14 of the Best Sci-Fi Titles

That You Haven't Read Yet

Are you a fan of space operas? A tech nerd? A dystopian junkie? If you're always on the hunt for your next hyper-realistic head trip, you'll want to check out this list of lesser known sci-fi releases from recent years. These fourteen titles have garnered a lot of praise and we think they're pretty buzz-worthy.

Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer

How much does the internet know about you? From an award-winning author, this thought-provoking near-future YA thriller is the start of a series. It's a riveting story that couldn't be more timely as it explores issues of online privacy, artificial intelligence, and the power and perils of social networks.

The Necessary Beggar by Susan Palwick

Darroti and his family arrive in Reno, Nevada, through a shimmering blue portal. They have been exiled for Darroti's crime of passion. Grieving for the life they left behind, each tries to cope in their own way as they reckon with a country under attack in a world torn by hatred and war.

The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe

The boundary-pushing singer-songwriter brings together an incredible array of talented collaborators in this collection of stories exploring Afrofuturism and how different threads of liberation—queerness, race, gender plurality, and love—become enmeshed with future possibilities of memory and time.

Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy

Fans of Orphan Black will love this twisty supernatural thriller about female power and sisterhood. Josephine Morrow is the first of nine Miracle Babies conceived without male DNA on an experimental commune known as the Homestead. When her mother goes missing, she sets out on a desperate road trip.

The God Game by Danny Tobey

They call themselves the Vindicators. Targeted by bullies and pressured by parents, these geeks and gamers rule the computer lab at Turner High School. When they each receive a mysterious invitation to play a new online game, it seems harmless at first. But the game takes a dark and deadly turn.

The Chaos Function by Jack Skillingstead

For fans of Sleeping Giants and Dark Matter, this intense, high-stakes thriller asks the question: If technology enabled you to save the life of someone you love, would you do so even if it might doom millions? Olivia Nikitas is a hardened journalist who is forced to grapple with a disastrous dilemma.

Nowhere on Earth by Nick Lake

Sixteen-year-old Emily was already on the run when she came across Aidan, a mysterious little boy wandering in the woods. But then their plane crashes into the side of a snowy mountain and things get even worse. Now there are men after them as they attempt a dangerous trek across a freezing landscape.

Lakewood by Megan Giddings 

Part The Handmaid's Tale, part The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, this breathtaking dystopian that takes an unflinching look at the moral dilemmas many working-class families face, and the horror that has been forced on black bodies in the name of science.

88 Names by Matt Ruff

John Chu is a "sherpa," a paid guide to online role-playing games like the popular Call to Wizardry. For a fee, he and his crew will ensure the best possible gaming experience. The acclaimed author of Lovecraft Country returns with a thrilling virtual reality epic—part cyberthriller, part twisted romantic comedy.

Immunity Index by Sue Burke

In a US facing growing food shortages, stark inequality, and a growing fascist government, three perfectly normal young women are about to find out that they share a great deal in common. Orphan Black meets Contagion in this terrifying outbreak scenario. 

Shadow of Empire by Jay Allan

Blackhawk is a man haunted by a dark past. Sent to rescue the kidnapped daughter of his longtime friend, the veteran fighter and his crew find themselves drawn into one deadly fight after another. This swashbuckling space opera is the first in a series from the author of the bestselling Crimson Worlds saga.

Last Day by Domenica Ruta 

This thought-provoking novel brings to mind Station Eleven and The Age of Miracles. As the population of Earth contemplates the planet's imminent demise, three intersecting sets of characters embark on a last-chance quest for connection, redemption, and maybe, survival.

The Arrest by Jonathan Lethem

Ever since the tools of modern life suddenly stopped working, Sandy, aka Journeyman, has been making do in rural Maine assisting the butcher and delivering the food grown by his sister Maddy, an organic farmer. From the award-winning author of The Feral Detective and Motherless Brooklyn. 

The Warehouse by Rob Hart

Cloud isn't just a place to work. It's a place to live. And when you're here, you'll never want to leave. Set in the confines of a corporate panopticon that's at once brilliantly imagined and terrifyingly real, this near-future thriller explores what happens when Big Brother meets Big Business—and who pays the price.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon