The Best Sci-Fi Books To Read On Your Weekend Getaway
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Reading is a great way to escape the humdrum of everyday life, and for most people, a weekend getaway is not complete without a trusty hardcover accompanying them to their place of leisure.
How are you doing on your New Year's resolution to read more books? Are you down many books and counting or are you just getting started? Maybe your upcoming weekend getaway is a great place to revisit those goals, and why not delve into some sci-fi books while you're at it?
Science fiction writing has its roots in the second century, and a story about alien beings — "A True Story" by the satirist Lucian — is known to be the first ever piece in the genre, according to Masterclass. As most sci-fi lovers would already know, the genre has an appeal because of how it combines fantasy and creative writing to create worlds and characters that aren't of this time or space. This, however, does not mean that sci-fi books are "lightweight" reading; the genre has depth and allure beyond what most would see, according to Cambridge-based author and lecturer Chris Beckett writing to The Atlantic. Here are some of the best sci-fi books you can pack to take along with you on your weekend vacation.
Melissa Albert's Our Crooked Hearts is ideal for fans of magic
If you like tales about dysfunctional families, blood-hungry adversaries, and the magical realm of witchcraft, you'd enjoy Melissa Albert's "Our Crooked Hearts" on your weekend getaway.
The book follows the narration of two teenagers — Ivy and Dana — who navigate supernatural complexities and challenging family relationships, per Book Browse. The world of magic is pronounced in this sci-fi book with the depiction of the evil that is unleashed when things are not left as they should be and how each narrator connects and relates to such powers, according to Tor.
Melissa Albert is a Brooklyn-based author who grew up in the the fringes of Chicago, the latter of which she makes the location for her story in the book "Our Crooked Hearts" because she "wanted to write and make a suburban setting for Ivy's story that was as specific and coded as what you see in urban fantasy with cities" (via The Boston Globe).
Explore a world inspired by Hindu mythology with The Dream Runners by Shveta Thakrar
The story of Tanvi and Venkat, two mortals in the realm of Nagalok is what's depicted in the sci-fi title "The Dream Runners" by Shveta Thakrar.
Steeped in Hindu mythology, Nagalok is a place where naga, its serpentine inhabitants, are served by Tanvi and others who play the role of dream runners, who harvest dreams from humans for their rulers. Tanvi was abducted and transported to Nagalok when she was 10 and her memories have been wiped out, so when she starts to have recollections, things start to crumble (via Publishers Weekly). Venkat feels concern for Tanvi and the two of them unearth uncomfortable truths in their quest to find answers, per Kirkus.
"I knew I wanted to combine selling dreams and changelings," shared author Shveta Thakrar with Nerdist. Thakrar said that she included her own mythical characters in the book while adding authentic characters from Hindu mythology. She hopes readers will learn the value of being compassionate when they read her book. "It's always in our power to decide which stories we tell — and how we tell them. Just because something has been universally accepted by society over time doesn't mean we can't be the ones to replace it with something better," she shared with Nerdist.
J. M. Miro's Ordinary Monsters tells a tale of gifted children
If you're a fan of the television series "Stranger Things," you might enjoy reading J. M. Miro's book "Ordinary Monsters" on your weekend getaway.
The story is set in England of 1882. Two boys — Charlie Ovid and Marlowe — have abilities that they can't explain. One possesses a body that can heal itself and the other can fuse together flesh (via Penguin Random House). The boys are but a few of what make up who are known as "the talents" — talented children with no parents, per Happy Mag. We follow the tale which spans the "gaslit streets of London" to Meiji-era Tokyo and uncover the truths behind the talents' abilities, according to Penguin Random House.
AuthorJ. M. Miro loved reading fantasy books as a kid and recalled the book that changed his life and made him want to write books too, in an interview with Happy Mag. "It was Ursula K. Le Guin's 'A Wizard of Earthsea,'" he shared. The book, which he describes as "utterly strange" stayed etched in his memory.
A blending of fantasy and reality in Stanislaw Lem's Solaris
Are you a hardcore extraterrestrials fan? Do you dream about aliens? Lauded as being one of the author's most notable works "Solaris" by Stanislaw Lem tells the story of psychologist Kelvin, who, along with three other researchers aboard a station orbiting the planet Solaris, is on a quest to uncover the mysteries of the planet, with a particular focus on its ocean (via Thoughts on Papyrus).
The lines between past and present, and reality and fantasy start to blur when the psychologist is confronted with painful encounters with his late wife. Does the ocean have powers that none of them knew about?
Lem's book was the inspiration for a 1972 movie by Andrei Tarkovsky and was made into a film again in 2002 by Steven Soderbergh, according to Aeon. The author was known for his contributions to philosophy in addition to his inventive writing in the sci-fi genre which Aeon describes as "peculiar and imaginative."
Delve into the world of identity with Sarah Gailey's book The Echo Wife
Nathan, creates a clone of his wife, Dr. Evelyn Caldwell, using his wife's own data, so he can have an affair with a version of his wife he is more pleased with. Martine, the clone, is homey and obedient. When the husband ends up dead, both versions of the same person — Caldwell and Martine — work together to put the murder behind them (via National Public Radio).
Southern California-based author Sarah Gailey's novel "The Echo Wife" is a story about "a brilliant scientist, the husband who betrayed her, and the clone between them," as put by the author's own words in an interview with The Nerd Daily. For her portrayal of the cloning process, Gailey preferred to move away from the actual scientific method involved and add her own take to it all. Her sci-fi book, to her, is also about identity and what shapes each of us.
Although dark and twisted, "The Echo Wife" might also make a good addition to your summer beach vacation must-read list.