The Top 10 Sci-Fantasy Books Of All Time!

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. —Arthur C. Clarke 

Little did we know how challenging it would be to come up with a consensus on what books contain elements of both science fiction and fantasy!

While some elements of sci-fi and of fantasy are pretty straight forward—aliens, sci-fi; elves, fantasy (for example)—some elements are trickier. Time travel? Generally in the realm of sci-fi,  except when it occurs in a decidedly non-science-y way as in Stephen R. Donaldson's The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

Between the blog and the Facebook group, almost 100 of you voted for this selection, placing it near the top in the opening poll, but being solidly fantasy, we didn't advance it. But "the time travel," some may argue.  We felt that considering the time travel happens as a result of the titular character getting smoked by a police car rather than by some feat of science, the time travel too, was an element of fantasy rather than sci-fi. 

We attempted to cull the nominations for the top ten titles that best met the criteria, and this past week, those are the ones you voted on. Still lots of valid debate as to whether those titles met the criteria too; regardless, we have arrived at our top 10! Curious to know which ONE of those was deemed the very best by the Discover Sci-Fi Community?

Without further ado, based on the combined nominations and votes here on the Discover Sci-Fi blog and the Facebook group, here are the 10 most re-read sci-fi books of all-time! 

10. Magic, Inc. by Robert A. Heinlein

Heinlein’s books are regularly nominated to our polls, but this is the first time his science fantasy novella Magic, Inc  has gotten the nod. It was originally published in 1940 under the title "The Devil Makes the Law” and was re-released with another novella in the book Waldo & Magic, Inc. in 1950.

Under the guise of an agency for magicians, Magic, Inc. systematically squeezed out the small independent magicians. Then one businessman stood firm. But one man stands firm. And with the help of an Oxford—educated African shaman and a little old lady adept at black magic, he is willing to take on the demons of Hell to resolve the problem—once and for all!

Pick up Waldo & Magic, Inc. here on Amazon

9. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman 

Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials is an expansive series that, while written with a younger audience in mind, has captivated adults as well. Start with The Golden Compass if you are new to the series. 

Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal—including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.

Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and as fierce and true a champion as Roger or Asriel could want.

But what Lyra doesn't know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other...

Pick up His Dark Materials  here on Amazon.

8. The Darkover series by Marion Zimmer Bradley

In the comments here and in conversations over in the Discover Sci-Fi Facebook group, this is one of just a few titles nominated that didn’t provoke a lot of disagreement (save the suggestion that it fit only “if you squint hard enough”). 

Marion Zimmer Bradley spoke about the approach she took to writing the Darkover series as “…re-combining old and familiar elements for a fairly routine piece of science-fantasy.” Calling it a “routine piece” doesn’t make it sound very special, but nevertheless, with this approach, she established a huge fanbase and the books remain popular today.

If you’re new to the series, in terms of order, you can take a few different approaches to reading them, but the author suggested reading them in publication order, so why not start with The Planet Savers? Originally published in 1968, it is a slim volume and the first Darkover book published. 

Darkover was experiencing a flare-up of Trailmen's fever, an episodic disease that would decimate the entire human population of Darkover, from the Comyn to the Terrans. The Medical Branch at Terran HQ had the start of a cure, but in order to finish it, they needed Trailmen to come out of their homes in the trees in the Hellers Mountains and donate blood. Only one man on Darkover stood any chance of persuading the Trailmen to help, but he occupied the same body as the doctor capable of doing the medical side of the work, and he was the personality the doctor had utterly suppressed. Even with hypnosis, only one of them could be active at a time, and the solution would need both of them.

Get your copy of The Planet Savers here on Amazon.

7. The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke

“Between science fiction and fantasy the line is often blurry. That line is hard and fast when an SF story is firmly grounded in known science. But when a writer ventures far into the future, speculating about the emergence of technologies that bear no recognizable relationship to what is known today about how the universe is organized, it’s difficult to regard the product as anything other than fantasy.” —Mal Warwick 

Do you think this is a slippery slope? It may well be, but it’s the reasoning we used to let the admittedly contentious reader nominated The City and the Stars slide into final round of voting. It would seem that Clarke himself might agree, given the quote at the top of this post—the third of his Three Laws—which more or less echos Warwick’s statement.

Far in the future, Earth’s oceans have evaporated and humanity has all but vanished. The inhabitants of Diaspar believe their domed city is all that remains of an empire that had once conquered the stars. Inside the dome, the citizens live in technological splendor, free from the distractions of aging and disease. Everything is controlled precisely, just as the city’s designers had intended.

But a boy named Alvin, unlike his fellow humans, shows an insatiable—and dangerous—curiosity about the world outside the dome. His questions will send him on a quest to discover the truth about the city and humanity’s history—as well as its future.

Start reading The City and the Stars here on Amazon.

6. Riverworld by Philip Jose Farmer

“Yes, we've gone through the looking-glass here. But it's a rational world we're in, however crazy the above scenario may sound. Our search with Burton is more than a fantasy or science fiction search for the wizard behind the scenes. It becomes a metaphysical search as well, a search for meaning in any of our lives.” —Eric McMillan

Philip Jose Farmer’s Riverworld series allowed him to play with a number of themes as well as a combination of science fiction and fantasy elements. The first book, To Your Scattered Bodies Go, finds the main character awake (after being killed) by the shore of a river. Perhaps more stunning than his own apparent reincarnation, was that of every other being that had ever lived.

Imagine that every human who ever lived, from the earliest Neanderthals to the present, is resurrected after death on the banks of an astonishing and seemingly endless river on an unknown world. They are miraculously provided with food, but with not a clue to the possible meaning of this strange afterlife. And so billions of people from history, and before, must start living again.

Some set sail on the great river questing for the meaning of their resurrection, and to find and confront their mysterious benefactors. On this long journey, we meet Sir Richard Francis Burton, Mark Twain, Odysseus, Cyrano de Bergerac, and many others, most of whom embark upon searches of their own in this huge afterlife.

Grab Riverworld here on Amazon.

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5. The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

The Eye of the World is the first book in what is a truly epic series. The Eye of the World came out in 1990 and was written by Robert Jordan.  After Jordon died, Brandon Sanderson picked up the torch, writing books twelve through fourteen working from Jordon's notes. 

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs-a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts- five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

Get your copy of The Eye of the World here on Amazon.

4. Glory Road by Robert A. Heinlein

Robert A. Heinlein is, of course, one of the masters of the science fiction genre and Glory Road represents a departure of sorts. While science fiction elements exist in the story, Heinlein leans harder into fantasy with this one. 

“Glory Road is a science fantasy novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (July – September 1963) and published in hardcover the same year. It was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1964.

"ARE YOU A COWARD? This is not for you. We badly need a brave man. He must be 23 to 25 years old, in perfect health, at least six feet tall, weigh about 190 pounds, fluent English, with some French, proficient in all weapons, some knowledge of engineering and mathematics essential, willing to travel, no family or emotional ties, indomitably courageous and handsome of face and figure. Permanent employment, very high pay, glorious adventure, great danger. You must apply in person, rue Dante, Nice, 2me étage, apt. D."

Dive into Glory Road here on Amazon.

3. Honor Harrington by David Weber

David Weber’s Honor Harrington series has shown up on more of our polls than we can count! But one featuring sci-fantasy books? The deciding element here may be telepathy. As with time travel, some authors attempt to offer scientific reasons for telepathic abilities and some don’t. Is this the line we draw as to whether telepathy is a science fiction element or a fantasy element in a given work? We’d love to hear what you think! If you missed out on this one and need to read it before weighing in, start with On Basilisk Station. 

“Honor Harrington in trouble: Having made him look the fool, she's been exiled to Basilisk Station in disgrace and set up for ruin by a superior who hates her. Her demoralized crew blames her for their ship's humiliating posting to an out-of-the-way picket station. The aborigines of the system's only habitable planet are smoking homicide-inducing hallucinogens. Parliament isn't sure it wants to keep the place; the major local industry is smuggling, the merchant cartels want her head; the star-conquering, so-called "Republic" of Haven is Up to Something; and Honor Harrington has a single, over-age light cruiser with an armament that doesn't work to police the entire star system.”

Get your copy of On Basilisk Station here on Amazon.

2. Dune by Frank Herbert

“Even Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel Dune could be considered science fantasy. Space travel in Dune is not reliant on some super-advanced technology like an FTL drive. Instead, it’s made possible by a spice called melange, which enables navigators to fold space and makes some takers prescient. Those addicted to it develop completely-blue eyes — a shift not really explained in any scientific way."—Robo♥beat

Many of you protested the inclusion of Frank Herbert's Dune in both the initial and final poll, and we get it! Dune is rarely discussed as fantasy and is touted by some as one of the most influential sci-fi books ever. We think Robo♥beat's logic holds though. What about you? 

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream. 

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.

Start Dune here on Amazon.

1. Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

"In later interviews with press and fans, Anne McCaffrey would bristle at any attempt to classify her Dragonriders of Pern series as fantasy. Her dragons, she pointed out, were genetically engineered animals ridden by descendants of space explorers, not magical elves. —Mari Ness, tor.com

The above quote is taken from an excellent breakdown on tor.com of the fantasy roots of Anne McCaffrey’s esteemed Dragonriders of Pern series. The later books in the series are indisputably sci-fi, but looking at the series as a whole, it’s impossible not to acknowledge the fantasy elements of the first book, Dragonflight.

To the nobles who live in Benden Weyr, Lessa is nothing but a ragged kitchen girl. For most of her life she has survived by serving those who betrayed her father and took over his lands. Now the time has come for Lessa to shed her disguise—and take back her stolen birthright.

But everything changes when she meets a queen dragon. The bond they share will be deep and last forever. It will protect them when, for the first time in centuries, Lessa’s world is threatened by Thread, an evil substance that falls like rain and destroys everything it touches. Dragons and their Riders once protected the planet from Thread, but there are very few of them left these days. Now brave Lessa must risk her life, and the life of her beloved dragon, to save her beautiful world. 

Grab Dragonflight here on Amazon.

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