This is a really good month for everyone who is both a science-fiction fan and a New 女生小视频 reader. Not only do we have a new sci-fi novel due from the magazine鈥檚 columnist Annalee Newitz (with a slime mould as its protagonist), but new books from New 女生小视频 Book Club alumni Adam Roberts and Claire North to look forward to. And there鈥檚 more: Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveler鈥檚 Wife) is returning to her world of causal loops in a sequel to her bestselling 2003 novel, while Becky Chambers is here to bring us some more sci-fi fun. Time to book a few days of holiday to binge through all this鈥�

Fans of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, rejoice: this month, there鈥檚 a new novel out from the mighty Becky Chambers, and it sounds great. Set on the planet Fortune, where a poisonous atmosphere alters the nature of life, we follow the adventures of Cora, a pilot who has a dangerous condition thanks to her bond with an alien animal, Colibri. Then Cora, in need of treatment but unwilling to seek it if it means losing her connection to Colibri, meets a botanist, Signy, who might be able to help her.

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I have chortled over Jasper Fforde鈥檚 literary detective novels ever since the first, The Eyre Affair, starring Thursday Next. The publication of Dark Reading Matter marks Next鈥檚 eighth and final outing, in which she鈥檚 up against some Martians who have broken out of their H.G. Wells novel, as well as problematic Reality Field Distortion experiments. The title, by the way, refers not so much to the hypothesised physical phenomenon but to the 鈥渞ealm where deleted books and unrealised literary ideas end up鈥�.

The author of the excellent Ascension turns to an organisation beneath the streets of London for his latest novel 鈥� an organisation conducting 鈥渟trange experiments鈥� that 鈥渂lur the boundaries between sleep and wakefulness, between life and death鈥�. Arlo is a private investigator out to find Sophie Banik, who is apparently dead 鈥� but who had been digging into those strange experiments, and who might not be as dead as he thought.

We are big fans of Adam Roberts at New 女生小视频: his novel, Lake of Darkness, was a relatively recent pick for the New 女生小视频 Book Club. This latest sounds very different. It鈥檚 a reimagining of Mary Shelley鈥檚 Frankenstein, in which the monster, 鈥渁 splendid creature, in almost every respect superior to humanity鈥�, goes on to conquer Europe, and rule the world. It is, says the publisher, 鈥渁 meditation on the nature of power鈥�, and I can鈥檛 wait.

Another new novel from a New 女生小视频 Book Club alum (Claire North鈥檚 space opera, Slow Gods, has been a top read this year for members). This time, North is tackling time travel, moving from Cal, who falls in love with a soldier in the French revolution who is fated to die 鈥� unless he tweaks history to save him, to Fadimatu, who finds her mummified corpse in a museum in 2018. Honestly, fictional time travel is tricky to get right, but I trust North to handle it wisely and well so this another book I鈥檓 really looking forward to.

If there鈥檚 another author I trust to handle time travel wisely, it鈥檚 this one. Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler鈥檚 Wife, has written a sequel to that bestseller, following the life of Alba, the daughter of Claire and Henry. Like her father, Alba is a time traveller, but instead of having one great love like Henry does, she has two: Zach, handsome, beloved, living his life in the normal order; and Oliver, a time traveller from the future with whom her life crosses and circles repeatedly, at different ages. I鈥檝e read the book already, because I will be chatting to Niffenegger about it for New 女生小视频, and I urge you not to miss it. It鈥檚 wildly different from the gentle and romantic air of its predecessor 鈥� this is a book tackling big questions: climate change, democracy, protest. I finished it last week and want to discuss it with people, so get reading!

A new novel from New 女生小视频鈥檚 tech columnist? And a wild-sounding one at that? We are spoiled for sure. The book follows the adventures of Gardenpath, who is a slime mould from an ancient civilization as well as a graduate student in biology. Gardenpath wants to discover something 鈥渢ruly novel in the universe鈥� to obtain the highest possible honour in their exams, so travels to a remote and dangerous planet and discovers 鈥� a strange multicellular animal living in a city they call Pompeii. Newitz has written about the research they did for this book in a recent column 鈥� you can check it out here to see if it tempts you.

This comes to us from the small literary publisher Fitzcarraldo, a press that punches way above its weight in terms of choosing incredible writers 鈥� think of literature Nobel winners Annie Ernaux, Svetlana Alexievich, Olga Tokarczuk, Elfriede Jelinek). The Floating World tells of a billionaire called Morel, who is building a refuge for the super-rich on an island in the Aegean. A struggling journalist is asked to come and work there, but 鈥� and I imagine you鈥檒l be as unsurprised as I was by this next plot line 鈥� discovers dark currents below the surface of this apparent utopia. I very much enjoyed the last 鈥渂illionaire builds a refuge that turns out to have major issues鈥� novel I read, Naomi Alderman鈥檚 The Future, so I鈥檒l definitely be trying this one.

Just a little alert that this stunning graphic novel adaptation of Ernest Cline鈥檚 bestseller is out this month. A recap for those who haven鈥檛 read it (or seen the adaptation) yet: set in 2045, it follows Wade Watts, who along with most of humanity spends most of his time jacked into the virtual reality of the OASIS. When OASIS鈥檚 creator dies, he leaves behind a series of puzzles, and whoever solves them is set to inherit control of the virtual reality. Wade makes a start 鈥� and finds himself up against some deadly rivals.

If you like your fiction tinged with history and horror, then Alma Katsu is for you. I still shudder happily when I remember reading The Hunger, her twist on the story of the Donner party, which brings added terror to an already terrifying real-life tale. This time, she鈥檚 applying scary twists to The Picture of Dorian Gray with the tale of Dorothy, who codes an impossibly beautiful deepfake for social media, Isabella. But as Isabella鈥檚 fame grows, Dorothy stops being able to tell where she ends and her creation begins.

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If there was a paucity of new science fiction in August, then September more than makes up for it, with everything from a long-awaited piece of speculative fiction from China Mi茅ville to a short story collection paying tribute to the genius of Ursula K. Le Guin, with contributions from names including Ann Leckie and Kelly Link. Then there鈥檚 a new near-future novel from Station Eleven author Emily St John Mandel, a fresh sci-fi series from the bestselling Brandon Sanderson (and co-author Janci Patterson) and a strange but intriguing tale from one of my favourite writers, Naomi Alderman.

edited by Jonathan Strahan

This is something I absolutely cannot wait to read: a collection of 15 new short stories, inspired by the work of the one and only Ursula K. Le Guin and intended to honour her amazing legacy. The names contributing are super impressive, including Karen Joy Fowler and Charlie Jane Anders: what a treat.

by China Mi茅ville

China Mi茅ville is one of our great contemporary writers, master of the weird and author of masterpieces including The City and the City and Embassytown (my personal favourite). New book The Rouse comes in two whopping volumes, and its publisher promises it is a 鈥渄ecade- and continent-spanning epic of grief, global tumult, and grim conspiracy鈥�. I can鈥檛 tell you for sure that it鈥檚 science fiction, as I鈥檝e yet to tackle the two doorstopper tomes I鈥檝e been sent, but I can predict it will definitely be weird, and speculative. Michael Moorcock, no less, calls it 鈥渃ompletely without parallel鈥�. Exciting times.

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by Garth Nix

In my younger days, I was an avid reader of Garth Nix鈥檚 young adult Old Kingdom series, so I鈥檓 interested to see what this excellent author鈥檚 first venture into sci-fi will be like. It鈥檚 a military space opera, set in a universe where interstellar war rages between Earth and Mars 鈥� and where for over two centuries, humans have travelled into space on huge sentient mountain ranges known as Massifs. Then the crew of the ship Sassafras starts asking questions about why the Massifs carry humans to the stars 鈥� and talking to the powerful avatars piloting the ships.

by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson

This is the first in the new Skyward Legacy series from the mighty Sanderson, co-written with Janci Patterson. It鈥檚 a complicated set-up: humans have warred against alien oppressors for decades. Now they鈥檙e free, and Arturo Mendez, leader of Skyward Flight, is sent on a mission to make contact with a settlement of humans isolated during the long war. But Blightfall, the planet he鈥檚 sent to, is more dangerous than he鈥檇 anticipated.

by Naomi Alderman

I am such a Naomi Alderman fan. We read her previous novel, The Future, with the New 女生小视频 Book Club, and I loved it. This latest sounds much stranger and more speculative, but I鈥檓 here for anything from this author (her recent non-fiction book, Don鈥檛 Burn Anyone at the Stake Today, is also a big recommendation from me). Anyway: the plot here is that the novelist Naomi Alderman, grieving the loss of her mother, sets up a wildlife camera in her parents鈥� garden, and takes the first photo of a new animal, the 鈥渕immoth鈥�. These creatures spread across the world, harmless apparently, but strangely intelligent 鈥� what will their eventual impact be?

by Emily St John Mandel

Emily St John Mandel, author of Station Eleven, is very good at thoughtful, near-future tales, and here comes another. Set in 2031, this is a world where America is in the middle of a civil war 鈥� but where something even stranger might be going on. Ari, newly out of prison, goes to a party in Los Angeles, where she meets someone who looks exactly like her friend, but isn鈥檛鈥� Living in Paris a long time later, Ari is haunted by what happened at the party, and by what might lie beyond the boundaries of her world. I鈥檝e started this one, and it鈥檚 living up to its promise so far.

by Ken Liu

This collection of short stories from the award-winning speculative author moves between science fiction and fantasy 鈥� from techno-witches battling a world ruled by machines, to a consciousness on a starship watching the cosmos die and be reborn.

by Jo Martin

This new Doctor Who novel sees the Fugitive Doctor and Martha investigating a strange object in the British Museum. Apparently a medieval toy, it refuses to stay in one place, time or identity.

by Hernan Diaz

This novel by the heavyweight literary author Hernan Diaz, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, takes place centuries in the future, following the adventures of a pincher, someone who steals electricity from the grid and sells it on the black market. This pincher, an orphan, goes on to discover an experiment that, if she can power it, could 鈥渃hange the fabric of reality itself鈥�.

by Chloe Benjamin

Laurel is a biologist turned dishwasher at an Antarctic research station. She doesn鈥檛 tell anyone in her new life about the tragedy which made her leave her old one 鈥� but she becomes convinced that the mysterious Arc that appears across the ice could lead her to a new world where she could turn back the clock. I鈥檓 halfway through this one and am loving the biology and the Antarctic side of it. Can鈥檛 wait to see how the physics holds up.

by James Islington

This sci-fi thriller is set in a world where the poor die young, and the rich live forever. Assassin Azure is usually hired to kill the richest of people 鈥� but then he鈥檚 given a job to protect one of them. The publisher promises that this fuses 鈥渢he dystopian morality of cyberpunk with the explosive action of anime鈥�, which sounds pretty cool.

by Jordan Prosser

Abby, suffering the burden of being in her 30s without having achieved any of her dreams, decides she has a new purpose: becoming the first person on Mars. Luckily for her, a Danish entrepreneur is planning a one-way mission.

by Ai Jiang

Jiang, who also has a story in the Ursula K. Le Guin anthology out this month, sets this piece of 鈥渟cience-fantasy鈥� in a world where the royal advisors are plotting to overthrow emperor Yun. Yun鈥檚 sister Xilian escapes to the drowning continent of Opera, a place filled with strange tech and dreams of immortality.

by Adam Simcox

It鈥檚 2026, and time travel is a luxury commodity. So, Rachel, who killed Oliver in a car crash in 1997 when she was 18, goes back to save him 鈥� only for the future to change in bad ways that may have something to do with Oliver, with whom she鈥檚 now fallen in love鈥�

by Django Wexler

Taj is a scrapper, living in a junkyard and keeping his family alive with the scrap he finds there. His one salvation? A 鈥渃onstruct鈥�, or robot, that he built himself, and which he hopes will win big in the construct fighting circuits.

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The New 女生小视频 Book Club moved from a far-future space opera in July鈥檚 read, Claire North鈥檚 Slow Gods, to a much nearer future on Earth in our read for August. Peter Heller鈥檚 takes place after a flu pandemic has wiped out the majority of Earth鈥檚 population, and follows the story of Hig, a lonely pilot, his dog Jasper 鈥� and their somewhat problematic neighbour Bangley. If that pandemic-struck world sounds like Peter was riffing off the real events of 2020, he wasn鈥檛: he wrote it well before covid, and (as he wrote in an essay for the book club) found it extremely eerie to find life imitating art, as the world shut down around us six years ago.

I have to start with an admission: I am a big Peter Heller fan. He was an adventure writer and journalist before turning to fiction, and I really enjoyed his thrillers The River and The Guide for their unique blend of gorgeous nature writing and heart-in-your-mouth survival. Somehow, I鈥檇 never got round to reading The Dog Stars, and when I discovered that it was about to be released as a film by Ridley Scott 鈥� and that it was a piece of post-apocalyptic fiction 鈥� I couldn鈥檛 wait to read it with our book club.

I wasn鈥檛 surprised to also love this novel. It combined all my favourite things: wilderness survival, a post-disaster world, lovely writing 鈥� and a Very Good Dog. I was fascinated to learn, in Peter鈥檚 essay, how he wrote the novel cold 鈥� no initial research, no planning: 鈥淚t was as if Hig were on the other side of a campfire on an October night, with the wind blowing the flames around, telling me what had happened to him a few years before. I wrote in a white heat. I was constantly surprised, awed, devastated by what happened. I鈥檇 have tears dripping off my chin onto the coffee shop table.鈥� In our interview, Peter also told me about how he decided on the nature of the apocalypse that would affect his world, and what it was like to see his characters appear on the big screen, courtesy of Scott 鈥� spoiler alert, there were tears.

There was more of a mixed response to The Dog Stars from book club members. Karen Warren 鈥渇ound the first half a bit tedious, and probably wouldn鈥檛 have carried on if it hadn鈥檛 been a book club choice鈥�. But ultimately she was glad she did, and 鈥渃ouldn鈥檛 put it down towards the end鈥�. 鈥淚 loved the way that there was hope even in a seemingly impossible environment,鈥� she wrote on , describing the novel as 鈥渁 testament to the triumph of the human spirit鈥�.

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The writing in this book is very distinctive 鈥� jumpy and disjointed, reflecting Hig鈥檚 state of mind. Readers entered into an interesting debate about the reason for this. 鈥淚 read it as him losing some of his expressive power while living with Bangley: not much real conversation, not much novelty, a lot of silence and repetition,鈥� wrote warsaw_sun. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a suggestion of fever in his history, is that supposed to have affected his language, or is it just that 鈥榤en of action鈥� try to cut the descriptions right down following Hemingway?鈥� wondered Alan_P.

Overall, Alan was not a fan. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure a lot of people will enjoy the book 鈥� but for me the view of human nature is just too grim and not realistic,鈥� he wrote. He compared The Dog Stars to Tim Winton鈥檚 Juice 鈥� another book club read that is also set post-apocalypse, this time a climate one. 鈥淲hat bothers me is how these stories naturalise the idea that the only way to survive is to become the very kind of armed, unchallengeable patriarch that helped create the violence in the first place,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淎s humans we do well when we cooperate and badly when we don鈥檛. Perhaps I wouldn鈥檛 survive a holocaust, but I don鈥檛 think empathy is weakness, I don鈥檛 think that kindness is naivety, and I don鈥檛 want to read any more dystopias.鈥�

For Kelly, The Dog Stars was 鈥渘ot so much an apocalypse story (the how and the why) but a people story鈥�; for Barbara Howe, it was 鈥渁s much an old-fashioned Western as it is science fiction, if not more so鈥�. 鈥淎s in, isolated men with guns defending their claim and their women against marauders.鈥� Dee55, meanwhile, was left pondering the very nature of science fiction. 鈥淚鈥檝e been meaning to ask other readers here 鈥� does anything set in the future automatically count as science fiction? Or does the epidemic make it science fiction because that鈥檚 not a known type?鈥�

It鈥檚 a great question! For me, science fiction is a broad and generous church, ranging from the science-light writing of the likes of The Dog Stars or another book club read, Kaliane Bradley鈥檚 The Ministry of Time, to the hard sci-fi of Kim Stanley Robinson鈥檚 Red Mars and the space opera of Slow Gods. Next month, however, defining sci-fi isn鈥檛 something the book club will need to worry about鈥�

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August is traditionally a quiet month in publishing, and this one is no different. But there are still science-fiction gems to look forward to, including a fascist empire, courtesy of Richard Swan, and some scary Korean sea monsters from Kim Bo-young. I can also recommend M. John Harrison鈥檚 The End of Everything, published earlier this year but just longlisted for the Booker prize. It鈥檚 rare for sci-fi to make this prestigious literary longlist so that is a tribute to Harrison鈥檚 writing 鈥� as our sci-fi columnist Emily H. Wilson highlighted last month. And do join us at the New 女生小视频 Book Club, where we鈥檙e reading Peter Heller鈥檚 post-apocalyptic novel The Dog Stars, set after a superflu has wiped out most of humanity (and written well before covid-19). A Ridley Scott-directed film adaptation of it is about to be released, so we鈥檙e ahead of the crowd.

by Richard Swan

I hear good things about this one from Emily H. Wilson, who has a review forthcoming. It鈥檚 set in a fascist and galaxy-spanning empire, where Katherine Fuller鈥檚 husband has died, leaving her an immensely wealthy woman. Katherine is given the chance to buy a world, and create a better society 鈥� but will the empire let her make a democracy? It鈥檚 pitched by its publisher as Nineteen Eighty-Four meets The Man in the High Castle, which is enough to hook me.

by Kim Bo-young, translated by Sophie Bowman

I鈥檓 also really excited about this one, in which bodyguard Mu-young is heading to an isolated Korean seaside village with her niece when she learns that a huge earthquake has hit the region. She travels there regardless, but the earthquake unleashes an ancient plague, which turns those who catch it into 鈥渇ishy monsters鈥�. The village is locked down 鈥� and Mu-young is trapped. Perfect beach reading, perhaps?

by Tim Pratt

This space opera with a 鈥渢ouch of romance鈥� follows graduate student Glenn and his girlfriend Vivy, a spy who has been tasked with stopping a rogue comet but finds herself also trying to find a stolen jewel that can destroy universes.

by C.A. Fletcher

I always love a post-apocalyptic story in which a few hardy souls are struggling to survive. As previously noted, we鈥檙e reading Peter Heller鈥檚 The Dog Stars in the New 女生小视频 Book Club this month, and it鈥檚 a prime example of the genre. In Fletcher鈥檚 intriguing-sounding take, humans have stopped being able to have children (shades of P. D. James鈥檚 The Children of Men, perhaps?), and Mouse and Cat are our indomitable duo living in an almost-empty world, 200 years on.

by Andrea Hairston

I rather like this title 鈥� and the story sounds fun, too. It鈥檚 a murder mystery set in the multiverse, in which Oona (a St Berdoodle, which I鈥檓 assuming is a type of dog) and her owner Zsuzsu are investigating the death of a local celebrity. Oona, it turns out, can travel between dimensions, and she knows the identity of the killer. We are also promised 鈥渃onundrums鈥� and 鈥渁lien tricksters鈥� from the publisher.

by Nicole Brooks

A 鈥渙nce-in-a-lifetime flood鈥� hits Raven鈥檚 family home, and she finds herself trapped on the roof with her children, her dog and her stepmother, struggling to survive. The novel is set over 6 hours and sounds very nail-biting 鈥� more thriller-y than sci-fi perhaps, but it鈥檚 an exploration of the power of a changing nature, so I鈥檓 keen to read it.

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by W.H. Chizmar

Described as a post-apocalyptic horror survival novel by its publisher, and therefore ticking all my favourite boxes, this follows the fallout when a government project to transport matter across the universe brings back something alive 鈥� and dangerous. When this 鈥渟omething鈥� is being transported (in a lorry 鈥� come on, people!), its lorry overturns and 鈥渦nleashes an otherworldly horror upon an unsuspecting New England countryside鈥�. Three years on, a man is trying to stay alive on the US鈥檚 now-deadly East Coast.

by Jodi Taylor

This is the latest Smallhope and Pennyroyal time-travelling adventure, and sees Lady Amelia Smallhope attempting to relax after she nearly died in the last book. However, she and Pennyroyal are targeted by someone with knowledge of the latter鈥檚 鈥渕urky past鈥�, and further adventures ensue.

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The New 女生小视频 Book Club has spent July reading Claire North鈥檚 space opera . Set in the far future, it follows the fortunes of a civilisation that has just learned that their planet will be destroyed by a supernova 鈥� in 100 years鈥� time.

鈥淲hat does it mean to look into the heavens and know the exact date when a star will die and with it, your world?鈥� North wrote in a fascinating essay for book club members on why they started the book with this conceit. 鈥淲hat choices do you make, and what price would you pay to save yourself 鈥� or your civilisation?鈥�

Alongside this end-of-the-world tale, Slow Gods is also a love story between North鈥檚 protagonist Maw, a pilot who can navigate the dangers of faster-than-light travel but who is a little prone to murdering people, and Gebre, a citizen of that planet on the brink of annihilation, Adjumir.

Our science-fiction columnist Emily H. Wilson had heartily recommended this one: 鈥淚t has been a while since I have read a piece of science fiction so purely delightful.鈥� I was also enraptured. North鈥檚 writing was elegant, insightful and effortlessly funny (I hate try-hard humour in my fiction). And the concept at the heart of the story, the idea of how a civilisation might deal with imminent, but not all that imminent, destruction? It was fascinating and terrifying; as North told me in our interview for book club members, this is a deliberate parallel with climate change. 鈥淪ubtle metaphor it is not,鈥� they said.

Slow Gods wasn鈥檛 only a hit with me and Emily 鈥� I think it鈥檚 one of our most popular books so far with members. 鈥淭he writing is gorgeous, and it has the big concept space opera feel that I really like,鈥� wrote adidubey on our . 鈥淥ne of the more satisfying reads we have had,鈥� added Matthew. 鈥淭his book club usually picks things I wouldn鈥檛 and some are good and some less so (none that I have not finished) but there is a lot of variety and it gets me out of my rut of only reading the familiar.鈥�

I did find the opening a little stodgy and slow to get going, which is often a problem for space operas, as the writer looks to set their galactic scene. Butterfly368 was with me on this: 鈥淭he beginning was a bit slow and confusing, but the deeper I got, the more invested I became. It鈥檚 one of those books that gradually pulls you in rather than grabbing you from page one,鈥� they wrote. 鈥淚鈥檓 also enjoying its commentary on the meaning we create in our lives and on society and culture more broadly. It鈥檚 given me quite a bit to think about.鈥� Melissa, however, loved it from the first. 鈥�50 pages in and totally engrossed. I鈥檝e felt gut punched with recognition at some of the terrible treatment of people but also laughed into an empty room a couple of times. Whyyyyyy do I have to go to work?鈥� she wrote.

Barbara Howe had some interesting comparisons to make with some of her favourite reads. 鈥淩eminded me a bit at the start of [Ann Leckie鈥檚] Ancillary Justice, mainly in how much I was struggling to understand what was going on, and how many questions were raised early on that didn鈥檛 get answered until much later 鈥� if at all,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淎lso, whenever [Maw] talked about having trouble with social situations and understanding his feelings, I was reminded of Murderbot 鈥榟aving an emotion鈥�.鈥�

North, incidentally, had some interesting things to say in our chat about Maw鈥檚 struggle to fit in; he 鈥渋s the protagonist you write when you are an adult diagnosed with autism late in your life鈥�, they told me. North and I also dug into the multiple pronouns used in this story 鈥� something Carrie noted on Discord, writing that 鈥淚鈥檓 really enjoying the world building and while they can take a little getting used to, feel that the introduction of new pronouns really add to the story and provide insight into the cultures we鈥檙e being introduced to鈥�. 鈥淧eople exist on a spectrum,鈥� said North in our chat. 鈥淚n the English language, we may still only really have 鈥榟e鈥� and 鈥榮he鈥� as the commonly accepted expression of gender, but that spectrum is enormous. It ranges from Arnold Schwarzenegger through to Harry Kane through to Alan Carr, then straight on keeps on going. The enormity of that spectrum feels too big for 鈥榟e鈥� and 鈥榮he鈥� to actually cover.鈥�

Alan_P was another big fan. 鈥淚 absolutely loved it. I鈥檓 looking up other books by the same author in my library which is something I rarely do,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淚 also (unexpectedly for me 鈥� I鈥檓 not a fan of romance in general) found myself really enjoying the love story at the centre of the book. For me it鈥檚 the very clever way that the author has woven these different themes of not quite requited love, galaxy spanning science fiction, commentary of contemporary events and a really good story that makes it one of my favourites in a good while.鈥� A bit of a success, then!

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by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

I started my colleague Karmela Padavic-Callaghan鈥檚 first book, , with trepidation. How could they deliver on its subtitle, 鈥渁 life according to quantum physics鈥�? I finished it with both a better understanding of all things quantum and a deeper desire to understand myself after reading Karmela鈥檚 own thoughtful journey as a queer, millennial immigrant.

This is a unique blend of memoir and science writing, in which Karmela interweaves growing up in Croatia, moving to New York, doing a physics PhD, teaching in high school and working as a New 女生小视频 reporter with big physics concepts.

So, how do you make links between, say, indefinite causality and a life-threatening tooth infection, or wave-particle duality and the realisation that you are queer? Somehow, Karmela does, and it all works to create a book that is clear and friendly on a scientific level, and candid and insightful on a personal one.

I am on holiday later this month, so I鈥檓 pleased to find there鈥檚 a really wide range of intriguing new science fiction to take with me. I鈥檓 particularly keen to get cracking on a tale by Sheila Armstrong about strange ancient things found in a bog, but I鈥檓 also excited to read a new book by one of my favourite authors, Paul Tremblay (even if it does sound very disturbing). And I鈥檓 looking forward to the high-concept thrillers and classic space-set sci-fi on offer, too 鈥� not forgetting the first new Red Dwarf novel released in 30 years.

by Ruth Newton

This sounds a little Severance-like and ideal summer reading for those of us who enjoy a good high-concept thriller. It鈥檚 set in a near future where you can outsource your emotional pain thanks to a biotech company, Eudaimonia. Sounds good, right? You can get rid of your unwanted negative emotions. But the price is paid by a 鈥淐arrier鈥� 鈥� a woman who is paid to take on your pain. When Viv goes to work for Eudaimonia, she discovers even darker secrets.

The best sci-fi novel in 2026 so far 鈥� plus 6 other great reads

Sci-fi columnist Emily H. Wilson rounds up her favourite reads of the year to date 鈥� and highlights one particular book as her top pick

by Paul Tremblay

I鈥檓 super excited about this one. I鈥檝e loved Paul Tremblay ever since I read the absolutely terrifying Shirley Jackson-inflected A Head Full of Ghosts. This time Tremblay has written a piece of AI horror, set in a near future where former professional gamer Julia is offered a temporary job escorting a man in a vegetative state from California to the East Coast. Why is the man in this state? Because he has an AI mind implanted in his head 鈥� and he is trapped in a strange and morphing hellscape he can鈥檛 escape. Loved the great riff on Philip K. Dick in the title.

by Deb Olin Unferth

Set at 鈥渢he end of the world as we know it鈥�, as its publisher writes, this follows two women who fall in love 鈥� one of them raised in a research pod deep in the ocean, and the other who works in a luxury resort as a bartender (but who may also be a robot). Together, they try to 鈥渟alvage some trace of planet Earth鈥� as it slowly disappears.

by Riley August

Ellis feels something is missing from his seemingly perfect life, so he sets out for the hedonistic world of Planet Happy. Nara is the attendant tasked with ensuring that Ellis will indeed find happiness on his trip, but activists disrupt the visit, and they set out on an adventure together.

by Sheila Armstrong

I have this on my bedside table ready to read when I get a minute 鈥� it鈥檚 the book I鈥檓 most looking forward to in July. It follows a dog鈥檚 uncovering of a strange antler in a restored bog, which leads to the discovery that the peat is an ancient dying ground of the Great Irish Elk. These aren鈥檛 the first things to be found in the bog. Archaeologists have already discovered prehistoric settlements and the mutilated body of a woman, 2,000 years old. And the deep time of the bog seems to have a sinister influence over the lives of those who have been touched by it.

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by Nadia Afifi

Azad is a fugitive, hunted by the Vitruvian Authorities after he exposed his home planet鈥檚 dark secrets. If he really wants to spark rebellion, Azad needs the help of a space pirate with her own agenda 鈥� and they must revisit the past.

by Rob Grant and Andrew Marshall

The first new Red Dwarf novel in 30 years is a prequel, written by co-creator Rob Grant and Andrew Marshall, creator of the sitcom 2point4Children. It sees the mining ship Red Dwarf orbiting Saturn鈥檚 moon Titan, with the crew 鈥� including Lister and Rimmer 鈥� all planning their latest shore leave. (Lister, interestingly, is planning to find a cat to smuggle back on board鈥�). But everyone鈥檚 plans go awry when a cryptic message from the future arrives.

by Gregory Bastianelli

A blend of science fiction and horror, this follows a doctor, Monica Cucinotta, working in an Italian hospital on the frontlines of a deadly virus which causes thorns to erupt on the bodies of its victims. When she is infected , she has to leave the hospital and travel across a devastated world to get back to her loved ones.

The best new science fiction books of May 2026

New science fiction from big names including Ann Leckie, Alan Moore and Martha Wells are just some of the exciting crop of titles out this month

by Claire McGowan

This sounds terrifying 鈥� and pleasingly Handmaid鈥檚 Tale-ish. It鈥檚 set in a version of Great Britain ruled by the Hope Party, where a series of new laws have made a swathe of changes, including a rewilding of the countryside, and a prioritisation of children鈥檚 rights. But fertility is constantly monitored, and abortion and contraception are banned. Kate is is too scared to say anything against these new norms, but is forced to take action when her daughter becomes pregnant.

by Rebecca Thorne

I like the look of this piece of cosy science fiction, in which Torian acquires an ancient and abandoned starship covered in moss. But when Torian sets out on board, keen to get away from her overbearing ex-captain (and ex) Amelia, she discovers that the moss is in fact Moss, the ship鈥檚 organic computer, and it has a mind of its own.

by David Arlo

This sounds rather silly but also fun. It follows game developer Hal, who has been working for years on 鈥渢he most anticipated video game of all time鈥�, in which players enter a fully immersive virtual reality where they can live their fantasies. Hal needs to do a final test off the record to see if he can genuinely achieve total immersion, so tries it out on his family 鈥� only to discover they can鈥檛 escape from the game. So, he goes in to save them and bring them back to reality.

by Christian Kracht, translated by Daniel Bowles

Kracht has previously been shortlisted for the International Booker prize; now, his publisher is comparing his latest to Ursula K. Le Guin and Jorge Luis Borges. It tells the story of a designer, Paul, who is walking through the corridors of a server farm in Norway 鈥� until he vanishes in a blackout. Meanwhile, in another time and place, a man wakes up in a forest, and a young girl helps him to an icy settlement. This sounds really intriguing.

The best new science-fiction books of June 2026

There is plenty of intriguing sci-fi on offer this month, whether it鈥檚 solar-powered cities from Adrian Tchaikovsky or a strange future from M. John Harrison

by Meg Smitherman

A gothic sci-fi novella in which interplanetary transporter Midonia is given the job of flying Sister Irena to a planet where the people worship a deity known as Anguish. But when their ship is grounded by a solar flare, Midonia is stuck on the planet, where a strange voice starts invading her mind at night.

by Calvin James

We鈥檙e promised both romance and sci-fi in this tale about junior supply officer Levar, who is called upon to serve as a diplomat in peace talks because he once dated an Imperial baroness. Then he discovers that a former lover, Astrid, is actually the Demon Emperor, and their feelings for each other are still very much present.

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罢丑别听New 女生小视频 Book Club聽has been reading a popular-science classic in June: Richard Dawkins鈥檚聽, which celebrates its 50^th聽anniversary this year.

I hadn鈥檛 previously read this one 鈥� it had always intimidated me (an English graduate). But my colleague Rowan Hooper, a behavioural ecologist as well as our podcast editor, reread it to see how it holds up today and concluded it pretty much did. He had a few issues with the biology and said it 鈥渇eels its age鈥� 鈥� Dawkins himself admits to 鈥渟exist pronouns鈥� in a 1989 preface 鈥� but Rowan found that 鈥渢he core message remains relevant not just because genes being selfish is a brilliant meme (a term Dawkins coins at the end of the book), but because it is such a powerful way to understand how evolution operates: the metaphor makes us think as if genes behave selfishly鈥�.

Read an extract from The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

Dive into the opening of The Selfish Gene's first chapter 'Why are people?', the New 女生小视频 Book Club鈥檚 read for June to mark 50 years since the popular science classic was first published

It was time to gird my loins and embark on a book I鈥檝e always been a bit embarrassed for omitting. I have to admit to being a little exhausted at first: there was preface after preface in my edition, in which Dawkins was arguing with all sorts of people about how the book had been received. This was somewhat confusing, given I hadn鈥檛 鈥� yet 鈥� 聽read it. I should have skipped straight to the first chapter.

Once I got into it, though, I found myself (mostly) carried along swimmingly by Dawkins鈥檚 writing. He certainly has a knack for a good metaphor 鈥� I particularly liked the idea of our bodies as 鈥渟urvival machines鈥� for genes. Without having studied any biology after the age of 16, I got my head around his central point: that natural selection works because genes, or copies of them (replicators, as he calls them), are out to survive, building the optimal bodies (or survival machines) in order to do so.

I did find his tone a little irascible and hectoring at times. It was like he was having conversations with various colleagues/rivals about his points, rather than the general reader. For example, talking about how 鈥渙ne gene may be regarded as a unit that survives through a large number of successive individual bodies鈥�, he writes that 鈥渋t is an argument that some of my most respected colleagues obstinately refuse to agree with, so you must forgive me if I seem to labour it!鈥�. We鈥檙e also firmly told about the correct pronunciation of 鈥渁lgae鈥� (a hard 鈥済鈥�, people). There鈥檚 a lot of that sort of thing, but I finished feeling pleased to have got my head (mostly) around his argument.

Book club members were less impressed 鈥� this is, I think, the book that has received the most negative comments of any we鈥檝e read, with a handful of members deciding not to join us in reading it at all, as they disagreed with some of Dawkins鈥檚 personal views. (I share the perspective of member pwhipp, who wrote on our channel: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we should reject serious scientific writing simply because the author is combative, controversial, or personally irritating. If we did that consistently, the shelves would become very thin indeed.鈥�) Pwhipp, by the way, called The Selfish Gene 鈥渁n important and very well-written book, whatever one thinks of Dawkins鈥� public persona or his outspoken atheism鈥�.

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Pwhipp was in the minority, however. Alan P was one re-reader who felt 鈥渦nderwhelmed鈥� by The Selfish Gene. 鈥淭he text is (as he admits himself but doesn鈥檛 change) sexist throughout. It鈥檚 not just the assumption of male pronouns for general statements, but there are some comments in the end notes and the text of the book itself that even for the eighties are questionable,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淭he tone is argumentative 鈥� sometimes I鈥檓 not clear that it isn鈥檛 argument for its own sake 鈥� but it鈥檚 definitely jarring. The endless footnotes contradicting the text are really difficult to follow. If the science has changed then the text of the book needs to change as well. So it may be that it was a masterly summary of the known science in its day 鈥� but now it鈥檚 a bad tempered, difficult to follow, mess.鈥�

Alan did enjoy the new chapter 鈥淣ice guys finish first鈥�, added to later editions: 鈥淚 was always of the opinion that genes don鈥檛 make ethics so it鈥檚 nice to have the idea that even if genetic determinism was a thing, that cooperation is a successful strategy in the wild.鈥�

The Selfish Gene at 50: Why Dawkins鈥檚 evolution classic still holds up

When Richard Dawkins鈥檚 first blockbuster book was published half a century ago, few genes had ever been sequenced or studied in detail. Yet the book鈥檚 gene-centred view of evolution still has much to teach us in today鈥檚 genetic age

Dee55, meanwhile, first read The Selfish Gene back in the early 80s and found it 鈥渁n absolute revelation鈥� at the time. Going back to it was 鈥渋nteresting鈥�, but, as a humanities graduate, Dee55 found 鈥渟pecific challenges in following some of the arguments鈥�. 鈥淚 enjoyed the Chapter 5 stuff on the ESS (evolutionary stable strategy) as a fun ride, but I think I need to reread it before continuing. I am very aware that I am just not in a position to assess RD鈥檚 ideas in the context of other evolutionary biology thinking,鈥� Dee55 wrote.

Rowan took a deeper dive into the book in a longer piece for New 女生小视频, speaking to biologists about its message and what still stands today. Taking into account developments in the field that have happened over the past 50 years, Rowan wrote that 鈥渁ll the evolutionary biologists I spoke to for this piece struggled to find major problems with The Selfish Gene鈥�. There was one exception: the idea of the meme, which, despite its memetic proliferation today, 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 hold up鈥�, he was told.

Overall, then, a thorny choice: this particular piece of popular science was notedly unpopular for the New 女生小视频 Book Club.

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