Science Fiction bestsellers

“When I read Ishiguo's work, I feel as if a veil has been lifted, and suddenly the world—or range—of humanness, and all it's uncomfortable possibilities, are clear. I'm so grateful for his extraordinary talents and ability to manifest new understandings inside the mind this reader. Whether it's the source of human emotion, the impact of memory, the grappling of regret, or simply the purpose of human life, I finish his books with greater insight into the scope of the living. Klara is no different—an inhuman character who in one almost childlike voice, reveals the boundaries between human and inhuman, between a future and obsolescence, between the bonds and boundaries of love. Thank you Mr. Ishiguro ~ again.”

“Gideon the Ninth is an epic science fantasy that if delivered into the hands of enough people will set the world on fire as it hasn’t been since The Hunger Games. Brilliance doesn’t come close to explaining Tamsyn Muir’s narrative where no single word is wasted or her engineering of a world with characters that end up belonging to you wholeheartedly even long after the last page. With fierce independence and hysterical wit, and laced with moments of pure heartbreaking tenderness and loyalty, Gideon and Harrow’s relationship simultaneously digs under your skin and tugs at your heartstrings. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.”

“Brilliant! Hank Green has written an engrossing debut novel with a fun, vibrant, emotionally powerful and completely non sequitur plot. In a New York crosswalk, protagonist April May’s discovery of giant, sentient, maybe even alien omnipotent robots completely upends her life, both professionally and romantically. Through the eyes of this young, queer antihero and her robots, we see humanity in its modern context: how people love, connect, and create belief in a media landscape that sometimes degrades humanity.”

“Solomon is perfectly suited to expand the concept of a civilization of merfolk whose origins were born in the violence of pregnant African women sent to the depths from the vessels of white slave traders. The Deep focuses on Yetu, whose role as historian is to be individually burdened with six centuries of memories of all the wajinru (merfolk), and the consequences when she abdicates her responsibility. With shades of Hans Christian Andersen, Ursula Le Guin, and Lois Lowry, plus inimitable explorations of difficult social interrelationships, Solomon’s short tome is, indeed, a deep read.”

“Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries has become one of my favorite series of all time, and Network Effect is a perfect addition. Murderbot is still trying to figure out what it wants after hacking its governor module. In the meantime, it spends its days protecting the humans it cares about. Of course, everything goes terribly wrong when a friend shows up to kidnap Murderbot and its humans are along for the ride. Network Effect isn’t just fun and action-packed, it’s also emotional and thought-provoking. I love Murderbot!”

“When it comes to listening to an audio book, I have to be drawn to the narrator’s voice almost if not more than the actual story. The way a narrator speaks really makes or breaks a story for me. Wil Wheaton made this story for me! He brought new life to a story I was already in love with. Wheaton made Wade Watts come to life, and was able to bring out the obsessiveness in Wade’s voice when it came to Halliday and 80’s pop-culture. Wheaton is the only person that could ever be Wade Watts for me. This is one audio book that I know I will go back to again and again.”

“On the island, things regularly disappear en masse. Boats. Roses. Birds. Calendars. The people of the island are expected to gather and destroy any remaining evidence of these disappearances, and with it, their memories. The narrator refers to "killing two creatures with one stone" long after the island's birds are disappeared--even the word itself is gone from her consciousness. But a small minority of people are still able to remember, and it is the job of the Memory Police to track those people down. The fragile, spare prose haunts you with many questions: Can humanity survive without memories? Without nostalgia? Without a material culture? This elegiac glimpse into the heart of authoritarianism will linger in your own memory for a long time to come.”

“Such an interesting futuristic story! The battle of Red versus Blue - tech vs. garden - through time was a fun trip to read. I especially enjoyed how the main characters by fighting each other grew to love each other. It was also super nice to read a sci-fi book that isn't 1,000 pages long and still have enough detail that you aren't lost in the physics.I listened to this story on libro.fm. It was especially easy and enjoyable to follow as there were different voice actors for the different characters.”

“This gripping, diverse novel, set well after Earth's residents have scattered to Mars, other planets, and itinerant spacecraft, is as scientifically and sociopolitically plausible as any science fiction I've ever read or listened to. The characters, from a variety of alien species along with AI, have wide-ranging journeys that speak to our current reality and to issues of immigration, xenophobia, colonization, economic class, technological advancement, environmentalism, and more. The members of one species are all born female and becomes male later on, of another all use "they" pronouns, and of another are free with their touch and affection and find amusement in human hangups about touch. In the midst of all this complex representation emerges a story that stands alone as cohesive, meaningful, and powerful.”

“We need more heroes like S.T. — a foul-mouthed, idealistic, moral crow with unquenchable courage — and his sidekick, a befuddled bloodhound. Kira Jane Buxton speaks crow, gull, dog, housecat, and owl with such fluency and poetry that I could not put this book down. Her vision of the zombie apocalypse is a strange and wonderful journey I want to take again and again. I really can’t think of another current novel that conveys such humor, joy, sorrow, and hope so beautifully. Thank you for restoring my faith that this world may live on.”

“ Take a natural disaster + an isolated community + the Bigfoot legend and you are rewarded with a suspenseful spooky tale that may or may not be a good idea to read if in an isolated location in the woods. You will be kept on the edge of your seat as you devour this survival/adventure story mashed up with a mystery that unfolds through a journalistic inquiry combining research excerpts, interviews, and a found diary. It also provides a not so subtle cautionary tale about our reliance on technology and convenience. A multiple narrator cast made for an enjoyable audiobook listen.”

“Even supervillains need a good temp, and Anna is just fine at vaguely villainous data entry. On one job she is asked to point some sort of device at the mayor’s kid’s head, putting her directly in the path of the superhero SuperCollider. During her recovery, she begins to tally up the damage, human and monetary, that superheroes cause. Hench explores how we excuse the cost of what is ‘right’. This is an excellent book about what “the end justifies the means” can look like.”

“Every ten years, a girl is chosen from the valley to live with the wizard in the tower, the Dragon. The villagers don't like it, but the Dragon is the only defense between them and the dangerous, vindictive forest on the edge of the valley, where every year, more and more people disappear, never to be heard from again. Or worse, returned to them, but an empty, violent version of the person who went into the forest. Agnieska knows this year, that girl will be her best friend, Kasia, because Kasia is perfect. But then it's...not. Agnieska is chosen and brought to the tower, only to discover that she, too, has a strange power. But all the while, the forest creeps steadily forward, consuming in its path. A riveting modern fairytale with loving female friendships, an ancient secret, and lots of magic. You'll love it!”

“Becky Chambers has built a dazzling and expansive science fiction universe and seems determined to introduce readers to every corner. The AI Sidra and young Jane provide swapping viewpoints between a bustling, multi-species city sprawling over a moon and a sterile factory among miles and miles of junkyard on a planet with extremely skewed priorities. Sidra's journey to understand who and what she really only becomes more poignant as you follow Jane struggle to escape the only home, the only planet, she has ever known. In the end, despite the fantastic setting and characters, Chambers manages to deliver a striking message about consciousness, survival, and family.”

“WOW. My first experience with Ted Chiang absolutely blew me out of the water. Each story left me with wide eyes and a racing mind, running to my husband to read a passage so we could both be knocked over with wonder. Exhalation filled me with so many questions about our collective past, present, and future, I’ll be coming back to this book again and again trying to find the answers.”

“Candace Chen is a first-generation Chinese millennial immigrant who tries to make a life in New York City by succumbing to the role of the office drone who helps create cheap bibles. But when Shen Fever—a plague that causes its victims to perform a rote task until death—hits, only a few survive, including Candace. She soon finds herself in a cult-like band of other survivors heading to the Midwest while also trying to come to terms with her past and the unknowns of her future. With dark humor, sharp intelligence, and compassion, Ling Ma has written a well-constructed, biting satire of capitalism and a moving glimpse into the roles of memory, place, and identity in a life.”

“Saunders' first novel has a steep entry curve. It's not a novel that reveals itself quickly and easily, but if you give it your attention, if you burrow deep into the book, you'll be eminently rewarded. There is a richness and depth of humanity here. There is the strange and wonderful. There is love and grief and mystery all brought together in the story of Abraham Lincoln's dead son, the Civil War, and what may happen to us all after we leave the mortal coil. It's a beautiful and moving book that will stay with you for a long, long while.”

“In Into the Drowning Deep, Mira Grant has conjured up scary mermaids living in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. An expedition sets out to learn if mermaids truly exist and to uncover the fate of a previous expedition. The new crew is being recorded for a documentary, with the hope it will prove mermaids are real and clear the network of wrongdoing. Both Tory, whose sister was killed on the first expedition, and Jillian, who has been teaching about mermaids for years, are going out on the state-of-the-art ship; however, that ship has one major flaw. You will not look at The Little Mermaid the same way again!”

“Dark Matter is equal parts science fiction, thriller, and theoretical self-examination, complete with an overarching love story. Crouch does a fantastic job of keeping readers grounded while traveling through multiple dimensions, and he offers introspection on how each of the life choices a person makes recreates that person in a new and profound way. I tore through this, waiting for --and finding -- a spectacular conclusion. A must-read!”

“"I'm serious. I could have sustained a serious injury. Scarred for life. I may never be able to look insolent again." Rebecca Coffindaffer has crafted an adventure novel that is everything I've ever wanted in a YA Sci-Fi. Full of adventure, snark, and predictably bad decisions, CROWNCHASERS also shows an empathy to those who are unwillingly caught up in the chaos of empire-building. Coffindaffer's writing gives me the same feeling as teenage Summers spent reading 90s Star Wars novels, but with a snarky and sex-positive female character I would have clamored to root for. I hereby pledge my loyalty to the Farshoti family and cannot wait for more readers to join me. Content warnings for depictions of drug and alcohol use, death of loved ones, and violence.”