Sci-fiis a broad topic with many subgenres that provide opportunities to tell compelling stories, and some ambitious sci-fi books are really worth the setup for their payoff. Thebeauty of science fiction is that there is no limit to the imaginationas long as the world-building and scientific aspects make sense in the greater narrative. Many sci-fi authors writesci-fi books that are more fiction than science, while others prefer to writesci-fi books that contain more science than fiction. Regardless of how a writer tackles the genre, there is much to explore in science fiction. Many authors attempt to go big with bold storylines, limitless imagination, and broken scientific boundaries.
Science fiction authors can be very ambitious, but it does not necessarily always work out. However, the sci-fi writers who succeed in setting out what they plan to do often produce big, ambitious stories that defy expectations and make the book worth reading. These works of fiction depict narratives that require extensive research, thorough details, and riveting characters. Whether these books are standalone sci-fi novels or full-length series,they definitely represent the best of science fiction.
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10The Fifth Season (2015 – 2017)
Written by N.K. Jemisin
The Broken Earthtrilogy by N.K. Jemisin is a rare series thatperfectly blends fantasy and sci-fi. The fantasy aspect is quite evident since the books have talking stones and people with the power to manipulate earth textures. However, themost impressive part aboutThe Broken Earthtrilogy is how N.K. Jemisin integrated science fiction with the fantastical aspects. The Stillness is the only continent left on Earth, thousands of years from now and after many catastrophic natural disasters that have reshaped the world known as Seasons.
Given the circumstances, The Broken Earth trilogy needs a lot of thorough world-building and consistency, but N.K. Jemisin successfully achieved this goal while delivering a compelling narrative with complex characters.
The Broken Earth’s fantasy characteristics were born from a scientific accident, and the supernatural and science are forever entwined. Given the circumstances,The Broken Earthtrilogy needs a lot of thorough world-building and consistency, but N.K. Jemisin successfully achieved this goal while delivering a compelling narrative with complex characters. The series also touches upon themes of motherhood, oppression, survival, and love. There is nothing quite likeThe Broken Earthtrilogy; it is uniquely ambitious and pays off immensely.
9Red Rising Saga (2014 – Present)
Written by Pierce Brown
TheRed Rising Sagais a series that takes place in the future, whenhumanity has efficiently colonized the Solar System, running society on color codes. Golds rule the world, while Reds are at the bottom of the barrel. TheRed Rising Sagafollows the protagonist, Darrow, as he joins a rebellion against the system and infiltrates Gold society by pretending to be one of them. There are six books, with the seventh and final installment expected to be released soon. TheRed Rising Sagais an ambitious series, given the complex societal system that author Pierce Brown created.
Book events take place over the course of a year
Golden Son
June 16, 2025
Begins two years afterRed Rising; book events take place in several months
Morning Star
August 04, 2025
Begins one year afterGolden Son; book events take place over two years
Iron Gold
June 22, 2025
Begins ten years afterMorning Star; book events take place over two months
Dark Age
August 14, 2025
Begins six weeks afterIron Gold; book events take place over a few months
Light Bringer
June 21, 2025
Begins the same year asDark Age; book events take place over a few months
TBA
N/A
TheRed Rising Sagais an intricate story, and it is not just because humanity has colonized space—many stories have similar premises.Red Rising Sagais unique because Brown’s vision includes revitalizing society entirely, making each planet inhabitable, enslaving the lowest classes, and including plot twists that shake up the main characters' lives. The book series also introduces advanced technology that does not currently exist but could be possible in the future. Pierce Browne put a lot of time, effort, and heart intoRed Rising Saga, and it pays off in this epic story.
8The Hunger Games (2008 – 2010)
Written By Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Gamesby Suzanne Collins is a young adult sci-fi dystopian trilogy that takes place in a futuristic United States wherechildren from each district are sent to fight and die until there is one champion to entertain the upper class. The trilogy was so successful that it spawned a movie series anda prequel titledThe Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Currently,a new HaymitchHunger Gamesprequelis set to be released on July 03, 2025, with the film adaptation coming to theaters on July 25, 2025.
The Hunger Gamesis an ambitious series because of itsability to tackle critical themes under intense and gruesome circumstances while still making it suitable for a young adult audience. The trilogy covers themes such as oppression, resistance, war, and media ethics in one of the most brutal ways possible, given the gory nature of the Games. However, Suzanne Collins takes extra measures to ensure thatThe Hunger Gamesis suitable for a young audience all while exploring imperative themes.
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7The 5th Wave (2013 – 2016)
Written By Rick Yancey
The 5th Waveis a trilogy by Rick Yancey that tells the story of a futuristic world in which aliens take over Earth in waves. Although aliens are often explored in science fiction, Yancey’s series isdifferent because of the systemic way aliens take over Earth. The aliens inThe 5th Wavetrilogy also introduces the 12th System, technology that subdues humans by implanting them with special nanobot technology to become like the aliens. Rick Yancey crafted a story rooted in possible reality; everything that occurs is not a far stretch of the imagination, incorporating real themes from today’s world.
6Jurassic Park (1990 – 1995)
Written By Michael Crichton
Jurassic Parkis a duology by scientific writer and filmmaker Michael Crichton. Although there are only two books,Jurassic Parkbecame a multimedia franchise with several blockbuster movies, animated TV shows, comics, merchandise, and theme park attractions. However, the real gem is the original duology. Michael Crichton did not write about fantastical dinosaurs;he provided a scientific explanation as to how humans were able to bring dinosaurs back. His extensive background includes literature, biological anthropology, and medicine, which all aided him in writing this epic series.
ReadingJurassic Parkand its sequel,The Lost World, illustrates the time, dedication, and research that Michael Crichton put into crafting these books. Not only is the premise for Jurassic Park thoroughly established, but the characters and dynamics Michael Crichton created are also compelling and complex. It is only a shame that the film franchise did not follow the books as closely as they should have.Jurassic Parkmight only have two books, butMichael Crichton built an ambitious and broad universe.
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5The Space Between Worlds (2020)
Written By Micaiah Johnson
The Space Between Worldsby Micaiah Johnson is set in a multiverse world with parallel universes. However, there is a catch—one can only travel to a parallel universe if their counterpart in said universe is already dead. The book follows Cara, who can travel almost freely because most of her counterparts have passed away. She leads three different lives that could not be more different from each other. The premise forThe Space Between Worldsis risky and ambitious because it can easily fall apart. However, Micaiah Johnson succeeds becauseeach setting serves a different purpose for Cara.
4How High We Go in the Dark (2022)
Written By Sequoia Nagamatsu
How High We Go in the Darkby Sequoia Nagamatsu is about a doctor who accidentally releases a plague that devastates humanity to the brink of extinction. The book takes place across hundreds of years in different scenarios to illustrate how humanity adapts in the most dire circumstances. A story likeHow High We Go in the Darkcannot have one cast of characters; it needs multiple plots to portray humanity’s fight for survival. The novel works becauseSequoia Nagamatsu connects each segment through common themes such as grief and loss, tied together by survival instincts and willingness to endure.
3Brave New World (1932)
Written By Aldous Huxley
Brave New Worldis a sci-fi dystopian novel that takes place 500 years in the future whenthe concept of the family is extinct, and people are born and raised through artificial wombs, then classified based on their physical and mental abilities. Aldous Huxley set out to create an ambitious narrative with the various themes he wanted to explore, but it worked because of the two protagonists. There is Bernard Marx, who does not conform to society, and John, born naturally and raised by a single mother in a community that has not transitioned into Bernard’s world.
Brave New Worldportrays Bernard Marx’s desperation to leave his society, contrasting John’s desperation to join. The dystopian world that Aldous Huxley created covers themes such as motherhood, conformity, societal expectations, sexuality, and reproduction.Brave New Worldexplores and unpacks various aspects of these themes, butHuxley’s ambitious novel pays off because of Bernard and John’s parallel trajectories. Once society accepts Bernard, he is ousted against his will, and once John joins this futuristic society, he cannot tolerate it.
2Binti (2015 – 2018)
Written By Nnedi Okorafor
Bintiis a trilogy of novellas by Nnedi Okorafor about the titular character, who attends Oomza University, a school where various species across multiple galaxies can attend. Outerspace, including other planets such asMars, often frequents sci-fi, butBintiis ambitious because of how Nnedi Okorafor entwines various humanity-related themes in the trilogy. These themes include otherness, knowledge, selfhood, and empathy. Although theBintibooks are short, they work well for the narrative and what Nnedi Okorafor wants to explore in these novellas.
1Remembrance of Earth’s Past (2006 – 2010)
Written By Liu Cixin
TheRemembrance of Earth’s Pasttrilogy, more known asThe 3 Body Problem, is a series by Cixin Liu about an advanced species, Trisolarans, looking to infiltrate and invade Earth due to their home planet, Trisolaris, no longer being inhabitable. Trisolarans discover Earth because Ye Wenjie uses the Sun to echo sounds across the universe, which reaches Trisolaris.Remembrance of Earth’s Pasttouches upon many themes relating to humanity, especially as humans attempt to defeat Trisolarans as they approach the planet.
The 3 Body Problemexplores the Chinese Cultural Revolution, relations between various alien species, global power, revolution, colonialism, and scientific progress. What makesRemembrance of Earth’s Pastso ambitious is howthe story spans thousands of years to illustrate how humans and aliens interact and how said interactions change over time. The premise can easily lead to a messy narrative, but Cixin Liu crafts an epic sci-fi narrative with complex characters without losing sight of the bigger story.
