The 10 Best SciFi Books of 2023

“The combination of space operatics, horrors nameless and all-too-physical, alien cultural encounters, eye-crossing intrigues, serviceable villains, desperate heroics, durable loyalties, and strange but satisfying transformations makes for a complex, exhilarating ride.” – Russell Letson, Locus Magazine

“One of the most delightful aspects of Ann Leckie’s writing is the way that seemingly minor details in her fiction have extraordinary significance on much larger scales. In Leckie’s literary worldview, the smallest things often make the biggest difference.” – David M. HIggins, Los Angeles Review of Books

"The Terraformers, refreshingly, is the opposite of the dystopian... [the] mordant sense of humor steers the story clear of starry-eyed optimism, but it’s easy to imagine future generations studying this novel as a primer for how to embrace solutions to the challenges we all face." – Siobhan Adcock, Scientific American

“Fans of the Passage series have been waiting for a new Cronin since 2016, and thankfully, it was worth it; he delivers a chilling, original, and immersive stand-alone sf tale perfectly rendered for our tumultuous times.” – Becky Spratford, Booklist

“I enjoyed every moment of it, even the frustrating ones. Martha Wells has a way of writing that makes me want to crawl into the pages and live in the world she’s created. The world feels so tangible, its history bigger than the sliver we see and its cultures complex and colorful.” – Alex Brown, Tor.com

"His amiable, smart-but-schlubby protagonist has us on his side and in his pocket from the start. The plot moves like a runaway train from one outrageous shock to another. The supporting characters are all quirky and believable. And the dialogue crackles and snaps, achieving laugh-out-loud effects more often than not. Finally, the climax is unforeseeable, and the denouement truly satisfying." – Paul Di Filippo, Locus Magazine

“An immense achievement, an impeccably crafted book without a single word out of place, which manages to make several well-worn science-fictional concepts...feel fresh and tender and unprecedented. Incredibly, it somehow also begins a series.” – Amal El-Mohtar, The New York Times

"A dystopian story of climate collapse that combines a complicated cast of characters in the style of David Mitchell’s ‘Cloud Atlas’ with copious information and research in the style of Stephen King’s ‘11/22/63.’ It’s the people, not the Issues, that will keep you reading." – Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times

"A totally satisfying whodunnit featuring great clues, twists, reveals and red herrings, along with clever science-fictional concepts. In much the same way that Ross MacDonald’s mystery novels explored the hidden fault lines of Los Angeles, Kitasei uses her starship setting to show how nationalism and technology conspire to divide people, even far from home." – Charlie Jane Anders, The Washington Post

"Equal parts body horror and necromancy, the book has cinematic fast cuts and an explosive pace that make it read like a Black Mirror episode set against the Hollywood Hills... The novel is complicated in compelling ways by the racial dynamics and overt gestures toward a pandemic, as Tor Waxman spreads feverish death via unseen contagion to nearly 5,000 souls. Fast-moving action and jaw-dropping twists move this slim volume along at a dizzying rate." – Kirkus Reviews