What To Read

In a genre often driven by spectacle, some science fiction seeks answers to deeper questions—about empathy, humanity, ecosystems, and the future of civilization. If, like us, your go-to author for books like this is Ursula K. Le Guin and you've already devoured her complete oeuvre, these 10 novels – which blend imaginative worldbuilding with philosophical and intellectual depth, emotional nuance, and visionary storytelling – may scratch a similar itch.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Set in a near-future America ravaged by climate collapse and social unraveling, Parable of the Sower follows a teenage girl with a unique sensitivity to others’ pain who crafts a new spiritual vision—Earthseed—amidst chaos. First published in 1993, Butler’s prescient novel continues to resonate as both a survival story and philosophical manifesto. A New York Times bestseller that surged in popularity decades after its release, it's a cornerstone of Afrofuturism and one of the most influential dystopian novels of all time.

The New Yorker wrote, "In the ongoing contest over which dystopian classic is most applicable to our time, Octavia Butler's 'Parable' books may be unmatched."

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

The world ends, again and again, in the Broken Earth trilogy’s explosive opener. On a planet plagued by cataclysmic seismic events, a woman searches for her missing daughter while society fractures along lines of power and prejudice. Winner of the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Novel, The Fifth Season blends literary craftsmanship with breathtaking speculative vision. Jemisin became the first author to win the Hugo three years in a row—for every book in the trilogy.

The New York Times said, "The Fifth Season invites us to imagine a dismantling of the earth in both the literal and the metaphorical sense, and suggests the possibility of a richer and more fundamental escape. The end of the world becomes a triumph when the world is monstrous, even if what lies beyond is difficult to conceive for those who are trapped inside it."

You can shop the full trilogy here.

Semiosis by Sue Burke

This acclaimed novel, which Esquire named one of the best science fiction books of all time, takes plants seriously as sentient lifeforms, Semiosis chronicles multiple generations of human colonists as they learn to coexist—often uneasily—with an intelligent, manipulative alien flora on the planet Pax. A finalist for the Locus Award, Burke’s novel is a riveting exploration of symbiosis, diplomacy, and non-human intelligence. It offers illuminating perspectives on power, communication, and survival, all rooted in biology as much as metaphor.

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

One of the most audacious thought experiments in recent science fiction, Children of Time imagines the rise of an intelligent spider civilization on a terraformed world abandoned by humanity. As evolution unfolds over millennia, humans return to discover they are no longer the apex species. Winner of the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke Award, this novel blends hard science with epic storytelling and asks timeless questions about civilization, hierarchy, and what it means to be human.

Grimdark Magazine hailed it as "600-pages of extraordinary, evolution-based science fiction that features quality storytelling and worldbuilding that is rarely seen in this generation... one of the best science fiction books I’ve ever read"

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

The first volume of Robinson’s acclaimed Mars trilogy, Red Mars is a monumental tale of colonization, political idealism, and scientific ambition. It follows a group of scientists and engineers tasked with transforming the Red Planet into a new home for humanity—but not without conflict. Winner of the Nebula Award and a Hugo nominee, this book offers rigorous speculation on terraforming and environmental ethics with the depth of a sociopolitical epic.

A Door Into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski

On the ocean-covered planet Shora, an all-female, pacifist society has thrived through ecological harmony and genetic science. When imperial forces threaten their way of life, their resistance challenges traditional notions of power. A Door Into Ocean won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and is celebrated for its radical vision of nonviolent resistance, feminist society, and bioethical philosophy. It remains one of the most original works of social science fiction. Fans of Le Guin's The Dispossessed may be especially interested in checking this one out.

The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

Newitz (author of Autonomous) crafts a bold, inclusive vision of planetary stewardship, where everything—from moose to AIs—has agency and voice. Spanning millennia on a newly terraformed planet, this smart, hopeful, and wildly imaginative book is one of the most forward-thinking climate fiction books in recent years. The novel incorporates explorations of urban planning, ecological restoration, sentient animals, and a unique vision of a post-capitalist future.

The Los Angeles Times' Mark Athitakis called it, "An ingenious, galaxy-brain book" and "the best novel you’ll read this year about a tragic romance between two moose-like creatures."

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

In a peaceful future where robots have left human society behind, a tea monk and a robot meet in the wilderness to ask: What do people need? This gentle, philosophical novella is the first in the Monk & Robot series and won the Hugo Award for Best Novella. Chambers writes with warmth and wisdom, offering a vision of post-collapse harmony that challenges the dystopian norm. It’s soft, hopeful science fiction with deep emotional resonance.

Linda H. Codega wrote for Tor, "I can only hope that the future humanity builds out of the rubble resembles the world in A Psalm for the Wild-Built."

The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler

When a genetically unique species of octopus begins to show signs of language and culture, a reclusive scientist is sent to study them on a restricted archipelago. Blending cutting-edge neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and marine biology, The Mountain in the Sea is a cerebral and suspenseful novel about consciousness, ethics, and the limits of human understanding. Winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel and a finalist for the Nebula Award, it’s an oceanic meditation on the alien minds among us.

The New Scientist wrote glowingly, "[The Mountain in the Sea] has the clothes of a futuristic, eco-punk or cyberpunk thriller, the guts of a philosophy seminar and the soul of a religious tract."

The Employees by Olga Ravn

Told through fragmented statements from human and non-human crew members aboard a distant spaceship, this short, surreal novel offers a profound reflection on work, identity, and artificial consciousness. A finalist for the International Booker Prize, The Employees defies genre categorization, functioning as both science fiction and philosophical art project. Writing in the New York Review of Books, Laura Miller called this strange, evocative short novel, "Gnomic and elliptical where most science fiction is expository." With its spare prose and existential questions, it’s a haunting exploration of what makes a life meaningful.

These novels aren’t just science fiction—they’re bold exercises in imagining different futures, societies, and relationships between humans and the cosmos. Whether through sentient plants, terraformed planets, or interspecies dialogues, each book on this list reminds us that speculative fiction can be both deeply intellectual and emotionally rich.

Looking for sci-fi that expands your mind and heart? These 10 visionary books are perfect for readers who crave stories that challenge norms and imagine radically better—or radically stranger—worlds.