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Unbound Worlds 100 Best Sci-Fi Classics

A while ago, we came up with a list of the 100 Best Fantasy Novels of All Time (and our friends at Signature followed suit with 100 Best Thrillers of All Time). Now we're doing the same with science fiction! We asked our staffers for their top sci-fi recommendations, and they certainly delivered. Some of these are classic tales you will surely know, but others are excellent works of science fiction that may have been flying under the radar. So, dear readers, as you make your way down the list, congratulate yourselves on the books you've read, add the unfamiliar ones to your TBR list, and make your own suggestions in the comments!
Note: This list is organized alphabetically.
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1984 (George Orwell)
1984
1
George Orwell
All the Birds in the Sky (Charlie Jane Anders)
All the Birds in the Sky
2
Charlie Jane Anders
Altered Carbon (Richard K. Morgan)
Altered Carbon
3
Richard K. Morgan
Amatka (Karin Tidbeck)
Amatka
4
Karin Tidbeck
Ammonite (Nicola Griffith)
Ammonite
5
Nicola Griffith
Anathem
Anathem
6
Ancillary Justice (Ann Leckie)
Ancillary Justice
7
Ann Leckie
The Best of All Possible Worlds (Karen Lord)
The Best of All Possible Worlds
8
Karen Lord
The Big Book of Science Fiction (Ann Vandermeer and Jeff Vandermeer, Eds.)
The Big Book of Science Fiction
9
Ann Vandermeer and Jeff Vandermeer, Eds.
Binti (Nnedi Okorafor)
Binti
10
Nnedi Okorafor
The Blazing World
The Blazing World
11
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World
12
Aldous Huxley
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)
A Canticle for Leibowitz
13
Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Children of Men (P.D. James)
The Children of Men
14
P.D. James
The Chronoliths (Robert Charles Wilson)
The Chronoliths
15
Robert Charles Wilson
Cinder (Marissa Meyer)
Cinder
16
Marissa Meyer
The City & the City (China Miéville)
The City & the City
17
China Miéville
A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess)
A Clockwork Orange
18
Anthony Burgess
Contact (Carl Sagan)
Contact
19
Carl Sagan
Darwin's Radio (Greg Bear)
Darwin's Radio
20
Greg Bear
Dawn (Octavia Butler)
Dawn
21
Octavia Butler
Death's End (Liu Cixin)
Death's End
22
Liu Cixin
Dhalgren (Samuel R. Delany)
Dhalgren
23
Samuel R. Delany
The Dispossessed (Ursula K. Le Guin)
The Dispossessed
24
Ursula K. Le Guin
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
25
Philip K. Dick
Doomsday Book (Willis)
Doomsday Book
26
Willis
Downbelow Station (C.J. Cherryh)
Downbelow Station
27
C.J. Cherryh
Dragonflight (Anne McCaffrey)
Dragonflight
28
Anne McCaffrey
Dune (Frank Herbert)
Dune
29
Frank Herbert
Dust (Elizabeth Bear)
Dust
30
Elizabeth Bear
Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
Ender's Game
31
Orson Scott Card
Everfair (Nisi Shawl)
Everfair
32
Nisi Shawl
Exo (Fonda Lee)
Exo
33
Fonda Lee
451 Fahrenheit (Ray Bradbury)
451 Fahrenheit
34
Ray Bradbury
Feed (Mira Grant)
Feed
35
Mira Grant
The Female Man (Joanna Russ)
The Female Man
36
Joanna Russ
The Fifth Season (N. K. Jemisin)
The Fifth Season
37
N. K. Jemisin
Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)
Flowers for Algernon
38
Daniel Keyes
The Fold (Peter Clines)
The Fold
39
Peter Clines
Forever War
Forever War
40
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