Science fiction book series in reading order

by James Axler

by Alan Burt Akers

by James Axler

by E.C. Tubb / Gregory Kern

by Philip José Farmer

by Kevin J. Anderson

by Alan Dean Foster

by John Norman

by Taylor Anderson

by Victor Appleton

by Reki Kawahara

by James Blish

by David Sherman

by Simon Hawke

by Iain M. Banks

by Reki Kawahara

by Victor Appleton

by Roger Zelazny

by Eve Bunting

by Robert Adams

by James White

by Victor Appleton

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.

Robert Silverberg

240 books• 17 series

Robert Silverberg, born January 15, 1935, is an American science fiction author and editor with multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards, a place in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and Grand Master status since 2004. Nightwings (1969), a novella, and the novels Downward to the Earth (1970), The World Inside (1971), Dying Inside (1972) and Lord Valentine's Castle (1980) are among the most noted Silverberg works, and Lord Valentine's Castle was the first Majipoor book. By 2015 Silverberg had attended every Hugo Award ceremony since the first in 1953. The catalogue lists 240 books from Revolt on Alpha C (1955) to Beast Hunt: Volume 1 (2024), with The Shrouded Planet (1957) and Collision Course (1958) among the early ones. Series include Majipoor: Lord Valentine, Majipoor: Lord Prestimion, New Springtime, Time Gate and New Dimensions.

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.

Poul Anderson

160 books• 18 series

Poul Anderson (25 November 1926 to 31 July 2001) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy who also wrote historical novels. Anderson won the Hugo Award seven times and the Nebula Award three times. The catalogue lists 160 titles, from Duel on Syrtis (1951) to Swordsmen from the Stars (2020), with series including Flandry, the Polesotechnic League, the Psychotechnic League, Time Patrol, Hoka, Maurai, King of Ys and Harvest of Stars. Subjects on file include space opera, time travel, space warfare and epic fantasy.

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.

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).

Piers Anthony is the publishing name of Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob, born August 6, 1934, an American science fiction and fantasy writer. The long-running Xanth novels, set in the imaginary realm of Xanth, are his best-known work. Anthony has counted among his chief achievements the publication of a book beginning with every letter of the alphabet, from Anthonology to Zombie Lover, and a number of his books have reached The New York Times Best Seller list. This catalogue lists 195 titles from Chthon (1967) to Knicklepede Knight (2026), including the Apprentice Adept, Cluster, Battle Circle, Mode and Incarnations of Immortality sequences.

Gordon R. Dickson

94 books• 15 series

Gordon Rupert Dickson (November 1, 1923 to January 31, 2001) was an American science fiction writer inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2000. The catalogue lists 94 Dickson books, beginning with Time Grabber (1952) and No Shield from the Dead (1953). Dorsai! / The Genetic General (1960), Secret Under the Sea (1960) and Naked to the Stars (1961) are among the titles. Series include Childe Cycle, Dragon and the George, Dilbia, Sea People and Jim Eckert. Subjects include the Dorsai, time travel, dragons and the Middle Ages.

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.

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.

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.

Harry Harrison

93 books• 15 series

Harry Harrison, born Henry Maxwell Dempsey (March 12, 1925 to August 15, 2012), was an American science fiction author. The Stainless Steel Rat is the character most tied to Harrison, and the 1966 novel Make Room! Make Room! loosely inspired the film Soylent Green (1973). Harrison lived in Ireland and the United Kingdom, helped found the Irish Science Fiction Association and co-presided over the Birmingham Science Fiction Group with Brian Aldiss. Deathworld (1960), Bill, The Galactic Hero, To The Stars and Hammer and The Cross are among the catalogued works.

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.

James Axler is the pen name under which Mark Ellis wrote scores of Deathlands and Outlanders novels. The books are post-apocalyptic men's adventure: survivalism, the regression of civilisation, imaginary wars and the invented territory called Deathlands. The Axler name carries 234 titles published between 1986 and 2025, from Pilgrimage to Hell (1986) to Wraith Winter (2025). Volumes run long at a median of 347 pages, and Earthblood is a third series beside the two main runs.

David A. Drake (1945-2023) wrote science fiction and fantasy. A Vietnam War veteran, Drake practised law before turning to military science fiction. The catalogue holds 106 books published between 1975 and 2021, from The Barrow Troll (1975) to The Serpent (2021). Series include Hammer's Slammers, the Lt. Leary / RCN novels featuring Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy, the Books of the Elements, Northworld, Reaches and Crown Of The Isles. Tony Daniel shares the credit on 2 titles and Eric Flint on 1. Subjects record space warfare, imaginary wars and battles, and epic fantasy.

Peter David

272 books• 94 series

Peter David (September 23, 1956 – May 24, 2025), often called PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games. A 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk won awards, and other comics runs include Aquaman, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Captain Marvel, X-Factor, Young Justice, SpyBoy and Spider-Man 2099. Star Trek: New Frontier is among David's Star Trek novels. Original series include Knight Life and Apropos of Nothing. The catalogue lists 272 books, beginning in 1984 with Picture Perfect, High Society and Sapphire Star.

Frederik Pohl

96 books• 10 series

Frederik George Pohl Jr. (November 26, 1919 - September 2, 2013) was an American science fiction writer, editor and fan. Pohl's career lasted nearly 75 years, from the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satellite: Luna" to the 2011 novel All the Lives He Led. From about 1959 to 1969 Pohl edited Galaxy and the sister magazine If, which won three consecutive Hugo Awards for best professional magazine. Gateway (1977) won the Hugo, Locus and Nebula awards for best novel. The catalogue lists 96 books, including The Space Merchants / Gravy Planet (1952) and Gladiator-at-Law (1955), and series such as Heechee Saga, Starchild, Eschaton Sequence and Man Plus.

Philip K. Dick

86 books• 4 series

Philip K. Dick (December 16, 1928 to March 2, 1982) was an American science fiction novelist and short story writer. Dick wrote 45 novels and roughly 121 short stories, most of them first published in science fiction magazines. The fiction asks what is real and probes perception, identity and human nature. Characters in Dick's work contend with alternate realities, illusory worlds, monopoly corporations, drug abuse, authoritarian states and altered consciousness. Dick ranks among the most important figures in 20th-century science fiction. Catalogued titles include Beyond Lies the Wub (1951), Paycheck (1953) and Adjustment Team (1954), and the VALIS Trilogy appears as a series. Androids and life on other planets feature in the subject tags.

Philip José Farmer

86 books• 13 series

Philip José Farmer was an American science fiction and fantasy writer who lived from January 26, 1918 to February 25, 2009. Farmer is best known for two novel sequences, World of Tiers (1965–93) and Riverworld (1971–83). The work is noted for early use of sexual and religious themes, for reworking the lore of pulp heroes, and for occasional pseudonymous books presented as if written by fictional characters. The catalogue lists 86 Farmer books, opening with Queen of the Deep (1954) and including The Green Odyssey (1957), Flesh (1960) and The Lovers (1961). Other series include Dayworld, Herald Childe and Opar.

Jack Vance

116 books• 14 series

Jack Vance, born John Holbrook Vance (1916–2013), was an American author of fantasy, science fiction and mysteries, some of the mysteries appearing under pen names including Ellery Queen. Honours include the 1984 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, Grand Master status from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1997, and induction into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2001. The catalogue lists 116 books, among them the Dying Earth, Demon Princes, Tschai, Alastor and Cadwal Chronicles series, plus The Languages of Pao (1957).

Brian Aldiss

100 books• 4 series

Brian Aldiss (18 August 1925 to 19 August 2017) was an English author, artist and anthology editor whose reputation rests chiefly on science fiction, both novels and short stories. The Science Fiction Writers of America named Aldiss a Grand Master in 1999, and the Science Fiction Hall of Fame inducted Aldiss in 2004; awards include two Hugos and one Nebula. Aldiss was a vice-president of the H. G. Wells Society. The catalogue lists 100 titles from Starswarm (1954) onward, including Non-Stop, Hothouse and the Helliconia, Squire Quartet and Horatio Stubbs series.

Robert A. Heinlein

83 books• 11 series

Robert A. Heinlein wrote science fiction from 1939, starting with the short story Life Line. Interplanetary voyages, space colonies, space opera and time travel are the recurring subjects, and the catalogue carries a Hugo Award winner. The Future History timeline groups a large part of the early work; the Juveniles were written for younger readers, and World As Myth came later. Eighty-two titles are catalogued, with editions dated through 2025.

Frank Herbert

90 books• 8 series

Frank Herbert (October 8, 1920 – February 11, 1986) was an American science fiction writer best known for Dune (1965) and the five sequels that followed it. Dune ranks among the best-selling science fiction novels ever published. Herbert also wrote short stories and worked as a newspaper journalist, photographer, book reviewer, ecological consultant and lecturer. The catalogue opens with Operation Syndrome (1954) and continues through The Dragon in the Sea (1956), Missing Link (1959), The Worlds of Frank Herbert (1961) and Dune World (1963). Pandora Sequence and ConSentiency Universe are further series, and metaphysics and the imaginary place Dune appear in the subjects.

Eric Flint's catalogue opens with Mother of Demons (1997) and runs to 1637: The Pilgrim's Passage (2026). 1632 appeared in 2000, alongside Fortune's Stroke and Rats, Bats & Vats, and In the Heart of Darkness (1998) and Destiny's Shield (1999) came before it. Series include Ring of Fire: Assiti Shards, Grantville Gazette, Belisarius, Jao, Boundary, Pyramid, Demon Rift and Rats, Bats & Vats, and two short fiction lines carry Dave Freer's name alongside Flint's. Subjects include time travel, alternate history, West Virginia, Europe, the Thirty Years' War and life on other planets.