Top 10 science fiction books of all time
the Sci-fi It is undoubtedly one of the most widely read literary genres in recent years. This phenomenon is also sweeping the world of cinema and series, where there is something to suit all tastes and ages. But what makes science fiction so attractive? Goya has already captured it in one of his engravings: The dream of reason produces monsters. Advances in science do not always equate to advances in democratic governments and societies, so imagination can show us everything from robots threatening humanity to more controlling authoritarian governments. Science fiction, in fact, is a representation of the anxieties of the present, dressed in adventure, heroism and epic that leaves no one indifferent. These are ten science fiction classics that you must read at least once in your lifetime.
George Orwell, 1949
The story begins in 1984 in an English society dominated by a bureaucratic collegiate system controlled by Big Brother. The official in the Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith, will try to rebel against this control, manipulation and tyranny. His job is to (re)write history in a way that is always consistent with the ideals and interests of one party. For this reason, it is also responsible for concealing the newspapers and files that interrogate them, as well as the names of opponents of the regime. However, he keeps a diary expressing his doubts and feelings towards the government.
‘Unexcused absence?’
Philip K. Dick, 1968
famous Blade Runner Starring Harrison Ford, based on the novel by Philip K. Dick which is set in the year 2021, when a global war has wiped out millions of people. Resources are becoming very limited and the survivors try to get any living animal to eat, but those who can’t afford it are forced to buy incredibly realistic replicas.
Corporations even go so far as to idealize artificial humans so much that they begin to harbor feelings and suffer their oppression. Rick Deckard, the protagonist, is a bounty hunter who must find and eliminate rogue bots. Everything will become complicated when he has to face the new Nexus-6 models, which are practically indistinguishable from humans.
Isaac Asimov, 1950
This visionary work had a great influence on later science fiction, but also on robotics itself. Asimov first formulated the Three Fundamental Laws of Robotics, with clear ethical and psychological implications. What is the difference between a smart robot and a human? Can a bot’s creator predict its behavior? Should logic determine what is best for humanity?
I’m a robot Connects a series of stories of all kinds of intelligent machines by robotic psychologist Susan Calvin. These robots are more and more perfect and sometimes challenge their creators.
war of the worlds
HG Wells, 1898
This groundbreaking novel chronicles the conquest of Earth by Mars, becoming the first fictional story in which beings from other planets invade our planet. This theme greatly influenced 20th century fiction, but has also inspired subsequent artists in literature, comics, film, radio, and television.
Frank Herbert, 1965
Latest movie adaptation starring Timothée Chalamet This sci-fi classic that David Lynch actually brought to the screen in the 1980s rescued. On the desert planet Arrakis, water is scarce and most precious. However, this region is of great strategic importance to the Emperor, the Great Houses, and the Brotherhood, the three great powers of the galaxy, as it is the only known place where mixtures of spices with unique properties are produced. Duke Leto Atreides is entrusted with the management of Arrakis, inhabited by Fremen and monstrous sandworms hundreds of meters long. However, when the Atreides are betrayed, his son and heir, Paul, embarks on a journey to a destiny greater than he could have ever imagined.
Aldous Huxley, 1932
In that Hexelian world, capitalism, consumption, and comfort triumphed. Humans are no longer reproducing, population has been created in the laboratory On real assembly lines, sex has become just fun and love is a weird thing. The letters of the Greek alphabet classify humans by class, and everyone accepts their place in the new social hierarchy. Soma, the drug par excellence, helps the population escape from the routine where freedom of expression and critical thinking has been eradicated. The protagonist of the novel, Bernard Marx, must test the limits of the dystopian society that spawned him.
Orson Scott Card, 1985
A text in which the influence of Huxley and Wells on its author, Orson Scott Card, is well recognized. Earth is threatened by an alien race, the Buggers, who are capable of telepathic communication. Defeating them would require a new generation of military genius, so an exception was made and Ender was allowed to be born. In this world, the number of offspring is fixed at two, with Wander being the third son. This boy will learn all about war in video games and in the trials of dangerous space battles he conducts with his peers.
‘The Journey to the Center of the Earth’
Jules Verne 1864
This science fiction classic is about an expedition of Otto Lidenbrock, a professor of mineralogy, with his nephew Axel into the bowels of the Earth. It all starts when Lidenbrock and Axel decipher a scroll of runic origin that hides a cipher with the exact coordinates to reach the center of our planet. This discovery leads them to Iceland, where they meet Hans, who will be their guide during the expedition.
Ray Bradbury, 1953
In a bleak future, Montag is part of a strange fire brigade whose mission is not to put out fires, but to start them by burning books. In his world reading is forbidden until the inhabitants lose the ability to think. Everything will change when Montag aligns himself with a secret organization dedicated to preserving entire volumes so that these works will be preserved though burning, as he will be forced to choose between obedience and rebellion.
“2001: A Space Odyssey”
Arthur C Clarke, 1968
The story begins with doctors David Bowman and Frank Paul aboard the Discovery One on an expedition to the ends of the universe in search of evidence that humans are not the only rational species out there. They are accompanied by three scientists who specialize in suspended animation and HAL 9000, a highly intelligent computer. However, the mission becomes dangerous when HAL starts to fail. Is it a technical problem? Or maybe she has a will of her own?
