new releases in science fiction books

8 of the Best New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books To Read in August 2023

R. Nassor may spend more time with books, tea, and ceramic mugs than recommended by professionals but it hasn’t failed her so far. Nassor has a MA in English Literature from Georgetown University, where she looked at the way medieval and early modern literature reappear in fantasy books today. She’s been writing about romance, fantasy, science fiction, and pop culture for quite a while, starting at Book Riot in 2020. She’s also written for Tor.com. You can follow her on Tiktok and contact her through her website .

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Personally, I love reading sci-fi and fantasy books in the summer. When I have a few hours on a back deck or a beach or in a park, falling into a new magic system or sci-fi what-if is so appealing. I’ve always found it so much easier to disconnect from distractions when it’s nice out. It must be a holdover from the New Englander urge to appreciate good weather when it comes. Nevertheless, if it helps me settle into a good book, I’m not complaining. With August coming at the tail end of the summer season, it has the greatest potential for reading.

It helps that this year, some excellent new science fiction and fantasy books are out in August. There is an exciting mix of first books and continuing installments in book series. If you want magical or political turmoil, this is the month for you. Characters are outmaneuvering the stations they were born into at the risk of destroying their kingdom, empire, or land. August also brings books dealing with everything from ghosts to aliens to war machines to dystopian governments.

It really is quite fun. So, let’s get to what you have all been waiting for. Here are eight of the best new science fiction and fantasy books to read in August.

New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books To Read in August

Labyrinth’s Heart by M. A. Carrick (August 15, 2023)

The queer high fantasy Rook & Rose trilogy comes to a close with the third book following disreputable members of society attempting to save their city once and for all. Ren knew conning the nobility into believing she was one of theirs was a long shot, but she never imagined her single con would multiply. Now she is a thief, a false heir, a rebel, and a vigilante all rolled into one. Moreover, she has a city to save from deadly magic and not enough resources to do so.

More Perfect by Temi Oh (August 15, 2023)

This is a sci-fi thriller reimagining of Orpheus and Eurydice in a near-future London! The British government has gained control over a small human implant allowing for augmented reality social media. Moremi can picture her life as a professional ballerina with an implant that would connect her to the world. Growing up with little access to technology hasn’t stopped Orpheus from hacking augmented reality later in life. When the two meet, they discover the destructive edge of the connective technology that could change everything.

The Midnight Kingdom by Tara Sim (August 22, 2023)

Book 2 in The Dark Gods queer high fantasy series that brought readers noble heirs defying the gods picks up right where The City of Dusk ended. The battle separated the heirs from each other. Now the rebellious Taesia and dedicated Nikolas are stuck in the realm of night with the dangerous god of light. The necromancer Risha and her friend Jas are stuck in the realm of the dead. Angelica is the last one left in the city of Nexus, but her run-in with the goddess has left her weaker than she’d admit. Their fight may be a hopeless one, but if they renounce the world to the gods, then all will truly be lost.

The Water Outlaws by S. L. Huang (August 22, 2023)

The emperor’s soldiers’ arms instructor reassesses her former loyalty to Imperial rule when she receives a criminal sentence. With a criminal tattoo, Lin Chong escapes the Imperial Marshall by joining the Bandits of Liangshan. Now, she finds herself offering protection to those who need it most with the outlaw bandits who are set on achieving justice. This queer fantasy novel inspired by the Chinese classic Water Margin by Shi Nai’an doesn’t pull any of its anti-authority punches, and it’s all the better for it.

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan (August 22, 2023)

She Who Became the Sun introduced readers to a peasant girl assuming her late brother’s identity in 1345 Mongol-ruled China. Book 2 in the queer historical fantasy The Radiant Emperor series confronts the impact of Zhu Yuanzhang’s actions and desire for power. She is not the only person vying for the throne, and she will have to use all the tools at her disposal if she wants to outplay all other contenders…even if it costs Zhu everything she’s gained so far.

Where Peace Is Lost by Valerie Valdes (August 29, 2023)

Valerie Valdes, author of Chilling Effect and other space opera greats, is back with a new space fantasy novel. A refugee living at the edge of the solar system, Kel Garda, hides her former life as a member of an Order that fought in the last war. But when a reactivated war machine threatens to destroy thousands of lives, Kel knows she must help. Working with an unlikely crew traversing dangerous territories is hard enough, but Kel also has to maintain her secrets if she wants to protect her companions from her past. One thing Kel knows for certain is when past truths are just as dangerous as the war machine you’re hunting, you really have to reexamine your life.

The Blue, Beautiful World by Karen Lord (August 29, 2023)

In the future, the success of humanity’s first contact with aliens hinges on the magnetic abilities of a pop star. Owen hides his supernatural charm out of fear. He could be the key to saving humanity. His existence also threatens the autonomy of everyone on Earth. Meanwhile, the rest of the world keeps planning for first contact amid increasing climate disasters. Virtual reality genius Peter Hendrix, celebrity humanitarian Charyssa, and human-alien youth ambassador Kanoa all have ideas about how first contact should go. With aliens on the horizon, they will all have to decide quickly or all their careful plans for first contact will be wasted.

The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle by T. L. Huchu (August 29, 2023)

The third book in the urban fantasy Edinburgh Nights series is upon us, and readers best be prepared for the return of our teen ghosttalker in a locked room mystery. When Ropa arrives at the Society of Skeptical Enquirers’ conference, she is ready to talk about ghosts in a haunted castle. Instead, someone steals a magical scroll. Now the wizards, lords, and sorcerers in attendance are pointing fingers at each other. Ropa will have to talk to the ghostly eyes and ears of the castle if she wants to solve her latest mystery and if the conference attendees have any hope of going home.

These new science fiction and fantasy books to read in August should give you something to look forward to. If the wait is too long though, check out these science fiction and fantasy books that were released in May , June , and July .

As always, you can find a full list of new releases in the magical New Release Index , carefully curated by your favorite Book Riot editors, organized by genre and release date. Happy summer reading everyone!

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• The Inventory

45 New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books Coming in April

New releases from sarah beth durst, ann leckie, liu cixin, leigh bardugo, edward ashton, r.a. salvatore, liz kerin, and more..

April is here, and it’s full of brand-new sci-fi, fantasy, and horror book releases —whether you’re looking for pirates , magical mysteries, shapeshifters , space adventures, seemingly abandoned planets, cold-weather vampires, cursed movies , and so much more.

The Lies Among Us by Sarah Beth Durst

After her mother dies, a woman starts to see strange things that shouldn’t exist. She also realizes that nobody seems to notice her, including her own sister—and a dangerous journey of self-discovery follows. (April 1)

The Monstrous Misses Mai by Van Hoang

In 1950s Los Angeles, the first-generation daughter of Vietnamese immigrants befriends three other women in her apartment building; the group soon becomes caught up in a dangerous scheme using magic spells to make their dreams come true. (April 1)  

The Proper Thing and Other Stories by Seanan McGuire

“From dangerous holidays to the beauty of the library, from the power of cheese to the power of love, this volume will take you from the past to the future, sometimes on the same page.” (April 1)

The Unlikely Affair of the Crawling Razor by Joe R. Lansdale

In this novella, “Edgar Allan Poe’s great private investigator, Auguste Dupin, gets a makeover in this unusual adventure involving a bloody mystery dipped deep in the strange.” (April 1)

The Black Girl Survives in This One: Horror Stories edited by Saraciea J. Fennell and Desiree S. Evans

“Fifteen chilling and thought-provoking stories place Black girls front and center as heroes and survivors who slay monsters, battle spirits, and face down death.” Contributors include Monica Brashears, Desiree S. Evans, Justina Ireland, Brittney Morris, and more, with a foreword by Tananarive Due. (April 2)

Court of Wanderers by Rin Chupeco

In this “queer, bloody Gothic epic fantasy” sequel to Silver Under Nightfall , “Remy Pendergast and his royal vampire companions return to face an enemy that is terrifyingly close to home.” (April 2)

Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio

“The sixth novel of the galaxy-spanning Sun Eater series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe continues down a path that can only end in fire.” (April 2)

The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna

This debut novel “pulls together mythology, magic, and ancient legend in the gripping story of a mother’s struggle to save her only daughter.”   (April 2)

Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction by Ann Leckie

This collection gathers all of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author’s short fiction, as well as a brand-new novelette. (April 2)

Play of Shadows by Sebastien De Castell

“Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first book in a new swashbuckling fantasy series by the bestselling author of the Greatcoats [series].” (April 2)

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

When a shapeshifter is rescued from certain death by a kindly human, the unlikely duo begin to fall for each other. The situation becomes increasingly complicated when the human reveals her mission: to hunt down and kill the shapeshifter said to be lurking in the area. (April 2)

A View From the Stars by Liu Cixin

This collection from the author of The Three-Body Problem features “essays and interviews that shed light on Liu’s experiences as a reader, writer, and lover of science fiction throughout his life, as well as short fiction that gives glimpses into the evolution of his imaginative voice over the years.” (April 2)

The Assassins of Consequence by Marshall Ryan Maresca

The second phase of the author’s Maradaine Saga begins as Veranix Calbert enters his fourth year as a magic student—while maintaining a secret identity as street vigilante the Thorn. (April 9)

A Better World by Sarah Langan

A tempting job offer makes a family relocate to an exclusive company town, but all is not what it seems in the idyllic community, where everyone follows a rigid set of customs and seems to be greatly, mysteriously fearful all the time. (April 9)

The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence

The Library Trilogy that began with The Book That Wouldn’t Burn continues as “two people living in a world connected by an immense and mysterious library must fight for those they love .” (April 9)

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

A Madrid noblewoman forces her kitchen servant to use her magical powers for her own personal gain—a sticky situation that begins to spiral out of control when the king’s disgraced secretary also learns the servant’s secret. (April 9)

The Forge of the High Mage by Ian C. Esslemont

The author’s Path to Ascendancy series continues as the war within the Malazan Empire rages on. The High Mage must grapple with how to confront an ancient evil that has suddenly complicated the fight. (April 9)

The Garden by Clare Beams

“The discovery of a secret garden with unknown powers fuels this page-turning and psychologically thrilling tale of women yearning to become mothers and the ways the female body has always been policed and manipulated.”   (April 9)

The Gathering by C.J. Tudor

After a brutal murder in a small Alaska town, a detective who specializes in vampire crimes must decide if a nearby settlement of ostracized vampires is to blame—or if an even more sinister killer has surfaced. (April 9)

Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes

In this new sci-fi horror novel from the author of Dead Silence , “a crew must try to survive on an ancient, abandoned planet.”(April 9)

Mal Goes to War by Edward Ashton

A free AI is the main character in the latest from the author of Mickey7 , described as “a dark comedy wrapped in a techno thriller’s skin” with a “satirical take on war, artificial intelligence, and what it really means to be human.” (April 9)

A Promise of Peridot by Kate Golden

The Sacred Stones trilogy continues as Arwen heads to the Kingdom of Citrine, intent on getting revenge against the ruler who betrayed her—but soon realizes he might become a crucial ally instead. (April 9)

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland

“Once a young woman uncovers a dark secret about her neighbor and his mysterious new wife, she’ll have to fight to keep herself—and the woman she loves—safe in this stunning queer reimagining of the classic folktale The Selkie Wife .” (April 9)

Wicked Problems by Max Gladstone

“Gods and lawyers battle for the soul of the world in the action-packed second volume of Max Gladstone’s Craft Wars.” (April 9)

Bloodguard by Cecy Robson

To save his dying sister, a man volunteers to be a gladiator—then quickly comes to regret his brutal new life. Though he loathes the elven royals, he’s soon tempted to make a deal with a princess who offers him a chance at freedom. (April 16)

Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro

“An ancient Aztec vampire roams the modern world in search of vengeance and love in this seductive dark fantasy.” (April 16)

Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina

After her boyfriend’s mysterious death, a woman begins to suspect something supernaturally odd is afoot on the reservation where she’s lived her whole life. Together with her beloved uncle, she sets out to investigate the dark secrets that seem to be coming to light. (April 16)

Pinquickle’s Folly by R.A. Salvatore

The creator of Drizzt Do’Urden “returns to his signature world of Corona, introducing a dynamic new part of the southern coast never written of before as a great starting place for readers in the DemonWars Saga.” Read an excerpt here . (April 16)

The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar

In this sci-fi novella, a boy working on a mining ship suddenly gets an opportunity to study at the ship’s university; there, he meets a teacher who shares a similar background who’s still struggling to overcome prejudice. (April 16)

The Star and the Strange Moon by Constance Sayers

In 2007, a film student becomes obsessed with an actress who vanished in 1968 while working on a horror film—and comes to realize she’s actually living inside the film, alongside on-screen monsters that have somehow come to life. (April 16)

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang

A woman with the power to magically take lives reluctantly agrees to become an assassin, working for an enemy prince who promises he’ll protect her family in return. (April 16)

Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman

“In each of the seven stories in this collection, characters pursue their obsessions on paths to glory and destruction while around them their worlds twist and warp, oscillating between reality and impossibility.” (April 16)

Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu

The Soulbound Saga begins in “a rich world of magic, warriors, and dragons, in which a fearless orphan and an ambitious handmaiden flee from the empire that would imprison them, with a dream to return to their homelands and a determination that’s unbreakable.” (April 23)

Extinction by Douglas Preston

“Erebus Resort offers guests the experience of viewing woolly mammoths, Irish Elk, and giant ground sloths in their native habitat, brought back from extinction through the magic of genetic manipulation.” Things begin to go off the rails when eco-terrorists—or possibly something more sinister—begin to fight back. (April 23)

First Light by Liz Kerin

In the sequel to Night’s Edge , an on-the-run Mia searches for the man who transformed her mother into a monster, but soon realizes she’s being hunted herself by malevolent forces. (April 23)

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

In this epistolary novel, a recluse who lives in an underwater world begins corresponding with a scholar—and they soon fall in love. When they both vanish, their siblings join forces to try and find them, while also investigating the larger forces that might be behind their disappearance. (April 23)

Necrobane by Daniel M. Ford

The Warden Series continues as “Aelis must race the clock to unravel mysteries, slay dread creatures, and stop what she has set in motion before the flames of a bloody war are re-ignited.” (April 23)

Ocean’s Godori by Elaine U. Cho

When a man is murdered, his misfit best friend (and her misfit crewmates) set out across the solar system to try and clear his name, in a story that asks “What do we owe our past? How do we navigate our present while honoring the complicated facets of our identity? What can our future hold?” (April 23)

Saint-Seducing Gold by Brittany N. Williams

The Forge & Fracture Saga continues in this historical fantasy sequel to That Self-Same Metal . Read an excerpt here . (April 23)

The Sky Was Ours by Joe Fassler

This reimagining of the myth of Daedalus and Icarus follows a 24-year-old woman longing to find a better life—a quest that leads her to meet a man building a set of wings designed for human flight. (April 23)

A Whisper in the Walls by Scott Reintgen

This sequel to A Door in the Dark finds Ren Monroe continuing her quest to get revenge by infiltrating one of the greatest Houses in the realm—but she’s not the only one with a secret plan in motion. (April 23)

The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills

“A loyal warrior in a crisis of faith must fight to regain her place and begin her life again while questioning the events of her past.”   (April 23)

A Change of Place by Julie E. Czerneda

The Night’s Edge series continues as “caught up in plots they cannot understand, Jenn and Bannan find themselves separated, and to reunite they will have to outsmart the queen herself. But even if they can foil her plan, will Marrowdell still be there when they return?” (April 30)

In Universes by Emet North

This debut novel “set in numerous universes follows a queer physicist’s search for belonging across time and space.” (April 30)

Oracle by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

In this supernatural thriller, “an omen from our past threatens the return of ancient forces that will change the world forever.” (April 30)

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel , Star Wars , and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who .

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Den of Geek

Best New Science Fiction Books in January 2023

Interplanetary exploration and resistance against dystopian oppression feature in our picks for the top new science fiction books in January 2023.

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January tends to be a quiet time for publishing as people come back from the holidays and booksellers trust in old favorites. It’s slim pickings, but there are still some options for brand-new space exploration and social commentary this month. Here are our picks for the top new science fiction books in January 2023.

The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor Books Release date: Jan. 31

Den of Geek says: Ecological mystery turns cozy in this novel that has been compared to Becky Chambers’ quiet, thoughtful “hopepunk.”

Publisher’s summary: Destry’s life is dedicated to terraforming Sask-E. As part of the Environmental Rescue Team, she cares for the planet and its burgeoning eco-systems as her parents and their parents did before her.

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But the bright, clean future they’re building comes under threat when Destry discovers a city full of people that shouldn’t exist, hidden inside a massive volcano.

As she uncovers more about their past, Destry begins to question the mission she’s devoted her life to, and must make a choice that will reverberate through Sask-E’s future for generations to come.

Critical Mass by Daniel Suarez

Type: Novel Publisher: Dutton Release date: Jan. 31 Den of Geek says: It’s nice to see some hard science fiction now and then. This novel focuses on engineering marvels in high-tension situations, casting forward to a near future that will repeat Earth’s cycles of exploration, exploitation and warring powers. Publisher’s summary: When unforeseen circumstances during an innovative — and unsanctioned — commercial asteroid-mining mission leave two crew members stranded, those who make it back must engineer a rescue, all while navigating a shifting web of global political alliances and renewed Cold War tensions. With Earth governments consumed by the ravages of climate change and unable to take the risks necessary to make rapid progress in space, the crew must build their own nextgen spacecraft capable of mounting a rescue in time for the asteroid’s next swing by Earth.   In the process they’ll need to establish the first spin-gravity station in deep space, the first orbiting solar power satellite and refinery, and historic infrastructure on the moon’s surface — all of which could alleviate a deepening ecological, political, and economic crisis back on Earth, and prove that space-based industry is not only profitable ,  but possibly humanity’s best hope for a livable, peaceful future.

I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself by Marisa Crane

Type: Novel Publisher: Catapult Release date: Jan. 17

Den of Geek says: Catapult tends to produce precise, moving literary speculative fiction. Crane’s novel debut looks like an eerie and powerful continuation of that track record.

Publisher’s summary: In a United States not so unlike our own, the Department of Balance has adopted a radical new form of law enforcement: rather than incarceration, wrongdoers are given a second (and sometimes, third, fourth, and fifth) shadow as a reminder of their crime—and a warning to those they encounter. Within the Department, corruption and prejudice run rampant, giving rise to an underclass of so-called Shadesters who are disenfranchised, publicly shamed, and deprived of civil rights protections. Kris is a Shadester and a new mother to a baby born with a second shadow of her own. Grieving the loss of her wife and thoroughly unprepared for the reality of raising a child alone, Kris teeters on the edge of collapse, fumbling in a daze of alcohol, shame, and self-loathing. Yet as the kid grows, Kris finds her footing, raising a child whose irrepressible spark cannot be dampened by the harsh realities of the world. She can’t forget her wife, but with time, she can make a new life for herself and the kid, supported by a community of fellow misfits who defy the Department to lift one another up in solidarity and hope. With a first-person register reminiscent of the fierce self-disclosure of Sheila Heti and the poetic precision of Ocean Vuong,  I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself  is a bold debut novel that examines the long shadow of grief, the hard work of parenting, and the power of queer resistance.

Megan Crouse

Megan Crouse writes for Star Wars Insider and Star Wars.com and is a co-host on Den of Geek's Star Wars podcast, Blaster Canon. Twitter: @blogfullofwords

• Science Fiction & Fantasy

The 40 best sci-fi books of all time

We take a look at the most exciting new sci-fi books and choose the best science fiction novels of all time..

From spectacular sequels and award-winning novels , to continuing adventures in science fiction's most popular universes, our list of sci-fi books includes some of the best new reads of 2024, the best of 2023 and our all-time picks. No matter what kind of science fiction fan you are – space opera, dystopian , or even classic sci-fi – our edit is packed full of must-reads . 

The best sci-fi books of 2024

By adrian tchaikovsky.

On the distant world of Kiln lie the ruins of an alien civilization. A great mystery awaits mankind: who were the builders and where are they now? These questions become brutally real for Professor Arton Daghdev, exiled from Earth to Kiln’s off-world labour camp due to his political activism. Facing the planet’s dangerous ecosystem and the camp's harsh regime, Arton fights for survival. Amidst these threats, Kiln holds a profound, fearsome secret, challenging the understanding of life and intelligence, and might be Arton's key to freedom.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky's books in order

Stories of your life and others, by ted chiang.

A sci-fi classic in a brand-new edition. From a soaring Babylonian tower that connects a flat Earth to the firmament above, to a world where angelic visitations are a wondrous and terrifying part of everyday life; from a neural modification that eliminates the appeal of physical beauty, to an alien language that challenges our very perception of time and reality, Chiang’s unique imagination invites us to question our understanding of the universe and our place in it.  Stories of Your Life and Others  is Ted Chiang's masterful debut collection.

In the Lives of Puppets

By tj klune.

In the Lives of Puppets  is a queer retelling of the Pinocchio tale, from bestselling author TJ Klune. In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees live three robots – fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Vic Lawson, a human, lives there too. The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled ‘HAP’, he learns of a shared dark past between the robots – a past spent hunting humans. The family, once hidden and safe, are now exposed. 

A complete guide to TJ Klune's books

By neal asher.

Rebellion could be their salvation – or their doom. War Bodies is a gripping, high-octane standalone set in Neal Asher's expansive Polity universe. In a world ruled by machines, the Cyberat face a rebellion when the human Polity arrives. Piper, raised as a weapon, seeks help from the Polity after his parents are captured by the oppressive regime. As war escalates, Piper must confront the enigmatic technology implanted in his own body. It could be the answer to their fight or the trigger for catastrophic consequences. The fate of civilization hangs in the balance as the battle unfolds.

The best sci-fi books of 2023

Fractal noise, by christopher paolini.

On the planet Talos VII, twenty-three years before the events of  To Sleep in a Sea of Stars , an anomaly is detected: a vast circular pit, with dimensions so perfect that it could only have been the result of conscious design. So a small team is assembled to learn more – perhaps even who built the hole and why. Their mission will take them on a hazardous trek to the very edge of existence. For xenobiologist Alex Crichton this opportunity is a desperate attempt to find meaning in an uncaring universe.  Fractal Noise  is the thrilling prequel to  To Sleep in a Sea of Stars  by   Christopher Paolini.

Starter Villain

By john scalzi.

John Scalzi brings us a turbo-charged tale of a family business with a difference, as Charlie discovers when he inherits it. It’s also way more dangerous than Charlie could ever have imagined, because his uncle had kept his supervillain status a secret. Divorced and emotionally dependent on his cat, Charlie wasn’t loving life. Now Charlie must decide if he should stay stuck in his rut, or step up to take on the business, the enemies, the minions, the hidden volcano lair. But there’s much more to being an Evil Mastermind than he suspected. Yet could this also, finally, be his chance to shine?

Douglas Adams's Starship Titanic

By terry jones.

From the minds of Douglas Adams and Terry Jones comes Starship Titanic. This is the 2023 edition of the hilarious novelization of the third-best adventure game of 1999. Get ready for the launch of the Starship Titanic, the grandest and most advanced spaceship ever built. But as architect Leovinus inspects the ship, he discovers alarming flaws: shoddy craftsmanship, malfunctioning cybersystems, and clumsy robots. The next day, as the galaxy watches, the ship starts its journey but quickly succumbs to a catastrophic failure. In mere moments, the ambitious project meets its end, setting the stage for an intriguing tale to unfold.

by Blake Crouch

Upgrade  is the mind-bending sci-fi thriller from Blake Crouch, author of Matter  and  Recursion . What if you were the next step in human evolution? If your concentration was better, if you could multitask quicker, read faster, memorize more? For Logan Ramsay, it’s happening. He knows that it’s not natural, that his genes have been hacked. He has been targeted for an upgrade, and with a terrifying plan in place to replicate his upgrade throughout the world’s population, he may be the only person capable of stopping what has already been set in motion.

Lords of Uncreation

After releasing Eyes of the Void earlier this year, Adrian Tchaikovsky brings us Lords of Uncreation, the final high-octane instalment in the Final Architecture space opera trilogy. Idris Telemmier has uncovered a secret that changes everything – the Architects’ greatest weakness. A shadowy Cartel scrambles to turn his discovery into a weapon against these alien destroyers of worlds. But between them and victory stands self-interest. The galaxy’s great powers would rather pursue their own agendas than stand together against this shared terror. If you are new to the series, discover all of Adrian Tchaikovsky's books in order below. 

by Hiron Ennes

A masterpiece of gothic sci-fi, Leech is unlike anything you've read before. In an isolated chateau, the baron's doctor has committed suicide, and the Interprovincial Medical Institute sends out a replacement. But the new physician soon discovers that his predecessor was hosting a parasite, which should have been impossible, as the physician was already possessed – by the Institute. For hundreds of years, the Institute has taken root in young minds and shaped them into doctors to protect humanity from the horrors their ancestors unleashed, but now there’s competition: a parasite is spreading.

by Sarah K Jackson

In the aftermath of a devastating microplastics storm that decimated humanity, Not Alone follows the journey of Katie and her son in a tale that intertwines heart-stopping adventure with the profound bond between a mother and child. Trapped within the confines of their apartment, they navigate a world where survival hinges on scavenging for sustenance. Katie, braves the dangers outside while Harry remains sheltered, oblivious to the truth of their existence. This remarkable debut delves into themes of love, trust, and hope while unmasking the imminent peril that looms over humanity as a whole.

The Kaiju Preservation Society

In New York, Jamie is a driver for food delivery apps, looking for any opportunity to escape his daily schedule. Then, after making a delivery to old acquaintance Tom, he gets the chance to escape more than just his delivery gig. Tom works for an animal rights organisation – but not any that you've heard of. Known as the 'Kaiju Preservation Society', Jamie unwittingly signs on with Tom to venture to the Earth of an alternate dimension, where massive dinosaur-like creatures called 'Kaiju' roam a human-free world. But they’re in trouble – the Society are not the only ones who have found their way to the Kaiju world. . .

Sea of Tranquillity

By emily st. john mandel.

It's 1912, and eighteen-year-old Edwin St. Andrew is on a journey across the Atlantic, having been exiled from society in England. Arriving in British Columbia, he enters a forest, mesmerised by the Canadian wilderness. All is silent, before the notes of a violin reverberate through the air. Two centuries later, and acclaimed author Olive Llewelyn is travelling over the earth, on a break from her home in the second moon colony. At the heart of her bestselling novel, a man plays a violin for spare change in the corridor of an airship terminal, as a forest rises around him. This compelling novel immerses the reader in parallel worlds, and multiple possibilities.

A complete guide to Emily St. John Mandel

Ursula has lived twice the normal human lifespan, courtesy of the latest technology. But now she’s struggling to find excitement and purpose, so signs up to the Polity’s military. But after botching a powerful new ammunition test, she’s dismissed from service. Hunting for a simpler, more meaningful existence, she heads for the stars. And after founding a colony on the hostile planet of Threpsis, Ursula finally feels alive. Then deadly raptors attack and the colonists are forced to adapt in unprecedented ways. The raptors also raise a deeply troubling question: how could the Polity miss these apex predators? And alien ruins? 

Exodus: The Archimedes Engine

By peter f. hamilton.

Forty-thousand years ago, humanity fled a dying Earth and found a far cluster of stars with thousands of potentially habitable planets. In the years since, the Centauri Cluster has flourished. The original settlers evolved into advanced beings known as Celestials, and any remaining humans must fight for survival against overwhelming odds. Enter Finn. When another ark ship from Earth, previously thought lost, unexpectedly arrives, he sees his chance to embrace a greater destiny and become a Traveler – brave heroes dedicated to ensuring humanity’s future by journeying into the vast unknown of distant space.

Peter F. Hamilton's far-future novel is set in the same universe as new online RP game Exodus on which the author is a creative consultant.

The best sci-fi books of 2022

By terry miles.

Rabbits is an electrifying, compulsive read based on the hit podcast from the Public Radio Alliance – perfect for fans of  Stranger Things  and  Black Mirror . Rabbits is a secret, dangerous and sometimes fatal underground game. The rewards for winning are unclear, but there are rumours of money, CIA recruitment or even immortality. Or it might unlock the universe’s greatest secrets. But everyone knows that the deeper you get, the more deadly the game becomes – and the body count is rising. The eleventh round is about to begin, and what happens in the game, stays in the game . . . 

Children of Memory

Spanning generations, species and galaxies, best-selling author Adrian Tchaikovsky gives us the unmissable follow-up to Children of Time and Children of Ruin. Years after arkships were sent to establish new outposts following the failure of Earth, a fragile colony has managed to survive on Imir. But, existence here is a far cry from the paradise the initial mission intended. When strangers appear, society on Imir begins to fracture as neighbour turns against neighbour. But, perhaps some other intelligence is also at work, toying with colonists and space-fearing scientists alike . . .

Set in the same world as Neal Asher's acclaimed Polity universe, Jack Four is a thrilling, fast-paced standalone novel packed with action. Jack Four – one of twenty human clones – has been created to be sold. His purchasers are the alien prador and they only want him for their experimentation program. But there is something different about Jack. No clone should possess the knowledge that’s been loaded into his mind. And no normal citizen of humanity’s Polity worlds would have this information. . .

A Desolation Called Peace

By arkady martine.

This spectacular sequel to Arkady Martine’s Hugo Award-winning debut sci-fi book sees the Teixcalaanli Empire facing an alien threat which could bring about its complete destruction. Fleet Captain Nine Hibiscus is all that stands between the empire and all-out war, so in desperation, he sends an envoy to negotiate with the mysterious invaders. Whether they succeed or fail could change the face of Teixcalaan forever. Arkady Martine’s Teixcalaan duology is a must-read for fans of epic space opera. 

Invisible Sun

By charles stross.

In this chillingly resonant dystopian adventure, two versions of America are locked in conflict. The New American Commonwealth is caught in a deadly arms race with the USA, its parallel-world rival. And the USA’s technology is decades ahead. Yet the Commonweath might self-combust first – for its leader has just died, leaving a crippling power vacuum. Minister Miriam Burgeson must face allegations of treason without his support, in a power grab by her oldest adversary. Invisible Sun  is the final installment in Charles Stross’s Empire Games trilogy.

The Black Locomotive

By rian hughes.

Prepare for a riveting tale that explores the delicate balance between progress and the timeless wisdom of bygone eras. Within the robust framework of London's concrete and steel, the city thrives on innovation and progress. However, as the clandestine Crossrail extension beneath Buckingham Palace is constructed, an enigmatic anomaly emerges, presenting an archaeological enigma that has the potential to reshape our perception of history and the very genesis of London. Should our contemporary society crumble, we may find ourselves compelled to embrace the ancient technologies of the past to safeguard our future.

Shards of Earth

Shoot into outer space with Adrian Tchaikovsky's high-octane, far-future space opera series. Eighty years ago, Earth was destroyed by an alien enemy. So mankind created enhanced humans ­such as Idris – who could communicate mind-to-mind with our aggressors. Then these ‘Architects’ simply disappeared and Idris and his kind became obsolete. Now, Idris and his crew have something strange, abandoned in space. It’s clearly the work of the Architects – but are they really returning? Shards of Earth is the first epic story in the Final Architecture trilogy. 

The best sci-fi books of all time

Named in Barack Obama's 2019 summer reading list, this groundbreaking collection of science fiction short stories is the second from acclaimed author Ted Chiang. In these nine stunningly original and poignant stories, we encounter a portal through time in ancient Baghdad, a scientist who makes a shocking discovery that will affect all of humanity and a woman who cares for an AI ‘pet’ for over twenty years. Addressing, among others, essential questions around the nature of the universe and what it means to be human, this is science fiction writing at its most thoughtful.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

By douglas adams.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy began life as a Radio 4 show in 1978 and has since spawned adaptations across almost every format, making it a staple on every respectable list of the best sci-fi books. Following the galactic adventures of Arthur Dent after his house's untimely demolition to make way for a new hyperspace express route, this new edition of 'The Guide' features exclusive bonus archive material and a new introduction from Russell T. Davies. This classic science fiction novel is a must-read for fans of the genre. 

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books: a complete guide

Classic science fiction stories, by adam roberts.

Bringing you aliens from outer space, intriguing inventions, zany future tech and whole imaginative worlds to explore, this collection of short stories is a treasure. From the 1750s to the start of the twentieth century, it includes work by star authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, H. G. Wells and H. P. Lovecraft, as well as giving a voice to less acclaimed but equally brilliant writers including Florence McLandburgh and Ambrose Bierce. Macmillan Collector’s Library titles come cloth-bound, with gold foil edges and handy ribbon markers.

Station Eleven

On a snowy night in Toronto, renowned actor Arthur Leander dies on stage, coinciding with the arrival of a devastating virus in North America. Two decades later, Kirsten, a member of the Travelling Symphony, brings Shakespeare's words to life in the settlements that have emerged post-collapse. However, her newfound hope is jeopardized, prompting a critical question: in a world devoid of civilization, what is worth safeguarding? And to what lengths would one go to ensure its preservation? A dreamily atmospheric novel set in the eerie days of civilization's collapse, Emily St John Mandel's Station Eleven is a must-read. 

Pandora's Star

Earth 2329: Humanity has spread across the galaxy, colonising hundreds of planets linked by wormholes. Finally, there is peace. But when stars thousands of light years away start to vanish, ex-NASA astronaut Wilson Kime is sent to discover the cause. Travelling in his faster-than-light spaceship, Kime arrives to find the stars imprisoned in an immense force field. Entire star systems are sealed off. But who could possess this technology? And were they trying to keep us out, or keep something else in? Pandora's Star is the first part of Peter F. Hamilton's epic Commonwealth Saga duology. 

The City & The City

By china miéville.

A mind-bending tale of two cities that exist alongside each other in the same time and space, this award-winning book is a murder mystery taken to dazzling metaphysical and artistic heights. When the body of a woman is found in the decaying city of Beszel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks like a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. But as he probes, the evidence begins to point to conspiracies far stranger and more deadly than anything he could have imagined. China Miéville combines crime fiction with sci-fi in this strange and gripping tale of murder and conspiracy.

by Colson Whitehead

  Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Colson Whitehead was inspired to write this apocalyptic sci-fi novel because of his teenage fascination with the work of Stephen King and Issac Asimov. A plague has ravaged the planet, and the population is divided into the living and the living dead. Mark Spitz is working on a task force to clear the infested from ‘Zone One’, but things quickly go from bad to worse . . . 

This high concept sci-fi thriller asks the question: what if someone could rewrite your entire life? When Detective Barry Sutton is called to help a woman threatening to jump from a building, he’s unaware of the series of events the incident will trigger. Unable to stop the woman taking her own life, the last words she says to him are ‘My son has been erased.’ As Barry begins to investigate her case, he finds she’s not the only one making such claims. All over the country, people are waking up to different lives, an epidemic the media have dubbed ‘False Memory Syndrome’. But what if the cause is more sinister than a disease?

A Memory Called Empire

Arkady Martine's debut sci-fi book is an immersive political space opera for fans of Ann Leckie and Iain M. Banks.  A Memory Called Empire  introduces the idea of a technology by which a select few can carry their predecessors in their minds and take advantage of their wisdom and memories. Ambassador Mahit Dzmare travels to the Teixcalaanli Empire’s interstellar capital, eager to take up her new post. Yet when she arrives, she discovers her predecessor was murdered. But no one will admit his death wasn’t accidental – and she might be next. This is the first book in the  Texicalaan duology . 

War of the Worlds

By h. g. wells.

The inspiration for countless science fiction stories and novels, H. G. Wells’s sci-fi classic is a must for any science fiction fan’s bookshelf. Written in semi-documentary style, the 1938 radio adaptation famously caused panic when listeners believed the fictional new bulletins were real, and this novel about a terrifying alien invasion still grips readers to this day. 

by Nnedi Okorafor

Binti is the first person in her family to be accepted at the prestigious Oomza University, but to take up the place will mean leaving all she knows for a new life travelling among the stars. And there are dangers in this new life, for the university has long warred with a nightmare alien race called the Meduse . . . This Hugo Award-winning novella is the first in Nnedi Okorafor’s science fiction series. 

by Frank Herbert

Frank Herbert’s science fiction classic is one of the bestselling sci-fi books of all time and was adapted into the film of the same name directed by David Lynch. Set 20,000 years in the future, the universe depends on the supply of Melange, a rare element, which can be used for everything from extending life-spans to interstellar travel. This precious element is found on only a single planet, Arrakis. And whoever controls Arrakis controls the universe . . . 

Frankenstein

By mary shelley.

Mary Shelley's story of a man who creates a monster he cannot control was a precursor of modern science fiction and a must-read for any sci-fi fans wanting to understand the history of the genre. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but wayward scientist, builds a human from dead flesh. Horrified at what he has done, he abandons his creation. The hideous creature learns language and becomes civilized but society rejects him. Spurned, he seeks vengeance on his creator. 

Lovecraft Country

By matt ruff.

An imaginative blend of magic, power, hope, and freedom that stretches across time, touching diverse members of two Black families, Matt Ruff's sci-fi horror is a devastating kaleidoscopic portrait of racism – the terrifying specter that continues to haunt us today. Set in Chicago, 1954 – Atticus Turner embarks on a road trip, along with his uncle and childhood friend, in search of his missing father. But soon they encounter both mundane terrors of white America and malevolent spirits that seem straight out of the weird tales Uncle George devours. 

by Octavia E. Butler

The first science fiction written by a black woman, Kindred is a cornerstone of American literature. Dana's 26th birthday takes a surreal turn when dizziness overcomes her during a move into a new apartment.  In an instant, she is transported to a verdant wood by a sprawling river, where a distressed child's cries pierce the air. Acting instinctively, she rescues him, only to face the alarming sight of an aged rifle in the hands of the boy's father.  The next thing she knows she's back in her apartment, soaking wet. It's the most terrifying experience of her life . . .  until it happens again.

2001: A Space Odyssey

By arthur c. clarke.

2001: A Space Odyssey takes readers from the ancient savannas of Africa to the outer reaches of our solar system. It is an allegory of humanity's quest for knowledge in the vast universe, and the universe's mysterious response. Follow the crew of the Discovery spacecraft as they venture towards Saturn, their mission overseen by the formidable HAL 9000, an advanced AI that challenges the boundaries of human intellect. Exploring themes of space exploration, technological risks, and the bounds of human potential, this marvel remains an enduring classic of monumental proportions.

Consider Phlebas

By iain m. banks.

First published in 1987, Consider Phlebas is the first book in Iain M. Banks's The Culture series, a classic space opera about an interstellar post-scarcity society. The Idirans fought for their Faith, while the Culture defended its moral existence. Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and with it their own destruction.

by Isaac Asimov

In the first novel in Isaac Asimov's classic science-fiction masterpiece, we travel to a sprawling galaxy on the brink of collapse. But a brilliant mathematician named Hari Seldon predicts the impending downfall. To safeguard civilization's future, Seldon establishes the Foundation, a covert organization tasked with preserving knowledge and shaping the course of history. As empires rise and fall, political intrigue intertwines with scientific brilliance, offering a captivating blend of epic scope, intricate plotting, and profound exploration of humanity's destiny.

Leviathan Wakes

By james s. a. corey.

Set in a future where humanity has colonized the solar system, tensions between Earth, Mars, and the Belt threaten to ignite a catastrophic war. Amidst this turmoil, a missing person's case leads a hardened detective and a disillusioned ship captain to uncover a conspiracy that could plunge the entire system into chaos. James S.A. Corey weaves a masterful tale, blending exhilarating action, intricate world-building, and complex characters. With its seamless blend of mystery, political intrigue, and interstellar adventure, Leviathan Wakes is the first book in The Expanse series, now also a major TV series. 

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

By philip k. dick.

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, where the line between humans and androids blurs, Do Andorids Dream of Electric Sheep? follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter tasked with tracking down rogue androids hiding among society. As Deckard's pursuit intensifies, moral dilemmas arise, blurring the boundaries of empathy and identity. Dick's mesmerizing prose transports you to a world filled with existential questions, intricate plot twists, and profound reflections on what it means to be human. This masterpiece served as the basis for the 1982 film Blade Runner and is a dystopian sci-fi must-read. 

Brave New World

By aldous huxley.

Largely set in a futuristic World State, inhabited by genetically modified citizens and an intelligence-based social hierarchy, Brave New World anticipates huge scientific advancements in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation and classical conditioning that are combined to make a dystopian society which is challenged by only a single individual: the story's protagonist. With its seamless fusion of science fiction, social critique, and philosophical depth, the book challenges societal norms, sparks introspection, and reveals the delicate balance between freedom and conformity. 

The Martian

By andy weir.

A survival story for the 21st century and the international bestseller behind the major film by Ridley Scott. Stranded alone on Mars after a mission gone awry, astronaut Mark Watney must summon every ounce of his resourcefulness and resilience to survive. With limited supplies, daunting challenges, and a tenacious spirit, Watney uses his scientific expertise to defy the odds and find a way back home. Weir's masterful storytelling, filled with equal parts wit and tension, immerses you in the harsh beauty of Mars while showcasing the indomitable human spirit. 

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The best new science fiction books of August 2023

From speculative novellas by Josh Malerman to a first venture into science fiction from H is for Hawk author Helen Macdonald, August brims with sci-fi potential, says culture editor Alison Flood

By Alison Flood

1 August 2023

There is plenty on offer for all science fiction fans in August

Alamy Stock Vector

August is another great month for science fiction fans, whatever your taste. You can take a journey to the multiverse courtesy of the award-winning Lauren Beukes or enjoy a sci-fi take on the haunting myth of Eurydice and Orpheus from Temi Oh. If first contact is your thing, there’s a novel from Karen Lord, or if you prefer speculative horror, there’s plenty available. And welcome to a debut sci-fi novel from H is for Hawk memoirist Helen Macdonald, which Neil Gaiman is calling “fabulous”. Time to make space on our bookshelves for new riches.

Bridge by Lauren Beukes

I have loved all of Lauren Beukes’s books, from The Shining Girls , her terrifying sci-fi thriller adapted by Apple TV+ and starring Elisabeth Moss, to her Arthur C. Clarke award-winning Zoo City . Bridge , which I read on holiday and can highly recommend, is another blend of sci-fi and thriller, with added multiverse fun. When Bridge’s mother dies, Bridge goes to sort out her house and finds the “dreamworm”, something she vaguely remembers from her childhood, when it took her to other realities. She has since persuaded herself, with the help of her therapist, that none of this really happened… but what if it did? And what if her mum is waiting for her in another universe?

Prophet by Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché

Helen Macdonald’s memoir H is for Hawk was wonderful, so I am excited to read their first venture into science fiction, on which they have collaborated with author and musician Sin Blaché. Described as “fabulous” by Neil Gaiman, it sees an American diner appear overnight in a British field, in which treasured mementoes of the past appear – pets, toys, fairground rides. When deaths start to follow, ex-MI6 agent Sunil Rao investigates.

Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías (translated by Heather Cleary)

This story of a port city in the grip of an ecological crisis has won all sorts of awards already: the Uruguayan National Literature Prize for Fiction, the Bartolomé-Hidalgo Fiction Prize and the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Literature Prize. Narrated by someone who stays behind in the city while the wealthy escape inland to safety, the river fills with toxic algae and a deadly wind blows through the streets, it sounds bleak and brilliant.

A scuba diver is swallowed by a sperm whale in Daniel Kraus’s Whalefall

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Whalefall by Daniel Kraus

After reading Erika Nesvold’s top 10 space movies , chosen for this magazine last month, I have had a yearning to read and watch The Martian again. So, when I found out that Daniel Kraus’s new book is described as The Martian meets 127 Hours , I put it straight to the top of my “urgently needs to be read” pile (full disclaimer: this pile is toweringly large). It’s the story of scuba diver Jay, who is trying to find the remains of his late father when he’s swallowed by a sperm whale – and has just an hour to escape before his air runs out. It sounds more thriller than sci-fi, but my reviewer Neil McRobert tells me it’s heavy on the science of how Jay might escape, and I can’t wait. I just hope no innocent sperm whales were harmed in the making of this story.

The Blue, Beautiful World by Karen Lord

I love a first-contact story, and this one, which adds a pop megastar to the mix, sounds really intriguing. It’s set in a future in which Earth has been transformed by rising temperatures and seas, and in which other civilisations are preparing to make contact with humanity. Those on Earth preparing for this moment include an inventor, a celebrity icon and the charismatic popstar Owen, who, apparently, has unique abilities that could unite the planet.

The best new science fiction books of July 2023

From George R. R. Martin’s new Wild Cards anthology to Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's dystopian take on America, there is a wealth of exciting science fiction out this month. Culture editor Alison Flood shares the novels she is most anticipating

More Perfect by Temi Oh

Already out in the UK, I’m including this reimagining of the Greek myth of Eurydice and Orpheus, set in a near-future London, because it’s released in August in the US. That and our inimitable sci-fi columnist Sally Adee really rates it. “It weaves an intriguing tapestry of references, from the classical story of Eurydice to the neuroscience of consciousness, set against a drumbeat of dread,” she wrote, in our holiday reading round-up in June.

Lessons in Birdwatching by Honey Watson

Apech is a planet plagued by a time-distorting illness. When a brutal murder sparks a civil war, five students sent there for a temporary research project find themselves caught in the middle. The body count looks like it’ll be high in this dark comedy.

Spin a Black Yarn by Josh Malerman

Dip into this collection of five novellas from the author of Bird Box , a mix of speculative fiction and horror. I’m particularly looking forward to The Jupiter Drop , in which a tourist takes the ultimate trip to outer space, and also to Egorov , in which a triplet is murdered and his surviving brothers carry out a fake haunting on the unsuspecting killer, playing their dead brother’s ghost and hoping to drive his murderer mad.

A town is plagued by twisters in James Kennedy’s Bride of the Tornado

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Bride of the Tornado by James Kennedy

Pitched as a blend of Stephen King’s The Mist and David Lynch’s Twin Peaks , this speculative horror novel sees a plague of sentient tornadoes coming to destroy a small town – with only a teenage boy able to stand in their way. But the adults are hiding a secret about where the tornadoes come from, and who the boy really is.

Wild Spaces by S.L.Coney

More speculative, eldritch horror can be found in a coming-of-age tale about an 11-year-old boy growing up in South Carolina. When his estranged grandfather arrives, secrets begin to emerge, and the boy starts to feel something within him changing into something monstrous.

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30 Best New Science Fiction Books (2024)

Best new science fiction books, something refreshing.

Do you feel like you’ve read every old mainstream science fiction book out there? Sure, there are tons of science fiction books that were amazing coming from the old days when science fiction was first born, but the world of science fiction has evolved so much and there are some pretty unbelievable stories nowadays that have what it takes to blow your mind away.

This best new science fiction books review will show you some of the best sci-fi books that have been published recently and you will find out just what the new science fiction stories have to offer.

Recursion by Blake Crouch

False memory syndrome.

The first book that will be launching our review happens in our own world and there are two characters who will be taking you on this exciting journey. The main plot revolves around something known as False Memory Syndrome and people have been experiencing this a lot lately.

Berry and Helena

What this does to people is it creates painful memories of a life they have never lived and quickly starts driving them crazy. The first of the two main characters is a New York City cop named Berry Sutton and he is investigating this whole situation. The next one is Helena Smith and she is a neuroscientist who is researching what exactly is causing this. These two are about to reveal a lot of secrets that are enough to scare anyone.

Dark Age by Pierce Brown

Complex storyline.

This book is a long one, about 750 pages, and it talks about a lot of things inside that are related to war, space travel, a whole lot of politics, complex characters, and much more. The plot in this story revolves around a few main characters who are involved deeply in politics and the story can get a bit complicated so you’d better keep focused.

One of the main characters here is a guy called Darrow, he is the one who has been the leader of a revolution against the corrupt color-coded Society for almost a decade now. There are a lot of political talks inside but there is also action from all of the wars that you are about to see. The book has plenty of exciting sci-fi material to offer, that’s why it’s on our best new science fiction books list.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Necromancer.

Gideon is a necromancer, she has been brought up by scary and definitely not innocent nuns, ancient retainers, and a bunch of skeletons, and her life is the result of all of their teachings.

Escaping the Old Life

You will find out that she is sick of serving and living as an undead reanimated corpse so she decides to pack her bags and escape her old life to start a new one, completely abandoning everyone she knows. You will also find out that this won’t be as easy as it seems as the story finally starts showing you some action and even more thrill.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Vast universe.

We have another book that comes to us from the year 2019 and this one packs another great sci-fi story. It definitely fits into any top new science fiction book lists and you are about to find out why.

The majority of exciting events in this story come from outer space as this story talks about many different characters from many different worlds.

Mahit Dzmare

It is also a murder mystery, one that will reveal a ton of secrets that are definitely going to make this plot a lot more exciting. The main character who will be showing you around is Ambassador Mahit Dzmare as he starts his investigation on who performed this murder and finds herself in even more danger than ever before.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

Terraforming people.

This bestselling author has created a story that talks about humans trying to colonize other planets but instead of trying to terraform the entire planet to suit their needs, they transform themselves to be able to live anywhere.

Ariadne is the main character in this story who will be showing you how this process exactly happens. The book is not very long, unfortunately, but it is still enough to show you the plot in this story in detail and introduce you to a whole new idea in science fiction writing.

Network Effect by Martha Wells

This next book on our list about some of the best new science fiction books will be introducing you to Murderbot, a very interesting character who is full of surprises. But first, you have to meet him. Murderbot will do anything besides be social but even he is conscious enough to know when a person is in need of help.

The Murderbot Diaries

This is the fifth book of the Murderbot series and this time, one of his coworkers is in trouble and Murderbot must choose whether to go home and binge-watch his favorite series or take action and cause some trouble while saving his coworker, of course.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar

Here is a new science fiction book that might be best for the more experienced sci-fi readers as the story here is a bit complex and it actually resembles a sort of love story. The main characters in this book are two women who will later fall in love through reading letters from each other.

Red and Blue

These women are referred to as Red and Blue and there is a devastating war going on in their world, one that doesn’t look like it could end very soon. Red represents a future in which technology is the main focus of every aspect of life, and Blue represents a world where nature is still enough for the perfect life. The book is definitely one interesting read, you can be sure of that.

Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang

Second collection.

Exhalation is a science fiction book alright, but it’s one that holds a bunch of thrilling sci-fi stories that will leave you wanting more. It’s actually Ted Chiang’s second collection of this type and if you have read the first one, then you know what to expect, some really exciting reading material.

Amazing Stories

Some of the stories inside include Exhalation, of course, where you read about a discovery that an alien scientist makes, one that will reveal a shocking secret that might just affect all of reality. Another story inside is The Lifecycle of Software Objects where a woman cares for and nurtures an artificial intelligence for 20 years and witnesses this digital being becoming a living and conscious one.

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

Charlie Jane Anders has managed to create one of the best new science fiction books out there with the story presented inside.

It talks about humanity again, but this time they have colonized a planet called January, a planet that is divided into two sides, one is always filled with endless darkness and cold nights and the other is always sunny with blazing hot days.

The main character who will be showing you around is called Sophie, a young student who has a rough life thanks to the fact that she was a part of a failed revolution. She is now exiled to the dark wastelands of this world and from there, she meets a few other exiles.

Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone

Feminist novel.

If you have ever heard about a story called Guardians of the Galaxy, well this book is similar to it and it is sort of the feminist version of that same story. This space adventure will introduce you to a bunch of unique characters who will make sure that everything ahead is always worth your time.

Vivian Liao

Vivian Liao is one of the main characters in this story, she has a unique set of skills that will serve her well in what is about to come. The antagonist of this story is a powerful and cruel Empress who lives deep in space and has the power to either bless or blast an entire planet with a single thought.

Eden by Tim Lebbon

Global warming.

Eden addresses a very real problem we ourselves have at this moment, global warming. The story in this amazing sci-fi book tells us about how global warming has managed to bring so much of this world to ruins and something has to be done.

Virgin Zones

The author introduces you to something called the Virgin Zones, huge territories spread out into a couple of locations that serve as Earth’s lungs. These places hold nature in its purest form and those who wish to travel there are rare. The ones who seek danger and extreme adrenaline levels will be taking you on their journey into these deadly places where nature kills very easily.

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Here is a perfect example of what one of the best new science fiction books should look like. This book holds a story that tells you of a very unique and well thought out adventure. The main character in the story is a girl named Shana and her little sister.

Specific Location

The story follows these two as Shana wakes up one night to discover her little sister sleepwalking. This was no ordinary sleepwalking as her sister was determined to travel to a location that only she knows.

Destination Unknown

Then you find out that there are many other sleepwalkers who are traveling in the same way and most of them have friends and family who are joining them on the journey to protect them. The story that follows when these characters reach the destination is one you wouldn’t want to miss.

Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear

Haimey Dz is a character who you will be reading about in this new sci-fi novel and her story is one that is not short of excitement, it might be a bit too much even. During her routine salvage mission, she discovers information that has the capabilities of changing the entire universe.

After this fact becomes known and Haimey realizes that authorities are badly corrupt and cannot be trusted, she makes it her own duty to save everyone from what she has discovered. So begins her journey into mysterious depths of space to find a supermassive black hole and on the way, many more secrets will be discovered, secrets about herself and of ancient intelligence that haven’t been seen for countless centuries.

Tiamat’s Wrath by James S. A. Corey

Interstellar travel.

Humanity rises to interstellar travel once more in this book by James Corey and you can imagine all of the opportunities that come with this new discovery. Thirteen hundred gates have been opened to solar systems all around and humanity is now building their space empire on top of alien ruins.

Many things will present exciting in this book, one of those is the search that a character named Elvi Okoye will begin that focuses on discovering what caused a massive genocide that happened before humans ever existed.

Deadly Foes

You also see humanity facing deadly foes that they couldn’t have even imagined, things are definitely not looking good for us but there is much more to the story and that’s for you to find out. Corey’s name can be also found on our list of the top hard science fiction books .

A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker

Luce cannon.

This fun and the addicting story will be introducing you to a former music star who is living in a world that has ruined her dreams. Before the devastating events, Luce Cannon was rising to the top as her music career was kicking off.

Attacks and Viruses

Then, her whole world changes as deadly terror attacks and even deadlier viruses have made this world completely rid of freedom, and many people are simply locked at home all day, kind of similar to the whole coronavirus thing, don’t you think? Anyway, you get to read the story of what is really going on in this world and how Luce will deal with her new situation. Small spoiler, it has something to do with virtual reality.

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

Here is one of the best science fiction books out there that you will gladly read in one sitting, in fact, it’s best to do so because this addicting masterpiece will be holding on to you until you finish the whole thing.

This story by Sylvian Neuvel is a very thrilling one that follows the life of a character named Idir, an Iranian man, husband, and father who is about to take the British citizenship test.

25 Questions

These 25 questions are about to determine so much of his future and the strangest thing happens mid-way through and for the sake of not spoiling too much of this story, you will get to find out what exactly happens that turns this man’s whole life into a great science fiction story.

The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz

This fascinating story starts in the year 1992 and you quickly get to meet a 17-year-old girl named Beth who is currently sitting in a car with the abusive boyfriend of her best friend and she and her friends immediately find a way to get rid of his body. This even motivates these girls to a life of violence and vengeance as there are more girls that need protection.

Then the story jumps to the year 2022 when you meet Tess, a girl who uses time travel to make sure she corrects some mistakes in history. She has the intention of making a safer future but when she meets Beth and her group of avengers, they tell Tess to stop what she is doing at all costs as she has no idea what is about to happen.

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi

The interdependency series.

The third book of John Scalzi’s The Interdependency book series is finally here in 2020. If you haven’t read any of the books in the series, we suggest you do because the stories are directly connected and you would simply be lost starting here.

Anyway, the story in this book happens in a world where humanity is on good terms with many empires from all around the galaxy and it’s also a story in which you get to read about struggles for power, profit, survival, and things like that.

Fall; or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson

Virtual reality.

All of the books we have on our list so far are some pretty good new science fiction books and this one is no less. Neal Stephenson ’s Fall; or, Dodge in Hell is a story that talks about the concept of virtual reality as it is becoming more and more popular these days.

Richard “Dodge” Forthrast

The main character in the story is a multi-billionaire called Richard “Dodge” Forthrast. The story follows him as one day, just like that, he is pronounced braindead and his decision a while back was to be put in cryosleep until he can be revived.

Plenty More

So begins the story as a few years later, a virtual reality world is perfected. Make sure to check out our Snow Crash book review, which is another amazing book written by Stephenson.

One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence

The next brilliant piece of content in our best new science fiction books list is a story about a teenage genius boy named Nick Hayes. Nick is only 15 years old and he has just discovered truly terrible news, he is dying.

Different Game

This is not even the strangest thing that happens to him in this short period of time. Nick has a few friends with whom he enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons and when Mia joins their group, they get to experience the game in a whole different way. Then the story shows you some events that involve Mia as her life becomes threatened and Nick will have to save her as time is running out for him too.

Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen

Kin stewart.

Here you get to meet a character who might prove like an everyday boring man, but he will surprise you as more and more is revealed about him.

His name is Kin Stewart and when the book starts, you meet him as an average working family man who is trying to spend more time and connect more with his daughter, Miranda.

Time Traveler

But he has a strange past, one that no one would believe about this normal man who works in IT. Kin was a time traveler back in the day and you get to see this man now as his life becomes weirder as ever as he is torn between two different lives thanks to his time traveler past.

Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan

Prepare to have another thrilling reading experience with this one as this is an interesting and unique kind of science fiction story that you don’t get to find very often.

One of the main characters here is Charlie, a lazy day-trader who will do anything to avoid working a full-time job. He likes a girl, an attractive young student named Miranda, and is figuring out a way to bond with her.

Love Triangle

When Charlie comes into a bit of money, he buys one of the first-ever human-like androids and calls him Adam. He asks Miranda to help him work on him together to form his personality and so begins a love triangle that will surely have your mind blown. If you are interested in Ian’s work, take a look at our The Daydreamer book review.

You Look Like a Thing and I Love You by Janelle Shane

Understanding ai.

This is the ultimate book on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and you will find that author Janelle Shane has definitely put in a lot of thought into this book and her many others as this author is just fascinated with understanding AI and spreading her learnings in her books.

Don’t Miss Out

If you too are fascinated by AI and want to understand a lot more about it, it’s practical uses, how it all works, what else it can be used for, and stuff like that, then be sure not to miss out on this one of the best new science fiction books out there.

Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Space travel.

This story will give you chills once you get to know what actually goes on inside. It all starts as humans develop a sophisticated form of space travel and finally take to the stars to begin their terraform program and try to expand human civilization on other planets.

A suitable planet they find called Nod seems perfect but it has alien life on it. Humans try to overwrite the alien life with human memory but once this fails, humans are left to crawl back to Earth. Then, countless years later, humans detect a signal coming from this same place, the old Earth, and what they discover is something that you wouldn’t want to wish on your worst enemy.

The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

Complicated war.

The Light Brigade

There are those known as The Light Brigade, they are the ones who come back different from the war against Mars, and what different means is that they have experienced the princess that involves them being turned into light in order to travel quickly between battlefronts. The main character who will be showing you around in this one is Dietz, a fresh recruit who is about to learn just what kind of war this actually is.

The Redemption of Time by Baoshu

Yun tianming.

Decades of Torture

After being captured by the enemy, his torture begins but he also gets a new, healthy clone body and his decades of torture begin and he finally becomes a traitor for his people on Earth. When a new problem arrives, Yun decides to not be a pawn in their game anymore and he creates his own path to save his fellow species back on Earth.

Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O’Keefe

Sanda and biran.

This one is another science fiction war story that will be talking about the lives of two main characters, Sanda and Biran Greeve, two sisters who have unique and powerful skills. Sanda is a high-flying sergeant with amazing fighting skills and her sister Biran is a politician who plans to use her new position for good.

But then, their lives start going downhill and Sanda’s ship is blasted and she wakes up 230 later on a deserted enemy warship that is controlled only by an AI named Bero. So begins another adventure of Sanda and Biran as they both fight to make things right as their people and the enemy have managed to rid each other of the Universe.

FKA USA by Reed King

Environmental disaster.

Speaking of the best new science fiction books out there, this one fits this description as you get to read an amusing story about an environmentally destroyed USA and the events that are currently going on in that world.

Truckee Wallace

The year when all of this takes place is 2085 and the main character of this story is a guy called Truckee Wallace. He is an average factory worker without any major ambitions and one day, his life will become a lot more serious when the president chooses him for an important mission. So begins another interesting story with this character and a cool android with a lot of surprises.

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu

Mind-blowing.

Here is a book that is perfect for the readers who have trouble focusing on one long story for a long time as this book is a collection of short science fiction stories that will blow your mind away.

You get to see some of Ken Liu’s best work over the years and few new ones that will definitely surprise you. A total of seventeen stories are stored here and all of them have their own unique sci-fi events inside with interesting and fun characters.

Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh

10 astronauts.

And the last book in our review is not least as this exciting story will be taking on you one of the best adventures through space ever. This new science fiction story talks about a group of 10 astronauts who are about to leave a dying Earth to explore and search for a planet that is said to be able to sustain human life.

Dalton Academy

Four of the group are decorated veterans of the 20th-century space race and the rest are teenagers who just graduated from an elite astronaut academy called Dalton Academy. That’s it from our review so be sure to pick your favorite and start reading some epic adventures that will leave you wanting more sci-fi reading material.

Robert Hazley

Robert is a science fiction and fantasy geek. (He is also the best looking Ereads writer!) Besides reading and writing, he enjoys sports, cosplay, and good food (don't we all?). Currently works as an accountant (would you believe that?)

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The Best Reviewed Books of the Month: March 2024

New books from tana french, colin barrett, and more..

A look at the month’s best new releases in crime fiction, mystery, and thrillers, via Bookmarks .

Ben H. Winters, Big Time (Mulholland Books)

“A weird and wonderful cautionary tale … It features the month’s most engaging investigator, a schlumpy bureaucrat roused to action.”

–Sarah Lyall ( New York Times Book Review )

Colin Barrett, Wild Houses (Grove Press)

“Barrett’s dialogue, spiked with the timbre of Irish speech and shards of local slang, makes these characters sound so close you’ll be wiping their spittle off your face … The craft of Wild Houses shows a master writer spreading his wings — not for show but like the stealthy attack of a barn owl. Despite moments of violence that tear through the plot, the most arresting scenes are those of anticipated brutality … Barrett cleverly constructs his novel … Given the pervasive gloom, the fact that these chapters spark with life — even touches of humor — may seem impossible, but it’s a measure of Barrett’s electric style. Tense moments suddenly burst with flashes of absurdity or comic exasperation. Clearly, those years of writing short stories have given Barrett an appreciation for how fit every sentence must be; there isn’t a slacker in this trim book. Even the asides and flashbacks hurtle the whole project forward toward a climax that feels equally tensile and poignant, like some strange cloak woven from wire and wool.”

–Ron Charles ( Washington Post )

Maggie Thrash, Rainbow Black (Harper Perennial)

“Stunning and intense … At once a rivetingly dramatic procedural and an intimate portrait of a relationship forged in trauma.”

–Bridget Thoreson ( Booklist )

Andrey Kurkov (transl. Boris Dralyuk), The Silver Bone (Harpervia)

“It is a gift for crime fiction fans that he writes in this genre … Kurkov, as filtered through the supple translation of Boris Dralyuk, infuses The Silver Bone with wry humor.”

–Sarah Weinman (New York Times Book Review)

Tana French, The Hunter (Viking)

“Suspense is in the details — small details — scattered throughout … The extraordinary sequel to … A singularly tense and moody thriller, but it’s also an exceptional novel because of its structure.”

–Maureen Corrigan (Washington Post)

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The Best Sci-Fi Books of 2024 (So Far)

Posted: March 6, 2024 | Last updated: March 11, 2024

The opening page of Malka Older’s new book says simply, “There are other ways to live.” That idea carries through so many of this year’s best science fiction books, which are full of questions about how we might live differently with each other, on our troubled planet or in the furthest reaches of space. Science fiction, as Ursula K. Le Guin once wrote, is not predictive but descriptive, and what contemporary science fiction authors are so often describing is a world that seems to be less and less built for humans to thrive in it. We are still close enough to 2020 that we’re reading books that have their roots in that particularly tumultuous year—roots that dig deep into surveillance , capitalism , protest , inequity , and failures to learn from the past.

But there are other worlds, other ways to thrive—and other ways to replicate humanity’s worst failings, too. This year’s best books don’t shy away from who we’ve been, and who we are, but they also brim with a fierce curiosity about who we might become. As Martin MacInnes writes in the glorious In Ascension , “The original science-fiction story—the impossible adventure full of wonder and awe—was merely the existence of the species, all the movements she and her sister and their family and every other living person had shared.”

Below, listed in publication order, are our favorite science fiction books of the year (so far). Watch this space for updates; we’ll continue adding to our list as the year unfolds.

1) Your Utopia, by Bora Chung (translated by Anton Hur)

Bora Chung’s impressive second collection sets its tone with its title: if a utopia is yours, can it be shared? Can it be anyone else’s? There’s a melancholy and a wryness to these stories, in which lonely people (or other beings) try to connect, or protect, or simply survive. In “The End of the Voyage,” the urge to consume dooms humanity. In “A Song for Sleep,” an AI elevator does its best to care for a resident of its building. The elevator seems kind, but its knowledge of the building’s inhabitants is due to an alarming level of surveillance. Through the prism of her singular imagination, Chung looks sharply at the ways the world we’ve made doesn’t suit us: corporate greed is a frequent enemy, whether it’s focused on controlling the natural world (“Seed”) or extending its own existence (“The Center for Immortality Research”). These are stories to sit with, to read one at a time and savor.

2) The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, by Malka Older

The second volume in Malka Older’s utterly delightful Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti series finds Mossa searching for a missing student—a case that expands to include over a dozen missing people. The mystery is satisfying, but the heart of this story is the tentative and endearing relationship between Mossa and the academic Pleiti, the Watson to Mossa’s Holmes, who narrates the bulk of their tale. Older packs a ton into barely 200 pages: academic wrangling, space libertarians, the state of the distant and troubled Earth, a visit to the moon of Io, a trip on Giant’s fascinating railcars, and so much more. This is distinctly a cozy mystery, but also a space opera in miniature. Part of what Older so beautifully illustrates is the way humanity might bring its history and culture—food, tea, language, rituals, fears—into the alien landscapes of space. You can read this one without reading the first book, The Mimicking of Known Successes , but why deprive yourself?

3) In Ascension, by Martin MacInnes

MacInnes’s third novel—longlisted for last year’s Booker Prize—is simply like nothing else I’ve ever read. In Ascension centers on Leigh, a marine biologist who spent a troubled childhood in Rotterdam before venturing far from home: to a distant island, to the depths of the ocean, to the Mojave Desert, and eventually to the stars. But that sounds so simple, and this book is expansively, engrossingly complex, meticulously observed and quietly moving. As Leigh’s work turns confidential and mysterious, involving strange phenomena that connect to her deep-sea adventure, MacInnes details her focus on algae with the same care and consideration that he uses to depict her relationship with her mother, her sister, her colleagues, and her world. This isn’t a book that offers anything approaching a tidy resolution. What it offers instead is the texture of an entire life, reflected and refracted by the lives around it. It’s as immersive and astonishing as the deep-sea dive Leigh takes, a journey through a familiar world made freshly, improbably new.

4) Those Beyond the Wall, by Micaiah Johnson

If this were a ranking of the most memorable characters of the year, Scales would be at the top. A mechanic by assignment but a killer by skill, she’s one of many lieutenants to the Emperor of Ashtown, a desert community that exists outside the walls of privileged Wiley City. Ashtown is not an easy place to live, even when you’re the Emperor’s favorite. But when mangled bodies start appearing, no one is safe, and it will take the combined efforts of Scales, her least-favorite colleague, a disgraced scientist, the Emperor, and a worldwalker to save them—all of them. Johnson’s second book, a standalone set in the same world as her The Space Between Worlds , is fueled by the rage that comes from love. When you love a people, love a place, and that people and place are treated as lesser and disposable, rage is inevitable. (As Johnson writes in the author’s note, “Rage is a beacon calling out to others.”) Complicated, deadly, and absolutely full of secrets, Scales is one hell of a narrator, and her sharp, distinctive voice propels this story though desert, city, multiverse, and her own hidden history. Those Beyond the Wall is a novel about holding tight to community in the face of devastation, and it is a triumph.

5) The Siege of Burning Grass, by Premee Mohamed

The latest work from the astonishingly prolific Mohamed (who has three books out this year alone) is a visceral yet intimate story about violence, nationalism, and war. Injured, captured, and tortured by his own side in an endless conflict, the famous pacifist Alefret is sent on a mission to infiltrate an enemy city. With him is Qhudur, a fanatic who will do anything for victory. Mohamed’s bio-technical setting is vivid and unusual—trained medical wasps, floating cities, and lightspiders dot these pages—but the heart of her story is Alefret’s moral struggle. Would killing Qhudur, an act of violence, lead to peace? When does violence become a habit that a country cannot break? How can a person hold tight to their ideals even amid suffering? How can stories and myths help sustain us? But The Siege of Burning Grass isn’t just a thoughtful consideration of war and pacifism; it’s also a feat of worldbuilding, moral complexity, and taut, precisely paced storytelling. After this, I’m ready to hunt down everything else Mohamed has ever written.

6) These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart, by Izzy Wasserstein

In post-climate disaster America, in what’s left of Kansas City, a woman named Dora investigates a death in the anarchist commune to which she once belonged. She’s certain her ex didn’t overdose, but finding out what really happened isn’t going to be easy. Wasserstein excels at the near-future details of her SF-techno-mystery, but she shines even more when it comes to the unexpected connection between Dora and the person sent to kill her—a person who is wearing her pre-transition face. These Fragile Graces is at once a stylish noir and an exploration of identity, gender, selfhood, control, consent, and intimacy. Wasserstein more than pulls it off—everything here feels lived-in and real, from the details of the commune’s processes to the corporate powers that treat people as disposable or replaceable. Dora’s distinctive, terse voice is one I keep hearing in my head, long after the last page. Maybe, if we’re lucky, she’ll find more mysteries to solve.

7) Floating Hotel, by Grace Curtis

In her second novel, Curtis makes an impeccable balancing act look easy. Floating Hotel is, on the surface, a cozy sort of tale about the staff at the titular spaceship, the Grand Abeona Hotel, which endlessly traverses the same route, catering to wealthy people among the stars. Young, miserable Carl stows away on the hotel as a kid; decades later, he’s risen to the post of manager, now a gentle charmer with a soothing word for everyone. When a peculiar academic conference converges with the search for the Lamplighter (a seditious, anti-Empire figure whose broadsides appear between chapters), the fate of the hotel—and its endearing staff—is called into question. But Curtis doesn’t let the spies, codes, and mysteries take over the story; there’s still time for illicit movie nights and anxious musical performances. Floating Hotel is rich with kindness, with big-hearted characters from every corner of the ship, but it also has teeth, a working-class sensibility, and a rebellious heart. This one is a treat.

8) Calypso, by Oliver K. Langmead

“Generation ship novel in verse” is a series of words I had never considered until I read Oliver K. Langmead’s ambitious and immersive Calypso . While the engineers slept, the crew of the Calypso experienced a schism. When Rochelle—whose role is to question Sigmund, the expedition’s leader—wakes, nothing is as she expects, and nothing goes as planned. Four narrators tell the tale: Rochelle, a woman of faith; Catherine, a biologist; the Herald, who relates the ship’s history; and Sigmund, whose narrative is largely set in his own past. Their voices take different shapes; the Herald’s words are squared off, blocky and challenging, while Catherine’s words bend and twist, branching outward more dramatically as she gets closer to the culmination of her role. In a stunning central chapter that’s part body horror and part triumphant act of creation, Catherine transforms, filling a planet with myriad forms of life. Outside of that section, Langmead’s verse creates a sense of spareness, of space unfilled, that echoes the loneliness Rochelle feels. Like so many generation ship stories, this is an elegantly told meditation on how we can’t leave ourselves behind. Any new world will be seeded with what we know, what we’ve learned, who we are, for better or for worse.

9) Lake of Souls, by Ann Leckie

This complete collection of Leckie’s short fiction contains both science fiction and fantasy stories, but the SF stories make up a full half of the book—and are unmissable. They range from flash fiction to a creation myth from the world of the Imperial Radch to “The Justified,” a haunting story about power, mortality, and choice. The title novelette follows a sentient crustacean—called a “lobster dog” by the anthropologist who crash-lands on its planet—as it leaves home, looking for answers about its world and existence. (I would read an entire novel about the lobster dogs, or about the bird-people who transmit their histories through songs.) Every one of these stories is masterfully told, but the standout is “She Commands Me and I Obey,” which depicts a moment of political turmoil through the eyes of a young monk watching a momentous sports game. Tense, affecting, and layered, it’s a perfect example of Leckie’s gift for knowing exactly the right perspective from which to tell her stories. A child, an elder, a guard on a ship’s journey through troubled space: it is a gift to spend time with these characters.

10) The Practice, The Horizon, and The Chain, by Sofia Samatar

Samatar’s latest is a breathtaking novella that resonates like a new myth made of familiar materials. Deep in the bowels of a spaceship, a boy is imprisoned, linked to others by the chain around his ankle. A professor who wears a lighter anklet works to free him, to elevate him to the level of a student, to give him an opportunity. Neither of them have names; nor do the guards, nor the prophet who encourages the boy’s art. They are individuals, but also archetypes, strong and aching, as they move through Samatar’s critical look at labor, exploitation, community, hierarchy, revolution, and worn-out narratives about acceptance and tolerance that do not allow space for real freedom. This story has its roots in academia, but it’s about any organization built to sustain itself at the expense of those who toil within it. Samatar’s gorgeous prose rings clear as a bell. There are no easy answers here, only a sense of possibility, of— as she puts it —“an invitation to exist in the cracks.''

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The Bizarre Chinese Murder Plot Behind Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’

Lin Qi, a billionaire who helped produce the science-fiction hit, was poisoned to death by a disgruntled executive. His attacker now faces the death penalty.

By David Pierson

Lin Qi was a billionaire with a dream. The video game tycoon had wanted to turn one of China’s most famous science-fiction novels, “The Three-Body Problem,” into a global hit. He had started working with Netflix and the creators of the HBO series “Game of Thrones” to bring the alien invasion saga to international audiences.

But Mr. Lin did not live to see “ 3 Body Problem ” premiere on Netflix last month, drawing millions of viewers.

He was poisoned to death in Shanghai in 2020, at age 39, by a disgruntled colleague, in a killing that riveted the country’s tech and video-gaming circles where he had been a prominent rising star. That colleague, Xu Yao, a 43-year-old former executive in Mr. Lin’s company, was last month sentenced to death for murder by a court in Shanghai, which called his actions “extremely despicable.”

The court has made few specific details public, but Mr. Lin’s killing was, as a Chinese news outlet put it, “as bizarre as a Hollywood blockbuster.” Chinese media reports, citing sources in his company and court documents, have described a tale of deadly corporate ambition and rivalry with a macabre edge. Sidelined at work, Mr. Xu reportedly exacted vengeance with meticulous planning, including by testing poisons on small animals in a makeshift lab. (He not only killed Mr. Lin, but also poisoned his own replacement.)

Mr. Lin had spent millions of dollars in 2014 buying up copyrights and licenses connected to the original Chinese science-fiction book, “The Three-Body Problem,” and two others in a trilogy written by the Chinese author Liu Cixin. “The Three-Body Problem” tells the story of an engineer, called upon by the Chinese authorities to look into a spate of suicides by scientists, who discovers an extraterrestrial plot. Mr. Lin had wanted to build a franchise of global television shows and films akin to “Star Wars” and centered on the novels.

Mr. Lin would eventually link up with David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the creators of the television series “Game of Thrones,” to work on the Netflix project. Mr. Lin’s gaming company, Youzu Interactive, which goes by Yoozoo in English, is no stranger to the HBO hit; its best-known release is an online strategy game based on the show called “Game of Thrones: Winter Is Coming.”

Mr. Lin’s fate would change when he hired Mr. Xu, a lawyer, in 2017 to head a subsidiary of Yoozoo called The Three-Body Universe that held the rights to Mr. Liu’s novels. But not long afterward, Mr. Xu was demoted and his pay was cut, apparently because of poor performance. He became furious, according to the Chinese business magazine Caixin.

As Mr. Xu plotted his revenge, Caixin reported, he built a lab in an outlying district of Shanghai where he experimented with hundreds of poisons he bought off the dark web by testing them on dogs and cats and other pets. Caixin said Mr. Xu was both fascinated and inspired by the American hit TV series “Breaking Bad,” about a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher who teaches himself to make and sell methamphetamine, eventually becoming a drug lord.

Between September and December 2020, Mr. Xu began spiking beverages such as coffee, whiskey and drinking water with methylmercury chloride and bringing them into the office, Caixin reported, citing court documents. The report’s details could not be independently confirmed.

Calls to Yoozoo and the Shanghai court went unanswered. Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“The plot is as bizarre as a Hollywood blockbuster, and the technique is professional enough to be called the Chinese version of ‘Breaking Bad,’” Phoenix News, a Chinese news outlet, said last month.

According to a story by The Hollywood Reporter in January, Mr. Benioff said the killing was “certainly disconcerting.” “When you work in this business, you’re expecting all sorts of issues to arise. Somebody poisoning the boss is not generally one of them,” he was quoted as saying.

Police arrested Mr. Xu on Dec. 18, 2020, the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court said on its official WeChat account as it announced the verdict and sentencing. Mr. Xu reportedly declined to confess to the crime and did not disclose what poison he had used, complicating doctors’ efforts to save Mr. Lin’s life.

The court said that Mr. Xu had plotted to poison Mr. Lin and four other people over an office dispute. Its post included a picture of a bespectacled Mr. Xu in the courtroom wearing an oversized beige cardigan surrounded by three police officers. The statement said more than 50 people, including members of Mr. Xu’s and Mr. Lin’s family, attended the sentencing.

The Three-Body Universe, the Yoozoo subsidiary, did not respond to a request for comment, but its chief executive, Zhao Jilong, posted on his WeChat account, “Justice has been served,” according to Chinese state media.

Before his untimely death, Mr. Lin was something of a celebrity in the world of young Chinese entrepreneurs. He had built his fortune in the early 2010s, riding a wave of popularity for mobile games. His bid to popularize Mr. Liu’s novels was a rare attempt to export Chinese popular culture — something that has eluded China as its government yearns to wield the same soft power the United States commands with its movies, music and sports stars.

Six years after “The Three-Body Problem” was first published in 2008, an English version translated by Ken Liu was released to widespread acclaim. The book won the Hugo Award, a major science-fiction prize, for best novel. It counted Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg among its fans.

While Netflix is not available in China, “3 Body Problem” has still set off a backlash among Chinese viewers who have been able to access the platform by using virtual private networks, or who have seen pirated versions of the show. Users on Chinese social media expressed anger that the Netflix adaptation Westernized aspects of the story, and said the show sought to demonize some of the Chinese characters.

Even the People’s Liberation Army’s propaganda wing has weighed in on the series. In an editorial published on Saturday on its website, China Military Online, it called the Netflix series an example of American “cultural hegemony.”

“It can be clearly seen that after the United States seized this popular intellectual property with its superpower strength, it wanted to transform and remake it,” the editorial said. “The purpose was to eliminate as much as possible the reputation of modern China.”

Li You contributed research.

David Pierson covers Chinese foreign policy and China’s economic and cultural engagement with the world. He has been a journalist for more than two decades. More about David Pierson

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The best sci-fi and fantasy books of 2023

It’s been a stellar year in speculative fiction

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It’s been another banner year for science fiction and fantasy books. Many of our favorites once again blur the line between sci-fi and fantasy, but this year was a particular standout for books blurring the line between SFF and other genres. This includes everything from historical fiction — both speculative histories and Westerns — to fable retellings to intergenerational sagas in translation.

Though we seem to have crested the wave of pandemic novels, that sense of dread and discoloration has lingered, written into novels of new forms. There’s a preponderance of post-post-apocalyptic science fiction unpacking lofty ideas like sentience and humanity, often set on different planets or among the stars. It has also been a standout year for supernatural horrors and thrillers, particularly ones that mix queer longing with a dose of body horror . Last but not least, it’s been a great year for kissing books set in fantastical worlds .

So jump in and take your pick. Whichever direction you head in, it will be sure to grip you — and make you think. This list is in reverse chronological order, so the newest releases are listed first. We updated this list throughout 2023, sometimes retroactively adding in entries that we missed from earlier in the year. We’ve also included our favorite runners-up.

Honorable mentions

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, Victory City by Salman Rushdie, The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill, The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older, Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova, White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link, Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill, The Cheat Code (Wisdom Revolution #3) by Misba, The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei, Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, Prophet by Sin Blaché and Helen Macdonald, Terrace Story by Hilary Leichter, Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim, Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries #7) by Martha Wells, Dark Heir (Dark Rise #2) by C.S. Pacat

Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park

Same Bed Different Dreams is a remarkable achievement, and not for the faint of heart. Through three storylines, the book creates a kind of speculative history of Korea, with an emphasis on World War II and Japan’s colonial rule and aftermath (and, crucially, the United States’ involvement). One story thread builds out a hefty alternative history of the Korean Provisional Government’s role and reach. Another story thread focuses on a Black Korean War vet who wrote a sci-fi epic series called 2333, which is later adapted into a video game. And yet another story thread has a more futuristic flavor, focusing on a has-been writer who now works for a tech company called GLOAT. These threads periodically intersect — for example, GLOAT ends up owning the rights to 2333, and turns it into a kind of edutainment.

If it sounds like there’s a lot going on, it’s because there is. And it’s made even denser by the author’s Pynchonian sense of humor. Some of its best moments are utterly weird or feel like the writer was smirking — like a character’s dog who can’t stop “archiving” by burying found manuscript pages, the fact that GLOAT employees truly don’t know what the acronym stands for, or the idea that Marilyn Monroe is a member of the Korean Provisional Government. These absurd bits only make it harder to comb apart what’s real and what’s Ed Park’s “alternate history” in sections with realistic-sounding combinations of fact and fiction.

It’s got the same ambitious patchwork as Jennifer Egan’s The Candy House and Namwali Serpell’s The Old Drift . Critics have compared it to everything from David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas to David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest . There’s also, of course, books within the book. It’s a fever dream of a thing, and one I’d heartily recommend, but perhaps with a notebook in hand or some sticky notes to help track the references. (Or perhaps, as I did, just letting the wave of information roll over you, until you’re left with a vast impression and a desire to reread.) — Nicole Clark

The Scarlet Alchemist (The Scarlet Alchemist #1) by Kylie Lee Baker

Do not go into The Scarlet Alchemist expecting typical YA fare. What Kylie Lee Baker delivers is a story of visceral brutality, interlaced with elements of Chinese history and thoughtful meditations on family, race, and belonging. It’s a book that can turn your stomach as easily as it can break your heart.

Set in an alternate Tang dynasty, the novel follows Zilan, a profoundly talented young alchemist who travels to the capital in hopes of landing a coveted position in the royal service. But being a poor, half Scotian girl means the odds are stacked inordinately high against her in the imperial service exams — and that’s before her skills with the illegal art of resurrection catch the prince’s attention and pull her into a dangerous political game. While the premise seems familiar (underdog competes in trials, falls into star-crossed romance), Baker’s skills with immersive world-building, knotty characters, and genuinely gruesome horror make The Scarlet Alchemist a dazzling and singular tale that left me rushing to read her back catalog. — Sadie Gennis

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

After I read How Much of These Hills is Gold in 2020, C Pam Zhang became an instant must-read author in my household. Land of Milk and Honey is entirely unlike her debut — where her debut’s language was sparse and pointed, this book is florid and indulgent — though similar in the extent to which it transported me somewhere entirely new, and more than a little threatening.

In Land of Milk and Honey the climate apocalypse has rendered fresh produce, at scale, a thing of the past — which is to say a provision of the extremely rich. The protagonist, listless and hungry, applies for a job as a private chef for a mysterious family in the Italian Alps (those who live around it call it “​​la terra di latte e miele”). While there, she unravels the family’s true intentions, while making them delicious meals from rare ingredients.

Zhang sensuously describes all pleasures of the tongue, moving from descriptions of lapping of culinary delicacies to the folds of the flesh. Food feels hyperreal, with an emphasis on the texture and taste of every ingredient — and sometimes the cruelty of that ingredient’s procurement. The same can be said of its scenes depicting queer intimacy; that texture and taste take precedent, and the cruelties of human emotion, too. Even after I finished, I was hungry for more. — N. Clark

Every Drop Is a Man’s Nightmare by Megan Kamalei Kakimoto

This short story collection initially caught my attention with its cover, which depicts a woman springing up from the center of a corpse flower, like a stalk standing against the wind. Each story weaves together Hawaiian mythology and the everyday lives of the Hawaiian and mixed-race Japanese women who live there.

These stories range from fabulism to science fiction, all speculative fiction in their own way. In one story, a woman’s encounter with a wild pig ends up foreshadowing a complicated pregnancy later in her life. In another story, a Brazilian waxing company allows people to pay for hairless skin by giving up personality traits. In another story, the narrator falls for a woman who lives with her family — in one of numerous queer stories in the collection — but has to cope with that woman’s decision to return to “what remains of Kaua’i” and join their protests.

The author’s own words, published in The Guardian, sum it up best : “There is a mythical idealisation of the islands of Hawaii as paradise, peace in the tropics; some even call it a modern utopia. Yet this flattening of Hawaii to a postcard image divests our homeland of its culture and colour, reducing us to a place and history that is easily digestible. But we are not easily digestible, and our stories are not meant to be easy for you.” — N. Clark

He Who Drowned the World (The Radiant Emperor #2) by Shelley Parker-Chan

An alternate history of the founding of the Ming dynasty, He Who Drowned the World shifts between four tragically ambitious figures willing to pay any price to materialize their destiny, whether that’s revenge on the empire or crowning themselves the ruler of it. They pursue these goals with unshakeable inertia, doing endlessly cruel and sadistic actions with only the occasional doubts as to whether happiness could be possible if they chose a different path.

This is a relentlessly brutal sequel, and there’s a hopelessness that weighs heavy throughout the book. But Parker-Chan’s penetrating ability to bring empathy and nuance into even the darkest corners of humanity sparks an undeniable connection with these characters, whose self-destructive natures would otherwise be too hard to bear witness to. He Who Drowned the World is a dark and difficult read, yet Parker-Chan’s prose is so brilliant, her character work so complex, that I still found myself sad to leave this world behind. — SG

Labyrinth’s Heart (Rook & Rose #3) by M.A. Carrick

One of my favorite fantasy series of the past five years, Rook & Rose is an intricately layered trilogy where there are so many secrets, schemes, and conspiracies that at times it’s admittedly difficult to keep track of them all. Because of that, there were a lot of loose ends to tie up in the anticipated conclusion, Labyrinth’s Heart . (Ren alone was juggling four different identities at the novel’s start.) So imagine my surprise when I discovered M.A. Carrick not only managed to leave no question unanswered by the series’ end, but wrapped up even the most complicated storylines in big, bright bows.

There are elements of Labyrinth’s Heart that feel like they were precisely crafted to cater to fans, but here’s the thing: I don’t really care. Carrick created such a lush world populated by lovable characters, an interesting magic system, and a lived-in cultural history that I was just happy to be back in Nadežra after a two-year wait. While things may have been tied up a bit too neatly for my usual tastes, that didn’t stop me from whipping through pages and smiling the whole way through. Sometimes it’s nice to simply soak in a happy ending rather than bathe in the bittersweet. — SG

Mister Magic by Kiersten White

The latest fantasy-with-an-irresistible-pop-premise from the author of Hide , Mister Magic revolves around a children’s TV show no viewer can forget … or prove it ever existed in the first place. There are no official records of it, no YouTube videos or merchandise or passed-around VHS tapes, and any discussion of it on the internet rapidly disappears. But the people who remember seeing it are convinced the special effects were remarkably vivid and realistic. They agree the central concept is unnerving: a creepy magician-figure leading a group of children in imagination-games aimed at teaching some decidedly non-standard lessons about embracing conformity and meekness. And they’re all sure that something horrible happened while they were watching, though they can’t agree on what.

A reunion between five of the former child cast members, taking place 30 years after the show ended, slowly unravels its mysteries, which are even weirder than the description above suggests. Mister Magic is a startling dark fantasy with a lot of foreboding, foreshadowing, and eerie twists. At heart, though, it’s also an incisive story about the kinds of people who revel in control over other people’s lives, and about what an act of rebellion imagination can be. — Tasha Robinson

The Museum of Human History by Rebekah Bergman

A poetic reflection on memory, loss, and connection, The Museum of Human History is a stunning debut reminiscent of the work of Emily St. John Mandel. Slipping backward and forward in time, this introspective mosaic weaves between an identical twin whose sister fell asleep at age 8 and has never aged in the 25 years since, a museum director who questions his place within the family legacy, a widower who lost his most cherished memories as a result of an anti-aging treatment, and others equally struggling with the passage of time. There is a lyrical detachment in Bergman’s prose that leaves you feeling like you’re watching events unfold through a pane of thick glass, never fully able to connect with the characters, yet you remain helplessly transfixed by the haunting cycle they’re caught in. It’s an incredibly melancholy book, but the kind of aching sadness you’re happy to sink into. — SG

The Jasad Heir (The Scorched Throne #1) by Sara Hashem

“Arin of Nizahl was maddeningly elegant. I wanted to cut him open and compare our bones to understand why his gave him grace and mine gave me back pain.” This was the line that absolutely sold me on The Jasad Heir, an irresistible enemies-to-lovers fantasy that reminded me why I’ll never quit this genre.

Headstrong Sylvia is the presumed dead heir of Jasad, a kingdom that was destroyed by the neighboring Nizahl and saw its citizens’ innate magic outlawed. Sylvia managed to carve out a relatively normal life for herself as a chemist’s apprentice, but everything falls apart after she accidentally reveals her magic to the heir of Nizahl. Using her life as leverage, the calculating Arin strikes a deal with Sylvia to help him capture a group of Jasadi rebels and act as his champion in a series of deadly trials. It’s a familiar setup, but one impeccably done by Hashem, who delivers sharp political intrigue, sparkling banter, and touching friendships on top of Sylvia and Arin’s simmering romance. — SG

The Surviving Sky (The Rages Trilogy #1) by Kritika H. Rao

After I finished The Surviving Sky , I wouldn’t shut up about it and tried (not always successfully) to get everyone I know to read it. So let me try once more, and maybe with less yelling this time:

With the planet’s surface made unlivable by catastrophic storms, the remains of humanity survive on floating cities constructed of and powered by plants that only a select group of people, known as architects, can control. An archeologist without the ability to traject plants, Ahilya has dedicated her life to finding a way to unshackle humanity’s survival from the architects’ powers and return to the surface. It’s not hard to see why this mission causes friction in her marriage to Iravan, one of the most powerful architects in their city, and one with an arrogance to match his revered status. Though estranged, Ahilya and Iravan come together to help clear his name after he’s accused of pushing his powers dangerously far, an accusation, which if proved true, carries dire consequences for the architect.

But the deeper they look into trajection and its risks, the more Ahilya and Iravan realize they don’t actually know much about where their people – and their powers – came from. And as the floating cities begin to sink toward the earthrages below, the race to save their civilization may also be the end of society as it stands, as Ahilya and Iravan uncover long-buried truths that previous generations worked hard to keep hidden.

So did I do it? Did I convince you to read this Hindu philosophy-inspired debut with some of the most inventive world-building and one of the most complex romances I’ve read in years? Please say yes. You’ll be doing us both a favor. — SG

The Combat Codes and Grievar’s Blood (The Combat Codes Saga #1-2) by Alexander Darwin

In the world of The Combat Codes, war no longer exists as it used to. Neither does justice — both concepts have been replaced by proxies who fight on behalf of nations or individuals, solving disputes with their fists.

Alexander Darwin’s debut novel effectively builds a world around this core concept, bringing it to life with compelling characters and locations (including a classic “magical school for gifted youngsters” situation). The Combat Codes follows Cego, a young abandoned boy skilled at fighting, and Murray, a washed-up former fighter now tasked with scouting the next generation of combatants, whose discovery of Cego changes his entire world.

Darwin is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and teacher, and uses that experience in the books’ excellent fight sequences. His evocative and visceral descriptions not only deliver excitement and suspense in this underdog story; they build your understanding of the characters through how they fight. The Combat Codes and its equally fun sequel, Grievar’s Blood , which adds new exciting characters and points-of-view, are the first two parts of a planned trilogy, and I can’t wait for the conclusion next year. — Pete Volk

My Murder by Katie Williams

Fans of Sarah Gailey’s The Echo Wife won’t want to miss My Murder , which shares some key elements and themes with Gailey’s novel while also taking them in a unique direction. In a near-future with only a few light sci-fi elements, Lou has been resurrected along with a handful of other women murdered by a single serial killer. The politics of resurrection in her world are complicated, and few people qualify. That leaves her and her fellow victims (whose therapy circle recalls Grady Hendrix’s The Final Girl Support Group ) a bit at sea as they try to come to terms with their deaths, which none of them can recall, and their new lives as celebrities for all the wrong reasons.

Like The Echo Wife , My Murder ends up thoughtfully exploring issues around women subjected to violent men — not just the personal and internal response, but the society that shapes that violence, and responds to it in ways that raise endless questions. The victims all respond to their deaths differently, questioning their culpability and the possible failures that might have made them targets, and navigating their families’ unpredictable responses to their revival. There’s one big mystery at the heart of My Murder , and a whole lot of abrupt and compelling surprises. But at the core, it’s a sci-fi twist on the survivor story, letting some very different people explore what it means to be victimized, and how to reclaim the lives that have been abruptly handed back to them. — TR

Translation State by Ann Leckie

Set in the same universe as Leckie’s Imperial Radch trilogy, Translation State follows Enae, who leaves hir long-standing isolation for what was supposed to be an interstellar goose chase. After hir demanding grandmaman dies, Enae is given a diplomat title and assigned to investigate a missing Presgr translator no one expects to be found (but that the government still wants the goodwill for pretending to look for). Only, Enae doesn’t just pretend to look; sie discovers sie has quite the knack for investigating the 200-year-old cold case.

This is how hir path crosses that of Reet, an adopted maintenance worker whose mysterious origins and unsettling impulses might be explained by being the child of the fugitive translator, if you ask Enae, or the last descendant of a lost sovereign line, if you ask one particularly zealous diaspora social group. Rounding out the POV characters is Qven, a young Presgr terrified of their species’ ritual of merging with an elder, a rite of passage which will see Qven’s selfhood entirely dissolved. Enae, Reet, and Qven’s explorations of their own identities wind up having interplanetary consequences, but it’s the way Leckie gives weight to the small moments, both personal and shared, that make this book sing.

Though I’m sure there are layers that only those familiar with the Imperial Radch trilogy will notice and appreciate, the standalone Translation State and its rich exploration of self-identification and personhood serve as a fantastic introduction to Leckie’s world. So don’t hesitate to jump into Translation State if you’re – like me – new to Radch and simply drawn to a thrilling mystery where the most intimate emotions can fuel a universal upheaval. — SG

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig

I still remember standing in my local bookstore, struck by the cover of this book, and reading the summary. It had me at “Chinese pirate queen.”

In Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea , Chang-Eppig writes a historical fantasy about Shek Yeung, a fearsome Chinese pirate who must navigate her fleet after the death of her powerful husband. She marries her late husband’s second-in-command, with the promise of bearing an heir, in order to retain power over the fleet — and stay a major player as the Chinese Emperor seeks to rid the waters of piracy.

The book isn’t paced like a thriller, so don’t make the mistake of assuming so when you start it. It’s equal parts historical exposition, strategy, and warfare — and it especially excels in its characterization of a complicated woman forced to make difficult decisions and sacrifices in order to protect her power. Fantasy can put its villains and heroes on pedestals, but Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea never errs in its very human portrayal of Shek Yeung, and how deftly she must play this game of political chess for survival. I was riveted. — N. Clark

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs

There’s nothing cozier than a magical book about the magic of books — though this tale bends a little darker, and tells a story about witchcraft and complicated family dynamics. In Ink Blood Sister Scribe , two estranged sisters come together to solve the mystery of their family, and prevent further tragedies. In this world, blood can be concocted into ink — wielded by scribes for the creation of books with arcane powers — though the creation of such books drains a scribe’s health. When others read these books, they create magic; willing flowers to bloom, or making magical carpets that can fly in the air.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe is the perfect sister thriller to read in one sitting. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t need to — it simply delivers on a wonderfully entertaining premise. — N. Clark

Witch King by Martha Wells

In an era where a lot of fantasy fans value quick or cozy reads, Martha Wells’ Witch King feels like a gauntlet thrown at readers’ feet. It’s a complex, meaty fantasy that opens well into what a more linear book would consider the third act, as Kai, the witch king of the title, is exhumed from a watery grave and starts exploring who betrayed him and trapped him there. Readers have to learn everything about Kai’s world as his story unfolds in multiple intertwined timelines. That includes figuring out what a “witch king” is, unwrapping the layers of what Kai actually is and why it matters. It also means being introduced to a wide variety of allies and enemies while alternately flashing back to how he met them, and slowly coming to understand the dense political machinations that shaped all their lives in the past and present.

As with Wells’ Murderbot books and her Books of the Raksura series in particular, part of the draw here is a powerful, skilled protagonist whose biggest struggles are often internal. Kai has a lot of intense emotional responses to the world, but lacks the tools to understand what to do with those feelings, or who to trust with them. Wells packs Witch King with a lot of audacious, expansive world-building for a standalone novel (albeit one that could easily invite sequels or prequels), but what makes Witch King an enjoyable read instead of a frustrating one is the way all the book’s complications and surprises are filtered through Kai’s vivid inner life, giving readers something to hold onto as they’re untangling the puzzlebox aspects of this cleverly structured novel. — TR

The Lost War (The Eidyn Saga #1) by Justin Lee Anderson

Originally self-published in 2019, The Lost War is a traditional fantasy adventure that follows a rag-tag group of strangers on a mission across a war-torn country, fighting monsters and uncovering mysteries along the way. Despite the strong buzz leading up to the novel’s expanded publication by Orbit this year, I found myself hesitant to pick it up since it seemed so similar to many books I’ve read before. But while it’s true The Lost War doesn’t rewrite the genre – it’s filled with well-worn tropes and classic adventurer archetypes – Anderson’s skillful execution left me completely charmed. There is a real Dungeons and Dragons feel to The Lost War , and though the characters are familiar (the honorable paladin, the hard-drinking haunted soldier), Anderson does a fantastic job developing unique dynamics between the party members that vault the book beyond the sum of its parts. And it all builds up to a massive twist at the end that completely upends your understanding of what you’ve read and any previous expectations for where the second book will go. The delightfully unexpected ending once again has the fantasy community buzzing ahead of Anderson’s next release – only this time I’m right there with them. — SG

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath (Nampeshiweisit #1) by Moniquill Blackgoose

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath ’s description hooked me immediately: It’s got dragons, a magic school, and a strong teenage main character. Moniquill Blackgoose has taken several different fantasy tropes and created a fantasy novel that’s unlike anything I’ve read; To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is set in an evolving steampunk world as Anglish settlers push the Indigenous Masquapaug people out of their land and onto a remote island. Dragons had long been important cultural touchstones to the Indigenous people, but colonization has, too, pushed them away. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath begins as 15-year-old Anequs finds a dragon egg — the first to be spotted in the area in generations. Anequs is named a Nampeshiweisit, or a dragon rider, as the community helps raise and hatch the dragon’s egg.

The colonizing nation quickly finds out and forces Anequs and her dragon into the Anglish dragon school; if she resists, the dragon will be eliminated. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is about the growing relationship between her and her dragon Kasaqua, but also about her resistance to the Anglish traditions relating to dragons. The Anglish treat dragons as something to be conquered — they use them as tools and weapons, whereas the Indigenous people have historically partnered with dragons for a relationship built on both tradition and respect.

That partnership means Anequs now has the power to take on colonialism and racism in a new way. Where To Shape a Dragon’s Breath really shines is in that growing relationship between Anequs and Kasaqua; the partnership — and power for both that comes with it — is in stark contrast to the Anglish ways. Bonus: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath has well-written, complex bisexual and neurodivergent characters, too. — Nicole Carpenter

Loki by Melvin Burgess

Melvin Burgess has spent a career writing confrontationally frank children’s literature like Junk , his 1990s book about heroin-addicted teenagers. His first adult book, published at age 69, is a blistering, transgressive, and hugely entertaining reframing of the Norse myths, as told by the most unreliable narrator imaginable: Loki himself, the god of tricks, inventions, and political intrigue. But what does reliable mean, anyway, in the mutable world of myth? Burgess paints Loki (or rather, has him paint himself, as he addresses the reader directly in first person) as an eternal outsider, shaking his head sagely at the follies of the gods, and challenging their might-is-right order. But of course, that’s what he’d want us to think. Burgess’ best trick, though, is the way he rolls together the deeply weird, muddy, shape-shifting mystery of the tales themselves with a bracing modernity in characterization and language, somehow without one clashing with the other. In doing so he brings the wild, ancient power of the Norse myths to vivid life. — Oli Welsh

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

In Chain-Gang All-Stars , prison inmates fight to the death in a series of gladiatorial matches — and all of it is televised to a hungry audience. It’s a program called CAPE, the Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, which promises freedom to inmates who survive three years of its brutality. The average life expectancy for anyone who enters is three months. Within this system, Loretta Thurwar and Hammara Stacker (called Hurricane Staxxx by her fans) emerge as two frontrunners.

This National Book Award finalist takes on the viciousness of the carceral system, with more than a bit of The Hunger Games’ DNA sprinkled in. “Hard action” fans salivate over matches, a self-obsessed announcer resents the fact that contestants don’t offer more banter, and the women who top the leaderboards become sex symbols in pop culture. But where other fight-to-the-death dystopias — among the greats, like Battle Royale or Lord of the Flies — spin a more fantastical yarn, Chain-Gang All-Stars is aimed right at the heart of the all-too-real cruelties of our existing for-profit penal system.

Early in the book, Thurwar kills a 16-year-old boy in a gladiator match. Fans in the stands lament not the death of the boy, but the idea that the fight wasn’t entertaining because it wasn’t a fair matchup. In a footnote, Adjei-Brenyah writes of George Stinney Jr., a 14-year-old Black boy who was convicted for murder and executed in 1944. Chain-Gang All-Stars also illustrates the ways in which imprisonment is simply “slavery by another name,” showing all manner of menial labor the contestants are forced to perform. In 2022, the ACLU reported that inmates made between 13 and 52 cents an hour, and sometimes nothing.

Critics have said this book is an “act of protest” but that it doesn’t “straightforwardly preach,” or that it’s more entertaining than “an attempt to convince its readers of the case for prison abolition has any right to be.” I understand why you’d want to say this book is “fun” despite an abolitionist message, especially in a political climate where radical writing is often appreciated only as a teaching tool. But I think that kind of delineation undercuts Adjei-Brenyah’s talent as a novelist, and his skill in heightening the real as a form of storytelling. I’d call it thrilling, over calling it fun. And the fact that it is thrilling is inextricable from its openly abolitionist values — it’s the very knowledge of real life that Adjei-Brenyah wields to craft suspense. — N. Clark

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

This action-packed, fantasy romance feels like a grown up version of all of my favorite young adult books. It’s got all of the fun nostalgic tropes — a magical school, deadly trials, dragon riding, and a love triangle between the main character, a golden retriever love interest, and a misunderstood emo rival — but it’s also extremely horny, as all fun fantasy romance must be.

Violet Sorrengail is thrown into a series of trials in order to prove whether she can be a dragon rider. There are a few problems with this: she trained as a scribe, never thought she’d be thrust into danger, and she also must deal with Xaden Riorson, her sworn enemy (wink). She also manages a joint condition, which leaves her in chronic pain — a fact the book handles gracefully. In one of my favorite climactic moments of the book, Violet is given a mobility device to help her with her trials; those close to her remind her that it doesn’t diminish her power, but is a tool like any other, and one that allows her to flourish. I’m thrilled to read the next installment, when it comes out in November. — N. Clark

Lords of Uncreation (The Final Architecture #3) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Reading the Final Architecture series, I had to accept long ago that I would never fully grasp the nuances of some of its central concepts, even if I understood them on an instinctual level.

This acceptance set me up well for Lords of Uncreation , which revolves around concepts that even the characters find impossible to understand, and whose minds may literally break if they try to. Like looking directly into the sun, confronting the blurred space between the real and unreal (as well as the eldritch terrors that lurk within) poses a grave threat to those doing so head-on – at least to anyone other than weary intermediary Idris Tellemier, whose risk is merely reduced rather than eliminated. But the characters Adrian Tchaikovsky has populated this world with are so grounded, so emotionally rich, and so vibrant that the details of the brain-bending threats lurking within unspace become secondary to their impact on the lives of and relationships between the Vulture God ’s crew.

This is not to say that Tchaikovsky does not deliver an incredibly satisfying conclusion to the mysteries of unspace (he does!). But what I’ll remember most is how he crafted the perfect emotional resolution to this intellectually intricate tale that left me in tears and has stayed with me since. — SG

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

Proctor Bennett is a ferryman, whose duty is to guide unhappy citizens from the utopian Propersa to the Nursery, where they retire their old selves before returning in younger bodies with no memories of their former lives. But when Proctor is assigned to retire his own father, the troubling encounter sends him careening off the path of conformity. He begins questioning prescribed truths and confronting the darker side of Prospera, which runs off the work of a disenfranchised support staff whose discontent is building towards a revolution that pulls Proctor into its orbit.

Though this premise may feel familiar, The Ferryman is anything but. This tightly-wound, atmospheric thriller weaves together layers of knotted mystery with Proctor’s haunting POV as he grapples with his relationship to grief, happiness, family, and identity. It’s a sharply complex mystery with a cinematic quality to it. Throughout reading, I couldn’t help but fan-cast who would star in a Christopher Nolan adaptation of it. But even if you aren’t an Inception fan, it’ll be easy to become immersed in The Ferryman ’s distinct dystopian world. — SG

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Around September, as the pile of unpainted plastic miniatures here in my home office began to get particularly deep, I suddenly ran out of Warhammer 40,000 Black Library audiobooks by Games Workshop that I was the least bit interested in listening to. That’s when I stumbled upon Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh. Billed as a space opera told from the perspective of one of humanity’s last genetically engineered super soldiers, I fell for the premise hook, line, and sinker. Then, about 50 pages in, I let it sucker-punch me right in the gut.

With Some Desperate Glory , Tesh has envisioned a deeply affecting reality where the children of a subjugated, war-torn race slowly come to realize that they have been lied to — manipulated into an amoral war of vengeance without end. Tesh shows incredible restraint throughout, reeling out a thick and binding thread of painful realizations from deep within the main character, Kyr. After grappling with my personal love for the grim darkness of the far future for quite a few years now, this book helped me come to terms with how much I despise those tropes even as I find myself drawn toward them time and time again.

Some Desperate Glory is, in my opinion, required reading for anyone who has ever painted a Space Marine in earnest – and a new fixture in the canon of queer science fiction. — Charlie Hall

Chlorine by Jade Song

I think I have been waiting my whole life for this book — for someone to write adolescence like the body horror it is, with all of the cultural specificity of being a Chinese American girl, simply bursting at the seams with sapphic longing. Chlorine stars Ren Yu, a swimmer who believes that she is a mermaid. But she is tethered to land by her human ambition: By the parents who constantly push her to achieve, and by a swim coach who pays inappropriate attention to her — pushing her to swim faster times, while also making her feel uncomfortable in her skin.

Ren’s steadfast belief in being a mermaid feels both like a flight of fancy, and increasingly like a means of dissociating from the horrors of everyday life. Being a young girl is hard enough without having to contend with the high expectations of parents, the predation of adult men, and the casual racism of peers. Jade Song’s writing is gruesomely lyrical, contrasting the sublime with the deeply disturbing. There were several points where this book almost made me throw up, and I mean that as a high compliment. — N. Clark

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

Adelaide Henry is traveling to Montana, where she plans on making a new life as a homesteader — leaving the flames of her California home, and the bodies of her parents, behind. But she has a heavy weight to carry. She lugs an enormous steam trunk wherever she goes; whenever the trunk opens, people around her die. In 1915, Montana is in the middle of a homestead boom, and though Adelaide aims to make a new start, not everyone is welcoming to a Black woman traveling alone.

Victor LaValle mixes horror and fantasy in this expertly paced tale. It’s satisfyingly bloody, while making incisive commentary on the price of being an outsider. The Western genre has long fixated on the white imagination, perhaps occasionally making space for the early struggle of the suffragettes. But LaValle’s vision of history emphasizes just how powerful white women are in upholding the interests of their white husbands, and how far these women will go to protect the societal structures that put them in proximity to power. Lone Women also examines how shame, and the family unit, ultimately uphold these unspoken rules — ostracizing those who might otherwise find community support.

This book was so good that I am now reading my way through every interview LaValle has given on the Lone Women press circuit, too, and then reading every book he references. What a gift! — N. Clark

The Strange by Nathan Ballingrud

Nathan Ballingrud’s debut novel was added to my TBR pile after seeing it marketed as a blend of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles and Charles Portis’ True Grit. I’m always dubious about marketing comparisons, but was thrilled when The Strange delivered on this high promise.

In an alternate history where humanity colonized Mars in the early 1900s, the red planet has lost all communication with Earth, leaving the fate of 14-year-old Annabelle Crisp’s mother unknown. When a thief steals Annabelle’s sole voice recording of her mom, she and her beloved Kitchen Engine, Watson, set off into the desert to retrieve what’s hers and see justice served. The longer Annabelle’s adventure goes on, the more she loses perspective and drifts away from righteousness in dogged pursuit of her own selfish desires. Struggling to comprehend that the world can’t be divided into binaries like right or wrong and black or white, Annabelle converts her fear into anger, lashing out and harming those around her, including those providing aid.

Annabelle can be vengeful and cruel, and though I often disagreed with her choices, Ballingrud makes it impossible not to understand and empathize with her. Annabelle Crisp isn’t a hero and she isn’t a villain, but she is an outstanding protagonist in a wonderfully original sci-fi tale. — SG

The Lies of the Ajungo (The Forever Desert #1) by Moses Ose Utomi

In his debut novella, Moses Ose Utomi wields his precise prose to tell a dark, visceral fable about a young boy from the City of Lies, a metropolis reliant on the brutal Ajungo Empire for their supply of water. But the cost of this trade is high: At 13, every child of the City of Lies has their tongue cut out and sent to the Ajungo.

Even with this gruesome tithe, the Ajungo send barely enough water for the population to survive, and far from what they’d need to do so comfortably, let alone thrive. Shortly before his thirteenth birthday, the brave Tutu sets out on a dangerous journey to save his mother and the city by finding their own water supply. As Tutu explores the outside world for the first time, his perception of truth and history is challenged, and he comes to understand how the decisions and deceptions of those in power rewrite the past and shape the future to uphold those with privilege and foster compliance in those who don’t. — SG

Antimatter Blues by Edward Ashton

Edward Ashton’s sequel to Mickey 7 , the 2022 novel Parasite director Bong Joon-ho is adapting as a movie starring Robert Pattinson , takes up two years after the first book left off, with “Expendable”-status planetary colonist Mickey still on the outs with the leadership of his struggling colony after a gutsy bluff he made to ensure his own survival. The sixth clone of the original Mickey, who accepted life as a disposable body for suicide missions in exchange for a ticket to space, Mickey 7 has walked off that job. His ongoing draw on the colony’s resources is only tolerated because he’s exaggerated his diplomatic connections with the local aliens. Then the base commander orders him to do something impossible, or the entire colony will die.

Antimatter Blues is knottier than the first book in the series, with more to take in about the ethics of survival and humanity’s predisposition toward xenophobia and selfish, self-serving behavior. It sure isn’t a pleasant book to read: A lot of Mickey’s co-colonists are bigots, most of them are indifferent to anyone else’s suffering, and at times, the book reads as though Earth deliberately sent all the worst people into space, the better to be free of them. Even Mickey himself is, at absolute minimum, generally more focused on his own safety and comfort than on the horrific results of some of his choices. But as soon as he’s placed in what seems like an unsurvivable situation, that dynamic leads to high drama, and Antimatter Blues becomes a breathless book rocketing to a surprising conclusion. Prepare to feel sorry for various alien races who have to deal with icky humanity. — TR

A Day of Fallen Night (The Roots of Chaos #0) by Samantha Shannon

Samantha Shannon’s A Day of Fallen Night is her second book in the Roots of Chaos series, but a prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree . Like The Priory of the Orange Tree , A Day of Fallen Night is an epic, far-flung fantasy novel set in a world of magic and dragons. A Day of Fallen Night is set hundreds of years before The Priory of the Orange Tree , and follows several of the original book’s ancestors as the world fears the return of an evil wyrm, the Nameless One. You don’t have to have read The Priory of the Orange Tree to enjoy A Day of Fallen Night ; in fact, it’s likely a good place to start if you’ve been interested in reading Shannon’s original, massive fantasy book. Of course, this is a slow-burn 800-page book that precedes another 800-page book, so it’s definitely a time investment regardless of the path.

Though A Day of Fallen Night deals with a world-shaping, cataclysmic threat and widespread political machinations, the book is rooted within four characters from around the book’s world: Sabran, Glorian, Dumai, and Tunuva Melim. The stories of these characters intertwine as their regional beliefs tied to wyrms and dragons conflict, muddying up the necessary collaboration in fighting off the looming threat. In between all that catastrophe, Shannon gives the women of the book rich stories of personal relationships, sacrifice, and conflicting feelings. Motherhood and bodily autonomy are also strong themes throughout the book; both Sabran and Glorian (mother and daughter) have their bodily autonomy tied to the fate of their region.

It’s not easy to describe A Day of Fallen Night in a short blurb — it does so many things and goes so many places. Shannon’s created a series that has the scale of The Lord of the Rings, wrapped up in a world of queer, female power. The Roots of Chaos, as a whole, is one of my favorite fantasy series ever. — N. Carpenter

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez

This literary tome defies categorization, so I’ll paint a scene instead: A father (Juan) whisks his son (Gaspar) away on a trip. Juan is mercurial; at turns terrifying and violent, at turns bewilderingly tender, nearly infinite in love. But he is a closed book. And if you think you’ve seen his hands elongate, spindly fingers yielding to piercing claws — well no, you didn’t.

Slow, dreadful, and razor-sharp, Our Share of Night charts a family’s desperate attempt at escaping the clutches of a death cult in Argentina. Its members seek the secrets of immortality, and many are willing to pay any price to obtain it. Set in 1981, the novel’s supernatural terrors intertwine with those of the Dirty War, the authoritarian violence offering cover for the cult to operate uninhibited.

I will read anything Mariana Enríquez writes next, it’s an absolute joy to experience her work. — N. Clark

The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

The Terraformers concerns itself with one question: As a species evolves, what behaviors stick around? Set more than 50,000 years in the future (yes, you read that number right), The Terraformers details the process of terraforming and developing a privatized planet into a tourism joint for the super rich. Technology has advanced in barely fathomable ways, allowing, for instance, the extension of human-level intelligence to animals and robots. But some aspects of society might seem familiar: Real estate developers who jack up rent with no warning? Local governments that abhor public transit? That every video call still has one person who can’t get the camera to work?

Equal parts prescient and absurd, The Terraformers splits its story over three novellas, each 700 years apart. One of those stars a sentient train who teams up with an investigative journalist ... who also happens to be a cat ... who’s also trying to prove this ostensibly privatized planet is in fact public land. Written by a leading science journalist of our era (author Annalee Newitz is the founder of io9 and has written for basically every major science publication under our sun), The Terraformers is unexpectedly one of the most accurate representations of the journalistic process I’ve ever read. And it all culminates in an undeniable stance: That capitalistic power must still be held in check by the truth. Even 50,000 years in the future, a free press is among society’s most essential facets. The more things change... — Ari Notis

Children of Memory (Children of Time #3) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Adrian Tchaikovsky’s highly anticipated third book in the Children of Time trilogy once again delves into some of science fiction’s headiest topics. There are parallels to earlier installments — Tchaikovsky once again uses another hyper-intelligent animal species to examine the idea of what being “alive” really means. But he also takes readers somewhere completely and utterly new, outside the scope of the previous titles, and incredibly difficult to describe without spoiling the premise entirely.

All I can say is hold on for the ride. This is an author who dives head first into Asimov-esque ideas, and who is willing to take the plot in fanciful directions. I still can’t believe that I have recommended a book about sentient spider colonies to so many friends, but here we are. This finale is worth your time. — N. Clark

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March 27, 2024

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What is the '3 Body Problem'? Astrophysicist explains concept behind hit Netflix show

by Cody Mello-Klein, Northeastern University

"3 Body Problem," Netflix's new big-budget adaptation of Liu Cixin's book series helmed by the creators behind "Game of Thrones," puts the science in science fiction.

The series focuses on scientists as they attempt to solve a mystery that spans decades, continents and even galaxies. That means "3 Body Problem" throws some pretty complicated quantum mechanics and astrophysics concepts at the audience as it, sometimes literally, tries to bring these ideas down to earth.

However, at the core of the series is the three-body problem, a question that has stumped scientists for centuries.

What exactly is the three-body problem, and why is it still unsolvable? Jonathan Blazek, an assistant professor of physics at Northeastern University, explains that systems with two objects exerting gravitational force on one another, whether they're particles or stars and planets, are predictable. Scientists have been able to solve this two-body problem and predict the orbits of objects since the days of Isaac Newton. But as soon as a third body enters the mix, the whole system gets thrown into chaos.

"The three-body problem is the statement that if you have three bodies gravitating toward each other under Newton's law of gravitation, there is no general closed-form solution for that situation," Blazek says. "Little differences get amplified and can lead to wildly unpredictable behavior in the future."

In "3 Body Problem," like in Cixin's book, this is a reality for aliens that live in a solar system with three suns. Since all three stars are exerting gravitational forces on each other, they end up throwing the solar system into chaos as they fling each other back and forth. For the Trisolarans, the name for these aliens, it means that when a sun is jettisoned far away, their planet freezes, and when a sun is thrown extremely close to their planet, it gets torched. Worse, because of the three-body problem, these movements are completely unpredictable.

For centuries, scientists have pondered the question of how to determine a stable starting point for three gravitational bodies that would result in predictable orbits. There is still no generalizable solution that can be taken out of theory and modeled in reality, although recently scientists have started to find some potentially creative solutions, including with models based on the movements of drunk people.

"If you want to [predict] what the solar system's going to do, we can put all the planets and as many asteroids as we know into a computer code and basically say we're going to calculate the force between everything and move everything forward a little bit," Blazek says. "This works, but to the extent that you're making some approximations … all of these things will eventually break down and your prediction is going to become inaccurate."

Blazek says the three-body problem has captivated scientific minds because it's a seemingly simple problem. Most high school physics students learn Newton's law of gravity and can reasonably calculate and predict the movement of two bodies.

Three-body systems, and more than three-body systems, also show up throughout the universe, so the question is incredibly relevant. Look no further than our solar system.

The relationship between the sun, Earth and our moon is a three-body system. But Blazek says since the sun exerts a stronger gravitational force on Earth and Earth does the same on the moon, it creates a pair of two-body systems with stable, predictable orbits—for now.

Blazek says that although our solar system appears stable, there's no guarantee that it will stay that way in the far future because there are still multi-body systems at play. Small changes like an asteroid hitting one of Jupiter's moons and altering its orbit ever so slightly could eventually spiral into larger changes.

That doesn't mean humanity will face a crisis like the one the Trisolarans face in "3 Body Problem." These changes happen extremely slowly, but Blazek says it's another reminder of why these concepts are interesting and important to think about in both science and science fiction.

"I don't think anything is going to happen on the time scale of our week or even probably our species—we have bigger problems than the instability of orbits in our solar system," Blazek says. "But, that said, if you think about billions of years, during that period we don't know that the orbits will stay as they currently are. There's a good chance there will be some instability that changes how things look in the solar system."

Provided by Northeastern University

This story is republished courtesy of Northeastern Global News news.northeastern.edu .

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