The best science fiction books that will mess with your head

Ubik is one of the first Sci-Fi novels I read and has stuck with me the most. Moreso than Dune and any of the others I read during my first heady introduction to the genre where I was devouring any and everything my library had in that area. Dick created such a trippy but believable world I questioned my own reality for weeks after reading this book. Set in the future (for him since he was writing in the first half of the 20th century) in a world where we have colonized the moon and psychic powers are common, death is almost always preventable. Half-life is a thing and nothing is ever as it seems. I can’t describe more without giving it away but if you like your sci-fi with a heaping helping of psychological thriller, this is one to pick up. It’s a classic for a reason folks. You won’t be disappointed.

As a child of the 80s, when Earth Day became a thing, a book set in the future that questioned human supremacy seemed a sure bet for a good time. Picking up this novel by Quinn when it was released a couple of years after I graduated high school was enough to shake the foundations of my personal system of beliefs and fire my imagination for what might be possible if only humans learned. The book itself is written as a conversation between the main character and the student he advertises for in the newspaper. The subject matter of their conversation and the asides about the world they live in make for solid speculative fiction storytelling despite its esoteric leaning roots. If anyone asks me for a book recommendation, I start with this one. It crosses genres despite belonging to the speculative fiction niche. If you haven’t picked this one up, do it. Love it or hate it after you read it you will remember it.

Released in 2018, Foe is a book recommended to me by a friend who said – Oh, you like trippy fiction, check this out. The premise of the book has been done before – Invasion of the Body Snatchers et al. You got a guy who has a double he didn’t agree to or know about at first. But the twist here is something that grabs you by the throat and makes you stop after some of the chapters and go – man that’s not right- before reading on. I started reading this at night. Put it aside and finished it during the day in one sitting. It was good. But it also made my stomach clench uncomfortably and sent me down too many rabbit holes of thought. It is very entertaining and you will not be unhappy spending your time with this tale.

This book is so good it is insane. That being said, it will definitely mess with your head. Picture it, you’re a political prisoner doing forced labor and stumble on secret communications with aliens. Your planet is Earth. Present-day Earth. Your government is regressive and your family is all but gone because of them. The aliens only need an invitation to come. Except, there’s a possibility they might not come in peace. What would you do? I know what I would do. Not what the main character of this book did. I won’t spoil it for you as it is only the first book in a truly excellent series. Smart, compelling, and riveting. Definitely a must-read. It deserved every award it won.

This series is set 6 million years in the future. In a universe entirely peopled by humanity and various iterations of human evolutions. Only one of which seems to be immune to the inevitable failure of their society that plagues literally every other outpost of humanity in existence. This world is rich, layered, and complex. It makes you wonder about what it means to be human and makes you fear. It definitely makes you fear. Shatterlings, man just typing the word makes me clench my teeth. I enjoyed this book and loved the rich world and vastness of the thought put into the creation of a universe that is empty but full at the same time. If you’ve made it this far down my list and have liked the others so far this is definitely in your lane.