The Fantasy Review’s list of 9 Incredible Classic Science Fiction Book Series You Should Explore.
Dune by Frank Herbert
From the blurb of book 1:
Paul Atreides, son of Duke Leto Atreides, and all of his family have been sent to the planet Arrakis, having been outmanoeuvred by their arch-enemy Baron Harkonnen.
Arrakis – also known as Dune – is an arid place, but a planet of fabulous wealth, the only source of a drug prized throughout the Galactic Empire: Spice.
What will happen next will change everything. There are secrets on Dune, known only to the planet’s native people, the Fremen. They have been waiting for their moment to make their move….
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
From the blurb of book 1:
For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future—to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save humankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire—both scientists and scholars—and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.…
Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold
From the blurb of book 1:
When Cordelia Naismith and her survey crew are attacked by a renegade group from Barrayar, she is taken prisoner by Aral Vorkosigan, commander of the Barrayan ship that has been taken over by an ambitious and ruthless crew member. Aral and Cordelia survive countless mishaps while their mutual admiration and even stronger feelings emerge.…
The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
From the blurb of book 1:
Severian is a torturer, born to the guild and with an exceptionally promising career ahead of him . . . until he falls in love with one of his victims, a beautiful young noblewoman.
Her excruciations are delayed for some months and, out of love, Severian helps her commit suicide and escape her fate. For a torturer, there is no more unforgivable act. In punishment he is exiled from the guild and his home city to the distant metropolis of Thrax with little more than Terminus Est, a fabled sword, to his name….
Heechee Saga by Frederik Pohl
From the blurb of book 1:
Seeded among the stars are troves of valuable artifactsleft behind by the enigmatic, long-vanished alien racecalled the Heechee. For the right price, anyone can climb aboard one of the abandoned Heechee spaceships, castoff on an autopilot voyage to parts unknown, and takea chance on finding wealth . . . or facing death.…
Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin
From the blurb of book 1:
These three spacefaring adventures mark the beginning of grand master Ursula K. Le Guin’s remarkable career. Set in the same universe as Le Guin’s groundbreaking classics The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed, these first three books of the celebrated Hainish Series follow travelers of many worlds and civilizations in the depths of space.…
Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons
From the blurb of book 1:
On the world called Hyperion, beyond the reach of galactic law, waits a creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all.…
Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
From the blurb of book 1:
The discovery of a black monolith on the moon leads to a manned expedition deep into the solar system, in the hope of establishing contact with an alien intelligence. Yet long before the crew can reach their destination, the voyage descends into disaster . . .
The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
From the blurb of book 1:
Exiled to the Shadows for centuries, a man more than mortal awakens in an Earth hospital with no memory of his past—and is surrounded by enemies who hunger for his destruction. For Corwin is of The blood—the rightful successor to the throne of the real world. But to rule, he must conquer impossible realities & demonic assassins… and survive the ruthless machinations of the most insidious malevolence his own family.…
