro. When Hiro is discovered alive, and a traitor, Lito is offered redemption: but only if he hunts down and kills his former partner. As a war between the Geans and the Icarii reaches a head, Lito and the First Sister must decide what – and whom – they are willing to sacrifice in the name of duty, or for love.
Perfect for fans of Red Rising, and anyone crying out for a more diverse future.
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Lord of the Empty Isles by Jules Arbeaux
A stunningly emotional, and action-packed science fiction novel, perfect for fans of found family and queer-platonic relationships.
Five years ago, interstellar pirate Idrian Delaciel ordered a withering - a death curse - cast on Remy's brother, costing him his life. Now, Remy is ready to return the favour. Only when he casts the withering, it also rebounds onto him. The implications are unthinkable - that Remy is fatebound to his brother's killer.
The only way to slow the curse is to close the distance between them, but Remy quickly learns that Idrian is the sole provider of life-saving supplies to thousands of innocents. And if he dies, they will perish with him. With more at stake now than just revenge, Remy must find a way to break the curse.
Lord of the Empty Isles is a stunning debut, that will keep you on tenterhooks throughout and stay with you long after the last page.
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The Ninth Metal by Benjamin Percy
First in the Comet Cycle trilogy, The Ninth Metal combines aspects of western, science fiction, horror and thriller, all skilfully woven together into an action-packed novel.
It began with a Comet.
It might have been the end of days. Instead, it was the beginning of something shockingly new. They called the comet Cain, after the astronomer who discovered it. It passed 500,000 miles from Earth. We were spared planetary destruction but, one year later, Earth span into the debris field left by the comet and a meteor storm struck. The meteors impacted heavily around the dying mining town of Northfall, Minnesota. It was the night of a mysterious double murder, the deed overshadowed by the discovery that the burning remains of the rock contained an unknown substance more precious than gold: the Ninth Metal. And with that discovery, everything changed.
The Ninth Metal, is a non-stop thrill ride, with beautifully drawn characters and page-turning action that you don’t want to miss.