5 minute read
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the world is a vampire, sent to drain(1).
What I like (love) to do when I am feeling overwhelmed by life, the universe, and everything(2), is grab a book. A science fiction book to be specific.
Science fiction gives us a venue to consider the futures that we want, and those we don’t, and how our actions contribute to one or the other.
- Arizona State University
Most science fiction – or speculative fiction – books show an alternate reality or alternate future. Some detail a world that is too similar to our own (and not in a good way), and I struggle with those books when I am feeling low.
Not all science fiction is dystopian, political drama, intergalactic war. There are so many titles out there that offer a picture of pleasure, joy, resilience, and hopefulness. Those are my favourite, and I’ve read some great titles that fit this bill, that you might enjoy as well. When the going gets tough.
Now, let’s try not to make this all Becky Chambers. Hahahahahahaaaaa but seriously, go ahead and read every Becky Chambers book.
SIX LOW STAKES SCIENCE FICTION BOOKS TO READ THIS SUMMER
1. Eternal LIfe (2018) by Dara Horn. Very high stakes, but feels cozy and epic. I think that’s mostly because of Rachel, the lead. She is the most real character I’ve read in a long time, but one with a long and dark past. And I mean lonnnnng. Because she is 2000 years old! But not in like a vampire way; there is something else generating her immortality. God? Sprituality? Folklore? Enter a lover who pursues her through time and across the world and you get an epic adventure exploring what makes life worth living. And gosh the ending was sooooooo unexpected and delicious.
Fun fact! If you put a book in front of me that spans thousands of years and interlocking storylines, I’m going to love it. I can’t explain it. Immortality seems so desirable when we look at our short days and busy lives, but seeing it in print always puts my miraculous existence into beautiful perspective.
2. The Eyre Affair (2001) by Jasper Fforde. Set in fictional world where you can go into books, even when the stakes are high – werewolves, assassins, cloned Neanderthals – they feel too ridiculous and bonkers that the stress is low. And if you like this one, there are loads in the Thursday Next series and a few more set in the same “universe”.
This is one of those books that I bought decades ago, and still pick up to read every once and awhile. His writing is…weird and particular, not for everyone. Lots of puns and word games if that’s your jam. And a million literary references.
3. This is how you lose the time war (2019) by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Queer, beautiful prose, time travel. Perhaps my “low stakes” sensor is broken, because this is the highest stakes! This book follows two very skilled combatants in devastating future war, who start teasing each other via text. And then…spoilers. The ending will have you screaming for more.
4. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch : A Novel (1990) by Terry Pratchett. Another book about the end of the world? Yep, my “low stakes” sensor is broken. This book is too fun to worry about any of that! You get to enjoy an unexpected friendship between and angel and a demon, a silly romp through the English countryside to save humanity, and all the goodly humor of Terry Pratchett. This is a one-and-done, but if you are looking for a series with similar vibes, please jump into Discworld and stay there awhile.
5. Another classic series is Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (1978). Some of the later books get a little long in the tooth, but the first few will scratch your itch for wild adventures, a wee bit of hope for the future and a sweet friendship. And once again, this “low stakes” pick has the world ending. Are you sensing a theme?!
6. The long way to a small angry planet (2014) by Becky Chambers. This is the first title in a series of novels loosely tied together by the continuation of characters, with different stories in each book. The plot focuses primarily on the characters and their interactions with each other, and less on a big adventure or space drama. The world-building is unlike anything I have ever read.
If you are looking for cozy, found family, all the possible and impossible genders and sexualities, heart-warming science fiction, epic worlds, awe, and a hug in a book, you would be remiss not to read every Becky Chambers novel and novella. They are all lovely.
What would you add to the list?
FURTHER READING AND RESOURCES
Top 9 Books of 2024 and my Book Goals for 2025
And for a couple of months from now when you are ready for a wee bit of horror, check out 16 Scary Books to Read in October. Nothing too scary, don’t you worry.
(1) Bullet with Butterfly Wings, Smashing Pumpkins
(2) Life, The Universe, And Everything by Douglas Adams
Not Ladylike Community 