Great deliberation went into my choice of genre for the next installment of this series. My first is far and away the most popular piece of writing I have shared on Substack, and is admittedly a tough act to follow.
I considered detective fiction, nature writing, and more before landing on the oft misunderstood speculative fiction.
I think part of speculative fiction’s complex rap is that many readers (and I lope myself in here) don’t quite understand the identity at the core of what is such an overarching genre.
Disliking one of the many sub-genres might give you cause to chuck the whole thing away, however, given how vast this labyrinthine genre can be, I’d argue there is at least one book in this batch that could speak to you and your tastes.
Just in time for mid-autumn, a time fundamentally spooky, is a comprehensive starting list of science fictions, horrors, urban fantasies, alternative histories, and dystopian fictions.
So, what even is speculative fiction?
Great question, and one I am still wrapping my head around answering.
If I am interested in delivering you a swift oversimplification, I’d say that it is an overarching genre of the unreal comprising of: science fiction, some horror, some fantasy, alternative history, and dystopian fiction.
Margaret Atwood, an irrefutable titan of the genre, famously wrote that “Speculative fiction encompasses that which we could actually do.”1 In Atwood’s definition, space operas equate to high fantasy—they are too far beyond the realm of the real, and therefore do not fall into the category of speculative fiction.
Ursula K. Le Guin, another great of speculative and science fiction, depending how you wish to splice it, conjectured that speculative fiction is science fiction. She argues, “That genre is A) an unpronounceable French word; B) a very useful descriptive tool; and C) a pernicious instrument of prejudice.”2
Prejudice against science fiction and speculative fiction is another essay in of itself (and as someone who applied to MFAs with speculative work, the long story short is a quick ‘Amen!’), but really genre as a tool to include or exclude extends across all forms of literature.
Personally, I think my definition of speculative fiction pushes a little wider than Margaret Atwood’s. I think the genre deals with the realm of possibility and potentiality—is this a world or a reality with which we could come to face, however far from now?
For that reason, although wonderful, I exclude high fantasy from this list. Personally, I believe books like The Lord of the Rings, A Game of Thrones, and yes, ACOTAR, in which we are stepping into a world completely separate to the one we know, are of their own separate genre.
Comparatively, books like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson and the Olympians I think you could make a stronger argument for, as they occur in parallel to and occasionally intersect our understanding of reality. Still, I have opted not to include these in this list. The closest I choose are a few books that edge towards urban fantasy.
As always, this list is meant to be a starting point, not an end all be all guide. I think there are many readers out there who might argue that the perceived extremes or inventiveness of speculative fiction might not be for them, but reading can and should be an act of curiosity. Give something beyond your comfort zone a chance
If you want to keep up with what I’m reading, follow me on Goodreads @elleseule.
Here are 25 books to convince you about speculative fiction
Dune | Frank Herbert
“Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.”
Dune is on many readers’ all-time favorites list, and I’m no exception; it took me a long time to read this classic, but I did, and I get it. Following the story of Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family, the story chronicles the betrayal of his family on the desert planet of Arrakis. Yet it is this subterfuge that sets in motion an undeniable destiny. The characters are tremendous, the plot meticulous, and the questions it raises are deep, moral, and still pertinent today.
Underground Railroad | Colson Whitehead.
Colson Whitehead features in my ‘10 most creative writers currently publishing post’ and I stand by my claim that he is an all-time legend in the making. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, The Underground Railroad reimagines America’s underground railroad as an actual method of train transportation. The states Cora, our main character, moves through on her road to freedom are not the ones Americans remember from history class, and what follows is one of the most excellent stories of the 21st century.
A Darker Shade of Magic | V.E. Schwab
The first in a trilogy by the endlessly creative V.E. Schwab, this novel centers on Kell, one of the last travelers with the ability to move between parallel universes through a magical London. As he moves between the Londons—Grey, Red, White—his smuggling and magic, as well as a charming cutpurse, means he is faced with a load of trouble.
Frankenstein | Mary Shelley
The story behind this story is still one of the very best of all time: Mary Shelley, at the age of 18, wrote Frankenstein following what was essentially a dare one rainy night in Lake Geneva. What was born is the story of Dr. Frankenstein, who sought to create life and came to very much regret that choice. It is the quintessential speculative fiction book: science fiction and horror, Gothic and Romantic.
The Haunting of Hill House | Shirley Jackson
Commonly heralded as one of the best horror novels and ghost stories of all time, this classic follows a party of four who arrive at Hill House, seeking scientific evidence of the supernatural. To describe much of what happens next will ruin the spooks and the scares, but it its a story that has endured with audiences for nearly 75 years.
Embassytown | China Miéville
My personal favorite science fiction book of all time. While actually not ideal for beginners to the world of speculative, I love it so much I just couldn’t help including it on this list. Especially because this book is for lovers of language. It’s premise is singular: Avice Cho, a human colonist, returns to the planet where she was raised. She cannot speak the native tongue, but she is a critical part of it, as she has been made a figure of speach, a living simile, by its residents. When politics begins to puncture the fragile balance on Arieka, language and its power become the most valuable tool of all.
Jurassic Park | Michael Crichton
Another favorite book of all time, this one is steeped in nostalgia for me as I thumb through my dad’s old copy. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t know the premise of Jurassic Park after eight blockbusters? Let me sum it up: dinosaurs are back. But what the films fail to capture is the scientific interest and dedication with which Crichton writes alongside his sense of fun.
The Fifth Season | N.K. Jemisin
Another first book in an incredible trilogy, N.K. Jemisin won the Hugo (the most illustrious prize in science fiction) three times in a row, once for every book in the series. The Fifth Season follows the inhabitants of a planet with a single supercontinent, where every few centuries they must face catastrophic climate change. Essun, the main character, seeks to find her daughter even as the world is shredding apart.
Never Let Me Go | Kazuo Ishiguro
Arguably the brilliant Kazuo Ishiguro’s most famous novel, it follows the story of the secluded Kathy. As a child, she attended school at the isolated Hailsham. As an adult, Kathy rekindles her friendship with Ruth and her love of Tommy, but doing so pulls on the spool of memory and secrets. To know anymore is to do yourself a disservice when it comes to this incredible story —just trust me on this one.
House of Leaves | Mark Z. Danielewski
House of Leaves begins the same way many scary stories do: a family moves into an interesting house. The novel unfolds from an odd discovery, that the house is bigger, far bigger, on the inside than it appears from outside. It is a complex work of epistolary and metafiction, featuring stories within stories, various perspectives, and an academic air, perfect for someone prepared for a twisted challenge.
The Three-Body Problem | Liu Cixin
With a title referencing orbital mechanics, you’d think that this novel doesn’t exactly shout entry-level. But at its core, Liu takes us through a fictional past, present, and future where humanity reckons with an alien civilization and the ensuing consequences. Widely considered one of the best science fiction novels of the twenty-first century, and set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, it will certainly make you think about just how sinister science can get.
The Handmaid’s Tale | Margaret Atwood
Now a worldwide sensation following the television series that ended this year, the book on which it is based was published by Atwood in 1985. Following a Second American Civil War, a theonomic, totalitarian society has made women second-class citizens. As fertility rates have plummeted, the titular handmaidens are fertile women who are enslaved and given to the ruling elite to bear their children. This novel follows June, renamed Offred (of-Fred) who is captured whilst escaping to Canada and the life that awaits her as a handmaid.
Parable of the Sower | Octavia E. Butler
Set in 2024 (yikes!) but written in 1993, this novel follows Lauren, a black teenager with hyper-empathy, as she journeys north from Los Angeles in a post-apocalyptic Earth ravaged by climate change and inequity. On this journey, she begins to envision and share a religion she creates called Earthseed. This book absolutely reflects the extent to which Butler is one of the best speculative fiction writers of all time.
The Mountain in the Sea | Ray Nayler
Humans have made a remarkable discovery: there is an octopus species with its own language and culture, and with intelligence to rival our own. Dr. Ha Nguyen, a researcher on cephalopod intelligence, gains entry into the now sealed Archipelago where the octopuses live. She seeks communication, but other power-hungry players soon step onto the board. But no one has asked yet what the octopuses think, or how they might retaliate.
Station Eleven | Emily St. John Mandel
Twenty years before the novel begins, Kirsten experiences a tragedy during a production of King Lear. That was the night a pandemic descended on humanity, and recognizable civilization came to an end. In the present, she roams a ruined America with a small troupe of actors and musicians trying to preserve art in this strange, new world, but in one town, the past intersects the present. Another one of my personal favorites by an excellent speculative fiction writer actively publishing.
Fahrenheit 451 | Ray Bradbury
If you weren’t required to read this in school, the time is nigh. This story has essentially reached reality, but it follows a fireman tasked with destroying the most dangerous objects of a dystopian future: printed books. All this changes when he meets a new, compelling neighbor, and he begins to ask the most crucial question of all: why?
11/22/63 | Stephen King
Al, a diner owner, divulges a secret to his friend Jake, an English teacher: the diner’s storeroom is a portal to 1958. Using this portal, he asks Jake to join him on an “insanely possible” mission: to try and prevent President Kennedy’s assassination. Back in time, an entirely different life is waiting for them.
Dracula | Bram Stoker
Dracula is the other side of Frankenstein’s coin; while the latter leans towards science fiction, Dracula is one of the first true horror stories. When a British solicitor takes a business trip to assist and stay with a Transylvanian nobleman, Count Dracula, very many curious discoveries are made, and tragedies begin to occur when the Count arrives in England.
On the Calculation of Volume I | Solvej Balle
The first book in an ambitious set of seven, Tara Selter meets her readers on her 122nd November 18th. Stuck in time, this haunting and poetic story follows Tara as she navigates her new predicament, and the pain it causes her to face it alone.
Babel | R.F. Kuang
One of the most talked about speculative fiction books of the last five years, this novel is set in a fantastical, alternate Oxford University during the 1830s. Britain’s global supremacy (beyond the economic and imperial we already know from history) is further fueled by silver bars able to capture what is ‘lost in translation’. The Royal Institute of Translation, nicknamed Babel, works on and towards these bars, and the novel follows four new students at the institute and the choices they make.
The Martian | Andy Weir
Mark Watney’s had a rough go of it: after his crew believes him dead and evacuates Mars, he finds himself stranded on our sister planet with nothing but his resourcefulness to help him figure things out. Made further famous by a very good film adaptation starting Matt Damon, this novel is a crowd pleaser. Its humorousness and personal aspect, part of Weir’s writing style across his books, makes this a science fiction with a main character anyone can relate to.
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
At the start of this story, a “clinic for the past” opens as a treatment for Alzheimer’s patients, with each floor of the clinic reproducing a decade in minute detail, all but transporting patients back in time. Yet as the rooms become increasingly convincing and people who are well begin to seek out the clinic, the past begins to puncture the present in unusual ways.
Prophet Song | Paul Lynch
As Ireland begins to slip into totalitarianism and dystopia, this 2023 winner of the Booker Prize follows the Stack family as it tries to save itself amidst the grip of fascism. After Eilish Stack’s husband is disappeared, she does all she can to keep her family of six together. Another dystopian knocking on the door of reality, this is a very unhappy but apt book.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell | Susanna Clarke
By 1806, magicians have long since vanished into England’s past, until the discovery is made that one still remains: Mr Norrell. His feats are impressive, to be sure, but when a brilliant novice magician in Jonathan Strange arrives in London, a dangerous rivalry ensues.
The Hunger Games | Suzanne Collins
I thought long and hard about whether to include this a recommendation. After all, everyone I know has read this book, and it seems that might be true for everyone everywhere, as the series in sum has sold over 100 million copies. Yet for all the Hollywood of it all, at its root, The Hunger Games and the story of Katniss Everdeen pushes us to confront a dystopian world of power, violence, and media manipulation at the heart of Panem.
As always, I’m curious to hear what you all think—
What is your own definition of speculative fiction?
Which titles on here are your favorites, and which ones am I missing?
Other bookish essays you might like
And see everything I have read so far this year …
https://www.wired.com/2009/10/margaret-atwood-speculative-fictions-apocalyptic-optimist/
https://apilgriminnarnia.com/2021/08/27/ursula-k-le-guins-manifesto-against-genre-snobbery/