Science Fiction Starter List
I've read Foundation, loved it, and want to buy my next 10 SciFi novels. One request, I don't want it to be set on Earth. What should I read next?
I'd warn you to be aware that there is so much variety that one person's top 10 list will be another person's "don't ever waste your time" list. I would also warn you that many of the "great" works from the last century did not age well.
I'm not saying this to take away from those works, but to let you know that as you dig in, if you find a few that you really dislike... just put them aside and try another. You'll find the authors and styles you enjoy.
* "Red Rising" by Pierce Brown
* "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons
* "Daros" by Dave Dobson
* "The Martian" by Andy Weir (technically includes Earth)
If you don't mind lighthearted fun:
* "Bobiverse" by Dennis E. Taylor (starts on Earth, goes beyond solar system)
* "Dim Stars: A Novel of Outer-Space Shenanigans" by Brian P. Rubin
A tiny random trilogy of books worth reading for various reasons:
Ursula K. Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness
Arthur C. Clarke: Rendezvous with Rama
Robert L. Forward: Dragon's Egg
There's quite a breadth and depth to the genre, I'd suggest not spoiling things by reading book reviews, but you might enjoy reading about the three authors above.
and then there's Philip K. Dick (and many many others).
* Alastair Reynolds - Revelation Space Series
* Dan Simmons - Hyperion Cantos Series
* Martha Wells - The Murderbot Diaries
* Peter F. Hamilton - Void Trilogy
* Liu Cixin - The Three Body Problem (Starts on Earth but goes Interstellar)
* Frank Herbert - Dune
* Joe Haldeman - The Forever War (Earth-based dystopia)
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Adrian Tchaikovsky yet. I rather enjoyed the Children of Time and The Final Architecture series. They both technically contain bits of Earth but should still fit into the conditions you're after.
Ringworld by Larry Niven. Technically you should start with Neutron Star by the same author, but if you're not familiar with the Known Space universe, I don't think it's a big deal to start with Ringworld.
One of the few Sci Fi novels to win both the Hugo and Nebula awards in the same year!
https://news.larryniven.net/concordance/content.asp?page=Rea...
Is it cheating to recommend Anathem, regarding not set on earth? It's an outstanding novel, set on an earth-like world.
If you want something more out-there, Verner Vinge's A fire upon the deep and its sequel are great. Or, as recommended by another poster, The Children of Time trilogy.
Dune. Even if you've seen the movies, the books are incredible.
Although Earth is part of the story, it isn't at all the focus and there are other settings, and it is 100% absolutely worth a read: The Expanse series. 10 books. Brilliant prose, brilliant sci-fi. Incredible audiobook narration if that's your thing.
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
The forever war by Joe Haldeman ( some of it is on earth but it’s mostly off world)
Solaris By Stanislaw lem
It’s been a while since I’ve read The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, but I think it’s off world too.
Foundation series is my favorite. Read the Robot and then the Empire series by Asimov which are all set in the same universe as Foundation. Not as good, but there will be some pleasant surprises.
Dune and sequels by Frank Herbert are the next logical option, with similarly large scope.
The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey is great, set in the solar system in the near future.
Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary and The Martian are super fun reads, technically fulfilling the "not on Earth" requirement. Both are about one person's overcoming great odds, so a very different brand of sci-fi.
To the given lists I'd append Ted Chiang and Peter Watts.
Culture series by Iain M. Banks. There are 10 books. It's about a utopian galactic civilization governed by super AIs. Most of the super AIs are giant spaceships that transport people. Most people live for 500+ years, and a lot of them switch sexes. People also have drug glands which allow them to instantly administer 200 different drugs via mental trigger.
Marrow - A group of people find a Jupiter sized ship of unknown origin and start a galactic cruise with many different species in the far high tech future.
The Stars My Destination
Starship Troopers - very different from the movie, sci-fi classic. Even on the Marines reading list.
Forever War - partially on Earth most in far flung space battles.
The Martian - solid Jew hard sci-fi again very different from the movie
Plenty more but, sadly sci-fi falls under Sturgeon's law.
The lesser known but inspiration for some well known authors [1]: [Jack Vance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Vance).
I can highly recommend "The Demon Princes", "The Cadwal Chronicles" and "Tschai".
[1] Dan Simmons, George R. R. Martin
Of course Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and Larry Niven are legends.
There is a new generation worth reading.
We are legion (we are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor is the first book in his Bobiverse series.
Gust Front by John Ringo is the first book in his Legacy of Aldenata / Posleen series.
Live free or dies by John Ringo is the first book in his Troy Rising series.
1632 by Eric Flint is the first book in his Ring of Fire series.
I recommend diving into "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin, "Dune" by Frank Herbert, and "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons. These novels offer richly imagined worlds beyond Earth, exploring captivating science fiction landscapes and narratives.
- Most works by Heinlein esp. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, Tunnel In The Sky, Time Enough For Love
- Many other works by Asimov
- The Rama series by A.C. Clarke
- Gateway and other novels in the same universe, by Fred Pohl
- The earlier novels of James P. Hogan esp. The Two Faces Of Tomorrow and The Genesis Machine
- The Complete Venus Equilateral, by George O. Smith
Much more, of course, but a good start.
I’m a big fan of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan series. It’s not hard sci-fi. Earth is in the stories, but not the central location for hardly any of them.
I recommend reading them in chronological order, rather than published order.
Vernor Vinge - A fire upon the Deep, first in the Zones of
Thought Series.
Sarah Zettel - Fool's War
David Brin's Uplift saga
H Beam Piper's Fuzzy series
- This is how you lose the time war - El-Mohtar, Amal
- Lord of light - Zelazny, Roger
- The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
* Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
* The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.