7 Sci-Fi Books Better Than Dune - Sophisticated Bitch

Dune is considered by many to be the greatest science fiction novel ever written, but there are a handful of books that are arguably even better. Frank Herbert’s science fiction masterpiece has found renewed attention in recent years thanks to Denis Villeneuve’s incredible movies, and the third and final chapter of his filmic saga is set for release this year.

Still, Dune is, first and foremost, an incredible novel. Authors like Brandon Sanderson have called it their favorite book, and it remains an undisputedly influential masterpiece. Works like Star Wars, Mad Max, Game of Thrones, and many more clearly drew inspiration from the classic novel, which tells the story of Paul Atreides leading an uprising on Arrakis.

While Dune is a classic novel, there are questions concerning the material being adapted for Dune: Part Three, and even what could inspire a possible Dune 4 down the line. While the first Dune novel is a certain classic, the sequels have been far more divisive. Even Dune Messiah, the inspiration behind the next film, has met some controversy.

Regardless, Dune is a must-read and is one of the best science fiction novels ever written. But there are a handful of other important works in the genre, released both before and after, that can make a case for being even better. These seven novels do the best job of fighting for the title of best science fiction novel ever.

Hyperion Cantos (1989-1997)

In the realm of high concept, literary space operas, only the Hyperion novels rise to the level of the Dune novels, and arguably even transcend them. Based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, Hyperion sees a voyage of travelers on their way to the Time Tombs of the planet Hyperion to make a wish to the terrifying Shrike.

The story unfolds like classic fixup science fiction novels, which assemble short stories into a larger narrative. Each member of the expedition tells about their lives and their motivations, using facets of all kinds of writing and fiction. Diverse and powerful, these culminate into one of the best science fiction stories ever told.

The four books of the Cantos are desperately in need of a TV adaptation, and it seems likely that one will eventually come to pass. The rights have cycled around for years, and someone will eventually find the best way to put this powerful tale on either the big screen or the small one.

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)

The Penguin books cover of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four — The Penguin books cover of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four

One of the most important novels of the 20th century, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is a very different kind of novel from Dune, although the two do contend with some of the same ideas. While Orwell’s story is set squarely on Earth, it similarly deals with concepts of corrupted rule.

The path toward these dystopian visions of the future often begins with charismatic leadership, as is clearly shown in Dune. Control and power pervert, and seeing the results of these is important. Orwell explores these in his novel by looking at the dangers of surveillance, and how it leads to ideological monitoring.

Nineteen Eighty-Four is often cited as a comparison to nearly every dystopian development that occurs in the real world, but this just speaks to the novel’s extraordinary prescience. More timely than ever, Orwell’s 1949 novel remains a must-read work of fiction that can still help to shape the future.

Childhood’s End (1953)

Book cover of Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End — Book cover of Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End

Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End presents a unique and superficially utopian vision of a future. Aliens invade Earth peacefully to stop humans from causing their own extinction and set up a functional order of their own. The Overlords create a perfect idea of Earth with no poverty or crime, but this comes at a huge cost.

In order for this to work, humanity must give up all of its culture and individuality. These are viewed as elements of humanity’s childhood by the Overlords, who foster this new era of life. The story culminates with a powerful evolution, and the eventual end of the human species as they have been known.

A very cerebral work that is more idea than character-focused, Clarke’s novel is among the best science fiction novels ever written.

Cloud Atlas (2004)

The best science fiction novels are the ones that use the genre’s trappings to tell original and thoughtful stories without feeling too tied to what one might expect from a science fiction novel. David Mitchell’s 2004 classic Cloud Atlas, which was later turned into a film by the Wachowskis, is one of the best examples of this.

Telling a series of loosely connected stories, from the early 19th century to the post-apocalyptic future, the novel confronts ideas of interconnectedness through various time periods and lives. The concept of reincarnation connects the various stories, with figures appearing in different forms throughout time.

Mitchell is one of the best writers working today, and has since released other unusual genre fiction, especially with his 2014 novel The Bone Clocks. However, it is Cloud Atlas that remains not just his best work, but arguably the best book of the 21st century thus far.

Ender’s Game (1985)

Ender Wiggin floats on the cover of Ender's Game novel — Ender Wiggin floats on the cover of Ender’s Game novel

Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game is a stunning novel that would go on to establish its author as one of the best science fiction writers of his era. An inspiration for works like The Hunger Games and Harry Potter, Ender’s Game tells the story of Andrew “Ender” Wiggin as he attends an elite battle school for children.

The story features a brutal twist at its end, as well as creative contemplation on the value of life and what constitutes exploitation. The world that Card creates is a genuinely creative one, and would go on to be explored more fully in later sequels, especially in the Ender’s Shadow section of the timeline.

Ender’s Game has received a film, and a fairly decent one. However, it is hard to live up to how entertaining and thoughtful this original science fiction work is. A novel for all audiences, Ender’s Game is an equally compelling and far more accessible work of science fiction than Dune.

Foundation (1951)

It is truly a glorious time for adaptations of science fiction novels, as alongside the incredible Dune films, Apple TV’s Foundation, an epic and ambitious work inspired by Isaac Asimov’s classic novels, is being made. However, the books themselves, including the original 1951 fixup novel Foundation, are even better than anything put on screen.

Asimov is one of the best science fiction writers of all time, and while ambitious works like I, Robot are excellent, it is Foundation that is most rife with ideas and spectacle. Quieter and more thoughtful than most works in the genre, Asimov contends with the important preservation of a Galactic Empire as it faces destruction.

Pioneering an intriguing concept of psychohistory, Foundation flexes the bounds of its format by telling five connected stories over the course of more than a thousand years. This makes for a genuinely thoughtful look at history, knowledge, and the importance of preservation over time.

Slaughterhouse-Five, Or The Children’s Crusade: A Duty Dance With Death (1969)

The cover of the Slaughterhouse-Five graphic novel with a body being abducted by aliens

Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five might be the best science fiction novel ever written, which is a difficult idea to contend with when recognizing that it is perhaps not a science fiction novel at all. Contending with PTSD from the Bombing of Dresden in 1945, the book’s protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, becomes unstuck in time and goes through his life non-linearly.

Billy appears to be abducted by aliens from Tralfamadore, where he is placed in a human zoo alongside actress Montana Wildhack. While the absurd and creative elements of the novel and especially its examinations of free will are entertaining, there appears to be much going on behind the scenes.

Many readers see the events of Slaughterhouse-Five as manifestations of PTSD, rather than actually occurring to Billy. This grounded lens makes for an interesting read on the novel. Either way, it is exciting that, in the years after Dune, other fantastic writers have been able to craft such strong and unique science fiction stories.