My personal perception:
- Strugatskys - read everything, start with “Monday begins on Saturday”, “Roadside Picnic”, “It’s Hard to Be a God”
- Harrison - the series “Steel Rat”, “World of Death” and the novel “Fantastic Saga”. If you like this, then you can read the rest. And God forbid you start with the series “Bill - Hero of the Galaxy”. Yes, it has practically nothing to do with “science” fiction.
- Bradbury is a pseudo-philosophy greatly inflated by PR. All books are a complete lack of logic and common sense. In addition, the books were very outdated “technically”, and even in the “new” form they were unreadable for techies due to the presence of a huge number of technical mistakes. For those who have not read, Fahrenheit 451 is the most interesting for the first acquaintance. Dystopia, blunders are not so visible, well, it’s already a shame not to read the classics of science fiction. The scientific content of the books is zero, social - yes, scientific - no.
- Asimov - science fiction, undoubtedly scientific, but very outdated. Moreover, it is outdated not because we can do what is described in books, but because it has been proven and explored that it is impossible to do this, or it is unprofitable, or there is no need for it. If you ignore the “technical” details and absurdities, then you can read it, but at the moment it’s not so interesting. It’s worth starting with cycles about robots; there are still interesting stories there. "Foundation" - only for fans of Asimov
- Arthur Clarke is a very strong writer. A true SF, a classic of the genre. It’s still worth starting not with the Odyssey, but with the novels “The Sands of Mars” and “Moon Dust”
- John Wyndham. Day of the Triffids. - an excellent disaster novel. What is written about an “older” time does not interfere at all. To follow up, I can recommend John Christopher’s Death of Grass.
- Frank Herbert. Dune. - This, of course, is a whole era. But it has nothing to do with SF. I would call it Fantasy in a SF setting. The book is interesting, but very much for everyone. Either you like it or you don’t.
- Flowers for Algernon. Daniel Keyes - Yes, a must read. It's more of a social issue, but it also belongs to the SF.
- Belyaev should be read in full. SF without a doubt. It is a little outdated, but even now it is very relevant, and the ideas are very interesting. Classic
- Lukyanenko and Bushkov are very interesting books, but not SF at all. If Lukyanenko is still somewhere somehow, then Bushkov is a complete failure in this regard. Action films and space adventurers (sometimes virtual adventurers). Lukyanenko’s most successful are the cycles “Deeptown” and “Lord from Planet Earth”, as well as the novel “No Time for Dragons” co-authored with Perumov
- Heinlein - yes. Cool. It can be classified as SF with a big stretch, but still. It’s worth starting with “Stepsons of the Universe”, “Double Star”, “The Moon is Rigidly Falling”, “Door to Summer” (a must!), “Star Beast”, “I have a spacesuit - I’m ready to travel”, “Space Rangers” (exactly in this translation), "Martian Podkein". It should be added that all the film adaptations of his books are very crap and only confuse science fiction fans and anger Heinlein fans
- Stanislav Lem. - an excellent writer. More like philosophy, but SF still exists. Solaris is definitely worth reading. I can add to the reading list: "Tales of the Pilot Pirx" (technically outdated, otherwise not), "Eden", "Invincible". If you like this, feel free to read everything from Lem - you won’t regret it
- Martin is a very average writer, nevertheless very popular. It has a very distant relation to SF. "Desert Kings" is one of his most powerful works.
- Simak is a very strong author, but again, not SF at all. Although he is considered the founding father of American SF. But you need to read everything.
- Dan Simmons - very powerful, exciting, but not for everyone.

Not in the review of excellent Soviet SF authors:
- Obruchev - "Plutonia, Sannikov Land"
- Kazantsev - cycles Georgy Sedov, "Polar Confrontation", "Planet of Storms"
- Snegov - cycle “People are like gods”
- Pavlov - cycle “Moon Rainbow”
- Nemtsov is a short-range fantasy, a lot has already been accomplished, but nevertheless
- Georgy Martynov - “Starfarers”, “Guest from the Abyss”, “Callisto”, “Time Spiral”
- Adamov - “Winners of the Subsoil”, “The Secret of Two Oceans”
- Evgeny Voiskunsky, Isai Lukodyanov (“Ur, son of Sham” is one of my favorite books)
- and many others.

And from imported ones:
- Where is Jules Verne?
- Larry Niven "Ringworld"
- Paul Anderson. I can’t say that it’s strongly SF, but it’s much closer to many of those presented.
- etc.

Compiling hundreds of the most important science fiction books required much more effort from our editors than similar lists of games, films and TV series. It is not surprising, because books are the basis of all world fiction. As before, the main criterion for us was the significance of a particular work for world and domestic science fiction.

Our list includes only those books and cycles that have become generally recognized pillars of science fiction literature or have had a significant influence on the development of individual science fiction trends. At the same time, we did not give in to the temptation to attribute the main contribution to science fiction to English-language authors: almost a fifth of our list is occupied by books by Russian masters of words.

So, here are the 100 books that, according to MirF, any self-respecting science fiction fan simply must read!

FORECASTS OF FICTION

Jonathan Swift "Gulliver's Travels"

A novel that paved the way for authors of many science fiction genres - from satire to alternative geography. And what is the cost of detailed construction of worlds! “Gulliver's Travels” cannot be squeezed into just a fantasy shelf - it is a phenomenon of universal human culture. True, most of us are only familiar with the adapted version, which is part of the “golden fund” of children's literature.

Mary Shelley "Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus"

A book by an English lady, the wife of a famous poet, written “for a dare.” Percy Shelley and his friend Byron did not succeed, but the 20-year-old girl wrote one of the most famous “Gothic” novels. But the matter was not limited to just Gothic! The story of the Swiss scientist Victor Frankenstein, who used electricity to revive dead tissue, is considered the first truly science fiction work.

Lewis Carroll "Alice in Wonderland"

A fairy tale for children, invented by an English mathematician, had a huge influence on the development of SF. Satirical absurdism, an abundance of paradoxes, other dimensions - Carroll’s book included many themes that were repeatedly used by science fiction writers of subsequent generations. Carroll's influence on English-speaking culture is especially great - the Alice story is second only to Shakespeare in terms of the number of citations.

Jules Verne "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"

One of the most famous books of the “founding father” of SF. Of course, several more of his novels can be placed side by side - “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, “From the Earth to the Moon”, “Robur the Conqueror”, but it is “20 thousand ...” that combines scientific and technical predictions that have come true, a fascinating adventurous plot, cognition and a bright character whose name has become a household name. Who doesn't know Captain Nemo and his Nautilus?

Robert Louis Stevenson "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"

The story of two opposite halves of a single personality, at the same time - a moralizing parable about the duality of progress and the responsibility of science to society (later this theme was developed by H. Wells in “The Invisible Man” and “The Island of Doctor Moreau”). Stevenson competently combined elements of science fiction, gothic horror and philosophical novel. The result is a book that spawned a lot of imitations and made the image of Jekyll-Hyde a household name.

Mark Twain "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court"

Another classic that combines a satire on the writer’s contemporary society and a brilliant embodiment of several fantastic ideas, later replicated by hundreds of authors. Time travel, alternative history, the idea of ​​a clash of cultures, the dubiousness of progressivism as a way to change an “inert” society - everything fits under one cover.

Bram Stoker "Dracula"

A novel about vampires, which gave rise to an ocean of imitations in literary and cinematic fiction. Irishman Stoker showed the world an example of competent “black PR”. He took the true figure of the Wallachian ruler - an unsympathetic personality, but historically quite ordinary - and created from him a monster with a capital M, whose name in the mass consciousness is placed somewhere between Lucifer and Hitler.

SCIENCE FICTION

H.G. Wells "War of the Worlds"

A classic work that opened several directions in SF. This is the first book about the invasion of Earth by merciless “aliens”. However, Wells went beyond the “war of the worlds” theme. The writer creates an impressive gallery of behavioral models of people in extreme conditions of the threat of total destruction hanging over them. Before us is actually a prediction of the development of society during the coming world wars.

Isaac Asimov, series “History of the Future”

The first monumental history of the future in world SF, the most striking part of which is considered the Foundation trilogy (Hugo Award for the best science fiction series of all time). Asimov tried to reduce the development of civilization to a set of laws similar to mathematical formulas. The saviors of humanity are not generals and politicians, but scientists - adherents of the science of “psychohistory”. And the entire series spans 20 thousand years!

Robert Heinlein "Starship Troopers"

The novel caused a serious scandal, because many liberals saw in it the propaganda of militarism and even fascism. Heinlein was a convinced libertarian, whose idea of ​​responsibility to society coexisted with his rejection of total state restrictions on personal freedom. “Starship Troopers” is not just a standard “war story” about battles with strangers, but also a reflection of the writer’s ideas about an ideal society where duty is above all.

Alfred Elton Van Vogt "Slan"

The first significant work about biological mutations that threaten humanity with a transition to a new stage of evolution. Naturally, ordinary people are not ready to just be consigned to the dustbin of history, so the mutant slans have a hard time. The situation is complicated by the fact that slans are the fruit of genetic engineering. Will humanity itself give birth to its own gravedigger?

John Wyndham "Day of the Triffids"

The standard of a science fiction “disaster novel.” As a result of a cosmic cataclysm, almost all earthlings became blind and turned into prey for plants that had become predatory. The end of civilization? No, the novel by the British science fiction writer is imbued with faith in the power of the human spirit. They say, “let’s join hands, friends, so as not to perish alone”! The book marked the beginning of a whole wave of similar (though often more pessimistic) stories.

Walter Miller "The Leibowitz Passion"

Classic post-apocalyptic epic. After a nuclear war, the only stronghold of knowledge and culture remains the church, represented by the Order of St. Leibowitz, founded by the physicist. The book takes place over a thousand years: civilization is gradually reborn, only to perish again... A sincerely religious person, Miller looks with deep pessimism at the ability of religion to bring real salvation to humanity.

Robert Merle "Malville"

The most meticulous chronicle of the existence of an ordinary person in the world after a nuclear war. A group of people, finding themselves in Maleville Castle, survive day after day on the ruins of civilization. Alas, their Robinsonade is absolutely hopeless. No one will fly from the “mainland”, save you, or return what was lost forever. And it’s not in vain that, having won a series of brilliant victories, the main character dies of banal appendicitis. The world is dead - and there is no future...

Isaac Asimov, collection "I, Robot"

Asimov's stories about robots developed the theme raised by Karel Capek in the play R.U.R. - about the relationship between man and artificial intelligence. The Three Laws of Robotics are the ethical basis for the existence of artificial creatures, capable of suppressing the “Frankenstein complex” (the latent desire to destroy one’s Creator). These are not just stories about thinking pieces of iron, but a book about people, their moral struggles and spiritual experiments.

Philip K. Dick "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

The first example of genuine cyberpunk, which appeared long before the birth of the term itself and the fantastic phenomenon it designated. The acidic, gloomy world of the future, whose inhabitants constantly question the meaning and even the reality of their own existence, are themes that are characteristic of this novel and of Dick’s entire work. And the book served as the basis for Ridley Scott's cult film Blade Runner.

William Gibson "Neuromancer"

The sacred book of cyberpunk, which contains almost all of its iconic signs. Brilliantly depicts a high-tech near future in which power belongs to predatory transnational corporations and cybercrime flourishes. Gibson acted as a true prophet of the digital era that has come today, not only anticipating the problems of information technology development, but also introducing specific computer jargon into wide circulation.

Arthur Clarke "2001: A Space Odyssey"

Based on the old story, Arthur C. Clarke wrote the script for Stanley Kubrick's film - the first true SF epic of world cinema. And the novelization has become a symbol of serious space science fiction. No Star Wars, no superheroes with blasters. A realistic story about an expedition to Jupiter, during which machine intelligence reaches its limit, but man is able to go beyond any boundaries of the possible.

Michael Crichton "Jurassic Park"

Crichton is considered the father of the science fiction techno-thriller. “Jurassic Park” is not the first work of this kind, but one of the most famous, largely thanks to the film adaptation by Steven Spielberg. Being essentially a skillful combination of themes and ideas repeatedly worked out in SF - genetic engineering, cloning, the rebellion of artificial creatures - the novel gained millions of fans and many imitations.

PHILOSOPHICAL AND SOCIAL FICTION

H.G. Wells "The Time Machine"

One of the cornerstones of modern SF is the book that pioneered the exploitation of the theme of time travel. Wells also attempted to extend contemporary capitalism into a distant future in which humanity had split into two species. Even more shocking than the strange society of Eloi and Morlocks is the “end of times,” which marks the complete destruction of reason.

Evgeniy Zamyatin “We”

The first great dystopia, which influenced other classics - Huxley and Orwell, not to mention the many science fiction writers who try to critically predict the development of society. The story takes place in a pseudo-utopia, where the role of man is reduced to the position of an insignificant cog. The result is an “ideal” anthill society, in which “one is zero, one is nonsense.”

Aldous Huxley "Brave New World"

One of the foundations of literary dystopia. Unlike his contemporaries, who exposed specific political models, Huxley's novel polemicized against idealistic views about the perfection of technocracy. The intellectuals who have seized power will build another version of a concentration camp - albeit a decent-looking one. Alas, our contemporary society confirms Huxley’s correctness.

George Orwell "1984"

Another classic dystopian novel, created under the influence of the dark events of World War II. Perhaps, now in all corners of the world we have heard the terms “Big Brother” and “Newspeak” coined by Orwell. "1984" is a satirical depiction of absolute totalitarianism, no matter what ideology - socialist, capitalist or Nazi - it hides behind.

Ray Bradbury "Fahrenheit 451"

Dystopia, which is based not on political or social, but on cultural ideas. A society is shown where true culture has become a victim of pragmatic rednecks: animal materialism has unconditionally triumphed over romantic idealism. Firemen burning books is another iconic image of modern civilization. Events of recent years show that the novel faces the fate not of a warning, but of a prophecy!

Kurt Vonnegut "Slaughterhouse-Five"

A masterpiece of anti-war fiction (and literature in general). The hero of the book is the author's alter ego Billy Pilgrim, a war veteran who survived the barbaric bombing of Dresden. Abducted by aliens, the hero only with their help will be able to recover from nervous shock and find inner peace. The book's fantastic plot is just a device with which Vonnegut fights the inner demons of his generation.

Robert Heinlein "Stranger in a Strange Land"

The first SF book to become a national bestseller in the United States. This is the story of the “cosmic Mowgli” - the earthly child Michael Valentine Smith, raised by representatives of a fundamentally different mind and becoming the new Messiah. In addition to the obvious artistic merits and the discovery of many topics forbidden for science fiction, the significance of the novel is that it finally turned the public idea of ​​SF as literature for immature minds.

Stanislav Lem "Solaris"

The flagship of philosophical SF. The book by a wonderful Polish writer tells about an unsuccessful contact with a civilization completely alien to us. Lem created one of the most unusual SF worlds - the single mind of the planet-ocean Solaris. And you can take thousands of samples, conduct hundreds of experiments, put forward dozens of theories - the truth will remain “there, beyond the horizon.” Science is simply not capable of unraveling all the mysteries of the Universe - no matter how hard you try...

Ray Bradbury "The Martian Chronicles"

A multifaceted cycle about the human conquest of Mars, where a strange and once great civilization is living out its last days. This is a poetic story about the clash of two different cultures, and reflections on the eternal problems and values ​​of our existence. “The Martian Chronicles” is one of the books that clearly demonstrates that science fiction is capable of addressing the most complex problems and can compete on equal terms with “great” literature.

Ursula Le Guin, Hain Cycle

One of the brightest stories of the future, a masterpiece of “soft” SF. Unlike traditional space fiction scenarios, Le Guin's relationship between civilizations is based on a special ethical code that excludes the use of violence. The works of the cycle tell about contacts between representatives of different psychologies, philosophies and cultures, as well as about their everyday life. The most significant part of the cycle is the novel “The Left Hand of Darkness” (1969).

Orson Scott Card "Ender's Game", "The Voice of Those Who Are Not"

The two novels, followed by a popular but controversial multi-volume series, are true masterpieces, the pinnacle of Card's work. "Ender's Game" is a modernized "war game" with an emphasis on the psychology of growing up as a charismatic teenage leader. And “The Voice...” is, first of all, a story of contact and mutual understanding of fundamentally different cultures. Everyone wants what's best; Why do good intentions turn into tragedy?

Henry Lyon Oldie, The Abyss of Hungry Eyes

The first multi-layered philosophical and mythological work in modern Russian science fiction, “The Abyss of Hungry Eyes” includes various areas of science fiction and fantasy. When creating the universe, the co-authors use a variety of mythological schemes, combining a strong adventurous plot and well-developed characters with a philosophical understanding of the events taking place.

The education public on the social network VKontakte has published a list of the 10 best science fiction books published in the 21st century. I added their covers to the titles and descriptions of the books. It would be interesting to ask science fiction and fantasy fans: how representative is this sample?

1. Destined to Win - John Scalzi

The world of the future of the Earth is not as beautiful as humanity, tired of current problems, would like. The colonization of space turns for earthlings into a series of brutal, protracted wars with the inhabitants of other galaxies. There is even a special army - the Colonial Self-Defense Forces - which recruits exclusively older people, promising to restore their youth. Whether this is true or just a trick for simpletons, no one can really say, because the soldiers of this mercenary army never return to Earth. John Perry, one of these mercenaries, signs a contract and almost immediately finds himself drawn into the terrible whirlwind of war. During the battle for the planet Coral, which almost cost John his life, he meets his own wife in the Ghost Brigade - this is the name of the star special forces - whom he buried before joining the mercenaries. This minute was the new starting point of his radically changed life.

2. American Gods - Neil Gaiman

The main character Shadow, after serving 3 years in prison, is released. He does not yet suspect that the main trials await him ahead. His wife Laura dies in a car accident... At home, a strange man named Wednesday awaits Shadow, who introduces himself as a refugee from some distant country and involves the hero in complicated events related to the investigation of a series of murders throughout the United States...

3. “The Name of the Wind” - Patrick Rothfuss

One day, young Kvothe, an edema rue, an actor from a traveling troupe and a student of the arcanist, heard from his father about the Chandrians - strange and terrible demons, either real creatures, or heroes of legends and children's horror songs. No one knew that a song about them would cost Kvothe’s parents and the entire troupe their lives, and would push him onto a road full of adventures and dangers. And whoever he is - a tramp, a University student or an innkeeper - he will be looking for the trail of terrible creatures encountered one night in the ashes where his carefree childhood burned.

4. “False Blindness” - Peter Watts

In 2082, humanity became convinced that it was not alone in the Universe. Countless probes enveloped the Earth in a luminous web. The ship Theseus, carrying a hastily assembled team of specialists, is sent to establish contact with an extraterrestrial civilization. But, upon reaching the goal, the researchers will have to understand that the most incredible fantasies about alien intelligence pale in comparison with reality, and the fate of the Earth and all humanity is at stake.

5. "Kushiel's Arrow" - Jacqueline Carey

The Land of Angels is a land of unsurpassed beauty and grandeur. According to legend, angels, having come to this earth, found it beautiful... and the race, descended from the seed of angels and people, has long lived by one simple rule: “Love according to your will.”

6. “A Storm of Swords” - George R.R. Martin

In an impregnable castle, a powerful warlock is weaving the web of a sophisticated conspiracy... In distant, cold lands, the young ruler of the North, Robb from the House of Stark, is gathering strength... More and more warriors are gathering under the banner of Daenerys Stormborn, who rules the last of the remaining dragons in the world... But Now the Others are also entering into the flaring fire of battles - an army of the living dead, who cannot be stopped either by the power of weapons or the power of magic. A STORM OF SWORDS is coming to the Seven Kingdoms - and many will fall to the storm...

7. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Suzanne Clarke

England, XIX century. For several centuries now, magic has lived only on the pages of ancient books and in the minds of theoretical magicians, but then two people appear out of nowhere - real practicing sorcerers, ready to resurrect the lost art...

8. “Anathem” - Neal Stephenson

Stevenson creates a far-future Earth-like planet called Arb, where scientists, philosophers and mathematicians - a religious order in themselves - are locked behind monastery walls. Their role is to preserve knowledge while protecting it from the vicissitudes of the irrational secular outside world. Among the scholars is 19-year-old Raz, who was taken to the monastery at the age of 8 and is now a decad (one who is allowed contact outside the citadel once every ten years). But millennia-old rules are upended when an alien threat appears, and Raz and his companions - one moment engaged in an intellectual debate, the next fighting like unruly teenagers - are called upon to save the world.

9. "Ash and Steel" - Brandon Sanderson

...What if the Chosen One, whose appearance and victory over the Darkness were predicted many centuries ago, suffers a crushing defeat? The Great Prophecy, which was believed, feared, in the name of which they died, turned out to be the ravings of a madman. The Light is defeated, and the Dark Lord triumphs... Unusual, isn't it? But since the paladin heroes failed, it was time for the bandits to try their luck. The thief and renegade Kelsier with a company of inveterate comrades is the last hope in the fight against evil.

10. “Station of Lost Dreams” - China Miéville

In the gigantic metropolis of New Crobuzon, as if it came from the pens of Kafka and Dickens through the mediation of Bosch and Neal Stevenson, people and beetle-headed khepris, mermaids and mermen, man-made mutants-repurposed and cactus people exist side by side. Everyone is busy with their own business: the khepri sculpt statues from colored saliva, drug dealers sell sleeping dope, the police persecute dissidents. And a wingless garuda - a bird-man from distant deserts - appears to the scientist Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin and asks him to teach him to fly again. Meanwhile, Isaac's beetle-headed lover, Lin, receives an equally difficult task: to sculpt a portrait of a powerful mafia leader. Isaac and Lin do not yet know what danger these orders pose - for themselves, the entire city and even the structure of the universe...

Despite the fact that science fiction is still a very popular genre in cinema and literature, many readers know only the classics of the 20th century. Everyone remembers Bradbury, Asimov and Philip K. Dick, but few can name modern science fiction writers. Science fiction is nevertheless thriving - and there are no fewer good novels being published than 50 years ago. Look At Me has collected 12 contemporary science fiction books that are worth reading.

We compiled the list based on several criteria:

Peter Watts

Year of birth: 1958

First novel:"Sea stars" (1999)

Best Novels:"False Blindness", "Starfish", "Echopraxia"

A marine biologist by training, Canadian Peter Watts began writing in the late 90s, but for most of his career he was not noticed until he posted his works freely available on the Internet. After this, readers discovered False Blindness, Watts's main novel, and now the writer is deservedly considered one of the best modern science fiction writers. False Blindness is a book that asks unexpected questions about human neurobiology and questions the evolutionary justification for consciousness. On the one hand, the novel contains everything at once: vampires, posthumanism, aliens, on the other hand, it is an extremely minimalist and clear book in which there is nothing superfluous. Watts' background definitely influences his writing: he looks at humanity from an unconventional angle and invents new creatures based on existing marine organisms.

Ken McLeod

Year of birth: 1954

First novel:"Star faction" (1995)

Best Novels:"Newton's Wake: A Space Opera", "Invasion", "Execution Channel"

Ken McLeod has been called an "anarcho-primitivist" and a "techno-utopian"; his novels always contain socialist, communist and anarchist ideas, and the author himself admits that he is inspired by the views of Leon Trotsky. McLeod takes an active political position and often gives public lectures - and criticizes the state of modern Britain. His books also feature fantastic themes: he is primarily interested in post-humanism, cyborgs and cultural evolution. For example, what would happen to our culture if we uploaded consciousness into a computer? At the same time, McLeod has a sense of humor: his novels are often called satirical, and he himself is very fond of puns - for example, he names the chapters of his books with ambiguous phrases like “revolutionary platform.”

China Miéville

Year of birth: 1972

First novel:"Rat King" (1998)

Best Novels:"Embassy City", "Town and City", "Station of Lost Dreams"

China Miéville was born in London into a hippie family. His parents gave him the strange name “China” - this was customary in the countercultural British society of that time - he, for example, had a friend “India”. Miéville is not a science fiction writer in the classical sense, but one of the most popular contemporary authors in the genre of speculative literature; he writes both fantasy and horror, and is part of the British fantasy movement "New Strangers", which tries to save fantasy from commercialism and clichés. In Mieville's books you can find anything: magic, people with insect heads, steampunk and cyborgs. Sometimes, however, Miéville deals with pure science fiction, and he does it brilliantly. A good example is his novel Embassy City, in which he deals with the problems of language; the author is trying to imagine what kind of culture would be among intelligent beings who are not capable of imaginative thinking.

Peter Hamilton

Year of birth: 1960

First novel:"Mind Star Rising" (1993)

Best Novels:"Pandora's Star", "The Great Northern Route", "The Dreaming Abyss"

Englishman Peter Hamilton became famous in the early 90s thanks to a trilogy of detective novels about psychic detective Greg Mandel. Since then, however, he began to write science fiction of a completely different kind. Hamilton is an author of large, thoughtful space epics, having written several space series, the most famous of which is The Commonwealth Saga. It takes place in the distant future (the plot of all the books included in the Saga universe stretches for thousands of years): people colonize the Galaxy and fly to distant stars. Several alien races coexist with humans; for the novels, Hamilton imagined and described a complex world with its own politics, economics and diplomacy. All in all, Hamilton's fantasy is pretty much what people imagine when they hear the phrase "space opera", only very well thought out and written.

Karl Schroeder

Year of birth: 1962

First novel:"Ventus" (2000)

Best Novels:"Order", "Lady of Labyrinths", "Immutability"

A certified futurist and influential author for followers of the philosophy of speculative realism, Canadian Karl Schroeder writes novels that border on cyberpunk and space opera. On the one hand, the action of his books usually takes place in the distant future, and the plot is connected with interstellar flights, on the other hand, the writer is interested in issues most often associated with cyberpunk: privacy, self-awareness of an individual (and its dissolution), augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence. Schröder is involved in futurism professionally: in his free time from creativity, he consults organizations that forecast the development of technology. The best thing about Schroeder's books is what is called worldbuilding; the ability to beautifully, quickly and accurately describe imaginary worlds. In his latest novel, Order, for example, he recounts very long space journeys and describes hundreds of strange worlds, from lonely starless planets illuminated by lasers and planets made entirely of water, to gas planets where people live in huge balloons , and planets where the atmosphere looks like a huge neon lamp.

Charles Stross

Year of birth: 1964

First novel:"Sky of Singularity" (2003)

Best Novels:"Accelerando", "Greenhouse", "Rule 34"

The most versatile writer of the wave of new British fiction (The British are distinguished by their craving for “hard” sci-fi and often left-wing political views) During his life, Stross worked as a programmer, pharmacist and technology journalist. He wrote a monthly Linux column for Computer Shopper magazine for ten years, but eventually closed it to devote himself to writing. In literary genres, Strauss is about as extraordinary as in his choice of profession: not counting short stories, he has published about 20 books in a variety of styles, from “hard” science fiction to fantasy and horror in the spirit of Lovecraft. His science fiction novels are best described as “mindfuck”: Stross deceives the reader a lot and comes up with the most incredible constructions. An exemplary novel in this sense (by the way, this may very well be the only thing you read from this list - it's that good)- "Greenhouse", in which a group of people from the future agree to an experiment: they live on an isolated space station in the 20th century. The book leads the reader by the nose and turns everything upside down several times.

John Scalzi

Year of birth: 1969

First novel:"Doomed to Victory" (2005)

Best Novels:"Men in Red", "Android's Dream", "Locked Up"

Scalzi is a classic geek turned writer. Since 1998, he has run the Whatever blog, where he speaks on a variety of topics, writes books and articles about video games, cinema and astronomy; he even acted as a consultant on one of the Stargate series. Scalzi's most famous book is Men in Red, an extremely geeky novel. It comically plays on the famous cliche from Star Trek - there were often nameless characters in red uniforms who always died in missions in order to emphasize the danger for the viewer. Most of the time, Scalzi writes more serious - often military - fiction. However, he is capable of much: in one of his latest novels, “Locked Up,” he writes a real detective story. The main thing that distinguishes Scalzi's books is ironic, resourceful characters and witty dialogues.

Alastair Reynolds

Year of birth: 1966

First novel:"Space of Revelation" (2000)

Best Novels:“Space of Revelation”, “House of Suns”,
"Pushing Ice"

Favorite in Russia (Azbuka publishing house regularly publishes his novels) Welsh writer known for hard science fiction and large-scale space operas. Like other authors of space operas, he can be described only by numbers: his “Space of Revelation” cycle covers a time period of tens of thousands of years (although the main action takes place over three centuries), and interstellar travel in it occurs with the help of ships that move almost at the speed of light. Reynolds explains the existence of a mechanical race that destroys intelligent civilizations when they develop to a certain level. Reynolds's complex and detailed descriptions of space, technology and alien civilizations, however, hide more personal, private things: lyrical reflections on the philosophy of life and a melancholic mood.

Stephen Baxter

Year of birth: 1957

First novel:"Raft" (1991)

Best Novels:"Proxima", "Ark", "Diversity of Space"

The author of almost 50 novels, Briton Stephen Baxter is one of the most ambitious thinkers of modern “hard” science fiction. Baxter comes up with truly ambitious space science fiction while still managing to maintain scientific accuracy (let’s say, in one of his books he describes the history of the Universe from its birth 20 billion years ago to its death 10 billion years later). In addition, he works in the genre of disaster novel and alternative history. Whatever Baxter writes, he precedes any of his novels with long and detailed research - therefore, he even predicts the future of humanity using scientific theories. He himself says that he is inspired by the old science fiction of H. G. Wells; The writer, by the way, is vice-president of the International H.G. Wells Society.

Adam Roberts

Year of birth: 1965

First novel:"Salt" (2000)

Best Novels:“Salt”, “Yellow-Blue Tibia”,
"Glass Jack"

Postmodern trickster Adam Roberts is the most unpredictable author of modern fiction. You don’t know what to expect from each of his new books: he has futuristic detective stories, novels about the colonization of other planets, and space utopias; In addition, Roberts wrote several parodies under the pseudonyms A.R.R.R. Roberts and the Robertsky Brothers, including Tolkien's novels, The Matrix and Star Wars. Each of Roberts' novels is a literary game, in all of his books he uses unexpected structure and plays with language. His book “Glass Jack” is coming out in Russian soon, and it perfectly characterizes Roberts: it is a detective story about three murders, written like the classic novels of Agatha Christie, but with the condition that the reader knows from the very beginning that the murderer is the main character. The problem with Roberts is that he never continues his novels or turns them into series, and in science fiction this is a sure way to never become a popular author: science fiction readers prefer large series, sagas and cycles, so that they can immerse themselves in one and the same world.

Anne Leckie

Year of birth: 1966

First novel:"Servants of Justice" (2013)

Best Novels:"Servants of Justice", "Servants of the Sword"

Despite the fact that Anne Leckie has released only two novels and has not yet finished her debut trilogy, The Radch Empire. (the final part will be released in October this year), she is already named along with the best modern science fiction writers. Leckie tried to get into science fiction in her youth, but she was unable to get published. Leckie got married, gave birth to two children and took up housekeeping, but in order not to be too bored at home, she continued to write - and completed the first draft of the novel “Servants of Justice” back in 2002. The book was published in 2013 - and it is one of the most unusual novels of recent times. The main character is a former spaceship (Yes exactly),

First novel:"Moxyland" (2008)

Best Novels:"Moxyland", "Shining Girls", "Broken Monsters"

South African writer, primarily writing detective novels. Let's say one of her books is about a time-traveling killer, another about supernatural murders, the nature of fame and social media, another about an alternative Johannesburg where criminals are tied to magical animals as punishment. In her novels, Beukes explores contemporary phenomena that concern her: from global surveillance and xenophobia to Auto-Tune. She mixes the supernatural with technology, ghosts and magic coexist with smartphones and email, but Beukes does not write fantasy - and she certainly does not overuse African flavor. At their core, her books are science fiction, because the main thing that distinguishes the genre is the unexpected questions that are asked of humanity in it; that's exactly what Beukes does.

• Goodreads rating: 4.4.
• Awards: International Fiction Award for Fiction (1957), SFinks Book of the Year Award (2000), Prometheus Award for Hall of Fame (2009).

Tolkien's trilogy, adapted by Peter Jackson, stands the test of time and sets the bar for fantasy fiction. The book differs from the film, so it will delight the reader with many interesting details and unexpected plot twists.

The hobbit Frodo and his companions set off on a journey through the fairy-tale universe to destroy the Ring and restore peace on earth. On the way, many dangers await them, which will require great valor and courage from the little hobbits.

• Goodreads rating: 4.2.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1966), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1965), SFinks Award for Book of the Year (2008).

The action takes place in the distant future, where social life and culture revolve around the “spice”, and there is a constant struggle for the extraction and use of this special substance. At first glance, it may seem that this is another story of the struggle between good and evil, nobility and selfish interests. However, the book is more polyphonic.

Herbert managed to create a unique chronicle of the distant future, which explores issues of politics, religion, ecology and technology, rightfully considered the most vivid and original in history.

3. A Song of Ice and Fire, George R.R. Martin

• Goodreads rating: 4.4.
• Awards: Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Award - first two books (2001), Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Award - first three books (2002).

This ranking would be incomplete without the saga of. The book allows you to follow the endless confrontation between the Starks and Lannisters without downloading the next season of the series. Magic, mystery, intrigue, passion, romance and adventure fill its pages and transport the reader to a whole new world.

• Goodreads rating: 4.1
• Awards: Prometheus Award in the Hall of Fame category (1984).

Orwell managed to create the antipode of the great, but not universally recognized dystopia of the 20th century - “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley. The author tries to answer the question, what is worse: an ideal consumer society or an ideal society of ideas? It turns out that there is nothing worse than complete lack of freedom in both the first and second cases.

Orwell predicted the total power of television, widespread surveillance and many other cultural phenomena that we see today. Therefore, the book has not lost its relevance over the years.

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1973), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1972), Locus Award for Best Novel (1973), Dietmar Award for "Foreign Fiction (USA, novel)" (1973).

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1974), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1973), Locus Award for Best Novel (1974), British Science Fiction Association Award in category "Best Novel" (1974).

The case when the novel received as many as seven prestigious awards in the field of fiction (Lifehacker listed the most famous of them) and marked the beginning of a series of books by different authors that explore the relationship of earthlings with a different mind.

The action takes place in the near future. An unusually shaped asteroid is moving across the Galaxy towards the Solar System. A crew of earthlings lands on the surface of the asteroid and begins to collect data that only complicates the search for an answer to the main question: “Who created this giant and why?..”

• Goodreads rating: 4.5.
• Awards: Jules Verne Prize in the category “Novel (USSR)” (1979), Golden Graulli Award in the category “Foreign Novel” (1981).

One of the few works of Russian-language science fiction that does not lose, but only gains popularity over time.

“Roadside Picnic” is reflected in world culture. Andrei Tarkovsky based his legendary film “Stalker” on it. Several decades later, the story became the basis of a computer game and became the beginning of a series of books, the action of which takes place in the created fictional world.

After aliens visited the Earth, Zones appeared on it in which completely different laws of existence operate. Society turned out to be unprepared for the “gifts” of aliens and is struggling to adapt to the new reality, following the few Stalkers.

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1987), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1986), Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1987), Academy of Science Award science fiction, fantasy and horror in the category “Best Foreign Book (USA)” (1995).

In the Russian translation, the book is also known under the titles “The Voice of Those Who Are Not” and “The Herald of the Dead.” This novel was a direct continuation of the novel “,” which also won several literary awards and received a great response from science fiction fans.

Earthlings meet another race of advanced beings. The differences between them turn out to be so great that it almost leads to a new conflict of civilizations.

• Goodreads rating: 4.1.
• Awards: Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel (2001), Hugo Award for Best Novel (2002), Nebula Award for Best Novel (2002), Locus Award for Best Novel Best Novel (Fantasy) (2002), Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Award for Best Fantasy (UK/US) (2001).

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Governor General of Canada Literary Award for Prose in English (1985), Los Angeles Times Book Award for Fiction (1986), Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Novel ( 1987).

Another book on which the popular film was based. Margaret Atwood constructs a rather convincing panorama of a future that could come as early as tomorrow.

In the new world, women do not have the right to own property, work, love, read or write. They are here for only one thing - to give birth. And if someone is not capable of this, she is left to work in hard labor until her death, which under such conditions occurs earlier than usual. The main character of the book, the maid Fredova, challenges the system, for which she has to pay.

• Goodreads rating: 4.1.
• Awards: New Dimension Magazine Award for Best Book (UK/Sri Lanka) (1968).

An example of how a book is born after the film of the same name - and finds its audience, living its own life. Arthur C. Clarke wrote his science fiction novel based on a script he worked on with Stanley Kubrick. The work is considered to be ahead of its time.

An unknown object has been discovered on the Moon, which is sending a powerful signal to. Scientists were able to find out that the signal goes towards one of Saturn’s moons. The interplanetary spacecraft Discovery is sent there to explore unknown spaces...

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• Goodreads rating: 4.2.
• Awards: Prometheus Award in the Best Novel category (2012), Alex Award (2012).

In the near future, when the world is experiencing another economic downturn and resource shortages, you can only feel truly alive in the virtual space where representatives of humanity spend their days. Before death, the creator of this space composes a series of complex puzzles. The one who solves them first will inherit his enormous fortune and power over the whole world. The main character decides to try his hand and begins to look for clues.

Today the writer is working on a sequel, so readers will soon have the opportunity to find out what happened to their favorite characters.

13. “The Left Hand of Darkness”, Ursula Le Guin

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1970), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1969), Nova SF Award for Best Novel (1972), SFinks Award for Best Novel (1972) Book of the Year" (1996).

Not the most famous novel by an American writer, but large, complex and serious. In it, Le Guin poses and resolves global philosophical and moral questions - this is why fans of intellectual fiction love him.

The book describes the world of the distant planet Winter, to which the main character arrives on a mission of goodwill - uniting many planets into one system. But to do this, he must bridge the gap between his own views and the ideas of a completely alien culture with which he encounters.

• Goodreads rating: 4.7.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1968), Lazar Komarcic Award for Best Foreign Novel (1985).

The writer’s biographers agree that the science fiction writer had a good understanding of Eastern culture. And the novel is proof of this, because on its pages the gods of the Hindu pantheon come to life, interacting with people and demons.

This book is more of a philosophical discussion about existence than a classic science fiction novel. However, the sharp plot holds the reader's attention throughout the entire story.

• Goodreads rating: 4.1.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1976), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1975), Locus Award for Best Novel (1976), Lazar Komarcic Award for Best Novel Best Foreign Novel" (1986).

The author's most famous book, thanks to which his name is well known among science fiction fans today. Haldeman fought in Vietnam, which had a great influence on all of his work and this novel in particular. The novel can be called anti-militarist.

The main character is a space force soldier who fights treacherous aliens and dreams of returning home. When he finds himself on his native Earth, he realizes that he feels like a stranger here too. It turns out that finding happiness and your place in life in peacetime is even more difficult than in wartime.

• Goodreads rating: 4.1.
• Awards: Italian magazine Nova SF award in the category “Best Novel” (1970).

This science fiction novel brought Bradbury his first success. Thanks to him, the writer received many prestigious awards and gained the love of fans all over the world.

The novel consists of separate chronicle stories in which the author reflects on pressing issues of human existence - both on Earth and throughout the Universe. People dream so much of conquering space, but they don’t think about how they can be overcome by an endless longing for everything human that is left at home...

• Goodreads rating: 4.3.
• Awards: Barry Levin Book of the Year (Revised and Expanded) (1990), Balrog Award for Best Novel (1979), World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1979).

Despite the fact that other books brought greater fame, this novel received many awards. Agree, there is a compelling reason to pay attention to it.

The population of America is dying out due to the virus, however, even in this situation, the struggle for world domination does not subside. A mysterious man who can subjugate the weak seeks to seize power. Few of those who managed to survive and maintain adequate ideas about good and evil decide to stop the impostor at all costs.

18. Starship Troopers, Robert Heinlein

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1960).

In Russian, this book was also published under other titles: “Star Infantry”, “Star Rangers”, “Space Troopers” and “Soldiers of Space”. Even if you watched the film adaptation, the book is still worth reading. Heinlein focuses on important political and social phenomena, and the plot boasts even more unpredictable twists. At the same time, the novel is considered one of the most controversial works of science fiction: after its release, Heinlein was called a militarist and accused of promoting fascism.

The Earth is attacked by a dangerous enemy, and the Star Marines must confront an intelligent bug civilization that has nothing in common with humans. In such a war, everything is decided by force, because there is simply no time to seek reconciliation.

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Nebula Award for Best Novel (1966).

The book will appeal to those who want to take a little break from space science fiction, switching to science fiction with a universal human face. The novel is deeply psychological and makes you think about the questions of love and responsibility that we often ask in everyday life.

33-year-old floor cleaner Charlie Gordon is mentally retarded. Despite this, he has a job, friends and an irresistible desire to socialize. After he takes part in a scientific experiment, his life is turned upside down. Charlie's IQ almost triples, and he begins to think about things that are familiar to him in a completely new way.

20. Books about Harry Potter, JK Rowling

• Goodreads rating: from 4.3.
• Awards: British National Book Award for Children's Book of the Year (1998), Nestle Children's Book Award (1997–1999), Whitbread Award for Children's Book of the Year (1999).

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Award (1995–1999).

• Goodreads rating: 4.2.
• Awards: Geffen Prize (2003).

The novel describes the relationship between people and the intelligent ocean of the planet Solaris. At the same time, Lem disputes the position of other science fiction writers who believe that contact with extraterrestrial civilizations will bring total happiness to humanity. The heroes of "Solaris" cannot understand the alien mind, feel lonely far from Earth and are afraid of everything new.

The action takes place in the distant future. But the author raises philosophical questions that are relevant to humanity in the present. Perhaps that is why Andrei Tarkovsky made a film of the same name, and the idea of ​​a smart ocean was reflected in the work “Stars - Cold Toys” by Sergei Lukyanenko.

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1964).

Simak became known for his original ideas, carefully crafted plots and ability to speak simply about complex things.

The hero of the novel is from the American wilderness. At first glance, he leads a measured and uninteresting lifestyle. Everything would be fine, but the person is not... This is what attracts the attention of a CIA agent to him.

• Goodreads rating: 4.2.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1990).

This novel by the American writer is often compared to “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer, where the narrative includes several timelines at once, and several characters can be called the main ones.

Many worlds are involved in an interstellar war, and the fate of humanity depends on how it ends. On the planet Hyperion, which occupies a key place in this confrontation, the Tombs of Time begin to open - giant structures that move from the future to the past. Seven pilgrims go to these objects to unravel their mystery and save people.

• Goodreads rating: from 4.
• Awards: Lituanikon Prize (2006).

The cycle can be classified as so-called dark fantasy. The main character, the witcher Geralt, protects people from monsters. The action takes place in a world of many races, peoples, communities, each of which strives to defend its interests at all costs.

Sapkowski draws analogies with our reality and ridicules. The series is not over yet, and, according to the author, the next book should be released very soon.