List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

Science Fiction for People Who Don't Like Science Fiction

Our maverick English teacher and genre enthusiast takes on those readers who "can't stand all that Star Wars crap" by presenting 50 works that, while nominally Science Fiction, are also so much else. Some are respected classics of the SF field; some are SF tropes recast as literary fiction or other genres, such as suspense or thriller; some are huge best sellers; some are utterly unclassifiable. All of them, however, in some way expand, alter, or redefine SF, and for that reason are all worth reading.
1,796 users · 8,130 views
 
made by James Loranger
avg. score: 5 of 50 (10%)
required scores: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 2
Blackout (Connie Willis)
Blackout
1
Connie Willis
All Clear (Connie Willis)
All Clear
2
Connie Willis
Alas, Babylon
Alas, Babylon
3
Bid Time Return
Bid Time Return
4
The Body Snatchers (Jack Finney)
The Body Snatchers
5
Jack Finney
BUG JACK BARRON Norman Spinrad
BUG JACK BARRON Norman Spinrad
6
Calculating God
Calculating God
7
Camp Concentration
Camp Concentration
8
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)
A Canticle for Leibowitz
9
Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Cat's Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut)
Cat's Cradle
10
Kurt Vonnegut
Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)
Cloud Atlas
11
David Mitchell
Corrupting Dr. Nice (John Kessel)
Corrupting Dr. Nice
12
John Kessel
Dark Matter (Blake Crouch)
Dark Matter
13
Blake Crouch
The Death of Grass (John Christopher)
The Death of Grass
14
John Christopher
Deception Point (Dan Brown)
Deception Point
15
Dan Brown
Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
16
Discworld Series
Discworld Series
17
Doomsday Book (Willis)
Doomsday Book
18
Willis
Dying Inside (Robert Silverberg)
Dying Inside
19
Robert Silverberg
Fail-Safe
Fail-Safe
20
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said (Philip K Dick)
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
21
Philip K Dick
Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)
Flowers for Algernon
22
Daniel Keyes
Good Morning Midnight (Lily Brooks-Dalton)
Good Morning Midnight
23
Lily Brooks-Dalton
Good News From Outer Space (John Kessel)
Good News From Outer Space
24
John Kessel
The Hemingway Hoax (Haldeman)
The Hemingway Hoax
25
Haldeman
Ice (Anna Kavan)
Ice
26
Anna Kavan
Invisible Cities (Italo Calvino)
Invisible Cities
27
Italo Calvino
The Listeners (James Gunn)
The Listeners
28
James Gunn
Little Green Men (Buckley)
Little Green Men
29
Buckley
Lucifer's Hammer (Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle)
Lucifer's Hammer
30
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
The Man Who Folded Himself (David Gerrold)
The Man Who Folded Himself
31
David Gerrold
The Midwich Cuckoos
The Midwich Cuckoos
32
On the Beach (Nevil Shute)
On the Beach
33
Nevil Shute
Pattern Recognition (William Gibson)
Pattern Recognition
34
William Gibson
Perdido Street Station (China Mieville)
Perdido Street Station
35
China Mieville
The Plague (Albert Camus)
The Plague
36
Albert Camus
The Puppet Masters (Robert a Heinlein)
The Puppet Masters
37
Robert a Heinlein
Recursion (Blake Crouch)
Recursion
38
Blake Crouch
The Road (Cormac McCarthy)
The Road
39
Cormac McCarthy
The Satan Bug (MacLean)
The Satan Bug
40
MacLean
Page 1 of 2
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'Science Fiction for People Who Don't Like Science Fiction'
Science Fiction Movies for a Non-Science Fiction Fan
Science Fiction Movies for a Non-Science Fiction Fan
310
50
10 Science Fiction Books to Read If You Hate Science Fiction
10 Science Fiction Books to Read If You Hate Science Fiction
269
10
Speculative Fiction — Epics, Fantasy, Science Fiction and More!
Speculative Fiction — Epics, Fantasy, Science Fiction and More!
876
224
The Favoritest of SFF Books (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction)
The Favoritest of SFF Books (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction)
750
253
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Speculative Fiction
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Speculative Fiction
597
254
SFF by Black Authors (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Horror)
SFF by Black Authors (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Horror)
385
150
All of the Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction That Rachel Has Read
All of the Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction That Rachel Has Read
357
90
Fantastic Fiction's Top 100 Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror Authors
Fantastic Fiction's Top 100 Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror Authors
309
100
Our 2024 Picks: International Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction
Our 2024 Picks: International Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction
82
24
20 Science Fiction Movies That Don't Get Talked About Enough
20 Science Fiction Movies That Don't Get Talked About Enough
152
20
NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books
NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books
208,219
100
50 Must-See Science Fiction Movies
50 Must-See Science Fiction Movies
120,772
50
100 Science Fiction Movies of the 50s 60s
100 Science Fiction Movies of the 50s 60s
12,689
100
100 Fantasy and Science Fiction Books by Women
100 Fantasy and Science Fiction Books by Women
10,444
100
Classic Science Fiction Books
Classic Science Fiction Books
4,852
60
NPR's Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books
NPR's Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books
4,629
100
Science Fiction Books Everyone Should Read
Science Fiction Books Everyone Should Read
4,431
80
Amazon's 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime
Amazon's 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime
4,409
100
Sci-Fi Lists Top 100 Science Fiction Books
Sci-Fi Lists Top 100 Science Fiction Books
3,878
100
The 69 Worst Science Fiction Movies of All Time, According to Critics
The 69 Worst Science Fiction Movies of All Time, According to Critics
3,438
69
22 Books That Changed Science Fiction and Fantasy Forever
22 Books That Changed Science Fiction and Fantasy Forever
3,294
22
50 Science Fiction Novels That Everyone Should Read
50 Science Fiction Novels That Everyone Should Read
3,777
50
75 Essential Classic Science Fiction Novels
75 Essential Classic Science Fiction Novels
3,133
75
75 Banned Science Fiction and Fantasy Books
75 Banned Science Fiction and Fantasy Books
3,139
75
Rotten Tomatoes' Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Movies
Rotten Tomatoes' Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Movies
2,730
100
The 100 Best Science Fiction Movies of All Time, According to Critics
The 100 Best Science Fiction Movies of All Time, According to Critics
2,661
100
101 Science Fiction TV Shows
101 Science Fiction TV Shows
2,632
101
Science Fiction and Fantasy (Part 5 of 'The Guardian's 1000 Novels Everyone Should Read')
Science Fiction and Fantasy (Part 5 of 'The Guardian's 1000 Novels Everyone Should Read')
2,635
149
Filmstarts' Top 80 Science Fiction Movies of All Time (2019 Edition)
Filmstarts' Top 80 Science Fiction Movies of All Time (2019 Edition)
2,238
80
Best Science-Fiction Movies of All Time - Filmweb's Alternative Top 100 (2020 Edition)
Best Science-Fiction Movies of All Time - Filmweb's Alternative Top 100 (2020 Edition)
2,185
100
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN