“Nobody owns anything but everyone is rich - for what greater wealth can there be than cheerfulness, peace of mind, and freedom from anxiety?” ― Thomas More, Utopia
Too good to be true?
We love a good, purely dystopian sci-fi story: The Stand, 1984, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Road, The Hunger Games… It’s easy to rattle off a list of both classics and more contemporary favorites that revolve around a dystopian society. This week we’re interested in utopian science fiction, and the bevy of sci-fi books that explore whether such a thing is even possible, or if all our imagined utopias conceal a dark underbelly.
So. This week, whether they are ultimately optimistic or not, we want your picks for science fiction books and series that explore utopian themes.
We've kicked things off with a few of suggestions, but we are counting on you to add your own favorites to the poll, so submit your nomination(s) below and then to vote for the ones you think are the best!
We base our lists on the votes and nominations from this blog and our Facebook Reader group, and we want to hear your opinion!
What Are the Best Utopian Sci-Fi Books or Series?
Foundation series by Isaac Asimov*24%, 64 votes
64 votes24%
64 votes - 24% of all votes
The Star Trek universe*23%, 60 votes
60 votes23%
60 votes - 23% of all votes
The Culture Series by Iain M. Banks 11%, 28 votes
28 votes11%
28 votes - 11% of all votes
The Tower and Hive Series by Anne McCaffrey*8%, 22 votes
22 votes8%
22 votes - 8% of all votes
The Dispossessed by Ursula K Le Guin 5%, 14 votes
14 votes5%
14 votes - 5% of all votes
Lazarus Long series by Robert Heinlein*4%, 11 votes
11 votes4%
11 votes - 4% of all votes
Old man's war*4%, 10 votes
10 votes4%
10 votes - 4% of all votes
Brave new World by Aldous Huxley*4%, 10 votes
10 votes4%
10 votes - 4% of all votes
Childhood’s End by Arthur C Clarke*4%, 10 votes
10 votes4%
10 votes - 4% of all votes
To the Starts trilogy by Harry Harrison*4%, 10 votes
10 votes4%
10 votes - 4% of all votes
Logan's Run*3%, 8 votes
8 votes3%
8 votes - 3% of all votes
EarthCent Ambassador Series by E.M. Foner*2%, 6 votes
6 votes2%
6 votes - 2% of all votes
Amtrak wars by Patrick Tilley*2%, 4 votes
4 votes2%
4 votes - 2% of all votes
The Earthseed Series by Octavia E. Butler 1%, 3 votes
3 votes1%
3 votes - 1% of all votes
The Robot books by Asimov*1%, 3 votes
3 votes1%
3 votes - 1% of all votes
Utopia 58 by Daniel Arenson*0%, 1 vote
1 vote
1 vote - 0% of all votes
Trouble on Triton by Samuel R. Delany*0%, 1 vote
1 vote
1 vote - 0% of all votes
The Time Machine by H. G. Wells*0%, 1 vote
1 vote
1 vote - 0% of all votes
Total Votes: 266
May 20, 2020
* - added by visitor
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https://discoverscifi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/What-are-the-best-utopian-sci-fi-books_series_.png6801200Discover Sci-Fihttps://discoverscifi.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/discover-scifi.pngDiscover Sci-Fi2020-05-21 06:41:322020-05-21 06:41:34What Are the Best Utopian Sci-Fi Books or Series?
6replies
Jerry W Spears says:
Foundation & Empire by Issaic Asimov is without a doubt the best ever. Issaic was the leader of all science fiction writers, ever! Issaic set a standard for which others are striving to equal to this day.
Well, Brave New World and Logan’s Run are dystopias, and so should be removed from the list. Also, I’ve heard of a series by Harry Harrison called “To the Stars”; I wonder if it’s any relation to the “To the Starts” on this list…
This is hardly a “best” Utopian series vote but more a “most popular” series vote. Clearly people will not vote for a series they have not read so the well known series will always top the lists. Personally, the EM Foner books are my favourite but, of those on your list, he is probably the least read (at a guess) whereas the Foundation series (which I also liked by the way) will have been read much more. So, in short, the vote is not fair unless you change best to most popular.
[…] 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. […]
Foundation & Empire by Issaic Asimov is without a doubt the best ever. Issaic was the leader of all science fiction writers, ever! Issaic set a standard for which others are striving to equal to this day.
Well, Brave New World and Logan’s Run are dystopias, and so should be removed from the list. Also, I’ve heard of a series by Harry Harrison called “To the Stars”; I wonder if it’s any relation to the “To the Starts” on this list…
This is hardly a “best” Utopian series vote but more a “most popular” series vote. Clearly people will not vote for a series they have not read so the well known series will always top the lists. Personally, the EM Foner books are my favourite but, of those on your list, he is probably the least read (at a guess) whereas the Foundation series (which I also liked by the way) will have been read much more. So, in short, the vote is not fair unless you change best to most popular.
Your instructions imply more than one title can be voted for; however if another title is chosen the first choice is deleted.
WHY?
It would be good to curate on utopia vs popular.
EM Foner’s EarthCent is a rare series of positiveness and laughs.