Sci-Fi Novels
Xnoval's science fiction leans toward big ideas at human scale — memory markets, generation ships, machine minds and the price of extending a life. Much of it is translated Chinese SF, a tradition with its own flavour: engineering-minded, family-haunted and quietly strange. This is translated Chinese science fiction in English — a different SF tradition, engineering-minded and family-haunted.
Xnoval currently lists 6 Sci-Fi novels, 2 of them complete. Every book opens with free chapters — start anywhere and read at your own pace.
How to read this shelf
This is the smallest shelf on Xnoval — 6 novels, 2 of them complete. Chinese science fiction is a younger tradition than the country's fantasy epics, and this shelf reflects that: fewer books, chosen one at a time. Start with Quantum Ruins of St. Petersburg, the pick at the top of this page, and use the free opening chapters of any book as a taste test before you commit. If you finish the shelf, the Fantasy and Adventure hubs are the natural next stop — much of Xnoval's SF shares their long-arc, world-first storytelling, just with starships and machine minds in place of swords.
Start with these
Quantum Ruins of St. Petersburg
In future St. Petersburg, a translator discovers that repairing forgotten relics holds the key to unraveling the quantum defection crisis — all while battling a shadowy conspiracy determined to erase history.
The Verdant Ark: Rising from the Flood
Dharu is submerged in a catastrophic flood, turning a once-thriving port into a waterlogged wasteland. Amidst the drowning city, Kwame stands out not for his strength, but for his uncanny ability to reconstruct shattered ecosystems. Starting as a lone scavenger picking through the ruins, he pioneers a unique method of survival by forcing nature to adapt to the new aquatic environment. As the world drowns, power shifts from the old elites to those who can control the tide. With the aid of sharp-eyed prophet Zola and the relentless engineering genius Osa, Kwame transforms his humble shelter into a fortified eco-base. However, the attention of ruthless figures like smuggler Kenny threatens to drown their progress. In this post-apocalyptic struggle, every breath is a battle, and every plant grown is a weapon against extinction. Kwame must navigate a treacherous landscape of human greed and natural chaos to establish a sanctuary where life can truly take root, proving that even in the depths, green shoots can pierce the grey water.
The Dresden Fragment
While clearing out an old estate, Anna uncovers a star chart with a crucial corner missing. She joins forces with her companions to take on corrupt officials, pursuing the illegal historical dealings concealed behind that lost piece and dragging the buried truth into the light.
All Sci-Fi novels on Xnoval
Quantum Ruins of St. Petersburg
In future St. Petersburg, a translator discovers that repairing forgotten relics holds the key to unraveling the quantum defection crisis — all while …
The Verdant Ark: Rising from the Flood
Dharu is submerged in a catastrophic flood, turning a once-thriving port into a waterlogged wasteland. Amidst the drowning city, Kwame stands out not …
The Dresden Fragment
While clearing out an old estate, Anna uncovers a star chart with a crucial corner missing. She joins forces with her companions to take on corrupt of…
Shadows of the Moscow Chart: The Quantum Heist
Detective Natalia Liebiejev risks everything to solve the theft of a forbidden quantum archive capable of rewriting history. As the court clock ticks …
Echoes Beyond the Mist: The Satellite's Last Call
38-year-old urban planner Alexei Lebedev inherits his missing father’s cryptic satellite maps. Ignoring warnings, Alexei traverses frozen archives and…
Grey Cloak and Stardust
On a barren world at the edge of known space, a psychotherapist uses her sharp clinical insight to unravel a conspiracy that has festered for a centur…