Read fiction online on the Literary platform Booknet, you can even around the clock. The genre of fiction is probably the most diverse of all. literary directions... The most famous works of world literature have been created in this genre.

Features of books in the genre 2020

On the pages of science fiction novels, fighting spaceships, star wars are raging, brave pioneers are looking for a way to new planets or, and star pirates are robbing galactic caravans. All this is fiction, which you can read online for free or buy an e-book in the genre of fiction. Time travel and robots, alternative history, and await you on the pages of novels and stories, which are convenient to open in the reader of our platform. Or maybe you want to download free books genre fantasy? Of course, this function is also available for those who like to read online.

The best science fiction that Russian science fiction writers write for you can be downloaded in various formats.

In the TOP of our electronic library these directions are adjacent to

I read 6 books from this universe on the advice of an anime friend and decided to share my IMHO with dear readers:

The SAO book series, of course, is worthy of all praise, but as a person who has recently read a sufficient number of LITRPGs and other "hit" series, I cannot fail to note the serious disadvantages inherent in both the entire genre of this kind of literature and books on SAO in particular ...

1. The main character(as in 90% of LITRPG), Duke Nukem and Chuck Norris combined are incomparably cool. Other things from book to book, he practically does not engage in pumping and farming of epic gear, but thanks to 6 feelings and other mystical skills, he single-handedly kills bosses designed for a raid (Dragon with metal, hellish Santa, etc.), has sky-high hit points and a hurricane regen, allowing in " game with death SAO "calmly confront a dozen red PCs. The only one to whom our legendary nagibator "leaked" PVP - Kirito - is Allah GM and the creator of the game, the gloomy Japanese genius and the main villain in combination.
2. Harem. Not. Not this way. HAREM of the female characters whom he saved, protected, freed, helped, etc. The GG wanders in the footsteps of the Black Swordsman Kirito and sighs sadly about the hard female fate, for the heart of a real samurai is already occupied by the brave Asuna. One of those who "feels how their heart squeezes at the sight of a thin black-haired boy" is the sister of GG, who became a cousin with a wave of the author's pen. Fortunately, there is no mass shipping and, it seems, is not expected. Although who knows them, fans of tentacles and hentai ...
3. As I wrote above in paragraph 1, a true hero should not waste time on boring pumping and farming epics. Indeed, in VRMMO of the future land of the Rising Sun, it is possible to transfer an already pumped character not just from the Horde to the Alliance and back, but ... from game to game. Imagine: you are level 90 from the game Vedmak Online, you find yourself in the Mehvarrior and start cutting on an imba robot with 2 swords! Where did the robots get their swords? But there were, yes. Only before GG no one used them at all because they did not know how. Quite noobs, they believed in a gauss gun, naive. In about the same way, an ordinary Japanese schoolboy in less than a week of real time "bent" all the top players in the multiplayer shooter Gun Gale Online. Chuck Norris is crying with envy.

In a word, you can read a series of books about SAO if you are not annoyed by the "loud sounds of the button accordion" constantly playing "from the wide-open windows" of the plot. Killing time on the subway or somewhere else is just that. At least for me personally, SAO was easier to read than the Korean "Moon Sculptor". But in reality, if I had to choose VRMMO all other things being equal, I'd rather play Valdira's World than SAO.

Compilation of hundreds of the most important science fiction books took our editors much more effort than similar lists of games, films and TV shows. It is not surprising, because books are the foundation of all world fiction. As before, the main criterion for us was the significance of this or that work for world and national science fiction.

Our list includes only those books and cycles that have become generally recognized pillars of science fiction or have had a significant impact on the development of individual science fiction directions. At the same time, we did not follow the temptation to attribute the main contribution to science fiction to English-speaking authors: almost a fifth of our list is occupied by books by Russian masters of the word.

So, before you are those 100 books that, according to MirF, any self-respecting fan of science fiction is simply obliged to read!

Forerunners of science fiction

Jonathan Swift "Gulliver's Travels"

A novel that paved the way for the authors of many fantastic trends - from satire to alternative geography. And what a detailed construction of worlds is worth! "Gulliver's Travels" cannot be squeezed only onto a fantastic shelf - it is a phenomenon of universal human culture. True, most of us are only familiar with the adapted version, which is included in the "golden fund" of children's literature.

Mary Shelley "Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus"

Book of an English lady, wife famous poet written "for a bet." Percy Shelley and his friend Byron did not succeed, and the 20-year-old girl wrote one of the most famous "Gothic" novels. But the matter was not limited to gothic! The story of the Swiss scientist Victor Frankenstein, who used electricity to revive dead tissue, is considered the first truly science fiction work.

Lewis Carroll "Alice in Wonderland"

A fairy tale for children, invented by an English mathematician, had a huge impact on the development of SF. Satirical absurdism, an abundance of paradoxes, other dimensions - Carroll's book included many topics that were repeatedly used by science fiction writers of subsequent generations. Carroll's influence on the English-speaking culture is especially great - in terms of the number of citations, the story about Alice is second only to Shakespeare.

Jules Verne "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"

One of the most famous books of the "founding father" of NF. Of course, you can put several more of his novels next to it - "Journey to the Center of the Earth", "From Earth to the Moon", "Robur the Conqueror", but it is "20 thousand ..." that unites in itself scientific and technical predictions, an exciting adventure plot, cognitive and vivid character, whose name has become a household name. Who doesn't know Captain Nemo and his Nautilus?

Robert Louis Stevenson " Strange story Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde "

The story of two opposite halves of a single personality, at the same time - a moralizing parable about the duality of progress and the responsibility of science to society (later this topic was developed by H. Wells in "The Invisible Man" and "The Island of Dr. Moreau"). Stevenson has cleverly combined elements of SF, gothic horror and philosophical novel. The result is a book that spawned a lot of imitations and made the image of Jekyll-Hyde a household name.

Mark Twain "The Connecticut Yankees at the Court of King Arthur"

Another classic that combines satire on the contemporary writer of society and the brilliant embodiment of several fantastic ideas, later replicated by hundreds of authors. Time travel, alternative history, the idea of ​​a clash of cultures, the dubiousness of progressorship as a way to change a "stagnant" society - everything fit under one cover.

Bram Stoker "Dracula"

A vampire novel that spawned an ocean of imitations in literary and cinematic fiction. The Irishman Stoker showed the world an example of competent "black PR". He took the real figure of the Wallachian ruler - an unsympathetic personality, but historically quite ordinary - and created from him a monster with a capital letter, whose name in the mass consciousness is placed somewhere between Lucifer and Hitler.

SCIENCE FICTION

HG Wells "War of the Worlds"

A classic work that opened several directions in SF at once. This is the first book about the invasion of Earth by merciless "aliens". Wells, however, went beyond the "war of the worlds" theme. The writer creates an impressive gallery of behavioral models of people in the extreme conditions of the threat of total destruction hanging over them. Before us is actually a prediction of the development of society in the period of the coming world wars.

Isaac Asimov, "History of the Future" cycle

The first monumental story of the future in world science fiction, the most striking part of which is the Foundation trilogy (Hugo award as the best science fiction series of all time). Azimov tried to reduce the development of civilization to a set of laws similar to mathematical formulas. The saviors of humanity are not commanders and politicians, but scientists - adherents of the science of "psychohistory". And the action of the entire series covers 20 thousand years!

Robert Heinlein "Starship Troopers"

The novel caused a serious scandal, for many liberals saw in it the propaganda of militarism and even fascism. Heinlein was a staunch libertarian, whose idea of ​​responsibility to society got along with the rejection of the state's total restriction of personal freedom. Starship Troopers is not just a reference "military" about battles with strangers, but also a reflection of the writer's ideas about an ideal society, where duty is paramount.

Alfred Elton Van Vogt "Slen"

The first significant work about biological mutations that threaten humanity with a transition to a new stage of evolution. Naturally, ordinary people are not ready to just go to the dustbin of history, so mutant slans have a hard time. The situation is complicated by the fact that the slans are the product of genetic engineering. Humanity itself will give birth to its own gravedigger?

John Wyndham "Day of the Triffids"

The standard of science fiction "disaster novel". As a result of the cosmic cataclysm, almost all earthlings became blind and turned into the prey of predatory plants. The end of civilization? No, the British science fiction novel is imbued with faith in the power of the human spirit. Say, "let's join hands, friends, so as not to disappear one by one!" The book launched a wave of similar (albeit often more pessimistic) stories.

Walter Miller "The Leibovitz Passion"

A classic post-apocalyptic epic. After a nuclear war, the only bastion of knowledge and culture remains the church in the person of the Order of St. Leibowitz, founded by a physicist. The book takes place over a thousand years: civilization is gradually being reborn in order to perish again ... A sincere believer, Miller looks with deep pessimism at the ability of religion to bring real salvation to humanity.

Robert Merle "Malville"

The most meticulous chronicle of the existence of an ordinary person in the world after a nuclear war. A group of people, finding themselves in the castle of Malvil, day after day survives on the ruins of civilization. Alas, but their robinsonade is absolutely hopeless. No one will come from the "mainland", will not save, will not return the lost forever. And not in vain, having won a series of brilliant victories, the main character dies of banal appendicitis. The world is lost - and there is no future ...

Isaac Asimov, collection of "I, a robot"

Azimov's stories about robots developed the theme raised by Karel Czapek in the play R.U.R. - about the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence. The Three Laws of Robotics are the ethical basis for the existence of artificial creatures, capable of suppressing the "Frankenstein complex" (the latent desire to destroy its Creator). These are not just stories about thinking pieces of iron, but a book about people, their moral throwings and spiritual experiments.

Philip K. Dick "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

The first example of true cyberpunk, which appeared long before the birth of the term itself and the fantastic phenomenon it designated. The acid-gloomy world of the future, whose inhabitants constantly question the meaning and even the reality of their own existence, are themes that are characteristic both for this novel and for all of Dick's work. And the book served as the basis for Ridley Scott's cult film Blade Runner.

William Gibson "Neuromancer"

The sacred book of cyberpunk, where there are almost all of its iconic signs. The high-tech near future is brilliantly shown, in which power belongs to predatory multinationals and cybercrime flourishes. Gibson is a true prophet of today's digital age, not only anticipating development challenges information technologies, but also by introducing into wide circulation specific computer jargon.

Arthur Clarke "2001: A Space Odyssey"

Based on an old story, Arthur Clarke wrote the screenplay for Stanley Kubrick's film - the first true sf epic of world cinema. And the novelization has become a symbol of serious space science fiction. No " star wars", No superheroes with blasters. A realistic story about an expedition to Jupiter, during which the machine mind reaches its limit, but a person is able to cross any boundaries of the possible.

Michael Crichton Park Jurassic»

Crichton is considered the father of a fantastic technotriller. Jurassic Park is not the first work of its kind, but one of the most famous, thanks in large part to the adaptation of Steven Spielberg. Essentially a skilful amalgamation of themes and ideas that have been worked out over and over in SF - genetic engineering, cloning, rebellion of artificial creatures - the novel has gained millions of fans and many imitations.

PHILOSOPHICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCE

HG Wells "Time Machine"

One of the cornerstones of modern science fiction is the book that pioneered the exploitation of the topic of time travel. Wells also tried to continue his contemporary capitalism into the distant future, in which humanity was divided into two biological species. Even more powerful than the strange society of Eloi and Morlocks, the "end of times", which marks the complete destruction of the mind, is shaking.

Evgeny Zamyatin "We"

The first great dystopia that influenced other classics - Huxley and Orwell, not to mention the many science fiction writers who try to critically predict the development of society. The story takes place in a pseudo-utopia, where the role of man is reduced to the position of an insignificant screw. The result is an "ideal" anthill society, in which "one is zero, one is nonsense."

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

One of the foundations of a literary dystopia. Unlike contemporaries who exposed specific political models, Huxley's novel argued with idealistic views about the perfection of technocracy. The intellectuals who have seized power will build another version of the concentration camp - albeit a decent-looking one. Alas, modern society confirms Huxley's correctness.

George Orwell "1984"

Another classic dystopian novel inspired by the dark events of World War II. Perhaps now in all corners of the world we have heard Orwell’s terms “Big Brother” and “Newspeak”. 1984 is a satirical depiction of absolute totalitarianism, no matter what ideology - socialist, capitalist or Nazi - it may hide behind.

Ray Bradbury "Fahrenheit 451"

Dystopia, which is based not on political or social, but on culturological ideas. It shows a society where true culture has become a victim of pragmatic redneck: animal materialism has unconditionally triumphed over romantic idealism. Firefighters burning books are another iconic image of modern civilization. Events recent years show that the fate of the novel is not a warning, but a prophecy!

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

A masterpiece of anti-war fiction (and literature in general). The hero of the book is the author's alter ego Billy Pilgrim, a war veteran who survived the barbaric bombing of Dresden. Abducted by aliens, the hero only with their help will be able to recover from a nervous shock and find inner peace. The book's fantastical plot is just the way Vonnegut fights the inner demons of his generation.

Robert Heinlein "Stranger in a Strange Land"

The first SF book to become a national bestseller in the United States. This is the story of the "cosmic Mowgli" - the earthly child of Michael Valentine Smith, brought up by representatives of a fundamentally different mind and became the new Messiah. In addition to the obvious artistic merit and the discovery of many forbidden topics for fiction, the significance of the novel is that it finally turned the public view of SF as literature for immature minds.

Stanislav Lem "Solaris"

The flagship of philosophical science fiction. The book of a wonderful Polish writer tells about an unsuccessful contact with a civilization absolutely alien to us. Lem created one of the most unusual SF worlds - the single mind of the ocean planet Solaris. And you can take thousands of samples, set up hundreds of experiments, put forward dozens of theories - the truth will remain "there, beyond the horizon." Science is simply not able to unravel all the mysteries of the Universe - no matter how hard you try ...

Ray Bradbury "The Martian Chronicles"

A multifaceted cycle about the conquest of Mars by man, where he lives the last days a strange and once great civilization. This is a poetic story about the collision of two different cultures, and reflections on the eternal problems and values ​​of our existence. The Martian Chronicles is one of the books that clearly demonstrate that science fiction is capable of touching upon the most complex problems and can compete on equal terms with the “big” literature.

Ursula Le Guin, Hain Cycle

One of the brightest stories of the future, a masterpiece of "soft" SF. Unlike traditional scenarios of space fiction, Le Guin's relations between civilizations are based on a special ethical code that excludes the use of violence. The works of the cycle tell about contacts between representatives of different psychologies, philosophies and cultures, as well as about their everyday life. The most significant part of the cycle is the novel The Left Hand of Darkness (1969).

Orson Scott Card "Ender's Game", "The Voice of Those Who Are Not"

The two novels, which were followed by a popular but controversial multivolume cycle, are genuine masterpieces, the pinnacle of Card's work. Ender's Game is a modernized warrior with an emphasis on the maturational psychology of a charismatic adolescent leader. And "Voice ..." is primarily a history of contact, mutual understanding of fundamentally different cultures. Everyone wants the best; why do good intentions turn into a tragedy?

Henry Lyon Oldie, The Abyss of Hungry Eyes cycle

The first multi-layered philosophical and mythological work in modern Russian fiction, "The Abyss of Hungry Eyes" includes various directions of science fiction and fantasy. Creating the universe, the co-authors use a variety of mythological schemes, combining a strong adventure plot and well-developed characters of the characters with a philosophical understanding of the events taking place.

For some reason, it is generally accepted in our country that science fiction as a genre remained in the 20th century, unable to withstand the competition with the fantasy genre that soared to the top of the tops at the beginning of the century. This is probably what happened in the post-Soviet space. And other branches of science fiction have pushed strongly in the new millennium - urban fantasy, teenage dystopias and zombie romance novels have concentrated most of the reader's attention on themselves. But thanks to new writers (Vernor Vinge, Alastair Reynolds, Peter Watts), SF is alive, well, and even more intellectual, artsy, and profound abroad than ever. Fortunately, domestic publishing houses are gradually beginning to translate new foreign classics of science fiction. This top will introduce you to the best SF novels already translated and published in Ukraine.

Robert Ibatullin "The Rose and the Worm" (2015)

The year of publishing: 2016
Publisher: Celado
Who will like: fans of Robert Wilson's trilogy "Spin" and fans of "Foundation" Asimov
Why read: meticulous scientific reliability of what was happening and a really possible, thought-out future of mankind

Earth was attacked by an alien race of Aquilians. After long and fierce battles, mankind managed to win back their homeland, but the planet becomes uninhabitable. Meanwhile, the Space Fleet, created by humans on Venus, is successfully mastering the solar system, and the superweapon Swarm of Fireflies, which has repelled the enemy's attacks, is being prepared by the military for war with the already independent earthly colonies. In a short civil brawl, the Space Fleet loses, and the former colonies of the Earth gain official independence. While people by hook or by hook are fighting for the remnants of power, mankind begins to face a danger a hundred times more terrible than the attack of the Aquilians and the civil war.

The author of the novel, Robert Ibatullin, is a physicist by training. As he himself admits, the beautiful transmission of words is not his strong point, but as for scientific reliability, then in this book all assumptions and facts are proved by the calculations of the writer. Yes, critics scold the work for places poor language, but this lack is compensated by the author's meticulousness in scientific trifles, as well as the real, bright and living world of the possible future of the Earth. This is the same classic "hard" science fiction that modern readers it is unclear why they buried and refuse to believe in its existence. Read to all non-believers in the living and living NF. Take in small portions to avoid scientific overdose.

Peter Watts "False Blindness"

The year of publishing: 2006
Transfer: 2009
Publisher: AST
Who will like: fans of Stanislav Lem, in particular the works of "Fiasco"
Why read: deep, well-thought-out plot, an ideal fantasy world in which you want to visit

On one day in 2082, thousands of millions of lights lit up in the sky of our planet. People called them fireflies, and later discovered alien activity at the edge of the solar system. For reconnaissance of the situation and possible first contact with aliens, people send spaceship Theseus. Only a completely unusual crew ventured on such a trip - the team's list includes a complete schizophrenic-linguist, a vampire and it is not clear why there is a person without emotions here.

The name of Peter Watts has long thundered among foreign space fiction fans. The novel "False Blindness" was published in the West back in 2006. The translation into Russian was published in 2009, and last year the book was republished and the novel acquired new life... And yes, Watts writes in a complex, twisted and deepest possible way. But along with this, the author chews on his large-scale knowledge in the exact sciences and puts the quintessence of an ideal fantastic book into the reader's mouth, which one wants to read to the end, even if it is already dawn outside the window.

Chris Beckett "In the Darkness of Eden"

The year of publishing: 2012
Transfer: 2016
Publisher: AST
Who will like: those who like "The Village" by Kir Bulychev and "Stepsons of the Universe" by Robert Heinlein
Why read: indescribable and cozy atmosphere of old and "Golden" science fiction,

John Krasnosvet is fifteen years old. He and his relatives live on the unknown planet Eden. The fact is that John and his relatives, the long-term descendants of earthlings who were once in this system, founded a base here, left the settlers and never returned. And the heirs of these people are still waiting for the return of their ancestors and with varying degrees of success master the unfriendly world called Eden.

Despite the fact that the protagonist of the book is a teenager, this is a classic SF work that has received many awards, including the Arthur Clarke Award. "In the Darkness of Eden" returns the reader to the days of the "Golden Era" of science fiction, when aliens were always terrible six-eyed creatures with teeth in their hands, and telepathic monkeys hid on unknown planets with acid vegetation. Despite the seeming banality, Chris Beckett created a bright and amazingly detailed world based on hundreds of genre clichés, which you definitely want to visit. And it seems that behind the nearest tree you will definitely meet Alisa Selezneva and her famous team. Recommended for everyone who misses the good old fiction.

Adam Roberts "Glass Jack"

The year of publishing: 2006
Transfer: 2015
Publisher: AST
Who will like: lovers of Alfred Bester's works “Tiger! Tiger!" and Arthur Conan Doyle "The Sign of Four"
Why read: strong philosophical overtones, confusing detective line, ambiguous and charismatic main character

Seven notorious criminals are sent to a distant asteroid - they will serve their sentences and mine ore for eleven years. The prisoners know that as soon as they are left alone, a fierce and bloody power struggle will begin. Six of them look like natural born killers and dominant males, and the seventh is frail, downtrodden and, moreover, legless. The convicts think that he will die first, but they do not even suspect that the disabled goner will be the most dangerous person on this damned asteroid.

British writer Adam Roberts is known abroad as a researcher of the history of fiction, and his collection of articles on this topic was awarded the British Science Fiction Association in 2016. And Mr. Roberts is a professor of philology at the University of Cambridge and a lecturer at the University of London.

Therefore, despite the seeming simplicity of the tie with convicts, his novel "Glass Jack" is a complex and often philosophical work, filled with references to the classics of world literature - Shakespeare, Kipling, Dickens, Salinger and others. In addition, this novel, like the collection of articles, also earned Professor Roberst the British Science Fiction Association Prize and the John Campbell Memorial Prize. The novel "Glass Jack" is most likely not suitable for easy and comfortable reading. The book covers many ethical, philosophical and scientific issues, and also has a detective component. Tell me, isn't that supposed to be the perfect example of a real, intellectual science fiction novel?

Daniel Suarez "Stream"

The year of publishing: 2015
Transfer: 2015
Publisher: AST
Who will like: those who liked "A Billion Years Before the End of the World" by the Strugatsky Brothers
Why read: vigorous space action, with elements of cyber-punk, technologies in the book are created on the basis of real-life inventions

John Grady is a physicist. He and his team came up with a device that subdues gravity. It would seem that scientists are waiting for fame, success, money and entry into the annals of history. But the Bureau of Technical Control operates on Earth, which is designed to hide from humanity the truth about the real technological progress of people. They close Grady's laboratory, and he is offered to work for them and become one of the many chosen ones who rule the history of the planet. And when John refuses, he is sent to the secret prison of the highest class "Hibernity", where all the scientists are kept, who at one time made incredible discoveries. Now the forced prisoner and his new genius friends must find out the truth about the Bureau of Technical Control and tell the world the real state of affairs.

Writer Daniel Suarez has recently burst onto the sci-fi scene. However, his third work, Stream, won the Prometheus Award for Best Science Fiction in 2015. This is not "hard" SF, but rather cyberpunk SF. It is also a dizzying action game set against the backdrop of massive conspiracy theories, organically woven into the technologies of the future. And yet the author thinks over every detail of a realistic continuation of the history of mankind, and the technologies in the book are invented on the basis of already existing developments, from which reading "Stream" will be interesting to any modern gadget lover and fan of serious science fiction.

Alastair Reynolds "The Doomed World"

The year of publishing: 2010
Transfer: 2016
Publisher: ABC-Atticus
Who will like: fans of Jan Weiss and the novel "A House of a Thousand Floors" and fans of Vernor Winge's book "Flame Over the Abyss"
Why read: the perfect fusion of science fiction, thriller and space opera

In the distant future, at the end of Earth's history, there is a huge skyscraper called the Blade that stretches through the layers of the atmosphere. Inside, the building is divided into districts, which, in addition to enmity with each other, differ in the level of technological development - somewhere people have access to the latest modern biotechnology, and in some areas residents use steam engines. On the upper floors, which almost touch space, there are posthuman angels who want to subjugate the entire skyscraper. Killon works in a morgue in one of the lower districts. Concurrently, he is a secret agent of these inhabitants of the Heavenly Floors, and one day he learns that the owners want to eliminate him, for the unusual information he received and transferred to the "top" turns out to be secret information. He realizes that if he does not leave the Blade, then the angels will get to him, so Killon decides to go on a mad journey across the already dying and deadly planet Earth.

Alastair Reynolds' name is known to fans of science fiction and space opera. In addition to his incredible writing talent, Mr. Reynolds has a couple of other trump cards up his sleeve - he is an astrophysicist by training and at one time worked for the European Center for Space Research. Therefore, Alastair knows how and what to write about. However, The Doomed World is the most unusual work of the author. It is more of a planetary fantasy with elements of action, thriller and space opera. However, the hand of the master reigns here too, so we have a novel that can be recommended to absolutely all fans of science fiction. How and what Alastair Reynolds writes about cannot but please the sane reader. The book is definitely worth reading.

John Love "Faith"

The year of publishing: 2012
Transfer: 2015
Publisher: Science Fiction Book Club
Who will like: for those who like Herman Melville "Moby Dick and the White Whale" and Scott Westerfeld's "Sequence" cycle
Why read: SF with elements of a classic parable and philosophical overtones, the main characters are spaceships

"Vera" is an alien spaceship that helped the human Commonwealth to destroy the warlike Shahran empire. After three hundred years of oblivion, the wonderful alien ship returns, but only now it confronts people. To answer the super-powerful "Vera" people create new and super-powerful space cruisers of the "outsider" class - their teams are the most dangerous criminals and thugs in the system, who now need to destroy the "Vera" and its owners and prevent humanity from dying again. One of these ships called "Charles Manson" engages in battle with aliens. He even has a scanty chance of winning, but what the cruiser will face after makes the Vera's attack child's play.

The debut novel by British science fiction writer John Love made a lot of noise in the circles of fans of the genre. And although the work did not receive any awards, critics and readers noted the first creation of the Englishman and even put it on a par with modern classics of the genre Reynolds, Watts and Hamilton. The novel "Faith" is a space opera with elements of a parable, where the main characters not people, but two warring and extraordinary ships "Vera" and "Charles Manson".

Naturally, these are not all the books of modern science fiction that we would like to talk about. There are still a lot of novels that are already being translated or have been translated into Russian (with the Ukrainian science fiction book publishing it is still quite a problem). Most likely, we will talk about them in the following articles, but for now, share your impressions, read books and further wishes. What from SF hooked you and what we didn't talk about?

• Goodreads rating: 4.4
• Awards: International Science Fiction Award in the Fiction category (1957), SFinks Award in the Book of the Year category (2000), Prometheus Award in the Hall of Fame category (2009).

Tolkien's trilogy, which Peter Jackson directed, stands the test of time and sets the bar for fantasy fiction. The book is different from the film, so it will delight the reader with many interesting details and unexpected plot twists.

The hobbit Frodo and his companions embark on a journey through the fairytale universe to destroy the Ring and restore peace on earth. On the way, they will face many dangers that will require great valor and courage from the little hobbits.

• Goodreads rating: 4.2
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1966), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1965), SFinks Award for Book of the Year (2008).

The action takes place in the distant future, where social life and culture revolve around "spice", there is a constant struggle for the extraction and use of this special substance. At first glance, it may seem that this is another story of the struggle between good and evil, nobility and selfish interests. However, the book is more polyphonic.

Herbert managed to create a kind of chronicle of the distant future, which explores the issues of politics, religion, ecology and technology, rightfully considered the brightest and most original in history.

3. "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George Martin

• Goodreads rating: 4.4
• Awards: Academy Award for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror - first two books (2001), Academy Award for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror - first three books (2002).

This rating would be incomplete without the vol. The book allows you to follow the endless confrontation between the Starks and Lannister without downloading the next season of the series. Magic, mystery, intrigue, passion, romance and adventure fill its pages and transport the reader to a completely new world.

• Goodreads rating: 4.1
• Awards: Prometheus Award in the Hall of Fame category (1984).

Orwell managed to create an antipode to the great, but not all recognized dystopia of the XX century - "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. The author tries to answer the question which is more terrible: an ideal consumer society or an ideal society of ideas? It turns out that there is nothing worse than complete lack of freedom in both the first and second cases.

Orwell predicted the total power of television, widespread surveillance, and many of the other cultural phenomena we see today. Therefore, the book has not lost its relevance over the years.

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1973), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1972), Locus Award for Best Novel (1973), Dietmar Award for "Foreign fiction (USA, novel)" (1973).

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1974), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1973), Locus Award for Best Novel (1974), British Science Fiction Association Award for category "Best Novel" (1974).

The case when the novel received as many as seven prestigious awards in the field of science fiction (Lifehacker listed the most famous of them) and marked the beginning of a series of books by different authors who explore the relationship of earthlings with a different mind.

The action takes place in the near future. An unusually shaped asteroid moves across the galaxy to Solar system... A crew of earthlings lands on the surface of the asteroid and begins to collect data, which only complicates the search for an answer to the main question: "Who and why created this whopper? .."

• Goodreads rating: 4.5
• Awards: Prize named after Jules Verne in the category "Novel (USSR)" (1979), Prize "Golden Graulli" in the category "Foreign novel" (1981).

One of the few works of Russian-language science fiction that does not lose, but only gains popularity over time.

Roadside Picnic is reflected in world culture. Andrei Tarkovsky made his legendary film "Stalker" based on it. A few decades later, the story formed the basis of a computer game and became the beginning of a series of books, which take place in a fictional world created.

After the aliens visited the Earth, Zones appeared on it, in which completely different laws of existence operate. The society turned out to be not ready for the "gifts" of the aliens and is struggling to adapt to new reality, following the few Stalkers.

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1987), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1986), Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1987), Academy of Science Award science fiction, fantasy and horror in the category "Best Foreign Book (USA)" (1995).

In Russian translation, the book is also known under the titles "The Voice of Those Who Are Not" and "Herald of the Dead". This novel became a direct continuation of the novel "", which also won several literary awards and received a great response from fans of science fiction.

Earthlings meet another race of evolved creatures. The differences between them are so great that it almost leads to a new conflict of civilizations.

• Goodreads rating: 4.1
• Awards: Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel (2001), Hugo Award for Best Novel (2002), Nebula Award for Best Novel (2002), Locus Award for Best Novel (Fantasy) "(2002), Academy Award for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror in the category" Best Fantasy (UK / USA) "(2001).

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Governor General of Canada Literary Prize in the category "Prose for English language(1985), Los Angeles Times Book Award, Fiction"(1986), Arthur C. Clarke Prize in the category" Best Novel "(1987).

Another book based on which the popular one was filmed. Margaret Atwood is building a pretty convincing panorama of the future, which may come tomorrow.

In the new world, women are not allowed to own property, work, love, read or write. They are here only for one thing - to give birth. And if someone is not capable of this, she remains to work in hard labor until her death, which under such conditions occurs earlier than usual. main character books - Fredova's servant - challenges the system, for which it has to pay.

• Goodreads rating: 4.1
• Awards: New Dimension Magazine Award for Best Book (UK / Sri Lanka) (1968).

An example of how a book appears after the film of the same name - and finds its audience, living its own life. Arthur Clarke wrote his science fiction novel based on a screenplay he collaborated with Stanley Kubrick on. It is believed that the work was ahead of its time.

An unknown object has been discovered on the moon, which is sending a powerful signal to. Scientists managed to find out that the signal goes towards one of the satellites of Saturn. The interplanetary ship "Discovery" is sent there to explore unknown spaces ...

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• Goodreads rating: 4.2
• Awards: Prometheus Prize for Best Novel (2012), Alex Prize (2012).

In the near future, when the world is experiencing another economic recession and a shortage of resources, you can truly feel alive only in the virtual space where representatives of humanity spend their days. Before dying, the creator of this space creates a series of intricate puzzles. The one who solves them first will inherit his enormous fortune and power over the whole world. The main character decides to try his hand and starts looking for clues.

Today, the writer is working on a sequel, so readers will soon have the opportunity to find out what happened to their favorite characters.

13. "The Left Hand of Darkness", Ursula Le Guin

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Hugo Prize for Best Novel (1970), Nebula Prize for Best Novel (1969), Italian magazine Nova SF Prize for Best Novel (1972), SFinks Prize for Book of the Year "(1996).

Not the most famous novel by an American writer, but big, complex and serious. In it, Le Guin raises and resolves global philosophical and moral questions - this is precisely why fans of intellectual fiction love him.

The book describes the world of the distant planet Zima, to which the main character arrives with a mission of goodwill - the unification of many planets into one system. But for this he must bridge the gap between his own views and the ideas of a completely alien culture with which he is faced.

• Goodreads rating: 4.7
• Awards: Hugo Prize in the Best Novel category (1968), Lazar Komarchic Prize in the Best Foreign Novel category (1985).

The writer's biographers agree that the science fiction writer was well versed in oriental culture... And the novel is proof of this, because on its pages the gods of the Hindu pantheon come to life, who interact with people and demons.

This book is more of a philosophical discourse on being than a classic science fiction novel. However, the poignant plot keeps the reader's attention throughout the story.

• Goodreads rating: 4.1
• Awards: Hugo Prize for Best Novel (1976), Nebula Prize for Best Novel (1975), Locus Prize for Best Novel (1976), Lazar Komarcic Prize for Best Foreign Novel "(1986).

The most famous book of the author, thanks to which his name is heard by fans of science fiction today. Haldeman fought in Vietnam, which had a great influence on all of his work and this novel in particular. The novel can be called anti-militaristic.

The main character is a soldier of the space forces who fights against insidious aliens and dreams of returning home. When he finds himself on his native land, he realizes that here he also feels like a stranger. It turns out that finding happiness and your place in life in peacetime is even more difficult than in wartime.

• Goodreads rating: 4.1
• Awards: Prize of the Italian magazine Nova SF in the category "Best Novel" (1970).

This science fiction novel brought Bradbury his first success. Thanks to him, the writer received many prestigious awards and found the love of fans all over the world.

The novel consists of separate chronicles, in which the author reflects on the pressing issues of the existence of mankind - both on Earth and in the entire Universe. People dream of conquering space so much, but they don’t think about what kind of endless longing for everything human that is left at home can overwhelm them ...

• Goodreads rating: 4.3
• Awards: Barry Levine Award for Book of the Year (Revised and Revised Edition) (1990), Balrog Award for Best Novel (1979), World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1979).

Despite the fact that other books have brought great fame, this novel won many awards. Agree, a good reason to pay attention to it.

The population of America is dying out due to the virus, however, even in such a situation, the struggle for world domination does not subside. A mysterious person who can subdue the weak seeks to seize power. Few of those who managed to survive and retain adequate ideas about good and evil decide to prevent the impostor at all costs.

18. Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1960).

In Russian, this book was also published under other titles: "Star Infantry", "Star Rangers", "Space Marines" and "Soldiers of Space". Even if you've watched the film adaptation, it's still worth reading the book. Heinlein focuses on important political and social phenomena, and the plot boasts even more unpredictable twists. At the same time, the novel is considered one of the most controversial works of science fiction: after its release, Heinlein was called a militarist and accused of promoting fascism.

Earth is being attacked by a dangerous enemy, and the Star Marines must confront a sentient bug civilization that has nothing to do with humans. In such a war, power decides everything, because there is simply no time to seek reconciliation.

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Nebula Prize for Best Novel (1966).

The book will appeal to those who want to take a break from space fiction, switching to fiction with a common human face. The novel is notable for its deep psychologicalism and makes us think about the questions of love and responsibility that we often ask ourselves in everyday life.

Charlie Gordon, a 33-year-old floor washer, is mentally retarded. Despite this, he has a job, friends and an irresistible desire to socialize. After he takes part in a scientific experiment, his life is turned upside down. Charlie's IQ almost triples, and he begins to comprehend things familiar to him in a completely new way.

20. Harry Potter Books, J.K. Rowling

• Goodreads rating: from 4.3.
• Awards: British National Book Award for Children's Book of the Year (1998), Nestle Children's Book Award (1997-1999), Whitbread Award for Children's Book of the Year (1999).

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Academy Award for Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror (1995–1999).

• Goodreads rating: 4.2
• Awards: Geffen Prize (2003).

The novel describes the relationship of people with the intelligent ocean of the planet Solaris. At the same time, Lem disputes the position of other science fiction writers who believe that contact with extraterrestrial civilizations will bring total happiness to humanity. The heroes of Solaris cannot know the alien mind, they feel lonely far from the Earth and are afraid of everything new.

The action takes place in the distant future. But the author raises philosophical questions that are relevant for humanity in the present. Perhaps that is why Andrei Tarkovsky shot the film of the same name, and the idea of ​​a smart ocean was reflected in the work "Stars are cold toys" by Sergei Lukyanenko.

• Goodreads rating: 4.
• Awards: Hugo Prize for Best Novel (1964).

Simak became famous for his original ideas, carefully crafted plots and the ability to speak simply about difficult things.

The hero of the novel from the American wilderness. At first glance, he leads a measured and uninteresting lifestyle. Everything would be fine, but only a person is not. This is what draws the attention of a CIA agent to him.

• Goodreads rating: 4.2
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1990).

This novel by the American writer is often compared to Jeffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, where the narrative includes several timelines at once, and several characters can be called the main ones.

Many worlds participate in an interstellar war, and the fate of humanity depends on how it ends. On the planet Hyperion, which occupies a key place in this confrontation, the Tombs of Time begin to open - gigantic structures that move from the future to the past. Seven pilgrims go to these sites to solve their mystery and save people.

• Goodreads rating: from 4.
• Awards: Lituanicon Prize (2006).

The cycle can be attributed to the so-called dark fantasy. The main character, the witcher Geralt, protects people from monsters. The action takes place in the world of many races, peoples, communities, each of which strives to defend its interests at all costs.

Sapkowski draws analogies with our reality and makes fun of it. The cycle is not over yet, and, according to the author, the next book should be published very soon.