BookTok: The best science fiction book recommendations

Science fiction may not be as dominant as other genres in the world of BookTok, but there are still plenty of compelling picks from the community that you can't miss.

BookTok has several worthwhile sci-fi favorites.
BookTok has several worthwhile sci-fi favorites.  © Unsplash/@helloimnik

Amid all the fantasy and romance recommendations, TikTok's sci-fi picks stand out as compelling and innovative takes on the classic genre.

From dystopian futures to virtual reality utopias, these reads will transport you to another world with action-packed adventures and stunning prose.

No sci-fi TBR is complete without these BookTok favorites!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One was adapted as a film directed by Steven Spielberg in 2018.
Ready Player One was adapted as a film directed by Steven Spielberg in 2018.  © screenshot/Instagram/@livslittlereads

Ready Player One is set in the year 2045 where a virtual utopia called the OASIS is the ideal escape from reality.

Protagonist Wade Watts enters the OASIS on the hunt for an Easter egg left behind by a creator of the game, who promised a hefty reward for the seeker.

This sci-fi story is a thrilling adventure through the landscape of the incredibly well-crafted world of the OASIS.

With an endless stream of pop culture references, this book is a love letter to nerds everywhere.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

The Red Rising series is set to have seven installments.
The Red Rising series is set to have seven installments.  © screenshot/Instagram/@books_boards_and_brews

Pierce Brown's dystopian series Red Rising first began back in 2014. Since then, it has only grown in popularity on social media.

Red Rising depicts a color-coded society set in a dystopian future. The protagonist Darrow is a Red who works to make Mars habitable for the coming generations.

Darrow soon discovers the disturbing truth that humans have already reached Mars and have been inhabiting it for generations now.

Pushing for justice, Darrow embarks on a thrilling quest as he challenges the ruling Gold caste.

Don't hesitate to get to started on this riveting series!

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

V.E. Schwab is one of BookTok's most-loved authors.
V.E. Schwab is one of BookTok's most-loved authors.  © screenshot/Instagram/@kait.reads.books

Comic book fans will absolutely adore V.E. Schwab's Vicious, a sci-fi adventure that explores the ethics of superpowers.

Vicious follows former friends Victor and Eli who worked together in college to develop experiments that can create superhuman abilities.

Drawing parallels to X-Men's Professor X and Magneto, the pair develop vastly different beliefs about superheroism.

Schwab creates a compulsively-readable tale that will evoke burning questions about what it truly means to be good or evil, challenging many of the preconceived notions that serve as a foundation for today's superhero tales.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

The Grace Year was released in 2019.
The Grace Year was released in 2019.  © screenshot/Instagram/@avidreaderali

The Hunger Games meets The Handmaid's Tale in this unforgettable dystopian read.

The Grace Year imagines a future in which girls are banished for a year at the age of sixteen in order to purify themselves in the wild before marriage.

The wild holds more threats than the girls can imagine as this haunting thriller brutally reflects the impact of patriarchal systems in the real world.

You won't be able to put this one down – we promise!

Buckle up for some epic adventures with these BookTok favorites!

Cover photo: Unsplash/@helloimnik

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