With vaccinations finally available, it seems that some semblance of normal is on the horizon, including safely traveling and seeing friends (in person!). Here are some books to take with you.
Category Archives: List
The Best Science Fiction Book Sequels
Sometimes the sequel is nearly as good as the original. For all of these fun books, I recommend that you read the original first, and then lower your expectations just a wee bit for the sequel.
26 Best Grimdark Books
Art by Kai Lim
Grimdark is a fantasy subgenre that is particularly dystopian, amoral, or violent. Its protagonists tend toward the conflicted antihero, and its worlds are often brutal and nihilistic. The writing also tends to be much grittier and realistic. A whimsical quest to get the magic doohickey this is not.
The slightly overwrought term is inspired by the tagline of the tabletop strategy game Warhammer 40,000: “In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war.”
Best Indie Science Fiction Books
These books are all self-published, or at least began their life as self-published.
Best Science Fiction Books with Numbers in the Title
15 Best Weird Fantasy Books
Weird fantasy has to leave me with a “That was great, but what the hell did I just read?” feeling. The books below all fit the bill. Continue reading
The Best Space Battle Books
Sometimes you just want big ships with big guns going after each other. And if there are whole fleets of ships doing the same thing, so much the better.
22 Best Mundane Science Fiction Books
“Mundane” science fiction focuses on already-existing or very plausible technology. No ray guns, warp drives, or time travel here. It’s an unfortunate name, since “mundane” also means “boring,” and these stories are anything but.
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The Best Dying Earth Books
23 Best Fantasy Mystery Books
We like mystery because life is mysterious, and storytelling exists to help us figure out how to live. Mysteries help us figure out how to deal with the unending avalanche of unknowns in our own lives (probably not directly, unless you deal with dead bodies a lot).
Some say that mysteries are popular because people like puzzles. Well, I like a certain kind of mystery, but I’ve never been a puzzle person.
I like Raymond Chandler mysteries, the hard-boiled detective who fights to stay alive while prowling dark alleys and darker minds. Often, I don’t care that much about the final reveal of who the real criminal is. It’s the journey, the tortuous path that I like.
In fantasy especially, the who-dunnit can easily become a what-dunnit.
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