Sci-Fi and books from fantasy and related genres that inspired me. For example by exploring possibilities of a hopeful future, or through different perspectives on how to do society, or by imagining ways we can get out of this mess.
Inspiring Sci-Fi Public
Created and curated by Luce
-
Halfway to Better by Susan Kaye Quinn (Halfway to Better)
5 stars
Halfway to Better is a collection of six short solarpunk stories, each exploring a near-future world where we’re struggling to …
Luce says: Hopeful climate fiction short stories
-
Dawn (Xenogenesis, #1) by Octavia E. Butler
4 stars
Lilith Iyapo has just lost her husband and son when atomic fire consumes Earth—the last stage of the planet’s final …
Luce says: What if aliens saved us from ourselves but also changed us in the process?
-
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (Earthseed, #1)
5 stars
The Nebula Award–winning author of Kindred presents a “gripping” dystopian novel about a woman fleeing Los Angeles as America spirals …
Luce says: set in 2024, and the foresight of Octavia Butler is uncanny
-
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (SF masterworks)
5 stars
E-book extra: In-depth study guide.Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and …
Luce says: Explores an anarchist society
-
The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities Duology, #1)
4 stars
In Manhattan, a young grad student gets off the train and realizes he doesn't remember who he is, where he's …
Luce says: A bit more magical realism than sci-fi, it explores what makes a city
-
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (Broken Earth, #1)
4 stars
This is the way the world ends... for the last time.
A season of endings has begun.
It starts with …
Luce says: Just an awesome series
-
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (Monk and Robot, #1)
4 stars
It’s been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en …
Luce says: Hopepunk set in a future better society where the robots left to live in the wilderness
-
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
4 stars
Established in 2025, the purpose of the new organization was simple: To advocate for the world's future generations and to …
-
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R. F. Kuang
4 stars
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal. 1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, …
Luce says: Also rather magical realism set in the past
-
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers (Monk and Robot, #2)
4 stars
After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent …
-
Circe: A Novel by Madeline Miller
4 stars
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe …
Luce says: A mythological story, but I feel like stories about people leaving bad environments to live in nature and find power are always inspiring too
-
4 stars
In this final episode of "The Earthsea Cycle", the widowed Tenar finds and nurses her aging friend, Sparrowhawk, a magician …
Luce says: Also fantasy, it explores the power of older women in a patriarchal society and the importance of care work
-
Perry Rhodan: Andromeda by Hubert Haensel, Ernst Vlcek, Frank Böhmert, and 3 others
Man schreibt das Jahr 1312 Neuer Galaktischer Zeitrechnung: Ein geheimnisvoller Notruf bringt Perry Rhodan dazu, mit dem kleinen Raumschiff JOURNEE …
Luce says: Classic sci-fi
-
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers, #1)
4 stars
When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The Wayfarer, a patched-up ship that's seen …
Luce says: Cozy hopeful space
-
4 stars
Ishmael is a 1992 philosophical novel by Daniel Quinn. The novel examines the hidden cultural biases driving modern civilization and …
