The 8 Greatest Sci-Fi Books Released Since 'Dune,' Ranked
While working as a journalist on a magazine assignment in Oregon, Frank Herbert came up with the idea for Dune back in 1957, inspired by the question of how a desert planet’s ecology might influence its culture and politics. Eight years later came the novel’s publication, and since then, Dune has been widely recognized as the greatest and most influential epic sci-fi novel of the entire 20th century, and possibly all time.
As incredible a must-read classic as it is, though, many equally exceptional sci-fi books have been published in the 61 years since. From 21st-century masterpieces like Cormac McCarthy‘s The Road to other foundational ’60s classics like Philip K. Dick‘s Ubik, these books have proven that the genre has been more than alive and well since Herbert revolutionized it back in 1965.
8
‘The Road’ (2006)
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Image by Alfred A. Knopf</figure>
Since Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is primarily a post-apocalyptic novel and doesn’t really contain most of the sci-fi genre’s usual hallmarks, its status as a science fiction novel is not entirely undisputed. Regardless, however, most bookworms do consider it a foundational piece of modern post-apocalyptic sci-fi literature, as well as one of the most masterfully bleak sci-fi books of all time.
The winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, The Road is speculative fiction at its most powerfully hopeless, scathingly examining the limits of human morality and the implications of total societal collapse. McCarthy was one of the most important American authors of modern times, and The Road is almost universally recognized as one of his most atmospheric and best-written works.
7
‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ (1979)
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Image via Crown</figure>
Comedic science fiction is every bit as important as bleak and hopeless science fiction, and as far as comedic sci-fi goes, it doesn’t get much better or more iconic than Douglas Adams‘ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, one of the most fun sci-fi books of all time. Based on the first four parts of Adams’ radio comedy series of the same name, the novel kicked off the book series of the same name, which may very well be the funniest science fiction book series in history.
Before Adams’ arrival on the scene, sci-fi literature was mostly dominated by serious space operas (not unlike Dune itself) and rigorous hard sci-fi. The Hitchhiker’s Guide demonstrated that the genre’s unique cosmic scale and philosophical depth could be paired with sidesplitting gags. Absurdist in its sense of humor yet surprisingly existential and nihilistic in its philosophy, this ’70s classic is to comedic sci-fi what Dune is to space operas.
6
‘Project Hail Mary’ (2021)
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Image via Ballantine Books</figure>
Andy Weir has only published four novels so far, yet those novels have been more than enough to confidently cement him as one of the current kings of hard science fiction. His latest masterpiece is Project Hail Mary, winner of a Hugo Award and easily one of the most universally acclaimed works of hard sci-fi that the world has seen in quite a few years.
Indeed, Project Hail Mary is one of the best sci-fi books published since 2020, at once a celebration of the scientific method and human ingenuity (undeniable cornerstones of the hard sci-fi subgenre) and one of the most accessible hard sci-fi books for beginners who may potentially be interested in diving into the genre for the first time. It’s entertaining, funny, emotional, and it contains an interstellar friendship that fuels its narrative both emotionally and thematically.
5
‘Neuromancer’ (1984)
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Image via Ace Books</figure>
William Gibson‘s Neuromancer is one of the most important sci-fi books in history, pioneering the cyberpunk subgenre and establishing many of its core tropes and aesthetics. As if its historical importance weren’t enough, it’s also one of those near-perfect sci-fi books that everyone should read at least once, full of unforgettable images and crafted with some truly enrapturing prose.
Shockingly prophetic in how it deals with technology, Neuromancer still reads as a surprisingly modern book to this day, which makes it unsurprising that it has remained so vastly influential as the years have passed. It’s a hugely atmospheric neo-noir full of engaging characters, with a story that deals with themes of artificial intelligence with a level of foresight that almost reads as eerie nowadays.
4
‘The Dispossessed’ (1974)
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Image via Harper Perennial</figure>
Seeing as she was one of the most important and influential authors in the entire history of speculative fiction, a list of the greatest sci-fi books of any modern period couldn’t possibly be complete without at least a mention of Ursula K. Le Guin. Praised by some as her best work of sci-fi literature ever, The Dispossessed is one of the most essential and foundational works about the concept of a utopia ever written. The way the story of that utopia unfolds is full of delectably unexpected surprises.
All in all, The Dispossessed is easily one of the best soft sci-fi books of all time, having made history by sweeping the Nebula, Hugo, and Locus Awards for Best Novel back in 1974 and 1975. Though it has plenty of sci-fi elements treated with the kind of nuance and creativity that always characterized Le Guin’s work, its most fascinating layers are those where it explores the topic of human freedom with a degree of philosophical and political density not often seen in this genre.
3
‘Ubik’ (1969)
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Image via Doubleday</figure>
Philip K. Dick was another one of the most foundational science fiction authors of the 20th century, and though conversations about what his magnum opus is often bring up many different answers, there’s one that’s always bound to come up more often than most. Ubik is one of the most perfectly written sci-fi books in history, part philosophical sci-fi, part existential horror, and 100% one of the most brilliant sci-fi tales in the history of literature.
The book, which came out a mere four years after Dune and is arguably every bit as much of a masterpiece—even if it’s significantly less mainstream— is a potently surreal exploration of life, death, and existentialism. It’s smart, mind-bending, pure satirical genius, and written with such a paranoid tone that even the readers themselves are left wondering what’s real and what isn’t.
2
‘Hyperion’ (1989)
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Image via Doubleday</figure>
The first book in Dan Simmons‘ foundational Hyperion Cantos series is Hyperion, one of those classic sci-fi books that should be on the bucket list of pretty much anyone who loves reading epic science fiction. It borrows the structure of Geoffrey Chaucer‘s Canterbury Tales, a framing device that allows the novel to achieve a scale and scope so vast that it’s shocking that the whole thing is only around 500 pages long.
As epic as it is, however, Hyperion is surprisingly cohesive as well—just like Dune. In fact, this philosophically charged space opera feels much akin to Herbert’s masterpiece in more ways than one, while still being worthy of praise as one of the most unique sci-fi novels of its time. It’s beautifully poetic in its prose and deeply emotional in how it approaches its characters and world.
1
‘The Left Hand of Darkness’ (1969)
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Image via Walker and Company</figure>
Who, if not Ursula K. Le Guin herself, could possibly be worthy of two mentions when talking about the greatest post-Dune sci-fi books? And what Le Guin novel, if not The Left Hand of Darkness—regarded by some as her magnum opus—could be worthy of being considered the greatest sci-fi book to have been published since Herbert revolutionized the genre in 1965?
The Left Hand of Darkness is not only one of the best Hugo Award winners of all time, but genuinely one of the greatest speculative fiction books of the past century. This cornerstone of sci-fi history was almost as much of a watershed moment for the genre as Dune, proving that the genre could serve not only as a source of simple escapist entertainment, but as a vehicle for deeply complex high-art stories as well.
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