7 Of The Best John Scalzi Books In Order

---

“Here’s a quick rule of thumb: Don’t annoy science fiction writers. These are people who destroy entire planets before lunch. Think of what they’ll do to you.”

---

If you’re a fan of sharp wit, fast-paced storytelling, and thought-provoking sci-fi, John Scalzi is the author for you. With bestsellers like Old Man’s War and The Kaiju Preservation Society, Scalzi has established a unique voice in modern science fiction. But, with so many brilliant titles to choose from, you may be wondering: what are the best John Scalzi books, and what order should you read them? Whether you’re new to his work or looking to revisit some of his most iconic tales, join us today at What We Reading as we rank the best John Scalzi books in order. From Hugo Award-winning novels to his lesser-known gems, we’ll help you refine the ultimate John Scalzi reading order and explore what makes each of these works stand out. Ready to dive into the brilliant, bizarre, and often hilarious worlds of Scalzi’s imagination? Let’s get started! 

---

Old Man’s War (Old Man’s War #1) (2005)

Kicking off our list of the best John Scalzi books is his acclaimed Old Man’s War series, beginning with the 2005 first entry. John Perry did two things on his seventy-fifth birthday. First, he visited his wife’s grave. Then he joined the army. With humanity now established across the stars, planets fit to live on are scarce, and alien races are willing to fight for them. Far from Earth, the war has been raging on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding. 

Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity’s resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defence Force. Everyone knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. Enlistees are taken off Earth, never to return again. After two years of service, they are rewarded with a generous homestead on one of the hard-won colony planets. John Perry is now taking the deal. He only has the vaguest idea of what is to come. Because the actual fight, light years from his home, is far, far harder than what he can imagine – and what he is about to become is far stranger still. 

Redshirts (2012)

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestigious posting, and Andrew is thrilled to be assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory. Life could hardly be better. That is until Andrew begins to notice how every away mission involves a deadly confrontation with an alien species, how the ship’s captain, chief science officer, and handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these encounters, and how at least one low-ranked crew member is always killed. 

Unsurprisingly, a great deal of energy is spent avoiding these away missions. Then Andrew happens upon information that totally upends his and his colleagues’ understanding of what the Intrepid really is. A Hugo award winner and a real cult favourite John Scalzi book, Redshirts, is a meta take on the expendable crew members that have always made up science fiction. 

---

Check Out The Best Sci-Fi Books For Beginners

---

The Kaiju Preservation Society (2022)

When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he describes as an “animal rights organisation.” Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Ager to do anything, Jamie agrees to help out. 

What Tom doesn’t tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. At least, not on our Earth. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures known as Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world. They’re the largest and most dangerous creatures in the universe. And they’re in trouble. It isn’t just the Kaiju Preservation Society that has found its way to other worlds. Others have too, and their carelessness could cause millions back home on Earth to die in this high-octane John Scalzi novel. 

Lock In (Lock In #1) (2014)

Not too long from today, a new, highly contagious virus sweeps across the globe. Most who get sick experience nothing worse than a flu, fever and headaches. However, for the unlucky one per cent, the disease causes “Lock In”: Victims are fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimuli. The world soon changes to meet the challenge. 

Twenty-five years on, rookie FBI agent Chris Shane is paired with veteran Leslie Vann and is assigned to a murder at the Watergate Hotel. As Shane and Vann begin to investigate the killing, it soon becomes clear that the real mystery (and real crime) is far bigger than they could have imagined. What began as a homicide case soon takes the pair through the halls of corporate power to the virtual spaces of the locked in, and to the heart of an emerging, new human culture. 

The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency #1) (2017)

Our universe is ruled by physics, and faster-than-light travel is not possible. At least, that was the case until the discovery of The Flow, an extra-dimensional field we can access at certain points in space-time that whisks us to other worlds and other stars. Humanity flows away from Earth, into space, and in time forgets our home world and creates a new empire, The Interdependency, whose ethos demands that no human outpost can endure without the others. 

The Flow is eternal, but it is not static. Just as a river is able to change course, The Flow changes as well, cutting off entire worlds from the rest of humanity. When it’s discovered that The Flow is moving, possibly cutting off all human worlds in the process, three individuals find themselves locked in a race against time to discover what, if anything, they can do to save an interstellar empire on the brink of collapse. One of the best John Scalzi books, The Collapsing Empire, is a sprawling space opera that kicks off the acclaimed The Interdependency trilogy.  

Starter Villain (2023)

Charlie’s life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank would approve his loan. Then, his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete withan island volcano lair) to Charlie. 

However, becoming a supervillain isn’t all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they’re coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned sort of villain, but these are the real things. It is up to Charlie to win the war his uncle began against a league of supervillains. But with unionised dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson by his side, going bad is beginning to look pretty good. Another classic meta John Scalzi novel, Starter Villain, is smart, funny, and the sort of sci-fi read that doesn’t take itself too seriously. 

When The Moon Hits Your Eye (2024)

Another one of the best John Scalzi books that blends snappy humour with a comfortable feel is 2025’s When the Moon Hits Your Eye. One day soon, without any warning or explanation, the moon as we know it will be replaced with an orb of cheese with precisely the same amount of mass. 

Through the lens of an entire lunar cycle, from new moon to a spectacular and possibly final solar eclipse, When the Moon Hits Your Eye orbits around multiple characters, from schoolkids to scientists, billionaires and workers, to preachers and politicians, as they confront the strange new world they find themselves in, and the absurd, impossible moon that now hangs above all their lives. 

---

Check Out The Best New Books To Read In 2025 

---