Science fiction

Featured science fiction novels highlight titles shaping the genre today, from widely discussed releases to standout stories that capture the imagination. 

In Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir crafts an ambitious, science-driven story of endurance on an interstellar scale, as a solitary astronaut works to solve an extraordinary problem with far-reaching consequences. 

Matt Dinniman’s Operation Bounce House follows a colonist keeping his family’s ranch running as communication with Earth is restored. Now, he and his friends are drawn into a fight to defend the only home they’ve ever known. 

Selected for their originality, scope and storytelling, these books represent a range of modern science fiction. 

For readers drawn to science fiction novels, these titles reflect expansive settings, concepts and storytelling approaches, from speculative technology to imagined societies and alternate realities. 

In The Fold, Peter Clines blends scientific discovery with page-turning mystery. An average guy becomes involved in an experimental invention. Things aren’t quite what they seem, but getting to the truth could be a whole lot more terrifying.   

Yoko Ogawa’s The Memory Police and Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 both present quietly unsettling alternate realities shaped by Orwellian control, perception and shifting truths. Ogawa’s novel offers a sparse and haunting vision of a world where disappearance becomes routine, while Murakami’s expansive narrative opens up a parallel 1984 world in which two lives become intricately connected. 

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman merges science fiction and fantasy with irreverent humour, following an unlikely duo navigating a game-inspired world filled with unpredictable obstacles. 

In Kallocain, Karin Boye presents a bleak vision of a controlled society, in which a scientific breakthrough exposes the fragile boundaries between honesty, power and individual freedom. 

Unfolding across the past and future, Ian McEwan's What We Can Know is about an academic’s search for the great lost poem. It’s a quest, a thriller and a love story all in one. 

Together, these books reflect the genre's ability to question, challenge and reimagine the world around us.

For those new to sci-fi, these popular titles offer a strong place to begin, while long-time readers can revisit influential works that continue to shape how we imagine what’s to come. 

George Orwell’s 1984 remains an influential work of dystopian fiction, presenting a powerful vision of surveillance and the fragility of truth that continues to resonate. 

In I Who Have Never Known Men, Jacqueline Harpman creates a stark and thought-provoking narrative. Women are kept isolated underground, with vague memories of their previous lives and no idea about the world above.  

There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm brings a more experimental edge, weaving together science fiction and conceptual storytelling in a narrative that plays with memory, perception and the limits of understanding. 

Andy Weir’s Artemis offers a fast-moving story set in a lunar colony. When a criminal is offered the chance to make extra money, she becomes caught up in a conspiracy that makes life on the moon a lot more dangerous.  

These science fiction novels span timeless classics and contemporary favourites, reflecting the depth and range of the genre. 

Looking for something more specific? These curated book lists bring together tailored recommendations, helping you find science fiction titles that match your interests or discover new and unusual approaches to storytelling.

From genre deep-dives to curated recommendations, go beyond the page with articles that explore the themes and influences behind science fiction books.  

Science fiction novels offer a way to traverse big ideas through imagined worlds, often grounded in science, technology and the possibilities for tomorrow. 

Unlike fantasy books, which draw on magic and myth, or horror, which centres on fear and the unknown, science fiction often asks, 'What if?’ — using speculation to reflect on society, ethics and human progress. 

Delve into Penguin’s full range of fiction books or discover something different with historical fiction books.