The best dystopian books

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692 authors created a book list with a dystopian book, and here are their favorites.

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Savage Dominion

By Luke Chmilenko, G D Penman,

Book cover of Savage Dominion

Waldo Rodriguez Author Of The Crucible

From the list on gamelit that break the mold.

Who am I?

Gamelit’s a big focus and passion of mine because it is the genre I didn’t know existed nor that I needed when I got started as a writer. I was always a sci-fi and fantasy guy and the most GameLit thing I experienced prior were anime like Sword Art Online or So I’m a Spider So What. Once I found gems like Dungeon Crawler Carl, Cradle, and others, I was reading everything I could in the genre. Not only that, but I’m writing in the space too, with six books out under my name, another five under a pen name, and many more to come.

Waldo's book list on gamelit that break the mold

Discover why each book is one of Waldo's favorite books.

Why did Waldo love this book?

Savage Dominion is just plain fun and worth the read. But you know how it’s even better? On audio, narrated by Luke Daniels. Seriously, pick up the audio if you can. Luke’s narration alone is worth every penny.

Here we have a big, dumb nerd who honestly wasn’t hero material but when a wolf shows up to ruin his already bad date, our man sacrifices himself. This doesn’t go unnoticed and he is given the chance to become an eternal, basically a demi-god. Only he ends up being one for the “baddies” according to the solar court. 

So Maulkin has to overcome everyone thinking he’s the devil, learn how this new world of his works, and all of that while being more brawns than brains in one of the funniest characters I’ve read in a good long while.

Savage Dominion

By Luke Chmilenko, G D Penman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Savage Dominion as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Maulkin didn't know dying would mean a new eternity of dungeon delving, monster slaying, and glory hunting. If he had, he wouldn't have been so worried about kicking the bucket on a date gone even more wrong than usual.


Reborn in the wild world of Amaranth, Maulkin finds himself in a hulking demi-human body with a sword of a size to match. Marked as an Eternal, a fledging immortal of boundless potential, Maulkin soon discovers he's been given a mission by the elder pantheon of this new realm:


Grow stronger. Ascend to godhood. Spread chaos in their name.


Oh and…


Dayworld

By Philip José Farmer,

Book cover of Dayworld

J.C. Gemmell Author Of Tionsphere

From the list on future history with a glimpse of what might happen.

Who am I?

There were 3.7 billion people on Earth when I was born. By November 2022, there will be 8 billion. I am fascinated and terrified by this growth. I love stories that address this issue head-on, be it colonisation of other planets, compulsory euthanasia, or uploading consciousness into machines. When I started writing, I didn’t realise how I was bringing these themes together—I was writing a book I’d love to read. Now I can see those influences, and I am grateful for the authors who have shaped my thinking and my work.

J.C.'s book list on future history with a glimpse of what might happen

Discover why each book is one of J.C.'s favorite books.

Why did J.C. love this book?

Dayworld is an elegant but dystopic solution to a possible future population crisis and one that keeps me thinking about how we should restrain ourselves. Humanity can only endure overpopulation by placing people into suspended animation six days a week. Jeff Carid is a rebel and a daybreaker, living a different life each day as he illegally moves through the week. But, when Jeff’s ability to segregate his seven lives deteriorates, the rebels realise they can’t trust him.

I love how Jeff slips from Tuesday-World to Wednesday-World, etc., easing into distinct personalities. This story made me realise different cultures exist in the same place, often never noticing each other, which we see when Jeff looks back with distaste at a previous day’s persona.

Dayworld

By Philip José Farmer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dayworld as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the year 3000 a remedy has been found for the world's overpopulation. For six days out of seven, everyone is kept in hibernation; on the 7th day they emerge - to live for a day. In this way the world can support a population whose one-day-a-week lives span hundreds of years.


Hive

By A. J. Betts,

Book cover of Hive

Meg Caddy Author Of Slipping the Noose

From the list on YA with compelling female protagonists.

Who am I?

I have always been drawn to YA novels – big feelings conveyed across shorter word counts, intense experiences, other worlds, characters finding their way in the world. For a long time in these books and across a range of genres, women and girls could only hope to be on the sidelines of these big stories. They were the maiden in the tower, the prospective bride or love interest of the hero. We’re incredibly lucky to live in a time where a wide range of female experiences can be found in our YA books, and these are always stories I seek to read and to tell. 

Meg's book list on YA with compelling female protagonists

Discover why each book is one of Meg's favorite books.

Why did Meg love this book?

This amazing Australian YA weaves such a delicate web. A quiet, introverted dystopia, and at its heart is the wonderful Hayley. Hayley is such an interesting female protagonist here not because she is deadly or combative, but because of her incredible perseverance and curiosity. Hive is the first in a truly compelling duology. 

Hive

By A. J. Betts,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hive as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


The Last Migration

By Charlotte McConaghy,

Book cover of The Last Migration

Sarah R. Pye Author Of Saving Sun Bears: One man's quest to save a species

From the list on improving your connection with nature.

Who am I?

My parents took my brother and me out of school on April Fool’s Day 1979 (when I was 13). We spent the next eight years sailing from the UK to the Americas. Our ‘boat-schooling’ was informed by the world around us: trying to plot our position with sextant taught me mathematics; squinting at a scooped bucket of seaweed taught me about biodiversity; hunkering down in horrendous storms made me realise my insignificance; and finding a way to communicate in local markets took away my fear of difference. April 1st is my most significant anniversary. I'm indebted to my courageous parents for helping me understand I'm a small part of of an incredible planet.

Sarah's book list on improving your connection with nature

Discover why each book is one of Sarah's favorite books.

Why did Sarah love this book?

We are living through what some scientists have termed the ‘sixth mass extinction'. No matter if species belong in tropical rainforests of which I write, or the desolate arctic deserts Charlotte McConaghy describes so well, they are disappearing fast. This dystopic climate change story, which follows one deeply troubled young woman as she tracks a feathered migratory species, has the power to wake us from our slumber before it is too late. What I love the most are the rich and complex characters, who fall outside stereotypical boxes, and incredibly evocative descriptions of wild places. This really is a page-turner that left me wanting to sign petitions and join picket lines.

The Last Migration

By Charlotte McConaghy,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Last Migration as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"An extraordinary novel... as beautiful and as wrenching as anything I've ever read" Emily St. John Mandel

"An adventure of a wilder sort" Vogue US

A dark past. An impossible journey. The will to survive.

How far you would you go for love? Franny Stone is determined to go to the end of the earth, following the last of the Arctic terns on what may be their final migration to Antarctica.

As animal populations plummet and commercial fishing faces prohibition, Franny talks her way onto one of the few remaining boats heading south. But as she and the eccentric crew…


Book cover of The Reapers Are the Angels

C.J. Fisher Author Of Enemy Rising

From the list on zombies in a new direction.

Who am I?

Has anyone ever said that someday they would eat you? Well, I used to be able to say no to that question too… until the day someone did. The blood-thirsty declaration of a madman reawakened a game of “what if” that my brothers and I used to play when we were kids. What if the world was swallowed in a zombie outbreak? Who would survive? Were the creatures shufflers or runners? Did they only want brains or the whole body? Was the disease airborne or only transferrable through a bite?  As mad as the man with the munchies had been, my writer’s mind couldn’t stop running with the question. What if zombies…  

C.J.'s book list on zombies in a new direction

Discover why each book is one of C.J.'s favorite books.

Why did C.J. love this book?

This book had to make it into my list, because while it does have zombies, and terrifying ones at that, they serve as the backdrop for the heroine Temple to work out her inner demons while interacting with individuals who haven’t necessarily worked out their own. Ultimately, Temple is on a hero’s journey akin to the great journeys of Hercules, Jason, and Icarus.

I’ve always loved a flawed tragic hero, and I think Bell did a fantastic job not just with Temple, but with the rest of the cast. He managed to create a whole cadre of raw complex characters whose tragic and yet relatable actions will keep the reader in a constant state of agitation and hope.

The Reapers Are the Angels

By Alden Bell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Reapers Are the Angels as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

God is a slick god. Temple knows. She knows because of all the crackerjack miracles still to be seen on this ruined globe...

Older than her years and completely alone, Temple is just trying to live one day at a time in a post-apocalyptic world, where the undead roam endlessly, and the remnant of mankind who have survived, at times, seem to retain little humanity themselves.

This is the world she was born into. Temple has known nothing else. Her journey takes her to far-flung places, to people struggling to maintain some semblance of civilization - and to those who…


Green Rising

By Lauren James,

Book cover of Green Rising

Marisa Noelle Author Of The Unadjusteds: The Unadjusteds Book 1

From the list on sci-fi dystopian novels with genetic modification.

Who am I?

I've always been fascinated by genetics. Ever since Dolly the Sheep was cloned in the 1990s, I wondered if it was possible for it to have a soul, was it a carbon copy, did it know it had a twin? Move on to when I studied biology and then psychology. My brother became a genetic scientist, and we have both always been fascinated by the possibilities. Although the human genome project has been declared complete, there is still much we don’t know about genetics, let alone what we may harness from the animals around us. Although I'm excited to find out, I'm also fearful of how these modifications may be used.

Marisa's book list on sci-fi dystopian novels with genetic modification

Discover why each book is one of Marisa's favorite books.

Why did Marisa love this book?

This book has only just come out, and I couldn’t resist gobbling it up when I saw the similarities between it and my own The Unadjusteds. Green Rising adds the focus of environmental concerns, and what might happen in the future when people develop unique abilities that can harness nature and plants. This book combines my passions for the environment and mental health, with James’ fabulous style and voice. Based in a near future, some of the circumstances cut close to the bone and make me wonder what our future may hold.

Green Rising

By Lauren James,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Green Rising as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Set in a near-future world on the brink of ecological catastrophe, Lauren James's novel is a gripping, witty and romantic call to arms.

Gabrielle is a climate-change activist who shoots to fame when she becomes the first teenager to display a supernatural ability to grow plants from her skin. Hester is the millionaire daughter of an oil tycoon and the face of the family business. Theo comes from a long line of fishermen, but his parents are struggling to make ends meet.

On the face of it, the three have very little in common. Yet when Hester and Theo join…


Daylight Come

By Diana McCaulay,

Book cover of Daylight Come

Joanne C. Hillhouse Author Of Musical Youth

From the list on Caribbean teen and YA for readers everywhere.

Who am I?

I am an Antiguan-Barbudan writer. When I was a teen, there weren’t a lot of books from my world. So, I was excited when the Burt Award for teen/young adult Caribbean literature was announced. While that prize ran its course after five years, it left a library of great books in this genre, including my own Musical Youth which placed second in the inaugural year of the prize. I have since served as a judge of the Caribbean prize and mentor for the Africa-leg. I love that this series of books tap into different genres and styles in demonstrating the dynamism of modern Caribbean literature. For more on me, my books, and my take on books, visit my website.

Joanne's book list on Caribbean teen and YA for readers everywhere

Discover why each book is one of Joanne's favorite books.

Why did Joanne love this book?

I actually have two books by this Jamaican author and environmental activist to recommend but this one feels more urgent. It is a climate change future dystopia set in the Caribbean, which in reality is among the most vulnerable to climate change notwithstanding its comparably small carbon footprint and often muted voice. In this story, youth is an asset and the sun has become deadly; it is survival of the fittest, and the fittest are whoever can survive the rough terrain, the angry packs, the totalitarian state, and the night. It is also a story built on love and alliances and adaptation; the things that could potentially save us in this reality. It’s the climate change messaging for me!

Daylight Come

By Diana McCaulay,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Daylight Come as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It is 2084. Climate change has made life on the Caribbean island of Bajacu a gruelling trial. The sun is so hot that people must sleep in the day and live and work at night. In a world of desperate scarcity, people who reach forty are expendable. Those who still survive in the cities and towns are ruled over by the brutal, fascistic Domins, and the order has gone out for another evacuation to less sea-threatened parts of the capital. Sorrel can take no more and she persuades her mother, Bibi, that they should flee the city and head for…


Composite Creatures

By Caroline Hardaker,

Book cover of Composite Creatures

Erica L. Satifka Author Of How to Get to Apocalypse and Other Disasters

From the list on apocalyptic and dystopia you haven’t read yet.

Who am I?

I’ve long been fascinated with the dark side of science and human behavior, and grew up on a combination of dystopian classics and horror fiction. When I started writing for publication, apocalyptic themes quickly emerged. As the world around us grows more fraught by the day, I find a strange sort of comfort in reading and writing fiction that doesn’t shy away from depicting the negative aspects of social media, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, or any other technology that has the capacity to create manmade disasters beyond our understanding. And as a small-press author myself, I’m always on the lookout for books that didn’t get enough love.

Erica's book list on apocalyptic and dystopia you haven’t read yet

Discover why each book is one of Erica's favorite books.

Why did Erica love this book?

Composite Creatures centers around a quiet apocalypse called “the greying,” a human disease linked to ecological collapse that’s never described outright but is unmistakenly real. Against this backdrop, the narrator, Norah, enters into an arranged marriage equal parts romantic and practical. The couple takes over the raising of an ovum organi, a bioengineered organism that both functions as a pet and serves another purpose connected to the greying that only becomes apparent near the end of the book. Beyond its slow-burn apocalyptic trappings, this book also has special relevance for me because the ova organi are clearly modeled on cats. While cats themselves are hardly a novelty in science fiction, the way that Hardaker develops the relationship between the artificial critters and their owners/exploiters is especially evocative.

Composite Creatures

By Caroline Hardaker,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Composite Creatures as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a society where self-preservation is as much an art as a science, Norah and Arthur are learning how to co-exist in domestic bliss. Though they hardly know each other, everything seems to be going perfectly - from the home they're building together to the ring on Norah's finger.
But survival in this world is a tricky thing, the air is thicker every day and illness creeps fast through the body. The earth is becoming increasingly hostile to live in.

Fortunately, Easton Grove have the answer, a perfect little bundle of fur that Norah and Arthur can take home. All…


Perfected

By Kate Jarvik Birch,

Book cover of Perfected

K.M. Robinson Author Of Jaded

From the list on swoony dystopia that aren’t Hunger Games.

Who am I?

I love dystopian stories because these are tales that could actually happen if a particular series of steps fall into place over the course of the next decade, century, etc. Dystopia is set in our real world, just in the future. There’s no unbelievable magic…just what our real world could be generations from now. The evolution or devolution of science, law, law enforcement, medicine, education, etc is fascinating to explore…especially since I’m an incredibly techy person. I love exploring what could happen in our future if we follow certain paths, good, bad, or otherwise. Asking “what if” is my favorite question.

K.M.'s book list on swoony dystopia that aren’t Hunger Games

Discover why each book is one of K.M.'s favorite books.

Why did K.M. love this book?

I enjoyed Perfected because it was a very, very soft and gentle take on dystopia where young girls are genetically engineered in labs and trained with special traits as young girls only to be sold to wealthy families as pets. They’re treated as puppies who are dressed in fancy clothes, paraded through events, sat on pretty couches and chairs, and very, very few make it through without being manipulated and used in worse ways. When she falls in love with her owner’s son, and he starts to fall for her, bad things happen. I love putting twists on dystopian worlds so this one was a brilliant, unusual concept that brought such a unique look into the genre and its possibilities and gave me permission to do the same.

Perfected

By Kate Jarvik Birch,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Perfected as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Kate Birch's PET melds the feel of The Handmaid's Tale with the historic underground railroad and wraps it in a glamorous-and dangerous-bow.

Man's best friend just got a little prettier.

Ever since the government passed legislation allowing people to be genetically engineered and raised as pets, the rich and powerful can own beautiful girls like sixteen-year-old Ginger as companions. But when Ginger moves in with her new masters and discovers the glamorous life she's been promised isn't at all what it seems, she's forced to choose between a pampered existence full of gorgeous gowns and veiled threats, or seizing her…


Extinction Horizon

By Nicholas Sansbury Smith,

Book cover of Extinction Horizon

R.A. Seckler Author Of Containment Zone

From the list on zombies that can think.

Who am I?

I hated reading as a kid. It wasn’t until I was in college I picked up Chuck Pahalniuk’s Survivor and fell in love with books and writing. Since then, I’ve been a non-stop reader and writer. I’d consume on average a book a week (sometime’s more) and write fiction every day. My first novel Containment Zone, combined my love of horror and zombies with themes of coming to terms with the end of one’s life and how we treat the elderly and infirm. For me, writing horror stories is a way of exploring deeper aspects of what it means to be human, all while having some thrills and chills along the way.

R.A.'s book list on zombies that can think

Discover why each book is one of R.A.'s favorite books.

Why did R.A. love this book?

Call me weird. I’m not a fan of series books. Unless, that is, they’re written by Nicholas Sansbury Smith. The problem with a book series for me is that I get bored of the same idea book after book after…zzzzzz. But when someone writing a book series is constantly bringing new ideas to the table, it keeps me reading. Couple that with characters we care about, and a heavy focus on moving the plot forward, and I’ll finish a book in no time and be eager to read the next one. This, my friends, is the first book in one of those series. 

Extinction Horizon

By Nicholas Sansbury Smith,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Extinction Horizon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The worst of nature and the worst of science will bring the human race to the brink of extinction...

Master Sergeant Reed Beckham has led his Delta Force Team, codenamed Ghost, through every kind of hell imaginable and never lost a man. When a top secret Medical Corps research facility goes dark, Team Ghost is called in to face their deadliest enemy yet - a variant strain of Ebola that turns men into monsters.

After barely escaping with his life, Beckham returns to Fort Bragg in the midst of a new type of war. As cities fall, Team Ghost is…


Arcadia

By Iain Pears,

Book cover of Arcadia

Oliver Eade Author Of Eyes of Fire

From the list on thinking more deeply about real-life issues.

Who am I?

A retired doctor and bookaholic since childhood, for me reading has always been more than just an escape into other lives. Rather, as with all art forms, I find it helps me better understand our topsy-turvy world. The Alice books were my introduction to the use of fantasy in storytelling that embraces a deeper meaning. Reading such imaginative fiction can be like stepping back from reality only to return with a better insight into what it means to be human in the real world. For me, as a doctor, this has always been so important. Each of the books I have recommended achieves this in the author’s own, unique way.

Oliver's book list on thinking more deeply about real-life issues

Discover why each book is one of Oliver's favorite books.

Why did Oliver love this book?

The stories of ageing, academic ex-spy, Lytton, merge with those of his young neighbour, Rosie, who, when searching for his cat in a basement enters another dimension where she embarks on a life-changing journey with young Jay, whilst in a dystopian future, scientist Angela Meerson, because of her latest invention, goes on the run from the corruptly controlling authorities. The reader just has to hang on there as past, present and future collide in a symphony of imaginative writing that challenges our concept of reality. And it all comes together in a brilliant conclusion.

Arcadia

By Iain Pears,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Arcadia as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Three interlocking worlds. Four people looking for answers.

April, 1960: In the cellar of a professor's house in Oxford, fifteen-year-old Rosie goes in search of a missing cat -- and instead finds herself in a different world.

Anterwold is a sun-drenched land of storytellers and prophecies. But is this world real -- and what happens if Rosie decides to stay?

Meanwhile, a rebellious scientist is trying to prove that time does not even exist -- with potentially devastating consequences.

As the three worlds come together, one question arises: who controls the future -- or the past...?


Catseye

By Andre Norton,

Book cover of Catseye

Carol Van Natta Author Of Pets in Space 6: A Science Fiction Romance Anthology

From the list on science fiction stories with pets.

Who am I?

Hi, I'm Carol Van Natta, USA Today bestselling science fiction and paranormal romance author. I write the award-winning Central Galactic Concordance space opera series and the Ice Age Shifters® paranormal romance series. In addition, I edit the bestselling Pets In Space science fiction romance anthology. I share my home with several eccentric cats. If I ever get to explore the stars or visit a magical sanctuary town, I'm taking them with me. My reader candy is science fiction stories that include pets, so I have some recommendations for you. When I read them aloud to my cats (doesn't everyone do this?), these stories are the most appreciated.

Carol's book list on science fiction stories with pets

Discover why each book is one of Carol's favorite books.

Why did Carol love this book?

Andre Norton, the legendary grande dame of sci-fi and fantasy, wrote more than 100 books. Catseye was one of the first sci-fi books I ever read and is still a favorite. Some books written way back when (okay, 1961) age less gracefully than others. Lucky for us, Norton's books stand the test of time. When desperately poor Troy gets a temp job cleaning an exotic pet shop, he only hopes it'll keep him out of the slums for a few days. Instead, he discovers the shop owner is dealing in highly illegal pets, such as cats and foxes. Furthermore, they’re all telepathic and can connect with Troy. When the shop owner is murdered, it's up to Troy and his animal allies to save each other from a similar fate.

Catseye

By Andre Norton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Catseye as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The "imaginative . . . intriguing" far-future novel about the telepathic bond of friendship between human and animal-from the New York Times bestselling author (Booklist).

Exiled after his home planet was turned into a military outpost following an interstellar war, Troy Horan is relocated to the planet of Korwar. Under the watchful eye of the police state, he lives in the Dipple, a restricted area for subcitizens. He works as a day laborer in an interplanetary pet shop and has no idea why animals from Terra, a third-rate power, have been imported to Korwar-or why he has the ability to…


Recursion

By Blake Crouch,

Book cover of Recursion

J.D. Robinson Author Of The Last Shadow

From the list on embracing the “strangeness” of science fiction.

Who am I?

As much as I love the science of sci-fi, I’ve always been drawn to human stories—the ones that remain focused on the ways we respond to the most strange and exotic of circumstances. In the end, the exotic locales are set dressings, and the players should be people (at least in spirit) that we can relate to. But I especially like the stories that play at the edge of this line: is it possible for us to lose our humanity? Are we not who we thought we were when our circumstances change? Those themes of self-perception and loss are ones I’ve found myself exploring in my own fiction.

J.D.'s book list on embracing the “strangeness” of science fiction

Discover why each book is one of J.D.'s favorite books.

Why did J.D. love this book?

Recursion tells a time travel story in a way we don’t often see in science fiction, focusing less on the tech, and far more on the personal impact it has on the lives of each character. This isn’t the story of time machines—though the means of time travel depicted here is quite cool and unique. It’s a story about several people who become ensnared in a scheme to misuse the technology, and how quickly matters can go off the rails—with devastating consequences—even when you’re trying to do the right thing.

Recursion

By Blake Crouch,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Recursion as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of Dark Matter and the Wayward Pines trilogy comes a relentless thriller about time, identity, and memory—his most mind-boggling, irresistible work to date, and the inspiration for Shondaland’s upcoming Netflix film.

“Gloriously twisting . . . a heady campfire tale of a novel.”—The New York Times Book Review

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • NPR • BookRiot

Reality is broken.
 
At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they…


The Women Could Fly

By Megan Giddings,

Book cover of The Women Could Fly

Marisa Crane Author Of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself

From the list on LBGTQ+ speculative books that will break you and then put you back together again.

Who am I?

I’m a queer, nonbinary writer who has always loved reading and writing speculative fiction, whether it be dystopian novels, sci-fi, fantasy, and beyond. I think speculative fiction is such an effective and creative way to hold a mirror up to our society, explore traumatic and heavy themes, and ultimately, show us what it means to be a person, no matter how strange or unfamiliar the world is. Like many millennials, I grew up reading that awful transphobic woman’s magical series but soon realized how limiting that series was, and how there were so many better, smarter, more inclusive books out there, especially those that center queer and trans characters and know how to break my heart ten times over.

Marisa's book list on LBGTQ+ speculative books that will break you and then put you back together again

Discover why each book is one of Marisa's favorite books.

Why did Marisa love this book?

Written with intelligence, wit, and searing social commentary, this book follows Jo, a 28-year-old woman living in a world in which witches are not only real but are feared, put on trial, and killed—she has until the age of 30 to marry a man or else she’ll have to register with the Bureau of Witchcraft and be closely monitored.

On top of that, Jo’s mother disappeared 14 years ago, and we meet her as she is just beginning to accept the idea that her mother might be dead. However, that all changes when she gets an opportunity to honor her mom’s one last request. What ensues is a powerful exploration of grief, autonomy, freedom, desire, community, and so much more. At once heartbreaking and hopeful, Giddings will have you savoring every word.

The Women Could Fly

By Megan Giddings,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Women Could Fly as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'For fans of Margaret Atwood' Elle
'Thoughtful...wry, magical' Guardian
'brimming with wonder' Raven Leilani, author of Luster

Josephine Thomas has heard every conceivable theory about her mother's disappearance. That she was kidnapped. Murdered. That she took on a new identity to start a new family. That she was a witch. This is the most worrying charge because in a world where witches are real, peculiar behaviour raises suspicions and a woman-especially a Black woman - can find herself on trial for witchcraft.

But fourteen years have passed since her mother's disappearance, and now Jo is finally ready to let go…


Captains and the Kings

By Taylor Caldwell,

Book cover of Captains and the Kings

Carrie Dalby Author Of Perilous Confessions

From the list on for historical gothic family saga fans.

Who am I?

I’ve been fascinated by the feelings stories can evoke in readers since I cried over Bridge to Terabithia in middle school. From the time I was twelve, I’ve sought snapshots in time that ooze with a strong sense of place and flawed characters to capture my heart when reading. I’ve found well-researched historic Gothic family sagas to be the most consistent in delivering that raw emotional bond between the setting/characters and reader. As a writer, I strive to recreate what I crave when reading. The historic Gothic family sagas I’ve chosen represent an array of characters you will love—or love to hate—and cry over.

Carrie's book list on for historical gothic family saga fans

Discover why each book is one of Carrie's favorite books.

Why did Carrie love this book?

Caldwell opened my eyes not only to aspects of American history I wasn’t familiar with, but current politics with this heavy saga. Captains and the Kings highlighted the plight of Irish immigrants in the mid-1800s and then widened the scope to show the follies of the social classes, political corruption, and greed into the new century. True events and historical figures are woven into this fictional tapestry with such skill that everything seems plausible. I ended the read fearful for our future, like I’d typically get from reading a dystopian novel. It’s an intense read needing tissues, a search engine for looking up historical tidbits you might not be familiar with, and possibly a dictionary. The book haunts me to this day—in a good, though horrific, way.


Captains and the Kings

By Taylor Caldwell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Captains and the Kings as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

New York Times Bestseller: Sweeping from the 1850s through the early 1920s, this towering family saga examines the price of ambition and power.

Joseph Francis Xavier Armagh is twelve years old when he gets his first glimpse of the promised land of America through a dirty porthole in steerage on an Irish immigrant ship. His long voyage, dogged by tragedy, ends not in the great city of New York but in the bigoted, small town of Winfield, Pennsylvania, where his younger brother, Sean, and his infant sister, Regina, are sent to an orphanage. Joseph toils at whatever work will pay…


Sleepwater Beat

By Kathrin Hutson,

Book cover of Sleepwater Beat

Jason Pere Author Of Calling the Reaper: First Book of Purgatory

From the list on fantasy not afraid of a bittersweet ending.

Who am I?

I currently reside in my home state of Connecticut with my darling wife and a duo of sweet cuddly dogs. I am a renaissance man having dabbled in Acting for Film and Theater, Fencing and Mixed Martial Arts, Professional Dorkary, and a bevy of other passions before coming to land on writing. Having stepped into numerous fantasy worlds over the years I have had the chance to sample many different flavors of imagination and developed a refined taste for all things dark, mystical, and tragic. 

Jason's book list on fantasy not afraid of a bittersweet ending

Discover why each book is one of Jason's favorite books.

Why did Jason love this book?

A kind of perfect dystopia. The fractured storytelling is as compelling as the characters and greater narrative itself. Sleepwater Beat has a comic book level of action and appeal while also feeling incredibly intellectual and relevant to today’s hot topic issues. Again there is a healthy dose of minority repression on display in the cast of charters presented in this book. Hutson’s Sci-Fi is just as dark and gritty as her fantasy.

Sleepwater Beat

By Kathrin Hutson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sleepwater Beat as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

They say the pen is mightier than the sword. In Sleepwater’s world, words are literally more powerful than bullets.


Leo could always make people believe anything she says—really believe. When her chest burns and the words come from her mouth, her targets’ eyes glaze over, they forget their own thoughts, and they’ll do anything she says. It’s what keeps her alive after being on the run and living on the streets for years. But after using it on her girlfriend and her dad’s drug dealer, it’s also what got her here on the streets in the first place.


Then Sleepwater…


The Incal

By Alejandro Jodorowsky, Jean Giraud (illustrator),

Book cover of The Incal

Andrew MacLean Author Of ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria for the End Times

From the list on graphic novels for a big imagination.

Who am I?

I believe comics are one of the very best storytelling mediums for stories with big imagination. Prose and film are amazing, but comics have artwork for every single moment of the story, artwork not bound by space, time, or budget. I’ve written and drawn 5 graphic novels published in 11 different languages. I’ve dedicated my entire life to the pursuit of imagination. The books I’ve recommended have given me endless enjoyment and inspiration, I hope they can do the same for you too.

Andrew's book list on graphic novels for a big imagination

Discover why each book is one of Andrew's favorite books.

Why did Andrew love this book?

The Incal follows John DiFool, an everyday goofball, as he is swept away on the most metaphysical, surrealistic, galactic adventure possible. Written and drawn by two of the wildest, most ingenious imaginations to ever grace the page, Jodorowsky and Moebius guide the reader gracefully to the edge of existence and back – without confusing or pandering to its audience. 

This book works so well because, first, Moebuis’ art is an absolute delight to look at, and second, because using the common-man-character of DiFool as the protagonist, the reader can learn alongside the story in a way that feels smooth and natural – in a world that would otherwise be beyond the understanding of mere mortals.

The Incal

By Alejandro Jodorowsky, Jean Giraud (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Incal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Moebius' and Alejandro Jodorowsky's Sci-Fi masterpiece collected in one epic volume. Lose yourself in the in the story that inspired many legendary filmakers including George Lucas and Ridley Scott.

John Difool, a low-class detective in a degenerate dystopian world, finds his life turned upside down when he discovers an ancient, mystical artifact called "The Incal." Difool's adventures will bring him into conflict with the galaxy's greatest warrior, the Metabaron, and will pit him against the awesome powers of the Technopope. These encounters and many more make up a tale of comic and cosmic proportions that has Difool fighting for not…


I call him HIM

By Scott W. Kimak,

Book cover of I call him HIM

Parker J. Cole Author Of Dark Cherub

From the list on Christian horror and thrillers.

Who am I?

The question I have for Christian authors is this: are we Christian authors or authors who are Christian? The realm of horror is the perfect genre to explore the human condition in all of its depravity. Why do Christians avoid this genre when at the end of the day? I grew up watching horror movies with my grandmother and I enjoy the thrills and chills, the questions the genre asks, and the various ways horror can be depicted. Christians understand the dark forces that underlie our natural world. And we understand the darkness within ourselves. But unlike Hollywood horror, we know what the solution – Christ. So that’s why this is a passion of mine.

Parker's book list on Christian horror and thrillers

Discover why each book is one of Parker's favorite books.

Why did Parker love this book?

I call him HIM is an apocalyptic horror story about a man who is a fighting machine.

Hell has come to earth and wreaked havoc. Demonic beings lurk everywhere, feasting off of humanity. Our main character is simply called Him. He has no name, but only rage as he kills demonic hordes with his sword and his strength.

Where is God in a world filled with demonic influences? Where is God when the cry of humanity reaches out for answers? This thought consumes Him, but there may be a light. A young girl who may be the key.

Scott Kimak blends this horror, apocalyptic story with gritty violence, intense action scenes, coarse language, but also themes of redemption and sacrifice.

I call him HIM

By Scott W. Kimak,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I call him HIM as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a post-apocalyptic world, a warrior and his family are driven underground, fighting for their very survival. When they do emerge, the futuristic planet they discover is very different from the one they left behind. Ruled by an evil presence which dominates and controls what is left of mankind, Earth has been reduced to a violent place of darkness, grief and destruction.I call him HIM follows the journey of this unnamed warrior as he loses both his family and his mind. As he hits rock bottom, all he can think of is his insatiable yearning for revenge until he meets…


Wool

By Hugh Howey,

Book cover of Wool

J.D. Robinson Author Of The Last Shadow

From the list on embracing the “strangeness” of science fiction.

Who am I?

As much as I love the science of sci-fi, I’ve always been drawn to human stories—the ones that remain focused on the ways we respond to the most strange and exotic of circumstances. In the end, the exotic locales are set dressings, and the players should be people (at least in spirit) that we can relate to. But I especially like the stories that play at the edge of this line: is it possible for us to lose our humanity? Are we not who we thought we were when our circumstances change? Those themes of self-perception and loss are ones I’ve found myself exploring in my own fiction.

J.D.'s book list on embracing the “strangeness” of science fiction

Discover why each book is one of J.D.'s favorite books.

Why did J.D. love this book?

In a way, Wool—actually a series of stories bound together—can be seen as both an odyssey and a chamber piece. What fascinated me was that the entire series (almost) follows the stories of several key people who live within Silo 18, a vast underground complex 144 floors deep. There, generations of people have built a self-sustaining culture because the outdoors is a toxic wasteland that is not only to be avoided but is best not even contemplated. Anyone who does raise questions risks being sent outside to find out for themselves… never to return.

But even as generational memory about the outside world fades, humans being humans, that itch for the truth never fully dies off. And as events inside Silo 18 escalate for our heroes, the push to finally understand what happened to the outside world—including whether other silos exist—becomes impossible to avoid.

Wool

By Hugh Howey,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Wool as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SOON TO BE A MAJOR APPLE TV SERIES
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'Thrilling, thought-provoking and memorable ... one of dystopian fiction's masterpieces alongside the likes of 1984 and Brave New World.' DAILY EXPRESS

In a ruined and hostile landscape, in a future few have been unlucky enough to survive, a community exists in a giant underground silo.

Inside, men and women live an enclosed life full of rules and regulations, of secrets and lies.

To live, you must follow the rules. But some don't. These are the dangerous ones; these are the people who dare to hope and dream, and who infect others…


Genesis

By Bernard Beckett,

Book cover of Genesis

Mandy Hager Author Of The Nature of Ash

From the list on speculative YA fiction from Aotearoa New Zealand.

Who am I?

As a writer from Aotearoa New Zealand, I’ve always been interested in social justice and human rights, and my own writing explores such issues, including who holds the power and who exerts the control. By writing about real-world issues in a speculative future, it allows us to peel back the layers of conditioning and look at ourselves and our actions through the eyes of an outsider – which forces us to examine our best and worst human traits. I love the way speculative fiction can do this, and I love that it challenges us to do better.  

Mandy's book list on speculative YA fiction from Aotearoa New Zealand

Discover why each book is one of Mandy's favorite books.

Why did Mandy love this book?

If you’re into philosophy, this is the book for you! It explores the big questions about the origins of life and human consciousness, and what is it to be human and what makes a soul. Set in a distant future, on an island republic brutally policed to keep out survivors from the ruined world beyond its shores, Anaximander is put through a grueling examination to get into The Academy. I loved how it pushed my brain and went in places I wasn’t expecting. 

Genesis

By Bernard Beckett,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Genesis as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The island Republic has emerged from a ruined world. Its citizens are safe but not free. Until a man named Adam Forde rescues a girl from the sea.
Fourteen-year-old Anax thinks she knows her history. She'd better. She's sat facing three Examiners and her five-hour examination has just begun. The subject is close to her heart: Adam Forde, her long-dead hero. In a series of startling twists, Anax discovers new things about Adam and her people that question everything she holds sacred. But why is the Academy allowing her to open up the enigma at its heart?
Bernard Beckett has…