This day and age it's increasingly rare to see people tackle any book of substantial length, let alone some of the longest science fiction books of all time. It takes a rare sort of attention span, but if you can tap into it you'll find that some of these chronicles can take us to places few others are capable of. They are important texts in the history of science fiction.

Some of these books are well over a million words and deal with complex issues, like space exploration and the future of the human race. These books are whopping and can be intimidating even in the attempt to start, but if you enjoy rich characters and insane amounts of detail, then they might be just for you.

The longest science fiction books of all time will certainly take up a great amount of time, but once you're finished reading you'll feel some sense of accomplishment. If you ever find yourself cooped up for an extended period of time, or have a long international flight on your itinerary, dip into one of these behemoths and find out what all the fuss is really about.

When a patient escapes a bio-testing facility, he unknowingly carries with him a plague deemed 'the superflu,' which will wipe out 99 percent of the world's population within a weeks worth of time. The Stand is the classic end-of-world scenario and one of King's most popular books — definitely his longest.

While more of a sci-fi/horror mix than straight sci-fi, King's apocalyptic vision of mankind on the brink of self-destruction is clearly one of the longest science fiction books of all time. The expanded and uncut version comes in at just under 1,500 pages, so you'll have to clear your social calendar to read this one.

Written by the founder of Scientology, the famed phenobarbital and opium addict L. Ron Hubbard billed it as a satirical science fiction adventure set in the far future. Say what you will about the quality — it was universally panned — but it's easily one of the longest science fiction books of all time. Hubbard actually got his artistic beginnings writing pulp sci-fi books.

Mission Earth clocks in at over a million words and just shy of 4,000 pages. Although they are more than likely the ramblings of a lunatic, it's one of the longest books ever published and was a bestseller for years long after his death.

Infinite Jest is definitely one of those books many people own, but haven't actually read. It's incredibly long and dense (it has hundreds of endnotes pages) and deals with a highly complex subject matter. It's definitely an aspirational story, but it's also one of the longest science fiction books of all time.

Essentially, the book is a giant surreal comedy about the dangers of entertainment. In the future, America, Canada and Mexico have all merged together to create one big state, and the plot revolves around a film cartridge that is so entertaining that viewers watch it until they die, unable to pull themselves away. It also has talks much of ranging ideas, like addiction and tennis. It's over 1,000 words long, but the payoff is huge if you're up for it.

The year is 2582 and, following the progression of broader technological developments, the galaxy has been colonized so much that hundreds of planets now support humanity, while back on Earth billions of people live in Arcologies. Arcologies are domes that protect the people of Earth from their own environment, which has been destroyed after centuries of rampant pollution.

The Naked God is a space opera of the highest order, and one of the longest science fiction books of all time. It's complex and part of a trilogy, but this tome alone comes in at over 1,300 pages.

Pynchon's sprawling work about the impact of technology on society set off intellectual fireworks since it won the 1973 National Book Award. Set in the aftermath of WWII, Gravity's Rainbow is one of the more difficult books to get through in our literature. While not for the novice reader, this book is rewarding to read and is one of the longest science fiction books of all time.

It comes in at just under 800 pages, and was written by a 20th century reclusive master, Thomas Pynchon. There are no recent pictures of the author, and little is known about him, other than the fact that he puts out a book every decade or so that blows people's minds every time.

While there is some debate as to whether Atlas Shrugged is sci-fi or just Rand's chance to spout her philosophy of Objectivism (which is complete nonsense, but beside the point) I'm going to count it, because it's set in a future dystopian world where the workers slowly begin standing up against the system.

Modern society is falling apart, and only human greatness can stop it in one of the longest science fiction books of all time. It's all soft science in this one, but the work is nearly 1,200 pages.

Dune is one of the best selling, most influential sci-fi books ever written, but did you know it's also one of the longest science fiction books of all time? At nearly 900 pages, Dune is an institution of the sci-fi genre.

Set on the desert planet of Arrakis, Dune tells the story of a boy, Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib. It blends science, environmentalism, and politics in a way that was unheard of in its time.

Set between World War II and the birth of the World Wide Web, Cryptonomicon follows the life of Lawrence Waterhouse, a young mathematical genius. It offers a view of how 1940s cryptography eventually led to technological developments in the world of computers.

After his death, Waterhouse's grandson, Randy, stumbles upon a massive conspiracy rooted in his grandfather's original work, which could change the course of civilization. It's a battle between forces of freedom and totalitarianism, plus at over 1,000 pages, it's also one of the longest science fiction books of all time.

Imajica chronicles the events surrounding the reconciliation of Earth, called the Fifth Dominion, with the other four Dominions, or the parallel worlds unknown to all but a select few of Earth's inhabitants. It's a complex tale, and at 900 pages, one of the longest science fiction books of all time.

Legend has it that the story came to Clive Barker in different dreams, and he was so inspired by them he worked at break neck pace to complete the novel. Barker has stated he wrote the novel in 14 months, writing 14 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week.

For 12,000 years the Galactic Empire has ruled as the supreme entity, but now it is dying. Only Hari Sheldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future — and it's not good.

To preserve knowledge and save mankind, Sheldon gathers the best minds in the Empire and brings them to a sanctuary known as the Foundation. Foundation is a classic title of the sci-fi genre, and is also one of the longest science fiction books of all time.