Fiction fills me with wonder, possibilities, truth, wisdom, beauty, hope. Following are books I commend to you. Some of my all-time favorites stay at the top of the list, particularly solarpunk:
- A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys is one of the best solarpunk books I’ve read. Keeping at top of list!
- The Fifth Sacred Thing and City of Refuge by Starhawk are classic solarpunk from before we called it that
- Different Kinds of Defiance by Renan Bernardo. Amidst climate-changed Brazil, Renan drills deep into characters as he offers #solarpunk tech for the future. Touching and amazing stories that I highly recommend!
- Be the Sea by Clara Ward. I highly recommend this eco-lit, climate fiction with diverse (including neurodiverse) characters. The author weaves in marine biology and offers sea creature points of view in a very immersive way.
- The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera. Beautifully written story that is a (satisfyingly) weird and modern myth and embeds caution of religious extremism.
- Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor. Rooted in Nigerian culture, a story that grapples with nature, tradition, history, true love, and spiritual mysteries.
- Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell. A touching monster story that lifts inclusion and centers being different. Plus, the author’s humor is wonderful.
- All City by Alex DiFrancesco is solarpunk reminiscent of Doctorow’s Lost Cause. Community created by those left behind after Brooklyn floods.
- Daydreamer by Rob Cameron. Though a middle-grade book, adults will benefit from this story of a neurodiverse Black child’s ways of coping with the world. Rob grabbed me right up front with his lyrical Author’s Message.
- Alchemy of a Blackbird by Claire McMillan is historical fiction about surrealist painter Remedios Varo: mystics, art, tarot, feminism!
- The Lost Cause by Cory Doctorow offers some actionable solarpunk for our current world. A lot of dialogue and philosophizing amidst a feasible storyline to in-fill urban areas to accommodate climate refugees and build resilient communities.
- Sordidez by E.G. Condé is a wonderful Taino/Indigenous Futurist read where Indigenous folx survive and ultimately reclaim their lands from settler-colonists. Shows what’s truly important in the world.
- Weird Fishes by Rae Mariz is eco- and climate fiction at its best from nonhuman views including cephalopods, sea mammals, and coral. Incorporates science and Indigenous lore
- Another Life by Sarena Ulibarri is an excellent solarpunk novella by an author-anthologist who has helped shape solarpunk
- When We Hold Each Other Up by Phoebe Wagner is another wonderful solarpunk novella by (yes another) author-anthologist who has helped shape the genre and movement
- Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor set in post-apocalyptic Africa, centers a girl born of trauma who has a unique magic that pits her against someone who wants her dead. Powerful story and evocative journeys in the spirit realm.
- The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monáe et al is Afrofuturistism exploring different threads of liberation–queerness, race, gender plurality, and love. A wonderful, thought-provoking set of connected stories!
- The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz is an excellent solarpunk read: who is a person? how might we create regenerative, mutual societies?
- Never Whistle at Night edited by Shane Hawk et al is a collection of Indigenous dark fiction that is an important read. Forefront for me as a white person: whose stories do we tell? Whose horror do we understand?
- Land Marks by Maryann Lesert is an excellent example of speaking truth through fiction. The powerful story evokes a visceral connection with the land, making the characters’ actions against fracking all the more impactful. I love the direct actions the characters undertake to thwart extraction.
- The End of the Ocean by Maja Lunde is set in the fjordes of Norway as humans cause the destruction of aquifers and waterways. A call to climate action!
- The Lost Coast by AR Capetta “spellbinding tale of six queer witches forging their own paths, shrouded in the mist, magic, and secrets of the ancient California redwoods.”
- Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins is a haunting tale once unrelenting drought transfigured Southern California into a surreal landscape who reads as a living being. Explores the myths we believe about others and ourselves, and the shape of hope in a precarious future that may be our own. Chilling.
- Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie is an award-winning, page-turning thriller that highlights Indigneous justice and the plight of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirits. Vanessa is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
- The Stone Road and prequel Day Boy by Trent Jamieson are riveting stories “of hope, belonging, and growing into your power” set in an intriguing world.
- Unsheltered and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, one of my favorite authors whose books I devour
- The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
- The Deep by Rivers Solomon
- A Psalm for the Wild-Built and The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers: excellent hopepunk
- The House of Drought by Dennis Mombauer
- Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell: climate fiction with solarpunk notes
- Walkaway by Cory Doctorow: solarpunk vibes
- The House of Rust by Khadija Abdalla Bajaber
- 470 by Linda Woodrow is a (chilling) realistic view of a climate-changed world with elements of sustainability & hope
- When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Irene Solà
- The Sleepless by Victor Manibo
- Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer
- Clean Air by Sarah Blake
- When Two Feathers Fell From the Sky by Margaret Verble
- The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
- The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington
- Black Sun and Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
- The Impossible Resurrection of Grief by Octavia Cade
- Notes from the Burning Age and The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North
- Appleseed by Matt Bell
- The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
- Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard (memoir with tree science!)
- Night Roll by Michael J DeLuca
- Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin
- The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg
- An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
- The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott
- Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson
- Water Witches by Chris Bohjalian
- Fearless by Allen Stroud
- The Lowering Days by Gregory Brown
- Conservation of Shadows by Yoon Ha Lee
The History of Bees by Maja Lunde. We follow three generations of beekeepers, past, present, and future, in an ever more dysptopian world where technology ultimately replaces Nature for humans to survive. A story of family bonds, Lunde incorporates real science and history leading to an outcome with a glimmer of hope. Another great and potent read.
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy. A beautiful, visceral climate story: in the near future Franny is set on following the last known Arctic terns on their final pole-to-pole migration. She talks her way onto a fishing boat, and gradually wins the crew over to her quest. I highly recommend this intense and heartbreaking story, an ode to a disappearing natural world, yet with a sprinkling of hope.
Eden by Tim Lebbon. Amidst post-apocalyptic planetary changes, humans have given back to Nature (off limits to humans) thirteen vast areas. A team of adventure-racers dares to enter even though edge patrols could shoot them. That’s the least of their worries. Nature has flourished in primeval and unexpected ways and is the story’s antagonist. Branded a horror eco thriller, a tale of survival, discovery, and familial ties, I rooted for Nature.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Set in 1950s Mexico, this suspenseful piece illuminates period high society amidst horror; creepy and way more feminist than run-of-the-mill gothic tales.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Compelling story about the library in the in-between realm where you land when in the process of dying. Here, you can pick from an infinite number of books, each an alternate reality: what would have happened if you’d chosen x instead of y at any given decisions point in all of our days. Nora weighs her many regrets (which is a book of lists in the library) and explores different realities, seeking one she’d choose to stay in.
Stay and Fight by Madeline Ffitch. “Absorbingly spun, perfectly voiced, and disruptively political, [the book] forces us to reimagine an Appalachia—and an America—we think we know.” Transplants to Appalachia looking to live off the land meet local women who know how to do so, the latter happen to be lesbians expecting a first baby. The story details the struggles of found family, of caretaking, of survival.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. What an interesting book: the human world from the point of view of an AI “Friend” who just wants to be loved, to have family, and who wants to know what that means and feels like. Imagine seeing the world through a slice of storefront window with wider view blocked by buildings. A micro world. Klara makes assumptions about how the world works from her keen observations. Later in the story she will act from those assumptions with uncertain outcomes and consequences.
The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk. Another page-turning feminist fantasy. In a world where women can’t practice their magic, where men as fathers or husbands rule them, Beatrice says no more! She teams with another of similar sentiments, becomes a mage in her own right, and acts to change the world for all women. Yeah! Pulling in companion spirits as Polk portrays reminds me of what we call aspecting in my Witch tradition.
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. A must-read! No wonder this is a prize-winning bestseller. Historical fiction with a speculative element, Coates offers visceral, horrifying account of the life of a man born in slavery and the way to and costs of freedom. Woven with poetic narration and historical accuracy amidst trauma from a Black voice likened to Toni Morrison.
The Fortress by S.A. Jones. An unsettling and important story of justice and consent. A radical feminist work in a page-turning story in the vein of Ursula LeGuin’s speculative work. Loved it! It’s refreshing to see such a bold, unafraid story portraying an indigenous matriarchal society to which colonizers send reparations in the form of men who vow to serve for a year.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo. An award-winning, list-topping and heart-grabbing read. “With the heart of an Atwood tale and the visuals of a classic Asian period drama, [the book] is a tightly and lushly written narrative about empire, storytelling, and the anger of women.” It’s a feminist high fantasy featuring a handmaiden sold to the palace who befriends the empress bent on bringing down her enemies.
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline. A debut from an Indigenous author, the tale is inspired by the traditional Canadian Métis legend of the Rogarou. A domestic story of tight-knit community, a woman whose husband disappears, the struggle to understand the old ways after adapting to white culture and religion. Suspenseful and evocative.
We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia. Reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale, a young woman from the impoverished side of town is an imposter among well-resourced young women vying to be sold as a wife to wealthy, powerful families. She wants to garner resources for her family. When she’s asked to spy for the resistance, she comes into her own, including her sexuality. A suspenseful tale with rich voice.
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders. Another wow. A well-constructed and suspenseful journey to the last of Earth in the far future living on a remote fixed-tidal planet. Full day and full night will kill you; humans live on the edge between. Anders contrasts two different ways humans have survived, both towns equally fraught and unsustainable. Then she throws in another way of being, one that forms regenerative society. What would you give up to experience it?
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. I love Schwab’s accessible writing and interesting worlds. This is her best to date. We see Addie through the centuries finding ways to remake her deal with an entity who grants her immortality alongside the misfortune of being forgotten by anyone she meets. Is he friend or foe? What will she do to leave her mark on the world? Once she figures out what she really wants in her lifetime, how will she get it? The story will grab you and have you guessing till the end. (I’m honored that a “Big 5” editor compared my voice to Schwab’s.)
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow. In the late 1800s, three sisters use witchcraft to change the course of history. More a novel about suffrage and women’s power than about real magic and witchcraft, though at the same time infused with a touch of magic and the Old Ways. If you like this book, you’ll want to read my novel, The Working (yet to be published).
Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse. I found this sequel to Trail of Lightning even more engaging than the first book. Set in post-apocalyptic North America, the awesome Diné monster hunter Maggie is called out of her rest and recuperation to save her friend who may not want her. Accompanied by a girl with a strange clan power and assorted rough allies, she journeys outside of the safety of Dinétah to face a cult leader bent on destroying the near world.
After the Flood by Kassandra Montag. One of the best books I’ve read this year, this post-apocalyptic climate fiction is riveting and chilling. We journey with Myra and her younger daughter seeking her stolen daughter through a dangerous world where very little dry land remains. Trust and betrayal, blinding hope and deep despair, yearning for family while turning from potential community, Montag grabbed my heart and didn’t let go.
Things You Would Know If You Grew Up Around Here by Nancy Wayson Dinan. In this pre-apocalyptic climate fiction, we follow 18-year-old Boyd and those who search for her through a transformed landscape ravaged by massive flood. They discover the ghosts of Texas Hill Country past and present. Lyrical and literary, Dinan writes outside of the typical hero’s journey structure.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. What an interesting story that begins in the Jim Crow South (US). Raised in a Black community that values light skin color, twins part ways as adults: one passes into the white privileged world, one partners with a dark skin man and raises their dark skin daughter. “Looking well beyond issues of race, [the book] considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person’s decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.”
The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson. Historical magical realism set at the end of Muslim Spain. As royal concubine Fatima and magical mapmaker Hassan flea to safety from the Christian onslaught with the help of a clever jinn, they explore what love is and the price of freedom. Both fun and deep, Wilson explores real world issues in a potent way.
What Should be Wild by Julia Fine. Unfolding like a modern fairy tale or myth, we explore the world through young Maisie who can never touch flesh for she kills or resurrects at the slightest touch. We venture with her into Mystery to find the root of this curse and to find her way home. A strong underpinning: she finds her power and that of women’s lives along the way.
LaRose by Louise Erdrich. I eat up anything by Louise Erdrich. This is another standout novel, one of grief, justice and reparation, of families navigating traditional Ojibwe and “Western” worlds. Of healing wounds and finding peace.
Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth. Quoting Diana Gabaldon: “A hugely-imagined, twisty, turning tale that leads through the labyrinths of magic and war to the center of the heart” and Charlie Jane Anders: “the cure for all those humdrum ‘one true savior’ narratives. This dark, complex novel rocked my heart and left me with a renewed sense that saving the world is a job that never ends. Roth’s version of magic is as flawed and fascinating as her characters, and her story keeps you guessing until the wild conclusion. You’ll never look at fantasy heroes the same way again.”
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel. We follow Vincent through her years remaking herself, searching for meaning through crisis and survival. She (and other characters) navigate the shifting lines between greed and guilt, love and delusion. A many-layered and interesting story.
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. The story of her grandfather and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa at a time when the federal government threatened the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity. Sound familiar? This threat to various Native Nations continues, and treaty rights are rarely honored. This novel is layered with themes of love and death and, as always, Erdrich’s characters are rich and complex.
Remembrance by Rita Woods. A touch of magic in an important slice of history and how it continues to play out in racist US today. Woods captures the horror of enslaved Black bodies and the deliciousness of independence. She captures powerful Black women and how they’ve held together community and family. As important a read as Octavia Butler’s works.
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin. No, Jemisin didn’t write this after George Floyd’s murder and resulting uprising. Racism and uber-capitalism have been embedded in this country since it formed. This is Jemisin’s homage to NYC and so uplifting and recognizable. Her wry humor is infectious. Once you read this, you’ll notice the white tentacles flailing about and embedded in people and institutions around you. (No spoilers, but I exclaimed “of course” at the end of this first in a duology. Though I’m a native New Yorker, you’ll recognize what she depicts across the land—and you’ll want your own avatar. Or maybe you’ll want to become one.)
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi. I loved jumping back in to Zélie and Amari’s stories. They’ve brought magic back to Orïsha (grounded in real West African spirituality), and now they must unite the land before civil war aided by supernatural forces tear it apart. A story of race, class and authority that hooked me even more than Adeyemi’s first in the series. You can jump into this book without reading the first, though I highly recommend Children of Blood and Bone as well—scroll down to see my notes.
The Seep by Chana Porter. A brilliant speculative work with eco-lit and intersectionality notes: an alien entity gives humans the ability to connect with all life, like an ultimate psychedelic mushroom experience. The book explores what happens when we meld too much and become a grotesque parody of the natural world.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. An adult fantasy that explores power and privilege via a delightful and interesting read—you’ll never view Ivy League campuses the same (the book takes place at Yale in New Haven). Bardugo keeps the suspense going until the end via a dual timeline. I love main character, Alex. You’ll be rooting for her, too. Reminds me of a grim version of my novel, The Working.
Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller. I second the rave reviews for this award-winning cli-fi story about privilege and power; justice runs strong: LGBTQ+, racial, environmental, species, economic. Amidst a future where rising seas have caused dramatic geopolitical changes, a mysterious woman arrives accompanied by an orca and a polar bear. I’ll be reading more of Miller’s work.
Odds Against Tomorrow by Nathaniel Rich. Poignant cli-fi by the journalist who wrote a leading non-fiction book about climate change. In near future NYC, a brilliant mathematician calculates worst-case scenarios for a consulting firm that indemnifies corporations against potential disasters. And then an eco-disaster hits and NYC is flooded beyond livability. Chilling and way too imaginable.
How Long ’til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin. The best short story compilation I’ve read. Each story as varied as the next, all with themes of justice through different voices. And one delicious story that takes place in Jemisin’s Broken Earth world. Can you tell how much I admire Jemisin’s work? (this is her third project in my Great Reads series, and when I read her latest, I’ll be adding a fourth)
Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi. Nigerian-influenced YA fantasy (for adults too) where some can eat sins and where sin-beasts lurk. Strong themes of privilege and power. Onyebuchi leaves us wanting more (this is a slated duology).
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. A dark-skinned peasant girl tests out of servitude and into an elite academy, and must choose between a shamanic and a warrior path. Or maybe she can follow both. Really interesting and evocative fantasy; a nod to Chinese history, including the brutal rape and massacre of hundreds of thousands in Nanking by the Japanese Imperial Army.
City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett. Are the gods dead? An intriguing read, great world-building, that keeps you wondering who are the colonizers and who the colonized. And whether divine protection is a good thing or not.
Circe by Madeline Miller. A feminist retelling of Circe and related Greek Godds and demi-godds. I recommend you meet this Circe.
Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin. Part of a collection, Forward, six stories of Earth’s near and far future, Jemisin’s brilliant speculation flips dystopian tropes. I cheered at the end. You will, too, when you learn what an explorer returning to climate-ravaged Earth finds.
Little Voices by Vanessa Lillie. A psychological thriller from a debut author with well deserved rave reviews. As Devon struggles with postpartum issues and a voice in her head, she races to find who killed her best friend. Twists and turns will leave you guessing till the end.
There There by Tommy Orange. An important read that corrects history and stereotypes, and depicts persistent cultural trauma through the lens of twelve urban Indians: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize. Powerful, heart-gripping.
The Passage Trilogy by Justin Cronin. Some vampire tales are superficial paranormal fiction. Not this powerful dystopian trilogy that rivals literary works with rich, descriptive writing and speculative worldbuilding. Through many points of view and generations, we feel a world in which the human race is threatened with extinction and survival takes community.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. An intriguing sequel to Atwood’s landmark Handmaid’s Tale puts us inside dystopian, misogynist Gilead that’s begun to rot as well as the resistance movement that could bring it down. Rich characters and moving, relevant plot yield a timely masterpiece.
The Time Collector by Gwendolyn Womack. People who can sense the history of objects through touch are missing or dead, their link: out-of-place artifacts that challenge recorded history. “A mystical thrill ride, spanning several continents [and eras]…For fans of historical fiction who like a hint of the supernatural and cosmic connection.” -Booklist
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. I love all of Butler’s books though am most familiar with her sci fi/fantasy. This wrenching time-travel story is magical realism not SFF. A modern Black woman is repeatedly transported through time to the antebellum south. A difficult and important story that illuminates the violence of racism and how it’s engrained in societal layers, then and now.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. While a coming-of-age story about a girl made “other” by her familial relationship with nature–and a murder mystery–the North Carolina marshlands are a character in their own right. Delicious and touching read.
The Near Witch by Victoria (V.E.) Schwab. Lighter fantasy than her Shades of Magic series (that I love), this fairy tale of a story touched my heart. Plus it humanizes and makes allies of witches, always a good thing in the genre.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Excellent. Critical story, immersive and realistic, showing systemic racism in nuanced layers. So glad I read this before seeing the movie, which does justice to the book. Black lives matter.
Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard. This Witchlands series continuation deepens our connection with Aeduan who’d seemed monstrous when we first met him and now an ally to justice in this richly drawn fantasy world.
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult. While not her latest book, one of her best. A gripping, emotional tale about a girl’s search for her mother. Not only does the story unfold through thirteen-year-old Jenna, but through the views of the two mismatched adults who aid her, and through her mother whose research on how elephants grieve is deep and fascinating. Talk about surprise endings–I did not see this one coming! Heart pounding, heart opening.
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. Intricate, delicious world building with Earth as a sentient being. In The Fifth Season the world ends (again) and we meet the characters and fall into this dystopian, cautionary tale. I highly recommend all three books. Jemisin is one of (if not the) greatest writer of our time. As B&N Reviews said, “[How] can something as large and complex as this story exist in her head, and how does she manage to tell it to me so beautifully?”
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. A high stakes fantasy with rich characters and excellent world building set in fictionalized Nigeria. From Booklist‘s starred review: “… Adeyemi keeps it fresh with an all-black cast of characters, a meaningful emphasis on fighting for justice, a complex heroine saving her own people, and a brand of magic made more powerful by the strength of heritage and ancestry.” I love the strong undercurrent of actual Yoruban spirituality and orisha. Equally brutal and heart-wrenching, this is an immersive read, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
The Overstory by Richard Powers. This is the book I would write and may compare my novel to. It should be required reading for all, starting in high school, if not earlier. It’s beautifully written; gives trees agency, centering non-human characters; and incorporates botany and other sciences, including the latest research on plant communication. Forests are massive beings and you feel them, connect with them, want to act for them, through Powers’ immersive storytelling.
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. Some Young Adult books are great reads for all ages. This spell-binding Nigerian fantasy is rooted in West African culture.
A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan. Historical fiction weaving truth about the Rom and the Old Ways with rich characters through generations of one family’s Witchy lineage. I highly recommend this story of passion, courage, and Goddess tradition. The hate and violence against Witches through the centuries is chilling and true. Passion, power, hope and relevance maintain the women depicted–and their trust in the Goddess and the Old Ways.
Semiosis by Sue Burke. I love this book–the best example I’ve seen of de-centering humans. A plant is a main character, and Sue Burke incorporates science (particularly biology) in her character-driven science fiction. Themes of survival, communication, collaboration drive this page-turning story.
The Power by Naomi Alderman. It’s a big What if? Speculative fiction at its best. What if girls and women develop an electric-generating organ that can both heal and harm? “Teenage girls now have immense physical power–they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets.” Reset is an understatement. How can you go wrong with a top ten book recommended by Margaret Atwood and President Obama?
The Fortune Teller by Gwendolyn Womack. A priceless tarot deck, an ancient manuscript both memoir and prophecy that literally speaks to modern-day Semele who holds its key as she’s pursued by those who would sieze these treasures. The author tapped into ancient wisdom. Suspense and tarot deftly woven into multiple timelines.
An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard. In New York City, a hidden class of magicians controls all. But the power of magic is fading, at its core the House of Shadows that controls magic through sacrifice. A suspenseful tale of ethics and choice, of wielding power, of making difficult decisions. Kat Howard expertly wove multiple points of view into a page-turning tale set in recognizable NYC–a fun bonus. There is much magic hidden in Central Park…who knew?!