Science fiction and fantasy themes in literature (and in even movies and video games) have traditionally dominated mass media for quite a long time now, but over the last decade, nerds have finally conquered the world of sci-fi. Viewers who have never found themselves followers of the genre continued to be fascinated with science-fiction and adventure TV shows, writers wrote SFF books to of critical praise, and superhero films earned more money in the box office than ever before. Not all sci-fi novels are set in space though- “The Brotherhood of the Wone” by Len Stage is a remarkable example of this.
It’s not easy to determine the ultimate best novels of the decade in such a diverse time for genres like this century is. But we’ve managed to compile 6 of the most well-crafted, finely tailored, and highly immersive science fiction novels of the 2010’s.
- “The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers (2016)
If you’re a die-hard sci-fi fan, then you probably miss the original Star Trek from the 90’s. Do you enjoy witnessing a group of people from a variety of various walks of life find a way to work together and grow as humans (or whatever species they may be) as their starship is sailing through the vacuum of space? If you do, you’d possibly Becky Chambers’ masterpiece in your life. Her first book, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, was released in 2014 and was subsequently republished by Hodder & Stoughton.
The author brings light to Rosemary Harper, a Martian-born woman who meets the crew of the Wayfarer tunneling vessel in order to escape her old existence. She’s working a job as the ship’s clerk, so she’s striving to blend up with the rest of the crew mates while covering her past — and why she had to abandon it all.
- “All the Birds in the Sky” by Charlie Jane Anders (2016)
Charlie Jane Anders leads a modern generation of SFF writers who shed light on queer and other less well-represented cultures through literature, and her latest book did just that. Recounting the tale of two childhood buddies who pursue very separate paths — one is a scientist, the other a witch – Anders reignites nostalgia for our lost youth as the preferred professions of friends bring them straight through the fight for humanity — and into confrontation with each other. It’s a novel that balances on the verge of young adult aesthetics and modern dystopian technology, sculpting a fresh position in the genre.
- “Children of Time” by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2015)
An artificial intelligence deity, the possibility of the destruction of civilization, the last gasp attempt on a final generation vessel, 1000 years of rapid terraforming and genetic breakthroughs in selective evolution, and exotic but recognizable enemies. On the first paragraph, you’ve fallen into a huge-scale situation. This novel ensnares you in its grasp and refuses to let go.
There had been a clear undertone of disenchantment and despair throughout the sections narrated by humans, and a brilliantly portrayed new way of thought and growing of the other species. It’s extremely well executed, and it made you wonder- it really must be an innate human problem that we’ve got too much violence rooted in us.
- “The Bear and the Nightingale” Katherine Arden (2017)
Arden’s book blends Russian mythology with a 21st-century vision that creates a tale with equal amounts of mystery, feminism, and suspense. Vasya tends to prefer playing with the spirits lurking in the wilderness off her father’s property over the royal suitors appointed by her father. Just as her town needs the security provided by those spirits, a new pastor and a new mother-in – law jeopardizes the faith of the townspeople. It’s up to Vasya to save the day in this novel that reads like an adult fairy tale.
- “Fuzzy Nation” by John Scalzi (2011)
Being a galaxy’s distance from the headquarters of ZaraCorp on Earth, Jack is satisfied as an independent contractor, prospecting and surveying as he wishes. As for his history, it isn’t up for discussion.
Instead, in the aftermath of the unintentional destruction of a cliff, Jack finds a mine of inconceivably valuable gems on which he tries on place legal charges even as ZaraCorp cancels his deal with him to trigger the failure. Briefly and legally speaking, Jack encourages ZaraCorp
to accept his argument, and to cut them in as collaborators to help harvest resources.
The Fuzzy Country is a science-fiction story of conquest and oppression. It’s quick, humorous, and really at its heart, a legal drama tied around the topic of sentience. It’s almost a remake of Little Fuzzy ‘s 1962 novel, but Scalzi lets it rise on its own two fuzzy feet.
- Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang (2010)
This is a compilation of mind-bogglingly peculiar, thought-provoking, and introspective concepts. “The Story of Your Life” is a fragile, iridescent depiction of passion and sorrow that happens in a unique manner and with a much different impact than the film. But that’s only one example in a book filled of them.
The tales here, such as the Nebula Award-winning “Babylon Tower,” the Sidewise Award-winning “Seventy-Two Notes” and the Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Award-winning “Hell is the Absence of Christ” are filled with abstract ideas and discussions regarding science. Some of the tales are still discussing the essence of the religion, as in the “Tower of Babylon” description of the building of the Tower of Babel, which doesn’t go as the audience anticipates.
‘Division by Zero,’ describes the intellectual breakdown of a mathematician who loses his confidence in the logic of mathematics itself; and ‘Death is the Absence of Existence,’ a book that examines the aftershocks of an angelic mishap resulting in a world where God, demons, angels, Heaven, and Hell all exist indisputably. Whatever the topic, stories are all deep explorations about what it is to be human — and how one can be a thinking, caring individual in an unceasingly logical universe.
Oliver’s Twist 