5 Must-Read Classic Sci-Fi Books in the Public Domain

Science fiction didn't start with summer blockbusters. Long before we had CGI spaceships, brilliant authors were looking up at the stars and wondering, what if?

The foundations of the sci-fi genre were laid in the 19th and early 20th centuries by writers who predicted everything from submarines and space travel to biological engineering and time machines. Best of all, because these foundational texts are so old, they are now entirely in the public domain—meaning you can read them right now, entirely for free.

Here are five essential classic sci-fi books you need to read to understand where the genre began.

1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Often credited as the very first true science fiction novel, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she was just 18 years old. Unlike the lumbering, green-skinned monster of the movies, Shelley's original creature is highly intelligent, articulate, and deeply tragic. It is a brilliant exploration of ambition, the dangers of playing God, and what it truly means to be human.

📖 Read or Listen to Frankenstein on TomeReader

2. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

H.G. Wells practically invented the concept of a vehicle that could travel through time. In this short, gripping novella, an unnamed Time Traveler journeys hundreds of thousands of years into the future, only to discover that humanity has evolved into two distinct, terrifying species: the peaceful Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks.

📖 Read or Listen to The Time Machine on TomeReader

3. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

If H.G. Wells was the master of concepts, Jules Verne was the master of technical prediction. Verne imagined a world of electric-powered submarines decades before they existed in reality. Following the mysterious and anti-heroic Captain Nemo aboard the Nautilus, this book is part marine biology textbook and part thrilling underwater adventure.

📖 Read or Listen to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea on TomeReader

4. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

The ultimate alien invasion story. Wells terrified Victorian readers by imagining technologically superior Martians landing in the English countryside in massive, walking tripods. It is a tense, ground-level survival story that established almost every single trope we still use in invasion movies today.

📖 Read or Listen to The War of the Worlds on TomeReader

5. A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Before he created Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote this wildly entertaining pulp-adventure about a Confederate soldier mysteriously transported to Mars. There, he finds himself caught in a massive war between multi-armed aliens and red-skinned humanoids. It is pure, action-packed "planetary romance" and was a massive inspiration for creators like George Lucas and James Cameron.

📖 Read or Listen to A Princess of Mars on TomeReader

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Experience the Classics with Audio

Reading older science fiction can sometimes be challenging due to the denser, descriptive prose of the era. On TomeReader, you can seamlessly pair these public domain texts with synchronized audio, making it easier than ever to get lost in these foundational sci-fi worlds!