By genre
Best Science Fiction Audiobooks
A good narrator turns hard science into a voice you trust, and jokes into timing.
Updated September 2026 · By Sawyer V.
The short version
Science fiction is at its best in audio when the book has a strong narrating voice. Project Hail Mary is the obvious first listen, We Are Legion (We Are Bob) and Old Man's War match its humor, and Hyperion and Leviathan Wakes are the epics for a long commute.
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How we picked
We favored books with a clear first-person voice or a structure that suits being heard, and sorted them from easy to demanding. Narrators vary between editions, so sample before you buy. We have not listened to all eight.
What we do on every list: read the publisher’s own description rather than a summary of it, check print length and first publication year against library catalog data (last refreshed September 11, 2026), confirm the book is still sold in the format we suggest, and write the match line before the blurb. What we do not do is claim to have read every book here cover to cover. The full method is published, and it is written so anyone can check it.
The short answer
Who each book is for, at a glance. Select a row for the full write-up.
| # | Book | Give this if | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Project Hail MaryAndy Weir · 496 pagesThe obvious first listen | they have never listened to science fiction | |
| 2 |  We Are Legion (We Are Bob)Dennis E. Taylor · 345 pagesThe funny one | they like engineering jokes | |
| 3 |  Old Man's WarJohn Scalzi · 310 pagesMilitary sci-fi, with jokes | they want action and a wry narrator | |
| 4 |  Ready Player OneErnest Cline · 462 pagesThe pop-culture quest | they grew up on 1980s games and films | |
| 5 |  The Long Way to a Small, Angry PlanetBecky Chambers · 445 pagesThe cozy space crew | they want kindness and found family | |
| 6 |  A Memory Called EmpireArkady Martine · 464 pagesThe political one | they like court intrigue | |
| 7 |  HyperionDan Simmons · 481 pagesThe tales | they like stories within a story | |
| 8 |  Leviathan WakesJames S. A. Corey · 592 pagesThe long one | they want a series to live inside |
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Eight, from a first listen to an epic
1. The obvious first listen
Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir
Give this ifthey have never listened to science fiction
A science teacher wakes alone on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there, and has to save Earth. Funny, warm and among the most recommended audiobooks of recent years.
- Print length
- 496 pages
- First published
- 2021
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
2. The funny one
We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
Dennis E. Taylor
Give this ifthey like engineering jokes
A software engineer wakes a century after his death as the artificial intelligence running a space probe, and starts copying himself. Light, quick and very good company in audio.
- Print length
- 345 pages
- First published
- 2016
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
3. Military sci-fi, with jokes
Old Man's War
John Scalzi
Give this ifthey want action and a wry narrator
At seventy-five, a widower joins an army that gives its recruits young new bodies to fight humanity's wars among the stars. Brisk and funny, and the start of a series.
- Print length
- 310 pages
- First published
- 2005
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
4. The pop-culture quest
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline
Give this ifthey grew up on 1980s games and films
In a bleak near future, a teenager joins a worldwide treasure hunt inside a virtual-reality game, chasing clues left by its dead creator. The references come thick and fast, which suits an energetic reading.
- Print length
- 462 pages
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
5. The cozy space crew
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Becky Chambers
Give this ifthey want kindness and found family
The crew of a tunneling ship takes a long job across the galaxy, and the book is about the people more than the job. Gentle and episodic, and easy to dip in and out of.
- Print length
- 445 pages
- First published
- 2014
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
6. The political one
A Memory Called Empire
Arkady Martine
Give this ifthey like court intrigue
An ambassador from a small mining station arrives at the heart of a vast empire to find her predecessor dead. Clever and political.
One caveat: Many invented names, which a narrator makes easier.
- Print length
- 464 pages
- First published
- 2019
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
7. The tales
Hyperion
Dan Simmons
Give this ifthey like stories within a story
Seven pilgrims travel to a world of time-tombs and tell each other why they came, in a structure borrowed from Chaucer. A book of tales told aloud is a natural fit for audio.
- Print length
- 481 pages
- First published
- 1989
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
8. The long one
Leviathan Wakes
James S. A. Corey
Give this ifthey want a series to live inside
A ship's officer and a detective are drawn into a conspiracy that could start a war across the solar system. The first of a long series, and a big commitment in hours.
- Print length
- 592 pages
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
What makes science fiction work in audio
The science fiction that works best in audio has a narrator the listener trusts: someone explaining a strange situation, often with humor. That voice turns technical detail into story, which is why first-person books dominate this list.
Invented names and alien vocabulary, which slow some readers on the page, are easier heard than read, just as in fantasy.
Where to start
| If they | Start with | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Have never tried science fiction | Project Hail Mary | One voice, clear stakes, lots of humor |
| Want to laugh | We Are Legion (We Are Bob) | Jokes built on engineering |
| Like action | Old Man's War | Brisk, funny military adventure |
| Want something gentle | The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet | A found family on a long voyage |
| Have a long commute | Leviathan Wakes | A long series to work through |
Where to go next
The best science fiction, science fiction for beginners and books like Project Hail Mary cover print, and fantasy audiobooks suits a listener who wants dragons rather than starships. A credit buys any single title regardless of length, which favors long space opera; the subscription panel on this page explains who each service suits.
Two ways to read this list for less
If several books here appeal, a subscription usually beats buying them one at a time — but only for the right kind of reader. Here is who each one actually suits.
Audible Premium Plus
For anyone whose hands are busy
Driving, walking, cooking, cleaning. It converts hours that were never available for reading, which is a bigger effect than any discount. Books bought with a credit stay yours after you cancel — titles from the included catalog do not, and confusing the two is the most common complaint about the service.
See Audible plans and current pricingHow Audible actually works — credits, gifting and what happens when you cancel.
Kindle Unlimited
For fast readers who browse
It pays off from about three ebooks a month, in the genres the catalog covers well — romance, romantasy, cozy mystery, thriller, progression fantasy. It does not pay off if you are waiting on a specific new hardcover, because those are usually not included. Everything is borrowed, not owned.
See Kindle Unlimited terms and pricingIs Kindle Unlimited worth it? — the arithmetic, done on your own reading.
#ad — how we are funded. We print no subscription prices anywhere on this site, because they change and a stale figure sends you to a checkout expecting something that is not there. And if you read in silence in a chair, neither of these is for you — buy the book, or borrow it from your library.
What we would skip
Dense hard science fiction as a first listen
Books built on long technical explanations or huge casts can be hard to follow by ear, because you cannot glance back at a diagram or a name. Start with a strong single narrator, like Project Hail Mary, and move to the epics once the habit is set.
Questions people ask
What is the best science fiction audiobook to start with?
Project Hail Mary is the one most often recommended, and it makes a good first listen.
What sci-fi audiobooks are funny?
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) and Old Man's War, both carried by a wry narrator.
What is a good long sci-fi audiobook series?
Leviathan Wakes starts a long space-opera series. Hyperion's story concludes in The Fall of Hyperion.
Is science fiction hard to follow as an audiobook?
Not usually. Choose a first-person book with a small cast for a first listen.
Sources
- Open Library Search API — First publication year, median print length and cover art for every book on this page. Queried 8 September 2026.
- Audible Premium Plus membership page — The only authoritative source for current Audible plans, prices and terms.
Read next
- Best Sci-Fi Books
Ten science fiction books grouped by the four separate pleasures the genre offers.
- Best Sci-Fi Books for Beginners
Six science fiction books that change one thing and explain everything else.
- Books Like Project Hail Mary
Eight science fiction novels for a Project Hail Mary reader: the science, the humor or the alien.
- Best Fantasy Audiobooks
Eight fantasy audiobooks that work better heard than read, from a first listen to a long one.
- Best Audiobooks on Audible
Ten audiobooks where the recording beats the page, sorted by what makes each work.