3 Best Sci-Fi Books To Read This Weekend (November 14-15)
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Science fiction is among the most popular genres around, and for good reason. Rich in worldbuilding and dealing with themes of oppression, ambition, liberation, and the advancement of the human race, sci-fi is an enduring part of most media, but it's especially prominent in literature. Ever since Mary Shelley's foundational classic, Frankenstein, came out, the genre has kept growing until it became the juggernaut it is today.
Today, sci-fi is incredibly prolific, and you can find at least one book about every single possible subgenre, tackling every possible angle. If you're in the mood for a riveting sci-fi book to read this weekend, then look no further than the ones on this list. One of these you can probably start and finish over the weekend, and the others might take a bit longer. However, they're all incredible choices for you to tackle come Saturday morning.
'Poor Things' (1992)
You might know this title more for Emma Stone's Oscar-winning 2023 adaptation, but the original Poor Things is just as quirky, subversive, and unforgettable — it's also rather different. Like the movie, Poor Things: Episodes from the Early Life of Archibald McCandless M.D., Scottish Public Health Officer is a spin on Frankenstein focusing on Bella Baxter, a woman brought back to life with the brain of a baby in Victorian Glasgow.
Like the movie, the book is wholly original, tracking Bella's growth from an inexperienced, childlike girl into a liberated and knowledgeable young woman who learns, through experience, how to relate to and challenge the world's conventions. Gray's interest is entirely in offering a daring, postmodern dissection of Victorian society, particularly taking issue with the time's outdated social and sexual conventions. Most brilliant is the film's ending, in which letters from Bella herself put into question McCandless' retelling of her life, claiming she is neither the result of an experiment nor the idealized version that he depicts. It's one final, brilliant subversion of a well-known story that completely recontextualizes everything you just read.
'House of Suns' (2008)
Now we move on to one of the most critically acclaimed sci-fi books of the 2000s. House of Suns is set six million years into the future, as humanity has spread across the Milky Way. A woman named Abigail Gentin has split herself into thousands of male and female clones known as shatterlings. Two of them fall in love and arrive late to a family reunion, only to discover their fellow clones have been attacked by a mysterious force set on eradicating them.
House of Suns is among the most original, daring, and impactful explorations of identity in modern fiction. The premise is incredibly creative from the get-go, but the book's greatest strength is how it tackles issues of individuality within the context of a sprawling galaxy. How does one life matter in the grand context of the universe? Author Alastair Reynolds shoots for the stars here (pun intended). The result is one of the best sci-fi books of the 21st century, a remarkable and profound exercise in sci-fi that asks many intriguing questions without ever forgetting to deliver a compelling mystery. It's a bit under 500 pages, so you can comfortably end this one by Friday if you begin on Saturday morning.
'The Martian' (2011)
Lastly, let's finish with one of the most popular and beloved sci-fi books of the 2010s. Andy Weir's best-selling juggernaut The Martian tells the story of Mark Watney, a botanist and engineer who becomes stranded on Mars after he's presumed dead. Left alone, and with only his wit and experience as allies, Watney has to, in his words, "science the s—t out of this." Meanwhile, his crew on Earth works tirelessly to bring him home.
Weir creates genuine literary magic here. Watney's journey could become incredibly didactic, especially as he invests considerable time in his scientific process, using actual protocols and terms to survive. Yet, the author injects so much wit and personality into the writing that it practically comes alive before you. Watney is one of the best protagonists of the 21st century: ingenious, relatable, and remarkably human, endlessly optimistic despite being in a situation where so many others would've surrendered to despondency. It's no surprise that the book has become a true pop culture landmark, reviving mainstream interest in science fiction and launching Weir's career as one of the genre's best writers today.
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