swap_horiz Terminal World Alternatives

1

Death's End

Death's End is a 2010 science fiction novel by Chinese author Liu Cixin that concludes the Remembrance of Earth's Past t...

Hard SF Sequel Trilogy Far Future

8.4 Great

2

Revelation Space

Published in 2000 by British author Alastair Reynolds, this novel is the first in the dark, gothic space opera Revelatio...

Space Opera Hard SF Dark Reynolds

8.3 Great

3

House of Suns

Written by Alastair Reynolds and published in 2008, this standalone space opera follows immortal clone lineages across m...

Space Opera Standalone Hard SF Reynolds

8.3 Great

4

Consider Phlebas

Published in 1987 by Scottish author Iain M. Banks, this space opera is the first novel in the popular Culture series.

Space Opera Culture War Banks

8.2 Great

5

Redemption Ark

Written by Alastair Reynolds and released in 2002, this novel is the second book in the hard science fiction Revelation...

Space Opera Hard SF Sequel Reynolds

8.2 Great

6

The City and the Stars

The City and the Stars is a 1956 science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke set in a billion-year-old city, exploring the...

Classic Hard SF City Clarke

8.2 Great

7

The Scar

The Scar is a 2002 science fiction novel by China Miéville set in the Bas-Lag universe, following the floating pirate ci...

Ocean Dark Sequel Weird Fiction

8.2 Great

8

Chasm City

This 2001 science fiction novel by Alastair Reynolds is set in his Revelation Space universe and won the British Science...

Space Opera Standalone Hard SF Noir

8.1 Great

9

Persepolis Rising

Published in 2017 by James S. A. Corey, this seventh novel in The Expanse series introduces a time jump and a resurgent...

Space Opera Sequel Far Future Corey

8.1 Great

10

City

City is a 1952 science fiction novel by Clifford D. Simak, composed of linked short stories, that envisions a future Ear...

Classic Dogs Robots Far Future

8.0 Great

11

Pushing Ice

This 2005 standalone science fiction novel by Alastair Reynolds details the harrowing journey of a comet-mining ship abd...

Standalone Hard SF First Contact Reynolds

8.0 Great

12

Who Fears Death

Who Fears Death is a 2010 science fantasy novel by Nnedi Okorafor set in a post-apocalyptic Sahara, exploring themes of...

Dark Literary Post Apocalypse Afrofuturism

8.0 Great

13

The Algebraist

Nominated for the Hugo Award, this 2004 space opera by Iain M. Banks is set in a universe distinct from his Culture seri...

Space Opera Standalone Hard SF Banks

7.9 Good

14

The Prefect

The Prefect is a 2007 science fiction novel by Alastair Reynolds set in his Revelation Space universe, following a lawma...

Space Opera Police Mystery Reynolds

7.9 Good

15

Endymion

Endymion is a 1996 science fiction novel by Dan Simmons, the third book in the Hyperion Cantos, set centuries after the...

Space Opera Sequel Religion Simmons

7.8 Good

16

The Rise of Endymion

The Rise of Endymion is a 1997 science fiction novel by Dan Simmons, concluding the four-volume Hyperion Cantos with a f...

Space Opera AI Sequel Simmons

7.7 Good

17

Against a Dark Background

Against a Dark Background is a 1993 science fiction novel by Iain M. Banks that tells a dark, fast-paced story of surviv...

Space Opera Standalone Dark Banks

7.7 Good

18

Iron Council

Iron Council is a 2004 science fiction novel by China Miéville, third in his Bas-Lag sequence, following a revolutionary...

Dark Revolution Train Weird Fiction

7.7 Good

19

The Light Brigade

The Light Brigade is a 2019 military science fiction novel by Kameron Hurley about soldiers teleported as light in a cor...

Time Travel Dark Military SF War

7.6 Good

20

Manifold: Time

Manifold: Time is a 1999 hard science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter that explores the fate of the universe and the con...

Time Standalone Hard SF Fermi Paradox

7.5 Good