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Best Science Fiction Books of 2015

The Science Fiction Novels of 2015 That Won Awards and Readers' Votes

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Best Science Fiction Books of 2015

Which science fiction novels defined 2015? This list ranks the year's books by how many independent signals back them: the Hugo, Nebula and Arthur C. Clarke awards, and the Goodreads Choice Awards science fiction vote.

Books that won or were shortlisted for several awards come first, followed by the books readers voted for most.

The ranking

1

Ancillary Mercy

Ancillary Mercy (Imperial Radch)

For a moment, things seemed to be under control for Breq, the soldier who used to be a warship. Then a search of Atheok Station's slums turns up someone who shouldn't exist, and a messenger from the mysterious Presger em...

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2

Seveneves

Seveneves

by Stephenson, Neal

"What would happen if the world were ending? A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to en...

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3

The Fifth Season

The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth) Start here

by Jemisin, N. K.

Hugo winner 2016

Winner of the 2016 Hugo and nominated for a Nebula, The Fifth Season is a volatile combination of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Dystopian Fiction. Mythology comes alive in this hostile world where apocalypse is routine, and th...

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4

Children of Memory

Children of Memory (Children Of Time)

by Tchaikovsky, Adrian

Sequel to Children of Ruin.On Imir, Captain Holt founded a hopeful new colony on an empty world. But generations later, his descendants are struggling to survive. As harvests worsen and equipment fails, strangers appear...

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5

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers) Start here

by Becky Chambers

When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The Wayfarer, a patched-up ship that's seen better days, offers her everything she could possibly want: a small, quiet spot to call home for...

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6

Raising Caine

Raising Caine (Caine Riordan)

by Charles E. Gannon

Caine Riordan has just helped to repel an alien invasion of Earth when the Slaasriithi, mysterious and possibly helpful, ask him to lead a diplomatic mission to their worlds. A group of renegade aliens follows, hoping to...

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7

Golden Son

Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy)

by Brown, Pierce

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to...

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8

Europe at Midnight

Europe at Midnight (Fractured Europe)

by Dave Hutchinson

In a near-future Europe that has broken into many small states, two stories unfold: Jim, an English intelligence officer drawn in by a stabbing on a London bus into preparations for war with another universe, and Rupert,...

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9

The Book Of Phoenix

The Book Of Phoenix (Who Fears Death)

by Okorafor, Nnedi

As we have seen in books like Man Plus, one way to achieve posthumanity is to remake ourselves in a new form. But experimenting upon ourselves in that way comes at a cost for the subject of that experiment; it also revea...

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10

Arcadia

Arcadia

In 1960s Oxford, Professor Henry Lytten is attempting to write a fantasy novel that forgoes the magic of his predecessors, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. He finds an unlikely confidante in his quick-witted, inquisitive y...

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11

Way Down Dark

Way Down Dark

by James Smythe

After Earth became uninhabitable, humans built generation ships, and Chan, 17, lives quietly on one of them, the Australia, where gangs and cults run the decks. She finds a way to bring the ship back to Earth, which woul...

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12

The Heart Goes Last

The Heart Goes Last

by Margaret Atwood

"Stan and Charmaine are a married couple trying to stay afloat in the midst of an economic and social collapse. Job loss has forced them to live in their car, leaving them vulnerable to roving gangs. They desperately nee...

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13

The Water Knife

The Water Knife

by Bacigalupi, Paolo

The American Southwest has been decimated by drought. Nevada and Arizona skirmish over dwindling shares of the Colorado River, while California watches, deciding if it should just take the whole river all for itself. Int...

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14

Armada

Armada

by Cline, Ernest

Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he's spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day some fa...

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15

The End Of All Things

The End Of All Things (Old Man's War)

Humans expanded into space... only to find a universe populated with multiple alien species bent on their destruction. Thus was the Colonial Union formed, to help protect us from a hostile universe. The Colonial Union us...

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16

The Fold

The Fold

by Clines, Peter

Mike Erikson, a high school teacher with perfect memory, is asked to inspect a new project by the military: a device that lets people fold space to travel from one place to another. Something about it seems wrong. A thri...

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17

Nemesis Games

Nemesis Games (The Expanse)

by James S.a. Corey

The crew of the Rocinante scatter to deal with trouble at home just as the solar system begins to come apart. A Belter faction strikes at Earth and the inner worlds, and the people who held the ship together are suddenly...

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18

The Dark Forest

The Dark Forest (Three Body Series)

Time is running out for humanity in The Dark Forest, the stunning sequel to Cixin Liu's award-winning and bestselling masterpiece, The Three-Body Problem. Earth is still reeling from the revelation of a coming alien inva...

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19

Aurora

Aurora

by Robinson, Kim Stanley

"Generations after leaving earth, a starship draws near to the planet that may serve as a new home world for those on board. But the journey has brought unexpected changes and their best laid plans may not be enough to s...

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Trending Books in Best Science Fiction Books of 2015

Children of Memory

Children of Memory (Children Of Time)

Tchaikovsky, Adrian

Buy on Amazon

Nemesis Games

Nemesis Games (The Expanse)

James S.a. Corey

Buy on Amazon

Seveneves

Seveneves

Stephenson, Neal

Buy on Amazon

The Water Knife

The Water Knife

Bacigalupi, Paolo

Buy on Amazon

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers) Start here

Buy on Amazon

The Book Of Phoenix

The Book Of Phoenix (Who Fears Death)

Okorafor, Nnedi

Buy on Amazon

Armada

Armada

Buy on Amazon

Aurora

Aurora

Robinson, Kim Stanley

Buy on Amazon

Raising Caine

Raising Caine (Caine Riordan)

Charles E. Gannon

Buy on Amazon

Golden Son

Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy)

Buy on Amazon

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