Science Fiction
Read Science Fiction Classics in English
182 science fiction books at CEFR A2 to C2 — learn English by reading the stories worth reading. Select any word for an instant translation, listen to the narration read the page aloud, and save the vocabulary you meet. Pick your level and start with a free sample.
What are the best science fiction classics to read in English as a learner?
The best science fiction classics for English learners are the well-known titles you can read in the original — start with The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century, The Mouthpiece of Zitu and The Moralist. Each one is labelled with a CEFR level, any word you do not know is one selection away from a translation, and the narration reads the page aloud while it highlights the words.
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Level C1Science FictionThe DoomsmanA young marksman contemplates a mysterious shadow on the horizon from a fortified, primitive shoreline—where ancient wilderness meets unexpected technology.
Level C1Science FictionThe Doom of LondonAn unprecedented Arctic blizzard traps London in snow and ice, severing communication and threatening famine and chaos.
Level C1Science FictionThe Diamond LensA passionate microscopist discovers a hidden universe teeming with mysterious life beneath the smallest drops of water, unlocking wonders invisible to the naked eye and embarking o…
Level C1Science FictionThe Devil-Tree of El Dorado: A NovelAn uncharted tropical mountain, Roraima, rises as a mysterious table-land teeming with unknown flora and fauna, isolated for ages.
Level C1Science FictionThe Devil in IronOn the mysterious isle of Xapur, a fisherman awakens an ancient, preserved warrior with a deadly glare and unnatural strength, unleashing a menace beyond human power amid forgotten…
Level C1Science FictionThe Description of a New World, Called the Blazing-WorldA desperate merchant kidnaps a noblewoman, only to be swept by a tempestuous voyage to the icy pole where their vessel mysteriously crosses into a fantastical new world.
Level C1Science FictionThe Death From OrionAn outlaw imprisoned and doomed faces a deadly choice: retrieve the lost Jewels of Orion from a crashed ship in deep space to save his condemned comrades, or watch them die.
Level C1Science FictionThe Dawn of AllAwakening in a hospital with fragmented memories, a scholar pieces together his lost days amid a turbulent society where ancient beliefs clash with modern thought.
Level C1Science FictionThe Crack of DoomA mysterious society challenges the very nature of the universe as a disillusioned traveler encounters a brilliant, enigmatic man whose radical ideas promise to change everything h…
Level C1Science FictionThe Country of the Blind, and Other StoriesExplore vivid, imaginative tales where the ordinary meets the extraordinary—tiny men in canoes, prehistoric monsters, and mysterious worlds governed by unfamiliar logic—offering a…
Level C1Science FictionThe Cosmic CourtshipOn her twenty-first birthday, Miriam Mayne soars above a transformed New York City, mastering the art of personal flight in a future where subterranean cities and gleaming marble p…
Level C1Science FictionThe ConnoisseurIn a future where human lives are bartered like commodities, a man negotiates for a young girl’s future with rare treasures from a dying spaceship—challenging the value of both obj…
Level C1Science FictionThe Coming RaceAn adventurous explorer descends into a mysterious mine, uncovering a hidden underground world illuminated by artificial lights and echoing with unknown voices—challenging the limi…
Level C1Science FictionThe Coming Conquest of EnglandAs tensions rise among global powers, three mighty nations—Germany, France, and Russia—conspire to challenge England’s centuries-old dominion.
Level C1Science FictionThe Clockwork ManAs a cricket match falters under the distraction of a bizarre, windmill-armed figure, a doctor’s frustration spirals into a deeper mystery.
Level C1Science FictionThe Clean and Wholesome LandIn a rigid New State where loyalty is law, Director of Public Security Neal Pardeau hunts for elusive dissidents threatening the fragile order.
Level C1Science FictionThe Chessmen of MarsA timeless warrior returns from Mars to Earth, bringing tales of a deadly Martian game where human lives are at stake.
Level C1Science FictionThe Certainty of a Future Life in Mars: Being the Posthumous Papers of Bradford Torrey DoddAfter years of scientific study and personal tragedy, a man uncovers astonishing wireless messages revealing evidence of life beyond Earth—on Mars.
Level C1Science FictionThe Centaurians: a novelA wealthy heir returns to his ancestral lands, burdened by a mysterious cursed jewel that has brought fortune—and heartbreak—to his family for centuries.
Level C1MysteryThe Case of SummerfieldIn 1871 San Francisco buzzes with a chilling tale of secret power—could a man wield potassium to set water aflame and threaten the world’s destruction?
Level C1Science FictionThe Butterfly KissWhen Sykin Supcel, a gifted Earth scientist, is kidnapped by the hostile Sur-Malic, tensions rise within the Solar Navy as secrets behind the elite "Uniques"—enhanced individuals t…
Level C1Science FictionThe British BarbariansA bold protest against societal timidity, this novel challenges prevailing norms by boldly expressing unfiltered truths and advocating for purity amidst a world fearful of offense.
Level C1Science FictionThe Boats of the "Glen Carrig": Being an account of their Adventures in the Strange places of the Earth, after the foundering of the good ship Glen Carrig through striking upon a hidden rock in the unknown seas to the Southward; as told by John Winterstraw, Gent., to his son James Winterstraw, in the year 1757, and by him committed very properly and legibly to manuscriptStranded in lifeboats after their shipwreck, survivors navigate a desolate, silent land filled with strange, unsettling vegetation and eerie sounds that hint at mysterious dangers…
Level C1Science FictionThe Bluff of the HawkStranded in space after destroying a hidden asteroid stronghold, Hawk Carse and his comrades face a harrowing 30,000-mile journey in fragile space suits to reach safety, battling i…
Level C1Science FictionThe Blindman's World: 1898An astronomy professor obsessed with Mars discovers an extraordinary vision that blurs the line between scientific observation and otherworldly experience, plunging him into an imm…
Level C1Science FictionThe Blind SpotWhen an ethereal woman from another dimension appears, a mysterious city emerges from the depths, blending fantasy and science in an extraordinary tale.
Level C1Science FictionThe Air TrustIn a world where monopolies control every resource, a ruthless billionaire seeks to dominate the very air we breathe, threatening humanity with slavery or violent revolt.
Level C1MysteryThe Air PirateIn a world where air piracy once threatened the skies, the Chief Commissioner of the British Air Police confronts a new, urgent mystery that could unravel the fragile peace of tran…
Level C1Science FictionThe Age of Science: A Newspaper of the Twentieth CenturyA groundbreaking invention, the Prospective Telegraph, allows communication across time, revealing a newspaper from the year 1977 that showcases a future where science dominates ev…
Level C1Science FictionTales of the UnexpectedA sudden, mysterious seizure leaves Sidney Davidson seeing and interacting with an unseen world, shattering reality in a laboratory where science and perception collide.
Level C1Science FictionTales of Space and TimeIn a grimy London shop, a mysterious crystal egg draws the eager attention of two unusual visitors, sparking a tense negotiation and revealing secrets beyond the ordinary.
Level C1Science FictionTales of Fantasy and FactEmbark on a mysterious voyage through imaginary lands like the City of Destruction and Ultima Thule, guided by the enigmatic Captain Vanderdecken, whose tales intertwine legend and…
Level C1Science FictionSymzonia: Voyage of DiscoveryEmbark on a daring voyage to the mysterious southern polar regions, where a captain discovers an unknown continent and enters a hidden internal world inhabited by advanced beings w…
Level C1Science FictionSweet Their Blood and StickyIn a desolate world where only a mysterious machine endlessly produces sticky pink taffy, two explorers uncover strange, living creatures drawn to its sweet output.
Level C1Science FictionSurvival of the fittestIn a world where androids demand equal rights and threaten rebellion, humans grapple with the rise of near-human robots capable of original thought, sparking a tense struggle for s…
Level C1Science FictionStar-Crossed LoverA chance encounter with a mysterious old woman leads an ordinary man into a bewildering world where nothing is as it seems, forcing him to confront illusions, danger, and secrets b…
Level C1Science FictionSolar StiffStranded on a frozen alien planet with a failing ship, a five-headed Mercurian faces certain death while reflecting on his ambitious wife’s quest to solve their world’s hunger cris…
Level C1Science FictionShock TroopAn alien invasion force prepares to conquer a mysterious, mammalian-inhabited planet using shock tactics and telepathic assault, but their unfamiliarity with the natives and their…
Level C1Science FictionShadows in the MoonlightA desperate girl flees through a wild marshland, hunted by a ruthless conqueror who delights in her torment—until a bloodied stranger emerges, driven by a furious thirst for vengea…
Level C1Science FictionShadows in ZamboulaIn the bustling, dangerous streets of Zamboula, a mighty warrior confronts whispers of a sinister tavern where travelers vanish without a trace—haunted by demons and dark secrets.
Level C1Science FictionRondah; or, thirty-three years in a starLost in a fierce storm, four travelers are swept from Earth to a volcanic star inhabited by mysterious bird-people who hibernate through a twenty-year winter.
Level C1MysteryRomance IslandA sudden inheritance transforms a struggling journalist into a yacht owner, thrusting him into a world of wealth and mystery.
Level C1Science FictionRipeness is AllIn a future where androids satisfy every desire and human connection feels hollow, a man drifts through a world of artificial pleasures, searching for meaning beyond flesh and flee…
Level C1Science FictionRex Ex MachinaA dying father reveals a secret weapon: a device capable of hypnotizing the entire world, forged in Cold War espionage and moral conflict.
Level C1Science FictionReinsternJourney through a vast, desolate landscape to a mysterious, idyllic community where government-provided abundance and education in natural history shape a society free of poverty a…
Level C1Science FictionRed NailsIn a vast, silent forest, a fierce warrior woman named Valeria discovers a mysterious city beyond the trees, sparking a journey filled with danger and dark secrets in a world where…
Level C1Science FictionRadio V-raysTwo engineering students bond over their passion for radio, building a cutting-edge superheterodyne receiver that captures distant signals with astonishing clarity.
Level C1Science FictionQueen of the Black CoastA fierce warrior escapes the law after defending a friend, forcing him to flee on a swift galley bound for distant Kush.