Best Sci-Fi Audiobooks on Audible

Audiobook list · Updated November 2026

Best Sci-Fi Audiobooks on Audible

Science fiction has some of the best audiobooks around, from space opera and old classics to short, tense survival stories. This list starts with the Audie Award winners and Audible’s editors’ picks, then adds what listeners rate highest.

Everything here is on Audible, and the lengths vary a lot. Some are novellas you can finish in an afternoon, and others are long worlds worth getting lost in.

By Peter Clemens · Originally published February 2024 · Updated November 2026

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If you only listen to three

Not sure where to start? Try one of these.

  1. Project Hail MaryThe 2022 Audie Audiobook of the Year, read by Ray Porter, with a 4.9 rating from more than 316,000 listeners.
    See it ↓
  2. SimultaneousThe 2026 Audie winner for Science Fiction, a time-travel thriller with three narrators.
    See it ↓
  3. Red RisingA Mars-set saga with a 4.7 rating from more than 82,000 listeners.
    See it ↓
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Audie Winners and Audible Editors’ Picks

Recent Audie winners, a modern classic, and favorites from Audible’s best sci-fi and fantasy of 2025.

Cover of the Simultaneous audiobook by Eric Heisserer
2026 Audie winner

Simultaneous

by Eric Heisserer
Read by Marin Ireland, Ray Porter & Stephanie ShehLength 7h 53m

A mind-bending time-travel thriller that won the 2026 Audie for Best Science Fiction. Ray Porter voices a gruff investigator, Marin Ireland a therapist and Stephanie Sheh a patient, and Kirkus called the three performances irresistible.

Cover of the The Book of Doors audiobook by Gareth Brown
2025 Audie winner

The Book of Doors

by Gareth Brown
Read by Miranda RaisonLength 13h 16m

A debut that mixes magic, adventure and romance in a contemporary setting, for fans of The Night Circus and The Midnight Library. It won the 2025 Audie for Science Fiction and has a 4.6 rating from nearly 5,000 listeners.

Cover of the Project Hail Mary audiobook by Andy Weir
Audiobook of the Year

Project Hail Mary

by Andy Weir
Read by Ray PorterLength 16h 10m

A lone astronaut wakes aboard a spacecraft on a mission that could save Earth. It won the 2022 Audie for Audiobook of the Year and has a 4.9 rating from more than 316,000 listeners.

Cover of the There Is No Antimemetics Division audiobook by qntm
Audible editors’ pick

There Is No Antimemetics Division

by qntm
Read by Rebecca CalderLength 8h 47m

Humanity is under assault by “antimemes”, ideas that attack memory, identity and reality itself, in a science-fiction horror story. It is an expanded version of the beloved online novel and was one of Audible’s best sci-fi and fantasy listens of 2025.

Cover of the What We Can Know audiobook by Ian McEwan
Audible editors’ pick

What We Can Know

by Ian McEwan
Read by David Rintoul & Rachel BavidgeLength 11h 36m

A genre-bending novel that opens at a 2014 dinner party, where a poet reads a new poem for his wife, then looks across time and history at what can ever be truly known. It was one of Audible’s best sci-fi and fantasy listens of 2025.

Space Opera and Epic Adventures

Big worlds, big wars and big ideas.

Cover of the Red Rising audiobook by Pierce Brown
Series starter

Red Rising

by Pierce Brown
Read by Tim Gerard ReynoldsLength 16h 12m

Darrow is a Red, the lowest caste in a color-coded society, and believes his work in the mines is making Mars livable. It has a 4.7 rating from more than 82,000 listeners.

Cover of the Dune audiobook by Frank Herbert
Full-cast classic

Dune

by Frank Herbert
Read by Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton & full castLength 21h 2m

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, this is the landmark of epic science fiction, performed by a full cast. It has a 4.7 rating from more than 127,000 listeners.

Cover of the Leviathan Wakes audiobook by James S. A. Corey
The Expanse begins

Leviathan Wakes

by James S. A. Corey
Read by Jefferson MaysLength 20h 56m

A captain, his crew and a detective unravel a conspiracy across the solar system that begins with a single missing girl. This is the first book of The Expanse, with a 4.7 rating.

Cover of the Children of Time audiobook by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Standalone epic

Children of Time

by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Read by Mel HudsonLength 16h 31m

The last remnants of humanity leave a dying Earth and search for a new home, and the question is who will inherit a terraformed planet. It has a 4.5 rating from more than 41,000 listeners.

Cover of the Firefly: Magnificent Nine audiobook by James Lovegrove
Space western

Firefly: Magnificent Nine

by James Lovegrove
Read by James Anderson FosterLength 8h 23m

An original novel set between the TV series and the movie Serenity, in which Captain Mal Reynolds would like nothing more than honest smuggling work. It has a 4.7 rating.

Classics and Dystopian Landmarks

The books that shaped the genre, in strong recordings.

Cover of the Brave New World audiobook by Aldous Huxley
Dystopian classic

Brave New World

by Aldous Huxley
Read by Michael YorkLength 8h

Originally published in 1932, a world of cloning, feel-good drugs and total social control. Michael York reads it, and it has more than 31,000 ratings.

Cover of the Foundation audiobook by Isaac Asimov
Genre classic

Foundation

by Isaac Asimov
Read by Scott BrickLength 8h 38m

For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. The first novel in the Foundation series is read by Scott Brick and has a 4.4 rating.

Cover of the Ender’s Game audiobook by Orson Scott Card
Hugo and Nebula winner

Ender’s Game

by Orson Scott Card
Read by Stefan Rudnicki & Harlan EllisonLength 11h 57m

The classic story of a young boy recruited into the middle of an interstellar war. It has a 4.6 rating from more than 44,000 listeners.

Cover of the Fahrenheit 451 audiobook by Ray Bradbury
New recording

Fahrenheit 451

by Ray Bradbury
Read by Penn BadgleyLength 4h 48m

A new recording of Bradbury’s classic set in a bleak, dystopian future, narrated by Penn Badgley. It runs under five hours.

Cover of the The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy audiobook by Douglas Adams
Funniest sci-fi

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

by Douglas Adams
Read by Stephen FryLength 5h 51m

The Washington Post called it “extremely funny”, and Stephen Fry’s reading is a favorite. It has a 4.6 rating from nearly 57,000 listeners.

Short Sci-Fi Under Six Hours

Quick listens that still have big ideas.

Cover of the The Dispatcher audiobook by John Scalzi
2017 Audie winner

The Dispatcher

by John Scalzi
Read by Zachary QuintoLength 2h 18m

In this Audible Original, murder is nearly impossible because victims return to life, and Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher. It won the 2017 Audie for Original Work and has more than 85,000 ratings.

Cover of the All Systems Red audiobook by Martha Wells
Murderbot begins

All Systems Red

by Martha Wells
Read by Kevin R. FreeLength 3h 17m

The first Murderbot Diaries novella follows a self-aware security android that would rather watch soap operas than deal with humans. It has a 4.5 rating from more than 22,000 listeners.

Cover of the A Psalm for the Wild-Built audiobook by Becky Chambers
Gentle and hopeful

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

by Becky Chambers
Read by Em GroslandLength 4h 8m

The first Monk and Robot book from Hugo Award winner Becky Chambers is set centuries after the robots left, and AudioFile praised the narration as gentle. It has a 4.5 rating.

Cover of the The Downloaded audiobook by Robert J. Sawyer
Star-powered full cast

The Downloaded

by Robert J. Sawyer
Read by Brendan Fraser, Luke Kirby, Vanessa Sears & full castLength 5h 39m

In 2059, two very different groups are cryonically frozen while their minds are uploaded into a quantum computer. Brendan Fraser, Luke Kirby and Vanessa Sears lead the cast.

Cover of the George Orwell’s 1984 (Dramatized) audiobook by George Orwell
Dramatized classic

George Orwell’s 1984 (Dramatized)

by George Orwell
Read by Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo & full castLength 3h 27m

A full-cast adaptation of Orwell’s novel, told through Winston Smith in Airstrip One, where Big Brother is always watching. It has a 4.7 rating from more than 16,000 listeners.

Big Ideas and Mind-Bending Plots

Contact, time travel, uploaded minds and the end of the world.

Cover of the The Three-Body Problem audiobook by Cixin Liu
Hugo winner

The Three-Body Problem

by Cixin Liu
Read by Luke DanielsLength 13h 26m

The Hugo Award-winning novel that inspired the Netflix series 3 Body Problem. It has a 4.4 rating from more than 31,000 listeners.

Cover of the Sleeping Giants audiobook by Sylvain Neuvel
Full-cast mystery

Sleeping Giants

by Sylvain Neuvel
Read by Full castLength 8h 28m

A girl riding her bike in Deadwood, South Dakota, falls through the ground and sets off an earthshaking mystery. It is a thriller in the tradition of Michael Crichton and World War Z.

Cover of the And Then She Vanished audiobook by Nick Jones
Time-travel mystery

And Then She Vanished

by Nick Jones
Read by Ray PorterLength 9h 7m

Joseph Bridgeman is still haunted by his little sister’s disappearance when he accidentally discovers he can time travel. This starts the Joseph Bridgeman series and has a 4.6 rating.

Cover of the We Are Legion (We Are Bob) audiobook by Dennis E. Taylor
Audible’s best of 2016

We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

by Dennis E. Taylor
Read by Ray PorterLength 9h 56m

Bob Johansson sells his software company and plans a life of leisure. Audible named it its Best Science Fiction Book of 2016, and it has a 4.7 rating from more than 109,000 listeners.

Cover of the Station Eleven audiobook by Emily St. John Mandel
Quiet end-of-the-world

Station Eleven

by Emily St. John Mandel
Read by Kirsten PotterLength 10h 40m

A Hollywood star, his would-be savior and a nomadic group of actors roam the Great Lakes region as civilization collapses. It has a 4.3 rating from more than 14,000 listeners.

Survival, Games and Mayhem

Fast, funny and high-stakes listens.

Cover of the Hell Divers audiobook by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
Audible editor’s pick

Hell Divers

by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
Read by R. C. BrayLength 10h 11m

Humanity lives on airships above a poisoned Earth, and the Hell Divers drop to the surface for the resources they need. It was a 2016 Audible Editor’s Pick and has more than 39,000 ratings.

Cover of the Alien: Covenant audiobook by Alan Dean Foster
Movie novelization

Alien: Covenant

by Alan Dean Foster
Read by Tom TaylorsonLength 8h 58m

The novelization of Ridley Scott’s film. The crew of a colony ship finds what looks like an uncharted paradise, but it is actually a dark, dangerous world. It has a 4.5 rating.

Cover of the Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobook by Matt Dinniman
Fan favorite

Dungeon Crawler Carl

by Matt Dinniman
Read by Jeff HaysLength 13h 31m

The apocalypse will be televised. A man and his ex-girlfriend’s cat must survive a deadly game show dungeon. It has a 4.8 rating from more than 73,000 listeners.

Cover of the The Martian audiobook by Andy Weir
Survival classic

The Martian

by Andy Weir
Read by Wil WheatonLength 10h 59m

Astronaut Mark Watney is sure he will be the first person to die on Mars. This is a new production narrated by Wil Wheaton, with bonus content, and a 4.8 rating.

Cover of the Ready Player One audiobook by Ernest Cline
Quest for a prize

Ready Player One

by Ernest Cline
Read by Wil WheatonLength 15h 40m

A quest for the ultimate prize in a virtual world, described by USA Today as Willy Wonka meets The Matrix. It has a 4.8 rating from more than 262,000 listeners.

Sci-fi audiobooks: common questions

What are the best sci-fi audiobooks on Audible?

Project Hail Mary has a 4.9 rating from more than 316,000 listeners, and Simultaneous won the 2026 Audie for Science Fiction. Dune, Red Rising and Dungeon Crawler Carl each have tens of thousands of ratings too.

Which sci-fi audiobooks have won Audie Awards?

Project Hail Mary won Audiobook of the Year in 2022, The Dispatcher won Original Work in 2017, The Book of Doors won Science Fiction in 2025 and Simultaneous won it in 2026.

What is the shortest sci-fi audiobook on this list?

The Dispatcher, at about 2 hours 18 minutes. The longest is Dune, at about 21 hours 2 minutes.

Which of these have full casts or multiple narrators?

Dune, The Downloaded, George Orwell’s 1984 and Sleeping Giants use full casts. Simultaneous has three narrators, and What We Can Know has two.

Which are good sci-fi audiobooks for beginners?

The Martian, Project Hail Mary, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and All Systems Red are easy ways in, and the last two run well under six hours.

Where can I find more sci-fi recommendations?

My 42 best sci-fi audiobooks of all time and apocalyptic and dystopian audiobooks lists go deeper, and my best audiobook deals page shows how to listen for less.

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