My Favourite Fiction Books
This is a *very* limited list of some of my favourites genre books.
Rosemary Kirstein: The Steerswoman’s Road Series (1989)
This series taught me that I don’t hate fantasy; I just don’t like the one basic fantasy story told repeatedly (think Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones). This series focuses on a woman named Rowan who is uncovering the mystery of some blue gems she has found. There are four books in this series. It is not complete and likely never will be. BUT IT IS SO WORTH IT. I PROMISE. The second in the series, The Outskirter’s Secret, is my favourite and deeply explores otherness. Note: The Steerswoman’s Road is a compilation of books 1 and 2.
Ann Leckie: The Imperial Radch Series (2013)
The first book is a little rough and easy to bounce off of, but I don’t say this often; it’s genuinely worth sticking around for books 2 and 3. Space opera, living ship, plays with gender identity. There are two more stand-alone books in this universe; while I’m not a fan of Provenance (2017), I really enjoyed Translation State (2023), which further explores the Presger translator (a small part of the Radch series but a genuinely fascinating and captivating character).
BONUS: The Raven Tower (2019) by Ann Leckie is written in 2nd person, and it’s fucking fascinating how she pulls it off. It’s more fantasy than sci-fi, and the second-person perspective alternates between a rock that is actually a god (it’s weird) and a person.
Becky Chambers: The Wayfarer’s Series (2014)
My favorites in this series are the first two, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (2014) and A Closed and Common Orbit (2016). These are entertaining stories about a found family among a rag-tag bunch of outcasts. It’s the kind of book that can be obvious with its politics but tends to pull back before it’s too much. She builds intricate and detailed alien cultures and then throws them together on a ship.
Charlie Jane Anders: The City in the Middle of the Night (2019)
This book is weird and imaginative in a way that I can’t get enough of. Charlie Jane’s writing excels because the politics in her stories are woven so deep into the story’s foundation that it never feels preachy.
BONUS: Charlie Jane and Annalee Newitz have a podcast called Our Opinions Are Correct, which is very good and smart, just like them!
Claire North: 84K (2018) and The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (2014)
Honestly, I love everything from Claire North, and even when I’m not head over heels about a particular title, I still think about the themes a lot. 84K is about how genuinely fucking awful capitalism is. It’s a heavy book but mind-blowingly good. Harry August strikes a very different tone but is equally compelling, exploring the fate of a man who gets reborn every time he dies.
Sarah Gailey: The Echo Wife (2021)
I don’t want to say anything about this book because it’s so incredibly brilliant, and going into it without any knowledge about the plot is a special experience. Don’t read the blurb. Just read the book. But be aware that it is a very intense, barely metaphoric, uncomfortably accurate portrayal of abuse.
BONUS: If you like horror, check out Sarah’s Just Like Home (2022)
S.A. Chakraborty: The Daevabad Trilogy (2017)
This series is massive. I enjoyed this because I’m itching for more Middle Eastern-centered fantasy and sci-fi worlds. I’m not giving it the most rave review, but it’s entertaining and enjoyable, and there were moments when I couldn’t put the books down. A woman accidentally summons a djinn warrior, and an epic magical adventure ensues.
Fonda Lee: Green Bone Saga (2018)
This book does not feel like one I would typically recommend, especially because it’s been described as “Godfather-esque.” Still, if you want to get lost in an ‘i-cant-put-this-down’ way, this is the series for you. It’s about two crime families that control a city with jade magic and fighting.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Gods of Jade and Shadow (2019)
This book truly shines as it focuses on a woman who frees a Mayan god and then goes on a wild adventure. My only quirk with it is the same issue one might have with vampire romance and the age difference, but if you can look past that, it’s a riveting read.
T.J. Klume: The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020)
I don’t read a lot of YA, but T.J. has a knack for making me feel so many intense, warm, and fuzzy feelings. It’s queer, quirky, and intensely captivating as it explores a man breaking out of his comfort zone and a gaggle of outcast kids. It’s about acceptance and found families.
BONUS: Under the Whispering Door (2021) by T.J. gave me the same big, deep, warm feelings but wrapped in a much different container. It explores the end of life, regret, and whether people can change.
Madeline Miller: Circe (2018)
Madeline turns Greek mythology into a captivating, emotional, and resonant read. We follow the story of Circe from unloved and banished to learning about magic and power. There is much wrath from humans and gods alike. It’s an adventure.
BONUS: Madeline’s The Song of Achilles (2011) is just as epic but very queer, with a beautiful romance in the middle of a decades-long war.
