The last few decades have seen an explosion of really well-written science fiction aimed at middle graders/tweens. I would have loved to have had these books during those (for me) wildly awkward years.
All posts by Dan
The Best Postcyberpunk Books
Postcyberpunk is just like cyberpunk (high tech + low life), but without a few of its tropes: you’re less likely to find an edgy loner stumbling through the rain, spitting out noirish one-liners. Postcyberpunk tends to be a little more playful, a little stranger. However, it’s still pretty ill-defined as a subgenre, so one could argue endlessly about what is and isn’t postcyberpunk. Or just read some of the books on this list and decide for yourself.
The Bestselling Science Fiction Books of All Time
The Best Science Fiction Books of 2021
Once again, writers took a hold of the future and gave it a good throttling in 2021.
Review: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The idea was to terraform a world to prepare it for human life (check, done), send in a supervirus that makes some creatures really smart (check, also done), and finally, land some Earth monkeys on it and watch them get really smart and do amazing things (whoops, nope, total disaster).
Best Science Fiction Heist Books
Fortunately, the future has its fair share of charming rogues, tempting targets, and outrageous escapes.
Best Science Fiction Books Published Since This Blog Started
It’s been seven years since my first blog post (4 Things You Didn’t Know About Dune), and it’s time to check out the coolness that’s been published since.
Review: Borne by Jeff VanderMeer
Author Jeff VanderMeer is known for his surreal sci-fi Southern Reach trilogy (the first book was Annihilation, which was made into a movie).
Best Modern Science Fiction Authors
There are plenty of old masters of science fiction, including Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, Le Guin, and so on. But let’s give some of the more recent writers some props.
Review: Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
A giant spaceship lands in the waters offshore of Lagos, the most populous city in Nigeria, and things get out of control immediately. Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor is more about the writhing, hustling world of Nigeria, and the arrival of aliens is a great way to see that in action. It’s very well-written, fast-paced, fascinating, and intense. It does not, however, make me want to visit Lagos.