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Any discussion of science fiction invariably begins and ends with the masters of the genre. Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Phillip K. Dick, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, H.G. Wells, Frank Herbert, Jerry Pournelle and so on. But what do all of those authors have in common besides their sci-fi prowess? They all did their most significant work before 1980. Ironically for a genre that’s so much about the future, much of our discussion of the great work done within it seems to center around things written in the distant past.

People didn’t suddenly stop writing science fiction novels in 1980. In the past thirty-years a new group of science fiction authors has risen to make their mark on the genre, with their own masterpiece entries into the sci-fi genre. This list is dedicated to those writers, the modern masters who haven’t quite yet taken their place in the pantheon of sci-fi icons, but probably should. If you’re serious about science fiction, or just looking for a great book to read without all the baggage of something written in a long since bygone era, make sure you own a copy of these must-read modern sci-fi masterpieces.

The Dark Tower (1982 – 2004)
Written by: Stephen King

Neuromancer (1984)
Written by: William Gibson

Ender’s Game (1985)
Written by: Orson Scott Card

The Liaden Universe (1988 – 2010)
Written by: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Hyperion Cantos (1989 – 1997)
Written by: Dan Simmons

Jurassic Park (1990)
Written by: Michael Crichton

On Basilisk Station (1992)
Written by: David Weber

The Time Ships (1995)
Written by: Stephen Baxter

A Deepness in the Sky (1999)
Written by: Vernor Vinge

Ready Player One (2011)
Written by: Ernest Cline