Avid Sci Fi readers were over the moon with the new releases this year. The star of the show was certainly Andy Weir’s, author of The Martain, new release, Artemis. Looking for the best tales of space exploration, apocalyptic survival, and androids gone rogue? Check out the best Sci Fi books of 2017.
The Best Sci Fi Books 2017
Artemis
Andy Weir
Release Date: November 14, 2017
Weir has done it again with this near-future thriller but don’t enter into Artemis expecting it to be The Martian round two. You’ll get the same easy to follow explanations for realistic sci fi feats, but it will come from a whole new voice. Jasmine, Jazz, is a delinquent genius, intent on getting rich by smuggling contraband into Artemis, the first and only city on the moon. When an under the table arrangement ends in her attempted murder, she puts her myriad of knowledge to use to save not only those she loves, but the fate of the entire city.
Buy on AmazonThe Power
Naomi Alderman
Release Date: October 10, 2017
The Power was on top of almost everyone’s list this year. Called “our era’s The Handmaid’s Tale” Alderman’s dystopian thriller takes place in a world where women develop the physical power to hurt, incapacitate, or kill any man, at any time, with barely any effort. It paints the picture of a world reshaped by power being transferred fully into the hands of those who have spent not just their own lives, but generations suppressed. Full of chilling vignettes, The Power is speculative fiction at it’s best. I know I’ll be buying it for almost everyone this year for the holidays.
Buy on AmazonThe Stone Sky
N. K. Jemisin
Release Date: August 15, 2017
The Broken Earth series by N. K. Jemisin has won two Hugo awards, and no one would be surprised if The Stone Sky wins it again when it’s in the running next year. A post-apocalyptic masterpiece set in a far-off world frequently wrecked by environmental catastrophes, Jemisin fills a sci fi landscape with fantasy tropes in a way that is sure to enrapture and delight.
Buy on AmazonBourne
Jeff Vandermeer
Release Date: April 25, 2017
There is a lot to be said about Jeff Vandermeer. He bends your mind with words, ripping through your linguistic expectations and destroying your preconceptions of reality. The tone he takes in Bourne is a lot like the tone of The Southern Reach Trilogy, which is becoming a movie in 2018. Set in an apocalyptic wasteland, in Vandermeer’s latest masterpiece you follow Rachel as she struggles to stay safe from physical threats, emotional manipulation, and the lovely little genetically engineered blob that she decides to name Bourne. If that hasn’t convinced you to read it, then I’d like you to know that there is also a giant flying bear named Mord.
Buy on AmazonBabylon’s Ashes
James S.A. Corey
Release Date: December 6, 2016
The Expanse series saw two new additions in the past year. Babylon’s Ashes was released back in December of 2016 and this year Persepolis Rising was released on December 5. The Expanse is a sequential series, so if you haven’t started it yet, you’d want to pick up Leviathan Wakes, but diving into this massive series is well worth it. Filled with memorable characters, interplanetary intrigue, and ample wit, there is a reason that this series has become a fast favorite of fans of the genre.
Buy on AmazonAmerican War
Omar El Akkad
Release Date: April 4, 2017
American War has resonated with readers disturbed by the fraught political landscape. It takes place in an America that is divided by civil war and ravaged by a plague. It ponders the question: What would happen if America were to turn it’s most destructive abilities against itself?
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