If you are an avid Science Fiction fan, I know you are always on the lookout for more of the best Sci Fi audiobooks to listen to! Below, I have for you some popular Must-Listens that really deserve the hype as well as hidden gems that I’m sure you will love.
I’ve always been partial to soft Sci Fi. Unlike hard Science Fiction, which focuses on scientific accuracy and realism, soft Sci Fi emphasizes character development and explores social and philosophical topics.
Soft Sci Fi uses futuristic or alternative technologies as a backdrop to explore human relationships and societal issues.
And since they are so very human, soft Science Fiction books can get elevated further if the right audiobook narrator brings them to life and fills them with emotion!
With every title below, I will include links to the Audible book on Amazon because we all use it. But I will add alternatives as well!
The first is Libro.fm. If you buy an audiobook there, you actually own the mp3 and can listen to it in any app. Plus, you support indie bookstores and local communities with your purchase!
And whenever possible, I will also add a link to Scribd because they are a very budget-friendly option for listeners. If you have a subscription there, you can listen to several of the audiobooks below for a flat monthly fee!
**The marked links and book covers on this page are affiliate links. If you use them to purchase something, I earn a fee at no additional cost for you. Disclosure**
Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir (Author), Ray Porter (Narrator)
Get the Audible book**
Chances are, if you love Science Fiction audiobooks, you already have this one. But if not, let me tell you why it deserves the hype!
Given the title and the “astronaut alone in space” cover, I normally never would have picked up this book. But then I saw someone recommend it as a “cozy” read. I love cozy books!
For someone like me, who finds the idea of being alone in space so utterly terrifying that it makes my chest tight, this was not an entirely cozy listen. HOWEVER… long stretches of this book as well as the ending, are absolutely wholesome, relaxing, fun, and cozy!
The book took a very different turn from what I expected which was really enjoyable as well. That’s why I don’t want to give anything of the story away here.
If you’ve seen this book around but didn’t think it was for you, well, I encourage you to reconsider! 🙂
The narration by Ray Porter and the entire audio production are outstanding. The sound effects add so much to fleshing out this book.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and narrated by Ray Porter is – and I’m sure everyone will agree with me here – one of the best Sci-Fi audiobooks of all time, if not the single best!
Related article: Are Audible Exclusives Bad?
Station Eternity
Mur Lafferty (Author), Sarah Mollo-Christensen (Narrator)
Get the Audible book**
Or get it on Libro.fm**
This murder mystery in outer space completely blew me away! The set-up of Station Eternity already sounded super fun: Mallory is basically the unwilling protagonist of a cozy mystery series. Wherever she goes, dead bodies appear.
And while she tried to make this unfortunate fact a career, it didn’t quite work out. Suspicion followed her wherever she went.
After 18 cases, she just couldn’t bear the guilt anymore of having her personal curse cause death and grief to the people around her.
So, she used the opportunity to flee to an alien space station as the first human on board. And while that does put a stop to the murders for a little while, she soon finds out that a spaceship with humans is on the way to the station.
Sarah Mollo-Christensen has a beautiful voice and brought this epic, captivating, thrilling, fun yet reflective Science Fiction mystery to life!
Seven of Infinities
Aliette de Bodard (Author), Emily Woo Zeller (Narrator)
Get the Audible book in a deal**
Or get it on Libro.fm**
Or listen on Scribd**
Aliette de Bodard has created such a captivating universe!
The books in the Xuya Universe are all stand-alone stories and only loosely connected. But once you dive in and become familiar with the world, you just have to come back for more.
Seven of Infinities is a unique and amazing story. Vân seems to be a Scholar; no one knows that she doesn’t really have a connection to a deceased elder – the requirement for being a Scholar – but instead built herself an implant that shares the knowledge of elders with her. That’s a big no-no in her society!
Sunless Woods is a sentient spaceship (who can also take the form of the person she used to be). By coincidence, Vân and Sunless Woods end up in a murder investigation together when they stumble over a corpse.
The audiobook is narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, who I absolutely adore! She has a wonderful voice, and all characters are so easily distinguishable.
This book is a hidden gem, but it’s one of the best Sci Fi audiobooks. Give it a try!
Related article: How to get Audible Books cheaper with Whispersync Deals
All Systems Red
Martha Wells (Author), Kevin R. Free (Narrator)
Get the Audible book in a deal**
Or get it on Libro.fm**
Or listen on Scribd**
Murderbot (which is the name it has given itself) has an incredibly dry sense of humor. And honestly, this is such a wholesome series!
Apart from captivating mysteries, I found the main character and its contemplations of self and meaning very moving. No wonder this series has so many fans!
As gruff as “Murderbot” sounds and the covers look, this is actually an utterly delightful, extremely emotional Science Fiction series that is incredibly entertaining and has a fantastic narration by the outstanding Kevin R. Free.
Martha Well’s captivating Murderbot makes All Systems Red one of the best Sci Fi audiobooks and a Must-Listen!
Redshirts
John Scalzi (Author), Wil Wheaton (Narrator)
Get the Audible book in a deal**
If you love soft Science Fiction, I’m sure you have watched your fair share of Star Trek. And that means you will have an absolute blast with Redshirts!
I’m a sucker for meta humor, and that’s Redshirts’ premise, as you might have been able to tell by the title.
Nevertheless, the story itself is fun and captivating and has a lot more to offer than just that one joke.
Wil Wheaton is a narrator who people either love or hate because he reads instead of acting out the book. He has a pleasant voice, and I definitely got a kick out of Wil Wheaton of all people reading this excellent Sci Fi audiobook!
Space: 1969
Bill Oakley (Author), Natasha Lyonne (Narrator), and a full cast
Get the Audible book** (Included for free in Audible Plus)
Space: 1969 is a wild ride! This is a fantastic production with Natasha Lyonne and her incredible voice reading the main character Nancy and a full cast of actors fleshing out this satirical alternative history story.
It’s 1969. Humans have built a moon base where Nancy works as a nurse, Kennedy is serving his third term as president and is acting creepier by the day, and Richard Nixon is the narrator, a job he takes very, very seriously.
If you are looking for something completely different, this audio play is one of the best Sci Fi audiobooks you can get! And if you have an Audible subscription, it’s already included. You don’t even need to spend a credit on it.
Binti
Nnedi Okorafor (Author), Robin Miles (Narrator)
Get the Audible book in a deal**
Or get it on Libro.fm**
Or listen on Scribd**
Binti is accepted into a prestigious intergalactic university. On the way there, her ship is hijacked by an alien race who kill everyone else on board.
Binti manages to survive and creates a tentative truce with the Meduse that allows her to arrive safely at the university.
Binti is a multi award winning novella and one of the best Sci Fi audiobooks you can get!
The story is extremely captivating, and Robin Miles is one of the best voice actors out there, with a huge range of voices and an incredibly emotional narration style.
This Is How You Lose the Time War
Amal El-Mohtar (Author), Max Gladstone (Author), Cynthia Farrell (Narrator), Emily Woo Zeller (Narrator)
Get the Audible book**
Or get it on Libro.fm**
Or listen on Scribd**
Red and Blue are agents in a war that spans space and time. At first, they just taunt each other with little messages they leave behind for the other to find.
But over time, they form a friendship that turns into more.
This Is How You Lose The Time War is a true piece of art and a very emotional story. Cynthia Farrel and Emily Woo Zeller brought the agents to life beautifully, turning this into one of the best Sci Fi audiobooks and one that you won’t forget anytime soon!
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Becky Chambers (Author), Rachel Dulude (Narrator)
Get the Audible book in a deal**
Becky Chamber’s The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet makes you feel like you are on a spaceship yourself.
The story, the flow, the writing transports the feeling of living daily life in space and visiting a new world just for a quick shopping trip. I adored it!
The characters on the Wayfarer are so lovable and fleshed out as complex beings who just try to live their lives as best they can.
Rachel Dulude is a wonderful narrator who turns this captivating story into one of the best Sci Fi audiobooks!
Light from Uncommon Stars
Ryka Aoki (Author), Cindy Kay (Narrator)
Get the Audible book**
Or get it on Libro.fm**
The storyline of Light from Uncommon Stars is absolutely wild with aliens and demons and violins, and it’s possibly the end of the galaxy, but there are also really good donuts.
But Ryka Aoki keeps focussing on the very personal in her writing, on the three main characters and their daily lives. This is an unbelievably beautiful book!
One of the three main characters is a trans girl. Transphobia and internalized transphobia are central topics of this book, and at times, it gets very dark and sad. Yet somehow, the author managed to keep the overall tone of the story so very hopeful and even light and funny.
I highly, highly recommend this outstanding book! Life sometimes sucks, and Light from Uncommon Stars gives you a hug, pats you on the head, and tells you that everything will get better.
This enchanting, beautiful book is simply one of the best Sci Fi audiobooks, and I can wholeheartedly recommend it!
Dungeon Crawler Carl
Matt Dinniman (Author), Jeff Hays (Narrator)
Get the Audible book in a deal**
LitRPG is not a genre many people have heard about or are interested in. And yet, Dungeon Crawler Carl has managed to wriggle his way into the hearts of many, many audiobook fans.
The production and narrator are genuinely fantastic and make it absolutely worth it to take a chance at this slightly different storytelling style.
An alien race destroys Earth without warning and turns the planet into the set for a popular TV show in which the (involuntary) contestants have to survive many, many monsters and obstacles of all kinds. In between, the most successful ones, like Carl and his companion Donut, get teleported out into space to be interviewed for other programs.
Dungeon Crawler Carl manages to mix humor, sweet and tender feelings of friendship and care, with high stakes and the mental toll they take. This series walks the entire line of all those big feelings perfectly and is utterly captivating. And the narrator Jeff Hays is incredible! It’s hard to believe that every voice in this audiobook is his.
Hands down one of the best Sci Fi audiobooks you can listen to. And once you’ve been through the 80 hours spanning series, you will be a different person!
The Kindred
Alechia Dow (Author), Dominique Moore (Narrator), Amin El Gamal (Narrator)
Get the Audible book**
Or get it on Libro.fm**
Or listen on Scribd**
If you are looking for the best Sci Fi audiobooks, you should definitely check out The Kindred, even if you don’t usually go for Young Adult books.
Joy and Felix were never meant to be mind-paired. She is from a lowly planet, and he is a duke. But as much as she fights their connection, they find each other on a trip to a planet outside of their system, Earth.
It’s a lot of fun to explore our world through the eyes of two aliens. This was a very unusual story-telling perspective for me.
Dominique Moore and Amin El Gamal are two excellent narrators who filled Joy, Felix, and their friends with so much life! A truly excellent listen not to be missed.
Pin this List with 12 of the Best Sci Fi Audiobooks for later:
I hope you will have a blast with my picks of the best Sci Fi audiobooks and that you will enjoy your trip through space and time!
Eline Blackman (pronouns: she/they) fell in love with books as a child – with being read to and reading herself. 10 years ago, she bought her first Audible book. It was love at first listen! An average of 250 audiobooks per year has become the new normal and you will rarely see Eline without a wireless earbud. Romance and Fantasy are the go-to genres for this audiobook fan.