Computer games, cinema, art, books - fiction everywhere. You can't hide from her, she surrounded us. Fantasy is not just a genre, it is an artistic method. Its main element is the violation of the boundaries of reality, that is, the inclusion of something unusual. All that cannot appear in our boring and gray world. Therefore, those who are tired of the monotony of reality should pick up best science fiction books.

Any rating of books in which fantasy is the basis cannot be imagined without the names of such cult authors as HG Wells, Jules Verne, Ray Bradbury, the Strugatsky brothers and many others. Best Books fiction, whose rating in the eyes of modern readers is rapidly rising, allow you to immerse yourself in new world. It can be filled with incredible gadgets and machines, spacecraft and unreal beings. Such works are amazing creations of the author's thought: sometimes frightening, sometimes giving hope for the best, but undoubtedly striking the imagination of readers.

Compiling hundreds of the most important science fiction books required much more effort from our editors than similar lists of games, films and TV shows. No wonder, because books are the foundation of all world fiction. As before, the main criterion for us was the significance of this or that work for world and domestic science fiction.

Our list includes only those books and cycles that have become universally recognized pillars of science fiction literature or have had a significant impact on the development of individual science fiction trends. At the same time, we did not give in to the temptation to attribute the main contribution to science fiction to English-speaking authors: almost a fifth of our list is occupied by books by Russian masters of the word.

So, before you are those 100 books that, according to MirF, any self-respecting fan of science fiction is simply obliged to read!

FOREIGNERS OF FANTASTIC

Jonathan Swift "Gulliver's Travels"

A novel that paved the way for the authors of many fantastic trends - from satire to alternative geography. And what is the cost of detailed construction of worlds! "Gulliver's Travels" cannot be squeezed only on a fantastic shelf - this is a phenomenon of universal culture. True, most of us are only familiar with the adapted version, which is part of the "golden fund" of children's literature.

Mary Shelley "Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus"

The book of an English lady, wife famous poet, written "on a bet". Percy Shelley and his friend Byron failed, and the 20-year-old girl wrote one of the most famous "Gothic" novels. But the matter was not limited to one gothic! The story of the Swiss scientist Victor Frankenstein, who learned how to animate dead tissue with electricity, is considered the first truly science fiction work.

Lewis Carroll "Alice in Wonderland"

A fairy tale for children, invented by an English mathematician, had a huge impact on the development of science fiction. Satirical absurdism, an abundance of paradoxes, other dimensions - Carroll's book included many topics that were repeatedly used by science fiction writers of subsequent generations. Carroll's influence on English-speaking culture is especially great - in terms of the number of citations, the stories about Alice are second only to Shakespeare.

Jules Verne "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"

One of the most famous books of the founding father of SF. Of course, you can put a few more of his novels side by side - "Journey to the Center of the Earth", "From the Earth to the Moon", "Robur the Conqueror", but it is "20 thousand ..." that combines scientific and technical predictions that have come true, a fascinating adventurous plot, cognition and a bright character, whose name has become a household name. Who doesn't know Captain Nemo and his Nautilus?

Robert Louis Stevenson "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"

The story of two opposite halves of a single personality, at the same time - a moralizing parable about the duality of progress and the responsibility of science to society (later this topic was developed by G. Wells in The Invisible Man and The Island of Dr. Moreau). Stevenson cleverly combined elements of sci-fi, gothic horror and philosophical romance. The result is a book that spawned a lot of imitations and made the image of Jekyll Hyde a household name.

Mark Twain "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court"

Another classic that combines a satire on the writer's contemporary society and a brilliant embodiment of several fantastic ideas, later replicated by hundreds of authors. Time travel, alternative history, the idea of ​​a clash of cultures, the dubiousness of progressorism as a way to change an "inert" society - everything fits under one cover.

Bram Stoker "Dracula"

A novel about vampires that spawned an ocean of imitations in literary and cinematic fiction. The Irish Stoker showed the world an example of a competent "black PR". He took the true figure of the Wallachian ruler - a person of little sympathy, but in historical terms quite ordinary - and created a monster out of him with capital letter whose name is in mass consciousness placed somewhere between Lucifer and Hitler.

SCIENCE FICTION

HG Wells "War of the Worlds"

A classic work that opened several directions in science fiction at once. This is the first book about the invasion of the Earth by merciless "aliens". However, Wells went beyond the "war of the worlds" theme. The writer creates an impressive gallery of behavioral models of people in extreme conditions the threat of total annihilation looming over them. Before us is actually a prediction of the development of society in the period of the coming world wars.

Isaac Asimov, Future History series

The first monumental history of the future in the world science fiction, the most striking part of which is the Foundation trilogy (Hugo award as the best fantasy series of all time). Asimov tried to reduce the development of civilization to a set of laws similar to mathematical formulas. The saviors of mankind are not generals and politicians, but scientists - adherents of the science of "psychohistory". And the action of the entire series covers 20 thousand years!

Robert Heinlein "Starship Troopers"

The novel caused a serious scandal, because many liberals saw in it propaganda of militarism and even fascism. Heinlein was a staunch libertarian whose idea of ​​responsibility to society coexisted with the rejection of the total restriction of personal freedom by the state. "Starship Troopers" is not just a reference "military war" about battles with strangers, but also a reflection of the writer's ideas about an ideal society, where duty is above all.

Alfred Elton Van Vogt "Slan"

The first significant work on biological mutations that threaten humanity with the transition to new stage evolution. Naturally, ordinary people not ready to just go to the dustbin of history, so the mutant slans have a hard time. The situation is complicated by the fact that slans are the fruit of genetic engineering. Will mankind itself give birth to its own gravedigger?

John Wyndham "Day of the Triffids"

The epitome of a sci-fi "disaster novel". As a result of a cosmic cataclysm, almost all earthlings became blind and turned into prey for predatory plants. End of civilization? No, the British science fiction novel is imbued with faith in the power of the human spirit. Say, "Let's join hands, friends, so as not to disappear one by one"! The book started a wave of similar (though often more pessimistic) stories.

Walter Miller "The Leibovitz Passion"

Classic post-apocalyptic epic. After nuclear war the only stronghold of knowledge and culture remains the church in the person of the Order of St. Leibovitz founded by the physicist. The action of the book takes place over a thousand years: civilization is gradually reborn in order to perish again ... A sincere believer, Miller looks with deep pessimism at the ability of religion to bring real salvation to humanity.

Robert Merle "Maleville"

The most meticulous chronicle of existence ordinary person in the world after a nuclear war. A group of people, once in the Malville castle, survive day after day on the ruins of civilization. Alas, their Robinsonade is absolutely hopeless. No one will arrive with mainland", will not save, will not return forever lost. And not in vain, having won a series of brilliant victories, the main character dies of a banal appendicitis. The world is dead - and there is no future ...

Isaac Asimov, I, Robot

Asimov's stories about robots developed the theme raised by Karel Capek in the play R.U.R. - about the relationship between man and artificial intelligence. The Three Laws of Robotics are the ethical basis for the existence of artificial creatures, capable of suppressing the "Frankenstein complex" (an implicit desire to destroy one's Creator). These are not just stories about thinking pieces of iron, but a book about people, their moral throwing and spiritual experiments.

Philip K. Dick "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

The first example of genuine cyberpunk, which appeared long before the birth of the term itself and the fantastic phenomenon it designated. The acid-gloomy world of the future, whose inhabitants constantly question the meaning and even the reality of their own existence, are themes that are characteristic of this novel, and of Dick's entire work. And the book served as the basis for Ridley Scott's cult film Blade Runner.

William Gibson Neuromancer

The holy book of cyberpunk, where there are almost all of its iconic signs. Brilliantly depicted in a high-tech near future, in which predatory multinational corporations hold power and cybercrime flourishes. Gibson has acted as a true prophet of the digital age that has come today, not only foreseeing the problems of development information technologies, but also introducing specific computer jargon into wide circulation.

Arthur Clarke "2001: A Space Odyssey"

Based on an old story, Arthur C. Clarke wrote the screenplay for Stanley Kubrick's film - the first real sci-fi epic of world cinema. And novelization has become a symbol of serious space science fiction. No Star Wars, no superheroes with blasters. A realistic story about an expedition to Jupiter, during which the machine mind reaches its limit, but a person is able to go beyond any limits of the possible.

Michael Crichton "Jurassic Park"

Crichton is considered the father of the science fiction techno-thriller. "Jurassic Park" is not the first work of its kind, but one of the most famous, largely due to the adaptation of Steven Spielberg. Being essentially a skillful combination of themes and ideas repeatedly worked out in science fiction - genetic engineering, cloning, rebellion of artificial creatures - the novel has gained millions of fans and many imitations.

PHILOSOPHICAL AND SOCIAL FICTION

HG Wells "Time Machine"

One of the cornerstones of modern SF is the book that pioneered the exploitation of the theme of time travel. Wells also tried to continue contemporary capitalism into the distant future, in which humanity was divided into two biological species. Even more than the strange society of Eloi and Morlocks, the "end of times" shakes, which marks the complete death of the mind.

Evgeny Zamyatin "We"

The first great dystopia that influenced other classics - Huxley and Orwell, not to mention the many science fiction writers who try to critically predict the development of society. The action of the story takes place in a pseudo-utopia, where the role of a person is reduced to the position of an insignificant cog. The result is an "ideal" anthill society in which "one is zero, one is nonsense."

Aldous Huxley "Brave New World"

One of the foundations of literary dystopia. Unlike his contemporaries, who exposed specific political models, Huxley's novel polemicized with idealistic views about the perfection of technocracy. The intellectuals who have seized power will build another version of the concentration camp - albeit a decent-looking one. Alas, our modern society confirms the correctness of Huxley.

George Orwell "1984"

Another classic dystopian novel inspired by the grim events of World War II. Perhaps now in all corners of the world they heard the terms “Big Brother” and “Newspeak” coined by Orwell. "1984" is a satirical depiction of absolute totalitarianism, no matter what ideology - socialist, capitalist or Nazi - it is covered.

Ray Bradbury Fahrenheit 451

A dystopia based on not political or social, but cultural ideas. A society is shown where true culture has fallen victim to pragmatic rednecks: animal materialism has unconditionally triumphed over romantic idealism. Firefighters burning books - another iconic image modern civilization. Events recent years show that the novel is threatened with the fate not of a warning, but of a prophecy!

Kurt Vonnegut "Slaughterhouse Five"

A masterpiece of anti-war fiction (and literature in general). The hero of the book is the author's alter ego Billy Pilgrim, a war veteran who survived the barbaric bombing of Dresden. Abducted by aliens, the hero only with their help will be able to recover from a nervous shock and find inner peace. The fantastic plot of the book is just a technique with which Vonnegut fights the inner demons of his generation.

Robert Heinlein "Stranger in a Strange Land"

First sf book to become a national bestseller in the United States. This is the story of "cosmic Mowgli" - the earthly child of Michael Valentine Smith, who was brought up by representatives of a fundamentally different mind and became the new Messiah. In addition to the obvious artistic merit and the discovery of many topics forbidden for science fiction, the significance of the novel is that it finally turned the public perception of SF as literature for immature minds.

Stanislav Lem "Solaris"

The flagship of philosophical science fiction. The book of a remarkable Polish writer tells about an unsuccessful contact with a civilization that is absolutely alien to us. Lem created one of the most unusual SF-worlds - a single mind of the planet-ocean Solaris. And you can take thousands of samples, put hundreds of experiments, put forward dozens of theories - the truth will remain "out there, beyond the horizon." Science is simply not able to unravel all the secrets of the universe - no matter how you try ...

Ray Bradbury "The Martian Chronicles"

A multifaceted cycle about the conquest of Mars by man, where he lives last days strange and once great civilization. This is a poetic story about the clash of two different cultures, and reflections on the eternal problems and values ​​of our existence. "The Martian Chronicles" is one of the books that clearly demonstrates that science fiction is able to touch upon the most complex problems and can compete on equal terms with "big" literature.

Ursula Le Guin, Hein cycle

One of the brightest stories of the future, a masterpiece of "soft" SF. Unlike traditional space fantasy scenarios, Le Guin's relationship between civilizations is based on a special ethical code that excludes the use of violence. The works of the cycle tell about contacts between representatives of different psychologies, philosophies and cultures, as well as about their everyday life. The most significant part of the cycle is the novel The Left Hand of Darkness (1969).

Orson Scott Card "Ender's Game", "Voice of the Missing"

The two novels, followed by the popular but controversial multi-volume cycle, are true masterpieces, the pinnacle of Card's work. "Ender's Game" is a modernized "military" with an emphasis on the psychology of growing up as a charismatic teenage leader. And “Voice…” is, first of all, a story of contact, mutual understanding of fundamentally different cultures. Everyone wants the best; Why do good intentions turn into tragedy?

Henry Lyon Oldie, The Abyss of Hungry Eyes

The first multi-layered philosophical and mythological work in modern Russian science fiction, The Abyss of Hungry Eyes includes various areas of science fiction and fantasy. Creating the universe, the co-authors use a variety of mythological schemes, combining a strong adventurous plot and well-developed characters with a philosophical understanding of current events.

Despite the fact that science fiction is still a very popular genre in cinema and literature, many readers know only the classics of the 20th century. Everyone remembers Bradbury, Asimov and Philip Dick, but few can name modern science fiction writers. Science fiction is thriving nonetheless - and there are at least as many good novels coming out as they were 50 years ago. Look At Me has collected 12 contemporary science fiction writers worth reading.

We compiled a list according to several criteria:

Peter Watts

Year of birth: 1958

First novel:"Sea stars" (1999)

Best Novels: False Blindness, Starfish, Echopraxia

A marine biologist by training, Canadian Peter Watts began writing in the late 90s, but for most of his career he was not noticed until he posted his works in the public domain on the Internet. After that, readers discovered "False Blindness", main novel Watts, and now the writer is deservedly considered one of the best modern science fiction writers. False Blindness is a book that asks unexpected questions about human neuroscience and questions the evolutionary validity of consciousness. On the one hand, everything is mixed in the novel at once: vampires, posthumanism, aliens, on the other hand, this is an extremely minimalistic and clear book in which there is nothing superfluous. Watts' education definitely influences his literature: he looks at humanity from a non-standard angle and invents new creatures, starting from existing marine organisms.

Ken McLeod

Year of birth: 1954

First novel:"Star Faction" (1995)

Best Novels:"Newton's Wake: Space Opera", "Invasion", "Execution Channel"

Ken McLeod has been called "anarcho-primitivist" and "techno-utopian"; in his novels there are always socialist, communist and anarchist ideas, and the author himself admits that he is inspired by the views of Leon Trotsky. McLeod takes an active political position and often gives public lectures - and criticizes the state of modern Britain. His books also cannot do without fantastic themes: first of all, he is interested in posthumanism, cyborgs and cultural evolution. What, for example, will happen to our culture if we upload consciousness into a computer? At the same time, McLeod has a sense of humor: his novels are often called satirical, and he himself is very fond of puns - for example, he calls the chapters of his books with ambiguous phrases like "revolutionary platform".

China Mieville

Year of birth: 1972

First novel:"Rat King" (1998)

Best Novels:"Embassy City", "City and City", "Station of Lost Dreams"

China Mieville was born in London to a hippie family. His parents gave him the strange name "China" - this was the custom in the countercultural British society of that time - he had a friend, for example, "India". Mieville is not a science fiction writer in the classical sense, but one of the most popular contemporary authors in the genre of speculative literature; he writes both fantasy and horror, and is part of the New Weird, a British fantasy movement that tries to save fantasy from commercialization and clichés. Anything can be found in Mieville's books: magic, people with insect heads, steampunk and cyborgs. Sometimes, however, Mieville is engaged in pure science fiction, and he does it brilliantly. Good example- his novel "Embassy City", in which he considers the problems of language; the author is trying to imagine what kind of culture rational beings will have who are not capable of imaginative thinking.

Peter Hamilton

Year of birth: 1960

First novel:"Rise of the Mind Star" (1993)

Best Novels:"Pandora's Star", "Great Northern Route", "Dreaming Abyss"

Englishman Peter Hamilton became famous in the early 90s thanks to a trilogy of detective novels about psychic detective Greg Mandela. Since then, however, he began to write fiction of a completely different kind. Hamilton is the author of large, elaborate space epics, having written several space cycles, the most famous of which is the Commonwealth Saga. Its action takes place in the distant future. (the plot of all the books included in the Saga universe stretches over thousands of years): humans colonize the galaxy and fly to distant stars. Together with people, several alien races coexist at once; for the novels, Hamilton imagined and described a complex world with its own politics, economy, and diplomacy. In general, Hamilton's fiction is about what people imagine when they hear the phrase "space opera", only very well thought out and written.

Carl Schroeder

Year of birth: 1962

First novel:"Ventus" (2000)

Best Novels:"Order", "Labyrinth Lady", "Invariance"

A trained futurist and an influential author for followers of the philosophy of speculative realism, Canadian Carl Schroeder writes novels that border on cyberpunk and space opera. On the one hand, the action of his books usually takes place in the distant future, and the plot is connected with interstellar flights, on the other hand, the writer is interested in issues most often associated with cyberpunk: privacy, self-awareness of an individual (and its dissolution), augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence. Schroeder is engaged in futurism professionally: in his spare time, he advises organizations that predict the development of technologies. The best thing about Schroeder's books is what they call worldbuilding; the ability to beautifully, quickly and accurately describe imaginary worlds. In his latest novel, The Order, for example, he talks about very long space travels and describes hundreds of strange worlds, from lonely planets without a star illuminated by lasers, and planets consisting entirely of water, to gas planets where people live on huge balloons. , and planets where the atmosphere looks like a huge neon lamp.

Charles Strauss

Year of birth: 1964

First novel:"Sky of the Singularity" (2003)

Best Novels:"Accelerando", "Greenhouse", "Rule 34"

The most versatile writer in the entire wave of New British Fiction (the British are distinguished by their craving for "hard" sci-fi and often left-wing political views) Strauss has worked as a computer programmer, pharmacist and technology journalist in his lifetime. For ten years he wrote a monthly Linux column for Computer Shopper magazine, but eventually closed it to devote himself to writing. IN literary genres Strauss is about as eccentric as his choice of profession: apart from short stories, he has published about 20 books in a variety of styles, from "hard" science fiction to fantasy and horror in the spirit of Lovecraft. His science fiction novels are best described as "mindfuck": Strauss deceives the reader a lot and comes up with the most incredible designs. An exemplary novel in this sense (he, by the way, may well be the only thing you will read from this list - he is so good)- "Greenhouse", in which a group of people from the future agree to an experiment: they live in an isolated space station in the 20th century. The book leads the reader by the nose and turns everything upside down several times.

John Scalzi

Year of birth: 1969

First novel:"Destined to Win" (2005)

Best Novels:"Men in Red", "Android's Dream", "Locked Up"

Scalzi is a classic geek turned writer. Since 1998, he has been running the Whatever blog, where he speaks out on the most different topics, writes books and articles about video games, cinema and astronomy; he even acted as a consultant on one of the Stargate series. Scalzi's most famous book is The Men in Red, an utterly geeky novel. It comically plays on the well-known cliché from Star Trek - there were often nameless characters in red uniforms who always died on missions to emphasize the danger to the viewer. In most of his time, Scalzi writes more serious - often military - fiction. However, he is capable of much: in one of his latest novels, Locked Up, he writes a real detective story. The main thing that distinguishes Scalzi's books is ironic, resourceful characters and witty dialogues.

Alastair Reynolds

Year of birth: 1966

First novel:"Revelation Space" (2000)

Best Novels:"Space of Revelation", "House of Suns",
"Pushing Ice"

Favorite in Russia (Azbuka publishing house regularly prints his novels) Welsh writer known for hardcore science fiction and massive space operas. Like other authors of space operas, he can be described only by numbers: his cycle "The Space of Revelation" covers a time period of tens of thousands of years (although the main action takes place during three centuries), and interstellar travel in it takes place with the help of ships that move almost at the speed of light. Reynolds explains the existence of a mechanical race that destroys intelligent civilizations when they develop to a certain level. For complex and detailed descriptions space, technology and alien civilizations, however, Reynolds hides more personal, private things: lyrical reflections on the philosophy of life and a melancholic mood.

Stephen Baxter

Year of birth: 1957

First novel:"Raft" (1991)

Best Novels:"Proxima", "Ark", "Space Diversity"

Author of nearly 50 novels, Briton Stephen Baxter is one of the biggest thinkers in modern hard science fiction. Baxter invents truly massive space fiction, while managing to maintain scientific accuracy. (say, in one of his books, he describes the history of the universe from its birth 20 billion years ago to death 10 billion years later). In addition, he acts in the genre of a disaster novel and alternative history. Whatever Baxter writes, he precedes any of his novels with long and detailed studies - therefore, he even predicts the future of mankind by scientific theories. He himself says that he is inspired by the old fiction of HG Wells; the writer, by the way, is vice-president of the International Society of Herbert Wells.

Adam Roberts

Year of birth: 1965

First novel:"Salt" (2000)

Best Novels:"Salt", "Yellow-blue Tibia",
"Glass Jack"

Postmodern trickster Adam Roberts is the most unpredictable author of modern fiction. From each of his new books you do not know what to expect: he has futuristic detective stories, and novels about the colonization of other planets, and space utopias; In addition, under the pseudonyms A.R.R.R. Roberts and The Robertsky Brothers, Roberts wrote several parodies, including those of Tolkien's novels, The Matrix, and Star Wars. Every Roberts novel is a literary game, in all the books he uses unexpected structure and plays with language. His book “Glass Jack” is coming out soon in Russian, and it perfectly characterizes Roberts: it is a detective story about three murders, written like classic Agatha Christie novels, but with the condition that the reader knows from the very beginning that the killer is the main character. The problem with Roberts is that he never continues his novels and turns them into series, and in fiction, this is a sure way to never become a popular author: science fiction readers prefer large series, sagas and cycles to dive into one over and over again. and the same world.

Ann Leckie

Year of birth: 1966

First novel:"Servants of Justice" (2013)

Best Novels:"Servants of Justice", "Servants of the Sword"

Despite the fact that Anne Leckie has only published two novels and has not yet completed her debut trilogy, The Empire of Rudch (the final part will be released in October this year), it is already named along with the best modern science fiction writers. Lecky tried to get into science fiction at a young age, but failed to get published. Leki got married, had two children and took up housework, but in order not to be too bored at home, she continued to write - and finished the first draft of the novel "Servants of Justice" back in 2002. The book was published in 2013 - and this is one of the most unusual novels of recent times. The main character is a former spaceship (Yes exactly),

First novel:"Moxyland" (2008)

Best Novels:"Moxieland", "Shining Girls", "Broken Monsters"

South African writer, primarily writing detective novels. Let's say one of her books is about a time-traveling assassin, another about supernatural murders, the nature of fame and social networks, another one - to an alternative Johannesburg, where criminals are tied to magical animals as punishment. In her novels, Beukes explores contemporary phenomena that excite her: from global surveillance and xenophobia to autotune. The supernatural is mixed with technology, ghosts and magic coexist with smartphones and email, but at the same time, Bukes does not write fantasy - and certainly does not abuse African flavor. At its core, her books are science fiction, because the main thing that distinguishes the genre is the unexpected questions that are asked in it to humanity; that's what Bukes is doing.

Fantasy is a genre in literature, the basis of which is the presence in the work of an idea or factor that is impossible in the real world. The multitude of genres and subgenres that are often completely different from each other, in which everyone will find something for themselves, provides science fiction with a wide range of readers. It is precisely this great variety that makes it extremely difficult to choose among such a number of famous authors the most outstanding ones.
This list includes: Isaac Asimov, HG Wells, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Dan Simmons, JK Rowling, George Orwell and Aldous Huxley.

The tenth position in the list is occupied by Herbert Wells, earlier physicists added the fourth dimension to the three-dimensional device of the world - time, described long before the real historical events war with the use of chemical warfare agents and described in in general terms operating principle atomic bomb. Many of his ideas were adopted by subsequent generations of authors (anti-gravity, war with hostile aliens, invisibility) and had a significant impact on the face of science fiction in general.

In ninth place - the author of the term "robot" and the creator of the three laws of robotics Isaac Asimov. It is also worth noting that in his works Asimov did everything possible to rehabilitate artificially created creatures, in particular robots, before public opinion, since before him, artificial intelligence in the works of science fiction usually acted as a monster that is trying to destroy humanity. In many works of other writers written after the Round Dance, robots sometimes without mentioning the three laws of robotics often obey similar rules.

The eighth number in the list in the order of exception is occupied by two writers at once - George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. Despite the diametrically opposed dystopian worlds, both authors in their most famous books talked about the same thing - about how ugly state systems look for the world we are used to, in which a consumer society or a rigid totalitarian system will be brought to an extreme.

The writer, who foresaw the appearance of many such devices familiar to us and populated the red planet with natives and earthlings-colonists in his novel, which stretched over a good few dozen books, occupies the seventh place in the rating. Headphones - "Shells" already exist, plasma panels are guessed in the TV wall, and television shows are becoming more and more like what Guy Montag's wife, completely disconnected from reality, was watching from the well-known novel Fahrenheit 451.

The American writer, nicknamed the "King of Horrors", who breathed a second wind into the horror genre, occupies the sixth position in the ranking. King's work is also interesting because on the pages of some of his books one can see in some way a reflection of the author's struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, and he succeeds in this struggle - the novel "Necessary Things" was written with a mind free from drug or alcohol intoxication.

5. Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

Recognized classics of modern science fiction Arkady Natanovich and Boris Natanovich Strugatsky occupy the fifth item on the list. A hallmark of their work is that most of their characters from the worlds of the future have the features of our contemporaries, and not the exaggerated idealized behavior of utopian works or the base-animal aspirations of cyberpunk novels.

Many of the Strugatskys' books have been screened with varying degrees of success, and many stories have served as the basis for the creation of video games. The world of one of the most successful Ukrainian-made first-person shooters - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. although it is not officially associated with the work of these two science fiction writers, many components are clearly drawn from the novel Roadside Picnic and the story The Forgotten Experiment.

A distinctive feature of the author is the ability to write equally interesting and exciting in almost completely different genres. This can be seen on the example of the Hyperion's Songs tetralogy, where narratives that are completely different in style harmoniously complement each other and gradually shed light on the motives of the characters' actions. Each of the six stories told by the pilgrims on their way to the Tombs of Time could well be considered an independent work.

In third place in the ranking is a British writer who has a huge impact on the younger generation of science fiction readers, the influence of JK Rowling's work on interest in reading science fiction and drawing attention to literature in general. The popularity of her series of Harry Potter novels among children and adults, as well as the money raised by film adaptations of books and video game publishers based on the seven novels in the series, allow not to pay much attention to some clearly underdeveloped moments of the world of wizards. The commercial success of the novels is simply incredible - eleven million copies of the book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" were sold in just a day, which makes it the fastest-selling book in history.

The second position in the list is awarded to one of the most famous science fiction writers, whose work for decades to come predetermined the direction of the genre and had a huge impact on the work of subsequent generations of science fiction writers - this is Robert Anson Heinlein.

The pages of his books touch on many topical philosophical and social topics: individualism, libertarianism, the responsibility of a person to society and society to a person, the imperfection of political and social systems, the role of science, religion and family in the life of an individual and humanity as a whole, the reasons for the formation and development dictatorships and many others. In Heinlein's work, each reader will be able to find something for himself, because the works he created can vary greatly, depending on the period of the writer's work.

The well-deserved first place is occupied by the creator of the fictional world of Arda, John Tolkien. It is difficult to name another fantasy world that could compete with Middle-earth in terms of popularity and attractiveness for the widest circle of admirers. On the basis of Tolkien's books, ideas, artificial languages, a subculture that is quite popular in our time has developed. How many devoted followers and admirers, perhaps, not a single science fiction writer has.

So many fantastic books have now been written that it is impossible to read them all in one human life. Even if you devote all your time to this, a person still lives too little to master the entire cumulative volume of such works.

Due to the large selection, avid readers often delve into the literary "garbage" and cannot choose a worthy thing to read. Meanwhile, at the present moment, not just many fantastic books have been written, but many good, simply excellent fantastic books. Some of them became not only recognized masterpieces in their genre, but also influenced the development of literature in general.

American science fiction writers of the 20th century stood at the origins of the genre. Along with their British colleagues, they practically created science fiction, made it massive and extremely popular. Some of them were included in the list of "masters of science fiction". And if you count yourself among the lovers of reading in general and the genre we are considering in particular, then be sure to get acquainted with these writers and their the best works.

Dan Simmons

Dan Simmons (date of birth - 04/04/1948) is a modern American science fiction writer who does not give preference to any one literary direction. From his pen came out books in the genre of fantasy, classic science fiction, horror, thriller, historical novel and action-packed detective. But above all, Dan Simmons is known as the author of one of the best space operas - the tetralogy "Songs of Hyperion".

Here are his most significant works:

"Songs of Hyperion":

1. "Hyperion" (1989).
2. "The Fall of Hyperion" (1990).
3. "Endymion" (1996).
4. Endymion Rising (1997).

The short story “Orphans of the Spiral”, published in 1990, also belongs to this cycle.

"Darwin's Razor" (2000) is an action-packed detective story flavored with a fair amount of black humor. A book about the confrontation between a famous expert on car accidents and the Russian mafia.

"Terror" (2007) - two genres are organically intertwined in this work - a historical novel and a mystical thriller with horror elements. The plot was based true story about the tragic expedition of the ships "Terror" and "Erebos", but the author added to the plot, in addition to the quite plausible struggle of the crew with the Arctic cold and lack of food, also an attack on people by a huge monster. In March 2018, the TV series based on the novel The Terror began to air.

Trilogy "Night":

1. "Summer of the Night" (1991).
2. "Children of the Night" (1992).
3. "Winter Ghosts" (2002).

The first and third books are connected by plot and common characters. All works belong to the horror genre.

Octavia Butler

This writer has become an iconic figure in African American culture. Her work is an amazing mixture of science fiction, historical fiction, African American literature and feminist ideas. She is one of the few women science fiction writers who have received worldwide recognition. Octavia Butler (June 22, 1947-February 24, 2006) was the recipient of numerous awards, including two Hugo and two Nebula awards. Her debut novel became the most famous and recognized of all works - this is "Kin" (1979). It's about a black woman who goes back in time to save a white man and has to learn firsthand what it's like to be a slave. Interestingly, the book was rejected several times due to the fact that it raised a topic that was customary to hush up. But today this work is included in the compulsory reading program in almost all colleges in the United States.

Here are some more of Octavia Butler's best pieces:

1. "Fledgling" (2005).

2. Cycle "Xenogenesis":

• "Dawn" (1987).
• “Rituals of adulthood (1988).
• "Imago" (1989).

3. Cycle "Proverbs":

• "The Parable of the Sower" (1993).
• "The Parable of the Talents" (1998).

Octavia Butler also wrote five works, united under the name Patternist.

If you remember all the masters of science fiction, you can not fail to mention Kurt Vonnegut. "Cat's Cradle" is the author's most famous novel, which brought him worldwide popularity. The plot of the work is based on the fact that scientists managed to invent a new, previously unknown substance - ice 9. Just one crystal of modified water turns an entire reservoir into a block of ice, and any leak threatens to turn into a global catastrophe.

The writer's work organically combines science fiction with elements of the grotesque and parable. Vonnegut considered himself a humanist and therefore, in many of his works, he touched on the themes of the responsibility of the world of science for the latest discoveries and their impact on the planet.

In addition to Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut (11/11/1922 - 04/11/2007) wrote many novels and short stories, among which the following can be highlighted:

1. "Sirens of Titan" (1959).
2. "Mechanical Piano" (1952) - in Russian translation "Utopia".
3. "Slaughterhouse No. 5" (1969) is the author's second most important novel, which reflected his military past.
4. "Time Crash" (1997) is a work that has left a noticeable mark on American literature.

Books by Isaac Asimov occupy an honorable place in the golden fund of world literature. "I, Robot" (1950), "Bicentennial Man" (1957), "Robots of Dawn" are not just stories and novels, they are the best examples of social fiction prose. They have long been considered iconic, and hundreds of other writers have used terms such as "laws of robotics" and "Asimov's robots."

The books of Isaac Asimov (01/02/1920-04/06/1992) are not immediately addictive - the narration is leisurely, detailed, and the reader is completely immersed in the book gradually. But after the "buildup" there is a complete merger.

In addition to the novels mentioned, Isaac Asimov's should definitely read:

1. "Foundation" (1951) or "Academy" is an unfinished cycle of novels that other science fiction authors continued to write.
2. A series of fantasy detective novels and short stories about police officer Elijah Bailey and humanoid robot Daniel Olivo (this also includes Dawn's Robots).
3. "The Gods Themselves" (1972).

Asimov's most notable contribution to world literature is his understanding of the problem of confrontation between artificial intelligence and man. Some of the scientists predict that the conclusions made by the author will help to avoid many mistakes in the future.

Stephen King

It is difficult to find a more eminent, popular, readable and filmed American science fiction writer than Stephen King. Some critics estimate his literary talent rather low, considering him the author of second-rate horror novels. Not bad, but not relevant to literature in general.

However, it cannot be denied that Stephen King is number one on the list of American science fiction writers today. He became a phenomenon in the writing world. Stephen King is super popular and very prolific, so every year he pleases fans with new releases. And his novels are distinguished by a detailed study of characters, so that the reader perceives them as living people. And although there are many unpleasant "physiological" details in the books, they are quite forgivable.

Stephen King - laureate of the set literary prizes(“Bram Stoker”, “World Fantasy Award”, “For Contribution to World Fiction”, etc.). Among his works, the best are:

1. The Dark Tower cycle (1982-2012) - eight novels connected by a single plot. A cult item, an object of veneration for many fans around the world. References to this work are found in many of the author's novels. Screened, but extremely unsuccessful.
2. "Shine" (1977). A novel about an old hotel with bloodthirsty ghosts, in which the caretaker's family, cut off from the whole world, spends the winter. The work has been filmed several times.
3. "It" (1985) is a two-volume book about a scary monster clown who kills children. Screened twice.
4. Dreamcatcher (2001) is a fantasy novel about an alien invasion.
5. "The Green Mile" (1996).
6. "Under the dome" (2009).
7. "Confrontation" (1978) - the superflu virus almost destroyed the human race, and a handful of survivors must fight back against the forces of evil.

In addition to novels, the writer wrote many short stories and published several author's collections.

Clifford Simak

Clifford Simak is America's greatest science fiction writer. A distinctive feature of his works is faith in reason, in a good beginning for people or non-humans, a call for the unification of mankind and cooperation between all sentient beings. His best works are:

1. "City" (1953) - live on the land of the future intelligent dogs and robots. Only ancient legends remained about people. The writer for this novel received the International Science Fiction Award.
2. "Photo of the Battle of the Marathon" - the author's collection of stories.
3. "Live by the highest mercy" - the novel describes the games of the supermind to create a better civilization by selecting candidates from different times and worlds.
4. Goblin Sanctuary is an amazing mix of fantasy and sci-fi that has room for ghosts, Neanderthals, space travel and a mysterious artifact.
5. "What could be simpler than time" (1961) - in the future, a person can send only his mind to other planets. But one of the travelers came back different.

Robert Heinlein is one of the most famous American science fiction writers, who largely determined the "face" of modern science fiction. He was repeatedly awarded the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards. And he is the only author to win the Hugo Award 5 times for novels and twice more for other literary works.

The best books by Robert Hanlein:

1. The cycle "The World as a Myth" is a tetralogy about the multiverses.
2. Starship Troopers (1959) is a parody novel of a militarized society. Moreover, the parody is so subtle that it was not immediately recognized, and for quite a long time the author was accused of promoting ideas about a “police state”.
3. "Stepsons of the Universe" (1963).
4. A Tunnel in the Sky (1955) is a work about cadets stranded on an alien planet with no way to return home.
5. "Double Star" (1956).
6. Time Enough for Love (1973).

Robert Sheckley is a small form maestro in fantasy literature. Several hundred original stories came out from his pen, which surprise not only with unexpected plot twists, but also with the abyss of black humor and satire. Reading at least a few of them is a top priority for any fan of science fiction. They can be found in one of 13 author's collections.

But besides short stories, Robert Sheckley also wrote several novels. The most famous among them are: Immortality Corporation (1958) and Mind Exchange (1965).

Philip K. Dick

Philip Dick (12/16/1928-03/02/1982) is an American science fiction writer whose books gained much more popularity only after the writer's death. This was largely due to the cult film "Blade Runner" (the continuation of the picture has already been released). The tape is based on the author's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (1968). In addition to him, Philip Dick must read:

1. Transmigration (1981).
2. "Blurred" (1977).
3. "Spill, Tears" (1970).
4. "Doctor Death, or How We Lived After the Bomb" (1963).

Frank Herbert

(08.11.1920-11.02.1986) wrote many books. But he is known and loved primarily for the "Chronicles of Dune" - a collection of six original books that combine a science fiction plot and many philosophical ideas.

He died before finishing his story. But his son Brian Herbert co-wrote the cycle with two more novels. The drafts of the writer formed the basis.

In addition, "The Chronicles of Dune" spawned about two dozen sequels from different authors.

William Gibson

(date of birth - 03/17/1948) - a famous American science fiction writer. The book Neuromancer (1984) brought him popularity, which at that time became a revelation in the world of literature and opened to readers such a genre as cyberpunk. Many of the author's works describe the influence of computers on human life. Despite the fact that the era of computerization was just emerging, William Gibson was already operating with such concepts as "cyberspace", "virtual reality" and "hackers". Most best novels author:

1. Cyberspace is a trilogy that includes Neuromancer.
2. Bridge Trilogy (1993-1999).
3. "Bigend Trilogy" (2003-2010).

Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury is a science fiction writer who is especially loved in our country. It is customary to associate it with science fiction, although the writer wrote many poems, plays and fairy tales. Most famous work author - the story "451⁰ Fahrenheit". This is a dystopia in which the author showed a world without books, without spirituality, without individuality - and therefore the reader is not at all surprised by the natural outcome.

Also, Ray Bradbury (02/22/1920-06/05/2012) is a must-read:

1. "Martian Chronicles" (1950) - a cycle of stories about the colonization of the red planet.
2. Dandelion Wine (1957) is a short story with autobiographical elements.
3. The Man in Pictures (1951) is an author's collection of 18 stories.
4. "Trouble Coming" (1962). You can also find the name "Something terrible is coming."
5. "And Thunder Rang" (1952) - a work about a hunter who, having gone on a safari to the past, accidentally kills a butterfly, thereby changing the present.

Harry Harrison

Harry Harrison (March 12, 1925-August 15, 2012) is ranked among the great American science fiction writers in terms of his merits. He is not so famous, although his works are popular all over the world. Not as famous as the same Stephen King or Ray Bradbury. But at the same time, Harry Harrison wrote what can be called classic science fiction. Moreover, all the works are written with a fair amount of humor.

The writer wrote about two hundred stories and 35 novels, the best of which are:

1. Series "Steel Rat" (1985-2010) - 11 novels about the adventures of the best thief and swindler in the Galaxy.
2. Series "Bill - Hero of the Galaxy" (1965-1992) - eight satirical novels and a story about how to become a great soldier.
3. Series "The World of Death" (1960-2001) - 9 works, some of them were written in collaboration with other writers.

Alan Dean Foster

Alan Dean Foster is that rare science fiction writer who writes in different genres, and at the same time you can read absolutely all his works. There are no weak things, but if you choose the best of the best, then you should read:

1. Series "The Adventures of Flinx" (1983 -2017). In Russia there are only the first six books, the remaining nine have not been translated or published.
2. "The Magician with a Guitar" (1983-2004) - nine novels that are one of the best fantasy sagas. All books in this series are read in one breath.
3. Series "Chelanksi Federation" - 15 works, half of them have been translated into Russian.

American science fiction books from this list are known and loved all over the world. And although many of the mentioned authors have already written their own recent books They are remembered for their works.