research paper on science fiction and fantasy

And Siegfried thought he killed Fafnir. How wrong he was…! (Artwork by Arthur Rackham. Source: Wikimedia Commons )

Fafnir – Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research.  ISSN: 2342-2009

Founded in 2014, Fafnir  is a World Fantasy Award-winning, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal published by  The Finnish Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy Research . The journal provides an open-access international forum for scholarly exchanges on science fiction, fantasy, and issues current in the field. Fafnir  welcomes contributions from a wide range of perspectives, and we publish two issues each year.

Articles in Fafnir are currently indexed under MLA International Bibliography and the Directory of Open-Access Journals . The journal itself is listed under the MLA Directory of Periodicals as well as the Directory of Open-Access Journals .

Current and Forthcoming:

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This page contains an annotated listing of valuable resources for the science fiction scholar and teacher. Currently, only a handful of entries are present, but the intent is to make this a comprehensive listing, particularly highlighting the work of SFRA members. If you would like to contribute an entry or become curator of this page, please contact the SFRA President .

Research Resources

Encyclopedia of science fiction.

An ongoing project to provide a comprehensive, scholarly, and critical guide to science fiction in all its forms.

Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

Originally a project begun by the Oxford English Dictionary, the HD/SF is a dictionary of language and terms used in and about science fiction. Alongside definitions, each entry also offers a variety of quotations containing the word or phrase, arranged chronologically, to give a sense of the context and evolution of the term.

Internet Speculative Fiction Database

The ISFDB is a community effort to catalog works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It links together various types of bibliographic data: author bibliographies, publication bibliographies, award listings, magazine content listings, anthology and collection content listings, and forthcoming books.

Science Fiction & Fantasy Research Database

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database is an inclusive tool, designed to cover all aspects of science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural and weird fiction. History, criticism, commentary, fan writings, and some reviews are all included, although book reviews are left to Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review Index at this time. Science fiction generates the largest number of entries, followed by fantasy and horror in that order.

Indexes and Reference Tools

Bsfa magazine collection.

A website providing access to most publications of the British Science Fiction Association up to 2011

Locus Magazine Science Fiction Index

An index to science fiction works received or reviewed by Locus Magazine from 1984 to 2007.

Science Fiction, Fantasy & Weird Fiction Magazine Index

A comprehensive and searchable list of contents and magazine covers for a huge range of SF magazines. (Collections are also available for other genres of magazine.)

Science Fiction Anthologies & Collections Index

A reference index for English-language science fiction short stories published in anthologies and magazines.

Science Fiction & Fantasy Archival Collections

A list of archival holdings for science fiction and fantasy authors. The collection can be searched by author or organisation to identify where archive materials may be found.

Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review Index

An index of book reviews for science fiction and fantasy covering the period from 1926 to 1991, with more limited coverage of subsequent years.

Fanzines & Fandom

Fancyclopedia.

A wiki dedicated to the history of science fiction fandom, with information on fanzines, individuals, conventions and more.

FANAC Fan History Project

A website “devoted to the preservation and distribution of information about science fiction fandom”. Among the resources offered by the Project is the Fanzine Archive, a searchable archive of science fiction fanzines, many of which are available to view or download in full.

eFanzines.com

An online archive of electronic science fiction and fantasy fanzines, with a leaning towards more recent publications. The list can be browsed by title or cover. Most fanzines are available for download.

Teaching Resources

Gunn center for the study of science fiction.

The University of Kansas’s Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction provides a wealth of resources for teachers and scholars of science fiction.

Join fellow scholars, educators, librarians, editors, authors, publishers, archivists, and artists from across the globe in the SFRA.

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Build Mental Resiliency in Young Readers

Science fiction offers readers a way to rethink social dilemmas.

Young people who are “hooked” on watching fantasy or reading science fiction may be on to something. Contrary to a common misperception that reading this genre is an unworthy practice , reading science fiction and fantasy may help young people cope , especially with the stress and anxiety of living through the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am a professor with research interests in the social, ethical and political messages in science fiction. In my book “ Medicine and Ethics in Black Women’s Speculative Fiction ,” I explore the ways science fiction promotes understanding of human differences and ethical thinking.

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While many people may not consider science fiction, fantasy or speculative fiction to be “literary,” research shows that all fiction can generate critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence for young readers. Science fiction may have a power all its own.

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Literature as a moral mirror

Historically, parents have considered literature “good” for young people if it provides moral guidance that reflects their own values. This belief has been the catalyst for many movements to censor particular books for nearly as long as books have been published .

“ The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ,” published in 1885, was the first book to be banned in the U.S. It was thought to corrupt youth by teaching boys to swear, smoke and run away from home.

In the latter part of the 20th century, the book has come under fire for the Mark Twain’s prolific use of the N-word . Many people are concerned that the original version of the book normalizes an unacceptable racial slur. Who can say the N-word and in what context is an ongoing social and political debate, reflecting wounds in American society that have yet to heal.

The question is, how does literature of any genre – whether popularly perceived as “serious literature” or “escapist nonsense” – perform its educational function. This is central to the conflict between parents and educators about what kids should read, especially as it pertains to “escapist” fiction.

Why science fiction gets a bad rap

Historically, those who read science fiction have been stigmatized as geeks who can’t cope with reality. This perception persists , particularly for those who are unaware of the changes to this genre in the past several decades. A 2016 article in Social and Personality Psychology Compass, a scholarly journal, argues that “connecting to story worlds involves a process of ‘dual empathy,‘ simultaneously engaging in intense personal processing of challenging issues, while ‘feeling through’ characters, both of which produce benefits.”W

While science fiction has become more mainstream , one study claimed that science fiction makes readers stupid . A subsequent study by the same authors later refuted this claim when the quality of writing was taken into account.

This ongoing ambivalence towards the genre contributes to the stereotype that such works are of little value because they presumably don’t engage real human dilemmas . In actuality, they do. Such stereotypes assume that young people can only learn to cope with human dilemmas by engaging in mirror-image reflections of reality including what they read or watch.

The mental health of reading

Reading science fiction and fantasy can help readers make sense of the world . Rather than limiting readers’ capacity to deal with reality, exposure to outside-the-box creative stories may expand their ability to engage reality based on science .

A 2015 survey of science fiction and fantasy readers found that these readers were also major consumers of a wide range of other types of books and media. In fact, the study noted a connection between respondents’ consumption of varied literary forms and an ability to understand science.

With increasing rates of anxiety, depression and mental health issues for youth in the past two decades, it may be the case that young people, no different from American society generally, are suffering from reality overload. Young people today have unprecedented access to information about which they may have little power to influence or change .

The powerful world of science fiction

Science fiction and fantasy do not need to provide a mirror image of reality in order to offer compelling stories about serious social and political issues. The fact that the setting or characters are extraordinary may be precisely why they are powerful and where their value lies.

My contribution in the forthcoming essay collection “Raced Bodies, Erased Lives: Race in Young Adult Speculative Fiction” discusses how race, gender and mental health for black girls is portrayed in speculative fiction and fantasy. My essay describes how contemporary writers take an aspect of what is familiar and make it “odd” or “strange” enough to give the reader psychic and emotional distance to understand mental health issues with fresh eyes.

From the “ Harry Potter ” and “ Hunger Games ” series to novels like Octavia Butler’s “ Parable of the Sower ” and “ Parable of the Talents ” and Nancy Kress’ “ Beggars in Spain ,” youths see examples of young people grappling with serious social, economic, and political issues that are timely and relevant, but in settings or times that offer critical distance.

This distance gives readers an avenue to grapple with complexity and use their imagination to consider different ways of managing social challenges. What better way to deal with the uncertainty of this time than with forms of fiction that make us comfortable with being uncomfortable, that explore uncertainty and ambiguity, and depict young people as active agents, survivors and shapers of their own destinies?

Let them read science fiction. In it, young people can see themselves – coping, surviving and learning lessons – that may enable them to create their own strategies for resilience. In this time of COVID-19 and physical distancing, we may be reluctant for kids to embrace creative forms that seem to separate them psychologically from reality.

But the critical thinking and agile habits of mind prompted by this type of literature may actually produce resilience and creativity that everyday life and reality typically do not.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

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Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories

• First Online: 27 September 2018

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• Yonglin Huang 3  

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Science fiction ( or Sci-fi) as a genre of literature gives depictions of vistas of sci-tech progress and human’s understanding and speculation about the mystery of nature by means of vivid storylines and fascinating techniques. Based on the current sci-tech development and conditions, it employs scientific logical deduction to depict virtually the yet-to-be-realized scientific inventions and innovations so as to convey the authors’ criticism about real life and reflections about futuristic scientific development. Therefore, the history of science fiction is actually a history during which human beings have been making continuous exploration of and gain understanding about the universe, time and space as well as human beings themselves.

• Modern Science Fiction
• Future Scientific Developments
• Science Fantasy
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“Ba nationality” is a group of ancient ethnic minority people who inhabited in the Three Gorges region in the heart of China.—Translator’s note.

“Nü Wa” is a goddess in Chinese mythology who, according to the legend, created humans and everything on the earth.—Translator’s note.

“Yellow Emperor” (“Huang Di” in Chinese pinyin) (2717–2599 BC) is a legendary Chinese sovereign and cultural hero who is said to be the ancestor of all Chinese.—Translator’s note.

“Tasmanian people” are the aboriginal people inhabiting in the island state of Australia which is located 150 miles to the south of the Australian mainland, separated by the Bass Strait.—Translator’s note.

“Fu Xi” is a legendary Chinese ruler of great antiquity, credited with the introduction of farming, fishing, hunting and animal husbandry.—Translator’s note.

“Mozi” is a reverent name for Mo Di (468–376 BC), who is a renowned thinker in the pre-Qin period (2100–221 BC) and the founder of Mohism. He is also said to be the inventor of a flying wooden bird, apart from Lu Ban.—Translator’s note.

Gorky, M. 1959. Literature of Soviet Union. In Selected Essays of Gorky on Literature , trans. Beijing: People’s Literature Publishing House.

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Liu, Shouhua. 1981. Wooden Bird: A Folk Science Fantasy Which Has Far-Reaching Influence. Folk Literature 5.

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Needham, Joseph. 1975. Science and Civilization in China , vol. 1, trans. Beijing: Science Press.

Peng, Changqing. 1983. Heart Transplant in Ancient China. Scientific Art and Literature 5.

Rao, Zhonghua. 1982. Everlasting Charm — A Tentative Study on the Development of Chinese Science Fiction. In A Complete Volume of Chinese Science Fiction , ed. Rao Zhonghua. Beijing: China Ocean Press.

Scholes, R., and E.S. Rabkin. 1977. Science Fiction: History • Science • Vision . London: Oxford University Press.

Wang, Yan. 1999. Scientific Fiction in Modern Times. Studies on Fiction in the Ming and Qing Dynasties 4.

Xie, Xuanjun. 1986. Mythology and National Spirit . Jinan: Shandong Art and Literature Publishing House.

Ye, Yonglie. 1980. On Scientific Art and Literature . Beijing: Science Popularization Press.

Zhang, Hong. 1965. Stories about Flights in Ancient China . Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company.

Zhou, Changshou. 1982. Preliminary Study on Translated Sci-tech Journals. In A History of Chinese Science and Technology , vol. 2, ed. Du Shiran et al. Beijing: Science Press.

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Huang, Y. (2018). Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories. In: Narrative of Chinese and Western Popular Fiction. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-57575-8_7

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Science Fiction has long been the subject of serious research, and the databases below can help UT scholars find relevant monographs, peer-reviewed journals, and other scholarly resources.

Depending on your topic, you may need to search a variety of databases. The search tools linked below include articles published in academic journals centered on literary, film, and cultural studies. If you have questions about using these tools, contact Gina Bastone, the English Librarian: [email protected]

Members of the public can read online up to three articles for free every two weeks from a large subset of JSTOR journals via the Register & Read program. This program allows remote access. Non-UT students, faculty and staff who need more articles can contact library staff for other access options.

For more information on ebooks see the Ebook Guide

• The Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database The Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database is an online, searchable compilation and extension of Science Fiction and Fantasy Reference Index 1878-1985, Science Fiction and Fantasy Reference Index 1985-1991, and Science Fiction and Fantasy Reference Index 1992-1995, including material located since publication of the last printed volume. Most material was obtained and examined by the compiler; the remainder was verified in a reliable secondary source.
• The Internet Speculative Fiction Database A comprehensive bibliographic index of authors, publishers, novels, short stories, anthologies, magazines, and journals in science fiction and adjacent genres. Built as a wiki that anyone can contribute to. NOTE: This is not an index of scholarship/secondary sources on sci-fi works. It is a bibliography listing works by contributed authors.
• Extrapolation Publishes original research contributions to the critical study of science fiction and fantasy past and present, with occasional special issues on specific themes/topics.
• Foundation: The international review of science fiction A peer-reviewed journal from the UK's Science Fiction Foundation.
• Science Fiction Studies A key peer-reviewed journal of scholarship and literary criticism on science fiction and adjacent genres. Full issues online from 1973-2021. Most recent issues not available.
• Vector The peer-reviewed, critical journal of the British Science Fiction Association. Full issues online from 1958-2020.

• The SF Nexus: A Hub for Science Fiction Collections as Data A hub for the curation of science fiction digital collections and data sets. The current scope focuses on an ongoing project at Temple University's Scholars Studio to digitize and curate science fiction, with a particular emphasis on mid-century climate fiction.
• The Stuff of Science Fiction

Oxford Bibliographies Sci-Fi Spotlight

• Oxford Bibliographies - Science Fiction A selection of annotated bibliographic articles across the literature and cinema studies modules in Oxford Bibliographies. These articles have been made freely available and explore the growing scholarly area of Science Fiction. From Metropolis to The Matrix, and from Mary Shelley to Octavia Butler, this project aims to cover the major themes and works in the field, and will continue to grow in the coming years. These bibliographic articles are helpful if you want to find the major scholarship on a particular topic.

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Science Fiction & Fantasy: A Research Guide: Primary Sources

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Indexes/Bibliographies for Primary Sources

• Index to science fiction anthologies and collections by William Contento Call Number: Olin Reference Z5917.S36 C76+ Publication Date: G.K. Hall, 1978 Covers 2,000 English language anthologies listing 12,000 stories by 2,500 authors published through 1977. Author index, story index, book title index with contents list. Fantasy and horror fiction excluded.

Primary Texts/E-Books

• Project Gutenberg A source of free, downloadable ebooks, including some early issues of Astounding Stories , in their entirety, including cover art.

Special Collections at Cornell

Cover for the first issue of Hugo Gernsback's Amazing Stories , April 1926, by Frank R. Paul , illustrating Wells's In the Days of the Comet. Digital copies of this and many other early issues can be found at http://archive.org/

The Division of Rare & Manuscript Collections (RMC) in Kroch Library holds an archive of 76 science fiction magazine titles published from 1946 through 2006, including Analog, Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Astounding, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction, Galaxy, Startling Stories , and others. The Finding Aid provides a list of issues.

RMC also has issues from the first four years (1926-1929) of Amazing Stories , the earliest U.S. fiction magazine devoted exclusively to SF, as well as a collection of materials related to Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Scholars of the fantastic will want to explore RMC's Witchcraft Collection .

Archival/Manuscript Collections In the Area

The Syracuse University Library 's Manuscript Division holds extensive collections of SF/fantasy pulp magazines, publishers' files, and the personal papers of many important writers and editors, including Andre (Alice Mary) Norton, Frederik Pohl, Larry Niven, Robert Silverberg, Forrest J Ackerman, Hugo Gernsback, Kate Wilhelm, Anne McCaffrey, and Roger Zelazny. Finding aids for these collections are online.

The Ithaca College Library is home to the Rod Serling Archives , which includes original television scripts, screenplays, and Serling’s six Emmy Awards, as well as photos, films, and books from Serling's personal collection. The noted author and creator of The Twilight Zone was a central NY native.

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Science Fiction and Fantasy: Reference Sources / Critical Studies

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Search for ebooks on science fiction and fantasy in EBSCOhost eBook Collection ,  ProQuest Ebook Central , Credo Reference , and SpringerLink .  Here are some available ebook titles:

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News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Young Readers Find Hope—and Escape—in Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books

This story was developed by  Youthcast Media  and  originally published  by MindSite News.

Fantasy fiction book sales increased dramatically in the past three years just as teen depression, anxiety, and mental illness skyrocketed—parallel trends that may be both a symptom of the pandemic and a possible remedy, literary and mental health experts say. 

In 2021, fantasy sales went up 45% compared to 2020, the largest increase among all genres except for graphic novels, according to WordsRated , an international industry-research organization. That same year, fantasy audiobooks racked up revenue of $1.6 billion, number eight among most competitive genres on Amazon, WordsRated reports. 

Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt attributes some of this to improved marketing strategies. But mental health care professionals believe that there is a better explanation. 

“Our worlds became very small [during the pandemic] and … fantasy fiction provided this vast opportunity to delve into worlds unknown and worlds unseen and worlds unexperienced,” says Melissa Sporn, a clinical psychologist who treats adolescents and children as well as adults. 

Fantasy is a type of speculative fiction that features fantastical or supernatural elements that do not exist in the real world. In fantasy novels, you’re likely to learn about different systems of magic, encounter mythical creatures such as dragons or unicorns, and follow characters both tragic and heroic as they navigate enchanting worlds that have nothing in common except this—they look utterly unlike our own. 

The genre is extensive and covers a wide range of scenes, topics, and plots. Some famous examples of fantasy novels and novel series include The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, the “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling, “The Stormlight Archive” by Brandon Sanderson, and “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” by Rick Riordan.

Other prominent fantasy fiction includes “His Dark Materials” by Philip Pullman, “The Earthsea Cycle” by Ursula K. LeGuin, “The Kingkiller Chronicle” by Patrick Rothfuss, “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R. Martin, “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis, and “The Wheel of Time” by Robert Jordan.

Experts believe that there are concrete reasons why fantasy fiction experienced a surge in popularity. First among them may be the simple relief that such stories offer from a daily reality that may still seem dark, dangerous, and uncertain. 

Esther Jones is an English professor at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and author of Medicine and Ethics in Black Women’s Fiction . She discussed this phenomena in a  May 2020 article published by The Conversation . 

“Readers are suffering from reality overload,” writes Jones. “Young people today have unprecedented access to information about which they may have little power to influence or change. … The fact that the setting or characters are extraordinary may be precisely why they are powerful and where their value lies.” 

Experts note that even before the pandemic, other factors carried serious health consequences for youth today. In this era of social media, young people are constantly bombarded by swaths of information regarding tragedies the world over.

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in early 2020, society already was experiencing historic social and emotional upheaval occasioned by racial injustices and the struggles of an LGBTQ+ community seeking to gain and retain hard-fought rights .  By 2022, members of Generation Z were twice as likely as the average American to struggle with feelings of depression and hopelessness .

That dynamic continues. On March 2, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a law that will ban trans youth from starting “gender-affirming” medical care such as puberty blockers in the state starting July 1. Youth who’d begun such care prior to that date will be required to discontinue treatment nine months later. 

“I think there is a parallel between our society really coming to grips with diversity in terms of gender identity and sexual identity—and fantasy fiction,” says Sporn.

“[In fantasy fiction] you’re presented with people and protagonists who are diverse … and you have to accept them for who they are, and you learn to empathize with them and care about them,” Sporn explains. 

“You recognize where they’re coming from—it’s a way to bridge that gap and understand something you otherwise couldn’t understand.”

Members of Generation Z, compared to other generations, are more likely to worry about rising suicide rates, deportation and immigration, mass shootings, climate change, and violence against women.

However, that may explain why young people are turning to fantasy fiction not just for a release, but for a feeling of security. 

In fantasy novels, “youths see examples of young people grappling with serious social, economic, and political issues that are timely and relevant, but in settings or times that offer critical distance,” says Jones. 

“This distance gives readers an avenue to grapple with complexity and use their imagination to consider different ways of managing social challenges,” she adds. “What better way to deal with the uncertainty of this time than with forms of fiction that make us comfortable with being uncomfortable, that explore uncertainty and ambiguity, and depict young people as active agents, survivors, and shapers of their own destinies?” 

Experts note that reading generally improves teens’ self-regard and general feelings of accomplishment. Reading fantasy fiction, they say, not only confers those benefits but improves teen mental health while they are doing it. Reading fiction has been found to improve social cognition and increase levels of empathy, Richard Sima of the International Arts + Mind Lab reported in Psychology Today last year. Sima adds that research shows reading programs and social groups centered around reading can support youth mental health through conversation and connection. 

Reading fantasy novels provides respite, according to Sporn: “It really provides pause and relief for kids who are in [difficult] circumstances and situations.” 

Adults are reading these, too, Sporn adds: From 2016 to now, there has been a “nice incline, because we all needed to escape.” 

Even Sporn acknowledges feeling such a desire. 

“I needed that escape,” she says. “I couldn’t read anything deep or tragic or painful. Life was painful enough.” 

In adults, reading has been proven to reduce cognitive decline, reduce stress, and improve quality of sleep. Reading also may be connected to living a longer life,  according to research from Yale University .

Parents might be concerned about their teens escaping into other realities. The misperception that reading fantasy is an unworthy or even unhealthy practice is just that: a misperception, according to Jones. Instead, reading science fiction and fantasy can also help young people learn how to cope with stress and anxiety.

Bibliotherapy, a relatively new take on therapy, mixes books and other forms of literature with traditional therapy models. The catharsis involved in the process has been shown to help increase a patient’s empathy and creativity, and to help patients cope with conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. 

If parents are still concerned that reading fantasy fiction might skew their kids’ reading habits, they can rest easy. As Jones noted in her article, a 2015 survey showed that readers of fantasy and science fiction also consume a wide range of other types of literature and media. 

But in the end, Jones has a simple three-word dictum that she says should guide parents, teachers, and teens themselves: “Let them read.” 

“In this time of COVID-19 and physical distancing, we may be reluctant for kids to embrace creative forms that seem to separate them psychologically from reality,” writes Jones. 

“Let them read. … In [fiction], young people can see themselves—coping, surviving, and learning lessons that may enable them to create their own strategies for resilience.” 

 This story is part of a series on fantasy fiction’s impact on young people’s mental health. Read the full series at MindSite.

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There are some huge names with new works out this month: Cixin Liu and Ann Leckie both have collections of shorter writing to peruse, plus there’s a dystopic future from the award-winning Téa Obreht and a world where woolly mammoths have been brought back from the bestselling Douglas Preston. I also love the sound of Scott Alexander Howard’s debut The Other Valley , set in a town where its past and future versions exist in the next valleys over, and of Sofia Samatar’s space adventure The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain . So much to read, so little time…

A View from the Stars by Cixin Liu

This is a collection of short works from Liu, the sci-fi author of the moment thanks to Netflix’s new adaptation of The Three-Body Problem , ranging from essays and interviews to short fiction. I love this snippet from an essay about sci-fi fans, in which he calls us “mysterious aliens in the crowd”, who “jump like fleas from future to past and back again, and float like clouds of gas between nebulae; in a flash, we can reach the edge of the universe, or tunnel into a quark, or swim within a star-core”. Aren’t we lucky to have such worlds available to us on our shelves?

3 Body Problem review: Cixin Liu's masterpiece arrives on Netflix

Cixin Liu's novel The Three-Body Problem has been turned into an eight-part series for Netflix by the Game of Thrones team. There is much to admire so far, but will the adaptation stay on track, wonders Bethan Ackerley

Lake of Souls by Ann Leckie

Leckie is a must-read writer for me, and this is the first complete collection of her short fiction, ranging across science fiction and fantasy. On the sci-fi side, we will be able to dip back into the Imperial Radch universe, and we are also promised that we’ll “learn the secrets of the mysterious Lake of Souls” in a brand-new novelette.

The Morningside by Téa Obreht

In a catastrophic version of the future, an 11-year-old girl arrives with her mother at The Morningside, once a luxury high-rise, now another crumbling part of Island City, which is half-underwater. Obreht won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2011 for her debut, The Tiger’s Wife .

The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar

Samatar won all sorts of prizes for her first novel, A Stranger in Olondria . Her latest sounds really intriguing, following the story of a boy who has grown up condemned to work in the bowels of a mining ship among the stars, whose life changes when he is given the chance to be educated at the ship’s university.

A boy grows up working in a mining ship among the stars in The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain

D-Keine/Getty Images

Extinction by Douglas Preston

This is set in a valley in the Rockies, where guests at a luxury resort can see woolly mammoths, giant ground sloths and Irish elk brought back from extinction by genetic manipulation. But then a string of killings kicks off, and a pair of investigators must find out what’s really going on. This looks Jurassic Park -esque and seems like lots of fun. And if you want more mammoth-related reading, try my colleague Michael Le Page’s excellent explainer about why they won’t be back any time soon.

Mania by Lionel Shriver

The award-winning author of We Need to Talk About Kevin brings her thoughts about so-called “culture wars” to bear on her fiction, imagining a world where a “Mental Parity Movement” is in the ascendent, and “the worst thing you can call someone is ‘stupid’”.

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

This speculative novel is set in a town where, to the east, lies the same town but 20 years ahead in time and, to the west, the same town but 20 years behind, repeating endlessly across the wilderness. The only border crossings allowed are for “mourning tours”, in which the dead can be seen in towns where they are still alive. Odile, who is 16, is set for a seat on the Conseil, where she will be able to decree who gets to travel across borders. I love the sound of this.

The best new science fiction books of March 2024

With a new Adrian Tchaikovsky, Mars-set romance from Natasha Pulley and a high-concept thriller from Stuart Turton due to hit shelves, there is plenty of great new science fiction to be reading in March

What If… Loki was Worthy? by Madeleine Roux

Many will question whether the Marvel superhero stories are really science fiction, but I’m leaning into the multiversal aspect here to include this, as it sounds like it could be a bit of fun. It’s the first in a new series that reimagines the origins of some of the biggest heroes: here, Thor died protecting Earth from one of Loki’s pranks and, exiled on our planet, the Norse trickster god is now dealing with the consequences.

The Truth of the Aleke by Moses Ose Utomi

The second book in the Forever Desert series is set 500 years after The Lies of the Ajungo , following a junior peacekeeper in the last remaining free city of the Forever Desert, which has been besieged for centuries. It was actually out in March, but I missed it then, so I’m bringing it to you now as it was tipped as a title to watch this year by our science fiction contributor Sally Adee.

Anomaly by Andrej Nikolaidis, translated by Will Firth

It is New Year’s Eve on the last day of the last year of human existence and various stories are unfolding, from a high-ranking minister with blood on his hands to a nurse keeping a secret. Later, in a cabin in the Alps, a musicologist and her daughter – the last people left on Earth – are trying to understand the catastrophe. According to The Independent , Nikolaidis “makes Samuel Beckett look positively cheery”, but I’m definitely in the mood for that kind of story now and then.

Martin MacInnes: 'Science fiction can be many different things'

The author of In Ascension, the latest pick for the New Scientist Book Club, on why he wrote his novel, cultivating a sense of wonder and the role of fiction in the world today

Mal Goes to War by Edward Ashton

In this techno-thriller, Mal is a free AI who is uninterested in the conflict going on between the humans, until he finds himself trapped in the body of a cyborg mercenary and becomes responsible for the safety of the girl she died protecting.

• science fiction /

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