It’s been a while since we did one of these, right? What with our beginning of the year focus on releases lists, plus work taking up a lot of time (and energy!), rec lists have been sort of on the backburner. But not any longer! Since there’s been so much incredible sci fi being released in the past few years, what better time to do a part two to an adult sci fi rec list I first made, oh, only 4 years ago now. Part one of this rec list be found here.
But before we start, I’m sure everyone is aware of the genocidal campaign that’s been conducted on Gaza for the past 6 months. If you have a bit of spare income and are looking for places to donate let us direct you to a few: you can find verified gofundmes to donate to here and here, you can donate to UNRWA directly, or to the Crips for eSims for Gaza campaign, or you can purchase your own eSims (tutorials here and here), or to organisations directly in Gaza, or you can donate to Anera. On top of this, you can also keep lobbying the people in power, and protesting, and just generally disrupting everyday life.
Exordia
Seth Dickinson
Goodreads
Rep: Ugandan Filipino lesbian mc, Black Mexican American achillean mc, achillean mc, Chinese lesbian mc, Chinese gay side character, Latina bi side character
Why Should I Read It?
Everyone has those books they feel just a bit feral over and I think it should come as no surprise that Exordia fell into this category for me. I mean, firstly, it’s Seth Dickinson. Of course I was going to love this. Secondly, what’s gayer: actual gay people or whatever the hell it is Clayton and Eric have going on?
These Burning Stars
Bethany Jacobs
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mc, Black lesbian amputee li, nonbinary mc, genderfluid side character
Why Should I Read It?
These Burning Stars was comfortably in my top 10 reads last year, so its appearance in this list was an inevitability. This is a book that sucks you in from page one and you can’t take your eyes off it all the way through to the ending which is truly just so! I haven’t the words for it!
The Left Hand of Darkness
Ursula K. LeGuin
Goodreads
Rep: nonbinary worldbuilding
Why Should I Read It?
Next up is a classic of the genre. I have to admit I hadn’t read any LeGuin before last year, but having loved this one, that’s obviously going to change now. If you like your sci fi to have a more social science bent to it, then this is the book on this list you’ll want to go for first.
In Ascension
Martin MacInnes
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mc
Why Should I Read It?
I’d have to say, this one is slightly more on the literary side of things than you might consider science fiction the genre in general, but it’s a fascinating slowburn of a book, as much about character developments as it is plot. It’s not a book to give you many answers about the questions it raises, but in this case, it’s not about the destination, but the journey you take along the way.
Night Sky Mine
Melissa Scott
Goodreads
Rep: Black lesbian mc, gay mcs
Why Should I Read It?
Raise your hand if you’re surprised to see Melissa Scott on this list. No hands? Yeah, well, I’m nothing if not predictable. What always stands out about Melissa Scott’s books is how much thought goes into the worlds she creates, and how vibrant and distinct those worlds are. Night Sky Mine is no different.
Dead Space
Kali Wallace
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian amputee mc, nonbinary li, lesbian, gay & pan side characters
Why Should I Read It?
Do you like fast-paced mysteries set on an increasingly claustrophobic space ship, with a. no way out and b. all communications shut off? Of course you do! It’s like a staple of the genre at this point. Anyway, Dead Space was a read I zoomed through, so eager to find out what was going on and why. The tension and suspense in it was incredible, so if you’re a fan of space thrillers, pick this one up!
Prophet
Helen Macdonald & Sin Blaché
Goodreads
Rep: British Indian bi mc, Jewish gay mc
Why Should I Read It?
Prophet is about unanswerable questions, by which I mean, don’t go into this one expecting solid answers about what Prophet is. You’re offered a series of hypotheses, ranging in plausibility, and, just like you do sometimes in real life, you’ve really just got to conclude you don’t know. There are no answers, not all the time. But hey, Prophet is a damn good book to take you to that conclusion.
The Red Scholar’s Wake
Aliette de Bodard
Goodreads
Rep: Vietnamese cast, sapphic mcs
Why Should I Read It?
As with all of Aliette de Bodard’s works, The Red Scholar’s Wake is about intimate human connections within a sci fi setting. If you’re not a fan of big, world-destroying, universe-defining battles, then you should read this one. At its heart is love, not just between the two main characters, but amidst their community and the safe haven they build together.
The Stars Undying
Emery Robin
Goodreads
Rep: bi mcs, lesbian side character, nonbinary side character, gay side character
Why Should I Read It?
I think my favourite newish genre right now is classics retelling but in space. The Stars Undying is the perfect example of it (Countess by Suzan Palumbo is another coming later this year too). Have you ever wondered what would happen if you took Julius Caesar, added a butch lesbian Mark Antony, and set it in space? Well wonder no more!
Flux
Jinwoo Chong
Goodreads
Rep: biracial Korean American bi mc, gay side character, sapphic side character
Why Should I Read It?
Time for some good old mindfuckery with this one, some mysterious (and mysteriously evil??) corporations, and a sprinkle of time travel to round things off. That’s a very general description of Flux, but to give you more might prove too spoilerish. So let me round off this rec list by saying, you’ll have to read it to find out.
What would you rec?
