Speculative fiction can be as heartwarming, romantic or funny as it can be apocalyptic and dystopian. This book selection highlights SF’s diversity — without compromising on thrills.
Monk and Robot series by Becky Chambers
A young non-binary monk leaves their city to explore the wilderness of a moon that once created AI, a place that is home to freed robot slaves, one of whom the monk meets on their journey.
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Three protagonists — a transgender violin prodigy, a donut-selling alien, and a woman who made a deal with the devil — are all running from something… until family worth crossing the universe for is found.
On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
An epic graphic novel about a girl who travels to the ends of the universe to find a long-lost love.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
What began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.
Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells
Having hacked the government software that forces it to be obedient, all Murderbot wants to do is watch its shows and avoid the humans it’s supposed to protect. Unfortunately, they won’t stop finding themselves in danger, forcing Murderbot to help reluctantly.
Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes
Three words: psychic space cats. A hilarious, offbeat debut space opera that skewers everything from pop culture to video games and features an irresistible foul-mouthed captain and her motley crew, strange life forms, exciting twists, and a galaxy full of fun and adventure.
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
Delivery driver Jamie doesn’t like his job, so he signs up to work with an animal rights business — without knowing that said animals are endangered creatures running freely in a different dimension.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Sometimes terrifying, sometimes tender, Station Eleven tells a story about the relationships that sustain us, the ephemeral nature of fame and the beauty of the world as we know it.
