Ah, summer. There’s so much to do, so much fun to be had…and a lot of it cuts in on reading time. So while you’re off at the beach, or camping, or playing pickleball, or visiting amusement parks, or whatever you get up to when the weather is nice, here are eight slim science fiction and fantasy novels you can read in one sitting between activities. (Don’t try reading on the teacups, though. You’ll hurl.)
Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi
If fairy tales are your favorite flavor of fantasy, pick up this fun one! The marriage of Prince Ambrose and Princess Imelda has lost its magic—but it’s not their fault. Their love has been taken by a witch, in return for surviving a curse placed on them. In order to get their love back, they’ll have to go on a dangerous magical quest. But is it worth it?
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark
This is an exciting dark fantasy about assassins and honor. Eveen the Eviscerator is a professional killer who skillfully carries out every job she is assigned. But when one job turns out to hit a little too close to home, she fails to complete it. Now she’s running from the people she used to work with, while trying to make sense of everything. (FYI, there are no dead cats in this book. They just liked the name.)
On a Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard
In this thought-provoking work of science fiction, the sentient Prosper Station has protected its human relations for years. But when war breaks out, most of the humans go off to fight, while war refugees fill the station. Station Mistress Quyen and the Honoured Ancestress must work to keep the station from collapsing under the strain, as everyone waits for peace to return to the Dai Viet Empire.
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
This is the start of such a fun fantasy series! There are eleven books available (with another coming in January), so you could fill your time with the different stories. They all revolve around portals and the children who fell through them, whether they came back and never want to leave again or are desperate to return to their fantasy life. This first story is about a boarding school for kids who can’t seem to accept that they’re home and the bad things that happen under its roof.
Swords and Spaceships
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Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky
And this is more exciting science fiction! It’s about an anthropologist on a faraway planet who is there to observe the inhabitants, not help them. But the people on the planet think he’s a sorcerer, and when they are terrorized by what they believe is a demon, he must decide if he’s going to interfere with their lives and endanger his studies.
A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson
This is technically the second book in a series, but I read it without realizing that, and I loved it so much. It follows the Aqib bgm Sadiqi, son of the Master of Beasts, who has fallen in love with Lucrio, a visiting Daluçan soldier. This is a royal scandal waiting to happen, and the two must figure out a way to make their love work in the face of such scrutiny and disapproval.
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
Why not bring your summer vacation down with a classic novel about nuclear war? Come on, it will be fun! It’s about a group of religious fanatics after a devastating nuclear attack, who judge human beings who show the slightest sign of being different and exile them from society. It’s a cutting, philosophical examination of genetics, religion, and being judgmental of others. (No, really, it’s good for vacation! Or if you’d rather murderous plants, try his longer novel The Day of the Triffids.)
The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang
Finally, I have this excellent historical fantasy about siblings Mokoya and Akeha, who were raised in a monastery. Their mother is the Protector of their lands, and is required to give them away. Mokoya and Akeha both grow up with special powers and must decide what they want to do with their lives and what side of the coming rebellion they want to support. It’s a fascinating, ethereal fantasy, with a twin novella that is equally as excellent, The Red Threads of Fortune, and can be read before or after this one.
Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the Book Riot podcast All the Books! and on Instagram.
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