Science Fiction
Read Science Fiction Classics in English
589 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 With a Vengeance, Who Goes There? and When the World Shook: Being an Account of the Great Adventure of Bastin, Bickley and Arbuthnot. 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 B2Science FictionThe Downhill Side of ThirtyIn a future where government bans sex and tobacco for those over thirty-five to preserve health, Chuck Dane struggles with desire, rebellion, and the oppressive controls of a tight…
Level B2Science FictionThe Double SpyIn a world where secret codes and mysterious powers collide, a seemingly unremarkable man becomes an electrifying performer in New York’s Times Square, dazzling crowds with impossi…
Level C1Science FictionThe Door in the Wall, and Other StoriesA man haunted by a mysterious Door in the Wall reveals a secret from childhood that offers a glimpse into a realm of beauty and happiness beyond ordinary life, challenging the boun…
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 B2Science FictionThe Devolutionist and the EmancipatrixFour explorers return from an astonishing journey to Mercury and Venus, where they uncover advanced civilizations and telepathic powers.
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 B2Science FictionThe Dark OtherA man obsessed with capturing pure, undefinable horror in his writing finds himself drawn into dark conversations and mysterious moods by the shores of Lake Michigan, where reality…
Level B2Science FictionThe Crystal Sceptre: A Story of AdventureCaught in a fierce storm, a desperate balloonist is hurled into an unknown land where strange, half-human creatures observe him with wary curiosity.
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 B2Science FictionThe Conquest of America: A Romance of Disaster and Victory, U.S.A., 1921 A.D.As a victorious Germany invades an unprepared America after World War I, cities burn and battles rage from New York to Boston, forcing a desperate fight for survival and patriotism…
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 B2Science FictionThe City in the CloudsBeneath Rio’s dazzling sky, a powerful millionaire prepares to leave paradise for the shadowy intrigues of London.
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 B2Science FictionThe Celestial HammerlockA space promoter mistakenly lands his troupe of wrestlers on a pacifist asteroid where violence is banned and gym workouts mean gentle flower sniffing.
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 B2Science FictionThe BrainA scientist is flown with a mysterious cargo of termites to Cephalon, a dazzling, uncharted city in the desert that defies maps and understanding.
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 B2Science FictionThe Blue GermAfter a mysterious concussion caused by a seemingly magical black cat, a scientist unlocks a groundbreaking discovery: the transformation of one germ into another.
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 B2Science FictionThe Bell ToneA scientist discovers a mysterious bell-like tone emitted by ants, unlocking a powerful communication system that transmits thoughts across distances.
Level B2Science FictionThe Beast of SpaceIn the shadowy caves of Asteroid Moira, a lone prospector and his telepathic spacehound uncover a mysterious cache of abandoned ships and a chilling signal from a captive girl—spar…
Level B2Science FictionThe Bacillus of Beauty: A Romance of To-dayIn the bustling heart of New York, a man returns to find the woman he loved transformed beyond recognition, plunging him into a surreal mystery where beauty and identity blur in a…
Level B2Science FictionThe Automatic Maid-of-All-Work: A Possible Tale of the Near FutureIn a near-future household, an inventor unveils his creation: an automatic maid-of-all-work powered by electricity, designed to handle every chore from lighting fires to making bre…
Level B2Science FictionThe Animated PinupA pragmatic agent is pulled from his comfortable evening by an anxious illustrator whose mysterious troubles challenge his down-to-earth worldview, thrusting him into a strange, un…
Level B2Science FictionThe AmateursIn a future where society mandates assisted death at a prescribed age, a man faces his final days in a luxurious palace offering personalized, theatrical farewells.
Level B2Science FictionThe Alternate PlanA man faces a radical surgery that could strip him of his identity and voice, but he refuses to surrender.
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 B2Science FictionThe Affair of the BrainsIn a universe shadowed by cunning space-pirates and deadly rivalries, a fearless adventurer known as Hawk Carse prepares to confront the sinister genius Ku Sui at a perilous rendez…