• The Best Science Fiction Books About Aliens - Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon
  • The Best Science Fiction Books About Aliens - Solaris by Stanisław Lem
  • The Best Science Fiction Books About Aliens - Semiosis by Sue Burke
  • The Best Science Fiction Books About Aliens - The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell
  • The Best Science Fiction Books About Aliens - Embassytown by China Miéville

The Best Science Fiction Books About Aliens, recommended by Jaime Green

Science fiction helps us work through not only the possibilities of the cosmos but also the nature of humanity itself, argues Jaime Green—science writer and author of a new book on the search for alien biology, The Possibility of Life. Here she highlights five classic works of sci-fi that explore ideas of consciousness and communication in the setting of outer space.

  • The 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist - Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris
  • The 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
  • The 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist - The Marriage Portrait: A Novel by Maggie O'Farrell & narrated by Genevieve Gaunt
  • The 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist - Pod by Laline Paull
  • The 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist - Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks
  • The 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist - Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

The 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist, recommended by Cal Flyn

Every year, the Women’s Prize for Fiction highlights the best novels written by women over the previous twelve months. In 2023, the six-strong Women’s Prize shortlist features the latest books by beloved bestsellers Barbara Kingsolver and Maggie O’Farrell, plus a debut novel set during the siege of Sarajevo and a book told primarily from the point of view of a dolphin.