29 Best Science Fiction Books

Welcome to 2084.

Be warned: utopia does not await us.

The dystopian future that George Orwell predicted for 1984 has finally arrived, one hundred years late and ten times as brutal. To save all that he loves, Orwell will have to travel between his future self–Erik Blair, Orwell’s descendant and unwitting heir to his legacy–and the past.

As for Erik Blair, his life plan isn’t overly complicated: Avoid trouble. Avoid pain. And get from one day to the next without attracting the “wrong” kind of attention, which really equates to any kind of attention when the government and its robotic thugs are involved. In this post-apocalyptic world where everyone marches to the beat of the same drummer, Blair–a young man earmarked for a future of compliance and servitude–isn’t volunteering to be anyone’s hero. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always go according to plan.

Now privateers rather than criminals, the Redshift Runners protect Earth and its colonies from pirates …

Until trade routes are attacked by the unmanned fleets of the Prestige, the former protectors of ancient Earth. Though the deadly raids threaten the stability Deadeye and Talon have sacrificed so much to achieve, they discover its true
purpose: an operation code-named Termination Vector, which has targeted the Runners for destruction.

Old enemies reappear in a bid for power, abusing the very technology that has allowed humanity to settle the stars. Deadeye and his shipmates must gather their allies to confront the marauding fleets in a battle for the future of the Orion Spur.

But the cost might be more than they can bear.

As Good and Evil sit precariously weighing in the balance, swaying back and forth with the whims and spirit of humanity, many continue to ask: what is it that gives us purpose? Who truly matters in this age of adversity? Are we coincidental masses of flesh and blood, or were we put on this earth for a reason?

Such impassable questions have been debated, answered, reexamined, and refuted since the very dawn of time. With the seemingly ever mounting confusion, it’s easy to see why many have simply given up the search.

Ebenezer Makinde, however, may be the exception.

On December 9th, 2019, he sent a request to Heaven for answers to the existential questions humans have been asking for centuries. He wrote a note, sealed it away in his desk, and left the uncertainty in another world’s hands.

On December 31st, one day shy of the dawn of the new decade, someone answered.

Light of Darkness tells the story of a fateful interaction between Ebenezer and two agents from opposing worlds, one from Heaven and one from Hell. Realizing he’s been entangled in a cosmic plot putting the fate of humanity in his very own hands, it soon becomes clear that the balance between light and darkness has never reached a more critical point… will the world bask in the light of redemption or be forever doomed to a never-ending darkness?

Ebenezer finds himself caught between the forces at work in that dilemma; providing him access to information that will soon be impacting all of humanity.

Eager fans around the world played Operation Red Helmet for years, making it the highest-grossing virtual reality game ever sold, and the designers, The Talladav Group, are the richest company on earth.

After an oppressive, unrelenting worldwide heatwave hits, daily life grinds to a halt around the globe. People retreat to their homes, afraid to go out as violence and chaos erupt in the streets. The game temporarily shuts down as the world grapples with the fallout of civil unrest and critical infrastructure breakdowns, forever altering society.

When governments take over control and infrastructures are replaced and back online, the top players of the previous version receive a mysterious box marked “Operation Jade Helmet.” The new version is the first-ever total immersion VR experience and inside each box is a free headset and personal code to play a week before release to the general public. The lucky winners don their newest obsession and impatiently wait for the game to begin. Unfortunately, they are about to discover Operation Jade Helmet is unlike any other game, and when the game begins, everything changes.

Battle lines have been drawn. Only one species will survive.

The Primordials are crossing into our universe. Their mission is simple:
Burn every planet to ashes.

The only hope for all life is the culmination of the Kane bloodline.

Prometheus finds his back against the wall. Can he hold off the horde long enough for his grandson to face a god? Or will defending his home require the ultimate sacrifice?

Constantine and his warriors are out of options. They must find the alien god-king and kill him before time runs out for everyone.

Two generations must dig deep and rise above a species more powerful than humanity ever imagined.

The Angelos Dominion is done playing coy.

Their Red Crow lackeys are pulling out all the stops and things are getting dicey. Lombe, Daira, and Jozzun are going to have to figure things out–even if they have to break a few dynasties to do it.

There will be chaos, gunplay, killer robots, and … podding?

Don’t ask. Seriously, just don’t.

Trouble is as trouble does …

For a band of rascals who like to dance on both sides of the law, the crew of the Atlanta sure keep finding themselves playing hero.

But will pluck and ragtag resourcefulness be enough to save the day this time?

Can ingenuity and a give-’em-hell attitude be enough to stop a trading empire in its tracks?

Troy has plans for revenge on the Reptauran race that annihilated most of the peaceful people of Pira. Even as the alien species prepare for another attack, this time on Earth, Troy races against the clock; he must find a way around Alta’s control over him, save what remains of the Piran people, prevent an attack on his home planet of Earth, and keep his soul intact from alien technology working to destroy him from within. In this action-packed conclusion to the three part series, Essence Chronicles, Troy realizes he loves Septima, but the merger with the essence of the dead general, Tohmas, has brought strong, insatiable desires Troy cannot control. Will love win in the end or will his Tohmas half destroy the one thing that anchors Troy to his better side?

Taking the battle deep into Arh’Kel territory, Colonel Jenkins, Major Xi Bao, and the newly promoted Captain Podsednik are challenged both in space and on the ground. Can they gain superiority in orbit while Legion mechs are landside? Can heavy metal win the ground? Working together. Fighting separately. Losing means losing the war. Win the battle. Win the prize. Humanity is poised to take its place as the leader of all races. Everything hinges on the Metalheads in their mechs.

Soon to be a Netflix Original Series!

“Wildly imaginative.” –President Barack Obama on The Three-Body Problem trilogy

This near-future trilogy is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience this multiple-award-winning phenomenon from Cixin Liu, China’s most beloved science fiction author.

In The Dark Forest, Earth is reeling from the revelation of a coming alien invasion-in just four centuries’ time. The aliens’ human collaborators may have been defeated, but the presence of the sophons, the subatomic particles that allow Trisolaris instant access to all human information, means that Earth’s defense plans are totally exposed to the enemy. Only the human mind remains a secret. This is the motivation for the Wallfacer Project, a daring plan that grants four men enormous resources to design secret strategies, hidden through deceit and misdirection from Earth and Trisolaris alike. Three of the Wallfacers are influential statesmen and scientists, but the fourth is a total unknown. Luo Ji, an unambitious Chinese astronomer and sociologist, is baffled by his new status. All he knows is that he’s the one Wallfacer that Trisolaris wants dead.

The Three-Body Problem Series
The Three-Body Problem
The Dark Forest
Death’s End

Other Books
Ball Lightning
Supernova Era
To Hold Up The Sky (forthcoming)

The ENTIRE four-book Extinction Survival series in one box set

War has a way of following some people …

John Eric Carver and Shrek are a retired Navy SEAL war dog team, now living in the mountains outside of San Diego. Both man and dog thought their life was now settled, finding peace on the forty-acre ranch they had moved to. But life, and a mutated virus, changed all that.

Now, they have to survive a worldwide pandemic. Taking refuge in a nearby Boy Scout camp, Carver leads a group of teens and their parents as they are forced to deal with infected creatures that are rapidly consuming the world. Will John and Shrek survive another war, or will this be the end of the line for the SEAL team?

The enthralling Extinction Survival series is a harrowing story of a man and his four-legged best friend trying to survive at the end of the world. Join the army of readers that fell in love with these characters by owning the complete series, offered in a box set for the very first time.

The Jemmin have interfered with humanity for the last time. The Metal Legion is going to fix that–or die trying. Join Major Xi Bao, Colonel Lee “Roy” Jenkins, and Captain Andrew Podsednik for intrigue and battle, fire and fury, and friends worth fighting for. New heroes emerge and old warriors fall in this last chance to save humanity. Metal Legion–climb the ramp and come along for the ride. It’ll be bumpy and hot, but there’s nothing like the sound of battle from the inside of a tin can.

The DEMC are close to winning the long, ugly fight they were never assured they’d see the end of.

What stands between our intrepid mercs and victory is the fight for their lives.

The enemies they are about to be pitted against make their endeavors so far look like a cake walk. Killer bugs and government conspiracies are old hat. Armies of mutants spreading like a plague, a host of life-snuffing cyborgs that won’t stop “cleaning,” and fierce competition between the various factions. Let’s just say that when this is over, the DEMC are going to need some serious R&R … assuming they make it through this in one piece.

Survival was never a given, but the DEMC have just the give-’em-hell attitude needed to see this job through. That, or leave them all as greasy stains on the deck. Either way, they’ll be getting that downtime sooner or later. The life of any merc comes down to quick draws, heavy metal, and enough cold creds to keep them coming back for more. The DEMC just made war into an art form.

Hey, go big or never go home, right?

If they can trust in the process, everything will work out for the three Hadstrom witches. ? Yeah, sure–that’s how fairytales always go… The girls and the Gorafrex have a long list of amends to make all around Austin. How hard can it be? Harder than they realize. Things get dicey when the local magicals recognize the ethereal creature who’s been wreaking havoc for weeks. Can the Hadstrom sisters finally fix magic without making things worse?

The Telorans just got pummeled in Meligorn space, but the victory came with unexpectedly bad news: there is another Teloran fleet heading in their direction. What will the Federation Navy decide to do? On Earth, Stephanie’s plans to help rebuild are slowly taking shape. Will her team be able to figure out a plan to reduce the toxic radiation zones, or will they die of radiation sickness or magical destruction and sink the future of the planet? Regardless of the victories, some in power are willing to make deals to try and cut Stephanie and her team out of the future. But she is a MORGANA. There are no other alternatives, no matter the risk to her and her team.

One city. Nine operatives. Millions of possible threats …

The Nameless are no more. Former agent Sofia Ortiz must put aside her grief and form a new team–Arclight. After discovering damning intel, General Munroe dispatches them on a recon mission to Hong Kong, in the heart of enemy territory.

Zanzi Connors, despondent over the mystery of her missing parents and burdened by guilt, hesitantly agrees to join. With the clock ticking and choices limited, Arclight begins a desperate fight to fulfill their oath of being the beacon in a world of darkness.

This operation will test the new agents of LK3 in ways unimaginable as they unveil a sinister plan that could doom humanity to an apocalyptic future.

The Gate drive is trashed, the locals are hostile, and the crew has run out of beer. The galaxy has chewed up the Reynolds and spit it out. The search is on for the raw materials to make the parts they need to fix the ship. Who can stand up to the superdreadnought in a no-name galaxy at the edge of the universe? It’s looking grim for a group hug, leaving the captain and crew with the choice of fight, flight, or diplomacy. Board the Reynolds and join the crew in their struggle to get home.

The Metal Legion is committed to saving all, despite their differences, despite their loyalties. Leeroy Jenkins commits the Metalheads to a battle that makes them traitors to the Republic and enemies of the Solarians. It’s the no-win scenario.

Unless they can do the unthinkable. The stakes are high and risk higher as they bet everything they have in a single pitched battle to win the freedom of all humanity.

Metal Legion–climb the ramp and come along for the ride. It’ll be bumpy and hot, but the sound of the 15kg mains is worth it.

Life as a merchant marine is not for the faint-hearted.

People are not easy. For Jozzun, living with a bunch of blunt-brained humans is even more difficult.

Especially when less-than-legitimate operations go from bad to worse …

The human saying “may you live in interesting times” is starting to make sense to Jozzun. He finds himself wishing he’d considered the consequences of signing up to the crew of the Atlanta.

The crew are bound for trouble, or perhaps trouble is just bound for them.

Whatever the case may be, it is certainly going to ruffle the psychics’ feathers.

From pirates to shadowy conspiracies–and a crime boss that’s a little too hands-on for Jozzun’s tastes–the situation seems determined to become the worst kind of complicated.

Well, he did go looking for a life of adventure. This was what he wanted, right?

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling series

New monsters. New terrain. New threats. Welcome to Australia.

The battle for Panama is over, and King Xavier Rodriguez secretly deploys the airship Vanguard to Queensland. The hunt for the Coral Castle is on. The rest of the fleet returns to the Vanguard Islands with new ships and supplies, but tensions rise with rumors of a hidden food cache.

When two sky people are murdered, Chief Michael Everhart knows the stage is set for mutiny. And with King Xavier off in search of the Coral Castle, he feels the target on his back. At Panama, a new leader emerges as an ancient evil threatens Outpost Gateway. The only hope of defeating it is a youth who has learned to survive in the deadly ruins.

On Australia’s Sunshine Coast, King Xavier leads the search for the Coral Castle while Captain Rolo deploys the Hell Divers to hunt for a new source of seeds. As losses from both missions mount, the king wonders if finding this place is worth the cost. But turning back to the Vanguard Islands without a new food source could doom all humanity to starvation. Or to all-out war.

The games are over.
The war is here.

Does humanity have a chance against the gods?

Five men and women venture to another universe to find beings whose power gives them abilities they can’t imagine.

Their leader? The greatest warrior produced since Prometheus: Achilles.

Young, untested, but with unbridled potential, will his raw talent be enough?

Can Achilles fight gods and turn back the tide of fate for the entire universe?

Or will he be crushed like an ant beneath the feet of beings who can walk the stars?

In The War Machine Part Two, humanity comes face-to-face with their creators.

Troy is no longer himself. Kidnapped by the aliens known as Pirans, infected with the essence of the dead General Tohmas, Troy grasps at his only hope of survival. He merges his soul with the alien parasite trying to possess him, leaving him forever changed–and not entirely for the worse. Once plagued by crippling phobias, Troy is now fearless, willing to fight his enemies with his bare hands.

But with this new strength also comes a new weakness: women. Tohmas was notorious for his insatiable desires, and Troy finds himself constantly resisting temptation–especially the gorgeous, manipulative Alta. Although Alta has convinced the Pirans she’s helping them prepare to battle the murderous Reptaurens, she’s actually meticulously planning to steal their ultimate power source and then abandon them to their fate.

Alta won’t hesitate to kill anyone in her way, and her deep love for Tohmas is Troy’s only advantage. He convinces Alta that Tohmas has taken full control of his being and thus keeps her trust and his life.

While Alta schemes, Troy covertly struggles to save the Pirans and prevent the Reptaurens from invading Earth–but first he must wrest back control of his own soul.

Starting a business is hard, especially when making your living requires staying alive long enough to get paid.

Our troublesome trio, Chill, Ivan, and Kortez, haven’t exactly hit the big time yet, but they’ve got dreams. Big ones.

But big dreams, big plans, and big guns mean that they’re looking at some big problems. When you’re establishing a mercenary company, let’s just say the complications start to pile up like shell casings.

Making their daily bread with the barrel of a gun is hard enough, but what happens when somebody starts a trade war and innocent people get caught in the mix?

It’s time for three well-armed amigos to misbehave in pyrotechnic fashion.

Lock and load as the DEMC dives fists-first into more trouble and mayhem than you can shake a rail rifle at!

Superdreadnought Reynolds has cornered his enemy and believes that Gulg technology will help him defeat the Kurtherian-armed Phraim-‘Eh.

But what if it doesn’t?

With all guns blazing, the battle is joined, but the crew learns more about each other than the enemy.

Even though it’s a battle, the superdreadnought must win. Maybe that gives them an edge over the cult.

Reynolds wants to take what he’s learned back to Bethany Anne. He’s ready to go home, even if only for a short while. The crew is behind him in his search for peace within his own fractured mind and his duty to the Federation and his loyalty to his crew.

Our trio of madcap mercenaries have brought peace to Mugh-9, but it turns out that peace is bad for business.

What is a merc to do but head out into the galaxy and find some work?

There’s always someone in need of a steady hand, a strong arm, and a propensity toward violence, right?

Our trio hit the jackpot when they are approached by a representative from a crumbling regime.

Have gun, will travel: that’s the order of the day.

The company loads up and heads out for a distant corner of a broken empire. It doesn’t take them long to realize that this might be more dangerous than even they expected.

Lethal space anomalies? Check. Ruthless pirates? Check. Omnicidal cyborgs? Check.

Our crew of guns-for-hire are in over their heads. That never stopped them before, so why worry about it now?

Embark on another blade-ripping, gun-roaring adventure with the Zoo Universe’s best-worst mercs.

What’s a billionaire heiress supposed to do when the world seems hell-bent on stopping her from completing her mission?

Chloe is on the cusp of finishing her quest, but forces inside and outside the game are colluding to stop her. What is it going to take?

Now, Chloe must take to corners of the game never designed to be experienced by human players.

By tearing open the fabric of Obsidian’s AI, can she find the missing pieces of the armor and save Hammersworth and the entire mortal realm?

A wedding. A town infected. The trials of the Nether Realm. She used to worry about not throwing up in the morning.

Does Chloe have what it takes to complete her quest and rise to the top of Obsidian’s leaderboards?

The Federation knows where a lurking Teloran ship is hiding and decides to send Morgana Inc. to ferry a special-operations team to procure data. Unfortunately, the team only needs to provide the data, getting back off is up to them. Since this team is the Hooligans, led by Stephanie’s boyfriend, they secretly suspect she will help. But what happens when Morgana shows up scares Todd’s team to their core. Will they share what they find out with the Navy Brass? Then what Todd’s team finds changes the whole future of the war. Will the Federation succumb to the Telorans, or will the Telorans find out an ancient enemy still fights them to this day? Elizabeth is pulling together the largest, fastest computer the Federation has…Can Stephanie help create the sensitive parts? Will they be able to move BURT if they do? The small girl from the gov-subs now moves the forces of the Universe to stop an implacable foe. Will she burn her energy pathways out in the process? She is THE MORGANA. There are no other alternatives, no matter the risk to her and her team.

Things are heating up in The Broken City. Accompanied by Kain, Mary-Anne, and Jaxon, Caitlin must work–and work fast–to stop both humans and Weres from destroying everything they’ve worked so hard to rebuild.

Danger approaches from every angle. The two factions of the city are ready to revolt. Nudged on by a crazed psychopath with unspoken power, Caitlin must pull together her full force to stop the city from crumbling.

The fate of the city rests on Caitlin’s shoulders, and the last thing she wants to do is fail…

Barnabas has destroyed the Committee’s research facility, but his victory came at a cost: his friend Jeltor remains captive and brainwashed.

He isn’t going to stand for that. He is going to find and rescue his friend, no matter what it takes.

But what will he do when he has to decide between saving his friend and saving an entire planet?

The Committee has set its sights on the Brakalon home world, and it intends to convert every single citizen to serve as their new army.

And with two of the Jotun admirals on their side, is it too late to stop them?

The Pearl. A smooth round ball of a planet with an ocean hiding a secret.

The water is near boiling, and the Jemmin don’t want the Vorr or the Terrans to find what’s hidden in the depths.

What would make it worth it for the Jemmin to commit overwhelming forces to this out of the way system? And they aren’t the only ones bringing max firepower to the game. The Metal Legion gears up for what they expect to be a pitched battle against a determined defense.