Some of the best science fiction novels you might see on fan lists are also part of a series. If you’re new to the genre, choosing from among the different titles can be overwhelming, that is why most science fiction fans will advise you to try one series first as an introduction.

Here are some of the best science fiction series for beginners.

Space Odyssey Series by Arthur C. Clarke

The series consists of four novels and two short stories detailing humanity’s foray into space exploration. The first book, 2001: A Space Odyssey, introduces the idea that aliens have influenced the primitive ancestors of humans and may be grooming them for a task in the future.

Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold

The first book, Falling Free, was released in 1988 and serves as the backbone of the long-running series that details various themes such as politics, military and warfare, medical ethics, personal identity, bioengineering, and technology.

Ender’s Game Series by Orson Scott Card

Also called the Ender Saga, the first trilogy is part of the Enderverse, a collection of novels, short stories, comics, and audioplay that chronicles humanity’s encounters with different alien species. The first novel, Ender’s Game, introduces Andrew Wiggin, a child soldier and genius schooled in the ways of battle to protect the Earth from the aliens.

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolf

The series, also called Solar Cycle, is available either as four separate books, or one novel with four volumes. The books detail the exploits of Severian after he was exiled from Thrax.

Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons

The first book in the series, Hyperion, features the different stories of a group of pilgrims on their way to the Time Tombs to make a request from the Shrike.

Ringworld by Larry Niven

Made up of five books, Ringworld, is also a part of the Known Space story set in the giant space artifact. Another five novels are the sequel to the last book of the Ringworld series, Fate of Worlds.

Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov

Besides the trilogy, Asimov also wrote two prequels and two sequels. Foundation shows how a prophecy has propelled one mathematician to find a way to steer events into a favorable conclusion.

Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. LeGuin

This series includes two of LeGuin’s most famous novels, The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed, the fourth and fifth books, respectively. They are all set in an alternate history of Earth.

Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson

Although there are plenty of books about man’s attempt to settle on Mars, this series takes a different approach by discussing scientific advances, egalitarianism, ecological problems, and overpopulation.

Majipoor Series by Robert Silverberg

The first book of the series, Lord Valentine’s Castle, introduces the planet Majipoor, where humans have been living with other alien races for thousands of years.

The Culture Series by Iain M. Banks

Besides the usual aliens and humans, the series also features artificial intelligences trying to live in the fringes of a utopian space communist galaxy.

If you still can’t get enough of post-apocalyptic movies, try these novels with more detailed worlds and unforgettable characters.

1.  Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank (1959)

Considered as one of the books that first discussed nuclear fallout, most of the events take place in a small town called Fort Repose. One of the residents of the sleepy town received warning from his brother in the form of a quote from the book of Revelation.

2.  A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miler, Jr. (1959)

Told from the point of view of different characters spanning a thousand years, most of the events are centered in a monastery and the monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz. These monks are dedicated to the preservation of science and the protection of the books from mobs who think knowledge should be destroyed.

3.  Earth Abides by George R. Stewart (1949)

It is the tale of humanity’s rebirth from a disease that nearly wiped out the population. Isherwood Williams, one of the survivors, was lucky to be in the mountains when the cities collapsed. He returns home to find everyone was gone.

4.  The Postman by David Brin (1985)

Gordon Krantz was wandering the wasteland with no clear destination in mind until he discovered a cache of mail in a postal van. He decides travel in order to give hope to people by telling them that the country will be restored soon.

5.  The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard (1962)

Robert Kerans is part of team of scientists sent to map a boiling lagoon, but soon found that he has to live in the area with a few other people after the others fled elsewhere.

6.  Blindness by Jose Saramago (1997)

The story is told from the point of view of various characters who are feeling the effects of an epidemic of blindness. The loss of sight resulted in a breakdown of civilization.

7.  Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky (2005)

Survivors of a nuclear holocaust now inhabit the metro stations underground. In time, they have developed into bickering states, as humans tend do. The story follows Artyom and his quest to find out who the Dark Ones are, creatures that might have come from the surface and have been attacking the survivors.

8.  One Second After by William R. Forstchen (2009)

The residents of a small town suddenly lost their communication lines and electric service, a small inconvenience that later plunged a modern society into panic because is not prepared to live in a world without its conveniences.

9.  Emergence by David R. Palmer (1984)

A little girl is orphaned following a bionuclear plague nearly kills off all of the humans. She doesn’t know, however, that the plague has not affected her because she is a new species of human with better survival chances than the others.

10.  The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham (1951)

Two disasters are about to wipe off the remnants of the human species. The first was a plague of blindness probably caused by a meteor shower, then the survivors are picked off by a plant species, triffids, that were probably accidentally released.