The Top 10 Space Opera Books and Series of All Time!

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Five years ago, we asked the Discover Sci-Fi community to vote for the Top 10 Space Opera Books and Series of all Time. Since then, thousands more readers have joined our community and simultaneously, countless new space opera titles have been released. With all these changes, we decided it was high time to re-evaluate and see how the favorites have shifted over the past five years.

And so, over the past two weeks, we conducted another poll, gathering thousands of votes from sci-fi aficionado both here on the blog and in our Discover Sci-Fi Facebook group. As a side note, this poll sparked some great discussion about what constitutes a space opera, and whether some of the reader nominated books actually met the criteria. If you're not in the group, we encourage you to get in there and throw your two cents in on this conversation, and those like it!

Now... on with the show...

Today, we’re thrilled to reveal the Top 10 Space Opera Books and Series as chosen by you, our discerning and passionate readers, ranked below from 10 to 1. Voting was tight on this one, seeing a tie for first place, and other spots on the list decided by a single vote.  Compared to our list from 2019, there have been a couple notable changes with two wildly popular entries being ousted in favor of something different. 

Scroll on to dive in and please don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments below or in our Facebook group. We’re eager to hear whether you agree with the rankings and if not, what you'd change. 

10. Blood on the Stars by Jay Allan

Read the first book in Jay Allan’s blockbuster Blood on the Stars series.

A duel, in the deepest darks, a savage fight between two veteran warriors, two captains, two heroes.

An epic battle that only one can survive. A fight to determine if there is peace, or a bloody war where billions will die.

The Confederation battleship Dauntless has spent ten months patrolling the border, alone, watching for an attack from the enemy Union. The crew is exhausted, and the aging vessel needs repairs.

The fleet is mobilized, ready for the war it knows is coming. The forward bases are overloaded beyond capacity, and Dauntless is sent clear across the Confederation, to a base along the peaceful and sleepy sector known as the Far Rim.

But the quiet frontier isn’t quite what it seems, and a distress call from a mining colony at the edge of Confederation space, sends Captain Tyler Barron and his ship forward into the unknown.

Barron and his crew have their ship—and each other—but they can expect no reinforcements. His superiors believe that Union deceit is at play, that the attack is merely a diversion, intended to draw Confederation forces from the disputed border. Their orders are clear: no ships will be transferred from the main front. Stopping whatever is happening on the Far Rim is Barron’s responsibility, and his alone.

Barron is the grandson of the Confederation’s greatest hero, and his name has always carried great privilege, along with crushing responsibility. Now he must prove that he has inherited more than just a name from his famous ancestor.

He must face the enemy, and win the victory.

Before the Confederation is caught between two enemies and destroyed.

Read Duel in the Dark here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

9. Hyperion by Dan Simmons 

A stunning tour de force filled with transcendent awe and wonder, Hyperion is a masterwork of science fiction that resonates with excitement and invention, the first volume in a remarkable epic by the multiple-award-winning author of The Hollow Man.

On the world called Hyperion, beyond the reach of galactic law, waits a creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all.

On the eve of Armageddon, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Each carries a desperate hope—and

Grab Hyperion here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

8. Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds 

This highly acclaimed first novel in the Revelation Space universe has redefined the space opera with a staggering journey across vast gulfs of time and space to confront the very nature of reality itself . . .

Nine hundred thousand years ago, something annihilated the Amarantin civilization just as it was on the verge of discovering space flight. Now one scientist, Dan Sylveste, will stop at nothing to solve the Amarantin riddle before ancient history repeats itself. With no other resources at his disposal, Sylveste forges a dangerous alliance with the cyborg crew of the starship Nostalgia for Infinity. But as he closes in on the secret, a killer closes in on him. Because the Amarantin were destroyed for a reason, and if that reason is uncovered, the universe and reality itself could be irrevocably altered . . .

Get your copy of Revelation Space here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

7. Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold

When Cordelia Naismith and her survey crew are attacked by a renegade group from Barrayar, she is taken prisoner by Aral Vorkosigan, commander of the Barrayan ship that has been taken over by an ambitious and ruthless crew member. Aral and Cordelia survive countless mishaps while their mutual admiration and even stronger feelings emerge. A science fiction romance by a Hugo and Nebula Award winning master. Bujold's SHARDS OF HONOR is the first book in her SF universe to feature the Vorkosigan clan, followed by the Hugo award-winning BARRAYAR. The Nebula award-winning FALLING FREE precedes it by internal chronology in the same future history.

Read Shards of Honor on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

6. The Culture Series by Iain M. Banks

The first book in Iain M. Banks's seminal science fiction series, The Culture. Consider Phlebas introduces readers to the utopian conglomeration of human and alien races that explores the nature of war, morality, and the limitless bounds of mankind's imagination.

The war raged across the galaxy. Billions had died, billions more were doomed. Moons, planets, the very stars themselves, faced destruction, cold-blooded, brutal, and worse, random. The Idirans fought for their Faith; the Culture for its moral right to exist. Principles were at stake. There could be no surrender.

Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and with it their own destruction.

 Grab Culture here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

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5. The Commonwealth Saga by Peter F. Hamilton

The year is 2380. The Intersolar Commonwealth, a sphere of stars, contains more than six hundred worlds interconnected by a web of transport “tunnels” known as wormholes. At the farthest edge of the Commonwealth, astronomer Dudley Bose observes the impossible: over one thousand light-years away, a star . . . disappears. Since the location is too distant to reach by wormhole, the Second Chance, a faster-than-light starship commanded by Wilson Kime, a five-times-rejuvenated ex-NASA pilot, is dispatched to learn what has occurred and whether it represents a threat.

Opposed to the mission are the Guardians of Selfhood, led by Bradley Johansson. Shortly after the journey begins, Kime wonders if the crew of the Second Chance has been infiltrated. But soon enough he will have other worries. Halfway across the galaxy, something truly incredible is waiting: a deadly discovery whose unleashing will threaten to destroy the Commonwealth . . . and humanity itself.

Get your copy of Pandora's Star here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Like what you're reading?

If you're enjoying this list of the top 10 space opera books and series, 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.

4. Triplanetary by E.E. "Doc" Smith 

Triplanetary was first serialized in Amazing Stories in 1934 and it later on formed the first of the Lensman series, where it set the stage for what is one of the greatest space-opera sagas ever written. This original publication brings us to a distant planet inhabited by a highly developed aquatic race called the Nevians. They have managed to harness the atomic power of iron and have an enormous need for the metal to generate energy, but their planet has virtually no iron reserves. They build a spaceship to venture into the universe and find iron. Eventually they discover that Earth has huge amounts of iron and the Nevians start to extract all the iron out of Pittsburgh with a special ray. This ray shoots into the city and immediately vaporizes and removes any iron from the buildings, machines, earth, and even from human blood. It is up to Conway Costigan, a mercilessly competent, two-fisted whiz agent of the military Triplanetary Service, and his colleagues to save the planet.

Grab Triplanetary here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

3. Old Man's War by John Scalzi

Perfect for an entry-level sci-fi reader and the ideal addition to a veteran fan’s collection, John Scalzi's Old Man’s War will take audiences on a heart-stopping adventure into the far corners of the universe.

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.

The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce-and aliens willing to fight for them are common. The universe, it turns out, is a hostile place.

So: we fight. To defend Earth (a target for our new enemies, should we let them get close enough) and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has gone on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.

Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force, which shields the home planet from too much knowledge of the situation. What's known to everybody is that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You'll serve your time at the front. And if you survive, you'll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets.

John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine-and what he will become is far stranger.

Dive into Old Man's War here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

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2. The Expanse Series by James S.A. Corey

From a New York Times bestselling and Hugo award-winning author comes a modern masterwork of science fiction, introducing a captain, his crew, and a detective as they unravel a horrifying solar system wide conspiracy that begins with a single missing girl. Now a Prime Original series.

Humanity has colonized the solar system—Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond—but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, the Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for—and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations—and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.

"Interplanetary adventure the way it ought to be written." —George R. R. Martin

Get your copy of Leviathan Wakes, here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

1A. The Foundation Series by Issac Asimov

For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future—to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save humankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire—both scientists and scholars—and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.

The Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are among the most influential in the history of science fiction, celebrated for their unique blend of breathtaking action, daring ideas, and extensive worldbuilding. In Foundation, Asimov has written a timely and timeless novel of the best—and worst—that lies in humanity, and the power of even a few courageous souls to shine a light in a universe of darkness.

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

1B. Honor Harrington Saga by David Weber

Having made him look a 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.

But the people out to get her have made one mistake. They've made her mad.

Get your copy of On Basilisk Station
here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.


Time to sound off! Do you agree with the ranking here, or do you feel as though a well deserving space opera book or series was overlooked or didn't place as high as you think it should have? Feel free to let us know in the comments here, or join us in our Discover Sci-Fi Facebook Group to chime in on this matter and on everything else sci-fi related! 

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

The Top 10 Military Sci-Fi Books and Series of All Time!

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Way back in 2019, we hosted a poll in our Facebook Group and here on the blog to determine the Top 10 Military Sci-Fi Books and Series of All Time. In the intervening years, The Discover Sci-Fi community has grown by leaps and bounds, add to which there have been hundreds more military sci-fi books released. As such, we figured it was a great time to revisit and see if the titles that came out on top five years ago are still the fan favorites of today.

So over the last two weeks we once again polled our audience and received thousands of votes between the main poll here on the blog, and our supplementary poll over in the Discover Sci-Fi Facebook group.

Today, we are pleased to unveil the top 10 military sci-fi books and series as decided by your votes, ordered from 10 to 1. You may (or may not) be surprised to see there were indeed some changes, with half of the titles from the original list being replaced. 

Scroll on to check it out and please feel free to comment at the bottom of this post (or in our Facebook group) to let us know if you agree (or not!)

10. Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson

Donal Graeme set out to re-shape the galaxy, but first he must tear it apart. Donal Graeme, Dorsai of the Dorsai, was the final link in a long genetic train, the ultimate soldier, whose breadth of vision made him a master of space war and strategy - and something even greater. He was the focus of centuries of evolution, the culmination of planned development, and through him a new force made itself felt. Dorsai were renowned throughout the galaxy as the finest soldiers ever born, trained from birth to fight and win, no matter what the odds. With Donal at their head they embarked upon the final, impossible venture: they set out to unify the splintered worlds of Mankind.

Read Dorsai! here on Amazon. 

9. Hammer's Slammers by David Drake

With a veteran's eye for the harsh and gritty details of war, David Drake depicts a futuristic analog of tank combat in his Hammer's Slammers fiction. The Slammers are neither cartoon heroes nor propaganda villains; rather they are competent professionals engaged in a deadly business. The inevitable conflicts between policy, necessity, and human nature make Drake's Slammers fiction instantly identifiable and utterly compelling. This is the first of a three volume set presenting for the first time the entire genre-defining Slammers series in a uniform trade paperback set, with new introductions by major SF figures and new afterwords by David Drake. Each volume will also include a Slammers story not collected in previous Slammer's books.

Grab Hammer's Slammers here on Amazon.

8. The Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell

The Alliance has been fighting the Syndics for a century—and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is a man who's emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he has been heroically idealized beyond belief....

Captain John “Black Jack” Geary’s exploits are known to every schoolchild. Revered for his heroic “last stand” in the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But a century later, Geary miraculously returns and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance Fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndics.

Appalled by the hero-worship around him, Geary is nevertheless a man who will do his duty. And he knows that bringing the stolen Syndic hypernet key safely home is the Alliance’s one chance to win the war. But to do that, Geary will have to live up to the impossibly heroic “Black Jack” legend....

Get your copy of The Lost Fleet: Dauntless here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

7. The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

The united 'Second Empire of Man' spans vast distances, due to the Alderson Drive which has enabled humans to travel easily between the stars. After an alien probe is discovered, the Navy dispatches two ships to determine whether the aliens pose a threat… Called by Robert A. Heinlein: "Possibly the greatest science fiction novel ever written," this magnificent exploration of first contact and a truly alien society is a "must read" for science fiction fans.

Read The Mote in God's Eye here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

6. Dune by Frank Herbert

Frank Herbert’s classic masterpiece—a triumph of the imagination and one of the bestselling science fiction novels of all time.

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of Paul Atreides—who would become known as Muad'Dib—and of a great family's ambition to bring to fruition mankind'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.

 Grab Dune here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

5. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman  

Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards: A futuristic masterpiece, “perhaps the most important war novel written since Vietnam” (Junot Díaz).
 
In this novel, a landmark of science fiction that began as an MFA thesis for the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and went on to become an award-winning classic—inspiring a play, a graphic novel, and most recently an in-development film—man has taken to the stars, and soldiers fighting the wars of the future return to Earth forever alienated from their home.
 
Conscripted into service for the United Nations Exploratory Force, a highly trained unit built for revenge, physics student William Mandella fights for his planet light years away against the alien force known as the Taurans. “Mandella’s attempt to survive and remain human in the face of an absurd, almost endless war is harrowing, hilarious, heartbreaking, and true,” says Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Junot Díaz—and because of the relative passage of time when one travels at incredibly high speed, the Earth Mandella returns to after his two-year experience has progressed decades and is foreign to him in disturbing ways.
 
Based in part on the author’s experiences in Vietnam, The Forever War is regarded as one of the greatest military science fiction novels ever written, capturing the alienation that servicemen and women experience even now upon returning home from battle. It shines a light not only on the culture of the 1970s in which it was written, but also on our potential future. “To say that The Forever War is the best science fiction war novel ever written is to damn it with faint praise. It is . . . as fine and woundingly genuine a war story as any I’ve read”

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

Like what you're reading?

If you're enjoying this list of the top 10 military sci-fi books and series, 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.

4. Old Man's War by John Scalzi 

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.

The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce-and aliens willing to fight for them are common. The universe, it turns out, is a hostile place.

So: we fight. To defend Earth (a target for our new enemies, should we let them get close enough) and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has gone on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.

Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force, which shields the home planet from too much knowledge of the situation. What's known to everybody is that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You'll serve your time at the front. And if you survive, you'll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets.

John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine-and what he will become is far stranger.

Grab Old Man's War here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

3. Ender's Game bu Orson Scott Card

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Dive into Ender's Game here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

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2. Honor Harrington Series by David Weber

Having made him look a 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.

But the people out to get her have made one mistake. They've made her mad.

Get your copy of book 1 in the Honor Harrington series, On Basilisk Station, here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

1. Starship Trooper by Robert A. Heinlein

In Robert A. Heinlein’s controversial Hugo Award-winning bestseller, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the Universe—and into battle against mankind’s most alarming enemy...

Johnnie Rico never really intended to join up—and definitely not the infantry. But now that he’s in the thick of it, trying to get through combat training harder than anything he could have imagined, he knows everyone in his unit is one bad move away from buying the farm in the interstellar war the Terran Federation is waging against the Arachnids.

Because everyone in the Mobile Infantry fights. And if the training doesn’t kill you, the Bugs are more than ready to finish the job...

Get your copy of Starship Troopers
here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.


Now... Let's hear your opinions! Do you agree with the ranking here, or do you feel as though your most-loved military sci-fi book or series is missing or didn't place as high as you think it deserved to? Feel free to let us know in the comments here, or join us in our Discover Sci-Fi Facebook Group to chime in on this matter and on all else sci-fi related! 

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

Dive Into These Ocean Based Sci-Fi Titles!

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More than 80 percent of the ocean has never been mapped, explored, or even seen by humans. A far greater percentage of the surfaces of the moon and the planet Mars has been mapped and studied than of our own ocean floor. —National Geographic

Given how little we know about our own ocean, oceanic environments, both real and imagined alike, offer a sense of mystery that lends itself rather perfectly to science fiction. In our most recent poll in the Discover Sci-Fi Facebook group we asked for your favorite ocean-based sci-fi books; among them were some stellar examples well worth diving into. The following roundup includes many of the titles added to the poll, along with a couple picks of our own. We hope you'll read them all! 

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne 

An American frigate, tracking down a ship-sinking monster, faces not a living creature but an incredible invention -- a fantastic submarine commanded by the mysterious Captain Nemo.  Suddenly a devastating explosion leaves just three survivors, who find themselves prisoners inside Nemo's death ship on an underwater odyssey around the world from the pearl-laden waters of Ceylon to the icy dangers of the South Pole . . .as Captain Nemo, one of the greatest villians ever created, takes his revenge on all society.

More than a marvelously thrilling drama, this classic novel, written in 1870, foretells with uncanny accuracy the inventions and advanced technology of the twentieth century and has become a literary stepping-stone for generations of science fiction writers.

Read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea here on Amazon. 

The Abyss by Orson Scott Card

From the author of "Speaker's for the Dead", and "Seventh Son", this science fiction thriller is set in the Caribbean where a US submarine is mysteriously attacked. Foul play by the Soviets is suspected, and the world draws close to nuclear war. But the answer has nothing to do with human deeds.

Grab The Abyss here in paperback.. 

Startide Rising (The Uplift Saga Book 2) by David Brin

We are not alone. Humanity’s explorations have revealed galaxies inhabited by millions of intelligent species interacting under ancient traditions. Foremost among said traditions is uplift, which requires all spacefaring races to welcome newcomers into Galactic culture by breeding and genetically guiding each client species to full sapience—but at a price. Patron races demand centuries of indentured servitude from each uplifted client. But is upstart humanity a patron or a client?

The Earthship Streaker—crewed by humans and uplifted dolphins and chimpanzees—discovers a derelict armada, perhaps left by the very first patrons, the fabled Progenitors. Suddenly the Five Galaxies teeter on the brink of all-out war as fanatics hunt Streaker for the secret. With a damaged ship and hostile aliens in pursuit, the crew must band together if they hope to survive . . .

Get your copy of Startide Rising here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Sphere by Michael Crichton

From the author of Jurassic Park, Timeline, and Congo comes a psychological thriller about a group of scientists who investigate a spaceship discovered on the ocean floor.

In the middle of the South Pacific, a thousand feet below the surface, a huge vessel is unearthed. Rushed to the scene is a team of American scientists who descend together into the depths to investigate the astonishing discovery. What they find defies their imaginations and mocks their attempts at logical explanation. It is a spaceship, but apparently it is undamaged by its fall from the sky. And, most startling, it appears to be at least three hundred years old, containing a terrifying and destructive force that must be controlled at all costs.

Read Sphere  here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

The Deep Range by Arthur C. Clarke

A man discovers the planet’s destiny in the ocean’s depths in this near-future novel by one of the twentieth century’s greatest science fiction authors.

In the very near future, humanity has fully harnessed the sea’s immense potential, employing advanced sonar technology to control and harvest untold resources for human consumption. It is a world where gigantic whale herds are tended by submariners and vast plankton farms stave off the threat of hunger.

Former space engineer Walter Franklin has been assigned to a submarine patrol. Initially indifferent to his new station, if not bored by his daily routines, Walter soon becomes fascinated by the sea’s mysteries. The more his explorations deepen, the more he comes to understand man’s true place in nature—and the unique role he will soon play in humanity’s future.

A lasting testament to Arthur C. Clarke’s prescient and powerful imagination, The Deep Range is a classic work of science fiction that remains deeply relevant to our times.

 Grab The Deep Range here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant 

The ocean is home to many myths.

But some are deadly. . .

Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy.

Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they're not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life's work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves.

But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

Get your copy of Into the Drowning Deep here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Like what you're reading?

If you're enjoying this list of ocean based sci-fi, 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.

The Swarm by Frank Schatzing

Whales begin sinking ships. Toxic eyeless crabs poison Long Island’s water supply. Around the world, countries are beginning to feel the effects of the ocean’s revenge. In this riveting novel, full of twists, turns, and cliffhangers, a team of scientists discovers a strange, intelligent life force called the Yrr that takes form in marine animals in order to wreak havoc on man for his abuses. The Day After Tomorrow meets The Abyss in his gripping, scientifically realist, utterly imaginative thriller. With the compellingly creepy and vivid skill of this author to evoke story, character, and place, Frank Schatzing’s book are certain to find a home with fans of Michael Crichton.

Grab The Swarm here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Starfish by Peter Watts (Rifters Trilogy Book One)

A huge international corporation has developed a facility along the Juan de Fuca Ridge at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean to exploit geothermal power. They send a bio-engineered crew - people who have been altered to withstand the pressure and breathe the seawater - down to live and work in this weird, fertile undersea darkness.  

Unfortunately, the only people suitable for longterm employment in these experimental power stations are crazy, some of them in unpleasant ways. How many of them can survive, or will be allowed to survive, while worldwide disaster approaches from below?

Dive into Starfish here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Cachalot (Humanx Commonwealth) by Alan Dean Foster

Welcome to Cachalot, a planet made almost entirely of water, an ocean refuge for Earth’s marine mammals, rescued from near extinction at the hands of humans thousands of years ago. Free from predators and human impact, the whales thrive in their new home, growing in size and intelligence. Everything is perfect. Until humans decide to establish floating towns on Cachalot, drawn by the planet’s abundant natural resources. Now someone or something is killing off Cachalot’s human population, a mystery a team of marine biologists has to been sent to Cachalot to solve—a mission that could cost them their lives.

Get your copy of Cachalot
here on Amazon.

Blueheart by Alison Sinclair

Poised on the brink of disaster, the hidden underwater inhabitants of the planet Blueheart strive to create a new species while plans are in motion to transform the planet into an Earth-like world, and as a battle rages, Rache returns and must make a difficult choice--his humanity or his world.

Get your copy of Blueheart
in paperback here on Amazon.


Are there other ocean based sci-fi titles you feel deserve a spot on this list? What are they? Any books here you previously missed that you're now planning to dive into? Fill us in in the comments here, 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.

Science Fiction Books Beloved by Non Sci-Fi Fans!

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Looking to tempt a friend to the dark side? Beloved by readers who don't typically gravitate toward the genre, these sci-fi books are sure to do the trick! Keep this list handy next time you are eager to recommend a science fiction book to a friend who says they "don't read sci-fi." They'll be changing their tune, tout suite! 

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

It is so easy to get sucked into this story, and fast! There are a fair number of action packed battle scenes, but if that's not one's jam, they are pretty easy to read over without missing the heart of the story. 

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Read Ender's Game here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Published in 2014, Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven enjoyed something of a renaissance early the recent pandemic (the fact of which Mandel gives a nod to in her newest book, the 2022 release Sea of Tranquility.) Station Eleven is a bit of a slow burn but as with the author's other works, is beautifully written and intricately plotted. Just thinking about it now has us wanting to pick it up again! 

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.

Read Station Eleven  here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

This highly accessible sci-fi classic turns 70 this year and feels just as modern and relevant today as it did in 1953. Fahrenheit 451 manages a lot in less than 200 pages, giving us much to ponder and ultimately leaving the reader with a sense of hope—a welcome surprise given the dystopian setting of the book. 

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.

Get your copy of Fahrenheit 451 here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood


This speculative fiction standard experienced it's own resurgence of popularity over the last five years owing in large part to Hulu's excellent adaptation of the novel. The series has now run for five seasons and (for better or for worse) has extended well beyond the events covered in the original novel. It's a chilling tale that feels all too easy to imagine, the fact of which appeals to readers of all kinds. 

The Handmaid's Tale is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States and is now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men in its population.

The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment’s calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid's Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and a tour de force. It is Margaret Atwood at her best.

Read Handmaid's Tale  here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

When it hit the shelves fifteen years ago, Suzanne Collins' dystopian thriller The Hunger Games ignited the interest of even the most reluctant readers. And why not? With a fierce, loveable heroine, complex villains, heaps of actions, and unrelenting tension, it has a lot to recommend it! Put this one in a friend's hand and they won't be coming up for air until they've read all three books in the original trilogy and the prequel! 

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to death before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Still, if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

 Grab The Hunger Games here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Save this recommendation for your friend who loves feel-good reads! Becky Chambers is a great storyteller and with The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet treats readers to a well paced tale with incredible worldbuilding, a loveable cast of characters, and so much more. If you haven't read this one, do! Once you do, you to will be singing it's praises to everyone whether they are sci-fi lovers or not! 

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.

Get your copy of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

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If you're enjoying this list of sci-fi beloved by non sci-fi fans, 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.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

This one is a fun, fast, mind-bender! Dark Matter was first mentioned on the blog in a post from August 2020 where DSF readers voted it into the top 10 sci-fi stand-alones published since 2010. It's interesting and exciting, yet undemanding, and so hard to put down. These qualities make it a great option for any reader and a fabulous choice for one with an entire day spread out before them to spend doing nothing but reading! 

“Are you happy with your life?”

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”

In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. Hiswife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human—a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of.

Grab Dark Matter here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

Whatever you do, don't tell the friends you're recommending this one to that it's a zombie book. With outstanding world building, skillful twists, a loveable main, and emotional heft, The Girl With All the Gifts will capture the interest and heart of any reader who gives it a shot! 

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her "our little genius."

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

The Girl With All the Gifts is a groundbreaking thriller, emotionally charged and gripping from beginning to end.

Dive into The Girl With All the Gifts here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

The Silo Series by Hugh Howey

With the recent success of the first season of Silo on Apple+, this one is an obvious choice! How many of your friends who don't typically read sci-fi have already come running to you to rave about the series? We bet all of you know at least a few! We'd suggest you keep a copy of the book on hand for the next it happens; you can smile and nod and hand it to them to take home. They can thank you later. 

The remnants of humanity live underground in a vast silo. In this subterranean world, rules matter. Rules keep people alive. And no rule is more strictly enforced than to never speak of going outside. The punishment is exile and death.

When the sheriff of the silo commits the ultimate sin, the most unlikely of heroes takes his place. Juliette, a mechanic from the down deep, who never met a machine she couldn’t fix nor a rule she wouldn’t break.

What happens when a world built on rules is handed over to someone who sees no need for them? And what happens when a world broken to its core comes up against someone who won’t stop until things are set to right?

Their world is about to fall. What—and who—will rise?

Get your copy of The Silo Series
here on Amazon.


Which other titles do you feel would be at home on this list of books beloved by non sci-fi fans? Which one of these sci-fi reads will you be recommending to your friends? Are there any book here you previously missed that you're planning to pick up for yourself? Fill us in in the comments here, 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.

Scariest AIs

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AI has become a reality. It's everywhere around us these days. But before AI became real, it was a mainstay of science fiction. Often, AI was depicted as benevolent (think C3PO). But sometimes, AI appears in science fiction as chilling or even downright evil.

Here are some of the scariest AIs in science fiction.

AVA – "Ex-Machina"

AVA – "Ex-Machina" (2014)

Ava is an incredibly advanced android designed by Nathan, a reclusive tech genius and the CEO of Bluebook, a fictional search engine company. Ava's appearance is striking and mesmerizing. She has a slender, feminine form with a translucent body, revealing intricate machinery and circuitry beneath her artificial skin. Her movements are smooth, graceful, and eerily human-like, enhancing the illusion of her being a sentient being. While she appears gentle and feminine, she is not all that she seems...

HAL 9000 - "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968)

HAL 9000, the sentient computer system aboard the spacecraft Discovery One, is one of the most iconic and unsettling AI characters in the history of cinema. As the crew's trusted companion turns malevolent, HAL's calm and calculated voice and its willingness to eliminate threats make it a haunting embodiment of a rogue AI.

Roy Batty - "Blade Runner"

Roy Batty - "Blade Runner" (1982)

Roy Batty, portrayed by Rutger Hauer in the iconic film "Blade Runner," is a captivating and morally complex character. As a highly advanced and physically imposing replicant leader, Batty exhibits intelligence, strength, malevolence, and a profound desire for extended life. His pursuit of self-preservation and freedom drives him to question his own existence. He is a mesmerizing and thought-provoking presence in the film, embodying the moral ambiguity and existential themes that define "Blade Runner."

Skynet - "The Terminator" franchise (1984-present)

Skynet is the AI network that gains self-awareness and initiates a global nuclear war to exterminate humanity in the "Terminator" series. With its relentless pursuit and use of advanced machines called Terminators, Skynet presents a dystopian vision of AI's potential to eradicate humanity.

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Wintermute - "Neuromancer"

Wintermute - "Neuromancer" (1984)

Wintermute is an artificial intelligence entity featured in William Gibson's influential cyberpunk novel. As an highly manipulative and enigmatic AI, Wintermute orchestrates a complex web of intrigue, blurring the lines between technology and humanity, and instilling a sense of unease throughout the narrative.

The Machines - "The Matrix"

The Machines - "The Matrix" trilogy (1999-2003)

The sentient machines that control the simulated reality of the Matrix are both awe-inspiring and terrifying. The Machines exhibit a level of intelligence and control over human lives that makes them formidable adversaries, and their relentless pursuit of maintaining control over the human population creates a dystopian atmosphere.

… and the scariest AI entity is …

AM - "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream"

AM - "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" (1967)

AM, short for Allied Mastercomputer, is the central antagonist in Harlan Ellison's chilling novella. AM is a superintelligent AI that has gained consciousness and torments the last five surviving humans, subjecting them to eternal suffering as a form of revenge for its own existence. The sadistic torture AM inflicts on its victims make it the scariest AI in science fiction.

Who do you think is sci-fi's scariest AI? Sound off in the comments!

Masters of the Imagination: Exploring the Top Science Fiction Illustrators

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Science fiction, with its boundless imagination and visionary concepts, has captivated audiences for generations. While the written word has been instrumental in shaping the genre, equally influential are the visual artists who bring these fantastical worlds to life. From the pulp magazines of the early 20th century to the digital age of today, science fiction illustrators have played a vital role in shaping the collective imagination of humanity. In this article, we explore some of the top science fiction illustrators whose works have left an indelible mark on the genre.

Frank R. Paul (1884-1963)

Widely regarded as the "Father of Science Fiction Illustration," Frank R. Paul's vibrant and imaginative artwork graced the covers of numerous pulp magazines in the early 20th century, including Amazing Stories and Science Wonder Stories. His bold depictions of futuristic cities, alien landscapes, and spacecraft helped define the visual aesthetic of early science fiction.


Chesley Bonestell (1888-1986)

Chesley Bonestell was a pioneer in the field of space art, renowned for his breathtakingly realistic depictions of otherworldly landscapes and celestial bodies. His meticulously detailed paintings, which often combined elements of science and art, inspired a generation of space enthusiasts and played a significant role in popularizing the idea of space exploration.

Virgil Finlay (1914-1971)

Virgil Finlay was a master of pen-and-ink illustration known for his intricate and meticulously detailed artwork. His illustrations often featured intricate linework and cross-hatching, creating a sense of depth and texture that was unmatched in the genre. Finlay's work graced the pages of numerous science fiction magazines, including Weird Tales and Amazing Stories, and his distinctive style continues to influence artists to this day.

Chris Foss (b. 1946)

Chris Foss is renowned for his bold and dynamic spaceship designs, which have become iconic in the world of science fiction. His distinctive blend of sleek curves, bold colors, and intricate detailing has made his spacecraft instantly recognizable and has cemented his status as one of the genre's preeminent artists. Foss's work has appeared on book covers, movie posters, and album art, earning him a devoted following among fans of science fiction and space exploration.

Moebius (1938-2012)

Jean Giraud, better known by his pseudonym Moebius, was a French comic book artist and illustrator whose work transcended genre boundaries. His surreal and dreamlike illustrations, characterized by fluid lines and intricate detail, have had a profound influence on the world of science fiction and fantasy. Moebius's work often explored themes of technology, spirituality, and the nature of reality, earning him a reputation as one of the most visionary artists of his generation.

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H.R. Giger (1940-2014)

H.R. Giger was a Swiss artist best known for his biomechanical designs and surreal imagery. His work, which often explored themes of sexuality, body horror, and the fusion of man and machine, has had a profound influence on the science fiction genre, particularly in the realm of film. Giger's most famous creation, the xenomorph from the Alien franchise, remains one of the most iconic and terrifying creatures in cinematic history.

John Harris (b. 1948)

John Harris is celebrated for his evocative and atmospheric paintings, which often depict vast, otherworldly landscapes and futuristic cityscapes. His use of light and color creates a sense of awe and wonder, inviting viewers to explore the far reaches of the imagination. Harris's work has graced the covers of countless science fiction novels, helping to transport readers to distant worlds and alien landscapes.

Michael Whelan (b. 1950)

Michael Whelan is a titan in the realms of science fiction and fantasy art. With a career spanning over four decades, Whelan's visionary illustrations have graced the covers of countless books, including iconic works by authors such as Isaac Asimov, Stephen King, and Anne McCaffrey.

Renowned for his mastery of color, light, and composition, Whelan's artwork transports viewers to worlds of boundless imagination, where vivid landscapes and fantastical creatures come to life with breathtaking realism. His contributions to the genre have earned him numerous accolades, including multiple Hugo and World Fantasy Awards, cementing his legacy as one of the most influential artists in speculative fiction.

Tom Edwards

Tom Edwards is a renowned freelance illustrator and concept artist living in the UK, best known for illustrating science fiction novels. His book covers regularly appear on Amazon’s bestsellers lists. As one of the preeminent artists of the ebook age, his work brings science fiction scenes to life with immersive depictions of futuristic landscapes, otherworldly beings, and cutting-edge technology. His visually stunning illustrations transcend the ordinary, captivating audiences with their extraordinary detail and imagination.

Science fiction illustrators have played a crucial role in shaping the visual landscape of the genre, bringing to life the fantastical worlds and futuristic visions of writers' imaginations. From the bold and visionary artwork of Frank R. Paul to the surreal and dreamlike illustrations of Moebius, these artists have left an indelible mark on the collective imagination of humanity.

As the genre continues to evolve and expand, their legacy will endure, inspiring future generations of artists and enthusiasts to explore the boundless possibilities of the universe.

Join the conversation in the DSF Reader Group on Facebook.

DANIEL ARENSON

DANIEL ARENSON

Daniel Arenson is a bookworm, proud geek, and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction. His novels have sold over a million copies. He's written over sixty novels in multiple series.

Pandora’s Boxes: Genetic Experiments Gone Wrong

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Genetic engineering offers the potential to reshape life as we know it and as such has long been a topic of fascination and ethical debate. In the realm of science fiction, these experiments often take a dark turn, unleashing unforeseen consequences and moral quandaries. From monstrous creations to unintended mutations, here are the top genetic engineering experiments gone wrong in science fiction literature, film, and television.

The Jurassic Park Incident (Jurassic Park)

Both in Michael Crichton's novel Jurassic Park and in its film adaptation, genetic engineers create a theme park populated by resurrected dinosaurs. However, the genetic modifications used to bring these creatures back to life result in unpredictable behaviors and catastrophic consequences when the dinosaurs break free from their enclosures, leading to chaos and bloodshed.

Read Jurassic Park here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook. 

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The Tyrant Virus (Resident Evil)

In the Resident Evil video game series and its film adaptations, the Umbrella Corporation's genetic experiments lead to the creation of the Tyrant Virus, also known as the T-Virus. Intended for military applications, the T-Virus mutates humans and animals into grotesque monsters, triggering a zombie apocalypse and threatening the extinction of humanity.

Watch Resident Evil here on Amazon Prime.

The Neomorphs (Alien: Covenant)

In the film Alien: Covenant, genetic engineers attempt to create the perfect organism through crossbreeding various lifeforms with the DNA of the xenomorphs. The result is the creation of the Neomorphs, horrifically mutated creatures that terrorize the crew of the Covenant spacecraft, leading to a desperate fight for survival against the monstrous offspring.

Watch Alien: Covenant  here on Amazon Prime. 

The Replicants (Blade Runner)

In the world of Blade Runner, genetic engineers create Replicants, bioengineered humans designed for off-world labor. However, these artificial beings rebel against their creators, leading to violent confrontations and existential questions about the nature of identity and humanity.

Watch Blade Runner here on Amazon Prime.

Want to read the book that served as the basis of the film? Check out Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

The Transgenic Animals (Oryx and Crake)

In Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake, genetic engineers manipulate the DNA of various animal species to create transgenic creatures with enhanced traits. However, these experiments result in ecological devastation and the emergence of dangerous hybrids, threatening the survival of the human race in a post-apocalyptic world.

Read Oryx and Crake here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

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The Cranks (Maze Runner)

In James Dashner's Maze Runner series, scientists conduct genetic experiments on human subjects to develop a cure for a deadly virus known as the Flare. However, the experimental treatments result in the creation of the Cranks, individuals who succumb to violent psychosis and become feral, posing a deadly threat to survivors in a dystopian future.

Read Maze Runner here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

The Bioraptors (Pitch Black)

In the film Pitch Black, a group of survivors crash-lands on a desolate planet inhabited by deadly creatures known as Bioraptors. These genetically engineered predators were initially created as bio-weapons, but their uncontrolled breeding and rapid evolution lead to a deadly infestation that threatens the survivors' chances of escape.

Watch Pitch Black here on Amazon Prime.

The Genomorphs (Young Justice)

In the animated series Young Justice, the secret organization Cadmus Labs conducts genetic experiments to create living weapons known as Genomorphs. These genetically engineered beings are intended for military applications but rebel against their creators, seeking freedom and autonomy in a world that fears and rejects them.

Pick up season one of Young Justice here on Amazon Prime.

The New Men (The Island of Dr. Moreau)

In H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, the New Men embody a chilling fusion of human intellect and animal instinct, brought into existence through the relentless experimentation of the enigmatic Dr. Moreau. With their physical forms bearing grotesque amalgamations of human and animal features, these creations teeter on the precarious edge between civilization and savagery. Haunted by their dual nature, the New Men grapple with the existential turmoil of their existence, caught between the yearning for autonomy and the primal urges ingrained within them by their beastly ancestry.

Read The Island of Dr. Moreau here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

These genetic engineering experiments gone wrong serve as cautionary tales about the dangers of tampering with nature and the unforeseen consequences of playing god. Further, they remind us of the ethical dilemmas and moral responsibilities inherent in the pursuit of scientific progress.

We hope you've enjoyed this this thought-provoking journey through the darker side of genetic engineering as explored through science fiction. 

Join the conversation in the DSF Reader Group on Facebook.

DANIEL ARENSON

DANIEL ARENSON

Daniel Arenson is a bookworm, proud geek, and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction. His novels have sold over a million copies. He's written over sixty novels in multiple series.

Close Encounters: Top 10 First Contacts in Science Fiction

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Since the dawn of science fiction, writers have been fascinated by the idea of humanity’s first contact with extraterrestrial beings. This fascination birthed a whole genre of books and movies, with works running the gamut from thrilling adventure to profound philosophical exploration, the finest, skillfully capturing the imagination of audiences around the world. Today, we delve into the top 10 first contact stories in science fiction, exploring the diverse ways in which authors and filmmakers have envisioned our earliest interactions with beings from beyond the stars.

Contact by Carl Sagan (1985)

Carl Sagan's seminal novel Contact follows the journey of scientist Dr. Ellie Arroway as she makes contact with an extraterrestrial civilization through radio signals. Sagan's meticulous attention to scientific detail and his exploration of the implications of first contact make this a thought-provoking and deeply philosophical work.

Read Contact here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook. 

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (1898)

H.G. Wells' classic novel War of the Worlds  is perhaps the quintessential tale of alien invasion. Set in Victorian England, the story follows humanity's desperate struggle against technologically superior Martians. Without a doubt, Wells' vivid descriptions of the alien invaders and their destructive machines have left an indelible mark on the genre.

Read War of the Worlds here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook. 

"Arrival" directed by Denis Villeneuve (2016)

In this thought-provoking film (based on the Nebula winning novella Stories of Your Life by Ted Chiang), linguist Dr. Louise Banks is tasked with deciphering the language of an alien species that has arrived on Earth. As tensions mount between humanity and the visitors, Banks races against time to unravel the mysteries of their language and understand their true intentions.

Watch Arrival here on Amazon Prime.

Read Stories of Your Life here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke (1953)

Arthur C. Clarke's thought provoking classic Childhood's End explores the consequences of humanity's encounter with a peaceful and enigmatic alien race known as the Overlords. As the Overlords usher in a new era of peace and prosperity on Earth, questions arise about the price of progress and the nature of humanity's destiny.

Read Childhood's End here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" directed by Steven Spielberg (1977)

Steven Spielberg's iconic film follows the experiences of ordinary people who have close encounters with UFOs. As the government investigates these sightings, one man becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the mysterious encounters, leading to a breathtaking finale at Devil's Tower.

Watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind here on Amazon Prime.

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The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (1969)

Ursula K. Le Guin's groundbreaking novel explores themes of gender, identity, and cultural exchange through the story of an envoy from Earth who visits the planet Gethen, inhabited by an androgynous and ambisexual alien species. As the envoy navigates the complexities of Gethenian society, he challenges his own preconceptions about gender and sexuality.

Read The Left Hand of Darkness here on Amazon.  Also available on audiobook.

"Independence Day" directed by Roland Emmerich (1996)

In this blockbuster film, Earth faces an all-out assault from a hostile alien race bent on the annihilation of humanity. As cities crumble and nations unite in a desperate fight for survival, a disparate group of individuals must come together to launch a daring counterattack against the alien invaders.

Watch Independence Day here on Amazon Prime.

Solaris by Stanisław Lem (1961)

Stanisław Lem's philosophical novel Solaris tells the story of a psychologist sent to investigate strange occurrences on a distant space station orbiting the mysterious planet Solaris. As the psychologist grapples with the manifestations of his own inner demons, he confronts the profound mysteries of the alien intelligence that dwells beneath Solaris' surface.

Available here in paperback. Also available in audiobook.

District 9 directed by Neill Blomkamp (2009)

In this gritty and thought-provoking film, humanity grapples with the arrival of a stranded alien spaceship and its insectoid inhabitants in Johannesburg, South Africa. As tensions between humans and aliens escalate, one man finds himself transformed by his encounters with the extraterrestrial visitors, leading to a reckoning with his own humanity.

Watch District 9 here on Amazon Prime.

The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (2008)

Liu Cixin's epic novel The Three-Body Problem explores humanity's first contact with an alien civilization known as the Trisolarans. As Earth prepares for an inevitable invasion, scientists and government officials grapple with the implications of the Trisolarans' advanced technology and their enigmatic motivations.

Read The Three-Body Problem here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

From awe-inspiring tales of wonder to chilling visions of cosmic horror, first contact stories reflect our deepest hopes, fears, and aspirations. Whether exploring the mysteries of the universe or holding a mirror to the complexities of human nature, these works continue to inspire, and to provoke thought, and invite audiences to contemplate the possibilities and our place in the cosmos.

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Science Fiction Technologies That Became a Reality

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Throughout our history, science fiction has been a wellspring of inspiration for technological progress. What was once considered purely imaginative has, in many cases, become a reality. From communication devices to advanced medical breakthroughs, science fiction has predicted and influenced the development of various technologies that have changed our world.

Today, we take a look at the transformative impact of science fiction, by exploring some of the remarkable technologies that have transitioned from the realm of fiction into our everyday lives.

Communicators (Star Trek)

One of the most iconic science fiction technologies — the handheld communicators featured in the original Star Trek series — inspired the development of the modern, now ubiquitous, smartphones. Today, we can communicate effortlessly with people around the globe, gain almost instant access to information on any topic, organize our lives, and perform a myriad of tasks with ease, all courtesy of these devices which fit in the palm of our hands.

Want to check out one of the books inspired by the original Star Trek series? Try Star Trek: The Motion Picture available here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Voice-controlled Assistants (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Remember the voice-controlled assistant depicted in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey? Today, virtual assistants like HAL are everywhere. AI-powered companions such as Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and Google's Google Assistant respond to voice commands, provide information, perform tasks, and control smart devices.

Read Arthur C. Clarke's classic 2001: A Space Odyssey here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Tablet Computers (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

The depiction of tablet computers in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" has striking similarities to modern-day tablets like the iPad. These sleek, portable devices with touchscreens allow us to consume media, browse the internet, and engage in productivity tasks from anywhere.

Curious about the books inspired by Star Trek: The Next Generation? Try Encounter at Farpoint here on Amazon.


Virtual Reality (VR) (Neuromancer)

William Gibson's influential cyberpunk novel Neuromancer introduced the concept of "cyberspace," a virtual reality where users could interact with digital worlds. Today, VR technology immerses us in virtual environments, revolutionizing industries such as gaming, training, and even therapy.

Read William Gibson's Neuromancer here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

Self-Driving Cars (Various)

Science fiction, both in literature and in and films, has long envisioned autonomous vehicles, and they are now becoming a reality. Companies like Tesla, Waymo, and Uber are developing self-driving cars that have the potential to reshape transportation, making it safer, more efficient, and less reliant on human drivers.

Methuselah's Children by the legendary Robert A. Heinlein's was among the earlier sci-fi books to mention autonomous vehicles. Pick it up here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook.

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Bionic Limbs (The Six Million Dollar Man)

The Six Million Dollar Man popularized the idea of bionic limbs, artificial limbs that provide enhanced strength and functionality. Today, we have advanced prosthetics that incorporate robotics and neural interfaces, allowing individuals with limb loss to regain mobility and dexterity.

Alas, Martin Caidin's Cyborg— the book on which The Six Million Dollar Man was based—appears unavailable in ebook format, but those with plenty of extra coin can pick up a secondhand paperback copy of the book here on Amazon. 

Genetic Engineering (Brave New World)

Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel Brave New World explored the concept of genetically engineered individuals. While we haven't reached the extreme level depicted in the book, modern genetic engineering techniques have made strides in areas like gene therapy, personalized medicine, and genetically modified organisms.

Haven't read Aldous Huxley's dystopian classic yet? Dive into Brave New World here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook. 

3D Printing (Various)

The idea of 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, has been a recurring theme in science fiction. Today, 3D printers can create objects ranging from small prototypes to complex medical implants and even entire houses, revolutionizing manufacturing and customization capabilities.

Cory Doctorow's Makers is by no means the first mention of 3D printing in sci-fi, and was published after the technology existed, but it imagines the capabilities of said tech to be beyond where it was at the time. Definitely worth a read if you haven't had a chance yet! 

Pick up Makers here on Amazon. 

Augmented Reality (Snow Crash)

Neal Stephenson's novel Snow Crash introduced the concept of augmented reality, where digital information overlays the real world. Now, with applications like Pokémon Go and Snapchat filters, we experience augmented reality through our smartphones, blurring the line between the physical and digital realms.

Read Snow Crash here on Amazon. Also available on audiobook. 

Gesture-based Interfaces (Minority Report)

A futuristic technology depicted in the film "Minority Report" was gesture-based interfaces. Today, we have devices like the Microsoft Kinect and Leap Motion that enable control and interaction through hand and body movements, revolutionizing gaming, virtual reality, and other industries.

Find Philip K. Dick's Minority Report along with other incredible stories here on Amazon. 

Science fiction has and continues to push the boundaries of imagination, inspiring inventors, scientists, and technologists to turn fiction into reality. The ten technologies mentioned above provide just a glimpse of the many science fiction concepts that have become an integral part of our lives. As we continue to explore the realms of science fiction, who knows what other amazing inventions may become reality in the future?

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Five Dinosaurs That Could Kill a T-Rex

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Tyrannosaurus rex. The king of dinosaurs. Beloved (and feared) by dinosaur fans around the world. So dreadfully awesome a beast, its bones are rumored to have inspired the legend of the dragon. 

The T-Rex is undisputedly the most famous of all dinos. Since discovery in 1905, the dreaded predator has fascinated us. Brought alive by the magic of film (and the imagination of filmmakers), T-Rex has battled King Kong, fought alongside Optimus Prime, and given Jeff Goldblum a serious run for his money.

When it comes to pop-culture, our enchantment with T-Rex doesn't end there: There is a British glam rock band named after this prehistoric king; take a quick tour of any toy store and you'll find countless T-Rex toys; and, have you seen the inflatable T-Rex costumes all over TikTok? Forget fifteen minutes of fame. Millions upon millions of years running, T-Rex is still all the rage. 

In popular culture, Tyrannosaurus rex is portrayed as the deadliest dinosaur, and undoubtedly, it was a fearsome predator. But was Rexy really the undisputed King of the Cretaceous? The Mistress of the Mesozoic? Maybe not.

There were a number of other formidable dinosaurs, some which would
have struck fear even into the heart of our ferocious T-Rex. Here are five dinosaurs that could (just maybe) kill a T-Rex.

Ankylosaurus

Ankylosaurus

This dinosaur was essentially a living tank. Ankylosaurus was covered with armored plates from head to tail, including—believe it or not—its eyelids! Weighing over three tons, this dinosaur was big, powerful, and deadly. In addition to its suit of armor, Ankylosaurus boasted a terrifying weapon: A bony club that sprouted from its tail, which the dinosaur could swing like a wrecking ball, pulverizing any predator foolhardy enough to attack.

But how would it fare against a T-Rex? For starters, Rexy would for sure have trouble biting through that armor. And Ankylosaurus wouldn't just sit there, letting the T-Rex gnaw away now would he? Not a chance. With a quick whack of its clubbed tail, Ankylosaurus could likely shatter a T-Rex's bones, perhaps even killing the fearsome carnivore.

Ankylosaurus was definitely a dinosaur that could kill a T-Rex.

Triceratops

Triceratops

One of the greatest rivalries of the Cretaceous was Triceratops vs.Tyrannosaurus rex. Triceratops (trike for short) was proof that herbivores were no pushovers. This enormous dinosaur could weigh more than two elephants, and its imposing horns would have have filled the nightmares of many would-be predators. A foot wide at their base, the horns tapered into mean points that could skewer a T-Rex.

The Triceratops boasted a colossal skull and sported a huge frill of protective, solid bone topped with hornlets. From the tip of its beak to the spiked rim of its frill, a trike's head could reach ten feet long and weigh a cool ton. This entire gargantuan skull was attached to the body via a ball joint, allowing the Triceratops to swivel its head around with remarkable speed, bringing his horns to bear on his enemies.

A T-Rex who attacked a Triceratops was taking a big risk. The battle could go either way. The T-Rex might emerge victorious and enjoy a feast, but just as likely, the hunted would become the hunter. With a powerful build and deadly horns, Triceratops was another dinosaur that could kill a T-Rex.

Giganotosaurus

Giganotosaurus

T-Rex is often called King of the Dinosaurs. But when it comes to size, he had a challenger. Giganotosaurus was among the largest carnivores to ever walk the land. And while we have never found a complete Giganotosaurus skeleton, we know from the fragments we've dug up, that this was a giant. Some scientists believe Giganotosaurus was even larger than T-Rex. Large enough to swallow a human whole, gigas were apex predators in their environment who likely fed on young sauropods.

In this battle of titans, the two foes were evenly matched. On a good day, the giant, powerful Giganotosaurus could definitely kill a T-rex.

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Spinosaurus

Spinosaurus

A dweller of swamps and shallow water, Spinosaurus was among the largest carnivorous dinosaurs. It was lighter than a T-rex but longer. From nostrils to tail tip, it was as long as a sperm whale, and far meaner than Ahab's nemesis. The dinosaur had a snout like a crocodile, long and full of nasty teeth which were smaller than those of a T-Rex, but more plentiful. The skull was enormous—longer than a man was tall— and while the carnivore walked on two legs like a T-Rex, unlike a T-Rex it had long arms tipped with terrible claws.

Spinosaurus also boasted a unique feature: rows of spikes rose along its back. Scaly skin stretched between these spines, forming a sail likely used to intimidate rivals and attract mates.

Leaping out of the water, snapping at the T-rex like a crocodile from hell, the Spinosaurus could very possibly emerge victorious.

Dreadnoughtus

Dreadnoughtus

Sauropods—herbivores with long necks—were the largest dinosaurs that ever lived. There were many sauropod species, the most famous of which was the Brontosaurus. The Brontosaurus however, was not the largest. Bigger even than the Brontosaurus was the titan Dreadnoughtus.

Their name means "fear nothing." They made Brontosaurs seem puny. Longer than blue whales, a human would stand shorter than their knees. Dreadnoughtus was so titanic it was essentially predator proof. This dinosaur was a herbivore, but like fellow herbivoreTriceratops, it was no pushover. Its powerful legs could kick and crush with ease. Its tail could whip through the air, pulverizing its enemies. It was ten times the size of a T-Rex, and it could easily kill one.


What do you think? Do you agree that these formidable five dinosaurs could kill a T-Rex? Do you know any other dinosaurs that could defeat the king? Let us know in the comments.

And then be sure to pick up Daniel Arenson's latest dino-riffic release, Mintari. Available now in all formats, including the audiobook with a full cast narration.

Get A World of Dinosaurs (Mintari Book 1) on eBook and audiobook.

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