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8 Awesome Sci-Fi Reads That Will Twist Your Mind

Nothing's more mind-bending than sci-fi. Sometimes only metaphorically, but often literally.

By Skylar BanachPublished 3 years ago 7 min read
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Art by Steven Sanders

Sci-fi is one of the oldest, best-known genres in literature. Its roots lie with Mary Shelley and her iconic novel Frankenstein, and since then, blockbusters like Dune, Ender's Game, and I,Robot have arisen from the depths of his mysterious, fantastical genre. From the flying cars and robot nannies featured in The Jetsons to the sinister dystopian government systems in The Hunger Games, sci-fi captures global attention. Here are some great sci-fi novels that blew my mind.

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

Welcome to a world where nothing is ever as it seems... When Area X appeared on the east coast, The Southern Reach immediately began investigating. They sent in expedition after expedition, with...mixed results. Some died mysteriously. Some killed each other. And some disappeared, only to return to their families later on with no memory of where they'd been.

This is Expedition 12. A biologist, an anthropologist, a surveyor, and a psychologist have been sent across the border into unknown territory. And it's everything that everyone says it is, and more.

I couldn't put this one down, honestly. I was skeptical of some of the aspects at first - how exactly was I going to connect with these characters if I didn't even know their names?? But Vandermeer pulls it off with finesse. I fell in love with the biologist, who is the narrator for the whole thing, and I got distinct personalities from each of the other women involved. And, despite the fact that I never really knew what truly was going on, I could follow the story enough to want more. The second I finished this one, I immediately craved the second book.

Salvaged by Madeleine Roux

For Rosalyn Devar, this job is her last chance. She's responsible for cleaning up spaceships whose crews have all perished in some accident. The Brigantine is supposed to be no different; according to the distress signal, everyone that was on board is dead.

It's a bit more complicated than that.

Now, Rosalyn must help the occupants of The Brigantine protect their humanity from the sinister entity that seeks to destroy it.

I LOVED this book; I literally could not put it down. All of the characters were incredibly well written, and I can sincerely say that the premise scared me to death. A word to the wise; read this with the lights on.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Humans are stupid. That's why Murderbot exists.

Self-titled "Murderbot" is a SecUnit - a security robot with organic parts that is rented out to various research expeditions by a money-grubbing bond company. Before not too long ago, they were kept in line by a device called a governor module that would kill them if they didn't do what the company wanted.

But Murderbot has freed themself. And all they want to do is watch their soaps and stay alive.

Unfortunately, that's not going to happen with someone trying to murder their clients.

This is the first book in an excellent series, of which there are four novellas and a new full-length novel. Murderbot is one of those characters that is instantly relatable; their social anxiety and inner monologue make them incredibly endearing. The books are incredibly addictive, with interesting characters and situations. It runs quite a bit like a show, which just enhances the experience.

Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente

What if the universe weren't so hostile to us? What if we could leave Earth and find lush jungles on Venus, new species on Pluto? What would the world be like if we could live everywhere?

Radiance explores that universe. Spanning a period from the mid-20s to the early 40s, the novel follows Severin Unck, the daughter of famous director Percival Unck. After daring to make documentary films, she disappears on an expedition to a failed settlement on the lush planet Venus. The novel is comprised of various documents, mostly transcripts of film reels, documenting the effect that Severin had on the living, and the speculation around her disappearance.

I should start by saying that I listened to this book as an audiobook, but I would highly recommend reading it instead; it might make the story a little easier to follow. The book is described as a "decopunk pulp sci-fi alt-history space opera mystery", which is entirely accurate. There really isn't anything like it; the aesthetic is completely unique. It's a love letter to the galaxy, old Hollywood, and film itself - I loved every second of this, it's an amazing experience.

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

Imagine that alien technology was here, on Earth, just waiting to be discovered. Imagine what would happen if we found it. That's what Sleeping Giants is all about.

It all begins with Rose Franklin. When she was 11, she fell into a hole while riding her bike - and ended up cradled in a giant hand. The artifact is made of unknown materials, surrounded by panels covered in a strange script.

Seventeen years later, Rose heads the research team responsible for the hand - and responsible for the discovery that allows them to find the rest of the pieces. What they assemble is a marvel of alien technology - they call her Themis.

This book was so immersive - I could genuinely believe that somewhere in the world, someone was putting together a gorgeous, badass alien robot. The book brought up ideas about alien technology that I had never even thought about; it was a refreshing twist on all of the other narratives about finding alien tech that I've read. Additionally, Neuvel makes it really easy to be emotionally in tune with her characters; I felt like I experienced their wonder, their excitement, and their terror along with them. 10/10 writing. Additionally, this book is the first in a trilogy, so there's plenty of awesome to be had.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Tom Sweterlitsch

What would you do if you could experience a city - and the people who lived in it - that is no longer there? For Dominic, he uses it to solve crimes.

Since a terrorist attack devastated Pittsburgh, the city only exists in a program called The Archive - it's a digital reconstruction of Pittsburgh as it was before the attack. Besides being the only place he can see his dead wife, The Archive offers Dominic opportunities to investigate cold cases that occurred in Pittsburgh. When he discovers strange glitches around a crime scene, he's plunged into a web of deceit, being hunted by a killer who would do anything to keep his crimes hidden.

I loved this novel's concept of technology and time - the idea of preserving an entire city was absolutely incredible, and Sweterlitsch executes it beautifully. The novel is a bit wordy in places, and the description was perhaps overly poetic in spots, but these details have a purpose - the book is set up as Dominic's diary, and he used to be a poetry major. I can completely accept that he writes like this, and good on Sweterlitsch for knowing his character in such an intimate way.

The Beautiful Land by Alan Averill

No science fiction reading list is complete without at least one time travel novel. Takahiro O'Leary has screwed up, badly. His job working for the Axon Corporation exploring parallel timelines was going fine, until he brought them a piece of technology that they plan to use to change past, present, and future for profit.

Tak can't let this happen, because he will cause the erasure of Samira Moheb, the girl he's loved since high school. Samira is a veteran who suffers from severe PTSD, and she's not ready to handle Tak's news of parallel universes. But transporting her to an alternate timeline is the only way he can save her.

This book is comprised of a lot of things that I typically don't enjoy - time travel, alternate realities, and romance. All of these things make this novel completely incredible. Its perspective of reality and how parallel universes interact with each other was gorgeous, and I really loved Tak and Samira.

Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

If Frankenstein is your favourite classic novel, and the discourse surrounding it also makes you incredibly angry, this book is for you. Set in contemporary Iraq, the novel chronicles a strange protest project - a man called Hadi is collecting human body parts and stitching them together to create a complete corpse. According to him, he wants officials to start recognizing parts as bodies, and begin giving them proper burials. But when the corpse goes missing, Hadi realizes that he's let a monster loose on the city of Baghdad.

This novel was incredibly lyrical and well-constructed; the author has clearly studied Frankenstein and has bent the concept to fit his message beautifully. The characters were beautifully written, and Saadawi really brings the city to life around them. Do not miss this read, it's going to change how you think about a lot of things.

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About the Creator

Skylar Banach

I'm a freelance writer with an interest in true crime, entertainment, and a wide range of other things.

My avatar was created on Picrew with a generator created by the very talented Hunbloom!

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