And that’s a wrap, folks! 

A massive shout-out to everyone who participated in the Discover Sci- Fi 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards. Your nominations and votes were the driving force behind determining the hottest sci-fi reads of the year. 

The suspense is over and we’re thrilled to unveil the ten standout titles that emerged as favourites. Eager to discover which sci-fi gems made the cut according to readers worldwide? Scroll on to dive in! 

*You can also see the top Sci-Fi Audiobooks of 2023 list here, and the top LitRPG of 2023 list here.

10. Omega Force: Dead Reckoning by Joshua Dalzelle

Mercenary life is hard.

No home. No family. Always looking over your shoulder, likely for the rest of your life.

When you find a crew that you can trust, you do anything for them. Jason Burke has a crew like that. He would kill for them… and he would die for them. Right now, they need his help and it will take all of his cunning and skill to bring them home safely. He is alone, without his powerful ship, the Phoenix, and the criminal cartels he’s going up against are some of the most ruthless in the galaxy.

For Captain Burke it’s all or nothing: bring his friends home safe… or die trying.

Grab Dead Reckoning here in on Amazon. Also available in on audiobook.

9. The Ferryman by Justin Cronin 

Founded by the mysterious genius known as the Designer, the archipelago of Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world. In this island paradise, Prospera’s lucky citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives until the monitors embedded in their forearms, meant to measure their physical health and psychological well-being, fall below 10 percent. Then they retire themselves, embarking on a ferry ride to the island known as the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are readied to restart life afresh.

Proctor Bennett, of the Department of Social Contracts, has a satisfying career as a ferryman, gently shepherding people through the retirement process—and, when necessary, enforcing it. But all is not well with Proctor. For one thing, he’s been dreaming—which is supposed to be impossible in Prospera. For another, his monitor percentage has begun to drop alarmingly fast. And then comes the day he is summoned to retire his own father, who gives him a disturbing and cryptic message before being wrestled onto the ferry.

Meanwhile, something is stirring. The Support Staff, ordinary men and women who provide the labor to keep Prospera running, have begun to question their place in the social order. Unrest is building, and there are rumors spreading of a resistance group—known as “Arrivalists”—who may be fomenting revolution.

Soon Proctor finds himself questioning everything he once believed, entangled with a much bigger cause than he realized—and on a desperate mission to uncover the truth.

Get your copy of The Ferryman here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

8. Lords of Uncreation by Adrian Tchaikovsky

From the Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author of Children of Time, this third and final novel in an extraordinary space opera trilogy depicts humanity on the brink of extinction—and reveals how one man's discovery will save or destroy us all.

Get your copy of Lords of Uncreation here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

7. A Grimm Decision: Grimm's War Book Six by Jeffery H. Haskell

6. Infinity Gate by M. R. Carey

INFINITY IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

The Pandominion: a political and trading alliance of a million worlds. Except that they’re really just one world, Earth, in many different realities. And when an A.I. threat arises that could destroy everything the Pandominion has built, they’ll eradicate it by whatever means necessary.

Scientist Hadiz Tambuwal is looking for a solution to her own Earth’s environmental collapse when she stumbles across the secret of inter-dimensional travel, a secret that could save everyone on her dying planet. It leads her into the middle of a war on a scale she never dreamed of. And she needs to choose a side before every reality pays the price.

Grab Infinity Gate here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Like what you're reading?

If you're enjoying our year end Readers' Choice Roundup, why not join the DSF community for more awesome content? You'll get to be notified whenever a top 10 list or any other articles of interest go up on our site. It's free to sign up and you'll also get recommendations for new releases and discounted ebooks from our expert editorial team, from bestsellers to hidden gems.

5. Theft of Fire: Orbital Space #1 by Devon Eriksen 

At the frozen edge of the solar system lies a hidden treasure which could spell their fortune or their destruction—but only if they survive each other first.

Marcus Warnoc has a little problem. His asteroid mining ship—his inheritance, his livelihood, and his home—has been hijacked by a pint-sized corporate heiress with enough blackmail material to sink him for good, a secret mission she won’t tell him about, and enough courage to get them both killed. She may have him dead to rights, but if he doesn’t turn the tables on this spoiled Martian snob, he’ll be dead, period. He’s not giving up without a fight.

He has a plan.

Miranda Foxgrove has the opportunity of a lifetime almost within her grasp if she can reach it. Her stolen spacecraft came with a stubborn, resourceful captain who refuses to cooperate—but he’s one of the few men alive who can snatch an unimaginable treasure from beneath the muzzles of countless railguns. And if this foulmouthed Belter thug doesn’t want to cooperate, she’ll find a way to force him. She’s come too far to give up now.

She has a plan.

They’re about to find out that a plan is a list of things that won’t happen.

Get your copy of Theft of Fire here on Amazon. 

4. Hell Divers XI: Renegades by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

The secret location of the Vanguard Islands is no longer a secret . . .

Tired from years of fighting, Xavier passes the crown to a younger Hell Diver, Kade Long, and then sets off on the Sea Wolf with Magnolia to find Michael and his family. But the journey will push them both to their limit.

On the damaged airship Vanguard, Michael and crew are running out of water and must dive to a new location before attempting the perilous voyage across the Atlantic to a new home.

Back at the Vanguard Islands, King Kade hurries to prepare the rigs’ defenses against the Forerunner and his Knights of the Coral Castle. Fearing that X won’t return with the airship in time, Kade sends the elite Barracudas on a mission to find an aircraft that will give the Islands a fighting chance against the knights.

Grab Hell Divers XI: Renegades here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

3. Aeon Burn by Matthew Mather with Dale M. Nelson

A week ago, the supernova Aeon detonated in the skies over Antarctica. Mass migrations of humanity and animal life began northward. Secondary bursts of ionizing radiation knocked out worldwide power grids. Global temperatures spiked. Oceans rose as seawater expanded and glaciers melted. Massive storms and acid rain scour the planet.

The southern continent is literally melting under the feet of Dr. Xin Rhou as she is trapped at the South Pole, and she is perhaps the only person in the world with a full accounting of the data recorded when Aeon exploded.

Thousands of miles away in the Amazon, Max Carver struggles to stay alive while attempting to stop his old friend and brother Ben Belloc escaping from the Colony. But the only thing Max really wants is to get north of the equator and find his pregnant wife Talisha as she is about to give birth.

Talisha, meanwhile, has joined millions of Aeon refugees on the roads of America. Most cars have been rendered inoperable by the supernova burst, and all communications and power grids are down. But for Tal, on the verge of giving birth in a suddenly very unforgiving world, all of this is even less important than the revelation she has just learned...

Dive into Aeon Burn here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

2. Nemesis by Jeremy Robinson

From the ashes of a devastated Boston, a harrowing legend emerges. Thirteen years prior, the colossal kaiju, Nemesis, ravaged the city in her relentless pursuit of retribution. Today, mankind's survival teeters on the sacrificial offerings atop a chilling monolith known as The Altar, where the condemned pay the ultimate price to prevent Nemesis's wrath from consuming humanity.

Agent Graham, a grizzled operative on the brink of retirement, finds himself tethered to the fiery, untested Agent Tilly. Together, they are the unlikeliest of partners within the Nemesis Special Operations group, the government's first line of defense against the looming shadow of the massive Goddess of Vengeance. Their mission? To hunt down the enigmatic cult, Divine Retribution, before they can harness the devastating power of Nemesis to reshape the world to their warped sense of righteousness.

As Graham and Tilly plunge into Boston's darkest underbelly, they face more than just the echoes of their city's past. They must outwit cunning cultists, battle impossible monsters on the windswept beaches of Martha's Vineyard, and forge an unexpected alliance with the motley and formidable all-female biker gang inspired by the Queen of Monsters, the ‘Nemesisters.’ Every step drives them closer to the unthinkable, and asks the questions:

How many must be sacrificed to save the world from the ever-watchful gaze of Nemesis?

How much more will she demand when the world needs to be saved?

Get your copy of Nemesis 
here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

1. DELIO. Phase One by RR Haywood

When nearly every person on the planet becomes frozen a small group of survivors must navigate the darkest sides of human behaviour while learning about the creation of the world's first fully self-aware Artificial Intelligence.

In London, Yelena is trapped in a room after being sex-trafficked from Romania, and Alfie has one more drop to make then he's free of drug dealing forever. In New York, Detective Joe Stephens is working a case. Life has worn him down. He's ready to end it. Poppy is a film-maker desperate to never go back to the UK, and Tripal is a clerk in a 7-Eleven that has a secret. A secret that might be connected to why every human being on the planet just froze.

Get your copy of DELIO
here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

How many of the 2023 Readers' Choice top 10 list have you read? Which ones are you adding to the top of your TBR for 2024? Any stellar books you think didn't get their due? Let us know here in the comments, or over in the Discover Sci-Fi Facebook group! 

*All book-related copy in this post was pulled from Amazon, Goodreads & Wikipedia, unless otherwise credited.

This, our third and final post in this series, will conclude our 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards round up! You can see the top Sci-Fi Books of 2023 list here, and the top Audiobooks of 2023 list here.

Before we jump in, we’d like to thank you all one last time. As we’ve said before, your nominations and votes each year play a pivotal role in this year end showcase featuring the sci-fi reads that best captured readers’ hearts and imaginations in 2023.

Our final top ten roundup features this year’s best in LitRPG! As with audiobooks, this is the first year we’ve had a list dedicated exclusively to LitRPG standouts. We really love this genre—one that combines elements of role playing games with traditional narrative storytelling—and judging by the way our community turned up for our inaugural showdown, you guys do too! 

So, without any further ado, we unveil our 2023 Readers’ Choice Award list, featuring the ten best LitRPG reads of the year as chosen by Discover Sci-Fi readers. Scroll on to check out the top picks! 

10. Of Slicing Men: The Good Guys Book 14 by Eric Ugland

So, remember that whole ‘send Montana to the capital – he’s ready for prime time’ plan?

Yeah. That might’ve been a little bit hasty.

Our hirsute hero really stepped in it. Like, is on the verge of losing his dukedom and everything he’s worked for stepped in it.

The only way out? A little-known technicality that stops Senate proceedings and sends Montana off on what’s most likely an insurmountable quest. One where odds are good that he’ll either die without a respawn or accidentally commit treason against the Empire.

Neat.

Can Montana stop the Dark Queen’s army on his own and hold the line for Glaton? Will he do enough to save Coggeshall from the aristocratic vultures circling? And will he finally find the sword of the gods he lost on his very first day in Vuldranni?

Of Slicing Men is The Good Guys at its finest: gory battles, surprise tactics, and unexpected heroes. Come for the long-term campaign play and rich character progression. Stay for the stupid banter and crazed, demonic inch worms.

Read Of Slicing Men here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

9. Quantum Conjurations: Eldrich Engineer Book One by Kevin McLaughlin and Michael Anderle

His experiment shouldn’t have wrecked his lab, created a portal to another dimension, or sucked him through said portal.

Despite all that, Charles Smith found himself landing atop the emissary of an evil group of mages called the Shadow Council.

Literally on top of him, along with half the gear from his lab, which had the fortunate side-effect of turning the evil sorcerer into paste.

This won Charles the gratitude of King Alfred, ruler of the Kingdom of Kortall and the man who said sorcerer had been threatening moments before Smith’s arrival.

But the reward for a job well done is always more work!

Alfred quickly recruits Charles to help defend his kingdom against the invading army. Wildly outmatched, Alfred’s forces are on the verge of being crushed. If he falls, there will be little to stop the Shadow Council from taking over the entire world.

Charles will need every trick he knows, including a lot of science, some engineering—and maybe even a little bit of magic—if Kortall is to have any hope of surviving!

Grab Quantum Conjurations here on Amazon. 

8. The Primal Hunter Seven by Zogarth

Having arrived at the Order of the Malefic Viper, Jake is eager to improve his alchemy…

However, reality can often be cruel. Because while trying to do just that, Jake will be dealing with the political landscape of the Order. Between hiding his identity as the Chosen of the Big Boss, being forced to attend get-togethers, visiting vampires to sell ancient memorabilia, and trying to actually learn some alchemy, Jake's busier than ever.

Earth also still calls. There, he helps friends deal with family issues by going on a nice road trip with Carmen and Sylphie. On the way, he can hopefully find time to hunt down the final Primas he needs – powerful monsters with unique key fragments – to participate in the upcoming system event dubbed the Seat of the Exalted Prima.

An event that hopefully – no, certainly – won’t have any unforeseen Bloodline-induced shenanigans.

Definitely not.

Grab Primal Hunter here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

7. Quest Academy: Silvers by Brian J. Nordon

Read Quest Academy here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

6. Beware of Chicken Three by Casualfarmer

Jin Rou wanted to be a cultivator. A man powerful enough to defy the heavens. A master of martial arts. A lord of spiritual power. Unfortunately for him, he died, and now I’m stuck in his body.

As Jin, I’m a man of the earth. A wielder of shovels and lord of rice and wheat. And sure, I also had to die and get pulled into another universe to end up here. But guess what? I’m starting to think it was worth it.

I’ve somehow managed to get away from it all. Finally free of the bloodshed of cultivator fights, I figure I’ll live in the slow lane from here on out, my only real concern the rain—or lack thereof.

Unfortunately, I’ve suddenly got a shady organization looking for me, my cat has gone off to fight in a martial arts tournament, and my chicken has uncovered an ancient crystal containing portents of doom. You know, the usual stuff.

I’m not worried though. Sometimes trouble finds you. And while I may not be a master cultivator . . . trouble should know better than to mess with a farmer.

 Grab Beware of Chicken here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Like what you're reading?

If you're enjoying our year end Readers' Choice Roundup, the LitRPG edition, why not join the DSF community for more awesome content? You'll get to be notified whenever a top 10 list or any other articles of interest go up on our site. It's free to sign up and you'll also get recommendations for new releases and discounted ebooks from our expert editorial team, from bestsellers to hidden gems.

5. Induction: Welcome to the Multiverse Book One by Sean Oswald

The apocalypse is coming but only those lucky or perhaps unlucky few know.

Silas is inducted into the System becoming the last in a long line of
Earth's 'Forerunners.'

The rewards are great but the danger is greater.

We are not alone in the universe. The fate of five worlds hangs on how their forerunners perform.

Will Silas have what it takes to win Earth a place in the multiverse or will Earth become another mining
world stripped of all resources and left a barren husk floating in the cosmos?

A system enforced secret... a deadly challenge... and only a year to go.

The countdown begins now!

Get your copy of Induction here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

4. Wolf in the Void: The Grand Game Book Five by Tom Elliot

A House in waiting. A Wolf on the run. And with his foes multiplying, can Michael accomplish all that he must?

Michael has taken the Game by the throat. No longer content to lurk in the shadows, he has started down a path that will inevitably bring him into conflict with the Powers.

But the Powers are no easy foes. Nor are they Michael’s only adversaries.
Other enemies stir. Some confront him openly, while others watch patiently from the sidelines. A lone wolf no more, and with many of his own pieces in play, Michael may find himself more exposed than he believes.

The stakes are high. And the schemes of the players convoluted.
Evading entanglement will not be simple. Avoiding the ire of the Powers will be even harder. And escaping the attention of beings beyond his ken may well be impossible. Can Michael trace a delicate balance between obscurity and strength? Or will his dreams for House Wolf end in ashes?

Grab Wolf in the void here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

3. Forge Master: Tower Book One

Ascending should have been the easy part...

But after being thrown into the void, Thorn finds himself stranded in a strange world filled with even stranger creatures.

Together with his cute battle pet, the mysterious god beast Hati, and a sentient AI named Eve, Thorn must forge a place for himself in this new world. Unfortunately, the local guilds all have other ideas and soon the Titan finds himself embroiled in plots that even his famed strength cannot help him with.

Rallying his strengths and learning how to fix his weaknesses will be the absolute minimum Thorn needs to survive, but if he wants to thrive, he’ll be forced to take risks that put his life and the lives of his friends on the line.

Dive into Forge Master here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

2. He Who Fights With Monsters Book Ten by Shirtaloon 

A subterranean power creates strange bedfellows for Jason and his friends in the epic next installment of He Who Fights with Monsters.

Following the devastating attack on Yaresh, its people are left to pick up the pieces. The city lies in ruins, but its decimated defenders have more to deal with than just reconstruction. Jason's actions during the battle have brought unwelcome attention from allies and enemies alike. While the adventurers question his loyalty, the messengers question his very nature. Both have designs on Jason that he intends to thwart, but a danger comes to light that shifts everyone's agenda.

Deep underground, a hidden civilization has survived by tapping into a long-buried power. That power's growing instability has become both a threat and an opportunity to the warring surface factions. Neither side can stop or claim the power alone, leading to an uneasy alliance with a reluctant Jason at the center. The adventurers, messengers, and Jason himself all have intentions for the power but little idea what awaits them below ground. There are more players involved than any of them realize, and soon, they will have greater problems than each other.

Get your copy of He Who Fights With Monsters
here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

1. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book Six by Matt Dinniman 

A pantheon of forgotten gods. An old grudge between a talk show host, an heiress, and the man they shattered along the way. A rapidly deteriorating AI system. An inconvenient tiara upon the head of a friend.

It's bedlam on the eighth floor. 

As management reels from the unexpected conclusion of the seventh level, the surviving crawlers stumble onto the eighth and find themselves scattered. It’s a map based on Earth’s final days before the collapse, where ethereal, intangible ghosts of humanity go about their lives, oblivious of the impending doom. Living amongst these ghosts are monsters based in Earth lore. “Legendary” creatures tied to the geographical location they inhabit.

Each team of crawlers is given a task: find and capture six of these beasts. The captured monsters will be turned into cards. Cards that can be summoned into battle again and again. The stronger, the deadlier, the better.

At the end of the floor, the bad guys will also have decks, and they will have some of the most powerful cards available. So it’s crucial to assemble the toughest squad possible.

But, like always, there is a catch. There’s always a catch.

As Carl and Donut know all too well, just because someone is captured, it doesn’t mean they have been tamed.

Her name is Shi Maria. She’s easily the most powerful monster in their area. If they want to survive, they must capture her. But she is no ordinary beast. She’s intelligent. She was once married to a god, a god who is now missing. Her special attack is known to drive one insane. They call her the Bedlam Bride.

Get your copy of The Eye of the Bedlam Bride here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

How many of the 2023 Readers' Choice top 10 LitRPG books have you read? Which ones are you adding to the top of your TBR for 2024? Any stellar LitRPG titles you think didn't get their due? Let us know here in the comments or over in the Discover Sci-Fi Facebook Group! 

*All book-related copy in this post was pulled from Amazon, Goodreads & Wikipedia, unless otherwise credited.