sci fi book reviews 2022

The 19 best science fiction books of 2022 so far, according to Goodreads

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• Science fiction is a wide genre that includes dystopias, space epics , and apocalyptic fiction.
• We turned to Goodreads to rank the best new science fiction books of 2022.
• For more great novels, check out the best books of 2022 so far .

Science fiction stories have been entertaining readers for decades , from iconic reads like "Jurassic Park" to epic space adventures that take us across galaxies, through time, and in between dimensions. Science fiction classics will always have a place in readers' hearts, but new science fiction releases offer more and more mind-bending dystopias, speculations, and unique beings beyond our wildest imaginations. 

Goodreads is the world's largest platform for readers to rate, review, and recommend their favorite books, so we turned to Goodreads reviewers to rank the best new science fiction releases of 2022. These titles are ranked by how often they've been added to readers' "Want to Read" shelves and had to have been published this year to make the list.

The 19 best science fiction books of 2022 so far, according to Goodreads:

"the school for good mothers" by jessamine chan.

"The School for Good Mothers" by Jessamine Chan, available at Amazon and Bookshop ,  from $18.19 

With over 21,000 ratings on Goodreads, "The School for Good Mothers" is the most popular science fiction novel amongst Goodreads reviewers so far in 2022. Though Frida Liu is already struggling in nearly every aspect of her life, everything gets monumentally worse when a lapse in judgment leaves her in the hands of a Big Brother-like institution that will determine whether or not Frida is a "good" mother and thus, whether or not she is worthy of keeping her daughter.

"Sea of Tranquility" by Emily St. John Mandel

"Sea of Tranquility" by Emily St. John Mandel , available at Amazon and Bookshop ,  from $16.25 

Readers are loving Emily St. John Mandel's latest release, an expansive story of three people in vastly different situations across time and space, from the Canadian wilderness in 1912 to an Earthly book tour in the 22nd century to a detective sent to investigate an anomaly but discovers much more. From the bestselling author of " Station Eleven ," "Sea of Tranquility" is a playfully dynamic novel that begins with quickly shifting timelines but transforms into a masterful and gripping narrative.

"How High We Go in the Dark" by Sequoia Nagamatsu

"How High We Go in the Dark" by Sequoia Nagamatsu , available at Amazon and Bookshop ,  from $17.99 

In 2030, researchers discover the perfectly preserved remains of a girl who seems to have died of an ancient virus, accidentally unleashing a plague that will devastate and reshape humanity for generations. Told in a series of intricate and interwoven stories, readers love the compassionate and ambitious nature of this 2022 release.

"The Candy House" by Jennifer Egan

"The Candy House" by Jennifer Egan, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $19.69

Own Your Unconscious is a revolutionary technology that allows people to access, download, and share every memory they've ever had. Though some have embraced the technology wholeheartedly, others see its greatest consequences. Told through a collection of linked narratives across different lives, families, and decades, "The Candy House" offers an intriguing science fiction novel about humanity's need for connection.

"The Kaiju Preservation Society" by John Scalzi

"The Kaiju Preservation Society" by John Scalzi, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $21.99

From the author of the bestselling "Interdependency" series comes a new standalone novel set in New York City at the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. When Jamie makes a food delivery to an old acquaintance, he's pulled into what he's told is an "animal rights organization," though the animals are not from our Earth. Now part of the Kaiju Preservation Society, Jamie discovers the dinosaur-like creatures that roam an alternate, human-free dimension of Earth in this new novel that's an exciting mix of science fiction, fantasy, adventure, and comedy.

"Tell Me an Ending" by Jo Harkin

"Tell Me an Ending" by Jo Harkin, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $23.35

"Tell Me an Ending" follows four characters who are part of thousands across the world that have just learned they once chose to have a memory removed, but now have the opportunity to get it back. As psychologist Noor works to reinstate people's lost memory, she digs deeper into the technology in this speculative, dystopian sci-fi novel about the consequences of forgetting. 

"Dead Silence" by S.A. Barnes

"Dead Silence" by S.A. Barnes, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $20.59

When Claire Kovalik and her crew pick up a strange distress signal in space, they find the Aurora, a luxury space-liner that famously disappeared on its maiden voyage over 20 years ago. As they begin to investigate, this fast-paced sci-fi horror novel unfolds with paranormal elements and terrifying turns in a story that's been described as "The Titanic" meets "The Shining."

"The Paradox Hotel" by Rob Hart

"The Paradox Hotel" by Rob Hart, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $20.49

In The Paradox Hotel, the super-rich gather before and after their time-traveling trips at the nearby timeport. As head of security for the hotel and former security for the US government's time travel organization, January Cole is puzzled why she can see what others can't, though her mental state and grip on reality are rapidly declining from traveling so drastically through time. When dark secrets and a possible killer emerge, January must uncover what is happening and why as her past, present, and future collide. 

"The Starless Crown" by James Rollins

"The Starless Crown" by James Rollins, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $17.10

In this first book of a new science fiction/adventure series, a gifted young student foretells an apocalyptic future, for which she is sentenced to death. On the run with a banded team of outcasts including a soldier, a prince, and a thief, she must work with the others to uncover the dark secrets of the past to save the future of their world.

"Goliath" by Tochi Onyebuchi

"Goliath" by Tochi Onyebuchi, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $18.59

Set in 2050, "Goliath" explores a slowly emptying futuristic Earth where the wealthy have abandoned the planet in favor of space colonies, leaving the less fortunate to fend for themselves in a rapidly deteriorating landscape. This speculative, literary science fiction novel features several narratives in a story about race, class, and gentrification.

"Hunt the Stars" by Jessie Mihalik

"Hunt the Stars" by Jessie Mihalik, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $15.29

Desperately in need of enough credits to keep her crew together, bounty hunter Octavia Zarola agrees to take a job from her sworn enemy, Torran Fletcher, even though he insists on taking his crew along as well. As the crews set out on the hunt, Octavia begins to suspect a deeper, more sinister plot in which she may be a pawn, leaving her to decide where her loyalties lie.

"End of the World House" by Adrienne Celt

"End of the World House" by Adrienne Celt, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $25.49

In Paris on a last-hurrah friends' trip before an upcoming move, Bertie and Kate are offered a private tour of the Louvre by a strange man and soon find themselves alone in the museum. When the two get separated, Bertie finds herself in the middle of a strange mystery that forces her to confront the control she has over her own life in this genre- and mind-bending story set in a world on the edge of an apocalypse.

"The Memory Librarian" by Janelle Monáe

"The Memory Librarian" by Janelle Monáe, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $19.65

"The Memory Librarian" is a collection of science fiction short stories that bring one of Janelle Monáe's albums to life with stories of liberation in a futuristic, totalitarian landscape. In collaboration with other talented writers, the themes of this read are expressed in stories of technology, memory, queerness, race, and love.

"City of Orange" by David Yoon

"City of Orange" by David Yoon, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $27

Loved for its character-driven narrative, "City of Orange" is the story of a man who wakes up in an apocalyptic, desolate landscape with only injuries and vague memories to guide him forward. As he tries to survive, the man encounters a young boy who seems to be the key to understanding where he is, how he got there, and what really happened. 

"The Blood Trials" by N.E. Davenport

"The Blood Trials" by N.E. Davenport, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $25.49

When Ikenna's grandfather, the former Legatus, is murdered, she is certain that someone on the Tribunal ordered his death and is determined to uncover who. To get closer to the truth, Ikenna pledges herself to the Praetorian Trials, a brutal and violent initiation with a staggering mortality rate, and faces unprecedented dangers and prejudices, all for the chance of justice.

"Light Years From Home" by Mike Chen

"Light Years From Home" by Mike Chen, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $21.10

15 years ago, Evie and Kass's dad and brother disappeared on a camping trip and though their father returned days later, convinced he'd been abducted by aliens, their brother remained missing. Evie never stopped searching for Jakob, so when her UFO network discovers a new event, she investigates and discovers her brother has finally returned — and has the FBI close on his tail.

"The Impossible Us" by Sarah Lotz

"The Impossible Us" by Sarah Lotz, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $14.99

In this science-fiction love story, Nick and Bee's paths cross over a misdirected email and sparks fly as they continue to send messages back and forth. When they decide to meet in person, nothing goes according to plan and it seems Nick and Bee are impossibly farther apart than they could have imagined. 

"Mickey7" by Edward Ashton

"Mickey7" by Edward Ashton, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $23.07

Mickey7 is an Expendable, an entirely disposable and replaceable person sent on a dangerous expedition to colonize Niflheim, ready to be replaced once again the moment this iteration of himself dies. When Mickey7 goes missing on a mission, his colony has already replaced him with a new clone, Mickey8. Knowing he'll be thrown in the recycler if his clone is discovered, Mickey7 must keep their existence a secret as the threat of native species and unsuitable human conditions on Niflheim threaten everyone's survival.

"Primitives" by Erich Krauss

"Primitives" by Erich Krauss, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $20.66

Set 30 years after The Great Fatigue ended most of humanity and left the human race in a primitive state, two people make shocking and gruesome discoveries a world apart. As Seth and Sarah find themselves in a deadly race to save humanity against fear, reality, and other survivors, their fates will intertwine in this new post-apocalyptic tale.

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The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2022

Pandemics, witchcraft, terrifying A.I.: speculative fiction that stood out in 2022.

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By Amal El-Mohtar

Completing a novel is a difficult feat in the best of times, and we haven’t had any of those in a while. Because publishing moves slowly, this year brought us several novels that were drafted or revised during the upheavals of 2020, only to be released into a very different world. I want to recognize and celebrate the many, many hands laboring to make books in the face of so many challenges: not only authors but editors, agents, artists, designers, typesetters, copy editors and publicists. Of all the books I read this year, the following stood out as the most accomplished, astonishing or a heady mix of both. They’re arranged in the order I read them.

THE VIOLENCE, by Delilah S. Dawson, takes place in a post-Covid Florida, in 2025, on the cusp of a very different pandemic. Chelsea Martin lives a seemingly idyllic life in a gated community with her wealthy husband, two daughters and small fashionable dog. But Chelsea’s husband is physically and emotionally abusive, and he has systematically cut her off from any friends or support systems apart from her cruel and self-absorbed mother. As a new disease called the Violence spreads — causing brief, individual episodes of amnesiac rage during which the infected beat the nearest living thing to death — Chelsea sees an opportunity to free herself and her daughters. The book is a dazzling piece of knife work.

Instantly immersive and deeply affecting, IN THE SERPENT’S WAKE, by Rachel Hartman, concludes an epic fantasy duology that began with “Tess of the Road.” Publicly, Tess is on a quest: to sail through the Archipelagos to the South Pole and find the Polar Serpent, for science and for her friend Pathka, who has an ailment only the Serpent can ease. Privately, Tess is on a mission for the queen of Goredd: to spy on the neighboring nation of Ninys’s activities in the Archipelagos and report any aggression against its Indigenous peoples. Complex, compassionate and challenging as all Hartman’s novels are, this one is more expansive and multivocal than her previous work.

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Writing Advice & Epic Fiction

The 19 Best Science Fiction Books of 2022 (and Our Most Anticipated)

2022 is overflowing with the best Science Fiction books I’ve read in years.

Praise the space-faring muses and the publishing deities, because this year is stuffed with SCIENCE FICTION GOODNESS, and I can’t wait to share these books with you. Here, you’ll find:

• Award-winning Science Fiction masterpieces
• Indie gems that will slake your thirst for adventure
• Alien technology, deadly space battles and world-shattering galactic conflicts
• Thrilling space horrors , lighthearted romps with Kaiju or bounty-hunter lovers, mind-bending time travel, and Pulitzer prize-winning prose…

…and a few villains you’ll fall in love with (or fall in hate with, depending on your preferences. You’ll see).

Before we dive in, don’t forget to check out these other lists!

• Best Fantasy Books of 2023
• B est Science Fiction Books of 2023

1. Sea of Tranquility

By Emily St. John Mandel  

The author of Station Eleven is back with a beautiful science fiction novel that spans centuries. Every page of this narrative is lovingly, masterfully crafted, and it will sweep you off your feet and into a world full of nostalgia, cities on the Moon, plagues, and the meaning of life throughout the wilderness of time itself. 

A rare mix of beauty and intellectual exploration of existential science fiction concepts, Sea of Tranquility starts with three separate protagonists across three centuries, and coalesces their stories into a climactic vision of utter beauty. This story will whisk you away from the very first page.

Read This if You Like:

• Literary science fiction with time travel and metaphysics
• Sweet, funny, and smart stories with more than a touch of inner darkness
• Station Eleven, or transcendental fiction (sometimes, I get real Cormac McCarthy vibes from Mandel’s writing)

Pre-Order on Amazon

Save it on Goodreads

2. Dead Silence

By S. A. Barnes

Under mysterious circumstances, a luxury liner on a journey through the stars (think the Titanic, if it were a spaceship), is lost in the void. When Claire and her salvage crew stumble upon the ship, they realize they have a once-in-a-lifetime salvage opportunity. This could be the haul that changes everything.

But the truth behind the ship’s mysterious disappearance, and the horrors they find inside the ship are so utterly unspeakable, they will make Claire fight for her life, even as she questions her sanity…

• Horror Science Fiction like Alien or Dead Space or The Thing
• A high-risk space operation performed by a crew with nothing left to lose
• Cold, dark, claustrophobic science fiction (and deep-space madness) that you can’t stop reading

3. Eyes of the Void (The Final Architecture #2)

By Adrian Tchaikovsky

A world-shattering space opera (seriously), where humanity and a few of our nieghboring alien civilizations ramp up to war—not just with each other, but with an ancient race of incomprehensible power called “The Architects.” 

Take elements of Warhammer 40k, Iain Banks The Culture, and throw them into a fast-paced space action rife with danger and discovery. Very alien discoveries. 

You’ll love this if you love epic warfare, tight-knit spaceship crews, and universe-ending science fiction.

• A refreshing space opera universe filled with long-forgotten wonders
• Impossibly powerful Elder Gods, or the Warp from Warhammer 40,000
• A main character with truly unique powers that allow him to traverse space

Buy on Amazon

4. How High We Go in the Dark

By Sequoia Nagamatsu

Dramatic, mind-bending science fiction that is at times wonderful, weird, and deeply moving. This story weaves together numerous narratives across centuries of space and time as humanity struggles to survive and rebuild itself in the wake of a plague brought on by melting glaciers.

This heartfelt narrative is full of interweaving threads and complex, tender relationships that are sometimes painful, and sometimes painfully sweet. Above all, it’s about the spirit of Humanity in times of great hardship.

• Tender, provocative science fiction prose about the spirit of Humanity
• Beautiful, deeply reflective interweaving stories reminiscent of Station 11 or Cloud Atlas

5. Stringers

By Chris Panatier

Stringers is a gleeful (and absurd) space adventure, in the vein of Hitchhiker’s Guide, except with less depressing androids and more pickle jars. Oh, and lots of “useless” bug facts.

Here’s the story: 

Ben knows way too much about animals and wristwatches. Nothing wrong with that, except for one thing; Ben has no idea how he knows these things.

When Ben is kidnapped by an insectoid bounty hunter, and discovers his mysterious gift is deeply coveted by greater alien powers, he will find himself fleeing across the stars and uncovering a few secrets of his own. 

• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe
• Slapstick and lyrical humor, often with a dark spin
• Hilarious Science Fiction adventure with its fair share of sweet moments

6. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk and Robot, #2)

By Becky Chambers

A few decades ago, all the robots packed up and disappeared into the wilderness of Panga. The reason for their exodus is still a mystery. Yet, even without their servile machines, humanity exists in a kind of lush, peaceful utopia where people are kind to each other and “tea monks” are held in the highest esteem. 

But Dex isn’t happy. Dex wants to know: how do you find purpose in such a paradise?

Becky Chamber is a master of her craft. Her stories are bright and heart-warming, deeply undercut with the greatest philosophical questions that science fiction has to offer, and I always find myself getting immersed in her characters. I think she writes some of the best friendships in all literature, let alone Science Fiction, and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is no different. 

• Cozy, low-stakes adventures on a “paradise” world
• The Midnight Library , or shows like Firefly , with heart-warming casts of characters
• Advanced technology mixed with nature, and deep philosophical questions that make Science Fiction truly great

7. The Last Human

By P. S. Hoffman

Full disclosure: I spent the last year writing this novel, and it’s been an amazing experience. Hundreds of readers have given me outstanding feedback on the first drafts, so I’m excited to include it on this list.

Humankind is extinct. So why do we still worship them as gods?

In the milenia after humanity disappeared, Alien civilizations rose up and started worshiping “the old gods,” and the incredibly powerful gifts they left behind. One alien Empire even learned how to use humanity’s ancient weapons in their quest to dominate the galaxy. 

The avians of Karam have been conquered by the Empire, and while some avians still pray for salvation, most have given up hope. 

Eolh lives a life in the gutters, as he thieves, runs jobs, and sells his services as a freelance listener to the last gangs of Lowtown. He trusts no one, and only looks out for himself.

But when an unusual heist takes a deadly turn, Eolh must bargain with an overzealous android who carries an impossible secret—one that will shake the foundations of the universe. There is one last hope for salvation.

This is the story of The Last Human.

• Dune , Star Wars , or any space operas with a “prophetic hero”
• HFY stories with droids and alien characters who worship extinct Humanity as gods
• Primitive civilizations clashing with galactic empires, and the rediscovery of ultra-powerful “forgotten” technology

Read the First Chapters for Free.

8. The Kaiju Preservation Society

By John Scalzi

A hilarious romp through a secret world populated with scientists, saboteurs, and the footsteps of mountain-sized monsters.

Jamie is whisked away from a dead-end job—and a dead-end life—and lands in the world’s best-kept secret… a hidden base where scientists from around the world study the rarest creature of all: Kaiju.

This hilarious romp is a bite-sized adventure through a dangerous world filled with monsters (both great and small). But this time, it’s about keeping the monsters safe… without getting yourself killed.

• Kaiju, with a focus on the biology of giant monsters
• Light-hearted science fiction like Men in Black, Galaxy Quest, or Hitchhiker’s Guide
• Wholesome scientists working together (with a healthy dose of Scalzi’s trademark sarcasm)

9. January Fifteenth

By Rachel Swirsky

“January Fifteenth—the day all Americans receive their annual Universal Basic Income payment.”

This novella follows four women from vastly-different backgrounds as they receive their UBI payment, and how they choose to spend it. From the disgustingly privileged to life-or-death desperation, January Fifteenth is the day that all fortunes can change.

This novella is a punchy, thoughtful exploration across the class divides, through the lens of one of my favorite economic science fiction concepts: Universal Basic Income. 

• Near-future speculative fiction (emphasis on “what if?”)
• Award-winning prose that will quickly pull you into the mind of each character
• The drama of economics and wealth disparity… and a sudden change of fortune for those who need it most

10. The Candy House

By Jennifer Egan

In a word, this novel is spellbinding.  

The plot revolves around a new technology that allows you to download and externalize every memory you’ve ever had, but it’s the writing style that elevates this book to a new level. A masterfully-crafted narrative saga, with social media, gaming, and alternate reality at the focus, this story shifts points of view from first person, to omniscient, to epistles and tweets, and so many more. 

This is intense literary science fiction at its finest, and will leave you asking questions about our near future. 

• Complex literary science fiction with masterfully executed narrative devices
• Pulitzer-prize winning prose (seriously, Jennifer Egan wins awards for a reason)
• Deeply speculative fiction about modern-day or near-future topics like online privacy and alternate identities

11. Braking Day

By Adam Oyebanji

One hundred years ago, three generation ships fled Earth, and headed toward a distant star. 

The story begins right before Braking Day, the day when the ships will finally begin their braking descent to their new home. But as life is about to change for everyone, one lower-level engineering tech named Ravi begins to experience strange visions. 

Ravi sees a girl, floating out in space, without a helmet. He knows he should tell someone, but if people think he’s crazy, he might jeopardize his family’s standing among the ship. 

This is an exciting adventure with a handful of wonderful characters who will pull you into a far-out world that will take you on a journey to some (very) unexpected places and one stunning finale.

Read This If You Like:

• Crafty main characters who can think outside the box
• Deep Space Mysteries that take place at the literal edge of human existence
• Worldbuilding delight, featuring the inner workings of spaceships, AI, and a host of other distant star elements

12. Prison of Sleep (Journals of Zaxony Delatree #2)

By Tim Pratt

The narrative of this duology switches between two individuals who are closely intertwined: one, a man who discovers that every time he falls asleep, he wakes up in another world. The other: a woman who knows why. 

The second book expands the world and elevates its mysteries, while keeping that “rising urgency” feeling from the first. If you love exploring worlds so alien, they don’t even fit in our universe, then you will love this book.

• Science fiction thrillers with an emphasis on great characters … and a hint of romance
• Multiverse fiction (with great worldbuilding and a wide variety of weird multiverse beings)

13. No Song, But Silence (Wind Tide, #3)

By Jonathan Nevair

In this expansive space opera trilogy, a sprawling, political empire creeps across the arm of the galaxy, conquering everyone who resists. But the resistance refuses to die…

The first book begins with Razor, a rebel pilot who must capture Keen, a diplomat on his way to an important political council. The second and third book pick up new protagonists, as this story spans the decades, and chronicles the changes within a galactic empire.

Most uniquely, the primary resource is one I’ve never seen before: in this world, wind is precious. This series is packed with philosophical ideas on government and power, political intrigue, and more action than you can shake a starship at. 

Read This is You Love:

• Science Fiction stories of resistance, rebellion, and skullduggery
• Galaxy-Sized Space Opera with mysteries, empires, and great, poetic prose
• Dystopian worlds ruled by monopolies (but you still kind of want to live there)

Buy on Ama zon

14. Memory’s Legion (The Expanse, #10)

By James S. A. Correy

For those who haven’t heard of the Expanse, it’s a thrilling, ultra-realistic Space Opera where humanity colonized Mars, the asteroid belt, and a few planetary bodies beyond… and then got stuck. 

It’s brimming with political intrigue, military science fiction, noir-like mysteries, and takes a dramatic plot development in Book #3 that massively expands the universe. If you love really, really in-depth first contact stories, you will love this series.

Even better: after nine books, The Expanse is finally complete. And damn, if it isn’t a masterpiece.

Memory’s Legion is not a new book. Instead, this is a collection of all the short pieces in the universe. I’m putting it on this list because, yeah, if you enjoyed the Expanse, you must read these stories.

• First contact with a supremely powerful alien species
• Battlestar Galactica , or any character-driven dramatic Space Opera
• Military Science Fiction , with extremely realistic science (I LOVE their space ships)

15. Child Zero

By Chris Holm

A dark, viral thriller in the vein of Michael Crichton. 

When a bioterrorism attack shakes the world, all the diseases humanity once thought “gone” come back with a raging vengeance. Years later, in a world completely changed by old infections, a detective’s daughter becomes ill once more. 

Her father, Detective Jake Gibson, is brought to a mass murder scene with an unusual cause… that might hold the key to saving his daughter. 

What really sets this book apart is the science: the author was a molecular biologist before turning to fiction, and his expertise greatly uplifts the quality of the story.

Read This if You Love:

• Urgent, twisting, thrilling tales set in a pandemic dystopia
• Books like Andromeda Strain or any Michael Crichton novel

16. Station Eternity

By Mur Lafferty

Mallory, an amateur detective, has had it. Everywhere she goes, she always seems to stumble across one murder or another. So, she heads off to the most remote place in the galaxy: a sentient space station with no humans, only aliens. Surely that will solve her problem, right? 

Want something light and dark to fill your science fiction palate? Station Eternity is an intergalactic romp that both adores—and makes fun of—every mystery trope ever. Mur Lafferty is an outstanding writer, and I have no doubts this book will be the start of a new, truly wonderful series.

• Fun, fast-paced intergalactic mystery thrillers
• Sentient space stations and loud, vivacious characters

Pre-order on Amazon

Releases Oct. 4, 2022

17. Hunt the Stars

By Jesse Mihalik

Need more romance in your Science Fiction? This is your next read.

It would be a really bad idea to take on this bounty. So bad, it might even start an interplanetary war. 

But Tavi and her crew really need the money. 

To make things worse, taking on this job means Tavi’s crew will have to work alongside an old enemy, a former general named Torran. Normally, working alongside a general would make things easier… but this one is crafty. And he’s hiding some very important details about the mission from Tavi.

And, Tavi and Torran have some unfinished history, which—against all of Tavi’s desire—could blossom into something more.

• Found families barely scraping by on their starship
• Bounty Hunters on the edge of terrible failure/glorious fortune
• Romantic space opera that twists, turns, escalates, and twists again

Bonus: book #2 is also coming out this year!

18. The Blood Trials

By N. E. Davenport

Ikenna has a thirst for revenge. She will have the blood of the people who killed her grandfather.

To seek her revenge, she must join the Praetorian Guard. That means battling her way through a violent set of trials. The problem? Only a quarter of aspirants survive these trials, and fewer still make it into the Guard.

But she has a secret weapon; Ikenna has trained all her life to use the bloodgift—a brutal, forbidden power that grants her mastery over blood itself.

This is a world where ancient magics compete with new-fangled technology to create an action-packed story of revenge.

• Violently bloody revenge stories where the hero holds nothing back
• Science Fiction + Fantasy (dark magic meets new-age military tech)

19. Eversion

By Alastair Reynolds

Alastair Reynolds writes incredible space thrillers that usually take place across galaxies. This time, he’s written something darker, more mysterious, and more focused.

Eversion takes place across three centuries, and across three doomed voyages (1800s, 1900s, and one in the far future). One weird thread binds them all: Dr. Silas Coade is aboard all three vessels. Even stranger, Silas begins to realize that pieces of these events keep repeating themselves. It might have something to do with that alien artifact they discovered…

Only Silas can figure out what is truly going on – and how to stop it.

• Hard Science Fiction Mystery with a Dark, Thrilling Plot
• Mind-bending stories that slowly put the pieces together into a tense climax
• Dread-inducing cosmic terror balanced against the optimism of great character relationships

Want More of the Best Science Fiction Books?

That’s all I’ve got for 2022 (so far). 

Check out the previous years’ lists for dozens more novels that will take you out of this world…

• Best SF of 2020
• Best SF of 2019
• Best SF of 2018

Quick Question:

I wanted to ask you: which of these books are you most excited for? 

Send me an email, or tell me in the comments below!

More Articles

The Top 13 Science Fiction Books in 2023

The 29 Best Fantasy Books of 2023

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The Best Fiction Books » Science Fiction

The best science fiction of 2022: the arthur c. clarke award shortlist, recommended by andrew m. butler.

Deep Wheel Orcadia: A Novel by Harry Josephine Giles

Every year, the judges for the Arthur C. Clarke Award select the best of the latest batch of new scifi books. In 2022, the science fiction award's shortlist includes new work from Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro, a novel-in-verse from the Scottish writer Harry Josephine Giles, and a new title in Arkady Martine's beloved Teixcalaan series. Andrew M. Butler , academic and chair of the judges, talks us through the finalists.

Interview by Cal Flyn , Deputy Editor

Klara and the Sun: A Novel by Kazuo Ishiguro

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

A River Called Time by Courttia Newland

Wergen: The Alien Love War by Mercurio D Rivera

Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley

1 Deep Wheel Orcadia: A Novel by Harry Josephine Giles

2 klara and the sun: a novel by kazuo ishiguro, 3 a desolation called peace by arkady martine, 4 a river called time by courttia newland, 5 wergen: the alien love war by mercurio d rivera, 6 skyward inn by aliya whiteley.

T hank you for joining us to discuss the shortlist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award for the best science fiction books of 2022. We find the books highlighted by the Clarke Award are always very popular with our readers. To start us off, for anyone who has missed our previous years’ coverage , could you tell me a bit about the prize and how the judging process works?

Initially, two judges each were supplied every year by the British Science Fiction Association , the Science Fiction Foundation , and the International Science Policy Foundation—which no longer exists. Later we hooked up with Sci-Fi London for a fifth—an odd number makes a deadlock less likely. The first award, in 1987, went to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale , and caused a bit of a kerfuffle because she said she didn’t write science fiction. The award has often gone to a left field title—most notoriously when Marge Piercy’s Body of Glass won out over Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars . On the other hand, some commentators are unhappy that more experimental books have been overlooked in favour of more ‘core’ science fiction. It comes down to the tastes of those five judges in the room.

“The history of genre science fiction is dominated by straight white men”

The judges—this year Phoenix Alexander, Kris Black, Nicole Devarenne, Stark Holborn and Nick Hubble—get sent all the books, which they are expected to read and assess, and we have various meetings to whittle these down to a shortlist of six. Then we have a last meeting to decide the winner. Most years the judges plead for seven books, but we keep it fixed at a half dozen.

How many books were considered for the 2022 science fiction prize?

Let’s talk about Deep Wheel Orcadia by the Scottish writer Harry Josephine Giles. It’s a novel-in-verse, which takes a very interesting literary approach. Can you tell us more?

Novels-in-two-verses, you might argue. One in Orcadian, one in English. Orcadian is a dialect of Scots—as opposed to Gaelic—and there’s a history of Scots feeding into science fiction and horror, especially Gothic horror. In 1919, someone came up with the idea of the Caledonian antisyzygy —the Scots think in one language, but feel in another, say. There’s a sort of divided consciousness at the centre of Scottish books , poetry and art—and we can trace this division in authors such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Iain M. Banks and many others.

I think I can relate to that.

The action of Deep Wheel Orcadia is mostly set on or close to an isolated space station, at a crisis point in the solar system, and focuses on the working and private lives of the characters on board. You could decide to read the Orcadian version and then the English, or vice versa, or just one—but you’d miss so much if you only read half. I think you can pick up the Orcadian, as you might the Riddleyspeak in Russell Hoban’s Riddley Walker .

Mind you, the English isn’t straightforward. Look at this on the first page:

She watched the Deep Wheel approach, grey-green, its Central Station still turntwistwhirlspinning againstaboutbefore the yellow gas giant.

That first coinage is a translation, well, four translations, of ‘tirlan,’ which I assume could be translated as any of them. Translators usually just pick one equivalent, which can shift the meaning of the original. As the text is their own translation, Giles could adjudicate between them, but allows all four. And sometimes what you might see as ‘Received Pronunciation’ dialogue breaks into the Orcadian.

Use of the Orcadian dialect gestures towards Giles’s Orkney Islands heritage. But here it’s applied in a futuristic setting. Does that jar?

There’s a long tradition of science fiction looking to the past or to other cultures as inspiration. I was at a maritime museum in Bergen, Norway, a couple of years ago and a map there located Orkney as almost being central to the Viking interests—the North Sea as a sort of internal sea as the Mediterranean was for the Romans. You can read the Norse sagas and some of the Old English poetry of the pre-eleventh century and there’s a science fictional, certainly a fantastical, feel. There’s an account of discovering America , say, which might be real history or might be an imagined history.

I’ll look forward to hearing about them. Let’s talk about Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro next. Why have the judges highlighted it as one of the best science fiction books of 2022?

I can’t be too specific about their opinions, but we spent a long time arguing over its inclusion— Never Let Me Go was shortlisted a few years ago and The Buried Giant was submitted, but that probably too fantasy . Some of the judges had very emotional reactions to the novel, especially about the central narrating character, Klara, who is an ‘Artificial Friend’ and somewhat… pliant. But in fact, most of the female characters in the novel are passive or altruistic, accepting of their fate. The novel was on the Booker long-list, and he’s won a Nobel Prize —pretty rare for scifi writers—but that won’t necessarily count in his favour or indeed against him.

Ishiguro’s novels are often speculative but find a mainstream audience; do you think the diehard scifi fan will enjoy this book too?

I don’t see why not—arguably it’s a traditional science fiction novel, told from a first-person point of view. Ishiguro was on the original Gran ta list of the best young British novelists back in 1983, with Martin Amis, Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan and Clarke-winner Christopher Priest. Several of them have written science fiction or something close to it.

Another previous Clarke Award shortlistee Arkady Martine returns with her new space opera,  A Desolation Called Peace . Tell us about it, and why this work of science fiction made your 2022 shortlist.

I guess this is space opera, about interplanetary conflict and first contact, not necessarily in that order. The Teixcalaanli Empire encounters a superior alien threat and Three Seagrass, the protagonist from the previous book, is brought in to try and communicate with them. She insists on getting the help of her friend, Ambassador Mahit Dzmare, hoping to stop a war. But there are factions within the empire who would like war or would find it quite useful for their careers, so there are a lot of conflicting and murky motives on display.

Does it work as a standalone novel, or should readers start with the first book in her Teixcalaan sequence, A Memory Called Empire , before moving onto this title?

I don’t think you need to read Empire to enjoy Peace ; in fact, not all of the judges had, since it was different group of readers. I’d read it, but that’s a few years ago now and I’ll try and read them back-to-back before the final meeting. You need to know that Mahit’s predecessor as ambassador died in mysterious circumstances and that she has an incomplete back up of him in her mind. The Teixcalaanli emperor, Six Direction, was also under attack and now Nineteen Adze has taken over the position. But there’s an eleven-year-old partial clone of Six who is taking an interest in imperial events and make possibly end up making it worse.

Next up on our 2022 science fiction shortlist we have Courttia Newland’s highly acclaimed A River Called Time . It’s set in an alternative London, called Dinium. Tell us more.

It’s so timely—there’s the In the Black Fantastic exhibition at the Hayward Gallery at the moment, which has both responses to the legacy of colonialism and attempts at reconstructing the lost heritage of what we call African. Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad recast an era of American slavery through science fiction and Namwali Serpell’s The Old Drift put a science fictional spin on a long history of Zambia; both won the Clarke Award in previous years. Recently there was Marlon James’s fantasy trilogy, which draws on African mythology and narratives. Newland uses beliefs from various African cultures, and you have to accept them as true within the context of the novel. It’s way of looking at the world, treating it as science.

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In this novel, Africa has not been subjected to the horrors and traumas of European colonisation and it seems as if technology has developed faster than in our world. I think you could argue about this—the Industrial Revolution seems pretty solidly developed through imperial exploitation—but it’s clearly a divergence from our history, way back. There’s a timeline at the start of the book where Columbus reaches American in 1392 or thereabouts, so technologically, things have happened more quickly. There’s been some disaster in what we call London, a couple of centuries before the novel, around the time of the Regency . An Ark has been built—essentially a fortress—to protect the chosen citizens from poverty and the fall out of the disaster. The central character, Markriss Denny, aspires to join this elite and has discovered he can astral project himself. But he pretty quickly discovers that the Ark isn’t a utopia, and that he is part of a struggle which could destroy everything.

I think this is what you might call a ‘multiverse’ novel. Could you talk a little bit about what that means, and how Newland deals with diverging timelines?

I think the term goes back to William James in the nineteenth century, but a key name is the quantum theorist Erwin Schrödinger—he of the dead-and-alive-cat thought experiment—who suggested that different events could be described or predicted by the same equations at the same time. He wasn’t happy about this. The writer Michael Moorcock then used the term—or maybe he came up with it independently, I’m not sure—to describe his individual and overlapping novels featuring versions of the Eternal Champion. He rewrites the different books with the same character, or vice versa.

In a sense, the idea relates to the science fictional alternate world—such as in Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle where the Nazis won the Second World War . In that novel, characters slide between versions of reality, and the same is true of A River Called Time . It’s not necessarily the same imagined world in each of the sections. In fact, in one case, clearly not. That could be a spoiler, so I won’t say any more. Newland plays it straight, but we as readers are trying to work out what is real and what isn’t. Funnily enough, I’ve wondered if Whitehead is doing something equivalent in The Underground Railroad; it’s as if each station opens in a different version of America.

Mercurio D Rivera’s Wergen: The Alien Love War is next on your 2022 science fiction shortlist. Can you explain the concept, and what you liked about the book?

This is formed from short stories. There’s a term for this which science fiction criticism invented and has argued over ever since, the ‘fix-up.’ Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles is a good example—that’s a series of short stories set on Mars, mostly, which reads as if it’s a novel. But in fact, some editions of it have different stories. They tend to be episodic and can cover a long period of time.

The Wergen are an alien race who are sexually attracted to human beings, whether they like it or not, and want to help them. Humans are more than happy to exploit this, and some of the Wergen resist or fight back. They don’t want to be subject to desires they can’t control. It’s an extraordinary achievement—Wergen biology is fascinating, and it really plays with our notions of gendered desire. Of course, same sex and opposite sex is rather different when applied to cross-species relationships. It’s deeply moving at times. There are lots of tragic moments.

When N.K. Jemisin endorsed this book she described it as “mindblowing hard science fiction.” What does that term mean, ‘hard’ science fiction?

That term is also argued about! It tends to refer to science fiction that is very dependent on scientific extrapolation— physics , chemistry, astronomy, the hard sciences—in fact, the sort of fiction that Clarke tended to write. In later novels, he had the habit of stopping the narrative to spend a chapter discussing a random moon of Jupiter or wherever, presumably jumping off from the latest academic scientific article. It tends to be used as the opposite of ‘soft’ science fiction, which extrapolates from sociology, psychology and other soft sciences. There’s a chapter in Alien Love War where a group of characters are descending in freefall from a great height and hoping to survive. In hard science fiction, the author will have worked out the mass of the planet below and the gravitational pull, when maximum velocity would be reached, and so forth. In soft science fiction you’d get an allusion to Icarus or Lucifer, as you try not to worry that that character won’t walk again.

That brings us to Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley, billed as a sci-fi retelling of Daphne du Maurier ‘s Jamaica Inn . Why is Skyward Inn one of the best science fiction books of 2022?

Again, I think the judges were responding to the platonic romance at the inn between a human, Jem, and a Qitan, Isley. It seems we invaded the Qitans’ planet when we discovered it, looking to exploit them, except they more or less willingly surrendered. The inn is in ‘the Protectorate,’ an anti-technological enclave in Devon, where Isley is the only permitted alien. It feels a little like the fundamentalist settlement in Wyndham’s The Chrysalids : a puritanical, pastoral utopia-dystopia, which wants to stop the clock. This enclave is threatened by the arrival of another Qitan and a plague. There’s no escape from pandemics!

It seems so. Can you read Skyward Inn as an allegory of colonialism? Should you?

Can I? There’s certainly the thread of conquest as based on capitalism—which was typical of European imperialism, as I said earlier. A few of the reviews I’ve looked at cite H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds , with its throwaway footnote about the genocide in Tasmania . Partly Wells imagines us in the role of the colonised—then all the Martians die from flu, or something like it.

In Skyward Inn, I think it gets more complicated, since there’s a cultural interaction between the species, like there was in Alien Love War. And A Desolation Called Peace, come to that. How changed were we by the people we colonised, kidnapped or enslaved? We’ve appropriated their music and their food, and yet acknowledging historical injustices is often dismissed as just another woke salvo in the culture wars. Meanwhile, the National Trust and English Heritage get attacked for acknowledging the source of the swag that financed so many of the stately piles they look after… The impact of the encounter with the alien is profound in several of these novels – it’s up to the reader to decide if these changes are to be welcomed or feared.

Finally, do you think science fiction is in good health in 2022?

I think so. To return to H.G. Wells , he gave us a toy box of half a dozen or so novels: time travel , alien invasion, trips to the Moon, and so on. There’s a constant fear that these devices will go stale or become useless clichés—although there’s always room for another murder or another romance in other genres. The history of genre science fiction is dominated by straight white men and, whilst there’s nothing wrong in that in itself, it’s refreshing to get an unfamiliar take on the world from other identities. We obviously owe a debt to Mary Shelley, but far too many other women have been downplayed or written out of scifi history. With a few exceptions.

There’s only a handful of Black, British science fiction writers. If you look at the catalogue for the exhibition I mentioned before, In the Black Fantastic, African Diasporic science fiction has been healthy for decades in music, cover art, the visual arts and so on. It’s just not necessarily been published in New Worlds or InterZone or by Gollancz or HarperCollinsVoyager, and we’ve not been paying enough attention.

I’m sure Stewart Hotston will have crunched the numbers for us, about how many writers of colour were submitted and how many women, and how that compares to previous years. But the diversity of our shortlist is testimony to the strength of the books, rather than the judges filling quotas. And I genuinely don’t know which book will be chosen as the winner. I think we will have a tough and even more passionate meeting to decide.

Part of our  best books of 2022  series.

September 3, 2022

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Andrew M. Butler

Andrew M. Butler is a British academic who teaches film, media and communications at Canterbury Christ Church University. He is a former editor of Vector , the critical journal of the British Science Fiction Association and was membership secretary of the Science Fiction Foundation. He is the non-voting chair of the judges for the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Science Fiction.

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The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2022 and 2023, Crunched

Jenn Northington

Jenn Northington has worked in the publishing industry wearing various hats since 2004, including bookseller and events director, and is currently Director of Editorial Operations at Riot New Media Group. You can hear her on the SFF Yeah! podcast nerding out about sci-fi and fantasy. When she’s not working, she’s most likely gardening, running, or (obviously) reading. Find her on Tumblr at jennIRL and Instagram at iamjennIRL .

View All posts by Jenn Northington

A little on my Highly Unscientific Methology: As the 2023 awards shortlists and “Best Of The Year” lists start going up, I grab the links; once I get a critical mass, I start to check for speculative fiction titles. Some of these lists and awards are SFF specific and some are not, but there is often a book or two from our genres of interest mixed in with the others. Then, I dump the titles into a spreadsheet and run some formulas to calculate how many times they’re showing up, because…well, why not? It’s always interesting to see what books from the prior year are getting awards nods, and what from this year are getting all the end-of-year buzz. 

I try to check similar sources every year, and have a running list. Sometimes I’ll add a new one, sometimes I’ll skip one, because again…why not? We are still missing a few lists that I do like to incorporate; most notably, the Goodreads Choice Awards haven’t been voted on yet (although frankly, that’s the one I’m least interested in seeing the results of, because they are usually a snooze). I’ll be updating this post as those and others come in, so check back!

It’s also worth noting that I generally don’t distinguish by format between novel and novella, but I do screen out short stories since it doesn’t seem fair to the stories: very few end-of-year posts are highlighting specific ones. (That would be a really interesting separate list, though, note to self.)

I’m pretty delighted with the results from this year; even without some big-deal lists, there’s already a fascinating mix of usual suspects and surprises. So let’s dig into them!

Awards – Titles Published in 2022, Nominated or Awarded* in 2023

Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk (6 nominations/wins)

Babel by R.F. Kuang (5)

Spear by Nicola Griffith (4)

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn (3)

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (3)

Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo (3)

The Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (3)

I was genuinely shocked that anything beat Babel — the publicity, word-of-mouth, and reviews for that book were out of this world, for good reason. It’s still possible as the year closes out that Babel could move up the ranks. But as a long-time fan of Polk’s, I can’t be mad about where this list stands right now! I think it’s notable as well what a cross-section of writers, styles, and sub-genres this list covers. 

It’s largely fantasy, but we’ve got a mix — historical, contemporary, second world, our world, adult, YA, etc. The only sci-fi-ish title on here is The Daughter of Doctor Moreau , which is historical. It’s not because my sources don’t have sci-fi titles; eyeballing it, it looks like more division in sci-fi around what got attention, whereas the fantasy contenders had a few heavy-hitters. I’ve read four of the seven, so no huge surprises here aside from the order.

Why only seven? Because that was the cut-off before we got into the long-tail of two mentions. 

Best of 2023 (Published in 2023)

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (6)

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang (4)

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez (4)

There were three clear “most picked” titles this year, and I don’t think they’ll be a surprise to anyone. Chain-Gang All-Stars took the world by storm, and it deserves every accolade its getting. I know Sharifah loved Our Share of Night (she talked about it on the pod!) and Land of Milk and Honey has been on my TBR since it was announced.

I struggled, I confess, with whether or not to present you with the “mentioned twice” list. It got longer and longer as this post developed and new lists went live (this is the third time before publication I’ve updated it, in just two days!). But it’s a really interesting selection, and since I get to decide, here you go! In no particular order, here is every book** (so far) that got at least two mentions in this year’s Best ofs:

Ballad & Dagger by Daniel José Older

Brother Alive by Zain Khalid

Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak by Charlie Jane Anders

Future by Naomi Alderman

The Kindred by Alechia Dow

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Unraveller by Frances Hardinge

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang

Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei

Prophet by Sin Blaché and Helen Macdonald

White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link

Translation State by Ann Leckie

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

Victory City by Salman Rushdie 

Again, there’s nice range here; we’ve got literary speculative fiction, YA is represented, there’s some horror, and one of my all-time favorites ( The Spear Cuts Through Water ) is here. (I would have been VERY UNHAPPY if it was not on there, everyone please read it.) One of them, Brother Alive by Zain Khalid, I was really excited to see twice, because that’s a debut and I love a new author to get excited about. More sci-fi, as well!

As I said at the top, I’ll update this post as the final round-ups trickle in; it’ll be interesting to see if there are any dramatic moves up and down in placement. I’m betting not, but you never know! In the meantime, I’ve got some catch-up reading to do.

*I don’t distinguish too much between shortlists and finalists/winners for Awards, because the shortlists are where the juicy stuff is to my mind.

**This is neither scientific, comprehensive, or 100% accurate, in part because I tried to feed my data into a chatbot to do the counting for me and it failed spectacularly no matter how I tried to get it to do what I wanted, AND it muddled the data for me. So there are probably others that should be on here and aren’t; mea culpa, and also AI is really not as useful as people keep insisting, even for data-crunching.

Book Riot (Best Of) Publishers Weekly (Best Of) Ignyte Awards National Book Awards British Science Fiction Association Awards Philip K Dick Award British Book Awards Future Worlds Awards Locus Awards Elgin Awards Bard Fiction Prize Books Are My Bag Awards Nebula Awards TIME (Best Of) World Fantasy Awards Amazon (Best Of) Aspen Award Barnes & Noble (Best Of) Harper’s Bazaar (Best Of) Los Angeles Times Book Prize Oprah (Best Of) Hugo Awards Aurora Awards Ursula K. LeGuin Prize Washington Post Best SFF NYPL Best Books New York Times Book Review 100 Notable

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14 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2022

While I’m not as voracious a reader as I used to be, novels were my first entry into fantasy and science fiction and remain my favorite way to escape into another world. This past year had an incredible array of wonderful books published, and I’m delighted to share some of my favorites from 2022.

My tastes tend towards the obviously queer , the slightly hard to read , the fantastically epic , and the swooningly romantic. Whether that’s romance as in fealty or romance as in smooching is up for debate, but regardless, here are 13 books that I devoured this past year. (Including two additions from io9’s Cheryl Eddy and one from io9’s Sabina Graves!)

Some books on this list have been published by HarperCollins, which includes the Voyager and William Morrow imprints. Please note that the HarperCollins Union has been on strike since 11/10/22 to get a fair contract for its workers. Click here to learn how you can support its fight for a fair contract.

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17 upcoming sci-fi and fantasy books to look forward to in 2022

New books from Tolkien, King, and many more

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Have you ever wondered why so many highly anticipated books come out in the fall every year? It turns out, readers buy the most books between Labor Day and Christmas — and science fiction and fantasy are no exception. This fall is packed with new releases from N.K. Jemisin, Stephen King, S.A. Chakraborty, Brandon Sanderson, Neon Yang, Alan Moore, C.L. Polk, Mary Robinette Kowal, and even… J.R.R. Tolkien? (In a manner of speaking, yes.)

Here are our 17 most anticipated science fiction and fantasy books hitting shelves between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022.

Fairy Tale by Stephen King (Sept. 6)

At some point in the early days of the pandemic, Stephen King reportedly asked himself, “What could you write that would make you happy?” The resulting novel, Fairy Tale, is about a high school athlete named Charlie Reade. When Charlie starts doing odd jobs for a reclusive old man, he discovers a portal to another world — “a vast deserted city” and a “sprawling palace with glass towers so high their tips pierced the clouds.”

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (Sept. 13)

Everyone’s favorite space necromancers are back in the third installment of Muir’s Locked Tomb series. On the heels of Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth, the interplanetary saga of the Nine Houses pivots to a woman named Nona, who recently woke up in a new body with no memory of her life before. She was originally going to be a character in the final book of a planned trilogy, Alecto the Ninth , but according to Carl Engle-Laird (Muir’s editor at Tordotcom), Nona “could not be contained, and demanded her own volume,” which will make Alecto the Ninth the fourth and (for now) final book in fall 2023.

Bliss Montage by Ling Ma (Sept. 13)

The author of one of the best novels of the 2010s — Severance ( no, not the show ) — returns with a brilliant short story collection that straddles many different genres, including science fiction, fantasy, and horror, all the while staying grounded in everyday realism. For a sneak peek, check out “ Peking Duck ” in The New Yorker or “ Office Hours ” in The Atlantic.

Lark Ascending by Silas House (Sept. 27)

House’s dystopian seventh novel is a clever reversal of the Irish migration to America during the potato famine of the 1840s. In the near future, as the United States succumbs to wildfires, a family of American refugees flees across the Atlantic to Ireland, “the last country not yet overrun by extremists.” Of course, things are never what they seem when protagonists seek a safe haven in an apocalypse.

The Famous Magician by César Aira (Sept. 27)

Aira’s short books are the literary equivalent of a Périgord black truffle — small, rich delicacies worth savoring and contemplating. This 48-page novelette is about an aging writer in Buenos Aires who stumbles upon a magician in a book market. The magician, Ovando, presents the writer with a “devil’s bargain”: omnipotent power in exchange for never reading or writing again.

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang (Sept. 27)

After earning Nebula and Hugo award nominations for their Tensorate series novella, The Black Tides of Heaven, Yang is back with their first full-length novel. The Genesis of Misery reimagines Joan of Arc as a space-fantasy warrior named Misery Nomaki, who hears the voice of an angel in their head. It’s also the first book in a new series called the Nullvoid Chronicles.

The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler (Oct. 4)

Have you been waiting your entire life for a novel about humans discovering a civilization of octopi? The wait is over! In Nayler’s debut, a marine biologist travels to an isolated Vietnamese archipelago to study a new (deadly) cephalopod species with off-the-charts intelligence. But in true Michael Crichton fashion, a tech company has already purchased the islands and evacuated the locals — and it’s got its own agenda for the octopi.

Illuminations by Alan Moore (Oct. 11)

This is the first-ever short story collection from Alan Moore, best known for writing comic books like Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell, and Batman: The Killing Joke . More than 40 years in the making, some of these stories have never been published before, and they bounce between genres with glee. There are ghosts, sorcerers, creatures, the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and a long novella, “What We Can Know About Thunderman,” that fictionalizes the history of comic books.

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal (Oct. 11)

Tor is billing this as “ The Thin Man in space.” The Spare Man is a mystery set on a luxurious, interplanetary cruise ship from the author of The Calculating Stars, which won both the Hugo and Nebula awards for best novel in 2019. When her spouse is arrested for murder on their honeymoon, the heiress-inventor Tesla Crane decides to investigate the crime herself.

The River of Silver by S.A. Chakraborty (Oct. 11)

Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy — The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper, and The Empire of Gold — is among the most celebrated fantasy series of the century so far. This book of stories is set in the same universe, and features new characters, old characters, and never-before-seen material that broadens the scope of the world.

The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake (Oct. 25)

Blake’s self-published series starter, The Atlas Six, absolutely blew up on TikTok last year like few books have before or since. After becoming a viral sensation, Tor picked it up (and the rest of the planned trilogy). In December 2021, Amazon announced a forthcoming TV adaptation of the series, and now the second novel is hitting shelves on Oct. 15. It will continue following the six magicians who joined the Alexandrian Society, a secret organization dedicated to guarding lost knowledge passed down from ancient civilizations.

The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin (Nov. 1)

Who can forget 2020’s The City We Became, Jemisin’s mold-breaking novel about five people who become living avatars of the boroughs of New York? This sequel will complete the Great Cities duology, as the New York avatars team up with other cities around the world to defeat “the Enemy” and her puppet: a mayoral candidate hellbent on making New York whiter and wealthier.

Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk (Nov. 8)

Polk, who won a World Fantasy Award for their debut novel Witchmark in 2019, reimagines midcentury Chicago as a breeding ground for “divine monsters” and serial killers, like the White City Vampire. Even Though I Knew the End is also a noir romance between a magical detective and the woman she loves, as well as a supernatural murder mystery.

The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson (Nov. 15)

Sanderson’s original Mistborn trilogy is widely considered one the best fantasy series ever written. The Lost Metal is the fourth and final book in the follow-up Wax and Wayne tetralogy, set 300 years after the events of the trilogy. Confused yet? Welcome to the Cosmere.

Africa Risen edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, and Zelda Knight (Nov. 15)

This anthology features 32 science fiction and fantasy stories from African writers living on the continent and of the diaspora, including Tananarive Due, Tobias S. Buckell, Ytasha L. Womack, Sandra Jackson-Opoku, and Wole Talabi. Expect plenty of cyborgs, spirits, robots, djinn, and a rain goddess.

Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse (Nov. 15)

Tread of Angels has a really unique combination of setting and premise: In 1883, a mining town in the Colorado mountains experiences a gold rush when a new element called Divinity is discovered beneath the earth. But this isn’t our Colorado — it’s home to the descendants of demons and angels, many years after an ancient war.

The Fall of Númenor by J.R.R. Tolkien (Nov. 15)

Fans of Prime Video’s The Rings of Power will eat up this newly expanded collection of writings about the Second Age of Middle-earth (the period of time covered by the new TV series), including Tolkien’s “Atlantis” myth set in the island kingdom of Númenor, the rise of Sauron, and the forging of the rings of power.

Polygon’s rest-of-2022 preview

12 Best Science Fiction Books of 2022 So Far

We’re almost at the end of Sci Fi Month 2022, so it’s time for my Best Science Fiction 2022 list. I’ll admit, I haven’t read as much SF as I usually do. Last year I came up with a list of twenty-one books, and this year there’s only twelve. But wow, I loved them all! These twelve books illustrate the expanding boundaries of the genre, and you won’t find two alike in this bunch. I’ve listed them alphabetically, and my reviews are linked below.

A Sh*tload of Crazy Powers by Jackson Ford

August kitko and the mechas from space by alex white, bluebird by ciel pierlot, dead silence by s.a. barnes, eversion by alastair reynolds, glitterati by oliver k. langmead, the kaiju preservation society by john scalzi, mercury rising by r.w.w. greene, the mother’s wheel by robin kirk, reckoning by w. michael gear, sea of tranquility by emily st. john mandel, stringers by chris panatier, what are your favorite science fiction books of 2022, share this:.

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Posted November 29, 2022 by Tammy in Best Books of the Year , Sci-Fi Month / 28 Comments

28 responses to “ 12 Best Science Fiction Books of 2022 So Far ”

Ooh I’m not familiar with that one, Priscilla, I will check it out!

I’ve picked up copies of Eversion and The Kaiju Preservation Society and look forward to trying those. My favorite of the year so far is probably The Wall by Marlen Houshofer, if that could be considered sci-fi.

I will have to check out The Wall, it’s not familiar to me.

The only one of these I’ve read is Kaiju (and I loved it!). I do still need to read Sea of Tranquility — picked up a copy a couple of months ago, and just haven’t gotten around to it yet. For me, the best sci-fi reading adventure of the year was finishing The Expanse series!

Oh I need to read the whole Expanse series! I can’t wait.

I fell WAY behind on my sci-fi reads for this year. However, I did read and enjoyed “How High We Go in the Dark”!

I’ve heard good things about that one!

My fantasy reading has been off this year, lol. I guess it’s just one of those years!

I had so much fun with The Kaiju Preservation Society:-) Thanks for visiting!

I’ve been terrible about reading sci-fi this year. Sea of Tranquility is one I really hope to read in 2023 though. I’ve seen so many wonderful reviews for it.

It’s worth reading! And it’s very low key science fiction. There’s no aliens or spaceships, lol.

I love ‘best of’ lists because I get to add things to my TBR/be reminded of books I’ve wanted to read! I seriously love how much variety there is in sci-fi, you are so right about all of these being so different frmo one another. It’s so fun! I’ve only read Dead Silence and Eversion from this list, but I fully agree with including them here. I need to check out a lot of these still!

I’m really looking forward to all the “best of” lists this month, because you’re right, there are always things I add to my own TBR:-)

Under Fortunate Stars was one I had hoped to get to, hopefully I can squeeze it in next year sometime:-)

Well, not being a huge sci-fi reader I’m happy to say I’ve read a couple of these and loved them. One of them will defo be on my ‘best of 2022’ list. (You could probably guess anyway but I loved Sea of Tranquility). Lynn 😀

It was amazing, right?

Cytonic aside I don’t think this has been my scifi year!

Hey, you’ve read a lot of fantasy and I’ve barely read any!

I realized I didn’t really read too much sci-fi this year! I’ll definitely make my list later this month though.

I only read one sci-fi this year, and it’s one of my best reads of the year — Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Stringers is pretty unique! And I have a lot of these titles on my TBR. They all sound intriguing!!

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The Best Sci-Fi Books of 2022: Voting Round!

Many thank-yous to everyone who nominated their favorite sci-fi books published in 2022 for our year end readers' choice awards! 

Nominations poured in from readers across the globe, and once again we ended up with hundreds  of incredible titles! As with previous years, we’ve taken the   list and narrowed it down to the books that received the most nominations. Those books are the ones that will be moving on to the voting round!

Ready to see if your pick made it to the next round? Let’s go! 

Scroll down to see the titles moving forward and select your favorite. Next week we'll publish a list of the top ten from this group. Want to discuss the titles nominated? Leave your thoughts in the comments here on wander over to the Discover Sci-Fi facebook group and chime in there!  

Voting now closed. See you for next year's awards!

Let’s gooooooo Jeremy Robinson “Khaos”!!!

+1 for Jeremy!

Another for Khaos!

Favorite author all time, Christopher Hopper, brings another epic sci-fi entry: Imperium Descent! Fantastic world building and characters that you feel deeply invested in. Plus he reads his own work!…maybe not RC Bray level, but pretty damn impressive, especially for an author reading his own work (rarely works but he pulls it off quite well).

Another vote for Christopher Hopper’s IMPERIUM DECENT! Unique world building, fantastic characters, great storyline so far. Love the sketches of the main characters.

Hopper’s IMPERIUM DECENT FTW

Let’s go Tamsyn Muir!! It is about time your amazing writing in The Locked Tomb series gets recognition where recognition is due! All three are so different from each other, excellent and so highly original compared to most stuff out there that does win these awards! This series actually reminds me a ton of the six original Frank Herbert Dune novels….only a lot more humor and funnier! Can’t wait for the finale!

If not Tamysn then has to be Sequoia Nagamtsu. Has to be one of those two. Hands down the two most original and best books of the year! HOW HIGH WE GO IN THE DARK is very dark in parts but one of the best books I’ve read not only this past year but in a very long time! Instant classic that deserves some ultimate recognition for the originality, timeliness and just great writing and storytelling! Can’t wait to read what he comes up with next! Nagamatsu is now on the very top of my list of authors who I anxiously await new material to read by them! He has a very bright literary future no matter what anyone says or thinks of HHWGITD!!

Khaos – Jeremy Robinson!

Khaos- Jeremy Robinson does it again!!!

Let go Khaos!

Very interesting, thank you.

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Best sci-fi books: modern masterpieces & all-time classics

Here’s a scintillating selection of the best sci-fi books, with modern hits and sci-fi classics for you to enjoy.

• New sci-fi books
• Modern sci-fi books
• Classic sci-fi books

Explore the unknown from the comfort of your home, with the best sci-fi books of all time.

As we drift ever further into a fresh new year, it’s only natural for curious minds to hunger for something far-out and exotic and science fiction literature is the answer. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the occasion, whether it’s finding the perfect transportive book or discovering a rare gem to cozy up with during these cold, dark days.

Sci-fi comes in a wealth of varieties and flavors, and that’s what makes the genre so enticing for readers of all persuasions, from gung-ho military sci-fi, dire dystopian sagas, and revealing concept art editions, to old-fashioned space operas and terrifying extraterrestrial encounters.

If you're interested in checking out more of the science that inspires some of these amazing sci-fi tales, then check out our best space and astronomy books guide.

To cover more ground, we've split our guide into three categories: newly released sci-fi books (within the last year), modern sci-fi books, and classic sci-fi books. Now, sit back and enjoy our collection of the best sci-fi books out there.

Best new sci-fi books

1. the simulated multiverse.

Why you can trust Space.com Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test and review products.

• Author: Rizwan Virk
• Publisher: Bayview Books (2021)

MIT computer scientist, Silicon Valley video game guru, and bestselling author Rizwan Virk (“The Simulation Hypothesis”) explores the wild notion of a complex multiverse that has generated legions of believers over the past decade. 

Here Virk offers up mind-scrambling dissections of provocative topics like parallel universes, infinite timelines, quantum computing, alternate simulated realities, contorted definitions of space and time, and the Mandela Effect (a phenomenon in which the minority of the population recalls memories of past events different from the consensus). Think “The Man in the High Castle” high on both the blue and red pill from “ The Matrix .” It’s a fascinating explanation of our world that might shake the foundations of your digital reality, but does so in a totally digestible style.

2. The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

• Author: Amy Ratcliffe
• Publisher: Abrams (2021)

This isn’t nearly as exciting as an actual trip to Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World, but it costs far less and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the theme parks’ newest Star Wars lands. Written by pop culture expert and theme park aficionado, Amy Ratcliffe, this deluxe 256-page coffee table book displays the incredible portfolio of pre-visualization art that inspired the creation of the fictional world of Galaxy’s Edge and its bustling Black Spire Outpost on the Outer Rim planet of Batuu. 

“We looked back on work that happened over five years ago in some cases, but everyone recalled their thought processes and their excitement about working in the Star Wars galaxy,” Ratcliffe told Space.com. “I think readers will not only get an idea of the immense amount of work that went into developing such an ambitious land, but they’ll also see how much care and thoughtfulness went into it.” 

Walt Disney Imagineering’s trademark creative method comes alive using a constellation of vivid concept artworks, sketches, attraction blueprints, photos, and exclusive interviews with the talented team of Imagineers who helped construct the illusion of a life-size Star Wars trading destination.

• Buy “The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” now on Amazon

3. Providence

• Author: Max Berry
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons (2020)

Quietly released during the height of the global pandemic panic, Max Barry’s (“Lexicon”) novel deserves a spot on our list as it’s one of the best sci-fi novels of the decade. It spins a compelling yarn about a weird race of hive-like, amorphous aliens that spit miniature black holes as defensive weapons and the AI-driven battleship called the Providence Five and its small four-person crew sent to deep space to annihilate them. 

Seven years after a tragic first contact event that left several astronauts dead, this hyper-aware spaceship gradually travels inside enemy territory where it becomes paranoid ala HAL-9000 in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” resulting in some frightening encounters transmitted back to Earth to a captivated global audience. Fans of The Expanse will devour this book before another plasma round explodes!

• Buy “Providence” now on Amazon

4. Leviathan Falls

• Author:  James S. A. Corey
• Publisher: Orbit (2021)

As wise minds once said, all good things must end, and so it is with the best-selling series of military sci-fi novels “The Expanse”. On Nov. 30, the ninth and final book of Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham’s (writing as James S. A. Corey) immensely popular saga landed on Earth. The book dropped just before the sixth and last season of Amazon Prime’s “The Expanse” TV series began airing in December (psst... if you like this TV show, you might like some other of the best sci-fi TV shows based on books ). Following 2019’s “Tiamat’s Wrath,” this climactic volume picks up after the Laconian Empire falls and 1,300 systems are free of the tyrannical rule of Winston Duarte.

In this intense grand finale, Elvi Okoye commands a last-ditch quest to the Adro system to learn more about the enigmatic alien presence known as the gate builders and what long-lost nemesis ended their cosmic construction projects. Back aboard the Rocinante, Captain James Holden and his intrepid colleagues attempt to peaceably reunite Mankind out of the innumerable calamities that have come before.

“We’re going to pay off the promises we’ve been making in the first eight books and complete the story,” Abraham told Space.com. “That’s all we can really promise. And it is the last one. We’re not leaving it open for sequels and prequels and side stories. We wanted to tell one complete story and have a satisfying finish and hopefully that’s what we’re delivering.”

• Buy “Leviathan Falls” now on Amazon

5. Shards of Earth

• Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky 

Adrian Tchaikovsky is the Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author of “Children of Time” and if you’ve never read his tight, rhythmic prose, you’re in for a real treat.

The storyline is set in the aftermath of an 80-year war against angry aliens called the Architects. Idris Telemmier is a genetically-modified soldier once used as a telepathic weapon in the decades-long battle. With the inability to grow older or sleep since the conflict ceased, Idris now exists aboard a salvage spaceship named Vulture God. Humans created these intimidating soldiers who could connect mentally with the enemy when the Earth died.

A half-century later, Idris and his team have happened upon some discarded object that’s clearly of the Architects’ design. Does this signal the aggressive race’s resurgence in this part of the galaxy? Chased by criminals, fanatics, and politicians while custodians of a rare alien item, Idris zooms through the heavens trying to evade his pursuers while seeking the ultimate truth.

• Buy “Shards of Earth” now on Amazon

6. At the Mountains of Madness: Volumes 1 and 2

• Author: H. P. Lovecraft
• Illustrator: François Baranger
• Publisher: Design Studio Press (2020/21)

Fans of H. P. Lovecraft’s unforgettable sci-fi horror novella will savor this impressive oversized hardback adaptation showcasing the absorbing art of French illustrator François Baranger. The recounting of a doomed Miskatonic University expedition to sub-zero Antarctica where specimens of an ancient alien species are discovered in a crumbling stone city is now accompanied by frozen landscapes of otherworldly dread.

Baranger is well known for his work as an internationally-recognized concept designer for popular movies and video games, and here he’s achieved the difficult task of reimagining one of Lovecraft’s most terrifying tales into pure nightmare material. Volume 2 was just released on December 22 to complete the set!

• Buy “At the Mountains of Madness: Volume 1” now on Amazon
• Buy “At the Mountains of Madness: Volume 2” now on Amazon

7. Frank Herbert’s Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 1

• Author: Frank Herbert
• Adapted by: Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
• Illustrators: Bill Sienkiewicz (cover), Raúl Allén, and Patricia Martín
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (2020)

With the success of director Denis Villeneuve’s epic rendition of the seminal 1965 sci-fi novel last year, you might want to check out this stunning graphic novel rendition adapted by Herbert’s son, Brian Herbert, and collaborator Kevin J. Anderson. This pair of writers has vastly expanded the scale and scope of the original “Dune” with over a dozen prequel and sequel novels over the last 22 years. This is the first time the masterwork has been offered in a premium illustrated format (the debut release of a trilogy), now richly adorned with artwork by artists Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín, and an epic cover by Eisner Award-winning illustrator Bill Sienkiewicz. 

“His vast library did not include very many comics or graphic novels, but in his newspaper career he was not only a feature writer but also a professional photographer,” Herbert told Space.com , speaking about his father’s cinematic eye. “He used to tell me that he wrote scenes in his novels – and especially in “Dune” – with a camera in mind, as if he were looking at each scene through the lens of a camera.”

• Buy “Frank Herbert’s Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 1” now on Amazon

8. The Empire Strikes Back: From a Certain Point of View

• Authors and artists: Tom Angleberger, Sarwat Chadda, S. A. Chakraborty, Mike Chen, Adam Christopher, Katie Cook, Zoraida Córdova, Delilah S. Dawson, Tracy Deonn, Seth Dickinson, Alexander Freed, Jason Fry, Hank Green, Christie Golden, Rob Hart, Lydia Kang, Michael Kogge, R. F. Kuang, C. B. Lee, Mackenzi Lee, John Jackson Miller, Michael Moreci, Daniel José Older, Mark Oshiro, Amy Ratcliffe, Beth Revis, Lilliam Rivera, Cavan Scott, Emily Skrutskie, Karen Strong, Anne Toole, Catherynne M. Valente, Austin Walker, Martha Wells, Django Wexler, Kiersten White, Gary Whitta, Brittany N. Williams, Charles Yu, and Jim Zub
• Publisher: Del Rey (2020)

To help celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Del Rey released a stout, 576-page hardcover stuffed with 40 short stories featuring unsung supporting Star Wars heroes, villains, droids, and aliens from the 1980 film. Ever wondered what it’s like caring for tauntauns on the icy world of Hoth? Or about the goings on in the dark depths of Cloud City? Well, now you can find out!

This entertaining anthology showcases contributions by bestselling authors and well-known artists like Austin Walker, Hank Green, Tracy Deonn, Delilah Dawson, Alexander Freed, John Jackson Miller, Anne Toole, and many more. Participating writers generously donated compensations for their tales and proceeds will be given to First Book, a nonprofit providing learning materials to educators and organizations serving kids in need.

• Buy “The Empire Strikes Back: From a Certain Point of View” now on Amazon

9. Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry

• Authors: Dan Curry and Ben Robinson
• Publisher: Titan Books (2020)

For Star Trek junkies and tech-heads wanting to delve deep into the sensational special effects and worldbuilding of the Star Trek franchise, there’s no bolder release than this lavish volume written by seven-time Emmy Award-winning visual effects supervisor and director, Dan Curry. For three decades, Curry has contributed concept art, title sequences, matte paintings, spaceship design, and practical weapons to numerous series and spin offs including The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. Written by Curry and Ben Robinson, this is a 204-page treasure packed with rare sketches, concept art, behind-the-scenes stills, and never-seen storyboards celebrating the accomplishments of one of Star Trek’s most acclaimed artisans.

“The illusions that created the universe of Star Trek were the result of many gifted and dedicated artists,” Curry told Space.com. “There was no single hero of its visual effects. I was very fortunate to design and create a lot of things that became part of the Star Trek franchise. I feel it was a decent legacy to leave behind when I ultimately move into the non-biological phase of existence.”

• Buy “Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry” now on Amazon

10. The Last Watch

• Authors: J. S. Dewes
• Publisher: Tor Books (2021)

Here’s a rousing space adventure by author J. S. Dewes that chronicles the vigilant crew of the Argus as they perform guard duty against an extraterrestrial threat at the far limits of the universe. This impressive series debut is part of a two-book project called “The Divide” and boasts a motley collection of soldiers led by commander Adequin Rake, who endeavors to protect her crew and humanity from a collapsing cosmic anomaly.

It’s basically “The Expanse” meets “The Dirty Dozen” where a rag-tag group of Sentinels must pull together to save themselves and ensure a viable future. An excellent example of military sci-fi pumped up with pathos, memorable characters, and a relentless juggernaut of a plot. Its sequel, “The Exiled Fleet,” arrived this past August so you won’t have to wait for the follow up!

• Buy “The Last Watch” (The Divide Series, 1) now on Amazon
• Buy “The Exiled Fleet” (The Divide Series, 2) now on Amazon

Best modern sci-fi books

• Authors: Daniel Suarez
• Publisher: Dutton (2019)

In "Delta-v," an unpredictable billionaire recruits an adventurous cave diver to join the first-ever effort to mine an asteroid. The crew's target is asteroid Ryugu, which in real life Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft has been exploring since June 2018. 

From the use of actual trajectories in space and scientific accuracy, to the title itself, Delta-v — the engineering term for exactly how much energy is expended performing a maneuver or reaching a target — Suarez pulls true-to-life details into describing the exciting and perilous mission. The reward for successful asteroid mining is incredible, but the cost could be devastating.

2. The Lady Astronaut series - The Calculating Stars/The Fated Sky/The Relentless Moon 

• Author: Mary Robinette Kowal
• Publisher: Tor Books (2018-2020)

What if space exploration wasn't a choice but a necessity, driven by the knowledge that Earth would soon become uninhabitable and powered by international coalitions built after a catastrophic meteorite impact? That's the alternative history novelist Mary Robinette Kowal explores in her Lady Astronaut series. 

The books follow mathematician and World War II pilot Elma York, who dreams of becoming an astronaut herself. Kowal intricately melds real history with her fictional plot to create a series that is simultaneously hopeful and pragmatic. The Lady Astronaut offers a powerful vision of how spaceflight could be a positive force in society.

3. Red Moon

• Author: Kim Stanley Robinson
• Publisher: Orbit (2018)

Red Moon, the latest novel from legendary science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, blends realism and drama in a way that instantly transports the reader to the lunar surface. The book, which takes place 30 years into the future, opens on the journeys of Fred Fredericks, an American quantum engineer working for a Swiss company, and Ta Shu, a poet, feng shui expert and celebrity travel reporter to the moon where they are traveling to work. In the world of the book, China has become the first political and technological entity to inhabit the moon in a serious, long-term way.

At first, as a reader, you may find yourself adjusting to the character's clumsy movements in lunar gravity and anticipating what life on the moon might really be like, but the story takes a shocking turn and life on the moon turns out to be much different from what you may have expected. "Red Moon" does an incredible job immersing the reader in a captivating alien, yet still familiar, world while at the same time staying grounded in a reality that we could truly one day face.

4. Before Mars

• Author: Emma Newman
• Publisher: Ace (2018)

Emma Newman's latest book set in her "Planetfall" universe, "Before Mars," sees a geologist arriving at a small Mars base after a lengthy journey only to realize that things aren't as they seem. The base's AI is untrustworthy, the psychologist seems sinister, and the main characters finds a note to herself she has no memory of writing. In a world of perfectly immersive virtual reality, can she trust what she sees? Or did the long trip take a toll on her sanity? "Before Mars" takes place on an eerie, largely empty Mars after a giant corporation buys the rights to the planet.

It's a thrilling read but — like Newman's other "Planetfall" books — also a deep dive into the protagonist's psychology as she grapples with what she discovers on the Red Planet. "Before Mars" and the other books in the same universe (" Planetfall " and " After Atlas ") can be read in any order, but Space.com highly recommends giving them all a look.

• Author: Andy Weir
• Publisher: Crown (2017)

In " The Martian " (Crown, 2014) first-time author Andy Weir gave voice to the sardonic, resourceful botanist Mark Watney as he struggled for survival stranded on Mars. In his second novel, "Artemis," he follows Jazz Bashara, a porter (and smuggler) on the moon who's drawn into a crime caper. 

Weir brings a similar meticulous detail to his descriptions of the moon as the ultimate tourist destination as he did to Watney's misadventures on Mars, but his characterization of Jazz doesn't play to his writing strengths like Watney's log entries did. Still, "Artemis" is an entertaining romp through a really intriguing future moon base, with plenty of one-sixth-gravity action and memorable twists. It's well worth the read. Plus, there's an audiobook version  read by Rosario Dawson .

6. Provenance

• Author: Ann Leckie
• Publisher: Orbit (2017)

A young woman plots to find stolen artifacts in "Provenance," which takes place in the same universe as author Ann Leckie's award-winning  "Ancillary" trilogy  of books — but introduces readers to a new selection of future human cultures with a more straightforward and less high-concept adventure story. 

Don't let that fool you, though: The book's exploration of multiculture, multispecies conflict (with aliens called the Geck) works just as much intriguing worldbuilding into the mix as her previous books. Plus, there are mind-controlled robots, stolen alien ships and a society with three genders.

7. Leviathan Wakes - The Expanse series

• Author: James S.A. Corey
• Publisher: Orbit (2011)

200 years in the future, humanity has colonized the solar system and is split among three factions on the brink of conflict: Earth, Mars and the Asteroid Belt, which includes the spinning Ceres asteroid colony. As multiple viewpoint characters are ensnared in a system-wide mystery, the story's scope slowly broadens to reveal the full complexity of the novels' science fiction world. The books, co-written by Dan Abraham and Ty Franck, originally stemmed from a  tabletop roleplaying game idea , and it shows through the detailed worldbuilding and exploration of a solar system remade in humanity's image. Plus, it's a fun, tightly-plotted set of spacefaring adventure stories.

The series is slated for nine books, and they've appeared steadily one per year from 2011-2015 for a total of five so far (plus some tie-in novellas). They're also the basis for Syfy's TV show "The Expanse," recently renewed for a 13-episode second season. Book six, "Babylon's Ashes," is slated for release December 2016.

See  here  and  here  for Q&As with the series' authors describing the book's inception and the TV show's development (plus, the coolest sci-fi in the series).

• Publisher: Orbit (2015)

After numerous novels and short stories probing humanity's trials in the near future, far future and distant past, science fiction master Kim Stanley Robinson offers his own highly detailed spin on the challenge of interstellar travel in his new book "Aurora" (Orbit, 2015).

Humanity's first trip to another star is incredibly ambitious, impeccably planned and executed on a grand scale in "Aurora." The novel begins near the end of a 170-year mission aboard a spaceship carrying roughly 2,000 humans to the seemingly Earth-like moon of a planet orbiting a nearby star, Tau Ceti.

Told largely from the perspective of the ship's computer, "Aurora" emphasizes the fragile unity of all the living and nonliving parts aboard the starship as it hurtles through space. As the story of the landing unfolds, the narrative doesn't shy away from the science or the incredible complexity of a 2,000-person, multigenerational ship. The spacecraft is portrayed as one organism that can have conflicting interests or fall out of balance but that ultimately has to work in concert to reach its destination intact.

Best classic sci-fi books

1. the martian chronicles.

• Author: Ray Bradbury
• Publisher: Doubleday (1951)

In case you haven't heard of him, Ray Bradbury is an  icon of science fiction writing . In "The Martian Chronicles," Bradbury explores the gradual human settlement of the Red Planet, through a series of lightly connected stories. Bradbury paints the Martian landscape and its inhabitants with master strokes, but equally strong is his portrayal of the psychological dangers that await the human settlers who arrive there. 

This, as well as the space-themed stories in Bradbury's other classic collection "The Illustrated Man," struck a chord with me when I was young and dreamed about traveling to the stars. Reading his work today, it is amazing to see that although Bradbury writes from a time when human space travel hadn't yet begun (the book was first published in 1950), the issues and questions his stories raise are still relevant as humanity takes its first steps into that great frontier.

2. Ender's Game

• Author: Orson Scott Card
• Publisher: Tor Books (1985)

This classic science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card should be ever-present on any space fan's bookshelf. Card's novel follows the life of Ender Wiggin as he learns to fight the Formics, a horrifying alien race that almost killed off all humans when they attacked years and years ago. 

Wiggin learns the art of space war aboard a military space station built to help train young people to fight the cosmic invaders. Basically, this book is a coming-of-age tale that makes you want to fly to space and also forces you to think about some serious social issues presented in its pages. (The book is the first in a quintet, and inspired a much larger body of work that takes place in the same universe.)

3. The Martian

• Publisher: Random House (2014)

"The Martian," by Andy Weir, is a truly great science fiction book that's heavy on the science. Weir tells the story of Mark Watney, a fictional NASA astronaut stranded on Mars, and his difficult mission to save himself from potential doom in the harsh Red Planet environment. Watney seems to have everything against him, yet Weir deftly explains not only what Watney's survival needs are but also how he goes about trying to make them work. "The Martian" also was made into a movie, which was released in 2015. The film stars Matt Damon as Watney and is directed by space movie veteran Ridley Scott.

• Publisher: Chilton Books (1965)

In "Dune," Frank Herbert imagines a vast, intricate future universe ruled by an emperor who sets the Atreides and Harkonnen families warring over the desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. The arid world holds the only source of the spice mélange, necessary for space travel. Spread across star systems, "Dune" teems with wild characters: human computers (Mentats), tribal fighters (Fremen), mind-controlling "witches" (Bene Gesserit Sisterhood) and humans ranging from the corrupt Baron Harkonnen to Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides, whose journey from a sheltered childhood anchors the story. 

Early on, the Baron says, "Observe the plans within plans within plans," summing up the adversaries' wary analyses of each faction's complex motivations. This cerebral second-guessing balances with epic action throughout the book, centering on the perhaps best-known feature of the Duniverse: the monstrous spice-producing sandworms. The best-selling novel raised science fiction literature to greater sophistication by including themes of technology, science, politics, religion and ecology, although the burgeoning Dune franchise remains less popular than Star Wars (which borrowed heavily from "Dune").

5. Hyperion - Hyperion Cantos Series

• Author: Dan Simmons
• Publisher: Doubleday (1989)

Part space epic, part "Canterbury Tales," "Hyperion" tells the story of seven pilgrims who travel across the universe to meet their fate, and the unspeakably evil Shrike, who guards the Time Tombs on the planet Hyperion. 

On the way, each pilgrim tells his or her own tale, and each world is so exquisitely created that it's hard to believe it all came from the mind of one author. The tale of the scholar whose daughter ages backward after her visit to the Tombs, and his quest to save her as she returns to childhood, is my favorite — it's heartbreaking and terrifying at the same time.

• Author: Frederik Pohl
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (1977)

"Gateway" is the first science fiction book I ever read, because my father, a longtime sci-fi junkie, had loved it. It's an intense read that explores why we make the choices we do, and how we deal with the consequences of those choices in the black vacuum of space. In "Gateway," those with the money to leave the dying Earth can hitch a ride on a starship that will either make them wealthy beyond their wildest dreams or lead them to a grim and possibly violent death. Or, like our hero, you could wind up in the grip of a massive black hole and have to make difficult decisions that lead you to the couch of an electronic shrink.

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Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.

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29 of the Best Science Fiction Books Everyone Should Read

Looking for your next sci-fi must-read? Cyberpunk, space operas, dystopias – we've pulled together some of the WIRED team's favourite science fiction novels. Some are eerily plausible, others are wild trips of the imagination, but all present compelling visions of our possible future. Listed here in chronological order for completists.

You may also enjoy our guides to best sci-fi movies and the best space movies , too. If you're after more reading inspiration, try our selection of the best fantasy books and we have a guide to the best audiobooks if you're feeling lazy.

It's Prime Day 2023, so we've uncovered the top discounts. Check out the best Prime Day deals in the UK here.​​

The Blazing World, by Margaret Cavendish (1666)

This book is arguably the first science fiction book ever written. The Blazing World's language may be dated, but this fearless feminist text from Margaret Cavendish is packed full of imagination is not just incredibly brave for its time. It's also still incredibly relevant; cited as inspiration by writers including China Miéville and Alan Moore.

Cavendish's utopian tale follows the adventures of a kidnapped woman, who travels to another world run by part-humans, part animals - fox men, fish men, geese men, the list goes on. As she is a very beautiful woman, she becomes their Empress, and organises an an almighty invasion of her own world, complete with literal fire(stones) raining from the sky.

Price: £10 | Amazon | Waterstones | Wordery | Audible trial

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley (1818)

Mary Shelley started writing classic gothic thriller Frankenstein when she was 18 years old. Two centuries later, it is a major ancestor of both the science fiction and horror genres, tackling huge themes like the nature of life and death, immortality and genetic engineering. It is a pro-science novel that at its heart shows Dr Frankenstein as the callous fiend of the story, who created a being and was not willing to accept responsibility for his actions. In an age where the space between technical life and death is narrower than ever, and scientists are playing with the makeup of what makes us humans, Frankenstein can still teach an important lesson: just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Price: £6 | Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells | Audible trial

Foundation, by Isaac Asimov (1951)

Asimov was a prolific writer, but many of his best works are classic short stories such as Nightfall , or The Last Question , which play out like long jokes with a punchline twist at the end. In the Foundation series, he’s in another mode entirely, charting the rise and fall of empires in sweeping brush strokes. Asimov’s prose can be stilted, and betrays the attitudes of its time in the portrayal of female characters, but it has left a lasting legacy.

The Foundation series follows Hari Seldon, who is the architect of psychohistory – a branch of mathematics that can make accurate predictions thousands of years in advance, and which Seldon believes is necessary to save the human race from the dark ages. You can see why it’s one of Elon Musk’s favourite books (along with The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy , and The Moon is A Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein – also recommended). A long-awaited screen adaptation is one of the flagship shows of Apple TV+.

Price: £8 | Amazon | Waterstones | Wordery | Audible trial

The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester (1957)

This landmark novel begins with a simple proposition – what if humans could teleport? – and sprawls into a tale of rebirth and vengeance that winds across the Solar System: The Count of Monte Cristo for the interstellar age. First published as Tiger! Tiger! in the UK, named after the William Blake poem, it follows Gully Foyle – a violent, uneducated brute who spends six months marooned in deep space, and the rest of the book seeking retribution for it.

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Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem (1961)

If you think you know Solaris from the 2002 Steven Soderbergh film, the original book may come as a bit of a surprise. Written by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem in 1961, this short novel is heavier on philosophy than plot. It follows a team of humans on a space station who are trying to understand the mysterious living ocean on the planet Solaris, with little success – their research is limited to lengthy descriptions that paint a vibrant picture of the alien planet but fail to elucidate how it works. As they poke and prod, Solaris ends up exposing more about them than it does about itself, with the book demonstrating the futility of humans trying to comprehend something not of their world.

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Dune, by Frank Herbert (1965)

In 2012, WIRED US readers voted Dune the best science-fiction novel of all time. It’s also the best-selling of all time, and has inspired a mammoth universe, including 18 books set over 34,000 years and a terrible 1984 movie adaptation by David Lynch, his worst film by far. A very different effort was released in 2021, directed by Denis Villeneuve. The series is set 20,000 years in the future in galaxies stuck in the feudal ages, where computers are banned for religious reasons and noble families rule whole planets. We focus on the planet Arrakis, which holds a material used as a currency throughout the Universe for its rarity and mind-enhancing powers. Lots of giant sandworms, too.

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The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein (1966)

One of Elon Musk's favourite books, apparently, this gripping novel paints a plausible picture of life on Earth's satellite, three years before man set foot on the moon for the first time. Its depictions of the challenges of life in orbit, and the ingenuity of human solutions to the problem – even among the exiles and misfits who make up the lunar population – are memorable.

Ice, by Anna Kavan (1967)

Anna Kavan's last (and best) sci fi novel provides a haunting, claustrophobic vision of the end of the world, where an unstoppable monolithic ice shelf is slowly engulfing the earth and killing everything in its wake. The male protagonist and narrator of the story (who is nameless) is eternally chasing after an elusive and ethereal young woman, while contemplating feelings that become darker and more violent towards her as the ice closes in. He frequently crosses paths with the Warden, the sometimes-husband but also captor of the young woman, who is always one step ahead. And as the ice closes off almost all paths by land and sea, he is running out of time to catch them up.

The novel reads like a grown-up, nightmarish version of Alice in Wonderland : Kavan takes you on a journey that is hallucinogenic and unsettling, with no regard to whether the narrator is dreaming or awake. But the true genius of the book is its language - depicting a powerful allegory crushing pain of addiction, loneliness and mental illness will do little to cheer you up, but will capture your attention.

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The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin (1969)

Le Guin alternated between genres during her prolific career, and this intricate novel came out the year after the classic fantasy book A Wizard of Earthsea . The bulk of the action takes place on Winter, a remote Earth-like planet where it’s cold all year round, and everyone is the same gender. It was one of the first novels to touch on ideas of androgyny – which is viewed from the lens of protagonist Genly Ai, a visitor from Earth who struggles to understand this alien culture.

A Scanner Darkly, by Philip K Dick (1977)

A curious novel that reads less like sci-fi and more like a hallucinated autobiography detailing the author’s struggle with drug addiction. In a near-future California, vice cop Bob Arctor lives undercover with a community of drug addicts hooked on devastating psychoactive dope Substance D. Arctor, who needs to don a special “scramble suit” to hide his face and voice when meeting his fellow cops, has to grapple with gradually losing his sense of self.

Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler (1979)

Though Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred was published more than 40 years ago, it carries lessons and learnings that we can all still use today. When African-American writer, Dana finds herself transported from 1979 Los Angeles to the pre-Civil War Antebellum south to repeatedly save her white slave-owning ancestor, she must confront the horrendous reality of surviving slavery while not losing her modern day identity. This is only more complicated when she accidentally transports back with her white husband.

The novel explores major themes of power, race and inequality. Butler’s contextualising of this era is devastating; the way in which she contrasts modern day 1979 with the pre-Civil War age offers a different perspective on the complicated and degrading reality of slavery. Kindred allows you, the reader, to engage with the emotional impacts of slavery, something unfortunately often lost in too many of today’s teachings of the subject.

Neuromancer, by William Gibson (1984)

The definitive cyberpunk novel, William Gibson’s Neuromancer follows hacker-turned-junkie Henry Case as he tries to pull off one last, rather dodgy sounding job in the hope of reversing a toxin that prevents him from accessing cyberspace. Set in a dystopian Japanese underworld, the novel touches on all manner of futuristic technology, from AI to cryonics, and features a cast of creative characters that will stick with you long after you turn the last page.

Consider Phlebas, by Iain Banks (1987)

Back in 1987, after four acclaimed fiction novels, Iain Banks published his first sci-fi book, Consider Phlebas , a true space opera and his first book of many to feature the Culture, an interstellar utopian society of humanoids, aliens and sentient machines ostensibly run by hyper-intelligent AI "Minds". A war rages across the galaxy with one side fighting for faith, the other a moral right to exist. Banks melds this conflict with something approaching a traditional fantasy quest: the search for a rogue Mind that has hidden itself on a forbidden world in an attempt to evade destruction.

Hyperion, by Dan Simmons (1989)

Winner of the 1990 Hugo Award for Best Novel and part of a two-book series, Hyperion is a richly woven sci-fi epic told in the style of The Canterbury Tales . In the world of Hyperion , humanity has spread to thousands of worlds, none more intriguing or dangerous as Hyperion. It's home to the Time Tombs, ageless structures which are mysteriously travelling backward through time, and guarding them is the terrifying creature known as the Shrike. It kills anyone who dares encroach on the Time Tombs and has inspired a fanatical religious group who control pilgrimages to the tombs. On the eve of an invasion, a group of travellers convene what's likely to be the last Shrike pilgrimage and share their tales of what brought them there.

Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton (1990)

Before it mutated into the mega media franchise “Jurassic World”, Jurassic Park was a smart, thoughtful and gripping sci-fi classic written by Michael Crichton, author of the equally brilliant Andromeda Strain. Crichton's tale remains a great parable about the dangers of genetic engineering, (as well as a slightly heady exploration of chaos theory). His descriptions of dinosaurs are also brilliant, like the T-Rex: "Tim felt a chill, but then, as he looked down the animal's body, moving down from the massive head and jaws, he saw the smaller, muscular forelimb. It waved in the air and then it gripped the fence."

Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson (1992)

Frantic, fun and almost suspiciously prescient, Snow Crash grabs you from its opening sequence – a high-speed race through an anarchic Los Angeles that has been carved up into corporate-owned ‘burbclaves’ – and barely lets up. The book follows main character Hiro Protagonist (yes, really), an elite hacker and swordsman, as he tries to stop the spread of a dangerous virus being propagated by a religious cult. It combines neurolinguistics, ancient mythology and computer science, and eerily predicts social networks, cryptocurrency and Google Earth.

Price: £9 | Amazon | Waterstones | Wondery | Audible trial

Vurt, by Jeff Noon (1993)

“Vurt is a feather - a drug, a dimension, a dream state, a virtual reality.” That’s what the back of this 1993 cyberpunk novel reads, and it’s a perfect way into the chaotic and surreal world of Vurt . Set in a gritty future Manchester, Vurt follows the story of Scribble, who’s on a mission to find his sister Desdemona who he believes is trapped inside a feather called Curious Yellow. That’s right, a feather. Vurt is about virtual reality, but not the strapping on a headset kind. Instead, people put feathers into their mouths to visit different dimensions and states of consciousness. Written in a frantic, dark and funny way that makes the action feel like it’s bouncing along beside you, Vurt won the Arthur C. Clarke award in 1994 and has since become a cult classic – although it’s not always easy to find a copy.

Price: £17 | Amazon | Audible trial

Under The Skin, by Michel Faber (2000)

Set in Scotland, Under The Skin is about an alien who’s sent to Earth to drug hitchhikers that she then delivers to her home planet. Despite being here to lead people to their deaths, she’s contemplative about Earth and nature. We’re used to considering what an alien visiting Earth for the first time might think about certain things, but the way Faber writes about Isserley’s experiences feels fresh, strange and, at times, oddly beautiful.

At times, Under The Skin is profoundly unnerving and difficult to read. But it’s not gratuitous. Elements of the novel are meant to be satirical, touching on present-day themes of our treatment of each other, animals and the Earth. We also highly recommend Jonathan Glazer’s 2013 movie adaptation, which is loosely based on the book but is a brilliant and intensely dark movie full of haunting imagery and a breath-taking score.

Price: £8 | Amazon | Waterstones | Audible trial

Metro 2033, by Dmitry Glukhovsky (2002)

It’s 2033, and a nuclear apocalypse has forced the rag-tag remains of the human population of Moscow to flee to the underground maze of tunnels below the city. Here they develop independent tribes in each metro station, trade goods and fight against each other. But hidden in the tunnels between the stations hide terrifying flesh-eating mutants and a voice that is driving people mad… This is the premise of Dmitry Glukhovsky’s wildly successful novel, which was later made into a series of video games. Part epic tale, part thriller, the translated story follows a teenager called Artyom, who has to travel to the heart of the Metro through unpredictable dangers to save the remains of humankind. Expect to be shocked.

Price: £9 | Amazon | Waterstones | Foyles | Audible trial

Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood (2003)

While The Handmaid’s Tale describes a world that seems more plausible by the day, in Oryx and Crake Atwood spins a genetically-modified circus of current trends taken to their absolute extreme – a “bio-engineered apocalypse,” is how one reviewer put it. A number of television adaptations have been mooted, including a now-defunct HBO project with Darren Aronofsky, but this might be one to place alongside The Stars My Destination in the impossible-to-adapt file. The world of the book is vibrant, surreal and disturbing enough.

Read more: The best sci-fi movies everyone should watch once

The Three-Body Problem, Liu Cixin (2008)

Liu Cixin was already one of China’s most revered science fiction writers when, in 2008, he decided to turn his hand to a full-length novel. The Three-Body Problem is the result – an era-spanning novel that jumps between the Cultural Revolution, the present day, and a mysterious video game. The first part of a trilogy, it’s a fascinating departure from the tropes of Western science fiction, and loaded with enough actual science that you might learn something as well as being entertained.

Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2015)

Children of Time is an epic book about a dying Earth. People are leaving, and there’s a plan to keep some of them safe and the human race flourishing elsewhere. However, things don’t quite pan out how they should. This is a saga of a story spanning many, many generations. That’s a tricky thing to pull off and ensure readers still follow with care and attention. But Adrian Tchaikovsky infuses interest, humanity and authenticity into every character and storyline so well. You’ll find yourself rooting for every new character that comes next – even when they’re only distantly related to the one you met a few chapters ago. The book deals with small interactions and feuds through to huge themes about belief, artificial intelligence, legacy, discovery, alienness and much more. It’s no surprise it won the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke Award. There’s a follow-up called Children of Ruin and (fingers crossed) a possible movie adaptation in the works.

The Martian, by Andy Weir (2015)

Andy Weir's debut novel literally puts the science into science fiction, packing in tonnes of well-researched detail about life on Mars. There's descriptions of how to fertilise potatoes with your own excrement, and hack a life-support system for a Martian rover – in levels of detail that the movie adaptation starring Matt Damon came nowhere near to reaching. The sassy, pop-culture laden writing style won't be to everyone's taste – this book probably won't get taught in English Literature lessons – but the first-person perspective makes sense for this story of an astronaut stranded on the Red Planet with no way to get home.

Price: £7.50 | Amazon | Waterstones | Foyles | Audible trial

The Heart Goes Last, by Margaret Atwood (2015)

An odd cocktail of a novel: part techno dystopia, part satire, part sex comedy, part classic Atwood. In a bleak, postlapsarian version of the US, young lovebirds Charmaine and Stan endure a miserable existence sleeping in their car and dodging criminals’ knives. Salvation arrives under the guise of an offer to move to the Positron Project – a gated community modelled after an American 1950s suburb. The rub? All Positron’s couples must spend every other month working in a prison, temporarily swapping homes with another couple, called “alternates”. When both Charmaine and Stan start developing oddball sexual relations with their alternates, things move rapidly south.

The Power, by Naomi Alderman (2016)

Margaret Atwood also had a hand in this gripping novel, which inverts the premise of The Handmaid’s Tale , and puts women in the ascendancy. Atwood mentored the author, Naomi Alderman, as she wrote this inventive thriller about women and girls discovering a powerful new ability to emit electricity from their hands, up-ending civilisation in different ways across the world. The Power is paced like a television series, and it is, in fact, coming to screens soon via Amazon Studios.

Borne, by Jeff VanderMeer (2017)

The Annihilation series showcased Jeff VanderMeer's gift for the surreal, and he turns it up a notch in Borne – which starts with an unknown scavenger plucking an object from the fur of a giant flying bear in a post-apocalyptic city, and only gets weirder from there as the main character strikes up a friendship with an intelligent sea anemone-like creature called Borne. The story is, it eventually transpires, one of biotechnology run amok – which makes for the most colourful dystopia you're likely to come across.

Moonrise: The Golden Age of Lunar Adventures, by Mike Ashley (2018)

Moonrise , from the British Library's Science Fiction Classics series, could just have easily appeared in the 1950s or even the 1900s in this list. It's a brilliantly curated anthology of twelve SF short stories about the moon – getting to it, exploring it, contemplating it – with lunar-inclined fiction from H.G. Wells and Arthur C. Clarke present and correct but also the likes of Judith Merril's 1954 Dead Centre , which distills all the potential tragedies of space programs into just a handful of haunting images. From author and science fiction historian Mike Ashley.

Exhalation, by Ted Chiang (2019)

Exhalation is a book of short stories rather than a novel, but hear us out. Ted Chiang is a fantastic science-fiction writer who weaves real science and theory into his tales. This makes them feel somehow part of this world despite dealing with a range of classic sci-fi themes, including parallel realities, robot pets and time travel.

From a circular time travelling portal in ancient Baghdad to a device that allows you to meet your parallel self that you can trade-in at a local store in the present day, it’s glorious science-fiction filled with wonder and mystery. There are stories and ideas nestled in Exhalation’s pages that stick with you long after you’ve finished reading. Chiang has breathed life into the science-fiction genre, creating stories that feel refreshing and human rather than concerning distant worlds and ideas that can lead to a disconnect. This is evident in his short story Story of Your Life , the source material for Denis Villeneuve's Arrival .

The Resisters, by Gish Jen (2020)

A speculative dystopia set in an 'Auto America', Gish Jen's The Resisters , which was published in early 2020, puts the sport of baseball – of all the things – at the centre of her world, which is divided into people who still get to have jobs, the Netted, as in 'Aunt Nettie', as in the internet, and the rest: the Surplus. The story centres on Gwen, who comes from a Surplus family but who has the chance to rise in status when her baseball skills get attention, with Jen taking on surveillance culture and the value of work and leisure.

Price: £18 | Amazon | Abe Books | Audible trial

This article was originally published by WIRED UK

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Science Fiction, or Speculative Fiction if you prefer. Fantasy too. Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, Dick, Heinlein and other SF books. SF movies and TV shows. Fantasy stuff like Tolkien and Game of Thrones. Laser guns, space ships, and time travel. etc. Star Trek, Battlestar, Star Wars, etc.

[SPS] The 19 Most Exciting Scifi Books of 2022

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Colleen Mondor Reviews The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond

Author Gwenda Bond hit the NY Times best­seller list for the Stranger Things tie-in Suspicious Minds and prior to that authored several YA titles (including a trio about young Lois Lane). In recent years she has quietly been carving out a niche in magical romance and her latest, the art heist adventure The Frame-Up , fits nicely into that genre. There is plenty of magic (the success of the heist sort of demands it), a sweet romance, and the fun of good guys versus bad guys (more than one), which keeps the plot rolling along. There is also a surprising amount of family dynamics in the narrative, none of which are obvious or easy. For vacation reading, I think The Frame-Up is pitch-perfect, and it easily provides a few hours of thoughtful escape from whatever drama is brew­ing in your life.

As a teenager, Dani was part of a highly success­ful gang of art thieves led by her magically talented mother. Bond provides background on the gang by writing them into the real history of stolen art (this is a fun touch), but unfortunately things have not gone well for the group in recent years. Ma­nipulated by a federal agent after being concerned about many of her mother’s choices, Dani gave her mother up to authorities, which resulted in a long jail sentence. (She is still incarcerated when the book opens.) Ten years later, her mother’s former partner tracks Dani down and offers the chance to have a piece of her past, and maybe a shot at making up with her mom, if she steals a painting for him. The whole deal is very suspect, but Dani is lonely for everyone she lost. She agrees to run the heist and sets off for her childhood home and old friends who have no reason to believe she won’t mess up again.

There is plenty of angst in Dani’s situation, and Bond doesn’t give her a break as she tries to mend fences. Everybody’s angry, including mom, but they also are determined to get the job done. (Their reasons will be explained as the plot unfolds.) As the situation around the heist is revealed, Bond has a lot of fun with supporting characters, who provide opportunities for laughs and to further explain how the magic works in this version of Lexington, Kentucky. (Short answer: The magic folks have always been here; we just didn’t know it.)

The caper planning sometimes takes a back seat to Dani’s much-needed family history research and the true nature of the connection between her mother and the former partner (a man who gets creepier with every encounter). The Frame-Up stays true to the goal of getting the artwork, but a lot more is revealed along the way to the heist, including all sorts of manipulations and secret motivations. As to that, all I will say is that family is complicated, which is why sometimes you have to find one on your own as opposed to staying with the one you start out with. Smart and determined Dani is a pleasure to spend time with, and Bond scores another win for those looking for the best sort of diversion. (The romance is also quite light, so consider The Frame-Up a good crossover for teen readers as well.)

This review and more like it in the July 2024 issue of Locus .

©Locus Magazine. Copyrighted material may not be republished without permission of LSFF.

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The best science fiction books of 2024 so far

From a quantum-bubble reality show from Peng Shepherd to a murderous valet bot from Adrian Tchaikovsky, enjoy this year's best science fiction so far if you're heading off on your travels, says Emily H. Wilson

By Emily Wilson

3 July 2024

Explore books dealing with multiverses and alternate worlds

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Since I became science fiction columnist for New Scientist , I have had to think a lot about what qualifies as sci-fi. Very often, a book could actually be classified as fantasy, which is outside my remit. More and more, I find myself agreeing with the writer Damon Knight when he said: “Science fiction is what I point to [when I say] ‘That’s science fiction’.”

Anyway, for this holiday reading special, I present my list of some of the year’s best sci-fi so far. All that binds these incredibly diverse books…

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Our 21 Most-Anticipated Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books for the Rest of 2024

Books for the witches, spacefarers, and ghouls among us.

It might be a bad year in the world, generally speaking, but it has been a great year for books—especially genre books! I love some good literary fiction as much as anybody but I’m a sucker for a good book of magic, dragons, spaceships, monsters, slashers, ghosts, etc… and so I’ve been combing the calendar for the back half of 2024 to bring you a totally idiosyncratic and absolutely non-comprehensive list of 21 sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books to look forward to.

We’re living in a true golden age of genre fiction, so there’s a little something for everyone here—Big Five publishers, small indie presses, novels, short story collections, non-fiction, doorstoppers, single-sitting novellas—but feel free to sound off in the comments with books I didn’t include that you’re looking forward to, too!

* A note on my methodology: there are a handful of big books out this summer like Lev Grossman’s The Bright Sword that I’m not including here even though they are absolutely genre fiction, because they are getting what I like to call the “literary-fiction treatment” in terms of coverage and launch attention. Definitely read The Bright Sword but also… pick up some of these that you maybe haven’t heard of before, too.

Cynthia Gómez, The Nightmare Box and Other Stories Cursed Morsels, July 9

I’ve read a few of these stories and have been looking forward to the collection for ages. Gómez brings Oakland to a magical kind of life in these strange, sometimes scary, sometimes furious tales. Vampires, witches, Black Panthers, ACAB—this one’s got it all. Plus, that cover!

Chuck Tingle, Bury Your Gays Tor Nightfire, July 9

As previously recommended: I loved Chuck Tingle’s traditional-publishing debut Camp Damascus (a terrific possession/demonology novel that managed to both terrify and uplift) and his Tinglers remain an absolute delight, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Bury Your Gays is his best work yet. It deserves to be the literary equivalent of a massive summer blockbuster, and I’m using that term specifically because it is set in Hollywood and written by somebody who gets it : the suits are going to drive us all off the cliff of increasingly crappy AI-driven stories that have zero humanity to them whatsoever, but we-the-artists (and we-the-audiences) can and must push back!

It also works as a total thrill-ride, following a screenwriter on the verge of his big moment (an Oscar nomination, critical and commercial success) only to discover that the suits want him to kill off the gay characters in his long-running series. When he declines, monsters from his horror movie days start appearing in real life and trying to kill him and his loved ones—coincidence? Outrageous publicity stunt? An over-the-top attempt to bring a rogue writer to heel? If you were on the picket lines last year, if original stories are important to you, if you too believe that love is real(!), then this one is for you—even if you don’t think you like horror, you’re gonna devour this.

Keanu Reeves & China Mieville,  The Book of Elsewhere Del Rey, July 23

I still can’t believe this book exists. Miéville and Reeves turn out to be a great match, and I for one will take new Miéville fiction however I can get it. Come for the action set-pieces and techno-thriller plotting but stay for the immortal pig(!) and the stirring digressions on ethics, morality, and humanity. It’s nothing like you could possibly expect, so don’t even bother: just dive in.

Gabino Iglesias,  House of Bone and Rain Mulholland, August 6

Five teenage boys set out to get revenge on the biggest gang in Puerto Rico after one of their mothers is murdered—just in time for a massive hurricane to sweep down onto the island. Trust Gabino Iglesias to deliver pulse-pounding scares, unflinchingly bloody violence, and achingly beautiful moments of friendship and humanity.

James S. A. Corey, The Mercy of Gods Orbit Books, August 6

For their first book since the end of The Expanse —for my money, one of the best and most satisfying space operas of the 21st Century so far—the writing duo of James S. A. Corey head back to the stars… but where those books were very much about humanity stepping out of the solar system into the stars and discovering space to be a somewhat lonelier place than we’d thought, The Mercy of Gods looks like it’s going to have aliens galore. I’m guessing we’ll have multiple points of view, thorny ethical quandaries, snarky banter, and the building blocks of the next big epic space opera series.

Carson Winter, A Spectre is Haunting Greentree Tenebrous Press, August 15

Tenebrous Press is quickly establishing themselves as a must-read indie press for horror lovers. Since taking over Dread Stone Press’s Split Scream novella series, they’ve introduced me to some incredible up-and-coming horror writers—and I’ve been looking forward to something new from Carson Winter since reading “The Guts of Myth” in Split Scream, Vol. 1 . This latest had me at the spooky scarecrows on the cover and in the blurb, not to mention the Marx reference in the title.

Emily Hughes, Horror for Weenies: Everything You Need to Know about the Films You’re Too Scared to Watch Quirk Books, September 3

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Emily Hughes is the go-to guide for all things horror. A sterling literary citizen and a relentless champion of others, now she turns her attentions to helping those among us who might like the  idea of being scared a whole lot more than they do the actual  feeling of being scared.  Horror for Weenies is here to deliver all the info you might need about some of the greatest horror films of the past half-century or so but without a single jump scare and with a whole ton of good jokes along the way. (But make no mistake: it’s a great read for lovers of the genre too, as Hughes provides a true afficionado’s insights into these classic horror films!)

Hildur Knútsdóttir, tr. Mary Robinette Kowal, The Night Guest Tor Nightfire, September 3

“When we all fall asleep, where do we go?” takes on a new and even-eerier dimension in this English-language debut from Knutsdottir (and translation debut from the celebrated Kowal), about a woman in Reykjavik who can’t shake off her constant tiredness… only to discover that, when she thinks she’s asleep, she’s actually been walking over 40,000 steps every night. A true nightmare.

TJ Klune,  Somewhere Beyond the Sea Tor, September 10

Klune returns to the world of The House in the Cerulean Sea to follow Arthur, the caretaker of the magical orphanage that so enraptured a legion of readers, as he must return to the mainland and take a stand to defend his found family. Expect tears, laughter, and a feeling of glowing warmth so lovely you’ll never want to leave.

Laird Barron,  Not a Speck of Light: Stories Bad Hand Books, September 10

For my money, Laird Barron is one of the best horror writers working—his particular grasp of the Weird speaks directly to the dark caves of my soul. His recent turn to noir with the Isiaiah Coleridge novels was a delight, but I’m excited to see him back at work in the form that terrifies me the most: a short story collection.

Dan Kois, Hampton Heights: One Harrowing Night in the Most Haunted Neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Harper Perennial, September 17

Teenaged paperboys confronting a bunch of monsters in a Milwaukee suburb? From the guy who brought us Vintage Contemporaries and the oral history of Angels in America ?? Say no more, just let this fill the Stranger Things -shaped hole in your fall.

Jedediah Berry, The Naming Song Tor Books, September 24

I’ve been waiting for this book for a long time: Barry’s first novel The Manual of Detection was an instant favorite when it came out and his story-in-cards The Family Arcana has been deeply inspiring to my own creative practice. Now, he’s back with a fantastical epic about a world that lost its language and is trying to get it back. Plus, there’s a magical train! You probably couldn’t design a book more keyed into my personal interests, but I have the feeling this one is going to hit the sweet spot for a whole lot of people.

Nghi Vo, The City in Glass Tordotcom, October 1

I love fantasy cities and am always looking to visit new ones—so the promise of Nghi Vo squiring us away to a city beset by angels, protected (and maddened) by a demon, and caught in a cycle of history is very exciting indeed. Publicity copy cites Calvino, Mieville, and Le Guin—and if anybody could live up to that trinity, Nghi Vo can. Stamp my passport for Azril now.

Rivers Solomon,  Model Home MCD, October 1

A haunted house novel dealing with family, segregation, and racism in the American South, released on the first day of spooky season and five weeks before the election? Blurring the line between the supernatural and the all-too-human evils around us?? Rivers Solomon has their finger on the pulse of things, to be sure. I’m betting on this one to be Solomon’s breakout.

Alan Moore,  The Great When Bloomsbury, October 1

When a fictional book out of an Arthur Machen story ends up in a used bookstore in post-WWII London, a young man’s entire sense of the universe is turned upside down. It’s a rollicking adventure, the first in an apparent series. Imagine if Neil Gaiman commissioned Kevin Barry to write a prequel to Neverwhere and gave him some acid to help get things going, and that’s just the start of it.

Sofia Ajram, Coup de Grâce Titan Books, October 1

A suicidal young man on his way to throw himself into the Saint Lawrence River instead gets stuck in an endless Montreal subway station. Shades of Piranesi and House of Leaves abound.

Nicholas Pullen, The Black Hunger Redhook, October 8

A queer historical gothic structured in classic epistolary style? A journey across a dark and fantastically dangerous Europe? I’m always looking for something I know next-to-nothing about to win me over during spooky season and I’m thinking that Pullen’s debut might just be that, this year.

CJ Leede, American Rapture Tor Nightfire, October 15

There really seems to be something in the air right now when it comes to horror writers tackling the apocalypse as brought on by (or relating to) the forces of repression and shame. CJ Leede might have the most audacious yet, featuring lust-zombies and a good Catholic girl trying to find her family in a world on fire. Maeve Fly was one of my favorite reads of last year and I have the highest hopes for this one.

Andy Marino, The Swarm Redhook, November 5

Cicadas are scary! I mean think about it: they come out of the ground at these cyclical intervals and we talk about them in such near-apocalyptic tones… so what would happen if they really were harbingers of the apocalpyse? Trust Andy Marino to meld the 70s-horror-premise to a truly terrifying modern sensibility. Plus, it’s coming out on the scariest day of the year so I bet it’s going to be a banger.

Brandon Sanderson, Wind and Truth Tor Books, December 6

Start adding weight to your arm workouts: Sanderson’s latest doorstopper, clocking in somewhere north of 1200 pages, brings the first arc of his Stormlight Archive series to an explosive conclusion—featuring godfights, magic swords, and literally-world-shaking decisions.

Arkady Martine, Rose/House Tordotcom, December 10

Originally published as a limited-run one-off, Tordotcom is bringing Martine’s AI-haunted Hill House to the masses. Not only is it a great haunted house novel, but Martine’s exceptional eye for structures and systems (as seen in her Teixcalaan series) really shines here as she looks into architecture and design and the way such things shape our very perceptions of the world.

Drew Broussard

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