Sci-fi books for beginners: 11 award-recognized novels to start with
The best first science fiction books are easy to get into, hard to put down and show how much the genre can do. Every book here was recognized by a major award, and none needs a glossary to enjoy.
If you read just one: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, because it is funny, fast and built around a mystery that pulls you through every page.
Page-turners
1. Project Hail Mary
Finalist for the Hugo Award (2022) ·
A man wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there, and slowly works out that Earth’s survival depends on him. Science explained with jokes and real stakes.
2. Ender's Game
Won the Hugo and Nebula Awards; finalist for the Locus Award (1986) ·
A gifted child is trained at a military school in orbit to fight an alien enemy. Fast, tense and one of the most widely read science fiction novels ever.
3. Old Man's War
Finalist for the Hugo Award (2006) ·
At 75, John Perry joins the army that defends Earth’s colonies and wakes up in a new body. Funny, quick and full of ideas.
4. All Systems Red
Won the Hugo, Locus and Nebula Awards (2018) ·
A security android with a secret just wants to watch its shows, but its humans keep getting into danger. Short, funny and the start of a much-loved series.
Character-driven and easy to love
5. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award (2016) ·
A young woman joins the crew of a tunneling ship and finds a family of humans and aliens. Warm and gentle, more about people than battles.
6. Station Eleven
Won the Arthur C. Clarke Award (2015) ·
A flu pandemic ends the world as we know it, and a troupe of actors and musicians travel the Great Lakes performing Shakespeare. Literary, moving and hopeful.
7. Flowers for Algernon
Won the Nebula Award; finalist for the Hugo Award (1967) ·
Charlie Gordon undergoes an experiment that raises his intelligence, told through his own progress reports. Short, simple to read and unforgettable.
8. The Calculating Stars
Won the Hugo, Locus and Nebula Awards (2019) ·
After a meteorite devastates the 1950s East Coast, a mathematician and pilot fights to join the race to space. An alternate history that feels close to real life.
When you are ready for bigger ideas
9. Children of Time
Won the Arthur C. Clarke Award (2016) ·
Spiders evolve a civilization on a terraformed world while the last humans search for a home. Big ideas told through an irresistible story.
10. The Three-Body Problem
Won the Hugo Award; finalist for the Locus and Nebula Awards (2015) ·
A secret project from China’s Cultural Revolution leads to contact with a civilization in crisis. A global phenomenon full of mind-bending ideas.
Good to know: The opening chapters are slower; it picks up once the mystery takes hold.
11. Hyperion
Won the Hugo and Locus Awards (1990) ·
Pilgrims on their way to meet a terrifying creature tell the stories of why they came. Each story is a different kind of science fiction, which makes it a great sampler.
Good to know: Continues in The Fall of Hyperion.
How we chose
Every book in this guide won or was a finalist for at least one of the Hugo, Nebula, Locus or Arthur C. Clarke awards. Each book page lists its full award history with sources. Page counts come from English print editions and vary by edition. 11 books in all.