
Best Sci Fi Audiobooks
A round-up of the best audiobooks in the science fiction genre
Escape into the best sci fi audiobooks. Explore the universe, travel to the future, be the hero, survive the apocalypse. The sky is nowhere near the limit in the science fiction sphere.
Whether it is a dystopian future, a reimagined past or a complete departure from known reality, science fiction encompasses not just technological advances, but major upheavals in society and the environment. It can blend with fantasy and dystopia, humour and horror. And adding to the draw of science fiction audiobooks is the fact that they attract some of the very best narrators and performers.
So let’s not be constrained by petty concepts like time or space. The multiverse is our oyster. It's easy to lose yourself in the best science fiction audiobooks. All you have to do is plug in and listen. And the good news? This list is the merest tip of the asteroid in terms of the fantastic audiobooks in this genre.
Quaid, start the reactor.
Top Sci-Fi Audiobooks
1

By
Christina Sweeney-Baird
Read By
Cathleen McCarron, Aysha Kala, Denica Fairman, Penelope Rawlins, Debra Michaels, Julia Locascio, Sasha Alexis, Robert Bradley, Sara Lynam, Rebecca Perfect, William Hope
Competition was fierce for best sci-fi audiobook in 2021. Excellent works such as The World Gives Way and The Extinction Trials were just two vying for the title. But this… The End of Men is a masterful and incredibly thoughtful portrayal of a world where men are all but wiped out by a pandemic. Told through multiple first-person accounts, the audiobook leans into the format with no fewer than eleven narrators.
2

By
Andy Weir
Read By
Wil Wheaton
The Martian puts the science smack bang in the centre of the fiction. Wil Wheaton delivers a 5 star performance as Mark Watney, an astronaut left stranded on Mars. Meanwhile author Andy Weir not only provides incredible detail of the mechanics of it all, but manages to make it riveting. Because every detail is vital in the attempts to Bring. Him. Home.
3

By
Suzanne Collins
Read By
Carolyn McCormick
Feel all the feelings in this epic dystopian sci-fi audiobook where children are forced to fight to the death. Can Katniss Everdene survive the Hunger Games? And can she bring down the brutal dictatorship that imposes them on the people of Panem? Brimming with vivid, vibrant imagery, this audiobook feels more like a movie in your mind.
4

By
Kazuo Ishiguro
Read By
Kerry Fox
Enter the hallowed halls of Hailsham. At a glance, this bucolic English school seems an idyllic place to learn. But note the small differences. Don’t overlook that nagging feeling that something is amiss. Tissues at the ready. This gets emotional.
5

By
Yahtzee Croshaw
Read By
Yahtzee Croshaw
Sci-fi plays well with other genres, not least of which is comedy. In this Yhatzee Crowshaw absurdist delight, the Ministry of Occultism - yes that’s a thing in this universe - finds itself in several gelatinous spots of bother including visitors from other worlds, a magical murderer and a public relations nightmare.
5

By
Margaret Atwood
Read By
Elisabeth Moss, Bradley Whitford, Amy Landecker, Ann Dowd
Obviously, there are a multitude of bests one could attribute to Margaret Atwood’s chilling vision of a misogynist dystopia. Best cautionary tale for one. So why best casting? Because the audiobook is read by none other than the TV version of Offred herself, Elisabeth Moss and boasts further star power in the form of Bradley Whitford and Amy Landecker. I can’t help but feel that the ability to draw these big names is emblematic of the ever-growing status of audiobooks. As an aside, it’s worth noting that Atwood herself wouldn’t approve of this being on the list at all as she maintains it’s not futuristic in any way. I’d disagree.
6

By
George Orwell
Read By
Andrew Wincott
In 1984, Orwell achieved a Shakespearian infiltration of the English language. Terms like “Thought Police” and “Big Brother” have become ubiquitously synonymous with authoritarian leadership, even by those unfamiliar with this powerful portrayal of hell on Earth. The thing is, most people who have read the book did so at school. I highly recommend listening to one of the many audiobook versions. May I suggest the version by Stephen Fry.
8

By
Ernest Cline
Read By
Wil Wheaton
Oh, Ready Player One, you unashamed celebration of geekdom. I see you. Teeming with 80s pop culture references and set in a fantastical gaming world, the audiobook takes things to the next level by having it read by sci-fi royalty, Wil Wheaton.
11

By
John Birmingham
Read By
Rupert Degas
Ever read an apocalyptic tale only to think, that would never happen? Well, John Birmingham is determined to show exactly - exactly - how it can happen in Zero Day Code. And it is scarily convincing.
Best of the Rest: Sci-Fi Audiobooks
By
Sarah Lyons Fleming
Read By
Julia Whelan
A perfect end to the perfect zombie series.
By
Josh Malerman
Read By
Katharine Mangold
Chilling, Captivating, Unforgettable. Perfect for fans of The Road.
By
Aldous Huxley
Read By
Michael York
A timeless piece about human nature versus nurture.
By
Adrian Tchaikovsky
Read By
David Thorpe
Imagine Mark and Jez of Peep Show living their best/worst lives in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic hellscape with monsters and mutants. That just about covers it...
By
Yahtzee Croshaw
Read By
Yahtzee Croshaw
Joyous, Funny, Smart. A Douglas Adams vibe.
By
Robert Harris
Read By
Michael Jayston
Fast paced action thriller set in a terrifying world.
By
Christina Dalcher
Read By
Brittany Pressley, Cassandra Morris
Very Close To Living Up To Expectations
By
David Wong
Read By
Christy Romano
Grisly violence, sarcasm and maniacal supervillains have never been so hilariously lovable.
By
Lou Cadle
Read By
Lauren Fortgang
Dark, gloomy but compelling. A little bit The Road, a little bit Wool.
By
Sequoia Nagamatsu
Read By
Jason Culp, Stephanie Komure, Micky Shiloah, Joe Knezevich, Brianna Ishibashi, Kotaro Watanabe, Matthew Bridges, Kurt Kanazawa, Greg Watanabe, Jeanne Sakata, MacLeod Andrews, Keisuke Hoashi, Brian Nishii, Julia Whelan
High Praise for this Darkest of Tales
By
Sarah Lyons Fleming
Read By
Luke Daniels, Thérèse Plummer
Bittersweet - why did this brilliant series have to end?
By
Jamie Mollart
Read By
Mike Rogers
Half Stargate Universe with its bleak futility and half Man in the High Castle with its rumbling underbelly.
By
John Scalzi
Read By
Amber Benson, Wil Wheaton
A Fascinating Futuristic Reality Sets This Apart. Reminds me of iRobot.
By
Sarah Lyons Fleming
Read By
Luke Daniels, Thérèse Plummer
Post apocalyptic perfection: The Walking Dead, as reimagined by Shonda Rhimes.
By
Kazuo Ishiguro
Read By
Kerry Fox
Similar in feel to Atonement and the works of Kate Atkinson. Emilia Fox elevates this powerful book to perfection.
By
Sarah Lyons Fleming
Read By
Thérèse Plummer, Luke Daniels
28 Days Later as written by Tina Fey
By
Z. A. Recht
Read By
Oliver Wyman
Classic pandemic flick Outbreak meets TV’s Fear the Walking Dead.
By
David Wellington
Read By
Nick Podehl
If the TV show Prison Break was set twenty years after a zombie apocalypse.
By
Courtney Konstantin
Read By
Tess Irondale
A zombie apocalypse with a different main character
By
Matt Ritter
Read By
Matt Ritter
Like Post Apocalyptic Adventure? Sinister Dystopias? A G Riddle? This is for you.