Sylvia Bishop

Dark fantasy undermines certainty and reality – but that’s exactly what we need, argues author and academic Alex Pheby. He talks us through his five favourites, and how they allegorize loss of innocence, question the real, and re-awaken our awareness of the human condition.

Hard science fiction books build fantastical worlds underpinned by rigorous science. This constraint actually provokes originality, explains multi-award winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky. He talks us through his five favourites, and shows how every sci-fi story exploring science must also explore politics, philosophy and humanity.

A series gives a sci fi writer time to develop powerfully layered worlds, says award-winning author and historian Ada Palmer. She talks us through five series that make the most of this complexity, and envision worlds ranging from lunar anarchist settlements to a real-life Plato’s Republic.

Whatever genre you love, it can be made steampunk, argues ‘The Steampunk Scholar’ Mike Perschon. He talks us through his top five choices, and shows how the core elements of the steampunk style are being recombined to create rollicking and original adventures – from alternate Civil War tales to flying whales.

When The Day of the Triffids introduced John Wyndham to the world, it was a smash hit because of his keen interest in humanity, says his biographer Amy Binns. She talks us through her top five Wyndham books, stories that explore motherhood and feminism, religion, loneliness and uncertainty – but always wrapped in warm, witty, page-turning adventures.

Low-stakes 'cozy' fantasy is very popular right now, says the bestselling author TJ Klune—and as a result it's a very exciting time to be working in the genre. Here he recommends five cozy fantasy novels, all with magical worlds to get lost inside: from moving castles to coffee shops at the end of the world.

By telling alternative histories, we can run thought experiments that shed new light on our own timeline. ‘Master of alternate history’ Harry Turtledove talks us through his five favourites – and considers why alternate history pre-dates conventional sci fi, why some historical changes make for better drama than others, and how the micro-histories of our own lives are radically shaped by chance.

Short stories are at the heart of a thriving science fiction community, where readers, writers and editors move between roles and raise each other up. R.S.A. Garcia, winner of the 2024 Nebula prize for Best Short Story, talks us through her five highlights: short takes on big themes, with community at their heart.

Modern fantasy emerged out of the work of a group of Victorian writers, many of whom were medieval scholars and social justice activists. These three threads are intimately connected, explains literary scholar Kirstin Jeffrey Johnson. Here, she introduces us to the Victorian fantasy novels that shaped the work of 20th-century legends C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, and the beliefs that infuse those stories.

Fantasy and mystery blend beautifully because PIs and wizards occupy the same role, says Jim Butcher, bestselling author of The Dresden Files. He tells us about the inspiration for his own PI, Harry Dresden, and introduces us to his top five fantasy mysteries: stories where our modern urban fears can be explored, and where metaphorical and literal underworlds meet.