thumbnail

Classic Science Fiction Novels by Plot

Name the classic science fiction novel based on a description of the plot.
No spoilers!
If the clue applies to a series of books, guess the first book in the series
Quiz by Wallnutshire
Rate:
Last updated: June 18, 2022
You have not attempted this quiz yet.
First submittedApril 2, 2018
Times taken1,268
Average score55.0%
Rating4.27
Report this quizReport
5:00
Enter answer here
0
 / 20 guessed
The quiz is paused. You have remaining.
Scoring
You scored / = %
This beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%
The average score is
Your high score is
Your fastest time is
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
Hint
Author
Answer
Residents of Airstrip One are under constant surveillance by an unseen leader known as Big Brother
George Orwell
Nineteen Eighty-Four
In the 19th century, Martians invade Earth in huge metal tripods
H.G. Wells
The War of the Worlds
A hacker is hired by a mysterious employer named Armitage to steal a security code from the most impregnable databank in the solar system
William Gibson
Neuromancer
In the future, humans are mass-produced in laboratories and assigned a social class before they are even born
Aldous Huxley
Brave New World
A Victorian explorer travels to the far future and finds that humans have evolved into two different species, named the Eloi and the Morlocks
H.G. Wells
The Time Machine
A marine biologist is captured by an advanced submarine named the Nautilus, commanded by the mysterious Captain Nemo
Jules Verne
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
A soldier progresses through the ranks of the army during a war between humans and aliens known as 'Bugs'
Robert A. Heinlein
Starship Troopers
Factions of an interstellar empire fight over control of the planet Arrakis, the only source of the valuable spice melange
Frank Herbert
Dune
In post-apocalyptic San Francisco, a bounty hunter is tasked with killing six escaped human-like androids
Philip K. Dick
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
In order to avoid overconsumption of resources, people are killed once they reach their 'Lastday' at the age of 21
William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson
Logan's Run
After Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass, the last surviving man goes on intergalactic adventures in his dressing gown
Douglas Adams
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Two astronauts en route to Saturn are terrorised by their spaceship's disobedient computer
Arthur C. Clarke
2001: A Space Odyssey
After most of the population is blinded by a meteor shower, an aggressive species of carnivorous plant begins to take over the world
John Wyndham
The Day of the Triffids
A human man is sent to study the inhabitants of the planet Gethen, and finds they have an incredibly different understanding of gender and sexuality
Ursula K. Le Guin
The Left Hand of Darkness
Society breaks down when a highly virulent, genetically modified strain of influenza is accidentally released
Stephen King
The Stand
A scientist named Griffin modifies his own body so he neither reflects nor absorbs light
H.G. Wells
The Invisible Man
A young janitor with a low IQ is transformed into a genius, thanks to an experimental brain surgery
Daniel Keyes
Flowers for Algernon
A scientist on a remote Pacific island creates monstrous animal hybrids called 'Beast Folk'
H.G. Wells
The Island of Doctor Moreau
An amusement park featuring genetically recreated dinosaurs goes horribly wrong before it even opens
Michael Crichton
Jurassic Park
A young Swiss student constructs a human-like creature from parts of corpses, then brings it to life
Mary Shelley
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
+3
Level 69
Apr 3, 2018
Nice!
+2
Level 74
May 25, 2021
I'm not sure about the Left Hand of Darkness description. The Gethen have a concept of gender and sexuality, just one that is so different from ours, that the protagonist struggles to comprehend it!
+1
Level 79
May 25, 2021
That's a good point. I'll edit the clue accordingly!
+1
Level 53
May 25, 2021
Could The Sentinel be accepted for 2001?
+1
Level 79
May 25, 2021
I don't think so. The Sentinel is a short story rather than a novel, and while it has elements in common with 2001, its plot doesn't really fit the clue I gave. It's also much less well-known than 2001 - if somebody knows The Sentinel, they will definitely have heard of 2001.
+2
Level 58
Feb 21, 2022
great quiz, but a little more time would be nice, reading all those texts, identifying the story and then remembering the english title (for a non-native english speaker) takes some time...
+1
Level 79
Feb 21, 2022
I've added an extra minute - you're right, it is a little wordy!
+1
Level 78
Feb 21, 2022
Great quiz. Although I think Jurassic Park does not belong to this test, both in terms of quality (is a forgettable novel that no one would know about if it weren't for the film) and in terms of chronology (it's from the nineties, and if I'm not missing anything, all the other novels ar at least from a couple of decades before. It's way to recent to be considered "a classic").

Farenheit 451 or the Foundation would be much more worthwile additions.