SciFi and Fantasy Books To Get

November 07, 2020

What makes a good book is highly subjective, so here is a simple list designed to steer you toward some excellent options and help you decide which options are best for you.

There is a strong bias these days to simply read the samples of many books and see what "grabs" you. I find this process to be highly frustrating for two main reasons. There is an urge to jump around between samples or not to make a definitive decision. You download 10 samples and feel like you need to find the best one. Well what if they are all great? Of so, you've missed out on 9 stories.

Guidelines for using this list:

Realize that this and other "top books" list contain only subjectively high-quality stories.
Download ONE sample, read it, and decide to either delete the sample or purchase and finish the book.
Consider simply buying and committing to reading a well recommended book. Avoiding the evaluation period with it's narrative disrupting critiques can make the experience entirely different.
Check for things that annoy you before skipping the sample-period. For instance some people don't like a first person narrative, some don't like a lot of exposition, some need to avoid violent stories. Whatever you can easily check that is important to you. I've tried to note some common ones below.
Only the first book in a series is listed, that way you have no questions about where to start.

Primarily Fantasy

The Last Unicorn

Elegant writing and a fairy-tale atmosphere work well together in this classic; a timeless story.

The Name of the Wind

A terrifically entertaining read. Suffers a bit from being told by the protagonist (so you know he survives) but with enough mystery around the events and outcome to engage. Warning, only 2 of the promised 3 novels in the series have been released.

The Scar

A better told story than the more famous Perdido Street Station. A captivating journey in a bizarre land. Warning, some crude language.

The Blade Itself

Gritty action and meaningful character development make this book hard to put down. Caution, not shy about gore in battle scenes.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

One of the most poetic works of fantasy narrative available. Possibly a bit too creepy for some young readers, though it isn't really a horror story. Set in a contemporary world (for the most part) which may not be to some high-fantasy lovers taste.

Primarily Sci-Fi

Dune

There are plenty of people who don't like the rest of the Dune series, but most science fiction fans appreciate the first novel. Told mostly from a psychological and philosophic point of view; very light on exposition about the world and objects. An absolute must-read even if just to be able to talk about it.

The Left Hand of Darkness

High literature in sci-fi form. Terrific characters. Notable for portrayal of its female protagonist.

Other Books

These books didn't quite make the cut. The reason is noted where it is important.

Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card: A better book than Ender's Game, but not the first book of the series so it can't be in the main list. If you've seen the Ender's Game movie, realize that the ending of the movie is somewhat different so the backstory for this book might seem off.