Life on other planets book series in reading order

by David Sherman

by S.L. Viehl

by Terry Deary

by Isaac Asimov

by Cheryl Brooks

by Paul Stewart

by John Scalzi

by Martha Wells

by David Weber

by Sandy Mitchell / Alex Stewart

by Iain M. Banks

by Lisanne Norman

by John Norman

by Timothy Zahn

by Christopher Pike

by Robert Reed

by Sharon Lee

by James White

by Michael Z. Williamson

by John Jackson Miller

by Allen M. Steele

Anne McCaffrey

96 books• 20 series

Anne McCaffrey (1 April 1926 to 21 November 2011) was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. McCaffrey was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction, for the novella Weyr Search (1968), and the first to win a Nebula, for Dragonrider (1969). The White Dragon (1978) was among the earliest science fiction books on the New York Times Best Seller list. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master in 2005. The catalogue lists 96 books, from Restoree (1967) to Sky Dragons (2011), plus the Acorna, Crystal Singer and Tower and Hive series.

Andre Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 to March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy who also produced historical and contemporary fiction, and used the names Andrew North and Allen Weston as well. Norton was the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master, and the first inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. The catalogue carries 209 books from The Prince Commands (1934) onward. Witch World, Solar Queen, Time Traders, Beast Master and Forerunner are series.

C.J. Cherryh

105 books• 23 series

C.J. Cherryh is the pen name of Carolyn Janice Cherry, an American writer of speculative fiction born September 1, 1942. The silent h came at the prompting of editor Donald A. Wollheim, who judged that Cherry read like the name of a romance writer. Downbelow Station (1981) and Cyteen (1988), both set in the Alliance-Union universe, each won the Hugo Award, and the Foreigner series sits alongside them among Cherryh's notable work. The catalogue holds 105 books from Brothers of Earth (1976) to Alliance Unbound (2024). Worldbuilding grounded in research across history, language, psychology and archeology is what Cherryh is known for.

Alan Dean Foster

162 books• 30 series

Alan Dean Foster, born on 18 November 1946, is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, with several book series, more than 20 standalone novels and many film novelizations. Catalogued titles open with The Tar-Aiym Krang (1972), followed by Bloodhype (1973), Icerigger (1974), Star Trek Log One (1974) and Midworld (1975). Lost on Paradise (2026) is the newest title. Foster series include Pip & Flinx, Icerigger, Journeys of the Catechist, Damned, Star Trek: The Animated, Alien Movie and Transformers. Subjects include the Humanx Commonwealth, interplanetary voyages and human-alien encounters.

David Weber

90 books• 23 series

David Mark Weber, born October 24, 1952, is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy. The Honor Harrington books are his best-known work, and his first novel, written with Steve White, sold to Baen Books in 1989; Baen has remained his principal publisher. Weber's catalogue holds 90 titles from Insurrection (1990) to Challenges (2025), spanning the Honorverse, Safehold, War God, Dahak and Gordian Division series. Space warfare, women soldiers and imaginary wars and battles run through the recorded subjects.

Timothy Zahn

98 books• 26 series

Timothy Zahn, born September 1, 1951, is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy who grew up in Lombard, Illinois. The Star Wars books, above all the Thrawn trilogy, are the core of Zahn's reputation, and those novels are credited with reviving interest in the franchise. Original series include Cobra, Blackcollar, Dragonback, Quadrail, Conquerors Saga, Icarus and Sibyl's War. The catalogue lists 99 books by Zahn, starting with The Blackcollar (1983); Trap Line appeared in 2025 and A Call to Deception is due in 2027.

Sharon Lee, born September 11, 1952, is an American author of science fiction, fantasy and mystery who lived in Winslow, Maine, from 1988 to 2018 and then moved to Waterville. Lee co-writes the Liaden universe novels and stories with Steve Miller and has written mystery and fantasy novels alone. The catalogue lists 99 books from The Naming of Kinzel (1987) to Civilized Behavior (2025), including Agent of Change (1988) and Conflict of Honors (1988). Other series include Archers Beach, Jennifer Pierce and Duainfey.

Kevin J. Anderson

182 books• 44 series

Kevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author, born March 27, 1962. Tie-in work covers Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E. and The X-Files, including comics such as Tales of the Jedi with Tom Veitch. Original series include the Saga of Seven Suns, Saga of Shadows, Terra Incognita, Gamearth and Dan Shamble, Zombie PI, and Assemblers of Infinity was nominated for a Nebula Award. Rebecca Moesta shares credit on 9 catalogued books. The catalogue lists 182 books from Resurrection, Inc. (1984) to Sleep With the Fishes (2026).

Bruce Coville

132 books• 20 series

Bruce Coville has 132 books catalogued from The Foolish Giant (1978) to Aliens, Underwear, and Monsters (2022). Sarah's Unicorn (1979), Operation Sherlock (1986) and The Ghost in the Third Row (1987) are among the early titles. Series include My Teacher Is an Alien, Magic Shop, Unicorn Chronicles, I Was a 6th Grade Alien, Space Brat, Moongobble and Me, Nina Tanleven and A.I. Gang. Extraterrestrials, unicorns, monsters and humour fill the subjects. Coville, born May 16, 1950, writes young adult fiction and first published in 1977.

Larry Niven

93 books• 21 series

Larry Niven, born Laurence van Cott Niven in 1938, is an American science fiction writer working primarily in hard science fiction, with elements of detective fiction and adventure. Ringworld (1970) took the Hugo, Nebula, Locus and Ditmar awards, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named Niven its Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master in 2015. Jerry Pournelle co-wrote The Mote in God's Eye (1974) and Lucifer's Hammer (1977) with Niven. The catalogue holds 93 titles from The Coldest Place (1964) to Starborn and Godsons (2020). Series listed include Known Space, Ringworld Prequel / Fleet of the Worlds, Dream Park, Heorot, Moties, State and Magic Goes Away, a fantasy sequence treating magic as a non-renewable resource.

Alastair Reynolds

46 books• 7 series

Alastair Preston Reynolds, born 13 March 1966, is a Welsh science fiction author who specialises in hard science fiction and space opera. Forty-nine books sit in the catalogue, from A Spy in Europa (1997) to Halcyon Years (2026). Revelation Space (2000), Chasm City (2001), Redemption Ark (2002) and Absolution Gap (2003) come early in the run. Revelation Space, Revenger, Poseidon's Children, Medusa Chronicles and the Inspector Dreyfus books are the series credited to Reynolds. Subjects on record include life on other planets, space colonies, space warfare, time travel and human-alien encounters.

Brian Herbert

61 books• 14 series

Brian Patrick Herbert, born 29 June 1947, is an American author known for his work on the Dune franchise created by his father, Frank Herbert. Herbert's own novels include Sidney's Comet (1983), Sudanna Sudanna, Prisoners of Arionn and Man of Two Worlds, written with Frank Herbert. Dreamer of Dune (2003) is Herbert's biography of his father, and Herbert has edited Songs of Muad'dib and the Notebooks of Frank Herbert's Dune. The catalogue lists 61 books to 2024, with Kevin J. Anderson sharing the credit on 6. Series include Legends Of Dune, the Timeweb Chronicles, the Hellhole Trilogy, Stolen Gospels and several Dune graphic novel sets.

David Sherman (1944–2022) was an American novelist whose work focused on military themes at the small-unit tactical level, drawing on service in the United States Marines. The catalogue holds 39 books from Knives in the Night (1987) to The Last Campaigns (2021). Series include Starfist, Starfist: Force Recon, Night Fighter Saga, Demontech and 18th Race. Subjects include Marines, the Vietnam War and military science fiction.

Robin D. Owens writes romance crossed with fantasy and science fiction. Heart Mate (2001) opens Celta's Heartmates, set on another planet and running through Heart Thief, Heart Duel, Heart Choice and Heart Dance; the Summoning, Ghost Seer and Mystic Circle series follow. Magic, psychic ability and wizards recur across 35 catalogued books, which end at Song of Marwey (2022).

Isaac Asimov

553 books• 31 series

Isaac Asimov (c. January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992) was an American writer who also taught biochemistry at Boston University. Hard science fiction is the core of Asimov's reputation, and the Foundation series about a fallen space empire is the most famous work; Asimov ranked with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke as one of the "Big Three" of the genre. The output also covers mysteries, fantasy and popular science, with non-fiction lines such as How Did We Find Out and the Library of the Universe. Asimov wrote or edited more than 500 books. This catalogue opens with the story Marooned Off Vesta (1939) and names Asimov on 400 of the listed books.

Ben Bova

138 books• 17 series

Ben Bova, born Benjamin William Bova on November 8, 1932, was an American writer and editor whose career lasted 60 years; Bova died on November 29, 2020. As editor of Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Bova won the Hugo Award six times, later served as editorial director of Omni, and was president of both the National Space Society and the Science Fiction Writers of America. The catalogue holds 138 books of science fiction and science fact, from The Star Conquerors (1959) to Pluto (2025). Non-fiction such as The Milky Way Galaxy (1961) sits beside series including Grand Tour, Orion, Kinsman, Sam Gunn, Jake Ross and the Star Quest Trilogy. Subjects name space opera, lunar bases, space stations and space colonies.

Fantasy, historical fantasy, science fiction and science fantasy were the fields of Marion Zimmer Bradley, an American author who lived from June 3, 1930 to September 25, 1999. Bradley is best known for the Darkover series and The Mists of Avalon, a novel of Arthurian fiction, and the writing stood out for a female perspective rarely seen before in sword and sorcery. Bradley started writing at 17, earned a Bachelor of Arts from Hardin-Simmons University, co-founded the Society for Creative Anachronism in 1966 and edited the Sword and Sorceress anthologies. The catalogue reaches back to Centaurus Changeling (1954), Falcons of Narabedla (1957) and The Door Through Space (1961), and Arilinn (2024) is the newest title in the listing.

S.L. Viehl has 16 books catalogued from 2000 to 2010, with science fiction and romance both among the subjects. Stardoc (2000) is the first listed title, and the Viehl series are Stardoc, Dangerous Sanctuary and Bio Rescue. Women physicians, life on other planets and the character Cherijo Torin appear in the subjects. Beyond Varallan (2000), Endurance (2001), Blade Dancer (2003) and Dream Called Time (2010) are other titles.

Orson Scott Card

114 books• 29 series

Orson Scott Card, born August 24, 1951, is an American writer known chiefly for science fiction. Card is the only person, as of 2024, to win both the Hugo and Nebula Awards in consecutive years, for Ender's Game (1985) and its sequel Speaker for the Dead (1986). Card coproduced the 2013 film of Ender's Game. The Tales of Alvin Maker won the Locus Fantasy Award. The catalogue counts 114 books from A Planet Called Treason / Treason (1978) to Ender's Tribe (2026), with Homecoming Saga, Mither Mages, Worthing and Women of Genesis among the other series.

John Ringo, born March 22, 1963, is an American author of science fiction and military fiction, with several New York Times best sellers. The work ranges from straight science fiction to military and political thrillers, and more than seven million copies are in print in seven languages. The catalogue starts with A Hymn Before Battle (2000), followed by Gust Front, March Upcountry and March to the Sea in 2001, and reaches Beyond the Rift (2026). Series include Posleen War, Black Tide Rising, Council Wars, Looking Glass, Troy Rising, Von Neumann's War and Special Circumstances. Subjects include space warfare, human-alien encounters, Navy SEALs and survival.

Elizabeth Moon

35 books• 10 series

Elizabeth Moon, born March 7, 1945, is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy who served in the United States Marine Corps before turning to writing. The Speed of Dark won the Nebula Award in 2003, and Moon has also written newspaper columns and opinion pieces. The catalogue lists 35 books from 1988 to 2026, opening with Sheepfarmer's Daughter and Divided Allegiance (both 1988) and Oath of Gold (1989). Horngard (2026) is the newest. Series include the Deed of Paksenarrion, Serrano Legacy, Vatta's War, Vatta's Peace, Paladin's Legacy, Legacy of Gird and Planet Pirates. Space opera, epic fantasy, women soldiers and pirates appear in the subject tags.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch, born June 4, 1960, is an American writer and editor who works across science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance and mainstream fiction under several pen names, Kristine Grayson among them. Awards to Kristine Kathryn Rusch include the 2001 Hugo for Best Novelette (Millennium Babies), the 2003 Endeavour Award (The Disappeared) and two Sidewise Awards, for Recovering Apollo 8 in 2008 and The Enemy Within in 2015. Rusch is married to the writer Dean Wesley Smith, who shares credit on 4 catalogued books. The listing runs from the 1988 short story Stained Black to 2026 and includes the Retrieval Artist, Diving Universe, Fey and Oregon Coast / Seavy Village series plus Star Trek tie-ins.

Erich von Däniken

31 books• 1 series

Erich von Daniken was a Swiss author of pseudoscientific books arguing that extraterrestrials shaped early human culture. Chariots of The Gods (1968) opens the catalogue and became a bestseller; Return to the Stars (1970), Gods from Outer Space (1972), Miracles of the Gods (1975) and Signs of the Gods (1980) followed. Thirty-one titles are catalogued to 2022. Scientists and academics reject the claims and class the work as pseudohistory and pseudoarchaeology. Ancient civilisations, UFOs and human-alien encounters are the recorded subjects.

Ken MacLeod

31 books• 8 series

Ken MacLeod, born in 1954, is a Scottish science fiction writer whose novels The Sky Road and The Night Sessions each won the BSFA Award, with further nominations for the Arthur C. Clarke, Hugo, Nebula, Locus and Campbell Memorial awards. A techno-utopianist, MacLeod works libertarian socialist themes through his fiction and has taken the Prometheus Award three times. He was a Guest of Honour at the 82nd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow in 2024 and sits on the advisory board of the Edinburgh Science Festival. Twenty-six books span 1995 to 2024, including the Fall Revolution, Engines of Light and Corporation Wars sequences.