Best Sci-Fi Series: Our 11 Picks
Our editorial picks of 11 sci-fi series with book counts, years and a link to each full reading order. Includes The Expanse, Dune and Red Rising.
How we picked
These are our own picks, not a ranking of quality. Each series has at least 3 books, a full reading order on this site checked against two sources, and a place in our reviewed genre group. They are listed by how often people search for their reading order where we have that number, then by number of books.
1.The Expanse
By James S. A. Corey: 18 books, published 2011–2022.
The Expanse (2015-2022) is a TV adaptation of the novels, six seasons on Syfy and then Amazon Prime Video.
2.Old Man's War
By John Scalzi: 10 books, published 2005–2025.
3.Safehold
By David Weber: 10 books, published 2007–2019.
4.Foundation
By Isaac Asimov: 7 books, published 1951–1993.
Apple TV+'s Foundation is very loosely based on the books.
5.Dune
By Frank Herbert: 6 books, published 1965–1985.
6.Red Rising Saga
By Pierce Brown: 6 books, published 2014–2023.
7.Formic Wars
By Orson Scott Card: 5 books, published 2012–2019.
8.The Long Earth
By Terry Pratchett: 5 books, published 2012–2016.
9.The Robot Series
By Isaac Asimov: 5 books, published 1950–1985.
10.The Interdependency
By John Scalzi: 3 books, published 2017–2020.
11.Shongairi
By David Weber: 3 books, published 2010–2024.