Top 200 Science Fiction Books (Pre-2000)

This is one of the 759 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

Sci-Fi Lists, 200 Books

This is a list of the best 200 Pre-2000 science fiction books as determined by Peter Sykes at Sci-Fi Lists.

This list was originally published in 2021 and was added to this site over 2 years ago.

View: List Grid Table
Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
2606 Ender's Game Orson Scott Card 1985 American English
100 Dune Frank Herbert 1965 American English
190 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams 1979 British English
150 Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury 1953 American English
6 Nineteen Eighty Four George Orwell 1949 British English
50 Brave New World Aldous Huxley 1932 British English
361 Foundation Isaac Asimov 1951 American English
528 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Philip K. Dick 1968 American English
294 The Time Machine H. G. Wells 1895 British English
893 Neuromancer William Gibson 1984 American, Canadian English
822 I, Robot Isaac Asimov 1950 American English
368 Stranger in a Strange Land Robert A. Heinlein 1961 American English
1531 Jurassic Park Michael Crichton 1990 American English
1004 2001 Arthur C. Clarke 1968 British English
14818 Restaurant At The End Of The Universe Douglas Adams 1980 British English
372 War of the Worlds H. G. Wells 1898 British English
7580 Speaker for the Dead Orson Scott Card 1986 American English
1453 The Martian Chronicles Ray Bradbury 1950 American English
2470 Hyperion Dan Simmons 1989 American English
84 Slaughterhouse-Five Kurt Vonnegut 1969 American English
363 The Left Hand Of Darkness Ursula K. Le Guin 1969 American English
1597 Snow Crash Neal Stephenson 1992 American English
39 Frankenstein Mary Shelley 1818 British English
13763 Foundation And Empire Isaac Asimov 1952 American English
14923 Life, The Universe And Everything Douglas Adams 1982 British English
5333 Starship Troopers Robert A. Heinlein 1959 American English
13766 Second Foundation Isaac Asimov 1953 American English
14089 Dune Messiah Frank Herbert 1969 American English
2433 The Forever War Joe Haldeman 1974 American English
2132 The Man in the High Castle Philip K. Dick 1962 American English
1776 Childhood's End Arthur C. Clarke 1953 British English
5937 Rendezvous with Rama Arthur C. Clarke 1973 British English
711 Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes 1959 American English
3887 The Moon is a Harsh Mistress Robert A. Heinlein 1966 American English
17152 Xenocide Orson Scott Card 1991 American English
14750 Children Of Dune Frank Herbert 1976 American English
553 The Dispossessed Ursula K. Le Guin 1974 American English
2237 Ringworld Larry Niven 1970 American English
14985 Ender's Shadow Orson Scott Card 1999 American English
1323 A Canticle for Leibowitz Walter M. Miller 1960 American English
2567 The Caves Of Steel Isaac Asimov 1954 American English
1973 The Invisible Man H. G. Wells 1897 British English
3483 Consider Phlebas Iain Banks 1987 Scottish English
681 Cat's Cradle Kurt Vonnegut 1963 American English
673 Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Jules Verne 1870 French French
1352 The Andromeda Strain Michael Crichton 1969 American English
2353 Contact Carl Sagan 1985 American English
4666 Red Mars Kim Stanley Robinson 1992 American English
11175 Foundation's Edge Isaac Asimov 1982 American English
153 A Clockwork Orange Anthony Burgess 1962 British English
13560 The Fall of Hyperion Dan Simmons 1990 American English
1421 Ubik Philip K. Dick 1969 American English
327 Solaris Stanislaw Lem 1961 Polish Polish
926 Journey to the Center of the Earth Jules Verne 1864 French French
917 The Day of the Triffids John Wyndham 1951 British English
459 The Island of Doctor Moreau H. G. Wells 1896 British English
10278 The Diamond Age Neal Stephenson 1995 American English
14985 Sphere Michael Crichton 1987 American English
6896 Doomsday Book Connie Willis 1992 American English
9513 A Scanner Darkly Philip K. Dick 1977 American English
513 Kindred Octavia E. Butler 1979 American English
14819 The Lathe Of Heaven Ursula K. Le Guin 1971 American English
12129 The Sparrow Mary Doria Russell 1996 American English
2414 The Stars My Destination Alfred Bester 1956 American English
7168 Timeline Michael Crichton 1999 American English
10430 A Fire Upon the Deep Vernor Vinge 1992 American English
793 The Sirens of Titan Kurt Vonnegut 1959 American English
5681 The Illustrated Man Ray Bradbury 1951 American English
14729 The Naked Sun Isaac Asimov 1957 American English
14985 The Player Of Games Iain Banks 1988 Scottish English
2601 Out Of The Silent Planet C. S. Lewis 1938 British English
7793 The Gods Themselves Isaac Asimov 1972 American English
1328 Parable Of The Sower Octavia E. Butler 1993 American English
11232 The Mote In God's Eye Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle 1974 American English
2145 Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson 1999 American English
14985 The Robots Of Dawn Isaac Asimov 1983 American English
17152 2010 Arthur C. Clarke 1982 British English
17152 Shards Of Honour Lois McMaster Bujold 1986 American English
951 A Princess Of Mars Edgar Rice Burroughs 1912 American English
321 We Yevgeny Zamyatin 1924 Russian Russian
2810 Roadside Picnic Arkady Strugatsky, Boris Strugatsky 1972 Russian Russian
14925 The End Of Eternity Isaac Asimov 1955 American English
17152 On Basilisk Station David Weber 1993 American English
2584 Dawn Octavia E. Butler 1987 American English
8429 To Say Nothing of the Dog Connie Willis 1997 American English
777 I Am Legend Richard Matheson 1954 American English
6155 Use Of Weapons Iain Banks 1990 Scottish English
7152 Gateway Frederik Pohl 1977 American English
11134 The Demolished Man Alfred Bester 1953 American English
8216 Green Mars Kim Stanley Robinson 1993 American English
14938 The City And The Stars Arthur C. Clarke 1956 British English
2723 Perelandra C. S. Lewis 1943 British English
14935 Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said Philip K. Dick 1974 American English
14985 The Warrior's Apprentice Lois McMaster Bujold 1986 American English
1625 The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch Philip K. Dick 1965 American English
2668 The Chrysalids John Wyndham 1955 Canadian English
9585 Lord of Light Roger Zelazny 1967 American English
17152 The Reality Dysfunction Peter F. Hamilton 1996 British English
14985 Nightfall Isaac Asimov, Robert Silverberg 1990 American English
1476 Flatland Edwin A. Abbott 1884 British English
17152 Sundiver David Brin 1980 American English
11412 Barrayar Lois McMaster Bujold 1991 American English
11363 Lucifer's Hammer Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle 1977 American English
17152 Burning Chrome William Gibson 1986 Canadian English
16636 Pebble In The Sky Isaac Asimov 1950 American English
7685 Startide Rising David Brin 1983 American English
7878 The Fountains of Paradise Arthur C. Clarke 1979 British English
9254 To Your Scattered Bodies Go Philip José Farmer 1971 American English
14232 The Postman David Brin 1985 American English
10091 Time Enough For Love Robert A. Heinlein 1973 American English
14208 Have Space Suit—Will Travel Robert A. Heinlein 1958 American English
14210 The Word For World Is Forest Ursula K. Le Guin 1972 American English
10738 The Vor Game Lois McMaster Bujold 1990 American English
14232 Excession Iain Banks 1996 British English
16711 The Stars, Like Dust Isaac Asimov 1951 American English
11406 Here Gather the Stars Clifford D. Simak 1963 American English
14985 Eon Greg Bear 1985 American English
7953 The Door Into Summer Robert A. Heinlein 1957 American English
7568 The Puppet Masters Robert A. Heinlein 1951 American English
17152 Friday Robert A. Heinlein 1982 American English