Science fiction does not appeal to everybody—sci-fi books often feature elusive concepts or detailed world-building that can alienate some audiences. However, many sci-fi books can be entertaining and interesting for all readers, including those that do not typically read the genre. The following books are a perfect introduction into science fiction.
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Get notified of top trending articles like this one every week! (we won't spam you)A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle is a classic novel that blends science fiction and fantasy. The story follows a young girl, her brother, and her friend on a trip through time and space in an attempt to rescue her father from an evil force.
Because it was written for young adults, L’Engle explains complex topics clearly, making the book simple and easy to understand. But despite its target audience and its youthful main characters, A Wrinkle in Time contains themes that are relevant for all ages.
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Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go is about a group of students at a mysterious boarding school in England grappling with the reality of their future and their existence. Ishiguro slowly and subtly builds uneasiness throughout the story as he provides just enough information for the readers to piece together a growing amount of the book’s dystopian setting.
Never Let Me Go blends a coming-of-age story with a dystopian world, allowing it to serve as an introduction into the sci-fi genre while still retaining the feeling of a realistic fiction book.
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Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary, an adventure book by Andy Weir, focuses on an amnesiac astronaut alone on a spaceship struggling to piece together his past and his purpose. The constant struggle for survival throughout the story instantly hooks the audience and allows them to connect to the very humanized—though sometimes not human—characters.
The book showcases various elements of science fiction—including detailed scientific explanations, fun space action, and dystopian world-building. Weir simplifies elusive concepts and writes the story in a comedic, conversational tone, making Project Hail Mary a perfect first sci-fi book.
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The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is a comedic science fiction novel which follows a human and several of his alien friends on a journey through space after the destruction of Earth. It is the first story in a five-book series of the same name, known ironically as a “five-part trilogy”.
Because the main character is an ordinary man unfamiliar with much of the science present in the story, any new concepts are explained clearly, allowing the book to be understandable and relatable.
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The Martian
Andy Weir’s first book, The Martian, follows both a lone astronaut stranded on Mars as he tries to survive, and other astronauts in outer space as they attempt to rescue him. Like Project Hail Mary, the book features adventure and a struggle for survival, both of which keep readers constantly engaged.
While The Martian features some complicated science, it is packed in between action, comedy, and world-building, so the story never feels slow.
Ultimately, many science fiction books can be enjoyed by all types of readers—including those that do not typically enjoy the genre—because of their excitement and relative simplicity.
