Speculative fiction is a dazzling supergenre that blends multiple literary galaxies into one cosmic whole, from sci-fi and futuristic fantasy to magical realism and twisted literary fiction. Some of these narratives present a dark-humored vision of the not-too-distant future while others offer a haunting reflection of our all-too-familiar present. If you’re eager to take a ride to the outer limits of literature, we’ve created a list of six of our favorites below.
THE FIFTH SEASON by N.K. JEMISIN
N.K. Jemisin’s sci-fi/fantasy novel The Fifth Season is deeply thought-provoking and full of ethical dilemmas about the nature of humanity and themes like environmentalism. The book follows Essun, whose husband just murdered her son and kidnapped her daughter. To make things worse, her world is descending into Stillness — which means the land is dying, and people fight for scarce resources. But Essun doesn’t care that the world is falling apart, and so she embarks on a dangerous quest to save her daughter.
FOLKLORN by ANGELA MI YOUNG HUR
Elsa Park is a particle physicist at the top of her game, stationed at a neutrino observatory in the Antarctic, confident she’s put enough distance between her ambitions and the family ghosts she’s run from all her life. But it isn’t long before her childhood imaginary friend—an achingly familiar, spectral woman in the snow—comes to claim her at last.
Years ago, Elsa’s now-catatonic mother warned her that women of their line were doomed to repeat the narrative lives of their ancestors from Korean myth and legend. But Elsa also faces a more earthly fate: the mental illness and generational trauma that run in her immigrant family.
When her mother breaks her decade-long silence and tragedy strikes, Elsa must return to her childhood home in California. There, among family wrestling with their own demons, she unravels the secrets hidden in the handwritten pages of her mother’s dark stories: of women’s desire and fury; of magic suppressed, stolen, or punished; of the hunger for vengeance.
THE GRIP OF DARKNESS: DIVINITY by KRISTOFF BAGGAN
Kristoff Baggan’s debut novel, The Grip of Darkness: Divinity, is a spellbinding exploration of the supernatural that takes readers on a thrilling journey through the mysterious village of Nueyo. Centered around the Ricky, an introverted teenager who is unexpectedly thrust into a world of magic and mystery, Baggan weaves a tale that not only captivates with its supernatural elements but also delves deep into the complexities of the human condition.
SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN by SHELLEY PARKER-CHAN
In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.
When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother’s identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.
THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by V.E. SCHWAB
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever―and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL by SUSANNAH CLARKE
At the dawn of the nineteenth century, two very different magicians emerge to change England’s history. In the year 1806, with the Napoleonic Wars raging on land and sea, most people believe magic to be long dead in England-until the reclusive Mr Norrell reveals his powers, and becomes a celebrity overnight.
Soon, another practicing magician comes forth: the young, handsome, and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell’s student, and they join forces in the war against France. But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic, straining his partnership with Norrell, and putting at risk everything else he holds dear.
