There will always be room in our hearts for both series and stand-alone books, but there is no denying that the latter is harder to find these days, and so, this poll was born. Via democratic process, we've made an effort to guide you toward some of the best stand-alone science fiction of recent years, and seriously: pick any book off this list and you will not be disappointed. Of various length, style, sub-genre and commitment to the realities of science, these are all excellent in their own way, and if you miss one, you are missing out!  

But as great as they all are, we wanted to know which one was the very best... Curious to see which one the community decided is an absolute must read? Read on! As always, these top ten lists are not meant to be all-inclusive or definitive, but give a great finger on the pulse of our communities interests and favorites. Want to see who missed out? Here's the original nomination list from the blog.

Without further ado, based on the combined nominations and votes here on the Discover Sci-Fi blog and the Facebook group, here are your top choices for the best stand-alone sci-fi books published since 2010! 

10. Recursion by Blake Crouch

It is no surprise to see Blake Crouch’s Recursion—winner of the 2019 Goodreads Readers Choice Award for science fiction—on this list! While many of you said you preferred Dark Matter over Recursion (and voted in that direction as well), there is no denying that Crouch—who has written several stand-alone books over the last 10 years (mostly thrillers)—has mastered the art of the the mind-bender, taking his readers on an intense and thrilling sci-fi journey which he cleverly wraps up in less than 400 pages. Delicious. 

At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself.

Read Recursion  here on Amazon

9. The Others by Jeremy Robinson

The Others was one of two books by Jeremy Robinson originally nominated for this top 10 list. It beat out the other selection by Robinson, Infinite, by just a few votes to land in our final poll and, inevitably, 9th place on our final list. The Others is a short, eerie, fast paced read that immediately grabs you. If you happened to miss this one, it's definitely one to add to your TBR! 

UFOs and alien abductions remain one of the most hotly debated and mysterious subjects of the twenty-first century. In the decades since 1960, with reports of strange encounters on the rise, thirteen million people have gone missing worldwide and never been found. The Others takes a fast-paced, unique, and moving look at the phenomenon that has fuelled Jeremy Robinson’s imagination since several sightings, strange happenings, and visits with renowned UFO investigator, and family friend, Raymond Fowler.

Read The Others here on Amazon.

8. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

“I don’t know who in their right mind would want to read Station Eleven during a pandemic.” —Emily St. John Mandel

Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven was an instant hit with both critics and fans when it was released 2014. Many read and loved it then, and in light of the current pandemic, many were drawn to reread it this year, finding… comfort? Not likely, but perhaps a relevancy that was impossible to feel only six years (and a lifetime) ago. 

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.

Get your copy of Station Eleven here on Amazon.

7. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

“From first line to beautiful denouement, Claire North's The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is a gripping read that is often quietly profound, emotionally affecting and intellectually dizzying.” —Eric Brown, The Guardian 

Did this one happen to escape your notice? As a multi-award winning novel, it’s not exactly a “hidden gem,” but we suspect Claire North’s The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, might not have been as widely read as some of our other selections. In The Guardian, Eric Brown further described North’s 2014 release as  “a subtle study of friendship, love and the fluid complexity of existence,” which sounds downright comforting, right about now, don't you think? If you haven’t read it yet, take this as your cue to pick it up! 

Harry August is on his deathbed. Again.

No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes.

Until now.

As Harry nears the end of his eleventh life, a little girl appears at his bedside. "I nearly missed you, Doctor August," she says. "I need to send a message."

This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow.

Read The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August here on Amazon.

6. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

“'Dark Matter?' It's a whole bag of barbecue chips, man. And it's just sitting there waiting for you to devour in one sitting.” —Jason Sheehan, NPR

Series are great! We love ‘em! But sometimes? Sometimes we want something short and zippy; something with great characters, and both a plot and pace that drives us to read the whole thing in one sitting, leaving us deeply satisfied when we do. A great, short, stand-alone can do that, and that quote up there, if nothing else, should tell you that this is exactly what Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter does. Reach for this 2016 stand-alone sci-fi thriller next time you have a free afternoon and a desire to be wildly entertained.

“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.”

Grab Dark Matter here on Amazon.

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5. Under Darkness by Jasper T Scott

Published in 2018, Under Darkness is one of a handful of excellent stand-alone books written by best-selling author Jasper T. Scott. Under Darkness resonates well with stand-alone readers the same way that the original Independence Day resonated with viewers. It’s a story about an alien invasion that focuses on the characters. There’s a pervasive mystery of why the invaders are here woven throughout, and a chilling sense of horror surrounds the aliens themselves. Multiple viewpoints are developed, both civilian and military, and the setting is the picturesque island of Kauai. The book perfectly captures both the physical setting and the cultural nuances of the locals, making it an authentic read. You really feel like you are there on a tropical island, being hunted by alien invaders. The why of their arrival is eventually answered, and all of the plot threads are resolved without leaving anything hanging at the end. It’s no wonder readers love this book!

Bill Steele is in the trenches, trying to survive in the competitive world of luxury vacation resorts on the island of Kauai. Today is a particularly bad day; the water main burst and his guests are demanding refunds and promising bad reviews. In the middle of this, a dark shadow falls over the island. It’s not a lunar eclipse, because Bill can clearly see the crescent moon shimmering on the water. This is something else.

Get your copy of Under Darkness  here on Amazon.

4. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

“SEVENEVES is a very old project; I first started thinking about it when I was working at Blue Origin, probably circa 2004… The basic elements of the world were fixed a long time ago, and for at least eight years I have been roving around pitching it to various people in various media: television, movies, games, and various "transmedia" combinations. In the autumn of 2013, however I decided to just sit down and write it as a novel: the one thing I know I can get done.” —Neal Stephenson

The word "epic" gets tossed around a lot these days, but when it comes to Neal Stephenson's Seveneves, it is far from misplaced. Seveneves is a truly epic stand-alone novel, both in scope and in length. No doubt, there is something to be said for a short, fast-paced book you can burn through in one sitting, but if you want to go deep, to get lost for a while without committing to a series, look no further than this book, which was almost a decade in the making. 

What would happen if the world were ending?

A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.

Dive into Seveneves  here on Amazon.

3. 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Stephen King has said that the concept for 11/22/63 was formed forty years before he actually wrote and published it in 2011. Wisely, perhaps, as he claims that back then, he lacked the willingness to do the research required to do the story justice, so instead let the idea marinate for a while. By the time he came back to it, not only was he ready to commit to the research needed to support the story, but he had over 50 books under his belt and had better honed his talents. 

At just shy of 1000 pages, the book is a commitment. Obviously less of a commitment than a series, but a commitment, none the less. A wonderful length, really, giving the reader a chance to settle in for the ride, and the writer an opportunity to really explore the plot and characters and unhurriedly infuse the story with a sense of richness. As discerning readers, this is what we’re looking for in a good stand-alone: something that can go the distance in a single work.

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Stephen King’s heart-stoppingly dramatic new novel is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination—a thousand page tour de force.

Get your copy of 11/22/63  here on Amazon.

2. Redshirts by John Scalzi

Many of you have read John Scalzi's debut novel, Old Man’s War, as well as the rest of the books that completed the series. It’s probably safe to say that to date, the series remains his best known work. While not as well known, Scalzi’s clever, fun, funny, multi-award-winning, and wildly entertaining stand-alone Redshirts is definitely worthy of attention!  It’s short, it’s fast-paced, it’s the perfect afternoon read. If you've missed it, be sure to grab it! You won't be disappointed.

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It's a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship's Xenobiology laboratory.

Life couldn't be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces, (2) the ship's captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations, and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues' understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is…and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.

Start reading Redshirts here on Amazon.

1. The Martian by Andy Weir

More than a few of you mentioned that among the nominees, The Martian was the only book you’d read! This will always be a bit of a hazard with these polls, that the books finding their way to a wider audience will inevitably stand a better chance at winning; but regardless of how the odds might have been stacked in its favor, there is no denying that Andy Weir’s The Martian—a multi-award-winner described by many casual reviewers as being the “perfect novel”—is an incredible book. Not every book gets the audience it deserves, but in the case of The Martian, it’s safe to say it has. On the off chance that you missed this modern classic, make sure you make the time to give it a read.

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.

Grab The Martian  here on Amazon.

What do you think of our top 10? How many of these brilliant books have you read? Which one will you read next? We'd love to hear from you! Weigh in on the comments here on the blog, or visit us  here in our Facebook group to chime in on the debate, and make sure to check out our most recent poll while you're there!

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

“All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed.
For after all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog.”
― Charles M. Schulz

Whether they are dogs, dragons or otherwise, the animal companions of science fiction display admirable dedication to and enviable bonds with their people. You nominated dozens such furry and not so furry friends; you've voted for your favorites and now, based on your votes here and in our facebook group, we've arrived at our top 10! 

As always, these top ten lists are not meant to be all-inclusive or definitive, but give a great finger on the pulse of our communities interests and favorites. Want to see who missed out? Here's the original nomination list from the blog.

Without further ado, based on the combined nominations and votes here on the Discover Sci-Fi blog and the in Facebook group, here are your top choices for the best furry friends of science fiction.

10. Sergeant Stumpy, the heroic dog from Earthrise by Daniel Arenson

Sergeant Stumpy is a heroic dog who helps the heroes of Earthrise fight the scum, the evil aliens from deep space.

A Boston terrier, Stumpy is discovered in the mines of a distant world, the lone survivor of an alien assault. When marines arrive to clear the mines of aliens, they find Stumpy hiding in the dark. He joins the team and helps them throughout the battle. The soldiers name him stumpy because his tail was bitten off, leaving only a stump.

Fans of the series will be interested to know that Sergeant Stumpy was inspired by Sergeant Stubby, a heroic war dog from WW1, who fought in seventeen battles with the American army. Very cool. 

Marco Emery was born into the war. After his mother is killed, he joins the Human Defense Force, Earth's ragtag army. Emery must survive basic training, become a soldier, and finally face the aliens in battle.

Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win.

Start Earth Alone, the first book in the epic Earthrise Series, here on Amazon

9. Speaker-to-Animals from Larry Niven's Known Space Universe

"You are going to be in such deep s#!t when the Kzin find out you have listed them as 'pets.'"

While we didn't exactly say "pets," we see what this Discover Sci-Fi reader is saying!

The Kzinti (singular Kzin) are a fictional, very warlike and bloodthirsty race of cat-like aliens in Larry Niven's Known Space series. Introduced in 1966 in Niven's story The Warriors (originally in Worlds of If ), a Kzin character, Speaker-to-Animals (later known as Chmeee), subsequently played a major role in Niven's Hugo and Nebula award-winning Ringworld  and Ringworld Engineers, giving considerably more background of the Kzinti and their interactions with human civilizations.

Ringworld is no stranger to these polls, having landed on many of our previous top 10 lists, so we know many of you have already picked up this award winning classic. If you haven't though, you should definitely add it to your TBR! 

Louis Wu, accompanied by a young woman with genes for luck, and a captured kzin—a warlike species resembling 8-foot-tall cats—are taken on a space ship run by a brilliant 2-headed alien called Nessus. Their destination is the Ringworld, an artificially constructed ring with high walls that hold 3 million times the area of Earth. Its origins are shrouded in mystery.

The adventures of Louis and his companions on the Ringworld are unforgettable . . .

Read the Hugo and Nebula winning classic, Ringworld,  here on Amazon.

8. Miles, the Siberian Husky sidekick in Hell Divers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

In eighth place, we have the absolute loyalist of friends: Miles, from Nicholas Sansbury Smith's bestselling and utterly binge-worthy Hell Divers series.

Hell Diver Xavier "X" Rodriguez is stranded on the poisoned surface when he stumbles upon an old ITC facility. Inside the bunker he discovers cryo chambers with thousands of animals. Alone, and scared, X decides to unfreeze a Siberian Husky that he names Miles. From that day on Miles treks across the surface with X by his side and helps on the quest to find the airship X once called home. With countless threats facing them, Miles uses his keen sense of smell and instinct to help guide X across the country to a new home, proving there is nothing better than the friendship between man and a loyal dog.

Have you had a chance to "dive" into the series yet? Hell Divers has got to be one of the most original and exciting post apocalyptic series going these days. If you haven't read it, you absolutely need to check it out!

More than two centuries after World War III poisoned the planet, the final bastion of humanity lives on massive airships circling the globe in search of a habitable area to call home. Aging and outdated, most of the ships plummeted back to Earth long ago. The only thing keeping the two surviving lifeboats in the sky are Hell Divers - men and women who risk their lives by skydiving to the surface to scavenge for parts the ships desperately need.

When one of the remaining airships is damaged in an electrical storm, a Hell Diver team is deployed to a hostile zone called Hades. But there's something down there far worse than the mutated creatures discovered on dives in the past - something that threatens the fragile future of humanity.

Get your copy of Hell Divers, the first book in the Hell Divers series,  here on Amazon.

7. Blood, from A Boy and His Dog by Harlan Ellison

Our seventh place entry has such a wholesome sounding title! Ahhh... A Boy and His Dog. Based on the title, you would be forgiven for thinking A Boy and His Dog is a heartwarming adventure tale, something akin to Farley Mowat's The Dog Who Wouldn't Be, but it is not. While not wholesome in the least, it might warm your heart, and regardless, is a GREAT book. If you haven't already read this thought provoking and unforgettable Nebula award winner it's about time you get it!

A Boy and His Dog, by author Harlan Ellison, tells the story of an amoral 15 year old boy, Vic, and his telepathic dog, Blood, who work together as a team to survive in the post-apocalyptic world after a nuclear war.

Vic was born in and scavenges throughout the wasteland of the former southwestern United States. Vic is most concerned with food and fornication; having lost both of his parents, he has no formal education and does not understand ethics or morality. He is accompanied by a well-read, misanthropic, telepathic dog named Blood, who helps him locate women, in return for food. Blood cannot forage for himself, due to the same genetic engineering that granted him telepathy. The two steal for a living, evading roverpaks and mutants.

A piece of shocking, dystopic science fiction, A Boy and His Dog questions the boundaries and nature of love while crafting a vision of a dark future guaranteed to leave chills.

Get A Boy and His Dog here on Amazon.

6. Einstein, the golden retriever from Watchers by Dean R. Koontz

If you have read Dean R. Koontz's novels, you will know he often features dogs as significant characters. Given the popularity of his work, it was no surprise to see at least one of the furry friends he's written over the years make its way into our top 10. Our sixth place entry is Einstein, the genetically altered golden retriever from (and featured prominently on the cover of) Koontz's Watchers. Crafted in 1987, Watchers one of the books credited with establishing Koontz as a bestselling author. Have you read this one?

From a top secret government laboratory come two genetically altered life forms. One is a magnificent dog of astonishing intelligence. The other, a hybrid monster of a brutally violent nature. And both are on the loose…Bestselling author Dean Koontz presents his most terrifying, dramatic and moving novel: The explosive story of a man and a woman, caught in a relentless storm of mankind’s darkest creation.

Grab Watchers here on Amazon.

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5. Pip, the flying, empathic snake from Humanx Commonwealth by Alan Dean Foster

We have arrived at the top five! In fifth place is Pip, the flying empathic snake from Alan Dean Foster's wildly expansive Humanx Commonwealth. For the Love of Mother-Not is not the first book published in the series, but it is the first chronologically and so an excellent place to start for those new to the universe. 

They called him Flinx...

He was just a freckle-faced, redheaded kid with green eyes and a strangely compelling stare when Mother Mastiff first saw him on the auctioneer's block. One hundred credits and he was hers.

For years the old woman was his only family. She loved him, fed him, taught him everything she knew - even let him keep the deadly flying snake he called Pip.

Then Mother Mastiff mysteriously disappeared and Flinx took Pip to tail her kidnappers. Across the forests and swamps of the winged world called Moth, their only weapons were Pip's venom...and Flinx's unusual Talents.

Get your copy of For the Love of Mother-Not here on Amazon.

4. Little fuzzy, from Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper

In forth place, we have Little Fuzzy from... Little Fuzzy! Little Fuzzy is named—as noted—for one of the book's main characters, Little Fuzzy, a tiny, golden-furred humanoid discovered by Jack Holloway, the human protagonist of the story. The book is a true sci-fi classic, written in 1962 by H. Beam Piper, and nominated for the 1963 Hugo Award for Best Novel. The story revolves around determining whether a small furry species discovered on the planet Zarathustra is sapient, and features a mild libertarianism that emphasizes sincerity and honesty.  

The chartered Zarathustra Company had it all their way. Their charter was for a Class III uninhabited planet, which Zarathustra was, and it meant they owned the planet lock stock and barrel. They exploited it, developed it and reaped the huge profits from it without interference from the Colonial Government. Then Jack Holloway, a sunstone prospector, appeared on the scene with his family of Fuzzies and the passionate conviction that they were not cute animals but little people.

Get your copy of Little Fuzzy  here on Amazon.

3. Pixel, the cat from The Cat Who Walks Through Walls by Robert A. Heinlein

In a solid third place showing, we have Pixel, the cat with "cattitude for days," (as pointed out by one DSF facebook group member) from Robert A. Heinlein's The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. As you might have guessed, the title of the book refers directly to Pixel, who has an inexplicable tendency to be wherever the narrator happens to be. In one scene Pixel does, in fact, walk through a wall, and it is explained that Pixel is too young to know that such behavior is impossible. The book features a few recurring characters, favorites from other Heinlein books, such as Lazarus Long and Jubal Harshaw, among others.

Dr. Richard Ames is an ex-military man, a sometime writer, and unfortunate victim of mistaken identity. When a stranger attempting to deliver a cryptic message is shot dead at his dinner table, Ames is thrown headfirst into danger, intrigue, and other dimensions where Lazarus Long still thrives, where Jubal Harshaw lives surrounded by beautiful women, and where a daring plot to rescue the sentient computer called Mike could change the direction of all human history.

Get your copy of The Cat Who Walks Through Walls  here on Amazon.

2. Pern Dragons, from the Dragonriders of Pern series, by Anne McCaffrey

Anne McCaffery's Dragonriders of Pern is frequently nominated and consistently places near the top of our top 10 lists, and it was no surprise to see the dragons of the series take second place in this poll because the series is amazing and—come on—who doesn't love dragons!

The Dragons of Pern are a fictional race created by Anne McCaffrey as an integral part of the science fiction world depicted in her Dragonriders of Pern novels. Pernese dragons are similar to traditional European dragons in the fact that they can breathe fire and resemble great lizards or dinosaurs with wings, but the resemblance ends there. Unlike most dragons in previous Western literature, Pernese dragons are entirely friendly to humanity.

This unforgettable and award winning series is beloved by readers and critics alike. If somehow you’ve missed it, consider this your invitation to dive in!

The first book, Dragonflight, introduces Lessa, a young woman recruited to establish a telepathic bond with a queen dragon at its hatching, thus becoming a dragonrider, and the leader of a Weyr community on the fictional planet Pern.

On a beautiful world called Pern, an ancient way of life is about to come under attack from a myth that is all too real. Lessa is an outcast survivor—her parents murdered, her birthright stolen—a strong young woman who has never stopped dreaming of revenge. But when an ancient threat to Pern reemerges, Lessa will rise—upon the back of a great dragon with whom she shares a telepathic bond more intimate than any human connection. Together, dragon and rider will fly . . . and Pern will be changed forever.

Start the series with Dragonflight, here on Amazon.

1. Nimitz, Treecat in Honor Harrington Series by David Weber

Treecats, from David Weber’s Honorverse, are empaths who are able form intense bonds with humans, which are usually only broken in death. Fan favorite, Nimitz, who landed first in our poll, is one such Treecat. Nimitz bonded to Weber’s heroine, Honor Harrington when she was 12 T-years old.

For the uninitiated, The Honorverse is a NYT best-selling military science fiction series centered on the space navy career of the principal protagonist Honor Harrington. You can see Nimitz perched on Harrington's shoulder on the cover of On Basilisk Station, the first book in the series, which follows Commander Honor Harrington and Her Majesty’s light cruiser Fearless during their assignment to the Basilisk system. 

When their duty leads them to discover events that would lead to an invasion of Medusa, they have no choice but to act.

Read On Basilisk Station  here on Amazon.

Anyone itching to bring home a new animal companion after reading that?

Maybe not a Kzin, but a Siberian Husky or a good 'ole rescue mutt might be nice. Alas, not all of us can bring home animals, no matter how loyal or empathic, and no matter how much we long to do so. For us, reading and dreaming about one of these will have to do, and we are forever grateful to the authors who bring these characters to life, allowing us to do just that.

Did your favorite make our list? Did it get the place it deserved? We love hearing your thoughts on who did and didn't make the list, so if you are compelled, feel free to join us here in our Facebook group to chime in and be sure to check out our most recent poll while you're there. Don't have Facebook? Feel free to add to the comments below.

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

“A book cover is a distillation, a haiku, if you will, of the story." —Chip Kidd

Book covers are important. One that does its job effectively "gives the first impression of what you are about to get into" (Chip Kidd, 2012 Ted Talk). Further, it makes you actually want to get into it; to go beyond the cover. These ten compelling covers do just that. Which one did our community chose as being the best? Read on to find out!

As always, these top ten lists are not meant to be all-inclusive or definitive, but give a great finger on the pulse of our communities interests and favorites. Want to see who missed out? Here's the original nomination list from the blog.

Without further ado, based on the combined nominations and votes here on the Discover Sci-Fi blog and the Facebook group, here are your top choices for the sci-fi books with the best cover art of all time!

10. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt edition

“I voted The Handmaid's Tale. The artwork tells an entire story by itself.” - DSF Reader, Discover Sci-Fi Facebook group

When we think of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid’s Tale, the first the first cover that springs to mind is Fred Marcellino’s iconic 1986 illustration for Houghton Mifflin. It was said of Marcellino that he could "in one image, translate the whole feeling and style of a book.” As noted by the Discover Sci-Fi reader quoted above, that is exactly what he has done with his cover of Atwood’s classic.

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now . . .

Read The Handmaid's Tale here on Amazon

9. Shockwave by Lindsay Buroker

When Lindsay Buroker needed a cover for her book Shockwave, she turned to artist Jeff Brown. His goal? Turn out a "cool cover of a not-too-slick spaceship" as Buroker's heros are flying around in a hundred-year-old freighter with more than a few dents and dings! A challenge perhaps, but clearly he was up to the task!

We asked Buroker if she could tell us a bit about Brown's process and what their collaboration looks like and she had this to share:

"Since the same spaceship is a part of each book in the series, Jeff makes a model that he can position in different ways for the different art on each cover. If you check out the entire series, it’s doing everything from investigating an ice moon to flying low past an enemy base on a planet to participating in a big battle at a space station. 

I usually give a few details from an actual scene from the book, but I also give Jeff a lot of leeway. I’ve found that it’s better to say things like 'ice moon' and 'whatever you think looks cool' than worry too much about nitty gritty accuracy or some vision in my head. These guys are all way better at design than I am." 

Twice nominated for the Goodreads Readers’ Choice awards, Lindsay Buroker has made a career of delighting fantasy and science fiction fans with fun, fast-paced adventures filled with characters you wish could come to your weekend barbecues. If you haven't yet checked out her books, Shockwave is a rollickingly good time, and a great place to start! 

Forced to flee the work he loves and the only home he’s ever known, Casmir catches the first ship into space, where he hopes to buy time to figure out who wants him dead and why. If he can’t, he’ll never be able to return home.

But he soon finds himself entangled with bounty hunters, mercenaries, and pirates, including the most feared criminal in the Star Kingdom: Captain Tenebris Rache.

Rache could snap his spine with one cybernetically enhanced finger, but he may be the only person with the answer Casmir desperately needs:

What in his genes is worth killing for?

Read Shockwave, Book One in the Star Kingdom Series here on Amazon.

8. Nightfall One by Isaac Asimov, 1974 Panther Edition

This intriguing cover for the 1974 edition of Isaac Asimov's collection of short stories was designed by Ken Sequin, a designer who created covers for many sci-fi heavyweights through the years. 

Nightfall One is the first half of a collection of Isaac Asimov's science fiction, short stories. Each story has been selected by the author himself, and each has an introduction specifically written for this collection by Dr. Asimov.

Regular blog readers will know that Asimov's books are no stranger to these polls; but more often than not, it's his Foundation books that are being featured, so it was nice to see this one make the cut, even if it is for the cover and not the (equally worthy) content. If you're a fan of his work but have missed this volume, we'd bet you'll find it worth picking up!  

Get your copy of Nightfall One here on Amazon.

7. Descent Into Darkness by Jay Allan, 2020 release

"My most recent series, Blood on the Stars, has covers by Tom Edwards, and the most recent one, Descent into Darkness, is one of the best ones he has done. I really like the cover, as I do the other ones he has done for the series." —Jay Allan

Jay Allan has been working with the wildly talented Tom Edwards for a few years now, and his covers are so beloved among fans, that in his facebook reader group, readers have been known to request that the covers be turned into posters so that they can be proudly displayed in their homes. We can't say we blame them! 

Descent Into Darkness is the penultimate book of the Blood on the Stars series, leading up to the smashing conclusion, Empire Reborn. This is definitely a series you want to read in order, so if you are new to the series, you're going to want to start with book 1, Duel in the Dark.  If you start now, you might catch up before the final book comes out! But if you're all caught up and ready to read on... 

Continue the adventure with Descent Into Darkness here on Amazon.

6. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, 50th Anniversary edition illustrated by Ralph Steadman

Landing just outside the top 5, we are a little surprised this special cover didn’t get a little more love, but with Frazetta and Whelan in the game, the competition was pretty stiff.

In 2005, British Cartoonist Ralph Steadman illustrated a 50th anniversary edition of Ray Bradbury's dystopian classic Fahrenheit 451. Only 451 copies were printed and each of them was signed by both Steadman and Bradbury. A gorgeous and very special edition, indeed! If you happened to miss picking one up, you can occasionally find a copy secondhand for around $450 USD!

For the rest of us, while we can appreciate the beauty of the edition, the kindle version or even the classic paperback will do just fine. Whatever your format preference, this is not a book you will want to miss.

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.

Grab the dystopian classic Fahrenheit 451 here on Amazon.

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5. Alien: The Official Movie Novelization by Alan Dean Foster

Why mess with a good thing?

When a cover was needed for Alan Dean Foster's Novelization of Alien, publishers turned to Phillip Gips, who had created the poster for the movie that inspired the work. It was striking, memorable and fans already loved it. 

Alan Dean Foster has done many movie tie-ins, and like his others, this one, based on the screenplay by Dan O’Bannon, did not disappoint. Whether or not you’ve seen the movie, this book is worth a read.

The crew of the spaceship Nostromo wake from cryogenic sleep to distress signals from an unknown planet. One is attacked when they investigate a derelict alien craft. Safely on their way back to Sol, none foresee the real horror about to begin.

Get your copy of Alien  here on Amazon.

4. Marines by Jay Allan, 2020 re-release

Though better known for his Blood on the Stars series, it was almost eight years ago, Jay Allan published his first book, Marines. The original publication didn't have the cover you see here. Seven years and several books later, Allan decided that while he liked the original cover, his first book—and those that followed in the series—deserved some TLC and commissioned Tom Edwards, the designer he'd been collaborating with for his Blood on the Stars series, to rework all nine covers of the original series. I think we can all agree, the result is outstanding. Are you a fan of Allan's BotS series? Have you read Crimson Worlds? If not, we highly recommend you check it out!

Erik Cain joined the marines to get off death row. The deal was simple; enlist to fight in space and he would be pardoned for all his crimes.

In the 23rd Century, assault troops go to war wearing AI-assisted, nuclear-powered armor, but it is still men and blood that win battles. From one brutal campaign to the next, Erik and his comrades fight an increasingly desperate war over the resource rich colony worlds that have become vital to the economies of Earth's exhausted and despotic Superpowers.

As Erik rises through the ranks he finally finds a home, first with the marines who fight at his side and later among the colonists - men and women who have dared to leave everything behind to build a new society on the frontier, one where the freedoms and rights lost long ago on Earth are preserved.

Amidst the blood and death and sacrifice, Erik begins to wonder. Is he fighting the right war? Who is the real enemy?

Start the Crimson Worlds series with Marines  here on Amazon.

3. Dune by Frank Herbert, 2018 edition

Some readers mentioned in the comments of the poll in our Facebook group that they favored the original cover of Frank Herbert's classic Dune. Understandable, but we can’t deny the appeal of the nominated version, designed by Jim Tierney. Tierney has done updated covers for the series from Dune  through Chapterhouse and if you like this one, you may want to check the rest out. They are all equally stunning!

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. If you haven’t read it yet, now is the time! It is about to be brought to the big screen—yet again—and you’ll definitely want to read it before checking out Hollywood’s newest attempt to do justice to Herbert’s vision. (Fingers crossed!) 

Get your copy of Dune  here on Amazon.

2. Ace Books edition of Edgar Rice Burroughs' with Frank Frazetta covers

Frank Frazetta is one of the most renowned illustrators of the 20th century. His style is distinctive—truly iconic. His legacy is not just in the illustrations he penned, but in the influence he has had over the illustrators who have come after him. A fascinating character, he was also the subject of a 2003 documentary called "Painting with Fire.” 

With such an incredible body of work, it is hard to pick just one of his covers to represent. Here we’ve chosen to highlight the cover for A Princess of Mars, the first in Burroughs' Barsoom Series. We chose this as the series leans more sci-fi than some of this other notable series, and is credited with inspiring of sci-fi giants such as Jack Vance, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert A. Heinlein, and John Norman.

Have you read it? A Princess of Mars tells the story of John Carter, a Civil War veteran who inexplicably finds himself held prisoner on the planet Mars by the Green Men of Thark. With Dejah Thoris, the princess of another clan on Mars, John Carter must fight for their freedom and save the entire planet from destruction as the life-sustaining Atmosphere Factory slowly grinds to a halt. 

Start reading A Princess of Mars here on Amazon.

1. The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey, cover art by Michael Whelan

With almost twice as many votes as the next runner up, The White Dragon took the number one spot by a landslide! Though Science Fiction Hall of Famer Michael Whelan, the illustrator behind this cover of Anne McCaffrey's The White Dragon has illustrated covers for some of the most famous sci-fi and fiction writers The White Dragon has the distinction of being the first book featuring one of Whelan’s covers to make the NYT Best Sellers list.

Written seven years after the second book, The White Dragon completes the original Dragonriders trilogy in the Dragonriders of Pern series. If you are new to the series, you should definitely start with the first book, Dragonflight, but for those of you who have read the series and are up for a re-read, The White Dragon is as good a place as any to dive back in!

Jaxom, a rebellious young aristocrat, and Ruth, his white dragon, fly into another time to retrieve the queen's stolen egg, thereby averting a dragonrider war, and find their planet threatened once again by a Threadfall.

Continue the adventure with The White Dragon  here on Amazon.

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

"They either come here to find some resource they don't have on their own planet, or they want to use us for some unauthorized breeding experiment." —Seth Shostak 

Here, the esteemed astronomer Seth Shostak was speaking about how alien invasions are portrayed in movies (and by extension, in books), and he was quick to suggest that in reality, a scenario where they would come to devastate our planet and kill or enslave us is far less likely. Still, peaceful encounters seldom make for good stories, do they? Give us something to fear, we're hooked. Give us a threat from beyond our solar system (and our wildest imaginations?), even better. Last week we asked you to vote on the top 10 most terrifying alien invaders in science fiction, and the results are in! Read on to find out what species came out on top.

As always, these top ten lists are not meant to be all-inclusive or definitive, but give a finger on the pulse of our communities interests and favorites. Want to see who missed out? Here's the original nomination list from the blog.

Without further ado, based on the combined nominations and votes here on the Discover Sci-Fi blog and the Facebook group, here are your top choices for the most terrifying alien invaders of science fiction.

9. The Fithp from Footfall by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven

Yes folks, this week our top ten is beginning with ninth as we have a tie! First up, ninth place, we have the alien Fithp from Footfall by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven.

The Fithp resemble baby elephants with multiple prehensile trunks. Sounds kinda cute, right? And as one Discover Sci-Fi Facebook member pointed out, “The Fithp couldn't even take over a single planet while owning the high orbitals. So probably not that worthy of terror.” It might cause one to wonder how they made our list at all. Is it that we are inherently fearful of species with a greater command of technology than we have (ie: anything that could find us before we could find them)? Or, maybe that they rebuked the human’s attempt at peaceful contact, something we mightn’t have expected from a species resembling the peaceful elephant? Perhaps it speaks more to the fact of how deeply the book has worked its way into our hearts than of any legitimate fear the Fithp might stir up. Food for thought!

Regardless of the whether the Fithp are truly terror inducing or not, Footfall, the book in which they appear—and one which is considered by many readers to be the best alien invasion novel to date—is certainly a classic worth reading.

Experience the science fiction classic, Footfall  here on Amazon.

9. The Buggers from Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game

Next, in our tie for ninth place, we have The Formics, commonly known as Buggers. The Buggers are a fictional ant-like alien species from the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card. The Formic species consists of hive-minded colonies directed by queens. In Ender's Game, Graff described them as being an insect that "could have evolved on earth, if things had gone a different way a billion years ago," and that their evolutionary ancestors could have looked similar to Earth's ants. 

Anyone who knows anything about ants knows that while they may be essential to our ecosystem, they can do one hell of a lot of damage even in their present day, earthly forms.  Just imagine, for a moment, the kind of damage a much larger, advanced species of them equipped with spaceships and firepower might be able to do! Terrifying, for sure!

The Formics attacked Earth 50 years before the novel begins, attempted to colonise the planet and were barely fought off by a New Zealand soldier known as Mazer Rackham. The first book in the series, Ender's Game, largely stems from the human quest to defend themselves from this species.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? 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 the world survives, that is.

Read Ender's Game, the first book in the Ender Quintet here on Amazon.

8. The Scum from Daniel Arenson's Earthrise

In eight place on our list are The Scum, the genuinely terrifying alien antagonists from Daniel Arenson's bestselling Earthrise Series. If you've yet to become acquainted, get ready!  

The giant centipedes came from deep space. They came to destroy us. The scientists call them the Scolopendra Titania. Talk about a mouthful! Everyone else just calls them the scum.

They're nasty bugs. As long as alligators. Lined with claws. Fiercely smart too. And did we mention bloodthirsty?

Thankfully, our boys and girls in the Human Defense Force protect us. The scum thought they could kill us all. We'll give 'em hell!

Fifty years ago, bloodthirsty aliens devastated the Earth. Most of humanity perished. We fell into darkness.

But now we rise from the ashes. Now we fight back.

Marco Emery was born into the war. After his mother is killed, he joins the Human Defense Force, Earth's ragtag army. Emery must survive basic training, become a soldier, and finally face the aliens in battle.

Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win.

Join Marco Emery in the battle for earth in Earthrise Book 1, Earth Alone here on Amazon.

7. The Daleks from Doctor Who

"Exterminate! Exterminate!"

In seventh place on our list is The Daleks. The Daleks, are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, and later immortalized in books.

They don't look nearly as menacing as some of the alien species on our list, but it is hard not to be terrified of something so completely emotionless.  Not to mention, they came around at a time when we, as a society were generally pretty scared of robots, our collective early imaginings of which the Daleks could be said to closely resemble.

If you aren't familiar with the series, or if you are, but haven't read the books, you might not know where to start reading about these heartless and terrible creatures, hellbent on destroying us. We'd suggest Doctor Who: War of the Daleks by John Peel as the place to dive in! 

The Doctor is repairing the TARDIS systems once again when it is swept up by a garbage ship roving through space, the Quetzel.

When another ship approaches and takes the Quetzel by force, the Doctor discovers that he and Sam are not the only unwitting travellers on board - there is a strangely familiar survival pod in the hold. Delani, the captain of the second ship, orders the pod to be opened. The Doctor is powerless to intervene as Davros is awakened once again.

But this is no out-and-out rescue of Davros. Delani and his crew are Thals, the sworn enemies of the Daleks. They intend to use Davros as a means to wipe out the Daleks, finally ridding the universe of the most aggressive, deadly race ever to exist. But the Doctor is still worried. For there is a signal beacon inside the pod, and even now a Dalek ship is closing in...

Start the adventure with Doctor Who: War of the Daleks here on Amazon.

6. The Overlords from Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End

They come in peace... don't they?

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke follows the peaceful alien invasion of Earth by the mysterious Overlords, whose arrival begins decades of apparent utopia under indirect alien rule, at the cost of human identity and culture. 

Clarke's idea for the book began with his short story "Guardian Angel" which he expanded into a novel in 1952. Childhood's End sold out its first printing, received good reviews and became Clarke's first successful novel. The book is often regarded by both readers and critics as Clarke's best novel and is described as "a classic of alien literature."

In the near future, enormous silver spaceships appear without warning over mankind’s largest cities. They belong to the Overlords, an alien race far superior to humanity in technological development. Their purpose is to dominate Earth. Their demands, however, are surprisingly benevolent: end war, poverty, and cruelty. Their presence, rather than signalling the end of humanity, ushers in a golden age . . . or so it seems.

Without conflict, human culture and progress stagnate. As the years pass, it becomes clear that the Overlords have a hidden agenda for the evolution of the human race that may not be as benevolent as it seems.

Grab your copy of the classic Childhood's End, here on Amazon.

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5. The Posleen from John Ringo’s The Legacy of the Aldenata

We have reached the top 5!  In fifth place is the Posleen from The Legacy of the Aldenata, also known as the Posleen War Series, the fictional universe of one of John Ringo's military science fiction series.  

The Posleen are a race of genetically-engineered reptilian centaurs with crocodile-like heads. They were supposedly designed by the long lost race—the Aldenata—to be the ultimate warriors. The Posleen invasion is shaped by their (over)engineered physiology - Posleen are omnivores and capable of sustaining themselves by eating a wide variety of organisms (including humans). They must eat almost constantly or starve. Inevitably, they exhaust the resources of every environment they inhabit, resulting in a phenomenon they call orna'adar - planetwide conflicts that always end in nuclear holocaust, with the survivors fleeing in starships to repeat the process on new worlds, leaving lifeless radioactive desert planets in their wake.

The first book in the series is the epic, A Hymn Before Battle. With Earth in the path of the rapacious Posleen, the Galactic Federation offers help to the backward humans -- for a price. You can protect yourself from your enemies, but God save you from your allies!

Find the first book in the series, A Hymn Before Battle here on Amazon.

4. The Thing from Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Jr.

In a respectable fourth spot on our list of terrifying aliens is The Thing from “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell.  “The Thing” from Campbell’s novella made such an impression on filmmakers that it was brought to the screen in the 1951 film “The Thing From Another World” and then again in 1982 with John Carpenter’s cult classic “The Thing”, which is likely where most of us became acquainted with this particular alien.  This year we will be treated to yet another movie remake. Something to look forward to!

"Who Goes There?" is the John W. Campbell classic about an antarctic research camp that discovers and thaws the ancient, frozen body of a crash-landed alien. The creature revives with terrifying results, shape-shifting to assume the exact form of animal and man, alike. Paranoia ensues as a band of frightened men work to discern friend from foe, and destroy the menace before it challenges all of humanity! The story is hailed as "one of the finest science fiction novellas ever written" by the SF Writers of America! 

Revisit the classic, Who Goes There? here on Amazon.

3. The Slugs from Robert A. Heinlein's The Puppet Masters

Want to be completely terrified? Just imagine gigantic slugs that can control your mind. That should do it and that is exactly what science fiction master Robert A. Heinlein imagined with “The Slugs” from his science fiction classic, The Puppet Masters.

First came the news that a flying saucer had landed in Iowa. Then came the announcement that the whole thing was a hoax. End of story. Case closed.

Except that two agents of the most secret intelligence agency in the U.S. government were on the scene and disappeared without reporting in. And four more agents who were sent in also disappeared. So the head of the agency and his two top agents went in and managed to get out with their discovery: an invasion is underway by slug-like aliens who can touch a human and completely control his or her mind. What the humans know, they know. What the slugs want, no matter what, the human will do. And most of Iowa is already under their control.

Pick up your copy of The Puppet Masters  here on Amazon.

2. The Weeping Angels from Doctor Who

How long can YOU go without blinking?

The Weeping Angels are a race of predatory creatures, resembling stone statues. In their usual form, Weeping Angels resemble silent human-sized stone statues in the form of winged angels. Generally, their facial features are bland and serene and their proportions human-normal. However, as they close in on more aware victims they transform to a more horrific, bestial, and demonic aspect with wide-open mouths, vampiric teeth, and clawed hand.

According to the Doctor, the Weeping Angels "are as old as the universe (or very nearly), but no one quite knows where they come from." He also describes them as "the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life-form evolution has ever produced." Weeping Angels are unusual as predators in that they neither kill nor directly parasitize their prey. Their usual mode of feeding is to make use of time paradoxes – with a single touch, a Weeping Angel can send a person into the past to a point before his/her own birth, and can then feed off the "potential energy" of the years which that victim would have lived in the present.

Are you a fan of the TV series who isn't sure where to start with the books, or new to the Doctor Who universe all together? If that is you and you'd like to become acquainted with these terrible creatures (from the safety of your favorite reading chair) look no further than Jonathan Morris's Touched by an Angel.

In 2003, Rebecca Whitaker died in a road accident. Her husband Mark is still grieving. He receives a battered envelope, posted eight years ago, containing a set of instructions with a simple message: "You can save her."

As Mark is given the chance to save Rebecca, it’s up to the Doctor, Amy and Rory to save the whole world. Because this time the Weeping Angels are using Mark himself as a weapon to change history. Will the doctor stop Mark or will the angels feast?

Get Doctor Who: Touched by an Angel here on Amazon.

1. The Borg from Star Trek

For the second poll in a row, the Star Trek franchise sweeps the voting to take the top spot! Overwhelmingly, you voted for The Borg as the most terrifying alien invaders.

What does it mean to be human? Is it our relative autonomy? Free will? What would it mean to have that stripped of you, your body co-opted? Does the thought terrify you? It should. But resistance is futile…

The Borg are cybernetic organisms, linked in a hive mind called "the Collective." The Borg co-opt the technology and knowledge of other alien species to the Collective through the process of "assimilation": forcibly transforming individual beings into "drones" by injecting nanoprobes into their bodies and surgically augmenting them with cybernetic components. The Borg's ultimate goal is "achieving perfection.”

As when dealing with any character born of a TV series that was only later made into books, it can be hard for book lovers to know where to start, but we’ve got you! While The Destiny Trilogy by David Mack doesn’t represent the first appearance of the Borg in books, it does feature the Borg heavily and is one you can jump right into without prior experience with the franchise.

Start the Star Trek Destiny Trilogy  here on Amazon.

What nightmares have we yet to encounter?

As another commenter in the DSF Facebook group mentioned, "any alien species that comes to conquer and destroy us may well be beyond our wildest imagination."

Until then we will happily rely on the brilliant creativity of the authors of science fiction who, in the absence of present day alien threat, give us plenty to fear through their books. So what will they dream up next? That remains to be seen, and whatever it is, it may knock one of these invaders right out of our top 10.  As always, these lists are a snapshot of a moment in time in our community and while we are almost certain that some of these favorites will remain, who knows? Maybe the best is yet to come. For now, visit us  here in our Facebook group to chime in on the debate, and then check out our most recent poll while you're there. Don't have Facebook? Feel free to add to the comments below.

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