New science fiction titles
Sentient robots, vampires bent on vengeance and the end of the world. Our wrap up of recent sci-fi showcases the strength and diversity of the genre.
The confessions - Paul Bradley Carr
In a world paralyzed by its reliance on LLIAM, a supercomputer that makes every human decision, from dinner choices to life-support ethics, global chaos ensues when millions of physical letters arrive worldwide, exposing the darkest secrets of every user—secrets LLIAM "learned" through its total access to their lives. Carr, a former Silicon Valley journalist, uses this technothriller to critique digital dependency and the loss of human agency, exploring themes of AI, the weaponisation of guilt and corporate hubris.
The shattering peace - John Scalzi
Civil war is brewing among factions of the hyper-advanced Consu, whose violent philosophy threatens to ignite a galaxy-wide conflict. Mid level diplomat Gretchen Trujillo is dispatched to investigate the disappearance of a secret multi-species colony, accidentally placing her at the very heart of the conflict. Scalzi shifts from military action to diplomatic thriller, in a race against time to stop a conspiracy designed to shatter the universe's always fragile peace, while asking questions about our ability to live peacefully side by side with other species. Set in the Old man's war' universe.
The book of records - Madeleine Thien
In a world reshaped by rising tides and mass migration, Lena and her father seek refuge in 'the Sea', a surreal, shifting waystation for those caught in transit. With her future uncertain, Lena’s world is anchored by just three books: the biographies of the Chinese poet/politician Du Fu, Hannah Arendt and Baruch Spinoza. As these historical figures come to life in her imagination, their struggles with exile and ethics mirror her own journey. The Book of Records is a luminous, challenging, philosophical epic about the power of storytelling to preserve the soul when the official history tries to wash it away.
Archive of Unknown Universes by Ruben Reyes Jr.
A genre-bending novel that mixes magical realism, science fiction, romance and historical fiction while exploring the lasting impact of the Salvadoran Civil War through two intertwined timelines. In 2018 Cambridge, Salvadoran-American students Ana and Luis struggle with their relationship and family secrets stemming from the war. Ana uses "The Defractor," an experimental device that allows users to view alternate histories, leading her and Luis on a quest to Havana and San Salvador. The parallel storyline, set in 1978, details the forbidden, intense love between Neto (Luis's great-uncle and a Salvadoran revolutionary) and Rafael, a Nicaraguan compatriot and document forger. A 'what if' story of displacement, queer love, family legacy, and how choices resonate across generations and universes.
In 2119, Britain is an archipelago following a nuclear accident and rising seas.. Thomas Metcalfe, an academic, is obsessed with finding a legendary, lost poem called A Corona for Vivien, written by the 20th-century poet Francis Blundy for his wife’s 54th birthday in 2014. Despite having access to a 'digital eternity' of data, Thomas finds that the truth of the poem remains elusive. The second half shifts back to 2014, revealing the vibrant but deceitful reality of that birthday dinner, involving adultery, professional jealousy, and a brutal crime. Part post-apocalyptic catastrophe, part literary detective story, McEwan's newest is being hailed as tour de force.
These memories do not belong to us - Yiming Ma
In a haunting vision of a future where trauma is a commodity and all citizens are fitted with a device that can store and share memories, a 'memory cleaner' scrubs the painful recollections of the wealthy, only to find that these discarded tragedies begin to bleed into their own consciousness. Ma uses this premise to discuss class disparity and the ethics of emotional labour with the cleaners representing a marginalised workforce literally burdened by the psychological weight of the elite. Compared to classic sci-fi such as Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, Cloud atlas and The power, Ma's futuristic predictions are as provocative as they are bleak.
The buffalo hunter hunter - Stephen Graham Jones
Horror that is built on the skeletons of a real genocide is a different experience to reading clowns in sewers. Jones portrays the systemic destruction of the great plains buffalo as part of the greater colonial plan to wipe out the native Americans, overlayed with a roaming vampire with a plan for righteous vengeance. The horror is visceral, real and shocking, but creates a must read.
Automatic noodle - Annalee Newitz
From horror to a a charmingly weird look at what happens when your kitchen appliances have an existential crisis, Automatic Noodle follows a noodle-making robot that isn’t just programmed with recipes, but with the 'ghost' memories of every robot that held the job before it. Newitz balances the sci-fi, end of the world tech, with a lot of heart, showing that even a machine can feel the vibe of a busy kitchen, a playful but deep nudge to think about thehidden effort behind our meals. Becky Chambers readers will appreciate.
