I’m a sucker for sci-fi, and honestly I probably prefer it to fantasy…that could be a lie, but I do know I absolutely love getting lost in a good sci-fi. For the purposes of this post though, I’m going to narrow the genre down significantly to sci-fi that takes place in space / another planet(s) and more preferably on a ship. Science Fiction set on a ship in space is by far my favorite kind of story to watch and to read.

I feel like there aren’t enough books in YA that take place on a space ship – maybe they’re just not on my radar and I’m missing them. I’ve been able to amass a small collection, but it’s small, and sadly I’ve not been able to read them all, but most.

I’ve always been in love with space and the idea of being able to travel to new worlds and seeing what’s out there. It’s why my big SF project I’ve been working on, which I’ve mentioned numerous times on this blog, is a SF set in space on a ship. It’s my passion project. I’m writing what I would love, love, love to see on shelves in stores. I’m getting the sense that this kind of sci-fi might be on the rise, and if so, I’m clearly here for it.

If you’re still not sure what I’m talking about, then here are some show recommendations real quick, that I love so much, and constantly re-watching.

• Farscape
• Stargate: SG – 1
• Stargate: Atlantis
• Stargate Universe
• Firefly
• Dark Matter

And that’s 5 show recs! If you check them out, feel free to tell me your thoughts!

I’m going to keep this next part short and sweet!

Now onto the 5 books! In no particular order –

These Broken Stars (The Starbound Trilogy) – Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Luxury spaceliner Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive – alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help. Everything changes when they uncover the truth. 

Starflight – Melissa Landers

Life in the outer realm is a lawless, dirty, hard existence, and Solara Brooks is hungry for it. Just out of the orphanage, she needs a fresh start in a place where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. She’s so desperate to reach the realm that she’s willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback who made her life miserable all through high school, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith.

When a twist of fate lands them instead on the Banshee, a vessel of dubious repute, Doran learns he’s been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of mysterious coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must get past their enmity to work together and evade those out for their arrest. Life on the Banshee may be tumultuous, but as Solara and Doran are forced to question everything they once believed about their world—and each other—the ship becomes home, and the eccentric crew family. But what Solara and Doran discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter their lives, but the existence of everyone in the universe…

Illuminae – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it’s clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

Nebula – L A Sees

I don’t know where I came from. I don’t know where I’m going. What I do know is where I’d like to be—safe within my mother’s embrace.

Her world is turned upside down once again when Zac’s ship disappears. Determined to rescue him, Ree embarks on a frantic mission to save him. As events unravel and secrets are revealed, Ree soon realizes that achieving her dreams will mean facing the truth behind her nightmares.

Starglass – Phoebe North

Terra has never known anything but life aboard the Asherah, a city-within-a-spaceship that left Earth five hundred years ago in search of refuge. At sixteen, working a job that doesn’t interest her, and living with a grieving father who only notices her when he’s yelling, Terra is sure that there has to be more to life than what she’s got.

But when she inadvertently witnesses the captain’s guard murdering an innocent man, Terra is suddenly thrust into the dark world beneath her ship’s idyllic surface. As she’s drawn into a secret rebellion determined to restore power to the people, Terra discovers that her choices may determine life or death for the people she cares most about. With mere months to go before landing on the long-promised planet, Terra has to make the decision of a lifetime–one that will determine the fate of her people.

I’ve read all of these books, and enjoyed all of them. If you’ve read any of these books/series let me know in the comments!