15 Best Space Books of All Time: A Must-Read List
A few years ago I encountered a must-read book list about space. Anything about space always got me interested. The list has 100 fiction and non-fiction books about space. And when you say fiction books about space it will usually mean that it is science fiction.
15 books, novels, and book series about space
So with time, I read some of these books and really liked them. This means that the list was really good and worth reading new books from it. Some of the books are standalone novels and some are book series. So there are a lot of books to read. From some of the book series on the list, I read one or two books, from some more than that.
So here I am sharing a list of books I read about space and the ones that I plan to read and are already in my must-read list.
The first entry in this list is the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. Asimov’s Foundation series won the Hugo Award for "Best All-Time Series". Asimov started writing it as short stories. Then these short stories became a trilogy. But when it became very famous, Asimov had to write two sequels and two prequels.
The series starts with a human Galactic Empire spread across the galaxy on many planets. But after many centuries it is going to collapse. So a scientist comes forward and suggests a plan to rescue humanity from the dark ages after the Empire collapses.
I really liked the series. But if you ask which book was my favorite I would definitely say the second sequel of the series “Foundation and Earth”. The reason is that in this book the protagonist travels to different planets.
Foundation series by Isaac Asimov (Publication order)
Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Second Foundation
Foundation's Edge
Foundation and Earth
Prelude to Foundation
Forward the Foundation
This science-fiction book series will really make you get addicted to it. Frank Herbert did a very fantastic job. It is not just a science fiction novel. It also tells the realities of our world. Humanity’s addictions, desires, war, to build something and to destroy things. We can also say that Dune is one of the best-selling science fiction novels.
After the success of the original Dune novel, Herbert added five sequels that made it a series. The Desert planet Dune, its huge sand creatures and “mélange” that is only harvested from Dune, give the story its unique success.
When Frank Herbert died, his son Brian Herbert and science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson continued to write the series. They wrote more than ten novels. Even two of them complete the original Dune series. These two are partially based on Frank Herbert's notes discovered a decade after his death.
Here is a list of the books from the Dune series by Frank Herbert
Dune (1965)
Dune Messiah (1969)
Children of Dune (1976)
God Emperor of Dune (1981)
Heretics of Dune (1984)
Chapterhouse: Dune (1985)
The expanse series is written by authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. And James S.A. Corey is their joint pen name. This series got my attention after I started watching the TV series “The Expanse”. That’s how I started reading it. The book series is still not finished and the next book (maybe even the final novel) is expected to be published in 2020.
This science fiction novel series tells us about the future when humanity colonized most of the Solar System. Earth has the United Nations, Mars has its own state and people are also living in the asteroid belt. And the tension between these groups rises. Plus there is a strange thing called a “Protomolecule”, that came outside from the Solar system. Maybe to destroy humanity.
In addition to published and expected novels, the series also has some short series and novellas.
The list of Expanse series novels:
Leviathan Wakes (2011)
Caliban's War (2012)
Abaddon's Gate (2013)
Cibola Burn (2014)
Nemesis Games (2015)
Babylon's Ashes (2016)
Persepolis Rising (2017)
Tiamat's Wrath (2019)
Unnamed Novel 9 (2020)
This science-fiction book has a very interesting story about how it was written. Normally we first see a book published. Then it will be adapted into a movie. But this book is different. It was written simultaneously while the movie was also being made. Some sources say Arthur C. Clarke and the director of the same name movie Stanley Kubrick wrote the book together. And in the end, only Clarke’s name ended up in the book. But the author himself admits that Kubrick helped him to write with his advice but in the end, it was him who wrote it. Plus story originates from Clarkes' previously written short stories.
First, the movie adaptation was shown in the cinemas. Then the same year the book was also published. The novel tells how there is an alien finger in humans' transformation from man-apes, to humans who can travel in space.
Arthur C. Clarke also wrote three sequels to this novel after it became a bestseller and sold a few million copies. So here is the list of books.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2010: Odyssey Two (1982)
2061: Odyssey Three (1987)
3001: The Final Odyssey (1997)
Old Man’s War is a science fiction and debut novel written by John Scalzi. From the first pages, I really got attracted and bonded with the protagonists. This book is also the first novel of the Old Man's War series.
As the title suggests, the protagonist is an old man who will become a soldier for the human colonial state in space. We will see other intelligent alien species. And how all will compete with each other to get new habitable planets. I liked the story very much so right after the first book, read the second and the third novels.
The series also has a few short stories. But this is the list of the novels in Old Man’s War series:
Old Man's War (2005)
The Ghost Brigades (2006)
The Last Colony (2007)
Zoe's Tale (2008)
The Human Division (2013)
The End of All Things (2015)
Imperial Radch trilogy by Ann Leckie, tells the story of a space empire. The first book of the trilogy is also the author's debut novel and received many awards.
What is unique about these books is that the protagonist is not a human or any other race in the space. Bu an “artificial consciousness” of a space warship. This artificial consciousness controls the ship and also the soldiers given its control. And these soldiers don’t have their own consciousness, because the empire took their regions and planet, whipped their minds, and used them as slaves connected to this artificial intelligence.
Protagonist Breq is one of these soldiers, who carries the artificial consciousness. His starship was destroyed by treachery and he wants some revenge.
Imperial Radch trilogy books
Ancillary Justice (2013)
Ancillary Sword (2014)
Ancillary Mercy (2015)
In the novel, a new planet named Solaris is discovered. So scientists do research on it. But they really fail to understand the planet. But on the other hand, it is like the planet also doing something to the scientist. Like it is reacting to being researched. And strange things start to happen on the planet and in the research hub.
Solaris (1961)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy first was a comedy radio broadcast. And then became a comedy science fiction series. It is a novel series that you can’t describe much. Just read, enjoy, see some space adventures, laugh, and have fun.
When I remember this book, especially the first book, I can’t stop myself from remembering this quote and laughing:
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy novels list:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980)
Life, the Universe and Everything (1982)
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984)
Mostly Harmless (1992)
And Another Thing... (2009)
The Martian by Andy Weir is a science fiction novel that first watched the movie and then read the book. Normally I do and recommend the opposite. But this time I first saw the movie on TV and then decided to read the book. Because books always give you more.
When I think of this book’s protagonist who was stranded on Mars, alone in life hostile environment, I always remember Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Only with one difference. Crusoe was alone but he had many ways to survive. But here astronaut Mark Watney left on Mars by himself and he has limited days to survive. Because of the limited supply of food, water, and even other materials.
Read More - Book Review: The Martian by Andy Weir
So here I am sharing a list of books I read about space and the ones that I plan to read and are already in my must-read list.
1 - Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
The first entry in this list is the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. Asimov’s Foundation series won the Hugo Award for "Best All-Time Series". Asimov started writing it as short stories. Then these short stories became a trilogy. But when it became very famous, Asimov had to write two sequels and two prequels.
The series starts with a human Galactic Empire spread across the galaxy on many planets. But after many centuries it is going to collapse. So a scientist comes forward and suggests a plan to rescue humanity from the dark ages after the Empire collapses.
I really liked the series. But if you ask which book was my favorite I would definitely say the second sequel of the series “Foundation and Earth”. The reason is that in this book the protagonist travels to different planets.
Foundation series by Isaac Asimov (Publication order)
Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Second Foundation
Foundation's Edge
Foundation and Earth
Prelude to Foundation
Forward the Foundation
2 - Dune series by Frank Herbert
This science-fiction book series will really make you get addicted to it. Frank Herbert did a very fantastic job. It is not just a science fiction novel. It also tells the realities of our world. Humanity’s addictions, desires, war, to build something and to destroy things. We can also say that Dune is one of the best-selling science fiction novels.
After the success of the original Dune novel, Herbert added five sequels that made it a series. The Desert planet Dune, its huge sand creatures and “mélange” that is only harvested from Dune, give the story its unique success.
When Frank Herbert died, his son Brian Herbert and science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson continued to write the series. They wrote more than ten novels. Even two of them complete the original Dune series. These two are partially based on Frank Herbert's notes discovered a decade after his death.
Here is a list of the books from the Dune series by Frank Herbert
Dune (1965)
Dune Messiah (1969)
Children of Dune (1976)
God Emperor of Dune (1981)
Heretics of Dune (1984)
Chapterhouse: Dune (1985)
3 - Expanse series by James S.A. Corey
The expanse series is written by authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. And James S.A. Corey is their joint pen name. This series got my attention after I started watching the TV series “The Expanse”. That’s how I started reading it. The book series is still not finished and the next book (maybe even the final novel) is expected to be published in 2020.
This science fiction novel series tells us about the future when humanity colonized most of the Solar System. Earth has the United Nations, Mars has its own state and people are also living in the asteroid belt. And the tension between these groups rises. Plus there is a strange thing called a “Protomolecule”, that came outside from the Solar system. Maybe to destroy humanity.
In addition to published and expected novels, the series also has some short series and novellas.
The list of Expanse series novels:
Leviathan Wakes (2011)
Caliban's War (2012)
Abaddon's Gate (2013)
Cibola Burn (2014)
Nemesis Games (2015)
Babylon's Ashes (2016)
Persepolis Rising (2017)
Tiamat's Wrath (2019)
Unnamed Novel 9 (2020)
4 - 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
This science-fiction book has a very interesting story about how it was written. Normally we first see a book published. Then it will be adapted into a movie. But this book is different. It was written simultaneously while the movie was also being made. Some sources say Arthur C. Clarke and the director of the same name movie Stanley Kubrick wrote the book together. And in the end, only Clarke’s name ended up in the book. But the author himself admits that Kubrick helped him to write with his advice but in the end, it was him who wrote it. Plus story originates from Clarkes' previously written short stories.
First, the movie adaptation was shown in the cinemas. Then the same year the book was also published. The novel tells how there is an alien finger in humans' transformation from man-apes, to humans who can travel in space.
Arthur C. Clarke also wrote three sequels to this novel after it became a bestseller and sold a few million copies. So here is the list of books.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2010: Odyssey Two (1982)
2061: Odyssey Three (1987)
3001: The Final Odyssey (1997)
5 - Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
Old Man’s War is a science fiction and debut novel written by John Scalzi. From the first pages, I really got attracted and bonded with the protagonists. This book is also the first novel of the Old Man's War series.
As the title suggests, the protagonist is an old man who will become a soldier for the human colonial state in space. We will see other intelligent alien species. And how all will compete with each other to get new habitable planets. I liked the story very much so right after the first book, read the second and the third novels.
The series also has a few short stories. But this is the list of the novels in Old Man’s War series:
Old Man's War (2005)
The Ghost Brigades (2006)
The Last Colony (2007)
Zoe's Tale (2008)
The Human Division (2013)
The End of All Things (2015)
6 - Imperial Radch trilogy by Ann Leckie
Imperial Radch trilogy by Ann Leckie, tells the story of a space empire. The first book of the trilogy is also the author's debut novel and received many awards.
What is unique about these books is that the protagonist is not a human or any other race in the space. Bu an “artificial consciousness” of a space warship. This artificial consciousness controls the ship and also the soldiers given its control. And these soldiers don’t have their own consciousness, because the empire took their regions and planet, whipped their minds, and used them as slaves connected to this artificial intelligence.
Protagonist Breq is one of these soldiers, who carries the artificial consciousness. His starship was destroyed by treachery and he wants some revenge.
Imperial Radch trilogy books
Ancillary Justice (2013)
Ancillary Sword (2014)
Ancillary Mercy (2015)
7 - Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
Solaris by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem is a philosophical science fiction novel. It is authors one of the famous works. Until now it has three movie adaptations. During Soviet times it was made into a movie twice. The second and most famous Soviet feature-length film was directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Hollywood also liked the novel and its story, so they also made the new Solaris (2002) movie starring George Clooney.
In the novel, a new planet named Solaris is discovered. So scientists do research on it. But they really fail to understand the planet. But on the other hand, it is like the planet also doing something to the scientist. Like it is reacting to being researched. And strange things start to happen on the planet and in the research hub.
Solaris (1961)
8 - The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy first was a comedy radio broadcast. And then became a comedy science fiction series. It is a novel series that you can’t describe much. Just read, enjoy, see some space adventures, laugh, and have fun.
When I remember this book, especially the first book, I can’t stop myself from remembering this quote and laughing:
“Vogon poetry is of course the third worst in the Universe. The second worst is that of the Azagoths of Kria. During a recitation by their Poet Master Grunthos the Flatulent of his poem "Ode To A Small Lump of Green Putty I Found In My Armpit One Midsummer Morning" four of his audience died of internal haemorrhaging, and the President of the Mid`Galactic Arts Nobbling Council survived by
gnawing one of his own legs off. Grunthos is reported to have been "disappointed" by the poem's reception, and was about to embark on a reading of his twelve`book epic entitled My Favourite Bathtime Gurgles when his own major intestine, in a desperate attempt to save life and civilization, leapt straight up through his neck and throttled his brain. The very worst poetry of all perished along with its creator Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings of Greenbridge, Essex, England in the destruction of the planet Earth.”
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy novels list:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980)
Life, the Universe and Everything (1982)
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984)
Mostly Harmless (1992)
And Another Thing... (2009)
9 - The Martian by Andy Weir
The Martian by Andy Weir is a science fiction novel that first watched the movie and then read the book. Normally I do and recommend the opposite. But this time I first saw the movie on TV and then decided to read the book. Because books always give you more.
When I think of this book’s protagonist who was stranded on Mars, alone in life hostile environment, I always remember Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Only with one difference. Crusoe was alone but he had many ways to survive. But here astronaut Mark Watney left on Mars by himself and he has limited days to survive. Because of the limited supply of food, water, and even other materials.
Read More - Book Review: The Martian by Andy Weir
10 - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin: A human envoy is sent to the icy planet Gethen to persuade its inhabitants to join a galactic alliance, but he must navigate a complex culture where gender is fluid and political intrigue is rampant.
11 - Ray Bradbury - The Martian Chronicles
Ray Bradbury - The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury: A collection of short stories chronicling humanity's first exploration and colonization of Mars, from the first tentative landings to the establishment of permanent settlements.
12 - Orson Scott Card - Ender’s Game
Orson Scott Card - Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card: A young boy is recruited into a military training program to prepare for a future war against an alien race.
13 - Tess Gerritsen – Gravity
Tess Gerritsen – Gravity by Tess Gerritsen: A group of astronauts are stranded on the International Space Station after a devastating meteor shower destroys their shuttle.
14 - Kim Stanley Robinson – Red Mars
Kim Stanley Robinson – Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson: The first book in a trilogy about the colonization of Mars, following a group of scientists and engineers as they build a new home for humanity on the Red Planet.
15 - Robert A. Heinlein - Starship Troopers
Robert A. Heinlein - Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein: A young man enlists in the Mobile Infantry, a futuristic military force that fights against alien civilizations.
This is actually a list of books I made for myself and recommend the ones I liked. So I am open to more book suggestions about space. When I will read the rest, I will add my short comment and review the rest of the books.
Until then please tell me your favorite books, novels, and book series about space in the comments.
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