Sylvia Bishop

Sci fi opens up new possibilities for romance stories, unconstrained by social reality. It’s an exciting time for the genre, says Natasha Pulley, bestselling author of The Mars House. Through her five contemporary favourites, she explores how human emotion – including romantic love and friendship – elevates the best sci-fi novels, creating stories with realism and depth.

Why do tales of the paranormal endure? The allure is paradoxical, says Nicole Peeler: it is the realm of ultimate horror and ultimate fantasy. And it requires mystery; some supernatural figures retain more intrigue than others in the age of science. We asked the author and academic to recommend five paranormal fantasy books that speak to the mysteries of today.

For many readers of science fiction, world building is the most important feature of their favourite books. Tom Huddleston, author of The Worlds of Dune, explains how the best fictional worlds are original and immersive—and, above all, mind-expanding. Here he introduces us to his top five sci fi worlds, and to the extraordinary thinkers who created them.

Dragons can be found in the mythology of almost every culture, and today they are enjoying a surge in popularity – but these days they are portrayed as companions, not the enemy, says the bestselling author Taran Matharu. He talks us through his top five ‘dragon fantasy’ books, from classic heroes’ journeys to emerging fantasy trends, and tells us how to spot if your dragon is actually a wyvern.

We use ‘science fantasy’ when a book seems to be both science fiction and fantasy. What distinguishes the two, and what does it mean to combine them? These books are an opportunity to explore our ways of knowing, reflect changing cultures, and find humour in the unexpected, says award-winning fantasy and sci fi author Vajra Chandrasekera.

Historical fantasy books intermingle real history with counterfactual and speculative elements. P. Djèlí Clark, historian and Nebula Award-winning novelist, talks us through his top five magical re-imaginings of past eras, taking us from fourteenth century Russia into the Washington D.C. of the Roaring Twenties.

There is nothing that science fiction writers like more than writing about the sci fi community—and all its in-jokes, tropes, and preoccupations. Gary K. Wolfe, sci fi editor, critic and biographer, talks us through his top five novels about sci fi, and the conversation they contribute to.

Fantasy romances top bestseller charts, and also dominate an enormous fandom and fan fic culture. Where did this turn towards intimacy in the fantasy epic begin, and what does it offer readers? Bestselling author A.K. Mulford guides us through the delights of romantasy novels: comforting reads, immersive worlds, and a central concern with emotional intimacy – in all its varieties.

Arthur C. Clarke is one of the biggest names in science fiction, epitomizing an era of space exploration and scientific optimism. Paul March-Russell, co-editor of the essay collection Rendezvous with Arthur C. Clarke, talks us through his work and argues that Clarke should be remembered for the nuances of his writing and his humility about man’s place in the awe-inspiring cosmos.

When the rules for technology, geography and even personal identity can be changed, murder mysteries get complicated – and fascinating. Mary Robinette Kowal, award-winning novelist and author of the Hugo-nominated mystery The Spare Man, talks to us about her top five sci-fi mystery books – and takes us on a tour of the whodunnits, howdunnits, and whydunnits available to us in science fictional worlds.