7 Most Influential Sci-Fi Books and Their Lasting Impact on Pop Culture
Ever since discovering the universe around us, humans have looked to the stars in search of life, viable planets, and the mysterious hidden in the murky dark. Writers have adopted this same awe, instilling it into science fiction books filled with new worlds, incredible life forms, and the idea that humans can live somewhere other than Earth, but also exploring the advances of technology in new ways.
Some of these novels have impacted generations from the instant they were printed, others took decades before instilling themselves into pop culture, while a few have been more recent but no less impactful. If you enjoy new worlds and advanced technology, check out these seven most influential sci-fi books and their lasting impact on pop culture today.
7. Dune by Frank Herbert
Seventh on our list of most influential sci-fi books is Dune by Frank Herbert. Instantly becoming a bestseller in 1965, Herbert combines witchcraft, politics, climate change, warring civilizations, and a teenage Messiah into one novel. Dune has inspired franchises like Star Wars, video game adaptations, and seventeen other novels written in the same universe.
The novel is set 20,000 years in the future, where galaxies are stuck in the feudal ages with computers banned and noble families ruling entire planets. Dune is set on the planet Arrakis, which contains a material used as currency throughout the Universe for its rarity and mind-enhancing powers, creating a power struggle between warring families.
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6. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Next up on our list of most influential sci-fi books is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, with technology becoming an all-encompassing feature of daily life. Books have become banned, with “firemen” coming to people’s houses to burn any books found. The idea was formed around the creation of television and the idea that the screen would push out books in media.
Centered on a fireman as he burns books and people’s houses when they disobey the law, it dives into the idea of anti-censorship and the ability to absorb other types of media. After the fireman meets a strange young woman, his ideologies get turned upside down and he must reevaluate not only his job description but his place in the world.
5. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
One of the most prominent science fiction authors is Ursula K. Le Guin, and her novel The Left Hand of Darkness ranks fifth on our list of most influential sci-fi books. The first book in the Hainish Cycle, Le Guin’s novel opened the door for future science fiction novels to consider and critique gender in their work.
The novel focuses on a human emissary as he tries to navigate life amongst an alien race whose members are expected to live as male, female, and agender over the entirety of their lives. It’s one of the first novels to touch on androgyny and shows the struggles of protagonist Genly Ai as he attempts to understand this new culture.
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4. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
One of the more recent selections on our most influential sci-fi books list is The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. The bestseller continues to relate to contemporary politics, even after being published for decades.
The novel is set in near-future New England under a patriarchal, totalitarian state known as the Republic of Gilead, which has overthrown the United States. The main character, Offred, is one of the “Handmaids,” women who are assigned to produce children for the “Commanders,” or the ruling class of Gilead.
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3. 1984 by George Orwell
Entering our top three most influential sci-fi books is Nineteen Eighty-Four by Ray Bradbury. While not set on another planet, Bradbury’s use of technology and “Big Brother” has continued to pervade pop culture for decades. The novel introduced other phrases as well, such as “doublethink,” “newspeak,” and “thoughtcrime,” influencing novels to this day.
The novel takes place in a fictional future where most of the world is at war. Great Britain has become a province of the totalitarian superstate Oceania, led by Big Brother, a dictatorial leader supported by the Party’s Thought Police. With constant surveillance, propaganda, and fear, there is no room for individuality or independent thinking.
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
Coming in second on our list of most influential sci-fi books is 2001: A Space Odyssey. Written by the prolific science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, the novel prompted a film adaptation and several other novels written in the same universe. Clarke constantly tried to imbue his books with religion and science, most prevalently in stories like “The Star,” “siseneG,” and “The Nine Billion Names of God.”
A Space Odyssey focuses on a group of astronauts sent on a mission to discover the truth behind massive monoliths created by an unknown group of people. As the journey continues, their ship’s computer system, HAL, begins to act quite strange, leading to a showdown between man and machine as the astronauts fly through space and time.
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1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Last but not least on our most influential sci-fi books list is Frankenstein, the iconic novel by Mary Shelley. Referred to as the grandmother of all sci-fi novels, Shelley’s book laid the foundation of what happens when man plays God and what makes us truly human.
Centered around science, the novel tackles life, death, immortality, and genetic engineering all through the lens of Dr. Frankenstein. The scientist successfully brings a hodge-podge of human parts back to life but does not accept responsibility for his actions when his creation gets a mind of its own. One of the most prevalent themes from the novel is “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”
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