So, now, about the books! These are all great works of imagination set near and far that mostly have fewer than 1,000 ratings on Goodreads at the time this post went up. Some are slightly speculative, some are straight-up in outer space! Why this list? Because sometimes it’s fun to find something not everyone is reading. Hidden gems make for great reading. Or maybe you want to read more science fiction, but keep seeing the same books on the list’s of recommendations. It’s always fun to keep up with reading popular titles. But sometimes that wait list at the library is lonnnnnnnnng, so you need something else in the meantime. Whatever your reason, here are 20 great science fiction books to whisk you away from the real world. Who couldn’t use that??? And if you need more science fiction in your life, be sure to listen to the Book Riot podcast SFF Yeah! and sign up for our weekly newsletter Swords and Spaceships. And here are 12 Latine SFF Books You Should Definitely Read and Short Sci-Fi Novellas.