I’m a science fiction writer living in Nova Scotia, Canada. I’m drawn to character-driven stories that imagine hopeful and inclusive futures, and I absolutely love anything to do with robots. My post-apocalyptic Patch Project series is published with Adventure Worlds Press. After working in the theatre for a few years, I completed my Master’s degree in Creative Writing at the University of Windsor. These days, I write novels featuring ensemble casts, found families, and maybe a con artist or two. These are some of my favourite books of all time, I hope you enjoy them!
One of my all-time favourites! This book re-formed my expectations and dreams for science fiction. Set on Gethen, a winter world where people only have gender for a couple days every month, the story is character-driven and deeply philosophical. The crux of the novel is the relationship between Genly Ai, an envoy from an interplanetary network, and Estraven, an exiled member of the Karhide royal court. My favourite part of this book is the long Arctic-inspired crossing of a glacier in order to return back to Karhide. Le Guin uses Genly’s records, folklore from Gethen, and Estraven’s point of view to develop the universal theme of the desire for connection—between peoples and planets.
50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION-WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY DAVID MITCHELL AND A NEW AFTERWORD BY CHARLIE JANE ANDERS
Ursula K. Le Guin's groundbreaking work of science fiction-winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards.
A lone human ambassador is sent to the icebound planet of Winter, a world without sexual prejudice, where the inhabitants' gender is fluid. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the strange, intriguing culture he encounters...
Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an…
One of the best post-apocalyptic books I’ve read to date! Mary and Rachel survive a nuclear apocalypse in Rachel’s seaside home. After many long years of surviving and making a new life for themselves, a strange man appears on their shores. Mary decides to make a long journey that changes life for her and Rachel forever. The characters in this book and the writing are so believable, and the centering of books, art, and hope makes this a stand-out from the gray zombie-infested wastelands of recent mainstream post-apocalyptic stories.
In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, two women seek to preserve the small treasury of books available to them - a gift of knowledge and hope for future generations.
"[A] poignant expression of the durability, grace, and potential of the human spirit." -Jean M. Auel, author of the Earth's Children series
In the 21st Century, civilization is crumbling under the burden of overpopulation, economic chaos, petty wars, a horrific pandemic, and finally, a nuclear war that inevitably results in a deadly nuclear winter.
On the Oregon Coast, two women, writer Mary Hope and painter Rachel Morrow, scratch out a minimal existence as…
I picked this book up on a whim and was whisked away into a space adventure unlike any I’d read before. In the tradition of Star Trek, the book explores the interpersonal relationships onboard a spaceship. However, humans are not the center of the universe and are considered from the ‘backwater’ of space: many other sentients are featured in the crew, each with their own ways of communicating and understanding the universe around them. I loved reading about how the characters related to each other. I definitely felt like I was a part of the crew on this unforgettable journey through the stars.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILEY'S WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
'A quietly profound, humane tour de force' Guardian
The beloved debut novel that will restore your faith in humanity
#SmallAngryPlanet
When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The ship, which has seen better days, offers her everything she could possibly want: a small, quiet spot to call home for a while, adventure in far-off corners of the galaxy, and distance from her troubled past.
But Rosemary gets more than she bargained for with the Wayfarer. The crew is a mishmash of species and personalities, from Sissix,…
This book changed my life! Before reading Station Eleven, I’d only read classic post-apocalyptic books. It was so refreshing to find a book that declared “survival is insufficient.” The idea of a traveling theater troupe and comic books in a post-apocalyptic world appealed to me; it continues to inspire me to value art and beauty as having value for their own sake, as being part of humanity. Station Eleven asks really good questions about what humanity will bring into the future as we face the consequences of the Anthropocene era.
'Best novel. The big one . . . stands above all the others' - George R.R. Martin, author of Game of Thrones
Now an HBO Max original TV series
The New York Times Bestseller Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award Longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction National Book Awards Finalist PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist
What was lost in the collapse: almost everything, almost everyone, but there is still such beauty.
One snowy night in Toronto famous actor Arthur Leander dies on stage whilst performing the role of a lifetime. That same evening a deadly virus touches down in…
The first book of this award-winning trilogy was impossible to put down! The story shows us a post-apocalyptic world through the eyes of characters on different sides of an eons-spanning conflict that has created a brutal hierarchy of power. The narrative voice is engaging and breaks the status quo by directly addressing the reader. The long journey the protagonist is on spans years and identities, tying her to her past as she strives to bring about a more hopeful version of the future. Even if the world as she knows it has to be broken to get there.
At the end of the world, a woman must hide her secret power and find her kidnapped daughter in this "intricate and extraordinary" Hugo Award winning novel of power, oppression, and revolution. (The New York Times)
This is the way the world ends. . .for the last time.
It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.
After a mysterious disaster erases most of the world, five survivors find themselves in the middle of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. A married couple is trapped in their domestic setting. Two punks wander the wasteland, pushed further west by fears of retribution. A video game designer, used to living the high life in the city, is stranded at a highway gas station.
Not only do they have hunger and loss to deal with, but some of them have developed strange new abilities that they are only beginning to understand. Their interwoven stories explore the human need for purpose and hope for a better world. In this revised edition of Brittni Brinn's introspective debut, everyone will have to face who they have become in order to survive.
I’ve been obsessed with fantasy since my grandmother bought me the entire Dorothy and the Land of Oz series as a kid. I love discovering new types of fantasy characters, spins on characters, new lore in genres, and mythology woven in creative ways. For my fantasy group, I’ve researched many interpretations of fae, witches, elves, vampires, and shapeshifters. I’m always looking to add to my list, and I love finding Indie authors new to their niche. I feel so privileged to interview many authors like these and Jennifer L. Armentrout (squeal) for my podcast, The Finding the Magic Book Podcast. I hope you love these books as much as I did.
After losing her brothers, Titania studied and trained to rule Aubren. But she hadn’t planned on becoming Queen at fifteen. Now with her reign challenged from within the castle walls, she must decide what is best for her kingdom. Should another rule in her stead? Or has fate led her to this moment?
Only she can decide a path that becomes littered with choices. Will a marriage shore up her reign? Could naming a successor be enough? And what of the creatures of the deep and a tale of one who can end all evil? Faced with a choice to…
With an endearing yet fierce female protagonist, fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jenna Wolfhart will love this epic Fae fantasy.
The last of her line, a faerie princess prepares to take the throne. But multiple forces plot against her, some trusted friends…
After losing her brothers Titania trained and studied to rule Aubren. But she hadn’t planned on becoming Queen at fifteen. Now with her reign challenged from within the castle walls she must decide what is best for her country. Should another rule in her stead? Or has fate led her to this moment?
