Tag: Sci-Fi

Sci-Fi Novellas

- Paige Leave a comment

The genre of science fiction (aka sci-fi) can sometimes be a little daunting to start reading.  From dystopias to space operas to time travel, it’s hard to know where to start. That’s where novellas can come in! Novellas are works that are longer than a short story, but shorter than a typical novel, so a perfect entry point into any genre.  Also, November is National Science Fiction Month so it’s the perfect time to start! Here are some sci-fi novellas that will let you dip your toe into the genre before fully diving in. All descriptions are provided by the publisher.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk and Robot #1) by Becky Chambers

Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend.

Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of “what do people need?” is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They will need to ask it a lot. Chambers’ series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter? — Tordotcom

The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle #1) by Nghi Vo

A young royal from the far north is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully.

Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor’s lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for.

At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She’s a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece. — Tordotcom

Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1) by Seanan Mcguire

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost. — Tordotcom

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

Eveen the Eviscerator is skilled, discreet, professional, and here for your most pressing needs in the ancient city of Tal Abisi. Her guild is strong, her blades are sharp, and her rules are simple. Those sworn to the Matron of Assassins―resurrected, deadly, wiped of their memories―have only three unbreakable vows.

First, the contract must be just. That’s above Eveen’s pay grade.

Second, even the most powerful assassin may only kill the contracted. Eveen’s a professional. She’s never missed her mark.

The third and the simplest: once you accept a job, you must carry it out. And if you stray? A final death would be a mercy. When the Festival of the Clockwork King turns the city upside down, Eveen’s newest mission brings her face-to-face with a past she isn’t supposed to remember and a vow she can’t forget. — Tordotcom

In the Shadow of the Fall (Guardians of the Gods #1) by Tobi Ogundiran

Ashâke is an acolyte in the temple of Ifa, yearning for the day she is made a priest and sent out into the world to serve the orisha. But of all the acolytes, she is the only one the orisha refuse to speak to. For years she has watched from the sidelines as peer after peer passes her by and ascends to full priesthood.

Desperate, Ashâke attempts to summon and trap an orisha―any orisha. Instead, she experiences a vision so terrible it draws the attention of a powerful enemy sect and thrusts Ashâke into the center of a centuries-old war that will shatter the very foundations of her world. — Tordotcom

These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart by Izzy Wasserstein

In a queer, noir technothriller of fractured identity and corporate intrigue, a trans woman faces her fear of losing her community as her past chases after her. This bold, thought-provoking debut science-fiction novella from a Lambda Award finalist is an exciting and unpredictable look at the fluid nature of our former and present selves.

In mid-21st-century Kansas City, Dora hasn’t been back to her old commune in years. But when Dora’s ex-girlfriend Kay is killed, and everyone at the commune is a potential suspect, Dora knows she’s the only person who can solve the murder.

As Dora is dragged back into her old community and begins her investigations, she discovers that Kay’s death is only one of several terrible incidents. A strange new drug is circulating. People are disappearing. And Dora is being attacked by assailants from her pre-transition past.

Meanwhile, It seems like a war between two nefarious corporations is looming, and Dora’s old neighborhood is their battleground. Now she must uncover a twisted conspiracy, all while navigating a deeply meaningful new relationship. — Tachyon Publications

Made Things (Made Things #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

She was good at making friends.

Coppelia is a street thief, a trickster, a low-level con artist. But she has something other thieves don’t… tiny puppet-like friends: some made of wood, some of metal. They don’t entirely trust her, and she doesn’t entirely understand them, but their partnership mostly works.

After a surprising discovery shakes their world to the core, Coppelia and her friends must reexamine everything they thought they knew about their world, while attempting to save their city from a seemingly impossible new threat. — Tordotcom

 

She Who Knows (She Who Knows #1) by Nnedi Okorafor

When there is a call, there is often a response.

Najeeba knows.

She has had The Call. But how can a 13-year-old girl have the Call? Only men and boys experience the annual call to the Salt Roads. What’s just happened to Najeeba has never happened in the history of her village. But it’s not a terrible thing, just strange. So when she leaves with her father and brothers to mine salt at the Dead Lake, there’s neither fanfare nor protest. For Najeeba, it’s a dream come true: travel by camel, open skies, and a chance to see a spectacular place she’s only heard about. However, there must have been something to the rule, because Najeeba’s presence on the road changes everything and her family will never be the same.

Small, intimate, up close, and deceptively quiet, this is the beginning of the Kponyungo Sorceress. — DAW

Ready to dive in deeper for National Science Fiction Month? Here are some of our Sci-fi related blog posts for more recommendations!

Have any recommendations for us and fellow readers? Leave them in the comments below!

ESCAPE FROM REALITY

- Jill Leave a comment

According to scientific research, “getting lost in a book” is very good for you. Immersing yourself in a story actually makes you more empathetic and creative, and it’s an escape that can reduce stress. People who are absorbed in someone else’s world – even a fictional one – aren’t spending as much time worrying about their own personal concerns. Of course, ignoring real world problems isn’t the solution, but spending too much time thinking about things that are out of your control isn’t good either.

For some, a quick-moving plot is critical to being drawn into a story, while others need engaging characters in order to become fully immersed. Or, perhaps you prefer a specific genre such as romance or mystery, or the artistic style of a book, such as one that uses magical realism. If you can identify with a character or plot line in some way, you have a chance to live a different life for a short time and temporarily forget the anxieties of the real world.

So, whether you’re a reader who tears through a new book every week or one who is slowly working your way through a bestseller that a friend recommended ages ago, find a book that captures your interest and carve out some time to read. Psychological research indicates that your time is well spent. So, the next time you feel stressed, use it as a good excuse to pick up a book that can help you escape from reality – at least for a short while.  Experts give many reasons as to what “transportation” – or the act of losing yourself in a book – can do for you. Here are just a few:

  • helps with mood management
  • provides enjoyment and pleasure
  • provides escape from boredom or stress
  • gives us a sense of belonging and makes us feel a part of something bigger than ourselves
  • helps us better understand, interact, and connect with other people
  • expands our world views: making us think and feel in new and different ways
  • helps us grow as individuals into the kind of people we want to be
  • bolsters all sorts of social skills & abilities, including empathy
  • improves cognitive skills that can prevent cognitive decline

Here are some books to help you escape from reality for a little while:

A Stroke of the Pen : The Lost Stories by Terry Pratchett
“These rediscovered tales were written by Terry Pratchett under a pseudonym for British newspapers during the 1970s & 1980s. The stories have never been attributed to him until now. As Neil Gaiman writes in his introduction, “through all of these stories we watch Terry Pratchett becoming Terry Pratchett.” Though none of the short works are set in the Discworld, all are infused with Pratchett’s trademark wit, satirical wisdom, and brilliant imagination, hinting at the magical universe he would go on to create. Meet Og the inventor, the first caveman to cultivate fire, as he discovers the highs and lows of progress; haunt the Ministry of Nuisances with the defiant evicted ghosts of Pilgarlic Towers; visit Blackbury, a small market town with weird weather and an otherworldly visitor; and embark on a dangerous quest through time and space with hero Kron, which begins in the ancient city of Morpork. A Stroke of the Pen is an essential collection from the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett, a “master storyteller” (A. S. Byatt) who “defies categorization” (The Times); a writer whose “novels have always been among the most serious of comedies, the most relevant and real of fantasies” (Independent UK)”

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
“Meet Julian Jessop, a chronically lonely artist who is fed up with the fakeness of everyday life. After struggling to really connect with people, he decides to take a stand by writing the real truth about himself in a green journal, which he then leaves in a local coffee shop for others to find. Soon, others find the notebook and add their own stories, creating both a catalog of lives and a chain of events Julian couldn’t have expected. Happiness comes out of the truth for many, leaving readers with a joyous and empowering story of what it means to be authentic.”

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
“Vampires, vaqueros, and star-crossed lovers face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda. As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters–her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead. Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago. Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind. When the US invades Mexico in 1846, the two are brought together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he doesn’t marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor, a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers & vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion–and Nena’s rage at Néstor for abandoning her long ago–is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh. Unless they work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn”

How to Date Men When You Hate Men
by Blythe Roberson
“Blythe Roberson’s debut is half-dating guide and half-philosophy book, as she takes her reader on a journey to understand her own romantic trials and tribulations. Every page is filled with hilarious and painfully realistic thoughts on what it’s like to have crushes, how texting changes the way we date, and why connecting with others can be so hard to do. Essays like ‘Real Interviews With Men About Whether Or Not It Was A Date’ will make you laugh and cringe, offering an escapist read that will remind you of talks you’ve had with friends over wine”.

Those Beyond The Wall by Micaiah Johnson
“In Ashtown, a rough-and-tumble desert community, the Emperor rules with poisoned claws and an iron fist. He can’t show any sign of weakness, as the neighboring Wiley City has spent lifetimes beating down the people of Ashtown and would love nothing more than its downfall. There’s only one person in the desert the Emperor can fully trust–and her name is Scales. Scales is the best at what she does: keeping everyone and everything in line. As a skilled mechanic–and an even more skilled fighter (when she needs to be), Scales is a respected member of the Emperor’s crew, who leeps things running smoothly. But the fragile peace Scales helps maintain is fractured when a woman is mangled & killed before her eyes. Even more incomprehensible: There doesn’t seem to be a murderer. When more bodies turn up, both in Ashtown and in the wealthier, walled-off Wiley City, Scales is tasked with finding the cause–and putting an end to it by any means necessary. To protect the people she loves, she teams up with a frustratingly by-the-books partner from Ashtown and a brusque-but-brilliant scientist from the city, delving into both worlds to track down an invisible killer. The answers Scales finds are bigger than she ever could have imagined, leading her into the brutal heart beneath Wiley City’s pristine facade and dredging up secrets from her own past that she would rather keep hidden. If she wants to save the world from the earth-shattering truths she uncovers, she can no longer remain silent–even if speaking up costs her everything.”

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
“From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from stories, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin, a High Lord of the faeries. As her feelings toward him transform from hostility to a firey passion, the threats against the faerie lands grow. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose Tamlin forever”.

 

Quick Links:

A Stroke of the Pen : The Lost Stories by Terry Pratchett

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

How to Date Men When You Hate Men by Blythe Roberson

Those Beyond The Wall by Micaiah Johnson

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Finna by Nino Cipri

- Callen Leave a comment

Not to be melodramatic, but Finna by Nino Cipri is the book I’ve been waiting for my whole life. It reads in many ways like an American version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – one of my all-time favorite books. The deceptively thin volume is the story of Ava and Jules, a young couple that just broke up a week ago and now has to find a way to continue working together at a Scandinavian big box furniture store. As if the horrors and indignities of working retail AND a breakup  weren’t enough, they then discover a wormhole to a parallel universe has opened inside the store — and a customer has wandered through it. It falls to Ava and Jules, as the employees with the least seniority, to go through the wormhole and try to bring the customer home. While trying to survive a perilous multiverse, they must also walk the perilous path from breakup back to friendship.

I fell in love with this book almost instantly, and there’s many reasons why. For one thing, it’s a slim and unintimidating 137 pages, and the writing style and brief chapters make it a quick and addictive read. The humor is dry and wry, realistic about the cruelties and frustrations of both working retail and navigating relationships. Both characters are honest about their own good and bad qualities and while the hurt and defensiveness is real, they don’t flinch away from taking a long, hard look at what went wrong in themselves and in their relationship. Moreover, meaningful as the relationship between the characters is, the book doesn’t get bogged down in it, balancing out the heartfelt discussions with lots of frankly wacky adventures in parallel universes both beautiful and sinister. Finally, this book is one of a very rare type: a novel, with a genderqueer protagonist, that doesn’t focus exclusively on that individual’s gender. In fact, Jules’ gender identity and the social difficulties that come with it are treated as established and routine, mundane everyday details compared to the rest of the plot. As a genderqueer person myself, it is so refreshing to read novels where gender-diverse people exist, live their lives, and do things other than obsess about their gender identity.

If you love slice-of-life sci fi, Welcome to Night Vale, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, or are craving some light-hearted LGBTQ representation, I 100% recommend you check out this book.

The World’s End

- Ann Leave a comment

world's endTwenty years ago Gary King (Simon Pegg) led his four best pals on a “Golden Mile”pub crawl to celebrate the end of their adolescence.  Since then, they have all seemingly moved on with their lives and have found varying levels of success.  Well, all of them except King, who has never even tried to change.

Simon Pegg is always at his best in films he wrote with Edgar Wright and The World’s End is no exception.  Foul-mouthed and drunk, Pegg’s King is delightfully unlikable and yet, it is easy to see why his friends are all willing to join him for one more pub crawl in their hometown of Newton Haven. King and his friends (each with their own royal pun moniker) Andy Knightly (Nick Frost), Oliver Chamberlain (Martin Freeman), Steven Prince (Paddy Considine), and Peter Page (Eddie Marsan) are all drinking their way toward the storied pub, The World’s End. When they arrive in Newton Haven, there are subtle changes to the town that seem to be for the better. But as the night progresses, the changes seem to take a turn for the sinister, and the friends find themselves increasingly in danger.

A huge fan of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, I went into this movie expecting to love it and was not disappointed.  I might even say that it was my favorite of Pegg and Wright’s British bromances disguised as sci-fi and action spoofs.  This movie is funny all the way through, and I’m hoping that it only gets better with repeated viewing.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

- Ann Leave a comment

boneseasonI read a lot about The Bone Season before I started reading the book, which means that I read a lot about the book’s author, Samantha Shannon.  A twenty-one year old recent graduate from Oxford University, Shannon has been marketed as a literary wunderkind. Every interview and review mentions her age or her status as a “young writer”.  As a first-time published author, that is to be expected (here I am doing the same), and I would be lying if I didn’t say that influenced my decision to pick it up.

But this novel stands on its own (well, at least until the next six books in the series are released.)  Shannon has created a fascinating near-future paranormal fantasy novel that includes elements of revisionist history and dystopian science fiction.  Set in Scion controlled London in 2059, this fast-paced novel introduces readers to Paige Mahoney, a member of the clairvoyant criminal underworld.  Scion was formed to find and eliminate clairvoyants like Paige, so being a member of Jaxon Hall’s Seven Dials based gang keeps her a protected and fed member of a family.  But when Paige commits a crime that leads to her arrest and capture, she finds herself in Sheol I, a penal colony for voyants run by Rephaim, a race of non-human clairvoyants.  While in Sheol I, Paige is assigned to the Warden for training and care and she has to decide if she can trust him, as she tries to find a way to save herself and the other humans imprisoned for life in Sheol I.

Shannon has been called the next J.K. Rowling (pressure anyone?) and The Bone Season has been compared to the Harry Potter series and The Hunger Games series.  I understand why, and I would recommend that fans of both series check out The Bone Season.  But I think that while there are elements of each in this book (magical powers, dystopian future, strong female protagonist), Shannon has created something different.  She has said that she was influenced by Margaret Atwood, and this is apparent in her intelligent, literary take on urban fantasy.  This might be my favorite read this year (but there are two more months to go, so don’t hold me to that.)

Eureka Watch-Alikes

- Ann Leave a comment

eurekaI’m a latecomer to Eureka.  It was recommended by friends and Netflix, and still I resisted.  When I finally yielded and started watching (from the beginning, of course), I was disappointed that it had taken me so long.  It reminded me of a hybrid of three of my favorite shows — Warehouse 13, Psych, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Like the town of Eureka, Warehouse 13 is top secret.  Rather than being a town filled with the top brains in the country, it is a storage facility filled warehouse13with artifacts with ties to history and literature. The employees of Warehouse 13 are tasked with traveling the world to retrieve these supernatural objects and prevent them from causing harm to their owners and protecting the objects once they’re in the Warehouse. A mixture of humor, clever references, and strong character development makes this the strongest contender for Eureka fans. 

Psych is a comedy detective show focused on Shawn Spencer and Burton “Gus” Guster, two childhood friends that own a psychic detective agency.  Neither one of them is a psychic, but Shawn’s strong detective skills make him pretty impressive at psychpretending to be one.  Psych is filled with lots of cultural references and silly capers.  Eureka fans have to suspend disbelief pretty often, and this skill will be useful when watching Psych.

You’ve probably already seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  A show about a normal high school girl that happens to be the one chosen slayer, endowed with strength and skill mismatched to her petite frame.  The show follows her and her group of friends (and Watcher/Librarian Giles) from high school to college, as she fights vampires and demons. But let’s say you haven’t seen Buffy, or you’re thinking, “Why would someone suggest that Buffy and Eureka are watch-buffyalikes?”  I have one word for you — camp.  Some may call them cheesy, breathlessly pointing out how saccharine the dialogue can be or how ridiculous the special effects are (something that can be said for Warehouse 13, as well), and I understand those arguments.  But these self-aware, absurd shows are fun in many of the same ways.

Might I also recommend Castle and Angel (and point out that I probably watch too many television shows?)

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

- Ann Leave a comment

Spin(1stEd)You’re twelve years old, sitting in your backyard at night with your two best friends. You are looking up at the sky, and without warning, preamble, or explanation, the stars flare as one and then abruptly disappear. A mere facsimile of the sun – a perfect yellow disk unmarred by solar flares or sunspots – rises in the morning, but the stars are gone for good. This is what Tyler Dupree and his friends, the brilliant twins Diane and Jason, encounter. These three friends grow up under ‘the Spin,’ as it is soon called – a barrier around the earth placed there by some unknowable alien intelligence, for a purpose they can only guess. Even more perplexing: time is passing much, much faster outside the barrier than inside it. A satellite sent up to explore the phenomenon breaks through and then comes crashing down immediately, but instead of the pristine machine launched hours earlier, what crash lands on earth is a banged up satellite with weeks, months, of data recorded. A moment on earth is measured in millennia outside the Spin, which is dire news: at that rate, humanity will live long enough to be destroyed by our own decaying sun, which hasn’t slowed its life cycle down at all. The timeline? About 40 years on earth until the sun expands far enough to fry us where we stand.

How would you choose to spend those 40 years?

Jason dedicates his life to pure science, learning more about the Spin than any other earthling. Diane finds refuge in one of the many new religions that spring up in the wake of the slow disaster. Tyler plows ahead with life as usual, becoming a doctor and as “average” as any citizen can be under the Spin.

Spin falls on the hard side of the science fiction spectrum, which means there is lots of real science in addition to speculation in the plot. It also means that even the invented aspects of Wilson’s universe are imbued with a plausible explanation based on real science; for example, the scary global epidemic he invents, CVWS, is fake, but its symptoms (similar to tuberculosis) are familiar and its behavior – a disease crossing over to humans from cattle – is all too real. Because of this it’s a better pick for established fans of speculative fiction; if you like the genre already, the sophisticated plotting, satisfying conclusion, and smart characters will delight you. If you just have a casual interest, you might have a bad time trying to wade through all the science on display here.

Fledgling by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

- Ann 2 Comments

submitted by Georgann

FledgingI’m so glad to read this newest offering about the Liaden Universe fro Lee and Miller. They have become some of my favorite Sci-fi authors. I have loved and enjoyed each of their books I have read so far! I am glad to report that each of their books in the series is being republished and DPL is in the process of acquiring them all. Even if you aren’t a Sci-fi fan, I think anyone who likes adventures with a great romance tossed in would enjoy these books.

Theo Waitley, the main character in Fledgling, was introduced at the very end of a previous book, I Dare. I was left quite interested in finding out more about her story. Actually, each of the books left me felling like that. I didn’t want them to end! Theo is coming of age in a culture with stringent rules and not much room for awkwardness. Theo is on the verge of being coerced to conform to the standard. Meanwhile, her mother, who is a professor for the planet’s galaxy-renowned university, discovers that someone has been tampering with the school’s library. To save Theo and the university’s reputation, the two travel off-world.

This was such a fun story! I am eagerly anticipating the next book, Salutations.