10 Great Sci-Fi Books To Read If You Love Silo

Apple TV +'s Silo is based on the popular science fiction series of the same name by author Hugh Howey. While there are several differences between Silo's TV show and the book series, the post-apocalyptic plot has remained relatively the same. Science fiction has always been a popular genre that studios look to for potential adaptations, and the Silo book series is one of many that are currently in development. The Silo series examines life in a bleak dystopian future—as the remnants of humanity willingly live underground, believing the outside world to be a toxic environment.

The sci-fi genre is one of the biggest in speculative fiction, and it's no surprise that many novels explore themes such as the destruction of history, systematic oppression, and the fallout of nuclear war. Silo's Apple TV+ adaptation invited viewers to experience Hugh Howey's post-apocalyptic story in an all-new format, but has also introduced several new readers to his work and to the genre in general. And there are several amazing science fiction books and series that offer similar storylines to Hugh Howey's popular Silo books.

10 Project Hail Mary

Written By Andy Weir

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary was published in 2021, and quickly became a favorite among readers of the genre—even going on to win the Goodreads Choice Award for best Science Fiction novel. Project Hail Mary's narrative explores the impending destruction of humanity—leaving one man, Ryland Grace, responsible for Earth's survival. Waking up on a ship light-years from Earth, Ryland finds his fellow crewmates are dead, leaving him to uncover an impossible scientific discovery by himself.

Project Hail Mary's premise is incredibly unique, and given the main protagonist is left alone in space for the majority of the novel, the narrative bounces back and forth between the past and the present—revealing Ryland's experience before the events leading to the launch of the Hail Mary. As Ryland struggles with amnesia in the present timeline, the past explores how the once middle school teacher and former molecular biologist came to board the ship that left him alone on a perilous journey.

9 Dark Matter

Written By Blake Crouch

Dark Matter is a science fiction thriller by Blake Crouch that explores the possibility of alternate realities and parallel universes. The story follows Jason Dessen, a happily married man and father who is abducted one evening and wakes up in a world he does not know—but apparently knows him. In this alternate reality, Jason's wife is not his own, his son was never born, and instead of being an ordinary physics professor, is a celebrated genius who has achieved the impossible.

Dark Matter is considered to be one of many science fiction books that leans more heavily on the science aspect than on a world of fiction—and forces readers to truly imagine a world where this kind of scientific discovery could exist in the near future. The realistic approach to the narrative impresses true feelings of wariness upon readers, especially when following Jason's journey throughout the novel. The novel also received an Apple TV+ adaptation last year, which was released on May, 8, 2024.

8 Hyperion

Written By Dan Simmons

Hyperion is the first novel in the four-book Hyperion Cantos series by Dan Simmons, which centers around a creature called the Shrike. While there are those in the world of Hyperion who worship it, there are others who fear it, and some who have even vowed to destroy it. On the eve of a galactic war, seven individuals begin their pilgrimage to Hyperion, all who have their own mysterious connections to the Shrike. The narrative's framework has on several occasions been compared to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, with each of the seven "pilgrims" sharing their personal stories and reasons for joining the quest.

7 Wanderers

Written By Chuck Wendig

Wanderers, by Chuck Wendig, follows the story of a terrifying and mysterious epidemic afflicting present day America—as hundreds of civilians wake to find members of their family or friends in the grip of a strange sleepwalking phenomenon. Unable to be woken, and walking with dedicated purpose to some predetermined destination, several characters walk alongside their sleepwalking friends and family, known as shepherds, in order to provide them with limited means of protection.

The science fiction novel explores how such an event impacts both society and the economy, awakening terror and violence across the nation. As the narrative continues, Wendig makes it even more obvious that the true danger is not the sleepwalking epidemic, but the fear of it. Wanderers follows the lives of several characters as they attempt to unravel the mystery behind the sleepwalking epidemic and save what they can of their crumbling society.

6 Wayward Pines Trilogy

Written By Blake Crouch

The Wayward Pines Trilogy is another phenomenal science fiction book series by Blake Crouch, this time centering around Secret Service agent, Ethan Burke, who arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho in search of two missing federal agents. However, after a violent accident lands him in the hospital, Ethan wakes to find he has no I.D., no cell phone, and no way to prove who he says he is. His investigation into his missing colleagues pulls up more questions than answers, and the eerily strange town becomes to feel inescapable.

The series consists of three novels: Pines, Wayward, and The Last Town—all of which center around Ethan and his attempts to escape Wayward Pines. The strange town is full of inhabitants who don't understand how they arrived, and are forbidden to discuss anything about their prior lives. As the series continues, the narrative becomes even more thrilling as Ethan begins to discover the truths about the town he finds himself trapped in.

5 Skyward

Written By Brandon Sanderson

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson is a four-book sci-fi fantasy series, with accompanying novellas, that follows the remnants of the human race who are trapped on a planet that is consistently attacked by alien starfighters. Sanderson is known for his brilliant and unique fantasy book series, and Skyward is another amazing addition that expertly blends YA fantasy with traditional science fiction elements. The story follows the main protagonist, Sensa, as she yearns to become a pilot—a dream that quickly comes true when she discovers the wreckage of an ancient, sentient ship.

4 Station Eleven

Written By Emily St. John Mandel

Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven is a post-apocalyptic novel about a group of survivors who roam the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region in the eerie days after civilization collapses. After a deadly flu pandemic took nearly 99% of the population 20 years ago, the world as they know it now consists of smaller settlements—ones the main protagonist Kirsten and her friends, known as the Traveling Symphony, travel to in the hopes of keeping art and humanity alive in their altered world.

“I stood looking over my damaged home and tried to forget the sweetness of life on Earth.”

― Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven

However, the tiny band's existence is later threatened by a violent prophet. From here, the narrative begins to jump back and forth in time, and depicts life for each character before and after the pandemic—and how their lives came to be so strangely connected. Station Eleven explores themes of preserving art, finding community, and persevering in hard and dangerous times.

3 Red Rising

Written By Pierce Brown

The Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown consists of six published novels, with the series' conclusion set for release later this year or early next. Red Rising, the first novel in the series, depicts the new caste system of society on the planet of Mars. The narrative revolves around Darrow, a Red—the lowest caste in the dystopian society—who works and lives underground, believing his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. However, the Reds have been lied to, and Darrow later discovers that humanity has already reached the surface generations ago.

After a tragic incident that forces Darrow to confront his society's betrayal and deception, he joins the Sons of Ares, a group of individuals who have been working for decades to uproot the oppressive society humans live in today. To do so, Darrow must become a Gold, the highest caste, and infiltrate their highest ranks to topple the empire from the inside. The Red Rising series only escalates from here, and is filled with plot twists that make for a truly entertaining read.

2 This Is How You Lose The Time War

Written By Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

This is How You Lose the Time War is a 2019 science fiction novel by authors Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone—which, upon its release, quickly became one of the most popular science fiction novels of the year. The novel follows the lives of two rival agents among the ashes of a dying world, who will do anything they can to secure the best possible future for their warring factions. After an agent of the Commandant mysteriously receives a letter that reads: "Burn before reading", left as a taunt between the factions, the two rivals discover they have an inexplicable bond.

This is How You Lose the Time War depicts the concept of time travel, and while it's utilized in a more metaphorical sense, it shows how manipulating actions in the past can affect and change the future. What begins as a goal to use time manipulation to eradicate the opposing faction, quickly turns into a beautiful story that paints a picture of how infinite time and love can be.

1 The Fifth Season

Written By N.K. Jemisin

The Fifth Season, by N.K. Jemisin, is the first novel in the Broken Earth Trilogy, kicking off the story with three terrible scenarios—concluded by the end of the world when a great rift in the earth spews ash that will darken the sky for years or centuries to come. The series expertly blends science fiction and fantasy elements, and explores common themes of oppression, power, and the perseverance of humanity. After Essun discovers her husband murdered their son, and her daughter has been kidnapped, she will traverse the deadly and dying land in order to save her daughter.

The post-apocalyptic landscape leaves Essun with no sunlight, water, or arable land—and her limited supplies can only take her so far. The dying world is now at war, with people fighting not over power or land, but the basic necessities for survival. However, refusing to give up on her daughter, Essun will brave the unknown and risk entering into the realities of war in the hopes she discovers her daughter's fate. The Broken Earth trilogy is a great addition to the sci-fi fantasy genre and is perfect for fans who love Silo's dystopian setting.