Superb Sci-Fi Books Set in Space

This week we’ve got a list that’s out of this world! These books will send your imagination into orbit! What are we talking about? Simple: a superb selection of sci-fi books that are set in space.
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Without further ado, let’s blast off with the list!

​1. Ender's Game (Ender Sextet #1) by Orson Scott Card: Brilliant young Ender Wiggin is recruited to help fight an interstellar war. He becomes a leader in school, respected in the zero-gravity training room, but battles loneliness and fear. Will he be able to become the general Earth needs?
 
2. The Golden One (LucasFilm's Alien Chronicles #1) by Deborah Chester: The ruler of a reptilian race called the Viis has purchased a new pet for his daughter. But the creature, named Ampris, has a more important destiny.
 
3. The Quadrail series by Timothy Zahn: Robotic alien beings seek the help of former intelligence operative Frank Compton to stop a sinister plot against the galactic railroad connecting 12 empires. Along the way, Compton discovers a galaxy-wide conspiracy and is hunted by assassins.
 
4. Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein: Jim, a student at a boarding school on Mars, clashes with the headmaster, who confiscates his Martian “pet,” Willis. When Jim gets Willis back, the little creature reveals a plot he overheard that will threaten everyone on Mars, and it is up to the pair of them to stop it.
 
5. The Warrior's Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold: After failing to get into the military academy, Miles returns home depressed. But soon, his clever, enterprising nature pulls him into a scheme that involves shipping weapons to an interstellar war zone. Miles's audacious plans backfire, but his ability to improvise saves him, and his father, from deadly traps.
 
6. The Empyrion Saga duology by Stephen R. Lawhead: Down on his luck, writer Orion Treet is invited to chronicle the development of a colony on the planet Fierra. What he and his team discover there is not a paradise but a civilization in decline. To survive in this dangerous world, they must solve the mystery of how the society became so fragmented and try to heal Fierra.
 
7. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers: Rosemary flees her past and joins the motley crew of the starship Wayfarer. She didn't plan on risking her life, but on a dangerous mission tunneling wormholes to a distant planet, she must learn to trust her new “family” of oddballs in order to survive.
 
8. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams: a zany classic. Earth is destroyed to make room for a galactic freeway, but Don't Panic! Bring your towel, a Babel fish, and try to get the hang of Thursdays if you can. Oh, and the answer is always 42.
 
9. Treason by Orson Scott Card: Treason is a planet without hard metals...which makes it difficult to build a spaceship and escape. Lanik is a “rad” who's able to regenerate injured flesh and limbs. This comes in handy* because he can trade body parts to Offworld oppressors for iron. But when he uncovers a treacherous conspiracy, he develops a plan that might finally set his people free.
 
10. The Sibyl's War series by Timothy Zahn: Working on the starship Fyrantha, Nicole discovers she and her friends are pawns in a game of control over the ship. Tired of being manipulated, Nicole decides to put up a fight. She eventually becomes a Sybil with the ability to communicate with the ship itself. To save the ship and its crew, she has to unite alien races and convince an AI to trust her.
 
11. The Cosmic Turkey series by Laura Ruth Loomis: Technology hates Janet, chocolate is banned, and ex-boyfriends are the worst. After accidentally crashing her floatcar into City Hall, Janet is sentenced to captaining a dilapidated starship with a misfit crew and a surly computer. Hilarious adventures ensue!
 

What’s your favorite book set in outer space? Tell us in the comments!
 

P.S. - ​If you loved these book recommendations, why not sign up for our newsletter? Twice a month, we'll send you a themed list of fantasy and/or sci-fi book recommendations, and sometimes music or movies too. (Not to mention jokes, games, puzzles, and memes!)
 
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*Pun intended! 😂

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