The Ultimate Guide To Spring 2020 YA Books For Your TBR

5 Books To Fill The Sci-fi Void Left By 'Black Mirror' Season 6

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Popular dystopian anthology series "Black Mirror" returned in June with a sixth season after a four-year hiatus, but for some fans, the show seemed a little unfamiliar. Though it's known as a science-fiction show that paints a grim picture of the perils of technology, the latest season was more supernatural than futuristic and turned its attention to the past.

Since the show last aired in 2019, headlines have been dominated by a global pandemic, rapidly advancing artificial intelligence and other hauntingly "Black Mirror"-esque events. Series creator Charlie Brooker told GQ that he included more comedy in the latest season mainly because "it feels like the dystopia is lapping onto our shores at the present moment."

Whatever the reason behind the genre shift, some fans were still disappointed by the lack of sci-fi in the new season. If the latest season left you wanting prophetic futuristic themes, these are a few books you could grab for your sci-fi fix.

"Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood (2003)

Atwood is no stranger to writing eerily spot-on speculative fiction as the mind behind "The Handmaid's Tale." Her 2003 novel, "Oryx and Crake," is the first book of a dystopian trilogy set in a world ravaged by a plague. The story features Jimmy, who believes he's the sole survivor, and a breed of humanoids called the Children of Crake. The "hollowed-out, haunted future world" in Atwoord's "ingenious and disturbing" novel is a result of "environmental unconcern, genetic engineering and bioterrorism," Kirkus Review stated when the book debuted. The "landmark work of speculative fiction" was "comparable to 'A Clockwork Orange,' 'Brave New World' and Russian revolutionary Zamyatin's 'We,'" Kirkus concluded. Order here.

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"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick (1968)

Regarding sci-fi classics, Dick's 1968 novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" is worth revisiting if you want to fill the sci-fi void. It inspired the "Blade Runner" and "Blade Runner 2049" films, though some aspects of the novel were changed. The book follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter on a mission to kill a group of rogue androids. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic 2021, technically the past. In the wake of a nuclear war, living animals are highly coveted, as most are endangered or extinct. Order here.

"Children of the New World" by Alexander Weinstein (2016)

A short story collection is a good stand-in for an anthology series, and Weinstien's "Children of the New World" is thematically reminiscent of past seasons of "Black Mirror." The "disturbing, ludicrous and darkly humorous" stories feature future technology in a somewhat utopian future, Book Riot stated. There are companies manufacturing fake memories, humanoid robots and fatally immersive VR video games in Weinstein's "resonant and thought-provoking" tales. "Weinstein offers a thought-provoking take on a near future about how advancement in technology will impact the way we live and connect as humans," Book Riot mused. Order here.

"Broadcast" by Liam Brown (2019)

Liam Brown's 2019 novel, "Broadcast," also fits the mold of eerie science fiction that reflects the dangers of technology running amok. David Callow, an influential video blogger, is the central character of this sci-fi gem. After agreeing to be the face of a revolutionary technology called "MindCast" that broadcasts all his thoughts 24/7, he becomes a viral sensation. David reaches unprecedented fame, but his newfound celebrity comes at a price. He soon realizes that his thoughts are being manipulated by the company behind the innovative tech. "'The Truman Show' meets 'The Circle' in this claustrophobic story about corporate culture and social media," Book Riot commented. Order here.

"Bloodchild and Other Stories" by Octavia E. Buttler (1995)

Butler is a renowned science-fiction author, and this collection of short stories is a cornucopia of what she does best. The book includes a selection of her award-winning short stories, including "Bloodchild," the winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and "Speech Sounds," the winner of the Hugo Award. The former shows a world where humans are trafficked as breeders for a colonizing alien race, and the latter imagines a dystopian world where human beings have lost the ability to speak or read. In a 1995 review, The New York Times called the collection a "fine example of how science fiction, by subverting expectations, can jar us into a new appreciation of familiar truths." Order here.

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TIME off is for relaxing with a book, and sci-fi luckily meets our needs with a wonderfully diverse palette of approaches to the grief and trouble surrounding us. Some stories shine a light on our worst truths, others offer escapes to worlds as beautiful as they should be, and then there are those that blow your mind so thoroughly you can't think any more.

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Sci-fi Anthology Explores Female Perspective

A collection featuring works by 33 female sci-fi writers has been garnering widespread attention and praise ever since its release in 2021. Its chief editor Cheng Jingbo told China.Org.Cn she will continue to promote the cause and compile similar books to shine light on women's contributions to the genre.

Cheng Jingbo, renowned sci-fi writer and chief editor of "She: A Collection of the Classic Works of Chinese Female Science Fiction Writers," poses for a photo holding the best book award from the first Fishing Fortress Science Fiction Awards, June 11, 2023. [Photo provided to China.Org.Cn]

Cheng Jingbo, a renowned new-generation sci-fi writer, was invited by her fellow sci-fi writer Ling Chen in 2020 to serve as chief editor of "She: A Collection of the Classic Works of Chinese Female Science Fiction Writers." The two-volume book was produced by Jiujie Literature, a subsidiary of Power Time, and published by China Radio, Film & TV Press. 

Cheng agreed without hesitation. The purpose of the book is to gather works by some of China's most influential female sci-fi writers spanning three decades from 1990 to 2020, including Zhang Jing, Peng Liurong, Zhao Haihong, Hao Jingfang, Gu Shi, Zhou Wen, Gu Bei, Count E, as well as Cheng and Ling themselves.

"Since we have this identity as women, why not perceive, understand, empathize and express the world from this perspective? The aesthetic standards of sci-fi were almost created and have long been dominated by male authors," Cheng said. "As a female writer, I don't think we need to change this. But more importantly, I think what we need to do under the current aesthetic standards and visible situations of sci-fi development is not to adapt to them, but to find our own language."

Cheng found working on the project to be very meaningful, as she believes that female sci-fi writers in China deserve an opportunity to shine together. As chief editor of the work, she aimed to provide a more layered perspective to show the bigger picture of Chinese sci-fi.

The two-volume book "She: A Collection of the Classic Works of Chinese Female Science Fiction Writers." [Photo courtesy of China Radio, Film & TV Press]

The book features not only the writers' works but also their reflections and analysis of their creative process. As such, it offers valuable textual material and holds significant academic research value, making it an important reference book for studying Chinese sci-fi.

Just a week after winning the best book award on June 10 at the Fishing Fortress Science Fiction Awards, a symposium was held on the book in Beijing. The event was guided by the Social Liaison Department of the China Writers Association and the China Science Writers Association, and sponsored by the Science Fiction Creation Research Base of the China Science Writers Association and the China Science Fiction Research Center. Literature heavyweights, scholars and experts gathered to examine the development of sci-fi and contributions by female authors.

During the symposium, Xu Chenliang, the editor-in-chief of Contemporary magazine, praised "She" as a science fiction anthology that also combines oral history. The selection of works presents more social concerns and has a realistic tone, with female sci-fi creators often pioneering exploration practices and breaking free from existing frameworks to express themselves through new structures and literary forms.

Gu Shi, an urban-planner-turned-sci-fi-writer whose work was included in the book, reflected on the changes in women's consciousness throughout her creative career. She believes that contemporary female writers are now representing and contributing to the rise of Chinese sci-fi on the world stage.

Experts and industry professionals pose for a group photo at a symposium on the book "She: A Collection of the Classic Works of Chinese Female Science Fiction Writers" at the National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature in Beijing, June 17, 2023. [Photo provided to China.Org.Cn]

Ling Chen pointed out that generations of young female sci-fi writers born in and after the 1990s have more platforms to publish their works and contribute to the global rise in sci-fi's popularity. They have received better education, which has brought more diverse styles and agile thinking to the creation of Chinese sci-fi.

This prompted the chief editor of the book to develop ambitious new plans. Cheng Jingbo revealed to China.Org.Cn that she has two directions in mind: presenting representative works of female sci-fi writers from around the world to Chinese readers, while also introducing representative works of Chinese female sci-fi writers to global audiences. 

She emphasized the ever-evolving cultural industry, changing trends in writers' creations, evolving reading demands, new publishing forms such as audiobooks, digital publishing and metaverse publishing, as well as more innovative publishing concepts and creative trends. All of these factors contribute to creating exciting possibilities for women in the science fiction genre.

"My original aspiration remains unchanged," Cheng said. "I believe that women's voices deserve to be heard, and I'm willing to spare no efforts to promote Chinese female sci-fi and its writers."

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