Science Fiction
Pet
Akwaeke Emezi
YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Emezi, Akwaeke
Science Fiction
There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster--and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also uncover the truth, and the answer to the question How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?
Red Mars
Kim Stanley Robinson
For eons, sandstorms have swept the desolate landscape. For centuries, Mars has beckoned humans to conquer its hostile climate. Now, in 2026, a group of 100 colonists is about to fulfill that destiny. John Boone, Maya Toitavna, Frank Chalmers & Arkady Bogdanov lead a terraforming mission. For some, Mars will become a passion driving them to daring acts of courage & madness. For others it offers an opportunity to strip the planet of its riches. For the genetic alchemists, it presents a chance to create a biomedical miracle, a breakthrough that could change all we know about life & death. The colonists orbit giant satellite mirrors to reflect light to the surface. Black dust sprinkled on the polar caps will capture warmth. Massive tunnels, kilometers deep, will be drilled into the mantle to create stupendous vents of hot gases. Against this backdrop of epic upheaval, rivalries, loves & friendships will form & fall to pieces--for there are those who will fight to the death to prevent Mars from ever being changed.
Red Mars was perhaps the best book I read in 2022. I was enthralled by the complex scientific ideas presented through it, as well as the interesting characters and their beliefs. This story focuses heavily on the politics of terraforming Mars for human use, and the intricacies of that change. If you like hard science fiction and political maneuvering, you will love this book just as I did. -Zach
The mountain in the sea
Ray Nayler
SCIENCE FICTION Nayler Ray
Science Fiction
"Following a mysterious murder on an island off the coast of Vietnam, a research team convenes to study an octopus community that seems to be developing its own language and culture. Humans, AIs, and animals are swept up in the machinations of governments and corporations in this near-future thriller about the nature of intelligence"--
An engaging, well crafted tale set in a future where the geopolitical landscape is completely different in wholly unexpected ways, AI driven machines are ubiquitous and sometimes beautifully crafted and at others coldly indifferent, human life is cheap and expendable when no longer useful, and talented hackers are in high demand for very specific clandestine activities. Throw into this mix an unusual set of conditions and circumstances on a protected chain of islands off the Vietnamese coast, and the nature of perception, observation, intelligence and communication and you get a book I personally found hard to put down. -Paul
All Systems Red
Martha Wells
In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern. On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid--a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.
I read this book as an audiobook and I cannot recommend that experience more. It felt a little slow to start, but it's not the plot that grabbed me with this series, but the characters. I felt so connected to everyone and it made me want to read more and more. I think it's a wonderful read and something I will 100% revisit one day! -Zach
Midnight horizon
Daniel José Older
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Star Wars
Science Fiction, Fantasy
After a series of losses, the Republic seems to have the villainous Nihil marauders on the run. Jedi Masters Cohmac Vitus and Kantam Sy are sent to the world of Corellia, in the Galactic Core, to investigate a suspected Nihil attack. There, Padawans Reath Silas and Ram Jomaram encounter security specialist Crash, whose friend was one of the victims of the attack. What they uncover on Corellia turns out to be part of a great plan-- one that could lead the Jedi to their most stunning defeat yet. -- adapted from jacket
The High Republic is so captivating. Another good installment here. -Mykle
A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Becky Chambers
Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space-and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe-in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star. Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain. Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.
This series is filled with love and joy. I can say with absolute certainty that each book will be one of the best books I've read this year, and I cannot wait for more by Becky Chambers--so far I have read everything written by her and I'm excited to read everything in the future! The series is a collection of stand alone novels, but that doesn't take away from my love. Usually I love when a series continues with the same characters because you grow to love them more as time goes on, but each story ended so satisfactorily that I felt content and happy with their conclusions. My one sadness is that the series is over, that I won't be able to see any new tales in this universe, but I will happily revisit it anytime. (P.S. Record of a Spaceborn Few was my favorite!) -Zach
Dawn
Octavia E. Butler
Lilith Iyapo has just lost her husband and son when atomic fire consumes Earth—the last stage of the planet’s final war. Hundreds of years later Lilith awakes, deep in the hold of a massive alien spacecraft piloted by the Oankali—who arrived just in time to save humanity from extinction. They have kept Lilith and other survivors asleep for centuries, as they learned whatever they could about Earth. Now it is time for Lilith to lead them back to her home world, but life among the Oankali on the newly resettled planet will be nothing like it was before. The Oankali survive by genetically merging with primitive civilizations—whether their new hosts like it or not. For the first time since the nuclear holocaust, Earth will be inhabited. Grass will grow, animals will run, and people will learn to survive the planet’s untamed wilderness. But their children will not be human. Not exactly.
This book and series can be hard to read. There are a lot of scenes which focus themselves on consent, and with that there comes the feeling of sexual assault. It's not graphic, but it can be hard to read at times. I read this book in a class on science-fiction and it was fascinating to se the depths of the story with that lens. I recommend this book and all other books by Octavia E. Butler, she is truly a master at her craft. -Zach
Parable of the sower
Octavia E Butler
SCIENCE FICTION Butler, Octavia E.
Science Fiction
When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others' emotions. Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.
"Parable of the Sower" is a powerful and harrowing tale told in a matter of fact tone. At its core, it is a dystopian story that shows how ugly humans can be. It ends up being surprisingly optimistic--and I encourage you to push through even when parts of the book can be difficult to stomach. This was my first Octavia Butler novel, and it won't be my last. -Brian
Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Sprit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction
Joshua Whitehead
Love After the End is a new young adult anthology edited by Joshua Whitehead (Lambda Literary Award winner, Jonny Appleseed) featuring short stories by Indigenous authors with Two-Spirit & Queer heroes, in utopian and dystopian settings. This is a sequel to the popular anthology, Love Beyond Body Space and Time (2019 AILA Youth Honor Book), and features several of the same authors returning, along with new voices!
Another great collection! There's a wonderful few stories here, some of my favorites, and I cannot recommend them enough! -Zach
Love Beyond Body, Space, & Time: An Indigenous LGBT Sci-Fi Anthology
Hope Nicholson
"Love Beyond, Body, Space, and Time" is a collection of indigenous science fiction and urban fantasy focusing on LGBT and two-spirit characters. These stories range from a transgender woman trying an experimental transition medication to young lovers separated through decades and meeting far in their own future. These are stories of machines and magic, love, and self-love. This collection features prose stories by: Cherie Dimaline "The Girl Who Grew a Galaxy," "Red Rooms" Gwen Benaway "Ceremonies for the Dead" David Robertson "Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story," Tales From Big Spirit series Richard Van Camp "The Lesser Blessed," "Three Feathers" Mari Kurisato "Celia’s Song," "Bent Box" Nathan Adler "Wrist" Daniel Heath Justice "The Way of Thorn and Thunder: The Kynship Chronicles" Darcie Little Badger "Nkásht íí, The Sea Under Texas" Cleo Keahna And an introduction by Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair "Manitowapow," with a foreword by Grace Dillon "Walking the Clouds". Edited by Hope Nicholson "Moonshot," "The Secret Loves of Geek Girls"
I love an anthology of science fiction and fantasy, and this one holds an incredible collection of different authors and stories, some already on this list. -Zach
This story follows a fantastic cast of characters, including a trans girl named Jam. I listened to the book and I want to listen to it again, or perhaps take notes in the margin of reading it next time. Akwaeke Emezi is a wonderful author and I think anything you read by them will be incredible, especially this book. -Zach