The realm of science fiction continues to expand its horizons in 2024, offering readers imaginative and thought-provoking journeys into the future, alternate realities, and the outer reaches of human possibility. The year’s sci-fi books promise to push the boundaries of the genre, blending advanced technology, speculative worlds, and deep philosophical questions.
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
In The Ministry of Time, Kaliane Bradley merges time travel, romance, and intrigue in a gripping debut. Set in the near future, a civil servant joins a top-secret project testing time travel by living with a historical figure, Commander Graham Gore, from 1847. As they navigate modern life together, what starts as an awkward arrangement blossoms into a deep, transformative relationship. This imaginative novel explores love and the impact of defying history, delivering a unique blend of genres and ideas.
Lake of Souls by Ann Leckie
This comprehensive collection of Leckie’s short fiction offers an impressive mix of science fiction and fantasy, with the former making up half of the volume and proving indispensable. The range includes everything from flash fiction and a creation myth set in the Imperial Radch universe to “The Justified,” a poignant tale exploring power, mortality, and choice. The title novelette features a sentient crustacean, dubbed a “lobster dog” by an anthropologist who crash-lands on its planet, on a quest for understanding about its world and existence.
Your Utopia by Bora Chung; Translated by Anton Hur
From the internationally acclaimed author of Cursed Bunny, Your Utopia offers another gripping collection translated from Korean by Anton Hur. This book explores themes of loss and discovery, idealism and dystopia, death and immortality. Chung’s unique blend of wry humor and unexpectedly tender moments pervades these stories, often featuring surprising and unconventional subjects. In “The Center for Immortality Research,” a junior employee exhausts herself organizing an extravagant gala for donors, only to be falsely accused of a crime she witnessed during the event. The crime unfolds under the watchful eyes of enigmatic celebrity benefactors seeking eternal life, but firing her is not an option. In “One More Kiss, Dear,” a tender, one-sided love story unfolds in the elevator of an apartment complex, where the elevator itself develops a deep affection for one of the residents.
The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville
Keanu Reeves and China Miéville join forces in a groundbreaking epic that blends ancient legends with modern warfare. Inspired by the BRZRKR comics, this novel follows B, an immortal warrior longing for death, who must aid a U.S. black-ops team in exchange for their help. When a mortal soldier returns from the dead, B faces a mysterious force with its own plans. Combining Miéville’s creativity with Reeves’s narrative prowess, this unique tale promises to thrill fans and newcomers alike.
Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase
Womb City explores a dark future Botswana, blending rich culture with folklore to ask: how far will one go to dismantle systemic inequality and protect a loved one? Nelah appears to have it all—wealth, fame, a husband, and an unborn child. Yet, trapped in a controlling marriage and a life controlled by a microchip, her dreams crumble after a drug-fueled celebration ends in a hit-and-run. To escape a male-biased justice system, Nelah and her lover, Janith Koshal, bury the victim. But the secret resurfaces as the victim's ghost seeks bloody revenge. Nelah must confront her society's darkest secrets and become a monster herself to end the ghost’s reign of terror.
Words Platform Desk
Date 27.08.2024