Mary Ross | Site Director
Looking for all books science-fiction and fantasy for someone in your life? You’ve come to the right place. The books below come highly recommended and each take a different spin on the genre.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Giver is a dystopian novel following a young boy named Jonas. When Jonas is named a successor to the Receiver of Memory, his way he views the world is drastically changed and begins to isolate him from everyone in his life. A wonderful novel about the importance of memory and emotion for the functioning of a society, this novel should be on every Science Fiction lovers book list if they haven’t already read it.
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Cat’s Cradle is an interesting story that combines the themes of science, family, and religion. Told from the viewpoint of Jonah or John, we learn of a scientist named Felix Hoenikker creating a substance called ice-nine, a substance that changes the chemical structure of water to make it a solid substance. Ice-nine is an unsafe substance that needs to be perfected but it falls into the hands of Hoenikker’s children after his death. Jonah then finds himself on San Lorenzo for work. After he arrives there, many strange events happen including the death of the island’s leader by ice-nine. A satirical piece that calls out the United States for how it handles world affairs, Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle is a can’t miss novel.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
Written by Emma Keeling: “I read this story my freshman or sophomore year of high school (over 4 years ago), and right away, two things come to mind now – it had a darn complicated story line and it probably wasn’t appropriate for a 14- or 15-year-old reader. With that being said, adults can surely appreciate the novel for what it is – a social, political, and ethical narrative about the essence of good and evil in the world. It takes place in the Land of Oz and tells the story of Elphaba Thropp, a green-skinned girl who later becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. The book is split into five parts, each a different setting and time which I felt to be the most difficult part. Every section had a different mood and it wasn’t always easy adjusting to that mood when a new section came along. Furthermore, Elphaba isn’t the easiest character to relate to – not only does she live in a fictional land and have green skin, she’s also a little dark at times and not always friendly. However, there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Having the insight of why the Wicked Witch of the West is such a notoriously evil character and some in depth background of the Land of Oz is very rewarding and interesting, especially if you enjoyed the original 1900 Frank Baum novel The Wizard of Oz or it’s 1939 film adaptation like I did.”
11/22/63 by Stephen King
This novel follows the story of Jake Epping, his friend Harry Dunning, and local diner owner, Al Templeton, who has a portal to the past in the pantry of his diner. Al, in all his years traveling in the portal, only wants to save President John F. Kennedy from being assassinated, believing that if JFK had survived, the world would be a better place. But when Jake travels back in time, he messes with time much and Harry ends up dying while serving in Vietnam, causing Al to commit suicide, leaving Jake alone in his knowledge of the portal. The rest of the story follows Jake trying to carry out Al’s plan to save JFK thrown together with many other unexpected events that make this story fantastic.
The Martian by Andy Weir
The Martian is a story of Mark Watney, a botanist and engineer, on the Ares 3 mission to Mars. Watney, in a hurried evacuation due to a windstorm, is impaled, leading the Ares 3 crew to believe him dead and leave him on Mars. Well Watney isn’t dead and so begins his journey to stay alive, contact NASA and figure out how to get off Mars and get back home. This story is one of resilience and is a scientifically thrilling story about one man’s ability to survive on a new planet with only his intellect to guide him.
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
Based in 23rd-century Thailand, this story deals with the threat of global warming. In the setting, the world’s ocean levels are raised much and carbon fuel sources are depleted. The world, except for Thailand, is dominated by biotechnology, which leads to widespread plagues and illnesses caused by the genetically modified crops. In comes Anderson, an undercover hitman for the AgriGen Corporation, a dominant biotech mega corporation, who works in Thailand trying to figure out where Thailand’s secret store of seeds that keep the mega corporations from dominating Thailand too is. But there is a lot in his way because everyone has their own agenda. Covering topics such as global warming and biotechnology, this is book brings to light themes that are close to many people’s hearts today.
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